Date: Sat, 6 Jun 1998 17:20:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Jill LaPoint Subject: Story to submit (part 1/2) Title: Without Him 1/2 Author: Sal Jopint Email: chinga_doll@yahoo.com Rating: PG Disclaimer: They're not mine, nor are the songs. I wish they were mine, I would be very rich! The lucky people who DO own them are Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, FOX Network. Archive: Everywhere *Without Him* Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully arrived on the scene of the hostage situation with another team of agents. "Go around the back," Mulder called out. Mulder and Scully stayed in the front of Lucas Elliot's house. Elliot was an escaped convict and was considered armed and dangerous. Elliot had taken three hostages and had sworn to kill them or someone else at the stroke of midnight. It was 11:40; they had twenty minutes. With guns drawn, the agents surrounded the house. Agent Mulder was to be the negotiator for the situation, another agent handed him the megaphone. "Mulder, are you sure you want to do this?" Scully had come to stand beside him. Her breath was warm and sweet, which washed away ant fear that had subsided in him. "Yeah, I'm sure," he replied. He was given a signal to begin the negotiations. "Scully, I-I just want you to know... well, what I mean is... If anything happens out there, I want you to know... I-I-I... lov---" "Anytime now Agent Mulder," came an obviously ticked off agent's voice. "Mulder, what is it," Scully asked. "I'll tell you later," was his reply. It was about 11:55 and nothing had been accomplished, Elliot would not give in. "Damn," said Mulder. Beads of sweat had begun to form on his forehead and palms. The agents had determined that Elliot was just beyond the door, but nobody had a clear shot at him. Mulder's only objectives were to stay out of Elliot's line of fire and get him to give up the hostages and himself. Mulder paced in front of the house when all of sudden his watch beeped midnight. Scully watched him pace and when she heard his watch beep, she looked up. Mulder, without knowing, had paced right into the line of fire. "Mulder, Get out of there!" Scully yelled. Mulder looked up just in time to see where he was standing and then three shots rang out. Elliot had chosen to shoot someone else; the agent that had stepped into his firing range. x x x Mulder hit the ground hard not knowing, for a moment, what had happened. Until it came to him, he had been shot. He could not pin point the pain, it ached all over, engulfing his whole body. "Agent down! Call an ambulance!" Was Scully's cry. Racing through her mind, as ran to Mulder's side, were troubling ideas and hopes that he was going to live. The only man she had ever come to trust in whole, a friend she knew she could lean on, and... was there more, had she loved him? Did he love her, was that he was trying to say to her before this awful thing happened? "Mulder! Mulder are you all right?!" he did not respond. "Mulder, don't leave me, I need you!" Whoa, what was she saying, she can't say those things out loud. At least not to her partner! "Mulder, you're going to be okay, I'm right here." Her voice was more comforting and soft, she smoothed his hair away from his face and kissed his forehead lightly. "You're going to be fine." The ambulance arrived at the hospital shortly after the incident. As much as she wanted togo in and help her partner, she was not trained for the ER. All she could do was sit in the waiting room. After about a half hour, a doctor came out to the waiting room. He walked up to Scully and asked "Mrs. Mulder?" Scully was surprised to hear her self called that. She stammered out her response, "Uh, uh, no. I'm uh, I'm his partner. Dana Scully." The Doctor said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Doctor Birch, could you step into my office please. Scully followed the doctor down the hall and as she did, she thought about how nice it would sound to be called Mrs. Mulder. When the doctor opened the door to his office, Scully snapped out of her little dream world. He shut the door behind them. "Have a seat. I'm afraid I have some bad news." Just at that moment Margaret Scully walked through the door. "Mom" Scully said. "I'm sorry I'm late Dana. Is Fox okay?" I don't know, I guess that's what I'm about to find out." Scully said. "As you may know, Agent Fox Mulder has been shot three times. The first two were low and entered in the thigh and lower abdomen. The third bullet hit him in his chest, close to the heart. I'm afraid that the obstruction that was caused has caused bleeding and that we are unable to stop it," the doctor said. His voice lowered as he prepared to tell the saddest news of all, "Agent Mulder has approximately two days to live, I'm sorry" Scully leaned into her mother, the two women hugged and began to cry. The doctor got up and headed towards the door, but he turned around and said, "Agent Mulder is awake and you are permitted to see him if you wish." The doctor turned and left. Scully pulled away from her mother, "May I have a moment alone with him first?" Her mother replied, "Of course you may Dana. He deserves to see you more than me at this point." Scully got up and walked down the hall to Mulder's room. She didn't know what she was going to say, she just wished he would have finished what he was saying earlier. She entered his room quietly and was shocked to see him lying in the hospital bed watching some show on the sci- fi channel. He laid in the bed looking so sweet and adorable, yet his face held a pained expression, she could tell the had told him the news. His usually darkened skin now pale and gray. She realized then how much she loved him. There was no way that she would be able to live without him. "Mulder?" Her voice was gentle and caring again, yet it wavered with fear and sadness. He turned his head towards the door, "Hey Scully." She walked over to his bedside and picked up his hand. He intertwined his fingers with hers. "So, uh... how are doing?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Besides the fact about the news the doc gave me." Scully broke into rapid questions, "Mulder, what about the X-Files? Samantha? Your job? Your fish?" She slowed down and softened her voice, "Mulder, what about me?" "Whoa, Scully, whoa!" Mulder said. "First the answers to your questions: I guess they'll be shut down unless you want to continue them. Samantha is gone, I still believe what I think happened to her. My job I will have to quit." A slight grin spread across Mulder's face, "My fish, well maybe you can take them. You do so well at feeding them." Mulder's grin faded away and became serious as he answered her final question, "About you, Scully, I guess you'll have to choose your own path. Maybe you'll go back to Quantico, its your choice. But whatever your choice maybe, please remember this, I love you. I will always love you. I have since you walked through that office door four years ago. Scully's mouth dropped open. She had those same feelings, but she was never sure he had shared them. She knew she loved him the moment she walked through that office door and saw him wearing those glasses. "Hello Fox?" came another comforting voice. Mrs. Scully had entered the room. The two stayed and talked with Mulder for a few hours. Scully promised that she would be back to check on him the next morning. Back at Scully's house, Scully had forgotten to make up a new bed for her mother. "Mom, you take my bed and I'll take the guest room." Scully tried to sleep, but woke up around 10:00 having an awful nightmare about Mulder. She had to go see him, visitor hours ended in a half hour. She threw on a pair of Lee jeans and an over sized tee shirt and she grabbed her keys. She had to make sure her mother didn't hear her and want to come too. Scully reached the hospital just ten minutes before hours were up. When she reached Mulder's room she was actually shocked to see him asleep. In a way she was glad to see him sleeping. She walked over to the side of his bed and sat in the chair, she pulled the chair closer to the bed and held his hand in hers. All she could think about was telling him how she really felt for him. She loved him too, but she never got the chance to say it earlier that night. She had to tel him; she would tell him tomorrow. The nurse came in and said, "Ma'am, I'm afraid you have to leave." Scully looked up and through the sleepiness in her voice, managed to say, " I'll be spending the night here, special request." The nurse grouchily agreed and left. Scully thought to herself I have got to get you out of here, with bitches like her around, I'd die sooner. She leaned over and placed her head close to Mulder's arm on his bed, trying to get comfortable. Before she knew it she was asleep and dreaming about Mulder and her. Mulder woke up and, from the beeping, remembered where he was. But, something was different, it felt odd, he looked down and saw Scully cuddled up close to his chest. Even though it felt odd, it felt amazingly comforting and just... wow! He had dreamed of this happening for a long time and it finally had happened. "Good morning," he said as her eyes fluttered open. "Morning," she said in a sleepy voice. Trying not to sound too alarmed or make her think he wanted her to leave, he said, "Why did you stay?" She looked up into his dark hazel eyes and wondered if now would be a good time to say how she felt, she decided it was. "I came back because... I couldn't stop thinking about what you had said yesterday." At that moment a song floated in from the room across the hall. A song that seemed to fit the moment and seemed to say exactly what they wanted to say to each other. "Look into my eyes you will see, what you mean to me. Search your heart, Search your soul. And when you find me there you'll search no more. Don't tell me it's not worth trying for. You can't tell me it's not worth dying for. You know it's true, everything I do, I do it for you." Racing through Mulder's mind was that how the first verse had related to what he wanted to say to her. He was dying for their love and it was worth it. Trying to hold back tears as she spoke in a shaky voice, she managed to say those three words that meant more than the world to Mulder, "Fox Mulder... I love you too, and..." She choked back tears and spoke again, "...and I'm going to miss you so much." At that point it was no use, she had never cried in front of her partner, but now it was different, he was more than just her partner. She laid her head down on him and cried. "I love you too," he said as he held his head close to hers and comforted her. The song floated back into the room. "I'd lie for you, walk the world for you, yeah I'd die for you. You know it's true, everything I do, I do it for you." Scully wished so much that it could be her dying, taking all the pain from him. Just so he could live. At that moment, Mulder had never felt a single true sad emotion, but he felt sad now and felt a tear run down his cheek. It was the first time a woman had truly cared about him and made him feel important. He really did not deserve her. He had many women in his life, but they were mostly women he met in bars or just one night stands. Some of them he even had to pay for to talk to. He trusted Scully and believed her, except when she said she had brothers, and he felt that she truly meant it when she said she loved him. All of a sudden the door opened and Mrs. Scully walked in. Scully quickly pulled out of Mulder's arms and sat back down in her chair. "I knew I would find you here Dana," she said. "Hello Fox, how are you feeling?" "I'm feeling much better, thank you." He replied. He shot Scully a small grin, almost as to say that she was the reason he was better. "Well, you have a decision to make, Fox. You can either stay in the hospital or spend your last day with Dana at your apartment," Mrs. Scully said. "Mother!" Scully glared at her mother. "Well it's true, he can't stay by himself." Mrs. Scully replied. Mulder spoke up, "I think I'll go with choice number two, but Dana.." he quickly covered up his mistake, "...uh, Scully I don't want you to feel that you must stay with me. I can stay alone." He gave her his best puppy dog-eyes and he knew he had her. "That's not it Mulder, of course I'll stay with you. That afternoon Mulder and Scully went to rent movies for that night. They rented: Up close and Personal, Phenomenon, Top Gun, and Forest Gump. On the way home, driving in silence, they acted like teenagers, Taking quick glances at each other while the other wasn't looking. When they reached Mulder's apartment, there was a bottle of chilled wine waiting for them. "Courteous of my mother I'm guessing." Scully said. Scully made popcorn while Mulder poured the wine and popped in the first movie. Scully brought over the popcorn over to the couch and slid in next to Mulder. Half way through the first movie, Up close and Personal, Mulder extended his arm across the back of the couch and then brought it down and wrapped it around Scully, pulling her close. His touch sent chills running down her back, but in a good way. Scully just couldn't believe how long she had waited for this to happen. She was sitting there with a man she loved, who looked incredibly sexy in his reading glasses, and who actually cared about her enough to the point where he would give up his life for their love. The same thing was running through Mulder's mind. e was sitting there with a woman whom cared so deeply for him, that he almost didn't deserve it. Every day he prayed to God, no matter how much of a disbeliever he was, thanking him for giving him Scully. He couldn't live without her. Scully awoke first, not realizing where she was, she looked around and then she felt Mulder's arm tighten around her. Then she remembered that they were watching movies and they hadn't even made it through Top Gun, their second movie, before they had fallen asleep. She stayed laying against him and just taking in all his handsome features; his hazel eyes, his brown hair, that little mole on the side of his cheek. Even though he hardly went home to shower, he always smelled so good. A certain smell always followed him and just never left. Mulder woke up slowly and said, "I had a good dream, it was about... you and me." A sleepy smile crossed his face. The two just sat there in each others arms for a minute or so just staring at each other. They searched one another's eyes for affection, but they didn't have to look far. It was right there on the surface. Mulder slowly leaned in toward Scully, their lips touched and joined for a moment, ever so gentle and sweet. After they parted from their kiss, Scully asked, "what was that for?" Not that she didn't like it or anything, in fact, she loved it. In a gentle voice, that he very rarely used, he replied, "Because I love you and I'm going to miss you." He managed to choke out the last words as if they caused pain, not only to him, but to her as well. Mulder knew that Scully would have to go to work that morning so he let her use his shower and her mother was going to bring over some clean clothes. While Scully was in the shower, Mulder called the Bureau, "Assistant Director Skinner please." he said . A dry, deep, mans voice came through on the other end, "Skinner. Who is this?" Mulder answered, "Yeah. This is Agent Mulder." Skinner suddenly seemed sympathetic, "Oh, Agent Mulder, how are you?" Mulder, tired of everyone being so god damn sappy towards him, shot back, "I'm fine, but I need you to do something for me." Anything, Agent Mulder." Skinner replied. "Good, I need you to get a desk a bring it down into my office for Agent Scully. It must be there today before she comes in at noon." Skinner was shocked, "I'll try my best. Is there anything else?" Mulder was silent for a moment and then came back, "Yes, make a name plate for the desk and one for the door." I know I can do that." Skinner replied. "Thanks," Mulder said and then hung up. He picked up the phone and called the florists, "I would like to order a dozen red roses." Where would you like them delivered to sir?" the voice on the other end asked. Mulder gave the address of the J. Edgar Hoover Building and the floor and office number to deliver them to. He told the person to put them on Dana Scully's desk at exactly 11:45. Giving Skinner enough time to get a desk. "On Fox Mulder's desk there is an envelope with the name Dana on it, put it with the flowers." He hung up the phone just before Scully stepped out of the bathroom. He turned on the television and clicked to a Knick's game. "Who were you talking to?" Scully asked. Mulder paused for a moment, "Uh... uh, oh! That was Skinner and he said that you didn't have to come in until noon or so." "Okay," Scully said a little uncertain about his long pause and answer. "Has my mother brought over my clothes yet?" She asked. "No, but you can grab a shirt and a pair of jeans or something out of one of my drawers." She took one of his tee shirts and a pair of his boxers, since the jeans were way to big. She stepped out of the bathroom, again, but this time she was dressed in his over sized, blue, Knicks tee shirt that came to just above her knees and his favorite black silk boxers. If he were to have any say in it, he would say that she looked a lot better in those boxers than he ever did. She walked over to his little kitchenette and started opening cupboards. " What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm going to make you breakfast, so you just sit right there." She put on a pot of coffee and made them both french toast and fresh orange juice. She brought his over to him on a tray she found and set hers on the coffee table. She sat dawn and Mulder took the first bite, then he said, "Scully, you can cook and make it taste good too?!" She looked at him and gave him that I - should - be - rolling - my - eyes - but - I'm - not look and said "as a matter of fact I can. I took home economics in high school." When they finished eating, it was about 10:30. "Well, I guess I should get going." Scully said. Mulder looked at her and cocked his head, "In what? My shirt and boxers?" Scully looked down at what she was wearing and smiled. It was a smile that Mulder had waited his whole life to see. He had seen her smile before, but it was usually the kind of smile you give someone when they say something truly dumb. This was a real smile and it had lots of meaning. "I guess I'll have to wait a while longer." she said. The two of them were both smiling and laughing together when Scully's mom walked in. "Well this is different. I've never seen you two laugh together before." Scully got up and walked over to her mother to retrieve her clothes. Then she went into the bathroom, yet again, to change. "Do think Mr. Skinner has held up his end of the bargain, Fox?" Mrs. Scully asked. "Yes, but I need you to take her to work and the longest way possible." Mulder replied. Mrs. Scully gave him a quizzical look, "why?" "Because the flowers I ordered won't be there until 11:45 or so." He said shyly. "Oh Fox, you're so sweet. You really do love her, don't you." She wrapped him in a hug and he replied with a grin while his face blushed, "Yeah. I really do." Scully stepped out of the bathroom, "Fox..." She quickly covered up her falter, "... Mulder, where should I put these clothes?" "Uh, just throw them on the floor in there." What were you two talking about?" Scully asked. "Nothing, nothing at all." Mulder quickly answered. Scully looked at them and raised an eye brow, "If I knew better, I would say you two are plotting against me." "Dana, dear, I'm going to take you to work and I'll pick you up," Mrs. Scully said. "Now I really think you're plotting against me." Mulder walked over behind Scully and wrapped his arms around her stomach, "Now why would we want to do that?" he said. Scully smiled up at him and then turned herself around to face him. She put her arms round his neck and they hugged. He kissed her on the forehead and then she pulled away. "I had better be going." she said. "Bye," he said. "You two are just so adorable." Mrs. Scully cooed. When they reached the J. Edgar Hoover Building, Scully stepped out of the car and told her mother that she would call and let her know when she was ready to be picked up. Scully half jogged up the steps to the large building. When she entered the building, she glanced at her watch, it was 1:35. "Oh crap." she thought to herself, she was late. She walked into Assistant Director Skinner's office and said, "Sorry I'm late sir." He was strangely sympathetic, "It's okay, you were busy. Now go on down to the office and I'll send some work down later." Scully was shocked, why would he let her off so easily. Scully walked down to the office and took out the keys to the door. She didn't even notice the name plate on the door under Mulder's name. She pushed open the door and stopped short of her "little corner." There was a brand new desk with a name plate, with her name on it, sitting on the desk. On the desk were also a bundle of roses. She went over to the desk and picked up the card that was with them. The card read: "Roses are red, Violets are blue. I got these red roses just for you." It was kind of a dumb little verse, but it was sweet and entirely Mulder. She continued to read: "I hope you enjoy the desk and flowers. I arranged all this, this morning. If I know you well enough, you most likely didn't see the name plate on the door yet. Since I obviously won't be coming back to work, feel free to claim any or all of my possessions from work or my apartment. Your mother was in on this and Skinner as well. We were plotting, but not against you. I have a surprise for you tonight. I don't know how many times I can tell you this, but I love you and I always will. If I had more time, I would ask you a question that would mean more then that. The truth is out there, Scully, please pursue it." Love always, Fox The card brought tears to her eyes. She thought to herself, "Yes, I will pursue the truth, but I will never find another partner like you. And, if you did ask me that question, I could assure you that the answer would be yes." Scully found and old vase and put the flowers in it with water and set it on her desk. Scully wanted to know exactly how long Mulder had loved her, so she decided to go through his desk. The first things she found were pictures. Pictures of her that he must have taken while she wasn't looking. She found a few pictures of the two of them on their very first case, Christmas, and judging by the grin on his face, Valentine's Day. She also found a few nice ones of him. At first she thought, "How dorky, he takes pictures of himself." But, then she figured that they were fairly recent, she could tell by his hair, and that he had done them for her to find. She found a few little love letters that he had never found the courage to give her, dated back as far as only a few days after she arrived to "debunk" him and his theories and the X-Files. At about 5:00 the door to the office swung open and Mulder walked in and sat down at his desk. Scully looked up in amazement, "What are you doing her?" "I'm here to pick you up," Mulder stated. "You said you had a surprise tonight," Scully said as she walked over to Mulder's desk. She stood in front of the desk and leaned in towards Mulder. Mulder sat up in his chair and backed up a little, "I'm not a big enough surprise?" He stood up and walked to the front of his desk, "Actually, I made reservations for us at a little place called Mulder's Hideaway." Don't tell me you cooked!?" Scully said sounding surprised. "Yes, I did cook." Well, when are the reservations for," Scully asked. "I think now would be a good time," Mulder said. They walked out of the office after Mulder had taken one last look around. Scully locked the door and then looked at the name plate on the door, "They look so good together, its a shame they won't be together for much longer." Scully said. "I think you should leave mine up there. then you can still scare people away from the office," Mulder said. "Remember when Kryceck first came down here? He knocked so lightly and didn't even set foot in the office," Mulder said. "Mulder, they were so afraid of you and your paranoid sense of being." Scully said Together they walked down they hallways, knowing that it would be the last time they ever walked together again. Mulder slipped his arm around Scully's shoulders and they walked in unison out of the building. *To be continued* Title: Without Him 2/2 Author: Sal Jopint Email: chinga_doll@yahoo.com Rating: PG Disclaimer: They still aren't mine. I'm just having a little fun with them. They still belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, FOX Network. Archive: Everywhere *Without Him 2/2* They arrived at Mulder's apartment around 7:30. AS Mulder fumbled with the lock, Scully imagined it would be a mess inside instead of the nice, clean apartment she left it in the morning. Clothes draped over chairs, a messy desk, an unclean kitchen, and his "magazines" strewn all over the place. When he opened the door, she was surprised to find the place the way she had left it; spotless. As they stepped in, he guided her over to his small table which was candle lit. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat. As he walked into his small kitchen, he dimmed the lights and turned on some Music. A soft tune filled the air as she waited for him at the table. "Have I told you lately, that I love you. Have I told you, there's no one else above you. You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, ease my troubles that's what you do." After a few minutes, Mulder walked back to the table with two plates of lobster. He paced one plate in front of Scully, "Mulder, you made this!?" He replied with a simple, "yup." "Mulder... I can't even make this." She admitted. He sat down and they ate. After dinner, Scully suggested that they finish watching the movies they had rented, Halfway through, Scully fell asleep. She was leaned on Mulder's chest, he stroked and ran his fingers through her silken red hair. He knew it was coming, the thing he most dreaded. He looked at Scully and finally leaned down and whispered softly into her ear, "I love you Dana Scully. Good bye." Tears filled his eyes and he silently wept. He kissed her gently on the cheek and then fell asleep. XXX Scully woke up to Mulder's face and looked around, then she remembered what she was doing there. She then realized that Mulder's chest was not rising or falling. She checked for a pulse as tears filled er eyes. "Fox William Mulder, don't you dare leave me now!" she cried. She knew it was no use, she laid her head on his chest and cried. There was no reason to call the paramedics, she knew he was gone. She called her mother and, through tears, she told her what happened. They called a funeral home that day and set up a date for the funeral. They also called a coroner to take the body to a morgue. Things were going to be so different. The people at the morgue had conclude that Mulder's heart had stopped pumping during the night, which caused his death. The doctors had said natural causes had killed him, but Scully knew that it was all that Lucas guy's fault. He shot him, nearly killing him on the scene. But, God gave Mulder one last chance to admit his feelings and he did so. She knew that his death was caused by the gun shot wound inflicted upon him by Lucas. She was determined to find Lucas and have him jailed. The job wasn't for her, she couldn't let a death take over her life with anger and regret. She would have to call the police and have them look for this guy. She had to continue on with her life, somehow. She didn't know what she would do without seeing Mulder's face everyday, hearing his deadpan jokes, or listening to his abstract theories. The next day she went in to speak to Skinner and break the news to him. How she was going to tell him without crying, she wasn't sure. She walked into the office and told his secretary to hold all of his calls. She knocked on his door, "Come in." Skinner replied. "Agent Scully, what can I do for you?" That was a bad question to ask, she thought to herself, "If you can bring back the dead then you can help me!" She snapped out of her little world and replied, "Uh... I'm afraid I have some troubling news." Skinner sat up in his chair and gave her his full attention. Scully swallowed hard and preceded, "Last night... Agent Mulder died of.." Now she choked back tears, "... of a heart failure due to the gun shot wound he received while on duty." She knew if she cried in front of Skinner, that he would know something was going on between the two of them. "Please take a seat, Agent Scully." Skinner said. As he sat in his chair, he inched the box of kleenex closer towards Scully, indicating that it was alright if she cried. He would not find it unprofessional to do so at a time like this. Scully and Mulder had worked together for almost five years and he understood what she was going through. "I don't know if Agent Mulder had ever told you this, but I was aware of your feelings for each other long before his accident. I knew that after this accident occurred that it would be very likely that those feelings would be exposed. That is why I let you off so easily for being late the other day and I also assume that you were with Agent Mulder last night before he died." Scully couldn't hold out for much longer. She lost it and just lowered her head and cried, Skinner handed her a kleenex and she wept away her tears. "I can understand if you wish to take a leave of absence for a week or two while you recover from this. Starting today if you wish." Scully looked up at Skinner and nodded her head. "The funeral will be this Friday if you wish to attend. It's at the little church in Richmond." With that Scully turned and left his office. She decided to take the two weeks off that he had offered her and she started now. She went home to her house where her mother was waiting for her. When Scully walked through the door she ran to her mother's open arms and wept some more. "Mom, why did it have to happen to him? I loved him, it isn't fair. Why was he taken away from me?" She acted like a little girl who just lost her first love. "Dana, it will be alright. You will go on without Fox, but I don't think you nor I will ever forget him. He was like a son to me." The two women sat and cried for a long time. Day after day was even more painful than the last. Friday shortly came and the funeral was held. Many people showed up for Mulder's funeral. Skinner did show up to pay his homage. When Scully saw Mrs. Mulder standing beside her son's coffin after everyone had left, she had to go see her. Scully walked up to his mother. Scully said hello and his mother just looked at her with tear filled eyes. "Why did it happen Dana?" Scully wished she could give her an answer. "He loved you so much, Dana. When he visited, all he ever talked about was how wonderful and beautiful you were." Mrs. Mulder said. Scully gave a weak smile and nodded, "I loved him too." Scully and Mrs. Mulder hugged and Scully helped her back to her car. Before she drove away, Mrs. Mulder said to Scully, "Please don't ever forget him Dana." Scully replied, "I don't think I ever could." XXX When Scully returned to work the next Monday, many people were sympathetic. In fact, she was getting kind of sick of it. She had to go teach a class over at Quantico that day so she wanted everybody to just leave her alone for the time being. When she left for her class she was tired and had a headache. She looked over to the passenger seat where Mulder usually sat. She could just picture him sitting there, babbling about some crazy idea. When she reached Quantico, she was ten minutes late and the students were already there and waiting. "I'm sorry, I have had a busy day." She said to the students. They didn't mind, they could probably care less. She started reading the history of the person they would be looking at to the class. "Male, white American, approximately six feet tall. Cause of death: gunshot wound to the heart." She stopped dead in her tracks. She thought she was going to faint. It was just too much like Mulder's case. It wasn't Mulder, she was sure of that. "Uh... excuse me." She stammered as she walked out of the room. She couldn't do it, she would have to get someone else to teach. She ran out of the building and left. She headed back to D.C., on the way she cried as a song played on the radio that reminded her of her and Mulder. "Unbreak my heart, say you'll love me again. Undo this hurt that caused when you walked out that door and walked out of my life. Uncry these tears." She clicked off the radio and all of a sudden she saw Mulder. He was sitting in the passenger seat. Scully pulled over the car. She faced Mulder, or what she thought was Mulder. Mulder said, "Now do you believe in ghosts? I am the paranormal now." He was dead, yet he had the same sense of humor. "Scully, you can't go on with your life blaming yourself or relating everything you do, to my death. I died peacefully and I died knowing you loved me. That was the most you could do. You should go on living knowing that I loved you and that I would love no other. Please don't cut yourself off like that though. If you find someone else, don't reject them because of me. You still have a life to live, open up to people, but don't open up too much. Remember I will always be watching over you." With that he disappeared. His words had a great impact on her. The words that he spoke were probably the first that ever made complete and understandable sense. She knew she had to continue her life and with that last image of him sitting in her car talking to him, she could continue. She knew, now, that he would be alright. She turned the car around and headed back to Quantico. She would live again with Mulder's strength. *The End* I would love respones! Email me! chinga_doll@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com