From: Voet Date: 23 Mar 2000 13:39:29 -0800 Subject: Revised: You're my past, you're my future (1 +2/11) Title: You're my past, you're my future (1/11) Author: Tanja E-mail address: voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl or xfshippers@write-me.com Spoilers: Ehm none I believe .... Rating: PG-13/R Keywords: Pre-X-file, MSR Summary: Scully is in a coma, and Mulder learns that the past wasn't what he thought it was. (Vague, huh? Well, just read the story...) Archiving: This story can be posted anywhere, just keep my name and e-mail on it and let me know. Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner and Maggie Scully aren't mine. I know Tara has the same name as Bill Scully's wife, but hey, I just liked the name. They all belong to CC, Fox Network and 1013 productions. Author's note: I know I posted this story before, this is a revised and changed version. I thought it wasn't complete yet, so I wrote more and changed a few things in the first parts of the story. Traci, thanks for the beta-reading :D Dedicated to: Sam, she was the one who beta-read this story the first time I posted it. I still miss you on the list Sam. You're my past, you're my future (1/11) He was on his way to the hospital, the moment he heard she had been found. When he got there, her mother and Skinner (he wondered what his boss was doing here, together with Scully's mom) were already there. They had been working on a case and the killer had gone after Scully. When Mulder had finally realized that Scully's fears for something like this to happen, had come true, it was too late. She was gone and all he was left with, was a note, saying: "Don't try and come after us Agent Mulder. She'll be safe with me, as long as you stay away. X." Unfortunately he had known all too well who X. was. They had been working on the case for weeks already. X., aka Robert James, the man who was most likely behind at least 8 cases of women who were raped, killed and left behind in their cars. Mulder had come to Scully's apartment that night, to discuss the case with her (although he knew that was just a pathetic excuse, the real reason he had come over, was because he wanted to see her). To his surprise she hadn't opened the door, surprise had turned into worry and fear, when he had opened the door with his own key and found her apartment in a mess. Books and magazines all over the floor, a glass that had fallen and scattered to pieces, when the person who had been holding it, had let it slip from her hands. Stains of blood next to the pieces of glass. Frantically, he had searched her whole apartment, looking for a sign, a note or a message. Anything, that would tell him where to find Scully. He could not lose her, not again. It had happened once, in the past, he wouldn't let that happen again. He had been searching for five days. Five days in which he had hardly slept or eaten. His only goal was to bring back Scully. After five days he received a phone call from the hospital, they had found her, but she was in a coma and they couldn't tell when and if she was going to come out of her coma. THREE DAYS LATER It was three days later and she was still in the coma she had been in when they had found her. Mulder hadn't left the hospital since the moment he got there, despite Mrs. Scully's orders to go home and get some sleep. He was going to stay this time. He would not leave her again. He decided that he could really use a cup of coffee right now. Getting out of the chair near Scully's bed, he walked into the hallway. To see a familiar person hugging Mrs. Scully and being introduced to his boss. When Maggie heard the door open, she turned around and saw Mulder walking out. She smiled weakly and said, "Fox, I'd like you to meet ...", but she didn't have to finish her sentence. Tara Rogers, Dana's best friend from college, recognized him immediately. "Fox, what are you doing here?", She looked at him, seeing the pain in his eyes, the face that showed that he hadn't slept or eaten in days. She wondered what he was doing here. "Hi Tara, good to see you." He hugged her shortly and she said, "I didn't know that you and Dana..." He interrupted her, before she could finish "We work together". Maggie was surprised to see that they already knew each other. She assumed Tara was an ex-girlfriend from Mulder. She couldn't have been further away from the truth. With a concerned look on her face, Tara turned around to Scully's mom. "Can I see her?" "Of course you can, do you want me to come with you?" "I'll come with you", Mulder said, already walking back to Scully's room. He had forgotten about his coffee already. As they walked in, Tara stopped for a moment, shocked to see her friend, lying in the bed, with all kind of tubes and machines in and around her. Mulder saw her reaction, and said, "It's okay, you can talk to her. She can probably hear you." She moved closer to the bed, tears in her eyes, and just stood there for a while. After a while she looked up at Mulder, sadness visible in her eyes. "How long have you been working together?" "Almost 4 years." "Are you back together?" "No." "You're involved with somebody else." It was the only logical reason she could think of, as for why they weren't back together. "No, I'm not. We never really talked about it." "You've been working together for 4 years, and you never talked about it?" "We didn't want to be reminded of the past, I guess." He avoided looking at her, when he said it. He was lying, he honestly didn't know why they had never talked about it. "But you loved that past!" Tara cried out in disbelief. "I..." Mulder paused for a moment. "You want to go out for a walk and talk about it?" She suggested. He sighed. "Okay." He leaned over Scully and tenderly placed a kiss on her forehead, whispering "I love you." Tara watched, seeing them like this reminded her of a love. A love they lost so long ago, but obviously it wasn't gone yet. He followed Tara out of the room. "I'm going out for a walk, Mrs. Scully." She looked from him to Tara, wondering what the connection between them was. She only nodded. Leaving the hospital, they walked in silence for a few minutes, Mulder lost in thoughts about the past. End of part 1 You're my past, you're my future (2/11) TEN YEARS EARLIER He was in his third year of college, 6 more months to go, before he would leave for England. He would finish the last year of his study there. He loved San Francisco, it had been love at first sight from the moment he had arrived there. However, this was a chance he wouldn't get anymore and he was really looking forward to living and studying in England for a year. Lost in his thoughts, he walked over the campus. "Fox!" A voice called him. He turned around and smiled when he saw his friend Lynn approaching. "Hey Lynn. How are you doing?" He grinned at her. She was one of his best friends, from the moment they had started college together. People had often asked if they were an item, but they weren't. She was already happily in love with her boyfriend, before she even started college. Her boyfriend, Jason, was a good friend of Fox too. "Doing great! You want to come over for dinner tonight?" She invited him. "Sure. Jase will be there?" He asked. "Yes. And another friend will be there too." It was the meaningful look she gave him, when she said it, that made him suspicious. Besides being a great friend, Lynn was very good in something else too. Playing cupid, she was always playing matchmaker for her friends. She had tried several times to match Fox with one of her women friends, usually without success. "Lynn ..." He said, a warning tone in his voice. She immediately knew what was going to come next. "No, Fox. Don't worry, it's nothing like that at all. I promise, no matchmaking tonight. I know you don't want to get involved now, being only 6 months away from leaving for England. Dana is just a good friend, I think the two of you might get along very well. As friends of course." She quickly added. He sighed and gave in. "Okay, but I swear that if this is one of your ideas to set me up again, I'll be out in no time. Okay?" She grinned. "Deal." "Great, see you tonight then." He said and walked away. Lynn grinned, she was convinced that once Fox had met Dana, he would completely forget about wanting to leave. Those two were made for each other! THAT NIGHT Fox arrived early at his friends' place. He was welcomed warmly and as Lynn returned the kitchen to finish dinner, the two men were talking. Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell. At the same moment Lynn called for Jason's help from the kitchen. Jason looked helpless at Fox, as if to say "women". Fox grinned and got up to open the door for the other guest. "Hi, you must be ...." That was as far as he got, because he suddenly found himself lost in a pair of beautiful blue eyes. It took him a few seconds to regain his ability to speak. He found that the beautiful eyes belonged to a petite redhead that was standing in front of him, smiling widely. "Ehm hi, Dana right?" She smiled at him. "Hi, yes I'm Dana Scully and you are ...?" "Fox ..., Fox Mulder." He hurried to say, still staring at her in awe, as if he had never seen a woman before in his life. He had, just not this specific one. "Can I come in?" She asked, suddenly shy. She might be better in hiding, but her heart was beating twice it's normal rate too. She had to admit that Lynn hadn't been exaggerating when she had told her about her good looking friend. Good looking was indeed a good word to describe him. Cute, very cute, was the second thing that came into mind. His parents had certainly managed to pick the right name for him. By now he found his voice back. "Sure, come in. Lynn and Jason are in the kitchen. Lynn!" He called in the direction of the kitchen. Lynn came rushing out of the kitchen. "Dana, hi!" She welcomed her friend. After that, she looked from Dana to Fox. Fox seemed a little ..., she didn't know how to describe it. Like he had been hit by lightning or something like that. He was still staring at Dana. And she was staring back at him in the same way. Lynn grinned, this could be fun. "I take it you two already met?" They nodded, not looking away from each other. Feeling that three was one too many at the moment, Lynn walked back into the kitchen, grinning broadly. Jason looked at his girlfriend, he knew that look. It was that look that she always had when ... Uh oh, not again. "Lynn you didn't ..." He started. "What honey?" She asked innocently. "Oh no, not again." Jason groaned. "Lynn, you know that Fox is going to England in 6 months time and he ...." "I know, I know and I honestly swear that I didn't do anything this time." She emphasized the word I. "You didn't, so who did?" "They did themselves!" She said enthusiastically. Jason peeked into the living room, where their friends were still in their own world. "You sure you didn't do anything?" "No, nothing. Fox opened the door for her and by the time I entered the living room, they were already like that." She told him, walking passed him with plates for dinner. LATER THAT NIGHT It was already late when they left that night. Jason and Lynn offered to bring Dana home, but she said they really didn't have too and besides, she didn't have to walk home alone, Fox was going that direction anyway, so he had told her he was more than happy to bring her home. Jason and Lynn just grinned meaningful and let their friends out. They made the walk to Dana's room in a comfortable silence. Though comfortable with the silence, they were both nervous. Fox had no idea why, but for some reason he felt like a giddy lovesick teenager again. Reaching Dana's apartment, they stopped, neither one of them knowing what to say at that moment. Dana looked up at her apartment, wishing at the same time that this moment would be over, so that she could go upstairs, trying to forget about a tall handsome man, who had been a stranger before tonight. Funny, how one day you didn't know of somebody's existence and the other your whole life turns upside down in one evening and that same stranger is the one you can't stop thinking about. She was feeling scared and happy at the same time and she didn't know how to describe this. Had the always sensible and straight-thinking Dana Scully fallen head over heels in love? It seemed like the woman who always used to say that love at first sight didn't exist, had fallen in love with somebody in one moment herself. Fox was trying hard to tell himself that she was a nice girl, maybe she would become a very good friend, but that would be it. He couldn't allow himself to fall in love with somebody, not right now. Not 6 months before he would leave the USA for at least a year. Why did he have to meet her right now, why couldn't he have met her earlier? Or maybe even better, after his study? If circumstances would have been different, the situation would have been perfect. He wished with his whole heart that it was different, but it wasn't and he would have to accept that. He could not let himself fall in love with her and that was it. The only problem was ..., that he had already fallen for her. His thoughts were interrupted by Dana. "I think it's better if I ehm ..." She paused, she didn't want to do this at all, but she felt like she didn't have a choice. She had to fight this, she could not fall in love with somebody who would be leaving again in only 6 months time. She avoided looking at his face, if she would look into his eyes, she would probably forget all about common sense and drag him upstairs with her. "If I go upstairs now. Thanks for the nice evening, maybe we'll see each other again on campus?" He nodded, thankful that she still had some common sense left. Because he didn't know what he would have done if she had asked him to come upstairs with her for a drink. He would probably be lost forever. "You're right. It's already late, I'd better head back to my place too. I'll see you later?" He quickly leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Bye, Dana." "Bye, Fox." She whispered, looking while he walked away. Leaning against the wall behind her, she sighed. "Oh Dana, what did you get yourself into this time?" Truth was, that she didn't know the answer to her own question. NEXT DAY He hadn't slept much that night. All he could think of was a pair of big blue eyes in the face of a girl he wished he hadn't met. Problem was that he had met her and now it was too late to change it. Denying it or not, he had met her and he had no idea what he was going to do now. He tried to tell himself that it was better to forget all about her and to avoid her the next 6 months, but his heart didn't want to listen to that. He had undeniable fallen head over heels in love with her. On his way to college, he ran into Lynn. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't see her at first. "Fox!" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Fox!" "Huh." He looked up and stared at her. "Oh, hi Lynn." "Well I've been greeted more enthusiastic than that." She teased him, but he didn't laugh like he usually did. "Are you alright Fox?" She asked, a little worried. Wondering what was wrong. "Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed. "Are you sure, you don't sound too well today. Didn't you have a good time last night?" Had she been wrong about him and Dana? She had been so convinced that she was right about them, but maybe she had been wrong after all. "Oh no, don't worry, I had a great night, really." He reassured her, followed by a mumbled "maybe a little too good." The remark wasn't meant to be heard by Lynn, but she had very good ears. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Something happened between you and Dana?" He shook his head, miserable. "No it didn't." "Why not? Didn't you like her? I thought ..." Before she could continue, he interrupted her. "I do like her, but we can't go out again." "Why ..." She held back the rest of her question, when she realized what he meant. "You don't want to see her anymore, because you're leaving by the end of the year?" She guessed. He nodded. "But Fox, you will be here for at least another 6 months!" She cried out, not believing that he could be this stubborn. "Yes and after that I'm leaving. I don't want to do that to her, I can't do that to myself. Believe me, it's better to stop this right now, before we really start to like each other. It'll only hurt more later." "And what did Dana say about this?" She asked him, already knowing the answer. He looked away. "You didn't ask her, did you?" He shook his head. "What would be the use of asking her. Hey Dana, want to go out with me again? Yes? Well, so would I, but I'm afraid we can't, because I'm leaving soon. Get the point Lynn?" "No, actually I don't. You're being stupid Fox. You really like this girl and I even think you might have fallen for her and you just say that you can't let this happen, because it'll hurt too much? What happened to taking risks every now and then? Are you that scared of getting hurt in the end, that you don't want to take the risk of having a great time?" "Yes, maybe I am. You can tell me a thousand times that I'm being stupid Lynn. I'm not changing my mind about this and if you'll excuse me now, I have a class to attend. See you later." After that he walked away, leaving her behind speechless. She couldn't believe this. She knew Fox could be stubborn sometimes, but now he was really making a stupid mistake. She had to see if she could find Dana and wondered what her friend would have to tell her. THAT AFTERNOON Lynn didn't find Dana until later that day. She found her in the cafe of the university, reading a study book. "Hi Dana." Dana looked up from her book and smiled when she saw her friend. "Hi Lynn." "Do you have a moment?" Without even waiting for the answer, Lynn sat down on the chair next to Dana. "Ehm sure, how can I help you?" "Did you have a good time last night?" "Yes, I did. It was great. Why?" "So, what did you think of Fox?" Dana suddenly understood what this was all about. She sighed, she really didn't feel like discussing this right now. After not being able to sleep all night, thanks to the fact that she had been trying to convince herself all night that she had not fallen in love with Fox Mulder, she wasn't in a very good mood this afternoon. "He was nice." She said carefully. Lynn gave her an incredulous look. "Nice, Dana? That's all you're going to say?" "What more do you want me to say?" "I was under the impression that you thought he was more than nice?" "What do you mean?" Dana knew very well what Lynn meant, but didn't want to acknowledge that. "Do you think he's nice enough to ..., let's say, could you fall in love with him?" The look in Dana's eyes, when she asked that question, told her more than enough. "You've already started to fall in love, isn't it?" She asked softly. Dana nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so." "Why are you afraid of that? It's a good thing isn't it? I mean, you're in love, you should be happy instead of looking so sad!" "Lynn, I've fallen in love with somebody who will never return my feelings. Even if he would like me enough to go out on a date again, he doesn't want to get involved with anybody right before he's leaving for England. You heard him say that yourself last night, didn't you?" "I did, but that doesn't mean that won't change. Why are you two being so stubborn, where does this fear to get hurt in the end come from? Why won't you allow yourself to enjoy the time you still have? Enjoy it instead of being scared for the end result!" "Ending up with a broken heart? No thank you." Dana said sarcastically. "I wish it were different Lynn, but this is how I feel about it, and I'm not going to change that. I'm sorry." She started to gather her books and got up. "But thanks for the nice evening Lynn, despite that I really had a good time." After that she walked away. A WEEK LATER A week had passed since the night they had been introduced to each other. That night their lives had been turned upside down and after a week of denial and convincing themselves it couldn't be, they were tired of fighting their feelings. Both knew that they were slowly loosing the fight. The feelings were stronger than the fear of getting hurt. And in the end, it were the feelings that won it from the fear. After another long night in his apartment, staring at the TV blankly, Fox had given up. He had to see her, he had to talk to her. He had no idea where this was going to end, but he had to do something. That's why he was standing in front of Dana's door, about to knock. Still hesitating, but telling himself that this was crazy, he finally knocked. Dana looked up when she heard a knock on the door. She wondered who that would be, it was already late at night. With a sigh, she got up from the comfortable place on the couch and dragged herself to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw to her surprise that it was the person she had been trying to forget about all week. Fox. She opened the door for him. "Fox, what are you doing here?" "Hi Dana ehm ... can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked hesitantly. "Sure, come in." Walking to the living room, she waited for what he was going to say. Why had he come over tonight? What did he want from her? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? It was already difficult enough to forget about him and him being here didn't make it any easier. Obviously he didn't know where to start either and the room was bathed in silence. "Fox?" She asked softly. "Dana, I ... ... " He started and fell silent again, not knowing where to start. Then he decided to just say it straight away. "I think I've fallen in love with you." He blurted out, holding his breath for her reaction. A single tear trickled down her face, when he said what she had wanted and had been afraid to hear at the same time. He moved closer to her. Reaching his hand out, he wiped away the tear tenderly. "Dana?" He asked, his heart beating twice its normal rate. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. He saw his own fear, his own confusion and love reflected in them. "Me too." She whispered softly, laying her hand over his, still crying. He didn't care any longer, he didn't want to fight it anymore. It was too strong. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over hers and soon found himself lost in their kiss. Slightly letting go of her a few minutes later, he looked at her. Her eyes were shining and she smiled widely. "I can't fight this anymore, Dana." He told her, leading her to the couch, sitting down with his arms still around her. "I know, neither can I. It's too strong." She told him. "But what are we going to do now? I love you. I don't know how it's possible, but I think I fell in love with you the moment you walked into my life a week ago. I tried to ignore it, denied it, but it didn't help. I knew I was lying to myself. When I came here tonight, I didn't know what was going to happen. I still don't know that. All I knew was, that I had to talk to you. Had to see you. I keep asking myself, if it is fair to do this to you? I'll be leaving in 6 months Dana, what's going to happen with us when I go to England? My common sense tells me to stop it here, while we still can, but my heart tells me it's already too late for that, because I don't want to stop this. But even though it would hurt a lot, I'll leave if you ask me to. I'll understand when you say you can't do this. You say the word and I'll go. Or I'll stay, I can't promise you that it isn't going to hurt when we have to say goodbye in 6 months, but I can promise you that you'll have my heart. Now and always." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her answer. "I want to be with you, even if it's only for 6 months. I tried to ignore it, tried to tell myself it couldn't be, but it didn't help. I'm in love with you too and I'm not going to fight it any longer, but you have to promise me one thing." He looked at her, with a question look in his eyes. "Promise me that we won't discuss what's going to happen in the end. Promise me you won't talk about England, until it's time. Promise me that when the time is there, you won't ask me to come with you, don't change your mind about leaving. 6 months, it's all we'll have, but I can accept that, if you promise me this." "But ..." He protested. She put her fingers over his lips to stop him. "Promise me, please." He understood. The only way they would ever be able to be together and enjoy those 6 months was, when he promised her this. "I promise." He whispered, pulling her down with him on the couch. "6 months." She whispered, leaning down in his kiss. "6 months." He answered, wrapping his arms even closer around her. And they forgot all about time and England, lost in each other. 6 months was still a long time away from now. They didn't have to think about that right now. They would deal with that later. Now it was just the two of them and they were going to enjoy as much time together as possible. End of part 2 You're my past, you're my future (3/11) At first he had denied it, he hadn't want to fall in love with her. But it had been too late from the moment they met. They had been introduced by Lynn and Jason and he had fallen for her. Ignoring it had seemed the right thing to do. Boy, had he been wrong. He had been able to ignore his feelings for one whole week. When the week was over, he had practically run to her apartment. No matter how hard he had denied it, the attraction had won in the end. It had been difficult, telling her that he was in love with her and at the same time admitting that he wanted her, but couldn't give her more than the 6 months that were left before England. She didn't care, she had wanted it as much as he did. She accepted the 6 months, after he promised that he wouldn't discuss it before it was time to say goodbye and she had asked him not to try and convince her to come with him or to change his mind and stay in San Francisco with her instead. It had been 6 great months. They had spent every minute they could together. Studying, talking, laughing. How many nights hadn't he been looking at her sleeping form in his arms, wishing that this would never pass, but knowing that in only a matter of time it would. They had practically been living together, they didn't even see their friends or family much in that time. He knew Dana had spoken to her mother on the phone several times, but every time her mother had asked her when she would come home for a few days, she had come up with an excuse. Saying she was busy with her study or that a friend really needed her help with something at that moment. He had never actually met her family, they had been living in their own world those 6 months, not caring about friends or family. The only ones who really understood, had been Dana's two best friends, Lynn and Tara and Jason of course. That world had shattered apart in the end, he had been able to keep his promise to her until the end. He had almost changed his mind, had not wanted to go to England. Had almost decided to just stay and graduate in San Francisco. He had even asked her to marry him, she had refused. "I knew this was going to happen, the moment we started this, Fox. Please, just don't make it anymore difficult." She had said, tears streaming down her face. So he had gone. She had brought him to the airport, walking away after saying goodbye, not looking back, because she knew that if she did she would run back to him, begging him to stay. He knew that if she would have turned around, to look at him with those big blue eyes he had fallen for the moment they met, he would have stayed. But she didn't. She couldn't and neither could he, because of the promise he had made to her. That year in England had been terrible. No matter what he tried, he couldn't forget Dana, he had missed her too much. Every single minute without her had hurt him. They hadn't stayed in contact. Both had known that it would be better like that, to make it a little less difficult. He had met Phoebe Green, had thought that maybe if he would go out with her, he would forget about Dana. That had been the biggest mistake of the century. She thought he loved her, he didn't, she was a replacement that couldn't even fill the empty spot that Dana had left behind. He let Phoebe dump him, couldn't care less, graduated and at the end of the year he went back to San Francisco. Hoping that maybe he and Dana could get back together. He had walked over campus when he had seen her... in a close embrace with another guy. It had broken his heart. He didn't even talk to her, just left, moved to Washington, building a wall around his heart, promising himself that he would never let somebody that close to him again. It had been a shock to find out that she was going to be his new partner. He didn't know why, but in all the time they had been working together, the past had never been discussed, probably because they had both been too afraid for the pain in the end. They became friends after a while, but never allowed themselves to come too close to each other. Fox finally broke the silence and sighed. "I never should have gone to England." Tara looked at him, seeing the sad look in his eyes "You knew that was going to happen, when you started it. You couldn't have changed that. Dana knew it too and she accepted it. She decided it was always better to have a small part than nothing at all." "I know, but maybe if I would have stayed ..." "You can't change the things that happened in the past, Fox." "I know, but it really hurt to see she got over us a lot faster than I did." "You really think she was over you that soon? She didn't Fox, she really had a hard time after you left. It took her almost 3 years before she would even look at another guy again! And when she did she always kept comparing them to you." She looked at him in disbelief, he really thought that Dana had forgotten so soon? "Come on Tara, I knew it only took her a year to forget about me. That doesn't matter, I was the one who left, it was her life and she could do whatever she wanted to, but don't lie to me. I saw it with my own eyes." Tara frowned. "What do you mean? What did you see with your own eyes?" "July 3, 1985. Dana in a close embrace with a tall guy with dark hair. I was there Tara, I saw them together." "You came back?????" "Yeah, stupid huh? I came back to see if there was another chance for us." She heard the pain in his voice. And then it dawned on her, she realized what he had seen. "Fox, you were wrong." End of part 3 From: "Voet" You're my past, you're my future (4/11) He looked at her. "What do you mean?" She sighed, not really looking forward to telling him this. "Fox, Dana didn't have a new boyfriend at all. You must have seen her together with Jake. His grandfather had just died. He wasn't her boyfriend, Jake was my boyfriend, but I was out of town. She was only trying to comfort him." The look of disbelief on his face turned into a look of total shock. All the color drained from his face. He spoke slowly, "There wasn't somebody else?" "No. I'm so sorry, Fox." "She wasn't over me?" "Far from that. She was feeling miserable without you. All she did was study, eat and sleep, and that lasted for at least 2 years." He didn't know what to say, how could he have been so stupid? He should have gone to talk with her, should have let her explain. They could have been together all this time. He should have known better, he mumbled ... "I've been so stupid Tara, if I had just..." She interrupted him. "You can't change the past Fox, but if everything turns out alright, work it out, tell her you love her. Don't let your chance go by this time. You do still love her don't you?" She didn't really have to ask, she had already seen the answer in the hospital. "I never stopped loving her." "And I'm pretty sure she didn't either. Let's go back to the hospital." He nodded as they started to make their way back in silence. When they walked into the hospital, Maggie noticed Mulder's state of shock. Something had happened between him and Tara, she wondered what was wrong. "Are you alright, Fox?" "I'm fine. I just ... I ..., I need some time alone if you don't mind," he mumbled and walked slowly to Scully's room. Worried, Maggie followed him. She stood still as he sat in front of Scully's bed, taking her hand, talking to her softly. "I'm sorry Dana, I didn't know, I swear, I didn't know. I'm sorry." His voice broke. Maggie had no idea what was going on. Walking back, a puzzled look on her face, she looked at Tara and Walter. Walter looked at her, worried. "Is something wrong?" "I don't know. Tara, what happened? What's wrong with him? All he's saying is that he didn't know and that he's sorry. What is he sorry about?" Tara said softly: "I think you better leave him alone for a moment. It isn't every day that somebody tells you that the truth wasn't what it looked like, and that's not easy when you've believed that truth for 10 years." "I'm sorry, I don't understand." Maggie looked at her in confusion. Tara was sounding like a crossword puzzle. "I really think you should ask him. It's not up to me to tell you. I'm sorry I've got to go now." She said goodbye, and left. LATER THAT DAY Mulder had left the hospital, saying that he needed some time alone to think. Both Scully's mother and his boss were worried about him. What had happened? What had he and Tara talked about, that had made him look so pale and hurt? When he still hadn't come back a few hours later, they worried even more. In the end they decided to go look for him. Skinner checked first with his secretary, if Mulder wasn't at work by any chance. He wasn't, the next stop was Mulder's apartment. To their surprise he was there. After knocking a few times, he opened the door, and let them in. He walked to the living room, without saying a word. He stared out of the window, his back to them. Maggie walked to him and put a hand on his arm. "Fox, are you alright?" He turned around and looked at her, nodding slowly. "Yes, I'm fine. How's Dana doing?" It was the first time she heard him call her Dana instead of Scully. She wish she could tell him something new, but she couldn't. Nothing had changed in days. "Still the same I'm afraid." She said softly, he nodded, understanding. "You want to talk about what happened, Fox?" "What did Tara tell you?" "Something I didn't understand. She said that the truth isn't always what it looks like and that it's difficult to accept, when you've been believing that truth for the last 10 years." He walked to his desk and opened one of the drawers. He took something out of it and closed it again. In his hands he was holding a gift that Dana had given him the day they had said goodbye. He remembered it exactly. It had been their last morning together. End of part 4 You're my past, you're my future (5/11) TEN YEARS EARLIER DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT He was looking at her lying there, breathing softly. He tried to memorize every part of her, so that he would never forget. He loved her, more than he had ever thought he could love somebody. A few years ago he would have laughed, when somebody would have told him he could feel this much for a girl. Know he knew it was possible, loving somebody so much that it hurt to be apart from her. He knew he would miss her terribly, he had preferred not to go, but she had told him he had to. He had promised her. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize she started to wake up. "Fox?" A sleepy voice brought him out of his reveries. He looked at her, her eyes trying to adjust to the morning light. He smiled, leaning down over her, he traced the lines of her face and kissed her on the lips. "Morning sweetheart." She liked waking up like this, 9 out of 10 times, she would wake up to discover that he was looking at her. The 10th time it was he who would wake up, finding her looking at him. After 6 months, they had gotten used to it. It was rare that Fox spend a night at his own place, usually he was always with her, his own neighbor hadn't even recognized him when he had been home shortly the last time. In the beginning they had been afraid that maybe they were going to fast in their relationship, then again there was not much time left, so they had decided to enjoy every minute of it. He let go of her slightly, but she pulled him back, to kiss him again. He grinned and pulled her even closer to him. A few minutes later he let go again, sighing. "Are you alright?" She asked worried. He nodded. "Hmm, yes, I'm alright. It was just that when I looked at you ... I ... It was as if I suddenly realized how much I'm going to miss you." She looked up at him, from the safe spot in his arms, tears in her eyes. "I know, I'm going to miss you too." "I never thought I would meet somebody like you, never knew it was possible to love you as much as I do. I'm scared Dana, scared of what I'm going to do without you. Afraid that I will never be able to forget, I don't even want to forget this, can't we just stay here forever?" She smiled sadly, wishing they could, knowing it wasn't possible. "I know Fox, it's difficult. Knowing that next week around this time, I'll be lying here alone. Knowing you won't be there anymore when I wake up, when I want to talk to you, if I need you. I can't just roll over and say "goodmorning", I can't even call you anymore if I want to. It will be so hard to move on, but I know we have to, we made the choice to take the time we had together and now we have to accept the consequences." The way she said it, it sounded harsh, but he knew she was right. Still ... "One word from you and I'll stay here. I don't have to go, I can do without England, I can't do without you." He knew there was no use, but he wished she would say the word. "Stay Fox, don't leave me. Stay here." He knew he would never hear her say those words, because of a promise. She silenced him with another kiss. "Shhh, please don't say anything. You promised." She looked at him pleadingly, begging him to understand. "What if I would ask you to marry me?" It was a shot in the dark. "You wouldn't do that, would you?" Please don't, her eyes told him. Please don't make this anymore difficult than it already is. He understood, he had already known she would decline the proposal. Shaking his head, he said "No, I won't. But I have something for you." He reached behind him and pulled a small box from behind the pillow. Opening it, he took out a shining golden ring, with a small diamond on top of it. Seeing the panic in her eyes, he said "It's not what you think it is. It's something I want to give you, so that you'll never forget how special you are to me. I want you to wear this ring and maybe, some day it'll be more than just a ring. If this is meant to be, if we're meant to be, we will meet again. And when that day comes, I'll ask the question I can't ask you now, okay?" She was crying now, she nodded and kissed him. He gave her the ring, she silently read the inscription "I'll never forget, forever yours F." She smiled, while he took it from her, putting it on her right ring finger, stroking the lines of her face tenderly, returning the kiss. Pulling back, she said "I have something for you too." She got out of the bed to get something out of her pocket. Walking back, she handed it to him. He took it from her and looked at it. It was a golden locket, small and fragile on a long golden chain. Before he could open his mouth to speak, she spoke. "My grandmother gave this to me, when I was 16. She told me she had gotten it from my grandfather on the day they married. It is said that this chain brings love and happiness to the people who wear it. She said that one day I would give it to the person I loved as much as she loved him." "Dana, I can't take this, it's ..." He started to protest. "Yes, you can. You're that person, Fox. I want you to have it, so that you'll always remember me." She took it from him and opened it carefully. The inside showed a small picture of herself. He smiled and whispered "I love you, Dana." "I love you too." He wrapped his arms closer around her and for a while they were too lost in each other, in their world, to think about good-byes and the future. He had been wearing the locket for a long time after that. Even after he had discovered/thought she had found somebody else to love. It had taken much longer than that for him to take it off and put it in the drawer in his desk. BACK AGAIN Maggie looked at his hands, wondering what he was holding in there. He walked to her and opened his hands slowly, revealing the locket. He knew she would recognize it. She did, she gasped. Walter looked at her, wondering why she did that. "Dana gave this to you?" She asked a little shocked. She knew her daughter had always had strong feelings for her partner, however she hadn't known that they were strong enough to make her give him this. If she had given this to him, they had to be ... He nodded. "Yes, she did." "Did you know who gave it to her?" "Her grandmother, when she was 16 years old. To give it to the person she would once love as much as she loved her husband." Now Skinner gasped too. He had always thought there was something going on between his two agents, but hadn't known they had already acted on their feelings. "Are you and Dana involved?" Maggie asked. He shook his head, which confused her. They weren't involved, but why had she given him the locket then? In answer to her confusion, he carefully opened the locket, revealing the picture that was inside. It wasn't a recent picture, it was a picture that had been taken a long time ago. A picture of Dana with longer hair, a younger face, but the same eyes. She was laughing widely at the person who had taken the picture. Now Maggie was even more confused. Why had Dana given him such an old picture of herself? Seeing that didn't help much, Fox walked back to the desk and took out something else. He sat down on the couch and handed it to her. It was a picture of two happy people in love. Their arms around each other, smiling. Lynn had taken the picture on one of the last days of summer, when they had been out at the beach all day. "This is ..." She paused, waiting for him to explain it. "Me and Dana." He finished for her. Skinner raised his eyebrows, looking at the picture too. "Where was this picture taken?" "In San Francisco." He waited for a few minutes, then asked "Did she ever tell you about San Francisco?" "Obviously not everything." "You didn't see her much that first year, did you?" "We didn't see her a lot the first 6 months. We called, but every time I asked her when she would come home for a few days, she said she was really busy. We saw her again with Christmas. She had changed, I don't know what had happened, but she wasn't the same Dana anymore. I could see it in her eyes, she looked so... so... I don't know how to say it." "Hurt?" "Yes, she didn't want to talk about it, all she said was: I'll be fine mom. I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't realize that it was going to hurt this much. Later, she told me she had been seeing someone and they had ended the relationship. She never told me why. You were the one she broke up with, weren't you?" "Yes, I was." "Why did you break up?" She wondered what had gone wrong. "I had to leave. She started her study at the moment I was in my last year. I was going to finish my study in England, the moment we met, I had only 6 months to go, before I would leave. I surely didn't plan on falling in love with her, but it happened. We tried to deny it, to convince ourselves it wasn't happening, but it only took us 1 week to knew we couldn't. We both knew what was going to happen, when we started it. She knew I would be leaving, but accepted that. 6 months later I had to go, I have thought of staying, but she didn't want me to. She told me I had made the promise not to change my mind, when we got together. She thought I was going to regret it when I wouldn't go. I knew I wouldn't, but there was nothing I could do to change her mind. So I left. That year in England was probably one of the most miserable years in my whole life." "And after that you never saw each other again?" "I did go back, hoping that maybe we could get back together. When I walked over campus looking for her, I found her ... In an embrace with another guy. I assumed she had moved on with her life and had met somebody else. I left without talking to her. The biggest mistake I've ever made." "Because the truth isn't always what it looks like?" He slowly nodded. "It wasn't her boyfriend. It was Tara's boyfriend. His grandfather had just died, and Tara wasn't there. She was only trying to comfort him. If I had just talked to her..." His voice trailed off. She sighed, speaking of misunderstandings and timing. Before she could speak, Skinner did. "Mulder, you can't change what happened in the past, but when she wakes up, tell her. You do still love her don't you?" "Of course I do." "Tell her than, don't waste more time than you already have. Talk." "I hope I'll have the chance to do that." "You will. I'm sure of that." He smiled at his agent, praying that he really would have that chance. Maggie went over and hugged him, saying "We're going back to Dana now, you want to come with us?" He shook his head. "I'll come in a little while." She nodded, understanding that he wanted to be alone for a moment. Walking back to the car, Skinner said to Maggie, still surprised by the whole story, "I knew they always had a special connection, but now I understand why." She sighed. "Yes, I just hope he gets the chance to work everything out." "He will, don't worry. Everything is going to be alright again." With that, they got in the car to go back to the hospital. NEXT MORNING Mulder had fallen asleep in the chair next to Scully's bed, but he woke up, because he thought he heard something. He looked at Scully. At first he didn't see any changes in her, but then she opened her eyes. "Scully?" She blinked, not completely knowing where she was, but sensing that Mulder was there. She reached out her hand to him and opened her eyes. And at that moment he realized that everything was going to be alright. Dana Scully had been his past and she would be his future. End of part 5 You're my past, you're my future (6/11) Mulder had immediately called Maggie and Skinner as soon as she had woken up. After that, the doctors had come in to check on her, and he didn't even have one moment to talk to her about everything that he had found out in the last few days. At the moment he said "Scully, I want to tell...", her mother and Skinner walked in. Maggie hugged her daughter and Skinner greeted her. Scully was talking with her mother and Mulder was just listening. Then Maggie said, "Guess who was here a few days ago?" Scully looked at her with a questioning look on her face. "Who, mom?" "Tara." "Tara Rogers?" Scully looked at Mulder for his reaction. He smiled at her. "Yes, she called me when she couldn't find you and she came to the hospital to visit you." "Is she still in Washington?" "No, unfortunately she had to go back home. Her husband was home alone with the children. She was really sorry, but I called her to tell that you woke up and she promised to call you soon. Oh and," she turned to Mulder, "Fox, she asked me to remind you of that thing." After saying that, she turned to Skinner. "We've got to go now, but we'll be back later." After they left, Mulder laughed and said to Scully, "Looks like your mother has found an new admirer. I haven't seen her without Skinner by her side, the last few days." Scully grinned too and yawned. She was still very tired, but she realized that Mulder had wanted to tell her something before her mother and Skinner had entered. "Mulder, you wanted to tell me something, didn't you?" He turned to her and spoke slowly, "I know we never talked about it anymore, Scully, but you do still remember San Francisco, don't you?" She nodded and whispered softly, "Yes, of course. I didn't forget about that." "When you were in coma, Tara told me something. Something I never knew, otherwise things would have been so different. I..." He paused for a moment. "When I was in England, I missed you so much that at the end of the year, I went back. I hoped that maybe we could back together, that you had missed me too." Now Scully looked confused. "But you never... I... how..." "You never saw me?" She nodded. "That's right. I did come back, but when I walked over the campus, I saw you in a close embrace with some other man. I assumed you had moved on with your life and I left without even talking to you." "Mulder, I don't know who you mean, but I didn't..." "Have another boyfriend at that moment." He finished the sentence for her. "I know Tara told me. She told me that you were only trying to comfort a friend because his grandfather had just died." "And you left again" she concluded, tears in her eyes. "Yes. I'm so sorry Dana. I swear if I had known what I know now, I wouldn't have..." She put a finger on his lips. "Shh. You can't change the things that happened in the past. All you can do now is look at the future." He looked at her expectantly. "You mean that you..." "Love you?" "Yes." "Of course. I never stopped doing that." "Oh Dana, I never did either. I love you too." He pulled her in an embrace and kissed her slowly. She leaned in even closer and kissed him back. They were so lost in each other that they didn't even hear the door open and didn't see a face peeking around the door. It was Maggie, who had forgotten something. She smiled at what she saw and decided that she would get her bag later. As silent as possible, she closed the door and walked back to Skinner with a huge grin on her face. She had always known. End of part 6 You're my past, you're my future (7/11) Maggie Scully entered her daughter's room. She wasn't sleeping, she was just lying in the bed, a big smile on her face. When her mother walked in she greeted her. "Hi mom." "Hi honey. How are you feeling?" "I've never felt better!" "I can tell, you're glowing." Maggie grinned. Scully blushed and laughed happily. "Mom, I've got something to tell you." "Is this about you and Fox?" "Ehm... Yes. How did you know?" "Well, let's see. Taking a look at your face says enough and I knew that you've been in love with him for a long time, although I didn't know that it had been that long ..." "You mean you know?" "About San Francisco?" "Yes?" "Fox told the whole story." "He told you?" "Yes, Tara came by at the hospital and they had a talk. After they came back, he looked so lost. He was obviously feeling miserable. He didn't say a word, he just walked straight to your room and all he said the whole time was "I'm sorry Dana, I didn't know." After that he left and didn't come back for a while. When he still wasn't back a few hours later, we went to his apartment, to see what was going on. That was when he told us the whole story." Dana looked at her mother. For a moment she looked sad, but thinking of the events of today, she smiled again. "I wish it hadn't happened, but it did. I can't change it anymore, because it's the past. It was something we shared together in the past, we've been lost for a long time, but now we've found our way back." Her mother hugged her. "I'm so happy that everything is alright again, and I'm even more happy that you and Fox are back together." "Me too." Scully smiled, a thought suddenly popping into her mind "Mom?" "Yes?" "You've been talking about we and us the whole time, who's that other person? Are you seeing somebody?" Now it was Maggie's turn to blush. "Ehm ..., I ehm ..." At that moment Mulder walked in, looking better than he had been looking in days. A loving smile on his face. "Hi Dana." She smiled widely. "Hi." Giving her a kiss, he looked up and greeted Mrs. Scully. "Hello Mrs. Scully." "Maggie, Fox. Will you ever learn to say that instead of Mrs. Scully?" He gave in. "Okay, Maggie." Seeing her chance, Maggie quickly said. "I'll leave you two alone now. I was just leaving anyway." Still blushing, Maggie said goodbye to her daughter and Fox. However, before she could leave the room safely, Dana called her back. "Mom?" "Yes?" She turned around again. "I'm really happy for you and Skinner." Dana smiled innocently and Fox grinned. "Huh, how ..." Her mother looked confused, then decided to give up and laughed too, muttering that she couldn't keep anything a secret for Dana. After that she really left the room. A FEW DAYS LATER Mulder walked into Scully's room to see Scully packed and all dressed. She was tapping impatiently with her feet on the ground. He grinned at the sight. "Can't wait to go home, can you?" When she heard his voice, a big smile spread across her face. She turned around, falling into his arms and kissing him. He kissed her back, and with a happy sigh, he pulled her closer to him, grateful that everything was alright again. After a few minutes, she got out of his arms and said, "Let's go home, Fox." "That sounds like a very good idea to me. Come on let's go." He grabbed her bag, opened the door for her and hand-in-hand they walked to the waiting car. When they were back at Scully's apartment, she threw her coat on the couch, sat down and said, "Finally, home!" He laughed. "You didn't like your stay in the hospital?" "Well at least I slept enough for the next few months." Mulder's face became serious again. "Scully if you hadn't woken up, I don't know what I would have..." She interrupted him. "But that didn't happen, so let's not talk about that anymore, okay?" He nodded. "Okay, I love you Dana." "I love you too." With that and giving him a kiss, she stood up from the couch. "Where are you going?" His eyes followed her, while she walked to the table, picking up a photo album. "I asked my mother to bring me some old photo albums and this was the one I was looking for." She held up one of the albums, so that he could look at it. "Any special photos in there?" He wanted to know. "Photos from San Francisco. Remember that I took lessons in photography?" "How could I forget? You kept taking pictures of me, in the end I couldn't see that camera anymore!" He teased her. Walking back to the couch, she sat down next to him and opened the album. Smiling, he put his arms around her and together they looked through the pictures, talking about their memories of San Francisco. NEXT DAY Last night Mulder had told her that they were going to do something special the next day. He hadn't want to tell her what they were going to do. Which made her very curious, of course. When she woke up, Mulder was still sleeping. Wanting to know what they were going to do today, she decided to wake him up. She started to kiss his face. He stirred a little and opened his eyes. "What a nice way to wake up." He grinned. "Hi. Good morning. What are we going to do today?" she asked all at once. "Are we a little curious, Agent Scully?" "You aren't going to tell me, are you?" She could tell by the look on his face. "Nope, you'll just have to learn to be patient a little bit." "Till when?" "Until it's time to go, but I have a few ideas of how to spend that time." He grinned and started to tickle her. She giggled and gave in. She knew that she was going to have to wait, so why not spend that time productively? 2 HOURS LATER Scully came walking out of the shower, to see Mulder making breakfast. Still in her robe, she asked, "What do I have to wear today?" "Whatever you want to, Scully." He handed her a cup of coffee and a bagel. "Yes, but..." "No buts. You eat your breakfast, get dressed in whatever you want to wear, and don't worry too much." "Yes mom." Before she could say more, he put the bagel in her mouth, leaving her standing there to get dressed himself. Half an hour later, Mulder called her out of the bedroom. "Scully, come on, we've got to go." She walked out of the bedroom, wearing jeans and a sweater, with a jacket over it. "Is this alright?" "That's perfect. You look beautiful. Come on we really have to go now." He grabbed her hand, pulling her with him to the car. After 15 minutes in the car, Scully realized that they were heading for the airport. "Mulder, are we going to the airport?" "Why do you think that?" "Well, since all the signs say airport, I thought..." "You know Scully, sometimes you think too much, but to answer your question, yes, we are going to the airport." "Why?" He laughed mysteriously. "You'll see." "But we can't just go somewhere, I don't even have any luggage with me," she protested. "That's taken care of." They drove for another 15 minutes, Scully dying of curiosity, Mulder not saying anything. When they arrived at the airport, Mulder opened the trunk of the car and to Scully's surprise he pulled out a couple of suitcases. She followed him, and when they were about to check-in, she finally found out where they were going to go. She looked at him in surprise. "We're going to San Francisco?" "Yes. I hope that's alright with you?" "Alright, of course! I love San Francisco!" She said enthusiastically. "Great, come on let's go then." Together they went on board of the plane. Back home, to make a walk in the past. End of part 7 You're my past, you're my future (8/11) After landing in San Francisco, Scully wondered where they were going to go first. Mulder led them to a rental car and drove them to the hotel where they were going to stay. After they refreshed themselves, he asked her to follow him. Curiously, she followed him to the car. He drove for a while, then told her where they were going to go. Her eyes grew wide. "We're going to the campus?" "Yes. I thought we'd go back to the place where we met for the first time." She smiled at him. Walking over campus hand-in-hand, they suddenly ran into an old friend, who appeared to be teaching at the university. "Dana, Fox, is that really you?" They turned around to see who it was and to their surprise discovered Jason walking towards them. Jason and his girlfriend Lynn had been the ones who had introduced them to each other. "Jason???!!? What are you doing here?" Mulder asked surprised. "I'm teaching here at the university, but I must say I'm more surprised to see the two of you here, together. Are you married?" "No, but we are back together," Mulder hurried to say, before Jason or Scully could say anything else about marriages. He didn't want his plan for the evening to be ruined. "For how long?" Jack wanted to know. "A week, but we've been working together for 4 years." Scully smiled. "Working together for 4 years and you didn't get back together earlier? Why the hell not? I mean, you were so close when you were in college and now you've been working together for so long, and didn't get back before? Why?" Mulder and Scully looked at each other. "To tell you the truth, we have no idea." They laughed. "Hey, are you doing anything tonight? Maybe we can have dinner together, I'm sure Lynn would love to see you again and you can meet our daughter too." Jason said. "Why not? I would love to see Lynn again, tonight sounds ..." Before Scully could finish, Mulder interrupted her. "It sounds great, but can we do that tomorrow? We already have plans for the evening." Scully looked at him in surprise. "Sure. Why don't you come over for dinner at our place? I'll give you the address and phone number." He wrote them down on a piece of paper. After that he told them he had to go back to the class room and left. "We'll see the two of you tomorrow, okay?" They said goodbye and continued they're walk. "I didn't know Jason and Lynn got married, did you know that?" Mulder asked Scully. She nodded. "Yes, I got a letter from Lynn a few years ago in which she told me." Before he could ask anything else, Scully wanted to know where they were going to go that night. "What are we going to do tonight?" "That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Come on, let's go back to the car. We've got more things to see this afternoon." That afternoon they went back to all the places, where they had spend their time together when they had been in college. When it was time for dinner, Mulder drove them back to the hotel and told Scully to get dressed for dinner. "But Fox, I didn't bring a dress with me." Scully protested. "Just look in your suitcase." She opened her suitcase, and to her surprise she found a beautiful blue dress in there. She put on the dress and discovered that it was exactly her size. "Fox, how did you know my size?" "I asked your mother. You like it?" "Like it? It's beautiful." Now she took a good look at him. "You look pretty nice too!" He was wearing a black tuxedo, and looked incredibly handsome in it. He grinned and offered her his hand. "Ready to go?" "Ready to go anywhere you want to take me." He brought her to a little Italian restaurant, which she knew very well. They had been there many times when they had been studying in San Francisco. The restaurant still had the same owner, Mario. He greeted them. "Fox, Dana, good to see you again. Follow me - I have your table ready for you." When they sat down, he brought them a bottle of wine and left them alone for a while. They had dinner and after that Mario came to them. "How was dinner?" "It was wonderful." They both said in union, although they wouldn't have cared less if they had been sitting in a snackbar, with a burger for dinner. All they saw was each other, and not the food. On the dance floor, people were starting to dance and the band was playing a love song, requested by Mulder, which Scully didn't know yet. "May I have this dance, Dana?" He held his hand out to her and they walked to the dance floor. They danced close together, enjoying the music and the evening. When you love someone - you'll do anything You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun When you love someone You'll deny the truth - believe a lie There'll be times that you'll believe you can really fly But your lonely nights - have just begun When you love someone When you love someone - you'll feel it deep inside And nothin' else can ever change your mind When you want someone - when you need someone When you love someone When you love someone - you'll sacrifice You'd give it everything you got and you won't think twice You'd risk it all - no matter what may come When you love someone You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun When you love someone To Dana's disappointment Mulder let go of her, when the song ended. Then he totally surprised her by kneeling down on one knee in front of her (and the whole restaurant), holding a familiar ring in his hand. She wondered when he had found the ring, she had been keeping it in the drawer of her desk for a long time. In the beginning, right after they had broken up she had still been wearing it, but after a while she had taken it off, hoping that it would help to forget about Fox and the pain that came with thinking about him. "Dana, when we said goodbye all those years ago, I gave you this ring. With the promise that the day we would meet again, I would ask you the question that I couldn't ask then and promising myself that day would come, I would put this ring on the place it belonged. I know I didn't keep that promise, I should have asked that question 4 years ago, when you walked back in my life and in my heart. All that time I hadn't forgotten about you, the love has always been there, even when we weren't together. I once made the mistake to let you go, I won't let that happen again. I love you too much for that. Dana Katherine Scully, will you please marry me?" He looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her answer, together with the whole restaurant. She was crying now, but laughed through her tears. "Of course I'll marry you!" He kissed her enthusiastically and all the people in the restaurant clapped and cheered. Fox had finally made his promise come true. End of part 8 You're my past, you're my future (10/11) Back from a wonderful trip to San Francisco, they headed straight to Dana's mother, to tell her about their wedding plans. Of course Maggie was ecstatic about their plans and insisted on taking them out for dinner, to celebrate. A FEW DAYS LATER Mulder was already in the office, hoping that Scully would arrive soon. Mulder smiled when he thought of her. His partner, his friend, the love of his life, and soon to be his wife. The door opened. "Good morning s..." He took back what he was going to say, when he saw it wasn't Scully, but Phoebe Green walking into his office. "Good morning, Mulder." "Well. Hello Phoebe. What brings you down here?" "I came by your apartment last night to see you, but you weren't there, so I thought I'd bring you a visit now." "How thoughtful of you," Mulder said sarcastically. "But you're right, I wasn't home. I was with my fiance last night." "You're engaged!?????" "Yes, indeed. I am." "Well, well. Who would have thought that, Fox Mulder getting married. I didn't know you had it in you." "Oh, I just had to meet the right person." "The love of your life, right?" "Yes, indeed. I'm very happy to have her back in my life." "Back in your life?" "Yes, we met in college. She was the love of my life, but we broke up, because of circumstances." "And how about me, you want to tell me you forgot about me? We dated for almost a year, remember?" Mulder thought sarcastically, though not saying it out loud. He pretended having to think about that very deeply. "Well, let me see. Oh yeah, I remember. I hated that year in England. It was the worst year of my life. I felt miserable without her. I did everything to forget about her, but nothing worked, and Dana and I only dated for 6 months." "So now you're telling me that you only dated me because you wanted to forget about another girl?" "Well, if you want to say it like that, yes." Then Phoebe realized that he had called the girl Dana. "Dana, the same Dana as in Dana Scully, your partner?" "Bingo!" Mulder gave her a big smile. "You want to tell me that you choose her over me?" "Without even thinking another second about it!" "Oh you, you..." For the first time in her life, Phoebe Green didn't know what to say, so she left. So quickly that she almost bumped into Scully who just walked in. Scully smiled, but Phoebe ignored her completely. "What did she want from you, and why is she so mad?" Scully wanted to know from Mulder, who was sitting behind his desk laughing. "She came here thinking she was still the love of my life." "And what did you tell her?" "That I am going to get married to the love of my life, whom I met in college. "That's all you told her? Why is she so mad then?" "After that she asked if I had forgotten about her, and then I told her that that year in England had been the worst year in my life, and that I only dated her to forget about you, and that it didn't even work!" Mulder was still laughing. Scully couldn't help but laugh. "That's not very nice, Mulder. Didn't you mother teach you to be nice to everybody?" "Nope, she didn't. She said I should be nice to the people I like. No use in pretending if you don't like a person." "Promise me you'll always be nice to me?" "Always. He promised, pulling her into his lap, kissing her. She grinned and answered the kiss with equal passion, forgetting all about Phoebe Green. End of part 10 You're my past, you're my future (11/11) - Epilogue - TWO MONTHS LATER It was a bright and sunny day in June, the garden where the event was held, was full of family and friends. Tara and Lynn and Jason with Jennifer, more friends from college, Scully's brothers, her mother, Assistant Director Skinner, The Lone Gunmen, more family. They were all here for Fox and Dana's wedding. People they had known in the past, had been surprised and happy, that they were back together and getting married on top of it. People who hadn't known they had been involved in the past, had been surprised to hear the whole story, but just like their friends from the past, they had always been convinced that Fox and Dana belonged together. Jason and Lynn were their witnesses and Dana was given away by her mother and the Assistant Director. The priest held a speech about love that had survived through the years. And in the end the most important words were spoken. "Do you Fox William Mulder take Dana Katherine Scully to be your lawful wedded wife?" Fox looked at his bride, who was smiling through her tears. He couldn't believe he had finally been able to reach the most important goal in his life. Love and be loved by Dana. His voice full of emotion and love, he spoke. "I do." The priest turned to Dana, who looked at him through the mist of tears. "Do you Dana Katherine Scully take Fox William Mulder to be your lawful wedded husband?" She looked at Fox, through her veil. They had finally reached the end of their journey. It had been a bumpy road, with a few sidetracks, but in the end they had found each other again. Which was why they were here today, to seal their love with the bond of marriage. She smiled lovingly, when she said "I do." "Then I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest smiled at the lovely couple in front of him. They were oblivious for the rest of the world, he had lost track of the number of couples he had married in his life, but it wasn't often that he had seen this dedication, adoration and love for one another. This love was different, for some reason it seemed more special. On the background, the music softly started to play, as Fox carefully lifted the veil and leaned down to kiss his wife for the first time in their marriage. The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave To the night and the empty skies my love To the night and the empty skies It had been love at first sight, many years ago. A love that had been inevitable, no matter how hard they had tried to deny it. A love that had been strong enough to survive the time apart. The first time ever I kissed your mouth I felt the earth turn in my head Like the trembling heart of a captive bird That was there at my command my love That was there at my command The first time ever I lay with you And felt your heart beat close to mine I thought that our joy would fill the earth And would last 'till the end of time, my love And would last 'till the end of time, my love The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave To the night and the empty skies my love To the night and the empty skies They had shared their love in the past, now they would share it in the future. Together, always and forever. The End Okay, the ending sucks, I know, but I couldn't come up with anything better than this :D Hope everybody enjoyed reading the story. More stories can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/oh/xfshippers/index.html