This story is © of The Sun Is Out Again Productions, 1997-2001.
TITLE: Almost Within Reach (1/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere as long as my name and addy stay with it. SPOILER:
anything through the fourth season. RATING: PG CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance
and mention of Mulder/Other and Scully/Other. CLASSIFICATION: S-story, R-romance,
A-angst. SUMMARY: About a year in the future, after becoming involved with other
people, Mulder and Scully reach a cross-roads and decide to go their separate
ways, but destiny and a strange FBI case reunite them. DISCLAIMER: CC and 1013
Productions own the X-Files, characters, and storylines. All other characters
are mine. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank two people. First of all, my cyber-sister
Nicky C. for being such a wonderful friend. And Deborah Wells, her's was one
of the first fanfiction stories I read and she inspired me to try my hand at
writing fanfic. Debbie also helped me with this story. Thanks! Lastly, this
story is dedicated to Jon...he is the inspiration behind it. Because of him
I caught a glimpse of what was Almost Within Reach... *******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
*April 21, 1998* It was a cold, dark, overcast day. [Perfect] she thought, [it
matches my mood.] This was her last day in Washington DC. Dana Scully was leaving
on the evening flight out of Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles, California,
the other side of the North American continent and as far away from *him* as
humanly possible. She had put in her transfer request only one week ago, but
Assistant Director Skinner approved it and just like that everything was final...everything
that is except the "talk" she needed to have with him. The trouble was, she
didn't know how. How could she tell him she was leaving. How would she say goodbye.
The words were simple enough to utter, but then nothing was simple anymore.
She spent her last day in DC tying up some loose ends and cleaning out her desk.
The moving van had taken her belongings two days ago so she had been staying
at her mother's place. Tonight though she found herself walking a familiar path,
the one she had become used to after years of working so close to this area,
she automatically parked her car and walked over to "their" bench, drenched
tonight in the glow of the Jefferson Memorial Building. She wasn't the least
bit surprised to find him there. He looked sad, dejected, and a little angry.
He had every right to be angry, but it was tempered by the knowledge that she
was leaving because of him. He had found out so unexpectedly and it took him
by surprise, but he'd been sitting on this bench for hours and the more he thought
about it...the more he understood her motives. She had to go, but knowing that
didn't make accepting it any easier. The enigmatic Fox Mulder, for almost five
years now her partner, confidante, and best friend. They had worked together
for so long, they knew each other so well, and yet Scully still couldn't explain
it to anyone. There was a connection between them, something that transcended
the physical, tangible world and bound their souls together. It was something
she trusted and believed in always and even though lately she and Mulder had
done their fair share to weaken that bond, it only got stronger. Scully was
struck by the irony of the situation. Here she was leaving Washington DC and
there was Mulder sitting on their bench waiting to talk to her. Five months
ago seeing him here would have made her heart race and her head spin, she would
have run into his arms and kissed him and he would have taken her to his apartment
and made love to her all night. But this wasn't five months ago, Mulder was
engaged and Dana was...finally doing what she should have done a long time ago.
Five months ago...[that's when it all started] Dana remembered, their timing
was off then too. *November 14, 1997* *Five Months Earlier* "So Scully, what
are you and James doing tonight?" Mulder asked, looking at her from across the
basement office. They had been busy all day finishing reports. He looked so
good in his glasses and his hair was just a little messy...that one strand that
just wouldn't stay in place...it always made her smile. "Oh, I don't know. I
don't think we have anything planned. How about you, Mulder?" "I was just going
to stay home and watch some videos." Scully smiled, "OH...well then, I guess
you'll have a good time tonight." Mulder feigned a hurt look and Scully laughed.
It had been a long time since they had actually enjoyed each other's company
this much...too long. They had been through so much in the last year: John Lee
Roche, Scully's cancer, Mulder's trip to Russia, Mulder's faked suicide, and
of course, there was the day Scully found out her cancer was gone...she still
didn't fully understand that and she always wondered why Mulder didn't seem
surprised. There were too many things that had hurt their partnership, but none
of them as damaging as Eddie VanBlundht. It seemed to Scully that Mulder always
doubted her after that. They never really talked about it, but Scully got the
feeling that Mulder was always wondering why she almost kissed Eddie and how
she felt about it...all he ever had to do was ask. Too bad he never did. "So
Mulder, is Nicky out of town?" she asked. "Yes, she is giving a presentation
in New York." Nicky was Mulder's fiance. She and Mulder had met last summer
during one of his extended hospital stays. She was his doctor. Scully remembered
they had been in Virginia following a lead on those small-pox carrying bees,
when Mulder surprised their suspect and was shot twice. When they arrived at
the hospital, Dr. Nicole Porter was the emergency room physician and while Scully
waited outside in the waiting room, Nicky performed a miracle, not only did
she save his life, but somehow she helped to heal Mulder's heart. Mulder fell
in love with her and again Scully was hit by a pang of jealousy. She always
thought that in the end she and Mulder would fall in love with each other, after
all--they had all the ingredients of a great couple: trust, goals, the keys
to each other's apartments, and they both loved their work. All the ingredients
except one, Scully reminded herself, they had never even kissed. But Scully
never seemed to think about that anymore, to her it was obvious that there was
passion in their relationship, unfulfilled passion that would someday fill their
lives with unspeakable joy. And then Nicky came along. It happened rather quickly,
Mulder and Nicky fell in love and got engaged and Scully just sat by, she listened
to Mulder go on and on and she just smiled. The ironic thing was she really
was happy for him, he seemed so much happier and Scully thought that somewhere
that dark place inside him where all the pain and anger lived, was overcome
and overshadowed by the love that Nicky brought into his life and Scully was
glad. It was something that Scully thought she had never been able to do for
Mulder and she was glad that someone made him really happy. After Mulder got
engaged, Scully wasted no time in meeting someone. His name was James Bateman
and he was a police officer in Washington DC. Scully met him when she and Mulder
were working on a case and when he started to flirt with her, she decided to
return his advances. She often wondered if she allowed herself to be with James
because Mulder was already engaged, but in the end she realized that he was
a good man and that he could take care of her. The question was...*would* he
take care of her. Scully tried not to think about it much and eventually, James
moved into her apartment with her. She knew he loved her, and she cared about
him, but to her something always seemed to be missing. Mulder and Scully left
the office that Friday evening and went their separate ways, never realizing
that that night was the beginning of something neither one of them would be
able to control. Scully arrived home to find a note from James, he wasn't going
to be coming home that weekend. He had decided to work some extra hours and
take some time to think. He and Scully had been fighting a lot in recently...she
wanted to just enjoy their relationship and take things slow and he wanted her
to commit. [It is usually the other way around] she thought, but she just couldn't
be sure that James was the right man for her...and somewhere in the back of
her mind was the nagging thought that maybe...just maybe...things wouldn't work
out between Mulder and Nicky. That night Scully decided to go back to the office
and grab some paperwork to do over the weekend. She was surprised when she got
there to see the light in the basement office already on. Slowly, Scully opened
the door...with all she had been through in recent months, she was wary of anything
out of the ordinary. "Hey, Scully. What are you doing back here?" It was Mulder.
"So, I guess you didn't stay home and watch movies after all." "Nope, I didn't
want to be at my apartment tonight. I've got a lot on my mind lately." "Oh really,"
she was curious, "like what?" Mulder took a deep breath and let it out very
slowly. Scully had no idea what Mulder was going to say, but she felt something,
something stirring deep inside of her. It was like Mulder was reaching out and
touching her soul. "Scully, do you think that Nicky is the right one for me...you
know the person I should marry?" Scully swallowed, her throat felt very dry
all of a sudden. "Mulder, why are you asking me this? Has something happened?"
"Well, no not really, but that is the whole point. I love Nicky, I really do,
but I'm just not sure...something is missing that's all." [This sounds all too
familiar] she thought. Mulder was looking straight at her, he was saying the
words that Scully had always wanted to hear. She looked up and met his eyes
and the electricity shot between them. They looked longingly, both thinking
the same thing, but too afraid after all the years they had been partners to
say it...[I want you]. The words were hanging there on the air, drifting to
and fro, but never actually spoken. They left the office that night and went
to a quaint little chinese restaurant near the river. They laughed and ate,
they looked and hoped, they touched and teased. And then they were faced with
that choice, that choice that changed their lives forever... "So Mulder, do
you want to come over to my place for a nitecap?" "I would love to." He followed
her to her apartment and walked her to the door. He placed his hand gently on
her lower back...something he'd done a thousand times before...but it never
felt like that. She turned and looked at him and her eyes were blazing with
all the wanting and needing she had been feeling for the past few months. She
reached out her hand to open the door, but Mulder grabbed it. He looked down
at her and slowly pushed the door open, but he never let go of her hand. The
air in Scully's apartment was thick, so thick she felt as if she couldn't move,
words swirled in her head, but she couldn't make any sense out of them...so
rather than rely on her mind, Scully listened to her heart and her soul. Everything
in her soul told her this was the moment she had been waiting for...this was
the right time. She wondered if Mulder felt the same way and she didn't have
to wait long to find out the answer. He led her to the couch and sat down and
pulled her down next to him. He looked at her and she saw all that she was feeling
reflected in his eyes. "Scully, what is happening here?" "I...I..." "I've got
all these feelings bottled up inside me and I was wondering if you could help
me figure things out." "You mean things with Nicky?" "It's more than that. It's
things with you." "Things...with me. What things?" "Lately, Scully, we've been
getting along a lot better. The angry tension and animosity in our partnership
has disappeared. Why do you think that is?" "Maybe it is because we both found
something that makes us happy." "You found James." "And you found Nicky." "Then
why do I feel like something is missing?" "Mulder, I...what exactly are you
trying to say here?" "Do you love him, Scully?" She looked down at their hands,
still wound together. She shrugged her shoulders. "Then why are you with him?
Why are the two of you living together?" "Because he is a good man and we get
along...sometimes." "But not lately?" She shook her head. "What about you, Mulder.
You are having doubts about your relationship with Nicky, do you really love
her?" Mulder looked at her, his eyes bore into her soul. She knew that he did
love Nicky, but she could also tell that he was confused. She prayed that he
would tell her what he was thinking. "I don't know, Scully. I mean...I thought
I did, but I can't help wondering. I've been wondering a lot lately what would
have happened if..." "If...?" "If you and I had gotten together." His eyes were
pleading for some kind of reassurance from her that he hadn't gone too far.
He trusted their friendship more than anything in the world and he did not want
to jeopardize it, but he needed to know...he needed to know if there was a chance
for him and Scully. "Mulder, I..." she couldn't finish. She looked down again.
This was everything she had ever wanted to hear...well, not absolutely everything,
but this was her chance...no--it was their chance. Their chance to be together,
to explore the passion in their relationship, to discover what they really meant
to each other, to go beyond their platonic friendship and become lovers. Scully
let go of Mulder's hands and reached up and touched his face, she had never
allowed herself to touch him like this before, though she'd always wondered
what his skin would feel like. He let out the deep breath he had been holding
in anticipation of her next move. She stroked her thumbs along his cheeks and
then she combed her hands through his hair, making the most of this moment--memorizing
everything. She moved forward desperately wanting to kiss him, but she was so
scared of what his reaction might be. A tiny moment of hesitation and doubt
seized upon her soul and she pulled back and dropped her eyes. "Scully, what's
wrong?" "Nothing, Mulder, I'm...just a little frightened." "Of what?" She looked
up again and he was so close to her, she let go of the doubt and her instincts
took control and she moved her hands back to his face, her fingers gently brushing
his eyes...his lips. "Of this...of us being so close and doing something we
might regret." "I would never regret it, Scully." Suddenly his hands were wrapped
around her waist, traveling up and down her back. He wanted to touch every part
of her body and share everything with her. And like two lovers who had been
apart for an eternity, they came together in a kiss. It was gentle at first,
but quickly deepened and all the hunger and passion that had existed between
them since the first day they met was finally being fed. They were seeking and
exploring with every new and exciting touch. Mulder ran his fingers through
her hair and pulled her head back and began dotting her neck with deep, slow
kisses. Scully took a ragged breath...this was everything she had ever dreamed
of. She pulled her head up and began suckling on his ear. Mulder gasped and
she smiled knowing what she was doing to him. Before long they were undressing
each other, their clothes piling up on the floor of Scully's living room. Mulder
stood up and swung Scully up into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. As
he set her down on the bed, he stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes,
and her eyes told him everything he needed to know. *December 13, 1997* *One
Month Later* "Scully, what exactly are we doing here?" "You mean here in your
apartment, laying on your couch?" "You've been answering my questions with questions
a lot lately. I don't know if I like you working so closely with a psychologist."
He smiled and she laughed. They had been spending time together whenever they
could for almost a month now. Tonight they rented a couple of videos and stayed
up late watching them. They had just laid there on Mulder's couch, their bodies
entwined. Mulder stroked her neck and ran his fingers through her hair, sometimes
capturing a strand and twisting it around and around his finger. Scully pressed
her head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She wished they could stay
like this forever. When the last movie ended they made love--like it was the
first time...it was always like that. Scully knew someday that would end, but
for now they did not get much time together, so they cherished every second
they had--drinking it up, not knowing when they might be together again. Scully's
relationship with James had ended soon after she began seeing Mulder. It hurt
James when Scully broke up with him and Scully felt bad about that, but she
told him that she had met someone else, though she didn't tell him who...she
and Mulder had decided it would be best to keep their *involvement* a secret
from everyone, especially the FBI. James did his best to try and understand
and he moved out of her apartment as quickly as he could. In another life she
and James could have been very happy, but this was her life with Mulder. Scully
had always wondered why she waited so long to become involved with a man...she'd
had quite a few opportunities, but for some reason her thoughts and desires
always came back to Mulder. Even with James, she would find herself thinking
of Mulder, and at the most inappropriate times, too, she reminded herself with
a smile. "What are you smiling at, Scully?" "Oh, nothing really. I was just
thinking." "Scully, I was thinking maybe we could talk." "About?" "About us."
"Actually, Mulder," she said trying not to sound too nervous or excited, "I've
been wanting to talk to you about us too, but I didn't want to push you. I wanted
to wait until you were ready." "I just don't know what to do. I know what I
*want* to do." She lifted her head up and looked at him--almost afraid to ask.
"What do you want to do?" "I want to stay here with you, like this, forever."
He smiled...she loved it when he smiled like that. It warmed her soul--when
she saw that smile she knew everything would be OK. "Mulder...do you think Nicky
knows?" "No. I don't think so. I mean, she probably recognizes that our relationship
has changed over the last month. But she is so wrapped up in her cancer research
and conventions that she is hardly ever around." This was the hardest thing
for Scully to understand...Mulder's devotion to Nicky. Even though she had broken
up with James, Mulder still stayed with Nicky. They didn't see each other that
often, but that didn't ease the confusion that Scully felt. She tried to understand
Mulder's sense of devotion and could only figure that it came from his goal-oriented
lifestyle. Once Mulder committed to something it was hard to get him to let
go. He was committed to finding his sister, committed to proving the existence
of extra-terrestrial life, and he had committed to Nicky. "Do you feel guilty?"
Scully asked. Mulder looked away. Scully knew what he was thinking and that
he needed time to answer this question...it was the same question she'd asked
herself a hundred times in the last month and she was pretty sure Mulder's answer
would be the same as hers. Mulder shook his head. "No, Scully. I don't feel
guilty...I really don't and in a way it bothers me." "Because Nicky doesn't
know, and you should be worried about hurting her, but you're not." Mulder nodded.
"That is what I thought." "Really?" "Yes. I've thought about this a lot lately.
That is exactly the reason that I ended things with James. I did want my relationship
with him to work out, but that was before you." He understood exactly what she
was saying, even though she didn't say it directly. He had been turning it over
and over again in his mind. He knew he should call off his engagement to Nicky,
but he didn't know how and he knew Scully was questioning his motives. "Scully--"
"Mulder, let me finish. I ended things with James because of how I feel when
I'm with you, because of how I feel about you. I always knew our partnership,
our friendship, was special, and I'll admit...I was curious to know what it
would be like to kiss you...and make love to you, but--" "You were only curious?
I was a hell of a lot more than curious." "Mulder, stop it, I'm trying to be
serious here." "No, I am serious. I always trusted in our friendship and I was
afraid of what would happen if we became lovers, but I still thought about it
*all* the time." "You did...*all* the time?" "I did." "When did you start thinking
about it?" Scully asked. The seriousness of the conversation had passed and
they were once again enjoying the moment...as if they were the only two people
in the world...no Nicky, no FBI, no Consortium...only Mulder and Scully, two
young people mad about each other. It didn't matter that no one could know,
it only mattered that they knew and somehow that made it so much more real.
"Oh, well...let's see. The first day we met," he said with an innocent smile.
"Oh my God. Really, Mulder?" "Yep. When did you first become *curious*?" "The...ah...first
day we met." He started laughing and he pulled her into a tight embrace...he
whispered in her ear, "You see, Scully. It was destiny that we ended up here."
"So what are we going to do, Mulder?" "Well, I do have one particular thing
in mind," he said mischieviously. "Oh really? And what would that be?" "Let
me show you." *******************************************************************************
Scully and Mulder had continued *seeing* each other for another month and a
half. They didn't talk much about Nicky, but she stayed very active in her cancer
research and medical conventions, and Scully began to feel as if Mulder had
made up his mind, he just hadn't had the opportunity to talk to Nicky about
it yet. And then of course there were the trips Scully and Mulder took out of
town on assignment. During the day they were Agents Scully and Mulder, FBI partners,
but at night they were passionate lovers who could not get enough of each other.
It often amazed Scully how well she and Mulder were able to work together. Somehow
they managed to separate the days from the nights, yet everytime Mulder placed
his hand on her lower back like he had always done, she felt for sure that anyone
looking would know how she felt about him. *******************************************************************************
*January 26, 1998* Scully was on her way home from another routine day at the
office. And though the day was routine the night promised to be anything but...Nicky
was out of town and Mulder had promised to come over and he mentioned that he
had something important that he wanted to tell her. Scully was anxious to know
what that was, she knew what she wanted him to tell her, she had wanted to hear
it for a long time, but she had never wanted him to rush this decision. Mulder
had been through so much in his life and Scully wanted him to take all the time
he needed to figure out what he really wanted to do. Her cell phone started
ringing. "Scully," she answered. "Scully, it's me. Listen, I'm not going to
be able to make it tonight." She tried to keep the disappoinment out of her
voice. "What's up?" "I have to go out of town, that's all. I'll talk to you
soon." "Allright." He hung up...the conversation was over. And Scully's life
would never be the same. Mulder didn't come into the office for a week and when
Scully called his apartment all she ever got was his answering machine. As each
day passed, a pit grew larger and larger in her stomach and she knew something
had happened, something that would forever change their relationship. End of
Part 1 TITLE: Almost Within Reach (2/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com
*February 5, 1998* *One week later* Scully awoke to the sound of pounding on
her door. She got up and grabbed a robe and rushed to the door. She looked through
the peephole, but deep down...she already knew who it was. It was Mulder. And
as much as she wanted to see him and talk to him, she was equally as angry.
After three days of calling Mulder's apartment and leaving messages on his machine
she decided to stop. He knew where she was and he had her number and if he wanted
to talk to her then he would call. The minutes turned into hours, hours into
days...more days than Scully would like to recall and with each passing second
her anger grew. Tonight it was a hot caldron almost ready to boil over. "Mulder,
hi," she said coldly, opening the door. "Hi, can I come in." "I don't think
so, Mulder. I'll see you at the office," she said hastily. She started to shut
the door, but Mulder quickly placed his hand up to stop her. "Scully, please.
It's important." "I suppose," she said turning her back to him and walking away
from the door. He walked in and shut the door and in three quick steps he was
standing in front of her. He pulled Scully up into his arms so quickly that
she lost her breath. In that instant all the anger melted away. She wrapped
her arms tightly around him...so happy to be with him again...so happy he was
finally here. "Scully, we really need to talk," he said setting her down and
walking over to the couch. "Ok," she said, following him and sitting down. "I
want you to know where I've been for the last week. Nicky was in Seattle speaking
at another conference and she was in a car accident." "Oh, God, Mulder, I'm
so sorry. Is she OK?" "Yes and no. She is alive, but she is paralyzed from the
waist down and the doctors don't think she will ever be able to walk again.
As you can probably guess, she is incredibly depressed and having a hard time
right now. I just wanted to be there for her." "I understand, Mulder. Don't
worry about me, I know everything will work itself out." "Scully, I *have* to
be there for her. Nicky is coming back here to Washington DC and she is going
to stay at a rehabilitation facility and I'm going to help her recover." The
weight of his words sunk in. He didn't mean for a day or a week or a month...he
meant permanently. Mulder was engaged to Nicky, he had committed to her, and
he had made his decision. This was it, that terrible feeling in the pit of her
stomach that kept growing and growing...tears threatened...he was choosing Nicky.
"Mulder, can I ask you something?" she said as a single tear slid down her cheek.
"You can ask me anything, Scully." "Last week when you said you had something
important you wanted to tell me...what we're you going to say to me?" "Scully,
it really doesn't matter now," he said looking down. "It does to me, Mulder."
"I was going to tell you that I wanted to break my engagement to Nicky and be
with you," he choked on the words and Scully knew what this was doing to him.
He couldn't look at her. One minute, one second, a careless driver and an event
on the other side of the United States changed his whole life and ended his
chance at pure happiness. Scully was crying. She reached out and put her arm
around Mulder and pulled him close. He laid his head on her shoulder as the
tears began to fall. He wrapped his arms around her waist and enveloped her...they
held onto each other like that until she finally broke away. Scully put her
hand under Mulder's chin and lifted his eyes to meet hers. She could always
know just what he was feeling by looking in his eyes. "I'm going to miss you,"
she choked. All he could do was nod his head. He pulled her face close to him
and he kissed her gently. Then he stood up and was gone. *******************************************************************************
Gone but never forgotten, gone but always missed. Scully tried to keep working,
but her heart just wasn't in it anymore. Mulder had taken an indefinite leave
of absence to care for Nicky and honestly, the Bureau was glad to have him gone.
Scully helped out with some cases in the Violent Crimes Section and soon she
would be teaching again at Quantico, but everything around her reminded her
of Mulder and all that had happened between them. The smiles in the hallway,
the slight touches in the office, the verbal arousal during the day that led
to passionate nights, and ultimately to the knowledge that she had lost him.
It didn't help that a couple of weeks after Mulder left her, they bumped into
each other in their basement office.... "Oh, hi, how are you?" he asked stiffly.
"I'm doing OK and you?" she said without looking at him. "Fine." "Good....how's
Nicky doing?" "Well, she is settled here in DC and she seems to be feeling a
little better, I think coming back here helped to raise her spirits." "Good.
I'm glad." "How about you? What are you doing with yourself?" "Well, I helped
out on a few cases with the VCS and next Monday I start teaching again at Quantico."
"That is really good, Scully." "Really?" "Yes, Scully, I think it is good that
we are both moving on." "Moving on," she asked, her voice cold and harsh. If
he only knew that she would never be able to truly move on, she only wanted
to spend every day and every night reliving her memories, recalling every word
and every moment she had spent with Mulder. "Yes," he said, "Remember when I
told you I didn't feel guilty for being with you and not telling Nicky. It all
caught up with me...Nicky's accident made me realize that I had made a committment
to her and I should not have been seeing you. I've been thinking and I think
what you and I had was never meant to be. I think we just put off the inevitable
by being together." "And the inevitable was...?" "That Nicky and I are supposed
to be together and you and I weren't. I mean, look how everything has turned
out." "So what are you saying? You think we shouldn't have gotten involved."
"Scully, I think it was a mistake for us to get involved. I'm not sorry and
I'll never regret it, but I don't think it could have worked." "I can't believe
that I'm hearing this." "Look, Scully, I'm sorry. It's just that..." "Save it,
Mulder. Goodbye." And she walked out. That was the last time she had seen him.
For a while everything was OK, but there was only so much work she could do
to keep her mind off Mulder. She decided to leave DC and get a fresh start,
the trouble was that she had put off the really important things until the very
last minute. She had never contacted Mulder and told him she was leaving *April
21, 1998* She was leaving DC tomorrow, but tonight she found herself walking
that familiar path, the one she had become used to after years of working so
close to this area, she automatically stopped her car and walked over to "their"
bench, drenched tonight in the glow of the Jefferson Memorial Building. She
wasn't the least bit surprised to find him there. He looked sad, dejected, and
a little angry. This was the moment destined to come that Scully had been endlessly
avoiding. [You can't escape your destiny] she thought. How true. "Is this seat
taken?" she asked him, hoping to at least make him smile. No success. "Scully,
we need to talk," he answered. From the sound of his voice, she knew that he
really was angry, but she also knew she couldn't change that...she couldn't
change anything and that was why she had to leave. Leave everything she cherished
and...loved. "OK, Mulder," she said sitting down, "let's talk." "Not here,"
he said, "I can't talk to you *here*." He stood up and started walking along
the path around the river. She had no choice-- she stood up and followed him.
They walked for a long time, without talking, without looking, without touching.
Each knowing somehow where they were going, the place where it all began over
five years ago. They needed to be someplace quiet, secluded, familiar, so they
could talk...really talk. A half hour later they stood in front of Mulder's
office. He opened the door. Painfully, he looked around, it was half empty.
It smelled musty and stale--no one had worked there in a long time. Scully stepped
inside the door, she noticed the look on Mulder's face and she knew what he
was thinking. Regret seized her soul...a regret she would live with forever.
"How did you find out I was leaving, Mulder?" "I came in yesterday to talk to
Skinner about my leave of absence and he told me. Scully, you need to tell me
why you're leaving. You put in for a transfer, don't you want to work on the
X-Files anymore?" "I don't think I can, Mulder. Besides you are never around
anymore." "Yea, but that is just temporary until Nicky gets up and around."
"I have to go, Mulder, and you know why." "But you never even told me. You pack
up your desk and your apartment and make all the arrangements, and when I heard
from Skinner, I went by your apartment and someone else is moving in. Why are
you doing this? I thought you loved it here in DC and I thought you really liked
teaching at Quantico?" "Nothing is the same anymore and I just need a change
that's all." "Come on, Scully, talk to me, please." "I'm leaving. That is all
there is to it." "You are leaving because of me?" She nodded. "I'm tired, Mulder.
I'm sad....hell, I'm profoundly sad." "Profoundly sad," he said with a little
smile on his face, "that sounds like a therapy term to me." It was so good to
see him smile...so good. "Stop it, you know what I mean." she answered trying
to enjoy this fleeting moment. "I really wanted to stay here and teach, but
it is obvious to me now that it isn't going to work." "Scully--" "No, Mulder.
It just isn't going to work. I've made up my mind and leaving is the best thing
for me right now. Please try to understand," she pleaded for support. She turned
to look at him, for the first time. In the low light his eyes looked smokey
and beautiful and she wished she could get lost in them just one more time...their
eyes locked and her breath caught in her throat. It was so hard for her to look
at him and she wondered if he had any idea how difficult this was for her. She
ripped her eyes away from his. He reached out and gently placed his hand on
her shoulder. "I understand, Scully. I know what you've gone through. I know
how much you've been hurt. I know how sad you are." Confused by his words, she
wondered who he was talking about--her or him. He stood there, his hand on her
shoulder, and watched her for a second. He thought she was the most beautiful
woman he had ever seen. He moved his hand up the back of her neck and then into
her hair, running his fingers through it. "I don't want to agree, but I think
you're right. You should...leave... but do you have to move so far away from
DC?" He couldn't breath, he couldn't think. All there was was her, her hair,
her eyes, her voice... "Don't. Please don't." She reached up and pushed his
hand away. "Why? What's wrong?" "You can't do that to me. You just can't touch
me like that...not anymore." "Scully, please tell me. What did..." "You just
can't do that." she pleaded, sounding like a little girl, lost and confused.
"Why?" "Why? Why...you have to ask why?" "No, I guess not. But we both agreed
that it was a mistake." "No, *you* agreed it was a mistake." She was almost
yelling. She was hurting...dying...inside. "I fell for you." The words came
out unchecked and they scared her to death. She promised herself months ago
that he would never know how she truly felt, but now he knew. She looked at
him, searching his eyes for some sign of what he was thinking. "You what," he
stuttered. "I fell in love with you. So in love with you. I'm sorry." She turned
to leave. "I'm so sorry." He couldn't let her go...not yet. He grabbed her hand
and pulled her to him. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around
to face him. He forced her to look at him. He gently cupped her face and lifted
her eyes to meet his. Her eyes were shining, filled with tears. "Why didn't
you tell me?" he asked quietly. "Because, I couldn't. I was too scared." She
took a deep breath and reached up and took his hands into hers and gently lowered
them. But she couldn't let go of them...not yet. "What we had, even though it
didn't last very long, changed my life. I love you like I never dreamed I could
love anyone, and that will always be with me. Forever. That's why I couldn't
stay with James, because I compared him to you and it wasn't fair to him or
to me or to you." She stopped talking for a minute and she looked down at his
hands clasped in hers, feeling this would be it...the end...the last time she
would be with him, hold him, talk to him. "How come you never told me you felt
like this? We talked all the time. We were together so much." "Because in the
end it wouldn't have changed anything and I knew that. I knew going in that
you were engaged and that you had to make a choice and I knew that night you
came over to my apartment you had made that choice. I knew, after the accident,
that you would never leave her, no matter what." "But, Scully..." "But what,"
she interrupted. "If I told you that I loved you, you would have left her. Or
maybe you would have thought about leaving her. You know that isn't true. And
it hurt me, it destroyed me. So I decided to move on as best I could and count
myself lucky for having found you and for having shared part of my life with
you, and loving you." "So you are just going to move away. Just like that."
"Yes, Mulder, just like that. I need to go on with my life, I need to get away
from here, and I would like to try and find someone I can settle down with."
Her words stung. She told him she loved him and in the same sentence practically
told him she wanted to find someone else to love and share her life with. "So
you don't want to love me anymore?" "I will always love you, Mulder, but you've
made it very clear that we will not be together and that you think our relationship
was a mistake. I'm not really thinking about falling in love with someone, I'm
just thinking of moving on with my life and finding someone to share it with."
"Scully, it's not right to spend your life with someone you don't love." He
knew it the moment he'd said it what was coming next. "Oh, that is rich coming
from you. And let's see...why are you with *her*, because she was in a car accident
and she needed you. Do you love her? Do you really love her?" she yelled. "Yes
but..." he hesitated and looked away. That hesitation, that little catch...that
said it all. "Is that fair to her?" she asked quietly. "Maybe you think it is,
but it isn't. Trust me, I know." "Scully, you don't understand. You don't know
what this is like for me. You don't know how hard it is for me to be with you,
to be talking to you about this." "Why, Mulder, because you want to kiss me.
To run your fingers through my hair, to hold me. A little thrill, a little fun,
a walk on the wild side." "No, because I love you, too, Scully." She stared
at him in disbelief. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. The anger was gone
and tears threatened again. In one fast move he was there, his arms around her,
lifting her up so her face would meet his. She put her arms around his neck.
They stood there like that for what seemed like an eternity, looking at each
other, their eyes saying more than mere words could ever express. The bond between
them was still just as strong...no matter what they put each other through,
or how much they hurt each other, they were entwined in a never-ending love.
Then slowly he leaned in to kiss her. It started so softly, but quickly became
more intense, more needy. Their lips met hungrily, wanting more, trying to make
up for all the time they had spent apart and all the hurt they had caused each
other. Mulder lifted up her shirt and ran his hands up and down her back. Her
breath caught in her throat remembering how much she loved his touch and the
heat it raised in her body. Their hands were everywhere trying to feel and memorize
every last inch of each other, to save this memory forever. The kiss seemed
endless, as if time had stopped just for them to be together like this, two
lovers reunited, but only for an instant. They lived an eternity in that instant
and all too soon it was gone. Mulder gently lowered Scully's feet back down
to the ground. She put her hands to his face and pressed her lips to his one
last time...one long, slow, deep kiss. "I love you so much," he said. "I know,
Mulder," she said. "I love you, too...but that doesn't change anything, does
it?" She peered into his eyes, searching for some sign of hope, but knowing
all along there was no hope, no hope for them. He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, too," she let go of him and took a step back. It was only one step,
but a canyon deeper than anything either of them had ever felt or seen before,
sprung into existence between them. "I better go." "Ok. What are you going to
do?" "I'm going to go to my mom's, finish packing, and head to the airport."
"Will you let me know where you are when you get settled?" "No, I can't. You
know that. You have a life, a committment. And I can't interfere with that anymore.
I have to let go of you...somehow. I have to try," she choked on those last
words. "I'll always remember you," he said, tears stinging his eyes. "Don't
please. It will only make things harder. Just be happy," and with that, she
turned and walked away, up the stairs and out the door to her car. She drove
away, never feeling more empty before in her life. ...he watched her go. He
didn't want to believe he would never see her again, but deep down he knew this
was the end. They had been partners, best friends, and then lovers. And now
that was gone. He sat down, put his head in his hands and cried. He cried for
her and for him and for everything they were loosing. And for the memories he
had to live with...forever. End of Chapter 1. To be continued.... TITLE: Almost
Within Reach Chapter 2 (1/1) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com
*******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
*January 13, 1999* *Nine Months Later* Agent Dana Scully was walking along the
beach near her condo. It had become a daily ritual of sorts. Taking her shoes
off and letting the salt water and sand squeeze between her toes, run over her
feet and ankles and soothe away the aches of the day. It was something she needed
to do to clear her head of all the sadness, of the loneliness...of the love.
It had yet to work. Because even here...in Los Angeles, California, a town where
Scully had never traveled with Mulder, there were still memories...a soft song
on the radio, a movie they had seen together, the smell of chinese food, the
way his hands felt caressing her back when they made love. She thought she heard
his voice sometimes...in a crowd, at the office, whispering in her ear [I'm
sorry]. Sometimes, she actually turned around and looked for him, but he was
never there. Scully had moved to LA thinking that the distance between her and
Mulder would help her get over him...that eventually the intense, overwhelming,
burning love she felt for him would die down to nothing but a smoldering ember,
never dying but becoming something she could control because there would be
no Mulder in her life to feed the flame. She didn't think it was possible, but
even after all this time she loved him more now than the day they had first
made love...more than the day she left him. [I should have known this was the
kind of love I could never run away from] she thought sadly. It had angered
her at first, that she couldn't put her relationship with Mulder in the past
and move on with her life. She tried to--she really did, but she found that
with the least bit of success she missed Mulder immensely and for some reason
that was more painful than forgetting him. So she continued to dream, to hope,
to pray, and to remember...it comforted her...it gave her some sense that her
dear Mulder was still a part of her life and that he still loved her and that
someday they would be together again. She took comfort in knowing that somewhere
in time, she and Mulder had been together, they had been in love. Sometimes
though that knowledge made her daily existence all the more difficult because
it had been real...it was real. But it had slipped from her grasp, she had felt
it, touched it, and seen the extreme possibilities--it was almost within reach
and now it was only a memory...one she relived in its entirety night after blissful
night. Scully had been working for the Violent Crimes Section since she got
to LA. Many of the cases were gruesome and the ones involving little children
really bothered her, but she tried to do what she did best...detach herself
from the victim and simply look at the scientific facts of each case and work
to solve it from that angle. She studied the forensic evidence and performed
endless autopsies and prepared criminal profiles--always searching for clues.
For the first few months work was really difficult for her...there were times
when Scully reached for her cell phone and started to dial Mulder's number.
[Mulder, it's me]...but then she would remember where she was and what had happened
and why she was walking on the beach. *January 14, 1997* *The Next Day* *8:45
am* "Hi Dana!" "Hi Cindy. How are you?" Scully asked, always knowing the answer
to the question. "I am just great...and you?" Cindy replied, but Scully wondered
why she always asked when Cindy knew the answer and knew by now that it was
a lie. "I'm fine," Scully looked at her and smiled. Cindy Hudson had been Scully's
partner since the day she had arrived at the FBI Branch Office in LA. Cindy
was a few inches taller than Scully, she had strawberry-blonde hair and bright
blue eyes. She turned every male head in the office and she knew what they were
thinking, but she didn't let them get away with it. For Cindy was first and
foremost a professional FBI agent...she was well-educated, strong-willed, dedicated,
and held her own with the best LA field agents. When Scully had first been introduced
to her the tension was palpable. Cindy felt that the younger DC agent was here
to encroach on her territory, to try and compete, but it didn't take more than
a long lunch and a few hours of talking and Cindy let up and ever since then
she and Scully had been the best of partners. Scully considered herself very
fortunate being paired with another of the FBI's finest. "Dana, did you get
the message from Assistant Director Adams?" Cindy asked, looking up from her
computer screen, studying Dana. She had her back turned to Cindy, straightening
her desk and all the reports and messages. Cindy always noticed that Dana's
shoulders were slumped just slightly, like she hadn't slept well, but didn't
want anyone to know. [She never seemed to sleep well] Cindy thought. She couldn't
help but wonder what it was that Dana thought about at night that made her so
tired in the morning. But it was more than just Dana being tired, it was a sadness
and a heaviness that always seemed to be with her. Cindy had tried to pry the
information out of Dana on many occasions, she had even searched the government
database for information, but Dana's previous assignment was classified. Cindy
had never gotten anywhere. All she knew was that Dana had a mother and two brothers
and that her father and sister had died. The only reason she knew that was because
last month during her Christmas vacation, Cindy had surprised Dana at her apartment
and brought her a gift and she saw the family pictures Dana had scattered around
her apartment. The only thing Cindy could figure was that something or someone
had hurt Dana...and was still hurting Dana, so much so that she couldn't tell
anyone about it. "No, Cindy. I didn't get the message, what does the Assistant
Director want?" Scully turned around. "He wanted to see you in his office as
soon as you got to work today." Scully swallowed the lump that instantly formed
in her throat, she hadn't even met the Assistant Director here in LA and that
suited her just fine. No special assignments, no special meetings, no cigarette-smoking
men or consortiums pulling her strings. That was part of her deal with Assistant
Director Skinner when she asked for the transfer. She knew that without her
the Bureau would most likely close down the X-Files because without her or Mulder
there to work on them, there was no point in keeping them open. Scully had asked
Skinner if he would classify her involvement in the X-Files and he did. He understood
that where she was going she wanted to be considered *just another agent*...she
didn't want to be called Mrs. Spooky, and though Skinner didn't understand why,
he had been willing to help Scully. So as far as anyone in LA knew, Scully had
taught at Quantico, worked for the VCS, had been involved in a classified project
and that she was a fine agent with a good record. "Well, I guess I better get
up there then." And Scully walked out the door to the elevator. The ride up
to the AD's office seemed terribly long, it gave Scully too much time to think
about what was going on and why he wanted to talk to her. Her questions would
be answered soon enough, but she couldn't help but think that there was something
going on here...something she wasn't ready to face. She knocked on the heavy
wooden door. "Come in Agent Scully," she heard. She reached down and turned
the knob. She slowly pushed the door open and looked around the room. It looked
a little like Skinner's office. There was a long conference table, a few comfortable
chairs scattered around the room, and a couple of table lamps in various corners,
but they probably didn't get turned on except late at night because the corner
office was mostly windows. There was only one familiar object in the room and
that was a picture of Janet Reno hanging on the wall near the AD's desk. Scully
looked at the picture and smiled and she turned her attention to the burly,
grey-haired man behind the desk. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked, as
confidently as she could. "Yes, Agent Scully. Please...have a seat," he said
motioning her to sit in one of the comfortable chairs across from his desk.
She sat down, crossed her legs, and folded her hands neatly in her lap. "Agent
Scully, are you at all familiar with the case Agents Johnson and Andrews are
working on?" "No, sir." "Well, I would like you to become familiar with the
case, right away." He reached across the desk and handed her two thick folders.
"Here is all the paperwork we currently have and here are all the autopsy reports.
I would like you to look at the latest autopsy results, it is the first report
in that folder." Scully opened the folder and began reading. Her eyes darted
about the page trying to gather all the information she could, trying to understand...[Oh,
no. Not again], her mind was screaming, but outwardly she was the picture of
calm, trying to ignore her inner demons. Then she turned the page and looked
at the photo and the stoic look on her face disappeared. "Oh my God," she said
looking up. "I see that you *do* recognize him," the AD asked, very curious,
"I was told that you would." "Told by who, sir?" "You will find out soon enough.
All that is important right now is that you know this man." "Yes, I know him.
When did he die?" she asked, gulping back that lump in her throat. "Yesterday
afternoon. I am assigning you to do the autopsy right away, before the body
degrades." "Degrades?" "Let me explain. His is the fifth body we've found in
as many weeks, but about three days after death there is very little, if any,
of the bodies left." "I don't understand sir." "It is a detail I have been ordered
to leave out of the report, Agent Scully. These bodies begin to decompose, but
not like any body I've ever seen before...they turn into a strange, oozing,
green fluid and seem to...melt." Scully stared at him, not wanting to believe
what she was hearing. The details were all too familiar to her. "Agent Scully,
I did some checking and I found that you have had some experience with other
cases like this. It that true?" "Yes, it is sir, but that information--" "Is
classified. Yes, I know that and I will keep it classified, but it is important
that we have you working on this case. I was given your name by Assistant Director
Skinner. I hope that is allright." "Yes, of course, sir." "Good. I'd like you
to meet with Agents Johnson and Andrews right away and they will fill you in
on all the other details of the case and answer any of your questions. I want
you to tell them what you know about cases like this and then I want that autopsy
performed." "Yes, sir. Right away," she said standing up. "Oh, and there is
one other thing. When I called the DC office and talked to Skinner, I found
out that there is another agent who is an expert on this sort of bizarre phenomenon.
He will be flying in tonight to take over the case. I want you to work with
him, Agent Scully, since you have seen this sort of thing before, as well,"
AD Adams was staring at her now, trying to gauge her reactions. She needed to
ask the next obvious question, but already knew the answer and she knew she
didn't want to know. "Who is this agent, sir?" "His name is Mulder." Scully's
legs swayed beneath her and she had to reach forward with her hand and steady
herself against the AD's desk. What could she say to get out of this assignment...[Sir,
I'm sorry, Agent Mulder and I had an intimate relationship about a year ago
and I don't think it would be wise for us to work together]. It was no use.
Scully looked up at the AD. "Thank you for the assignment, sir. I'll get right
on it." She turned and started walking for the door, but was interrupted by
one last question. "Agent Scully, do you know who the man in the photo is?"
AD Adams said motioning to the autopsy folder she carried in her hand. She turned
around and faced him. "Yes, sir. His name is Kurt Crawford," she said and then
she turned and left his office. The phone rang. AD Adams took a deep breath
and steeled himself against the voice on the other end. "Yes," he said. "You
gave her the assignment?" the caller asked. "Yes." "You told her about Mulder."
"Yes." "What did she do?" "She pretended as if she didn't know him." "Good.
Just as I expected." End of Chapter 2. To be continued... TITLE: Almost Within
Reach Chapter 3 (1/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com DISTRIBUTION
STATEMENT: Anywhere as long as my name and addy stay with it. SPOILER: anything
through the fourth season. RATING: PG CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance and mention
of Mulder/Other and Scully/Other. CLASSIFICATION: X-x-file, S-story, R-romance,
A-angst. SUMMARY: About a year in the future, after becoming involved with other
people, Mulder and Scully reach a cross-roads and decide to go their separate
ways, but destiny and a strange FBI case reunite them. DISCLAIMER: CC and 1013
Productions own the X-Files, characters, and storylines. All other characters
are mine. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank two people. First of all, my cyber-sister
Nicky C. for being such a wonderful friend. And Deborah Wells, her's was one
of the first fanfiction stories I read and she inspired me to try my hand at
writing fanfic. Debbie also helped me with this story. Thanks! Lastly, this
story is dedicated to Jon...he is the inspiration behind it. Because of him
I caught a glimpse of what was Almost Within Reach... *******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
*January 14, 1999* *9:09 am* Scully closed the door of Assistant Director Adams
office and stifled her desire to scream. This was her worst nightmare and her
wildest dream all rolled into one. The nightmare was once again being assigned
to a case involving alien clones--she would be standing in the Consortium's
spotlight and she would have to investigate and sort through facts that had
no known scientific basis. But she would come face to face with her wildest
dream, she would get to see *him* again...Mulder was coming to town to spear-head
the investigation. She knew how Agents Johnson and Andrews would *love* that,
this had been their case for over five weeks. They had spent countless hours
struggling to answer questions and explain the unexplainable. But by Bureau
standards not enough was being done, not enough progress had been made, and
in the time it takes to make a phone call the case was taken from them...Scully
expected they would be very upset at the news. No one liked to be second-guessed,
to be overthrown, and nobody in law enforcement liked to have their case taken
away...and even worse...having *Spooky* Mulder assigned to the case. Scully
had often thought about what it would be like to see Mulder again. After all,
Los Angeles was a big place, something bizarre and "X-files-ish" was bound to
happen someday. Scully imagined Mulder coming to town, solving the case, and
then he would walk into her office and ask her out to dinner. Against her better
judgement, she would go but instead of dinner, they would spend the next few
days tucked away in her condo making love and making up for lost time. But it
was only another of Scully's dreams and as much as she wanted it to be real,
in reality she knew that Mulder would rush back to Washington DC to be with
Nicky. Like a robot, Scully moved herself out of the AD's waiting room and down
the hall. The office was busy and people flocked everywhere, but she didn't
notice them. As she walked down the hallway it was as if she was lost in the
fog, she could hear only faint voices and she could see shadowy images and sometimes
feel them as they brushed past her. But she couldn't concentrate--she couldn't
focus, for every ounce of strength and will she had was being used to force
herself to walk straight ahead and continue to work, though she desperately
wanted to run to the safety and solace of her home, her bed where she could
ride out this storm of emotion and anticipation. She knew she was expected in
Johnson and Andrew's office, but she needed to go to the ladies room first,
she needed to compose herself. She walked inside and found the restroom empty.
It was a blessing straight from heaven...Scully entered the farthest stall,
leaned her back against the closed door, hung her head and cried. It was the
first cry she had allowed herself in weeks and it allowed her the emotional
release she needed to keep going and to clear her head. Scully had become so
used to living with her memories, so used to facing them in the privacy of her
home, her bed, but now she was being asked to face reality...the reality of
aliens, clones, and Mulder. *January 14, 1999* *9:22 am* She knocked lightly
on the door. "Come in," she heard. She opened the door and took a step into
the office. To say it was cluttered was an understatement--papers and photos
were strewn everywhere. Scully quickly counted about 12 coffee mugs scattered
about the office, some empty, some half-full. There were some ties and a couple
of suit coats draped over chairs and Scully even noticed a pair of gym shorts
laying in the corner. The two agents in the room barely looked up. They looked
tired, confused, and Scully figured they probably hadn't slept well since their
case began five weeks ago. Everything these agents had ever believed about humanity
had been turned on its ear when they watched the first body melt into a mass
of green goo. It wasn't an easy sight to live with and she guessed that sight
probably invaded their dreams much as it did hers. She only hoped that someday
it would become easier for them. "Hello. I'm Agent Dana Scully. I've been assigned
to work on your case with you." "For as long as it is our case, Agent Scully.
I'm afraid we won't be working on it much longer. A big-shot from DC is flying
out to take over," the man said as he stood up and walked over to her, his right
hand out-stretched. Scully shook it and noticed he had a tight grip. He was
about six inches taller that her and he had light blonde hair and dark green
eyes. Scully thought he looked more like the poster boy for a surfboard company
than an FBI agent, but she knew better than to say that out loud. "Oh, forgive
me, " he said. "I'm Agent David Johnson and this is Agent Robert Andrews." Agent
Andrews looked up and smiled only for a second and then went back to reading
his reports. He was a very studious looking man. He was short and stocky, though
Scully couldn't be absolutely sure because he was still seated behind his desk.
He had dark brown, almost black, hair that was clipped very short, in a military
haircut and he had brown eyes and wore glasses. "Sorry, Agent Scully," Agent
Johnson said, "Andrews is very upset about losing this case, it was his baby
in the first place. He found the first body. Unfortunately, we didn't know anything
about the victim and the corpse sat in the morgue for over three days. When
forensics finally got to it to do an autopsy there was very little left. Andrews
has been hard at work ever since, making the most out of every new body we find
and trying to put together the clues." "AD Adams said you have seen this kind
of thing before, Agent Scully?" Andrews finally spoke, "What do you think is
happening to these bodies?" "Well, first of all, let me clarify that anything
I say about this case is purely speculation on my part. I have never been able
to find any hard, scientific evidence for what I'm about to tell you," Scully
said. If Mulder was standing in the room he would have rolled his eyes...this
was typical Scully, basing all knowledge on the known facts. "But there must
be some scientific reason why these bodies turn green and well...melt," Andrews
asked, clearly frustrated. "I'm sure there is," answered Scully, "but I haven't
had any opportiunity to analyze a clone *body* in the lab...I've only been able
to run tests on the green substance left after the body..." she smiled, "for
lack of a better word...melts." Scully looked at both agents very carefully,
something about them had changed...they way they were sitting and the way their
eyes glazed over, they seemed to be staring at her...no, they *were* staring
at her. Then they glanced at each other and broke out laughing. They practically
doubled over and everytime they looked at each other, the rounds of laughter
renewed. Finally, they got themselves under control and Agent Johnson started
to speak. "Ah, excuse me, Agent Scully...but did you say....*clone*?" Scully
smiled, she knew what they were laughing at and she knew how funny it must have
sounded. It was ironic how quickly the tables were turned. She was Mulder and
Agent Johnson was her--she was the believer explaining some wild phenomenon
and he was the skeptic. Scully knew explaining her encounters with the various
clones would not be easy, so she decided to start at the beginning. She was
all business when she said, "Excuse me, gentlemen, I didn't mean to get ahead
of myself. May I sit down? This is a long story, some of it may seem outlandish
and hard to believe, but I promise you it is the truth as far as I know it to
be." "Yes, of course, Agent Scully. Have a seat," Andrews said, stifling a little
giggle. Scully sat down and began to fill the agents in on the incredible events
that happened during her time with the X-Files. She told them about Mulder and
his little sister, Samantha, and how Samantha came back, but that she was actually
a clone. She told them about the Alien Bounty Hunter who had the ability to
morph into anyone and who was sent to Earth to destroy the clones. She told
them about the cloning projects, the alien DNA, their plans for colonization,
Jeremiah Smith, Kurt Crawford, the alien weapon that could kill them, purity
control, and the blood thickening reaction humans had to the clones. The words
just poured out of Scully's mouth and at first, her story was interrupted by
more fits of laughter. At times, it seemed to her that Agent Andrews was going
to faint, but by the end he quieted down and just turned a dark shade of green.
What started out as a gag, the stuff of science fiction, quickly became their
case. It had to be hard news for these men to take. Alien life was an easy enough
concept to grasp, but that the governments of the world were combining human
DNA and alien DNA and creating clones...well, that was almost too much for these
agents to wrap their minds around. "So, you think that this...Alien Bounty Hunter
has returned again to earth to destroy more of these clones?" Agents Andrews
asked. "I don't know if he has returned to earth, he might never have left,
but yes, I do think he has been ordered to destroy the clones," Scully answered.
"Ordered by whom?" Johnson asked. "I don't know the answer to that question,"
Scully said. "I have another question, Agent Scully," Andrews asked. "You said
that the clones you encountered began to melt right after they were killed,
yet our *clone* corpses last for up to three days. Why do you think that is?"
"My only thought would be that the scientists developing this technology are
getting better at perfecting the clones they create." "That would make sense.
If they have been doing this for as many years as you say they have Agent Scully,
then it only stands to reason that they would get better at it," Johnson said.
"And speaking of that, I had better get to the lab and begin the autopsy. Would
either of you like to join me?" Scully asked. "Actually, we have a few leads
we need to run down, but we'll check in with you later," Andrews said. "What
time do we have to meet...ah, what is his name again," Johnson said as he began
rummaging through his desk for the message that gave the details of Mulder's
arrival. Scully stayed silent, not wanting the agents to know that she knew
Mulder. "Agent Mulder?" Andrews asked. "Yea, that's him." "I think about 7:30
this evening." "Well, that gives us a little time to investigate and get all
the reports ready to turn over to him." "Let's go then." Agents Johnson and
Andrews gathered some paperwork, their briefcases, and their jackets and they
were out the door. Scully followed them out of their office and watched them
walk away, when almost as an afterthought Johnson turned around and said, "Bye
Scully. We'll call you later." And they were gone. Scully walked back to her
office, grabbed her briefcase and left a note for Cindy explaining that she
had been temporarily reassigned and would call later. Then she headed once again
for elevator and down to the FBI parking garage, she walked out and got into
her car and drove over to the lab where the body was being kept. The familiarity
of this case was bringing back a flood of memories and again Scully was struggling
to maintain her professional composure. She remembered sitting with Mulder at
the hospital in Alaska, the look on his face when he traded his sister in order
to get Scully away from the bounty hunter, and how, when she was in a Pennsylvania
hospital being treated for her cancer, Mulder hugged her after he had returned
from finding the Kurt Crawford clones. The memories were almost more than Scully
could bear and as odd as it sounded she was looking forward to the autopsy to
keep her mind off of Mulder and his impending arrival. *January 14, 1999* *4:04
pm* "...all evidence available to me right now indicates that the subject is
human. His DNA analysis shows him to have one hundred percent human DNA, yet
his physical features are that of Kurt Crawford, who is known to be part of
the cloning project I once investigated. At this time I can only speculate that
the subject is in fact the real Kurt Crawford or that the cloning project has
become so advanced that making a distinction between an alien/ human hybrid
and a human being is all but impossible." Scully turned off the tape recorder
and slipped it into her lab coat pocket. She opened the door of the autopsy
room and was headed to the locker room to change when a young woman tapped her
on the shoulder. "Excuse me, are you Agent Scully?" the young woman asked. "Yes."
"There is phone call for you at the main desk. Down there," the woman said pointing
Scully in the right direction. Scully walked over to the phone, but not before
checking her watch...it was only 4:10 in the afternoon, too early for the caller
to be Mulder. He wasn't in town yet. She figured it was probably Agent Andrews
calling to talk about the autopsy results. She figured wrong. She reached down
and picked up the receiver. "Scully," she said. "Agent Scully?" "Yes, who is
this?" "We have never met, but I have information that would be useful to you
and your current case." "What kind of information?" "I can't tell you over the
phone, but if you will meet me I promise I will tell you everything." "How do
I know you are telling me the truth?" Scully was extremely skeptical. "Because
I know you performed an autopsy today on a man you call Kurt Crawford and I
know about the clones and I know what is killing them." "Who are you?" "My name
is Kurt Crawford." Scully had her doubts about the caller's identity, after
all, she had just autopsied Kurt Crawford, but she recognized his voice and
if he was indeed a clone then perhaps he could answer some of her questions
and help her figure out the hybrid technology used to make these clones. She
weighed the pros and cons in her mind...it was risky to meet this man, yet it
could prove valuable to the case if he had the information he said he did. She
decided to take a chance. "Where should I meet you?" she asked. *January 14,
1999* *6:01 pm* Scully's nostrils were assaulted by the smell of oil, fish,
salt water, and other assorted chemicals. She had followed Kurt Crawford's instructions
and made sure she wasn't followed, she thought Kurt was being paranoid at first,
but then she noticed the black car following her, she drove in circles for a
few minutes and it had taken some wild driving but she had managed to loose
her tail about 15 minutes ago. She was now standing outside a large, run-down
warehouse on the waterfront in the industrial district of Los Angeles. It didn't
look like there was any electricity in the building so Scully grabbed her flashlight
from the trunk of her car and she headed in the door. The inside of the building
was damp and musty. She heard rats scurrying around trying to get away from
her and she heard the sound of water dripping into an old, empty oil drum. There
were holes in the roofing of the building and seagulls flew in and out. She
walked down the large open hallway and through the next door, she was expecting
to see more of the same, but instead was shocked to see a sophisticated laboratory.
The room was filled with row after row of large tanks. The water was light green
and there were bodies submerged in each one. Each tank had a computer attached
to it, recording the temperature of the water and the stability of the body.
Mulder had seen something like this once before, but when he got Scully back
to the storage room in DC, the room was empty. Scully understood now the sense
of awe Mulder must have felt at seeing the beginning of a new species. Scully
was witnessing the end of human life, the end of natural childbirth, and the
end of the divine origins of man, and she was witnessing the beginning of a
new race. For them there would be no God, no great divine power who controlled
the universe, for them science would be their God and it would control their
universe. "It is amazing, isn't it?" the voice said from the shadows. Scully
turned to see who was speaking. He was taking refuge in the darkest corner of
the room, but his voice carried and Scully felt like he was standing right next
to her. "Yes, it is incredible," she answered. "Thank you for coming, Agent
Scully. I have a lot to tell you." "I have my doubts, but I am willing to listen."
The man walked out of the shadows and started for Scully. She stood her ground
and waited to see who he was. She recognized him right away. "I am Kurt Crawford."
"Are you the real Kurt Crawford?" "No," Kurt said shaking his head, "the original
Kurt died over five years ago. We are what remain of him." "We?" "All the bodies
in these tanks and the others living in various parts of the world. There are
twenty-five of us all together." "Twenty-five, don't you think it is dangerous
to have so many of you out at one time?" "Yes, *I* do, but we are simply following
orders and our orders were to multiply as quickly as possible." "Who ordered
you to do this?" "We do not know. That is why we need your help. It is too dangerous
for us, we are being destroyed." "Who is destroying you?" "Not who...what."
Scully shook her head, "I don't understand." "The project has been designed
to make us more human, but as we become more human we are all becoming susceptible
to a common human disease, a disease that is killing us." "What disease?" "Small
pox." "Oh, my God." Scully stood there trying to process all this information.
It didn't quite make sense, but the bees in Canada, the clones that lived there,
and the Cancer Man pulling the strings. It was all tied together somehow...it
had to be. Scully had no idea how to prove this theory she was developing, but
for the first time all day she found herself genuinely excited that Mulder was
coming to town. She would have a lot to talk to him about, after all. "Agent
Scully," Kurt said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Yes." "There is more."
"More?" she could hardly believe her ears, what more could there possibly be.
"I know where Samantha Mulder is." The End of Part 1 TITLE: Almost Within Reach
Chapter 3 (2/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com Throughout
time, the humble masses have always taken comfort from and trusted in their
kind and wise leaders. The philosophy had been passed down through the ages
that everyone could trust in their benevolent governments to do what was best
for them. But what happens when the seemingly kind government leaders take that
trust and twist it and turn it into something ugly...Scully had always doubted
in the profound goodness of the United States government, but now she was learning
the whole sorted truth. It was a simple explanation...so simple that it was
almost unbelievable, but for some reason it seemed to make sense. Kurt told
Scully that actual alien bodies were recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell,
New Mexico in 1947 and the US government made a deal with those aliens to begin
an experiment to create an alien/human hybrid. Over the years that one hybrid
being led to the creation of hundreds upon hundreds of these creatures who were
meant to colonize the earth. But in order to keep the project going, more *raw
materials* were needed and that was the reason that young children in the 1970's
were taken from their homes, under the guise of an alien abduction, to fuel
the DNA requirements for such a colonization... children like Kurt Crawford
and Samantha Mulder. Somehow, Scully found this theory easier to grasp than
the theory that aliens came to earth and abducted people for no other reason
to perform tests on them. Scully found herself believing that the US government
and other world governments were involved in the cloning project and were using
the alien abduction scenario to cover up their diabolical plans, after all...Mulder's
father and her sister had died in order to preserve the project. Kurt Crawford
had explained everything to her and she knew that he was telling her the truth.
When Kurt Crawford was nine years old he was playing in his bedroom with his
little brother when a bright light and a loud noise filled his bedroom. He seemed
to be paralyzed instantly and he felt his body being lifted up and gently floating
toward the window. He remembered hearing his mother screaming and pounding on
the other side of his bedroom door and he remembered the look on his little
brother's face as he drifted out of the window. For days and weeks on end, Kurt
thought of his family and harbored the hope that one day he would be returned
to them, but eventually he gave up hope and surrendered himself to the tests
and the men who were performing the tests. He spent his first two years alone,
but then one day the men brought him a friend, a girl who was three years younger
than him. Throughout the rest of his life, Kurt's only comfort came from this
girl. Her name was Samantha Mulder. Scully and Kurt were still standing in the
warehouse. Kurt had been walking around, from tank to tank, checking the computers
and the clones and making minor adjustments. He told her it was part of the
project that they keep the memories of the *original* donors, after all, if
it weren't for the humans used in the project...they would not exist. Scully
had followed him around and listened to his story. She had tried not to interrupt
him very often, but now found herself with a fast-growing list of questions.
She decided to wait and let him finish telling his story and then ask. Kurt
explained that at first the only clones *they* made were drones, they didn't
talk and they didn't age, they were only grown in the tanks to their full size
and then used in various ways. Most of the time they were used as subjects in
more tests, but as the years went on and the project expanded, they were taken
to large bee farms and used there. "We never understood why the scientists who
made us were so interested in bee hives and bee husbandry," Kurt said, "but
we came upon the knowledge by accident that those bees were carrying small pox
and the reason *they* used the drones was because, genetically, they were immune
to small pox." "So you do know about that?" Scully asked. "Yes, I do. But I
don't know why the scientists involved in this project would perpetuate a disease
that has all but been eradicated." "I don't know that either, but I have a theory."
"What is it?" Kurt asked, turning to look at her. He and the others had tried
for years to discover the ultimate mission of the project and they had developed
many, many theories, but were never able to gather enough evidence to prove
them. "Well, those small-pox carrying bees were released on the human population
a couple of years ago," Scully explained, "I think the scientists that created
the clones and are in charge of the colonization project are attempting to get
rid of the human population, and what better way than to orchestrate the re-emergence
of the deadliest plague in the history of mankind." Kurt nodded his head, it
made complete sense to him, but there was one thing the creators of the project
were unprepared for. "But Agent Scully, that small-pox plague is killing us.
Why would *they* want a disease to spread that is also killing all the clones."
"I have no idea...the most recent clone I examined seemed one hundred percent
human and because these clones that have died recently are able to maintain
human form so much longer after death..." "They are actually so close to being
human, that they are now more susceptible to contracting small pox." "Yes,"
Scully added, "and the clones have never had a small pox vaccination, so not
only would they contract this disease very easily, but they would highly likely
die from it as well. Much more likely than the human population." "That is exactly
what is happening." Kurt appeared to be shaken by this latest news. He had some
of the clues, but didn't know the whole story and Scully had just filled in
the blanks for him. The project and the people that had been his entire life
were turning against him and the others. "Kurt, I do have one other question
for you," Scully said waiting for some sign from Kurt that it would be OK to
ask. He looked at her and nodded. "Where is Samantha Mulder?" Kurt quickly glanced
around the room, making eye contact with all of the tanks. Then he looked back
and met Scully's gaze and said, "I'll show you." *January 14, 1999* *7:35 pm*
The Los Angeles FBI office was settling down for the night. Only a few straggling
agents stayed behind in their offices, Agent's Johnson and Andrews were among
them. The two agents had interviewed as many people as possible connected with
their case and then spent the afternoon in their office typing up and sorting
through their final reports. Assistant Director Adams called them into his office
late in the afternoon, checked over all their paperwork, and officially relieved
them of the case. They were told to wait for Mulder to arrive and deliver the
paperwork they had on the case to him personally. They were sitting in their
office waiting, when they heard the knock on their door. "Come in," Andrews
said. The door opened and a tall, dark-haired man in the standard Bureau trenchcoat
walked in. "I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder," he said. Mulder was rather uncomfortable,
he had been in this position before, and sometimes he even enjoyed it, but he
knew how difficult it could be to step into another agent's case and take over.
"I'm Agent Andrews. And this is Agent Johnson," Andrews said and then he added
sarcastically, "Did you have any trouble at the airport? You know they've been
losing people's luggage lately." Johnson just sat at his desk and stiffled a
grin. "Oh, I don't have any other luggage, just what is in my carry on here,"
Mulder said smiling. Johnson and Andrews looked as each other, all Mulder carried
in his hand was a small bag, not much bigger than a briefcase. They wondered
why a man would travel to another city and not bring any more than one change
of clothes... either he was incredibly confident he could solve this case in
a day or he just didn't care about his personal hygiene. Andrews, in his animosity
toward Mulder, figured it was the latter and made it a point not to stand too
close to Mulder after a couple of days. "OK, then," Andrews said with a smirk
on his face. He stood up and picked up the large file box on floor by his desk,
"Here is all the paperwork we have on the case." "I was told that an autopsy
was being done today, do you have the paperwork for that as well?" Mulder questioned.
"Actually, Agent Mulder, I haven't heard anything yet," Andrews answered coldly.
Mulder watched as Andrews looked at Johnson, who just shook his head and picked
up the phone. Mulder could feel the tension in these men. It was a feeling he
had become accustomed to over the years. He was often sent in to help on those
most out-of-the-ordinary cases and though a few people were relieved to have
his help, most were angry at having their case taken away. But beyond the emotions
of these two FBI agents, Mulder was dealing with his own inner turmoil. He was
in Los Angeles, city of angels...city of Dana Scully. Somewhere amidst the millions
of people who lived and worked in LA was his dear Scully. There had been so
many times when he had wanted to call her, especially when he broke up with
Nicky, he had even found Scully's phone number in the government database of
employees. He wrote the number on a small piece of paper and kept it in his
wallet, determined someday to gather the courage to call her. But he never did,
partly out of respect for Scully and partly out of fear that she had moved on
with her life and found that other person she wanted to spend it with. He didn't
want to know that, he didn't want to call and have a man answer her phone...for
him ignorance was bliss. Just before Mulder left Washington DC, he had gathered
Scully's home address and work address and office number off of the computer.
He knew this was his chance, his opportunity to make things right, he just hoped
Scully would forgive him. Mulder was still lost in his thoughts when Johnson
put the phone down and he and Andrews began talking. "You still can't reach
her," Andrews asked, looking very worried. "No, her phone is not turned on,"
Johnson said. "That is odd, she said she would have it on. What did the lab
say?" "They said she received a phone call after she finished the autopsy and
she left to meet with someone." "Do you thing something happened to her?" "Ah,
excuse me," Mulder spoke up, "but what's going on?" "We can't get a hold of
the agent who was doing this last autopsy," Andrews said, "Agent Scully---"
"Wha...Agent Dana Scully?" Mulder asked, his voice almost squeaking. "Yes, she's
been assigned to work with you on this case, Agent Mulder," Johnson said, "Why?
Do you know her?" "Yes, I do. We knew each other in DC." "Oh, that's odd," Andrews
said, "We told her about you, but she never mentioned that you knew each other."
[That figures] Mulder thought. She probably hadn't told anyone about him. Scully
had come out here to get away, to rebuild her life. She probably didn't even
want to work with him on this case. Mulder looked out the window at the passing
scenery. He found himself again lost in thoughts of Scully...he had missed her
so incredibly much and he thought about her all the time. When he had first
reopened the X-Files, he brought all the casework home with him because he couldn't
stand to be in the basement office without her. He couldn't take looking over
at the desk he'd requested just for her and see it empty. When he finally did
start working in the office again, he would often look up and expect to see
her walk in the door, [Good morning, Mulder]...but she never did. And as he
realized that she never would, his life grew more lonely. He broke up with Nicky
a few months after Scully had left town. He knew Nicky depended on him, but
with each passing day he missed Scully more and he became so lost in his regrets,
he was drowning in them. Nicky noticed the change in him and she kept asking
him what was wrong and finally, he told her. He told her he was sorry, but that
when she was working so much and traveling so much, he and Scully had fallen
in love and that he still loved Scully...more now than the day she had left.
Nicky was heartbroken and Mulder felt terrible, but in a way part of his burden
was lifted, for now he could miss Scully and think of her and love her, without
feeling guilty for hurting Nicky. After that day, Nicky would not allow Mulder
to visit her. He had tried a couple of times to smooth the waters and let her
know how sorry he was, but the nurses at the physical rehabilitation clinic
wouldn't let him in to see her and they wouldn't give her the flowers he brought
for her. So Mulder accepted the inevitable and buried himself in the X-Files,
always regretting the day he had let Scully slip away and always remembering
her last words to him...[just be happy]...but that was the one thing he couldn't
do for her. He could love Scully, he could devote his life to her, but he couldn't
be happy, not *without* her. "Agent Mulder?" Johnson said, breaking his reverie.
"Hmmm?" Mulder replied. "We are going to go now. We'll call you at your hotel
when we hear from Agent Scully." "OK. I'll go spend some time looking over all
the paperwork for this case." Mulder picked up the box from off of Andrews's
desk and walked out of the office. *January 14, 1999* *9:45 pm* Scully and Kurt
Crawford were standing in the grass, underneath a very large oak tree. "There
is Samantha Mulder," Kurt said pointing. Scully bent down and looked. She was
gazing at a beautiful headstone in one of the busiest cemetaries in Los Angeles.
The headstone read: "Here lies Jane Smith, beloved daughter and friend. Born
22 January 1964. Died 13 June 1993." She turned around and looked up at Kurt
who was pointing to the headstone next to Jane's. "And there is Kurt Crawford,"
he said. Scully moved over and looked at the second headstone. She wiped some
of the dirt and leaves off of it and read the inscription: "Here lies Kevin
Smith, loving son and friend. Born 12 October 1961. Died 24 August 1994." Scully
found herself staring at the birthdate...one day before Mulder was born...it
could just be a coincidence, but she didn't believe there was such a thing anymore.
Everything in her life and in Mulder's life had been guided and directed by
*them*...the people who used them in order to further *their* work. It made
her stomach turn. Scully stood up and faced Kurt. "I'm going to call the FBI
and request permission to have these bodies exhumed. Is that OK with you?" Kurt
simply nodded his head and turned and walked back to her car. As Scully watched
him go, she looked at her watch...it was way past time for her to call Johnson
and Andrews. *January 14, 1999* *10:02 pm* "Hello, Agent Johnson. It's Scully."
"Hi, Scully. Where the hell have you been? We were calling you for hours." "I
know, I'm sorry. I had to go meet someone, but I have some new information.
Where can I meet you?" "We would like to meet with you, Scully, but I'm afraid
that this is no longer our case. Agent Mulder is in town; you need to contact
him." "Agent Mulder?" she said trying to get the words out without choking.
"Yes, he's at the Best Western Hotel by the Bureau office. Room 312. Do you
want the phone number?" "No, I'm close by. I'll just go directly there." *January
14, 1999* *10:34 pm* Mulder was sitting on the bed reading the case reports.
He had just gotten comfortable, when he heard the knock on his door. He let
out a sigh and walked toward the door. Expecting it to be Agents Johnson and
Andrews, he was barely able to speak when he saw her. She looked more beautiful
than he remembered. He knew memories blurred around the edges over time...eventually
the glistening of the eyes and the smoothness of the skin and the silkiness
of the hair become faded and time worn, darkened and misty, tucked away somewhere
in the recesses of the human mind, like an old photograph sitting in an attic.
Mulder prided himself on his memory, but realized at this very moment as he
was looking at her, that his memory could never recall with perfect clarity
her absolute beauty. "Scully, hello." "Hello, Mulder." "How have you been?"
"Good. Listen Mulder, I brought someone with me. Someone who has a great deal
to tell you." Scully turned and looked to her left. Mulder followed her gaze
and watched at Kurt Crawford stepped into view. "Hello, Agent Mulder. My name
is Kurt Crawford." "Yes, I know. Scully, what is going on here?" Scully looked
up at Mulder, looked into his eyes and though she was afraid of what she would
see, she had to face him...had to work with him...and she had to let him know
what she had found. This was the man she loved beyond all reason, and even though
he had caused her such terrible heartache, she had to be there to comfort him
when he found out his sister was dead. Scully pushed Mulder's hotel door all
the way open and she motioned Kurt inside. Then she moved past Mulder, shut
the door and locked it. "Mulder," she said, "you'd better sit down." End of
Chapter 3. To be continued... TITLE: Almost Within Reach Chapter 4 (1/1) AUTHOR:
Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com *******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
In a hotel room in Los Angeles, California...a seemingly ordinary place...the
extra-ordinary happened--two people destiny had separated were brought back
together. They sat not far from one another, within the sound of a whisper,
and after months of agonizing separation, guilt, and pain...this closeness comforted
them. They didn't speak to each other, instead they listened and they put the
pieces together. Scully had heard the story already that night and as interesting
as it was, she was more interested in Mulder's reaction. She watched him intently...his
eyes as they connected with Kurt Crawford's and his body as he hung on every
word that came from Kurt's mouth. Scully noticed Mulder's hair was a little
shorter, his face a little thinner, and his eyes a little darker. She dreamt
of him the way he was the day she had left and it was only now while gazing
at him and noticing the small, subtle changes did she fully comprehend the reality
of how much time had passed...nine long and lonely months. *January 15, 1999*
*12:49 am* "Scully, what do you think we should do now?" Mulder asked her when
Kurt finished speaking. He had listened to the news about his sister's death
rather calmly and when Kurt was done talking, Mulder had forged ahead with questions,
but not about Samantha. Scully knew he would have to face it sooner or later,
but she knew Mulder and he would much rather face it later. "I think we need
to check the cemetary records and see what we can find out about the names on
those headstones. And I think we should try to find out who owns the warehouse
where I met Kurt tonight. Someone has to be financing that lab." "I agree, and
I think we should find out all we can about Kurt Crawford." "I'll start on it
first thing tomorrow morning--" "Actually, I have a better idea," Mulder interrupted
her. He got up, walked to his coat, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
He punched in some numbers and then looked at Scully and smiled. "Hi, it's me,"
he said into the phone. "Hi, Mulder. What are you up to?" Frohike said. "I'm
in LA working on a case and I need a little help. Can you put me on the speaker
so I can talk to all of you?" Scully knew then who he had called, the Lone Gunmen.
They were always willing to help Mulder and they never turned down a challenge.
"You are already on the speaker, Mulder. What do you need help with?" Byers
asked. "Well, I need you guys to do a couple of background checks, but they
won't be easy," Mulder said. "Not a problem. Just give us the names," Langly
said, "It might take a little time, but we'll get right on it." Mulder read
the Lone Gunmen the names of Jane Smith and Kevin Smith and their birth and
death dates. And then he asked them to find out anything they could on a young
boy named Kurt Crawford who disappeared from his home in 1970. "Hey, Mulder
isn't that the guy you who helped you on a case a couple of years ago?" Frohike
asked. "Yes, it is. He's involved in the case I'm working on right now and I
need to know as much as I can about him," Mulder explained, looking over at
Kurt to gauge his reaction to all this. Kurt just sat there, he didn't seem
disturbed at all. His entire life had been lived under a microscope and this
was no different. "Thanks guys, call me when you get something," Mulder said
as he hung up his phone. "Well, Mulder, that ought to do it for now. It's late.
We'll start in again on this in the morning," Scully said. She stood up and
walked over to her coat. "Kurt," Mulder said, "There is one more thing I'm not
very clear about." "What is that, Agent Mulder?" "Why haven't you come down
with small pox?" "I don't know. I don't think *they* know either. It won't be
long until they come for me." "What do you mean?" Scully asked. "Those of us
that do not die from small pox are being eliminated," Kurt explained. "By whom?"
Mulder questioned. "By the same ones who have tried to eliminate us in the past."
"OK then," Mulder said, "You can stay here with me and either Scully or I will
be with you at all times to make sure you are safe." "That will not be necessary.
I have become very good at taking care of myself and I do not wish to risk your
lives as well," Kurt said. "I am going to go now. Scully, you know where to
find me and if I need to contact you, I will." Kurt walked to the door of the
hotel room. He looked out the peep hole to make sure that no one was near the
door and then he opened it, but before he left he turned to Scully and Mulder
and said, "Good luck." And then he was gone. Scully picked her coat up off the
back of the chair and put it on, then she reached down to pick up her briefcase,
"I'd better be going, too, Mulder. It's been a long day and tomorrow promises
to be just as long." "Scully, wait. I'd like to talk to you." She stopped, she
hadn't expected this. She couldn't be sure if he wanted to talk about the case
or if he wanted to talk about them. Either way what she needed now was some
fresh air. "Mulder, I don't think that is such a good idea." "Please, Scully?
I have a lot I want to tell you." "And I have a lot I would like to tell you,
but this isn't the time or the place." Mulder knew she was right. It was after
one o'clock in the morning and they only had a few hours left to get some sleep
and be ready to tackle this case again in the morning. "I understand," he said.
"We'll talk soon, Mulder," Scully said. She turned and walked to the door and
just like Kurt she looked into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear
and then she opened the door. "Scully?" She stopped, but she couldn't bring
herself to look at him. "I'm not seeing Nicky anymore. I told her about you.
And I just wanted to say I am *so* sorry that I hurt you." He took a deep breath,
it felt good to say the words he had wanted to say to her for months. He stared
at Scully's back, her hair falling gently on her shoulders and he wondered what
she was thinking and if she could ever forgive him. Then she turned to him and
he saw the tears filling up her eyes, but she was still unable to meet his gaze.
As much as it meant for him to finally tell her he was sorry, he realized that
it meant even more for her to finally hear it. He was standing there wanting
to run over to her, take her in his arms, feel her body pressed against his,
and cover her face and neck with kisses, but he doubted that she was ready for
that. He searched her eyes for some sign of what she was thinking and then she
looked up at him, their eyes locked, and she smiled...a quick, tiny, loving
smile--his heart skipped a beat. It was a first step for him on the road to
making up for hurting her so much. He knew it would be a long road and he prayed
that it would be well worth the trip. "Good night, Mulder." "See you in the
morning, Scully." *January 15, 1999* *8:10 am* "OK...yes...I understand that,
but I don't think you understand the seriousness of this situation..." Scully
was on the phone trying to gather information for the case. Mulder was walking
to Scully's office and from the sound of her voice, she wasn't having very much
luck and Mulder knew she was getting fed up. He approached her office and looked
in. "No, I won't hold...." Scully said her voice getting louder, "OK, fine..."
"Morning, Scully. You have any luck?" Mulder said, a twisted little smile on
his face. "Shut up, Mulder." He opened his mouth and almost said sure, fine,
whatever, but he turned and noticed that there was someone else in the office
with them. He walked over to Cindy's desk, held out his hand, and smiled. "Hi,
I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder." "Hello, I'm Agent Cindy Hudson. Are you working
with Dana on her new case?" "Yes. I just flew in from Washington DC last night."
Mulder could hear Scully talking again on the phone. She sounded a little more
calm...maybe she was finally getting some answers. "Oh," Cindy said, "you're
from DC. That's where Dana transferred from. Did you know her when she lived
there?" "Yes, actually. *Dana* and I were partners." He could see the shock
and interest spring into Cindy's face. Again, Mulder realized that Scully had
not mentioned him or her life with him to anyone here in Los Angeles. But Cindy
seemed like a resourceful woman and he was sure now that she possessed this
little tidbit of information, she would put two and two together and figure
everything out. Scully realized this as well. She was watching the conversation
between Mulder and Cindy and when she saw the look on Cindy's face she knew
it was time to take control of the situation. "Thank you very much," she said,
hanging up the phone. "Good news, Mulder. I know who owns that warehouse...I
got a name and address. Let's go check it out." Mulder turned to see Scully
grab her coat and briefcase and rush out the door. He was surprised to see her
so anxious to get going. He looked at Cindy, "Well, then---" "Mulder, come on!"
Scully peaked her head back into her office. She was obviously in a hurry. "See
you later, Cindy," she said quickly and she was off again. Mulder just looked
at Cindy and smiled weakly, then he took off down the hallway after Scully.
*January 15, 1999* *10:25 am* Mulder and Scully had been sitting in their car
for almost an hour. They were watching the residence of Henry Louis Nelson.
He lived in a large house in an upscale neighborhood in Beverly Hills. They
knocked on the door when they arrived, but the housekeeper told them that Mr.
Nelson was at the gym and he would be back shortly. They decided to sit in the
car and wait for him to come home. While they waited, Mulder called the Lone
Gunmen again to give them the information on Henry Nelson and see what they
could dig up on him. And the Lone Gunmen had some information for him in return...
"I'm glad you called, Mulder. We have found something." Langly said. "What?"
Mulder asked. "Well, those names you asked us to look up. There were hundreds
of Jane and Kevin Smiths." "That's probably why they picked those names. They
are so well-known and well-used..." "Yes, but we did find a set of twins named
Jane and Kevin Smith who were born in June 11, 1993. They both died shortly
after birth." "The death date for the Jane Smith at the cemetary was June 13,
1993. I don't think that's a coincidence." "Mulder, there's more. We found out
something about Kurt Crawford. There was a young boy named Kurt Allen Crawford
reported missing in 1970. His mother told the police he was kidnapped and and
his younger brother said that Kurt flew out the window. The police arrested
Kurt's mother, but couldn't gather enough evidence against her to prosecute
and Kurt's younger brother was placed in a mental hospital where he spent the
rest of his childhood." "Do you know where either of them are now?" "Kurt's
mother died about ten years ago. And his younger brother is in prison in Illinois.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life." "God, that is terrible."
"Is that all, Mulder, because something strange is happening to our communication
equipment and we need to find out what it is." "Yea, that's all. Thanks guys.
I appreciate all your work." "No problem, Mulder." Mulder relayed all the information
to Scully. Even though the Kurt Crawford they knew was not the real Kurt, he
was still emotionally attached to the memories. They knew this information would
hurt him, so they decided not to tell him unless it was absolutely necessary.
Then they sat again in silence, waiting and watching the house, until the black,
Mercedes Benz convertible pulled into the driveway. *******************************************************************************
"Mr. Nelson, there are some people here to see you," the housekeeper said, showing
Mulder and Scully into the large, dark den. There were shelves on every side
of the room, filled to over-flowing with books, pictures, and other knick-knacks.
Directly behind Mr. Nelson the shelves were covered with photographs and plaques.
Henry Nelson was looking through some files when they walked in. He was sitting
behind a beautiful oak desk. To Scully's surprise, he was a young man with very
chisled features, high cheek bones, and ice blue eyes. For a brief moment Mulder
thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place where he might have see him before.
"Hello, Mr. Nelson. I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is Agent Dana Scully.
We're with the FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions, sir." "Has something
happened?" Nelson asked. "No, sir," Scully replied, "We'd just like to ask you
a few questions about the warehouse you own on Foster Street in the waterfront
district in Los Angeles." "I don't know how I can help you. I have never been
to that property," Nelson said. "It was given to me by my father after he passed
away." "Did you know there is a laboratory inside the warehouse, sir.?" Mulder
asked. His eyes darted around behind Mr. Nelson, looking at all the pictures
and plaques, trying to find any little piece of information...[I know I've seen
this guy before] Mulder was thinking. It was fairly obvious that Mr. Nelson
did not recognize him...but that didn't really mean very much to Mulder. "A
laboratory, I had no idea. I thought that building was empty. I own so many
commercial properties it is hard to keep track of them all. I do have an office
staff that help me run things. Perhaps you should contact them." "Thank you,
sir," Mulder said. He looked to Scully who seemed to be studying Mr. Nelson's
face, too, and he wondered if perhaps Nelson looked familiar to her as well.
Scully looked up and slightly nodded to Mulder, the unspoken signal that it
was time for them to leave. "Mr. Mulder," Nelson said as Mulder and Scully were
almost out of the den. "Yes?" Mulder said, turning back. "Would you like the
phone number for my business office. I'm sure my secretary would be happy to
help you." "That won't be necessary, Mr. Nelson," Mulder answered, "We already
have that number." Nelson opened his mouth to say something, but found himself
at a loss for words. He waited patiently for Mulder and Scully to leave the
house, get in their car, and drive away. Then he picked up the phone. "Hello,
it's me.... yes, they were here.... they just left.... no.... I don't think
they know that.... OK.... Let me know," and he hung up the phone. *****************************************************************************
As Mulder and Scully pulled away from Mr. Nelson's house, Mulder's phone rang.
"Mulder," he said. "Mulder, it's me. I've some information for you." It was
Langly again. He sounded rushed. "I've got to talk fast. Whoever it is you are
investigating knows you are calling us." "How do you know?" Mulder asked. "We
figured out what is wrong with our equipment. Someone is trying to tap into
our phone lines and hack into our computer," Langly answered. "I managed to
get a secure line, but only for 30 more seconds." "Go ahead then." "Henry Louis
Nelson is more than a wealthy land owner, he is also a doctor. A microbiologist
to be exact. He teaches at UCLA and he has a laboratory at a private facility.
Here's the address..." *****************************************************************************
Mulder hung up his phone and looked over at Scully. She was watching him and
he knew she was waiting for him to tell her what that call was all about. He
turned and faced straight ahead, navigating the busy LA street, but he still
felt Scully's gaze on his cheek, and for a moment the case was lost and he couldn't
think about anything else but Scully sitting in his rental car, looking at him.
He marveled at how wonderful it felt to be near her and to be working with her,
he just wished he could forget about the case for five minutes and.... "Mulder?"
Scully asked. She had been waiting for him to talk, but he seemed to fade out.
"Oh, that was Langly. It seems that Mr. Nelson is also a microbiologist. He
has a private laboratory. I thought we'd run over there and check it out before
lunch. OK?" "Yea, that's fine." "Scully, did Nelson look familiar to you at
all?" "Now that you mention it, he did. There was something different about
him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. That was probably it." "Do you think
he was telling us the truth?" "It is tough to say. He obviously owns a lot of
property, he might just have been too busy to ever get to that warehouse." "Well
then, why would he keep it, Scully? He thinks it's been abandoned. Why wouldn't
he just sell it?" "I really don't know, Mulder." They drove the rest of the
way in silence, both thinking the same thing. They had to work on this case
right now, but eventually they would need to talk...really talk. They needed
to talk about their relationship and about Nicky and about what they wanted
to do. Scully knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to tell Mulder to stop
the car and reach over and grab him. She wanted to tell him that she still loved
him and how much it meant to her that he told her he was sorry. She wanted to
touch his face, run her fingers through his hair, and touch his lips to hers
and convince her heart that he really was here and that he really was sorry,
but her heart was so afraid...afraid of being hurt again. In the end, Scully
decided it best to look out her window and watch the buildings as they passed
by and try and keep her mind off of the man sitting next to her in the car.
*January 15, 1999* *11:59 am* "Scully, over here," Mulder said tilting his head
in the direction of the door. The words "Gregor Laboratories" were neatly painted
on the glass. "Oh my God," Scully whispered. "Mulder, remember...the Gregors?"
"I remember," Mulder said, "I can't believe they'd be that obvious." The first
time Mulder and Scully had heard of the Gregors was in 1995. They had been investigating
the deaths of identical doctors in the eastern United States, when they learned
of the existence of the Gregors, the clones developed by the Russians. The Gregors
had been the first clones, followed by the Jeremiah Smiths, Samantha Mulders,
and Kurt Crawfords and there were probably dozens more faces and names for the
clones living around the world that they still didn't know about. The inside
of the office was dark and Scully watched as Mulder slipped a small, metal wire
into the door lock. "Mulder, shouldn't we wait until tonight?" Scully whispered.
"Why? The office is empty," Mulder answered. The door clicked and he pushed
it open. "After you," he said, motioning Scully to go in. Scully frowned at
Mulder disapprovingly, but she entered the office anyway. There were computers
at various work stations, each running programs, Scully recognized some of the
biological compounds flashing on the screens and she could tell that whatever
it was they did in the lab, the equipment they used was very sophisticated.
Mulder walked over to the computer at the main desk. He turned it on and waited
for it to power up. "Scully, can you tell what they are doing here?" "Not really,
Mulder. Some of this equipment I've never seen before, not even at the FBI labs.
They do seem to be running some kind of biological scenerio on the computers
here, though." "Scenerio?" "You know. Where they input all the data and then
set the computer on a test run at rapid speeds to see what the result would
be. Essentially, they are running an experiment without actually *running* the
experiment." "Oh. Scully, look here," Mulder said pointing to the computer he
had just turned on, "It's a database and registry of some kind." Mulder placed
his fingers on the keys and typed in the name Samantha Mulder and pressed enter.
The files were password protected. In a flash of intuition, Mulder remembered
that he had been in this position before, staring at a computer screen, trying
to access information, and not knowing the password. He looked at Scully and
flashed a mischievous smile. Then he typed the word VEGREVILLE and on a hope
and a prayer, he pressed enter. He was in. Samantha's name popped up on the
screen. "Mulder, how did you know--?" "Never mind, Scully. Look at this." The
lights flipped on. Mulder and Scully straightened and found themselves looking
right down the barrel of a gun. "Actually, Mr. Mulder, neither one of you should
be looking at that. You have accessed federally protected research and I must
ask you to stop." It was Henry Nelson. He motioned for Mulder and Scully to
move away from the computer and he walked over and placed himself directly between
them and the screen so they couldn't see any of the information. "Federally
protected my ass!" Mulder said, the anger building in his voice. "I know what
you are doing here and I would venture to guess that the federal government
has no idea that this lab even exists." "That is beside the point, Mr. Mulder,"
Nelson answered. He reached behind him and turned off the computer. "The government
will thank us for our work here someday." "Sir, I assume this means that you
*do* know about the laboratory in the warehouse?" Scully asked. She knew what
was happening here and she knew she had to ask the questions because she knew
Mulder couldn't do it. They had been in this position before. Mulder was being
sucked down into the oppressive darkness that was his personal self-torment.
He had spent his whole life searching for clues about his sister Samantha and
having the doors slammed in his face and it had just happened again. Mulder
saw her name on the computer screen, proof that she had existed and was used
in some project, but again like always, just as he was about to find answers,
someone got in his way. Scully had to keep the investigation going. She had
to think straight and help pull Mulder through this one, just like she had the
other times. "Why yes, I do," Nelson answered, "but that laboratory does not
exist as of a half hour ago." He was smug, too smug. "And what about the clones
that are dying of small pox? What are you doing about that?" Scully asked. "Miss
Scully, you've been well-informed. I'm impressed. I'm sure you have figured
out that we made the clones a little too human this time. The delicate balance
between alien and human is something we've been trying to perfect. We've been
working on some new formulas, unfortunately, the results were not what we had
hoped." "What are you doing about that?" "We are eliminating the mistakes."
"Mistakes," Scully almost yelled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She took a step forward and trying very hard to control her temper, said, "But
these *mistakes* are alive." "Ah, but Miss Scully, they are alive only because
I developed the technology to make them so. I gave birth to them, in a sense,
and I am ending their life." "So you are their God?" "Of course." Scully wanted
to punch Nelson, she wanted to pull out her gun and blow him away, but she knew
if she did that she would be no better than he was. "Why did they take Samantha...why
did they take my sister?" Mulder asked quietly. He hadn't moved and he still
had his head down, staring at the black computer screen that for a brief second
held all the answers to his lifelong questions. "The reason is simple, Mr. Mulder.
She had DNA that was highly compatible with the project." "That's all?" Scully
asked. She knew that Mulder wanted to know about his sister, but she also knew
this wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He had always believed that it was
about him, that somehow it was all tied to him...it was his way of punishing
himself. He would not be the same Fox Mulder she knew and loved if it weren't
for the intense self-blame he had always carried with him for his sister's *abduction*.
It was a part of Mulder's character that she had never quite become used to
and one she didn't understand, but she loved him and that was enough for her.
She turned to Mulder and stepped a little closer to him, she wanted to reach
out and comfort him, but decided that just the feeling of closeness would be
enough right now to let Mulder know that she cared about his loss. Mulder looked
up, his sad, almost blank expression changed to surprise as he watched a tall,
grey-haired man in a dark coat enter the lab. Scully followed Mulder's eyes
and saw the man, too, and then she knew why Nelson looked so familiar. "Nelson,
I believe that you have told them enough," the man said. Scully couldn't believe
who she was seeing. "Oh my God. It's you!" End of Chapter 4. To be continued....
TITLE: Almost Within Reach Chapter 5 (1/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere as long as my name and addy stay with it. SPOILER:
anything through the fourth season. RATING: PG CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance
and mention of Mulder/Other and Scully/Other. CLASSIFICATION: X-x-file, S-story,
R-romance, A-angst. SUMMARY: About a year in the future, after becoming involved
with other people, Mulder and Scully reach a cross-roads and decide to go their
separate ways, but destiny and a strange FBI case reunite them. DISCLAIMER:
CC and 1013 Productions own the X-Files, characters, and storylines. All other
characters are mine. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank a few people. First of all,
my cyber-sister Nicky C. for being such a wonderful friend. And Deborah Wells,
her's was one of the first fanfiction stories I read and she inspired me to
try my hand at writing fanfic. And Lynn Spirelle for helping me with Los Angeles
geography. Thanks! Lastly, this story is dedicated to Jon...he is the inspiration
behind it. Because of him I caught a glimpse of what was Almost Within Reach...
*******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
"Yes, it is me. That'll be all, Nelson," the man said. "but I..." Nelson stammered.
"Nelson, you are my nephew so I have to be kind to you, but don't push me...I
*said* that will be all. Mr. Mulder and Miss Scully and I have a lot to catch
up on. We haven't seen each other in quite some time." "Fine," Nelson said "I've
played by your rules, but just remember this is my lab. And if it weren't for
me this entire project wouldn't exist." "Thank you for reminding me *again*,
Nelson. Now please go." Nelson put his gun back in his coat pocket. His shoulders
slumped a little and he physically looked defeated, but Scully saw the hatred
in Nelson's ice blue eyes. He glared at the man standing before Scully and Mulder
and, if he could have, Scully felt that Nelson would have killed him right there.
But instead he turned and left. Scully watched him leave and then focused her
attention on the man before her. She had seen and talked to him only a few times
many years ago. The first time was at William Mulder's funeral, [I'm a member
of a kind of consortium], he warned her then that *they* would try to kill her...[they'll
kill you one of two ways]. If it hadn't been for his warning, she would be dead...but
her sister would be alive...it wasn't something she liked to contemplate. The
next time she'd seen this man she'd been with Mulder in Victor Klemper's greenhouse.
He had explained the hybridization project and the small pox vaccination program...but
only in very vague terms. "Oh my God. You told us what was going on here years
ago, didn't you," Scully asked. "My dear Agent Scully. You are well on your
way to putting all the pieces together. I can offer you no new information except
to say...to warn you to leave this alone." "We can't do that. We were assigned
to this case--" Scully said, but he interrupted her. "Who do you think had you
two assigned to investigate these murders?" Scully and Mulder looked at each
other. They had been used again, their actions had been orchestrated. "Why?"
Scully asked, the anger brewing behind her voice. "Only so you would both see.
We wanted you to see the labs, see Mr. Crawford, see the tanks. Only so you
would know that the project continues. That is enough to keep you searching
for the answers," the man explained. He seemed to harbor no remorse for his
manipulating actions. "You mean the answers about my sister," Mulder spoke up.
"You have the answers to your sister's abduction. Her DNA was compatible with
the project," the man said. "And that's the only reason she was taken," Mulder
asked, his voice getting louder. "Yes." "That's a lie," Mulder yelled. "You
told me my father was forced to choose." "Oh dear. Did I say that?" the man
said, sounding all too innocent, "Mr. Mulder, I have said a great many things.
I can't be expected to remember them all." "You bastard!" Mulder screamed. Scully
reached her hand out and placed it on Mulder's arm. She needed to keep him from
doing something he might regret. "Mulder," she said quietly. "I think it is
time for me to go. Good day Miss Scully, Mr. Mulder." He nodded his head and
turned towards the door, but Mulder interrupted his retreat. "Was she OK, Samantha,
I mean. Was she happy? Did you take good care of her?" Mulder questioned. "Mr.
Mulder, your sister was a delightful young woman. She missed you and she talked
about you often. I was very sorry when she passed away." Mulder nodded at him
in understanding, he wanted to say thank you, but he couldn't speak, he was
too filled with emotion, he could only stand and watch as the man walked out
the door. Scully looked up at Mulder. She knew how devastated he was. Someone
who knew Samantha, saw her, and cared for her in her absence had confirmed their
suspicion that she was dead. "Mulder, I'm so sorry," Scully said, "I know how
you must--" "I almost had her, Scully. If I'd started on the X-Files sooner,
maybe I could have found her and saved her." "Mulder, you have no way of knowing
that." "I know but..." he couldn't finish the sentence. He started to cry, tears
spilled out of his eyes and ran down his cheeks. Without thinking, Scully moved
to Mulder and put her arms around his neck. She tried to envelope him, to cover
his body with hers, to take away some of his pain. He wrapped his arms around
her back, buried his head in her shoulder, and sobbed. "Scully..." "I know,
Mulder. I know..." They stood in the office holding each other, comforting each
other for a few minutes, but after Mulder stopped crying he realized what was
happening. The mood changed from one of comfort and sadness to electric and
filled with desire. Mulder started to trace the curves of Scully's back with
his fingers and he could hear her breathing change...he smiled. Then he laced
his fingers through her hair and pulled her face back to meet his. He gazed
into her eyes, they were a little glassy and brimming with love. He had always
been able to know what she was thinking and feeling just by looking in her eyes
and he was happy that after the months of separation that had not changed. He
was so overcome with love for this woman, his soulmate, and how she was willing
to risk so much pain and suffering to be near him and hold him, he couldn't
contain himself and guided by instinct he moved his face closer to hers and
brushed her lips with his own. He couldn't breathe and Scully moaned softly,
but then the moment was gone. Scully pulled away. "Mulder," she whispered breathlessly,
"we'd better get going." He shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness and
he had to physically pull himself up from the depths of her eyes. He didn't
want to make the effort, but he respected the fact that she needed time. "OK,
Scully. Let's get going." ******************************************************************************
*January 15, 1999* *2:17 pm* "So, Scully, what do you think we ought to do now?"
Mulder asked. They were back in Scully's office. They made the journey there
in silence, each lost in their own thoughts of the events of the morning and....the
kiss. They stopped at a little diner near the Bureau office and grabbed some
lunch, but even then they didn't say very much to each other. "I think we ought
to get a search warrant for Henry Nelson's house and his lab. And I think we
should put a tail on him," Scully answered. "I don't think we need to do all
that, Scully. I think we should just check on the lab where you found Kurt Crawford."
"Why? You heard what Nelson said...that lab has been destroyed." "Yea, but we
might be able to find some evidence, something to go on." "Mulder, how many
times in the past have we found evidence after a sight has been destroyed by
*them*?" Scully stopped talking, the seconds passed...she was waiting for Mulder
to answer her because she had a point to prove. Mulder looked at her, not saying
a word. The first time he saw the tanks and the clones was in a storage room
outside of Washington DC. He brought Scully back and tried to show her, but
the place was empty...not a sign that the project had ever been housed there.
He knew that Scully was right, he wouldn't find anything this time either, but
he didn't want to give in. Scully got tired of waiting and answered her question
for Mulder, "Well, I'll tell you how many times we've found any evidence that
this *project* exists...never!" "Yes, but Scully, there is no reason to check
out Henry Nelson or his lab any further, there is probably no evidence left
linking him to the project." "No evidence! Mulder, the man owns the warehouse
where I met Kurt Crawford and he owns that laboratory and he has access to a
database filled with top secret information." "Yea, but none of that will really
tell us anything." "But Mulder, you didn't see the look in Nelson's eyes. He
is angry and that makes him dangerous...I think we might be able to use that
to our advantage. We could scare him--" "I disagree, Scully." "Why? Because
this is my idea? Because it is second nature for you to disagree with me? Because
I can't possibly develop a theory on my own? Because only you know all the answers?"
She didn't know where this was coming from, but she was angry...angry and hurt.
One minute the case was going along nicely and they seemed to be working well
together and the next minute they were at each other's throats. It was like
their worst day as partners all over again and all the memories of all the bad
cases and angry, tense moments came flooding back to her. She had been assigned
to the X-Files and she had to work with Mulder, but she never really felt like
a partner in their relationship. He always had some wild theory and he expected
Scully to dive right in and accept it one hundred percent, but when she explained
her theories he would roll his eyes and then, once again, she would realize
that she had been assigned to the X-Files to add some balance to Mulder's quest,
but not to share his work. "No Scully. I always respected your opinion..." "Yea,
that is why you were always ditching me!" "I never ditched--" "Don't, Mulder.
Don't even try to deny that. You would disregard almost everything I told you
about a case and then you would get some clue, some lead, and take off on your
own to investigate." Her voice became hushed, she was reliving the past...the
distant memories, and for some reason she felt she had to speak quietly, so
as not to disturb them. "You left me countless times wondering where you were
and trying to decipher your cryptic phone messages. I was left to talk to Skinner
and cover for you, and most of all I was left wondering how you were. Do you
have any idea what that was like for me?" "I have a pretty good idea, because
I know what it was like for me when I found out your cancer had spread to your
bloodstream and you'd neglected to tell me." Scully stared at him...he stared
back at her. The line was drawn, it was a standoff...each one waiting to see
who would put together the next string of words and fling them, cutting the
wounds even deeper, exposing the long-healed scars of the past once again. Neither
one of them knew what to say and as they stood there perched between the love
they felt for one another and the pain they had caused each other...Scully's
phone rang. "Scully," she said. She reached for her notepad and started scribbling
some notes and then she stopped, suddenly weak and barely able to stand. "OK,
thanks...I'll be right down." She hung up the phone and put down her pencil.
She read over the notes she had taken one more time just to be sure before she
told Mulder the news. "Mulder, that was the morgue. They identified the body
we pulled from Jane Smith's grave...it was Samantha." Mulder's hand flew to
his mouth and he turned away from Scully. He'd listened to Kurt Crawford tell
him his sister was dead and he'd listened to the man from the consortium tell
him again, but he could push those words aside. He could pretend that they were
wrong. But now Scully was standing before him telling him *again* that his sister
was dead and her body had been officially ID'd and he knew he couldn't push
it aside anymore. He had to believe...he had to make himself believe that Samantha
was really dead. "Was there anything else?" Mulder asked, his back still turned
to Scully. "Yes, actually there was. I had the doctors at the morgue check the
remains of the five murder victims for any signs of small pox. All but one tested
positive." Mulder turned back around. "So what Kurt said appears to be true.
The clones are dying of small pox and those that aren't are being eliminated."
"It would appear that way." "Scully, what are you going to do now?" "Well, I
thought I'd go down to the morgue and verify all the tests that were done and
maybe run some more of my own...satisfy my curiosity." "OK. I think I'll go
back to the hotel and look over the case files some more...see if I'm missing
anything." He grabbed his coat and tidied up his briefcase, trying not to look
at Scully. They had just said some incredibly hurtful things to each other and
then all of a sudden, after the phone call, they were back to business. It felt
uncomfortable... they had so much unfinished business between them, that much
was obvious, and they had no time to attend to it. Out of the corner of his
eye, he could see her watching him. He wanted to look at her as well, but was
afraid of what he would see in her eyes...pain and pity. In the end, he couldn't
bring himself to make eye contact with her...he just walked out of the office.
*January 15, 1999* *5:45 pm* Mulder had been sitting at the table in his motel
room for almost three hours, checking and rechecking the files on the case.
He had no new leads, nothing that jumped off the pages at him and gave him a
burst of inspiration. He closed the last file, took off his glasses, and rubbed
the bridge of his nose. Then he looked up and reached for the autopsy folders.
He started flipping through the pages and looking at the photos, and that was
when it hit him. He ran for his cell phone. "Scully, it's me." "What's up, Mulder?"
"I was looking through the autopsy reports and I just had a thought." "What?"
"Well, I was looking at the photos of the murder victims. And only one of them
was a Kurt Crawford clone." "So?" "The other four victims were clones, too,
so that means that there must be some other labs, here in Los Angeles, like
the one where you met Kurt, where they are creating the other clones. They won't
destroy all of the labs, Scully." "I agree, Mulder, but how do you expect to
find them?" "Well, I'm going to do as you suggested, I'm going to check into
our friend, Henry Nelson." He was trying to make up for the hurtful things they
said earlier and Scully was appreciative. "OK, Mulder. Good luck." "How are
things going for you, Scully?" "Pretty good, I'll be done in a few hours." "OK,
then. I'm going to go back to the office and look up Nelson on the computer,
I'll call you if I find anything." "OK." Mulder hung up his phone and barreled
head on into the investigation. In the back of his mind, he knew he was doing
all of this to keep his mind off of Samantha, but he was determined to find
some answers to this case, to do what he could to vindicate his sister...so
that she would rest in peace and he could live in peace...finally. Hours later
when Mulder grabbed his phone and dialed Scully's cell phone number, he got
no answer. He sat down in the chair at her desk and decided what to do next.
He reached for his wallet and found Scully's home phone number and address on
the small piece of paper he put there. He took a deep breath and dialed her
home number..."Hi, you've reached Dana Scully. I can't answer the phone right
now so please leave me a message"...he hung up. [Maybe it's time for a visit]
he thought. Brimming with anticipation, he got his coat and keys and headed
out the door. The end of Part 1 :) TITLE: Almost Within Reach Chapter 5 (2/2)
AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com *January 15, 1999* *11:15
pm* Mulder knocked lightly on her door. It was late and even though he was hoping
she was still awake, he didn't want to disturb her if she'd already gone to
sleep. He waited a few minutes but she didn't answer. He turned to leave, disappointed,
when he saw her...her beautiful auburn hair blowing in the ocean breeze. She
was looking out into the Pacific, watching the waves crash against the shoreline.
He studied her for a few moments...the way she moved, swayed in the breeze,
the way her head rested perfectly on her shoulders. She was beautiful, truly
radiant. He began to walk toward her, slowly at first, but the closer he got
to her the faster his feet carried him there. "Scully..." he said quietly leaning
in over her shoulder. She jumped. "God, Mulder, you scared me." "Sorry, Scully.
I came over to talk to you. I was just about to leave and go to my hotel when
I saw you down here. I'm sorry if I interrupted you." "That's OK, Mulder. I
come out here almost every night." "You do?" "Yep." "Why?" "Mostly to think..."
Her voice drifted off. "About what?" She shot him a quick glance. It was a warning.
"My, you are full of questions tonight." He smiled, he didn't want to overstep
his bounds, especially after the argument they had had that afternoon, but he'd
made so much progress with her and with their relationship in the last day.
It was more than he had ever hoped for and he wanted to talk to her, he wanted
to be near her, he wanted to explain. "Do you want me to go, Scully?" She looked
down at the sand and then suddenly he felt her hand in his. He looked down at
their hands, together--fingers entwined, and when he looked up she was already
watching him. "No, Mulder. I don't want you to go." "You don't?" he asked. She
shook her head and looked back out to the ocean. "I always come out here and
think...about you." She looked back at him to see his reaction. He raised his
eyebrows, curious at first and then sad, she had been standing every night on
this beach for nine months, thinking about him and how much he'd hurt her. "Scully,
I--" "What happened with Nicky, Mulder?" It was the question she'd been wanting
to ask since last night when he told her he broke up with Nicky, and Scully
wanted to know why. Mulder had been so committed to her, he loved her, and he'd
been engaged to her. Scully wondered what had come between them. She'd always
harbored some jealousy of Nicky, for even when Mulder left Scully's apartment
after they made love, he was still engaged to Nicky. Scully lived with that
knowledge of their relationship every day... Nicky held Mulder, she kissed Mulder,
she made love to Mulder, but she had one thing that Scully never had...Mulder's
promise that he would spend the rest of his life with her. Scully didn't have
that. "Nicky? Scully, are you sure you want to talk about that?" "Mulder, I
need to know." "OK. After you left, I did my best to stay with Nicky and help
her, but...I couldn't stop thinking about you. I regretted so much losing you.
Nicky noticed that I'd changed and she kept asking me what was wrong..." "And
you told her?" He nodded. "I told her all about us and..." "And?" "And that
I still loved you." She had been watching him intently while he was explaining
what happened with Nicky, but he was looking out at the night sky. He was too
nervous, too unsure of where this conversation was going and he didn't have
the strength to look into her eyes. Scully watched Mulder's body language as
he told her about Nicky. When he told Scully that he still loved her, her heart
leapt, but Mulder looked down at their hands still clasped. She knew how difficult
this was for him and how hurt he was. He had hurt Nicky and he'd lost Scully
and Scully had lost him...no one was the winner in this one. "What happened,
Mulder?" "Nicky got pissed off, Scully, and rightfully so. She refused to see
me. The nurses even refused to let me in her room. So I went back to work on
the X-Files by myself." "What happened to Nicky?" Mulder was surprised to hear
her ask this question, he finally looked to Scully, confusion written all over
his face. "Mulder, she was engaged to you...she loved you, and she lost you.
I know how that feels. I was just wondering if Nicky is all right, that's all."
"I heard she was released from the clinic and she's back on the road speaking
at medical conferences. She's still in a wheelchair, but at least she's back
working and doing what she loves." Scully nodded. "Doing what you love isn't
always enough to make up for *losing* someone you love." He looked away and
whispered, "Believe me I know, Scully." "Oh, Mulder, I didn't say that to hurt
you. I just meant...we've all been hurt by this." "I know, Scully, and if I'd
just taken responsibility for the position I'd gotten myself into, I could've
been man enough to break up with Nicky and I never would have lost you." "But
Mulder, if I've learned anything in these past months it's that we didn't communicate
very well. We talked, but we never really *talked*." He knew she was right.
So many times they had been together, discussing their latest case or where
they wanted to eat, they talked about their families, they talked about everything
but each other. And when the conversation did turn serious, they always managed
to skirt around what was really on their minds...that they had fallen in love
with each other. Mulder knew he loved Scully, he knew it before they had ever
made love, he probably even knew it before he met Nicky, but he never allowed
himself to admit it. He just pushed the thought away, banished it. He should
have told her, he should have been totally honest with her, but then she should
have been honest with him. They had both made a lot of mistakes. "Why didn't
you tell me, Scully?" "Tell you what?" "Tell me that you loved me. Why did you
wait until five minutes before you left town to tell me." "Mulder, it's difficult
to explain..." "You didn't trust me?" "No...well, yes." "Scully, after everything
we went through together and you didn't trust me?" "It's not that simple. I
trusted you when it came to work, but there were certain things you did that
made me doubt you and your committment to me." "God, Scully, I can't believe
you are saying this." "Mulder, maybe talking about this isn't such a good idea."
"No Scully, finish. I want to know." "Mulder, most of our cases were about you.
You following up some leads that might lead to proof of extra-terrestrial life
and Samantha's existence. And I followed you and helped you, but it's like I
said this afternoon, when the chips were down, you ditched me and went off on
your own." "Scully, I've been thinking about this a lot since this afternoon
and I never really meant to ditch you. It's just that most of the time you thought
my ideas were foolish and I didn't think you would want to come along." "Mulder,
I always believed in you and your work and you know that. For heaven's sake,
when you took off to Russia with Krycek, I went to jail to cover your ass."
He was silent...lost in that memory. And while he was there contemplating the
past, all the other memories flooded into his mind. He *had* ditched her, quite
a few times, and most of the time he never thanked her for being there for him
when he got back or for taking care of him when he'd gotten in so deep that
he couldn't get himself out. He looked to Scully...he'd always taken comfort
in the fact that she was there for him. "Scully, have I ever thanked you for
taking care of me and for being there for me even when I didn't deserve it?"
She smiled, "You have now." Hands still clasped together, they started walking
along the beach and wound their way back to Scully's condo. The breeze was no
longer light and warm. It was after midnight and the air had become chilly.
They walked up the steps to Scully's patio, she unlocked the door and waited
for Mulder to enter. Then she closed the door and walked into the kitchen. "You
want something to drink, Mulder?" "Water's fine." He sat down in the overstuffed
chair in her living room and he listened as she poured them both a glass of
water. She came out and handed it to him and sat down on the couch across from
him. He had another question...one he was dying to ask. "Scully, are you dating
anyone?" She stopped in mid-motion. She shook her head. "I haven't been on a
date since I got here." She watched as he breathed a deep sigh of relieft and
she smiled. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why haven't you gone
out with anyone?" "I guess I'm still getting over you, Mulder." He looked down
and shook his head. He took another sip of water and reached forward to place
the glass on the coffee table. "God, this is rather odd, isn't it?" "What?"
"Us...*talking*. It feels strange." "We had to start sometime, Mulder. We spent
five years together and never really talked about anything personal. That didn't
change when we got *involved* and that is why things didn't work out." "I know,
Scully." "Mulder, there is still something we need to talk about that we haven't
yet." He looked at her. "What's that, Scully." "Samantha." He instantly started
ringing his hands together...he had been avoiding thinking about Samantha all
day. He'd spent almost 26 years believing that she was alive and living somewhere
and that someday he would find her. "I'm not ready to talk about that, Scully."
"But Mulder, you have to. You have to come to terms with the fact that she's
dead." "No, I don't. I don't have to believe that. How many times have these
people lied to us? I refuse to believe that she's dead." "Refuse to or just
don't want to?" She watched him and waited for the words to sink in. "I saw
the body, Mulder. I ID'd it myself this afternoon. It is Samantha." "No, I won't
accept that, Scully." "God, Mulder, and you call me a skeptic. You are the most
skeptical man I know when it comes to your sister. She was taken from your family
and she was used in the project and she died Mulder, you have to try and believe
that." He shook his head and looked at her defiantly. "I will not Scully. I
can't." "Why not," Scully yelled out of frustration. She stood up and started
pacing behind the couch. "Because then you wouldn't have something to blame
yourself for? You wouldn't be able to torment yourself, you wouldn't have nightmares,
you wouldn't be so driven to find all the answers to Samantha's abduction? This
isn't about Samantha, Mulder, this is about you. You can't let it go, you can't
forgive yourself. And you have to Mulder, you have to!" "Scully, I don't know
what to say." "You have to let all this go, Mulder. I know it's the reason you
are who you are, but all this self-torment is ruining your life. You maintain
these standards that are too high, even for you. It's why you are driven to
find out all the answers to the X-Files, it's why you ditched me and didn't
like to listen to my theories, and it's why you couldn't break up with Nicky,
until it was too late for us." Mulder just sat there on the couch. He still
didn't know what to say, he only knew he was terrified. He had spent his whole
life carrying around the guilt and blame for his sister's disappearance and
he blamed himself for his parents divorce shortly thereafter. This guilt had
become a part of him, a friend, a companion, and he was frightened of what his
life would be like if he let all that go. "Mulder, I loved you--I wanted you
and you didn't want me. Do you have any idea how that felt?" "That's not true,
Scully. I did want you--I do want you...I was just confused--" "And frightened."
He stood up and walked around the couch and stood right in front of Scully.
He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Scully. I know it doesn't
change anything, I know it doesn't change the hurt I caused you, but I'm so
sorry." She looked up into his eyes and he didn't see fear or pity or anger,
he watched as a single tear escaped her eyes and made it's way down her cheek.
He was so filled with emotion. He moved his hand to her cheek and wiped the
tear away, then he swept her up into an embrace. Scully wrapped her arms around
his neck and put her lips to his ear. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I've
waited a long time to hear that, Mulder." She felt them moving, but she didn't
want to open her eyes, she was in his arms, and all the dreams she had had right
here in her condo were coming true. He was here with her, they were holding
each other and touching each other just like they used to, but with one major
exception...they had finally talked...they had finally been honest with each
other. She was lost in her thoughts when she realized that Mulder was lying
her down on her couch. Her breath caught in her throat. She opened her eyes
and pulled back to look at Mulder, but she found that she couldn't speak. He
was smiling, the most wonderful smile she had ever seen in her life. She smiled
back and then she lifted her lips up to meet his. There was no fear, no sadness,
no regret, only the joy and overwhelming passion of this reunion. She felt his
lips wrap around hers, and though so much time had passed it was like they had
never parted. They knew each other intimately...they were still so in love.
As Scully laced her fingers through Mulder's hair, she lay her head down on
the couch and she pulled his face and his lips down onto hers. The kiss deepened
and quickly became intense. They were no longer consciously breathing, they
could no longer think, Mulder's body covered Scully's and she felt his hands
touching her everywhere. She felt them fast approaching the point-of-no-return.
Mulder felt it too and with will-power he didn't even know he had, he pulled
his lips from her's. His heart was racing...he wanted her so badly, but he didn't
want to hurt her again. This had been the most confusing, painful, and wonderful
day of his life. "Mulder..." she mouthed breathlessly. "Maybe we shouldn't do
this." "I was just thinking the same thing, Scully. Not that I don't want to,
because I do, but I have so much to think about." "I understand, Mulder. You
just found out about Samantha...you need some time to be alone and think." "And
I'm afraid of hurting you again." She shook her head. "You could never hurt
me, Mulder, not as long as you are honest with me." He smiled at her and placed
one more kiss on her lips. Then he sat up and so did she. "I'd better get going,"
he said. She watched him as he put on his coat and walked to her front door.
"Good night, Mulder." He turned to look at her, "Good night, Scully. See you
tomorrow." She walked to the door after he closed it and she listened to him
start up his rental car and drive away. She went to her bedroom and pulled the
quilt off of her bed. She layed down on the couch and wrapped the quilt around
her. She wanted to sleep here tonight, close to Mulder and close to the memories.
She fell asleep in five minutes, the stress of the day leaving her body and
her dreams focusing on the promise of tomorrow. End of Chapter 5. To Be Continued...
TITLE: Almost Within Reach Chapter 6 (1/1) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com
*******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
*January 16, 1999* *4:42 pm* It had been a long day. As Mulder suggested, he,
Scully, and Cindy had been searching the buildings owned by Henry Nelson. So
far they'd been through six run-down, deserted warehouses and two small, but
empty, offices. Mulder was ready to start searching the apartment complexes
and houses Nelson owned, if they didn't find something soon. To be on the safe
side, Agents Johnson and Andrews were again on the case staking out Nelson's
home. They'd been there since dawn and Nelson knew they were watching him because
he hadn't gone out all day. They were all in their places, doing their jobs,
but what they didn't know was that the Consortium was keeping tabs on each and
every one of them and *they* knew what was going to happen next. *******************************************************************************
"Hey, Mulder, over here," Scully called from a darkened corner of the warehouse.
Mulder walked over to her and bent down, peering in closely to look where Scully
was pointing. "Scully, I hate to be the one to tell you, but that's just the
floor....there is a little dirt on it though, and that's unusual, we haven't
found dirt at any other site, a little dust, but not dirt, although--" "Mulder."
She tried to act annoyed, for old time sake, but she couldn't and a huge smile
spread across her face. "Look at the floor." He looked again and put his face
down a little closer to study the surface. "I see it. What do you think it is?"
"It's a stain, Mulder. But feel it, it's a little sticky." He reached down and
patted the stain with his fingers. "Now look at your fingers, Mulder," Scully
said. "They're green." "Exactly." "I guess the clean up boys missed a spot."
Mulder rubbed his fingers together to get the green substance off and placed
his hand lightly on Scully's shoulder. It was the first opportunity he'd had
to touch her all day. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Scully, you're
incredible." She turned her head just slightly, her lips just an inch from Mulder's.
"So are you, but right now I'd better get a sample of this to take to the lab."
Scully straightened and walked over to Cindy. Mulder watched her as she said
something to Cindy and then reached for some supplies in her bag. He couldn't
get enough of looking at her and it suddenly hit him...if he was going to get
to spend any more personal time with her, he'd better get this case solved and
fast. He watched and waited for Scully to get the supplies she needed to take
a sample of the green stuff on the floor and when she came back over and knelt
down by him, he said, "Scully, I think I'm going to move on to the next warehouse."
"Are you sure Mulder? There might still be something here." "I doubt it and
the sooner we look through the other buildings, the sooner we can wrap this
case up." "I guess you're right, Mulder." "So, Scully, is it OK if I leave you
and Cindy here and move on?" Scully looked up from her work, but she tried not
to act too shocked. She knew what Mulder was doing, he was making sure he wasn't
ditching her, he was asking if it was OK with her if they went their separate
ways for a little while. For some reason, she hadn't expected her words the
night before to make that much of a difference...after all, Mulder was Mulder
and he tended to run off and do what he wanted to when he set his mind to it.
Yet here he was asking for permission to go do something... Scully felt like
his mother for a second, but then she realized that really, for the first time,
she felt like his partner, in every sense of the word. She smiled at him. "Go
ahead, Mulder. We'll catch up with you in an hour or so." He smiled back and
then on impulse he reached out and covered her hand with his own and gave it
a little squeeze. "See you in a bit, Scully." And he walked away. ******************************************************************************
In the darkened den of Henry Louis Nelson, the phone rang. The young man picked
up the receiver. "Yes?" Nelson asked. "Do you know what they are doing?" his
uncle asked. "Yes," Nelson answered. "Are they getting close?" "Yes." "You know
what to do." "Consider it done." *****************************************************************************
*January 16, 1999* *6:03 pm* "Cindy, I think that's all we need. Let's get going,"
Scully said. She snapped off the plastic gloves she was wearing and started
putting everything back in her bag. "OK, Dana," Cindy answered. They were busy
organizing the evidence and the samples they'd taken, when the echo of Scully's
cell phone rang throughout the warehouse. "Scully," she answered. "Agent Scully,
it's me, Kurt. I need to tell you something." He spoke in a hushed voice and
Scully was instantly on edge. Kurt was supposed to be hiding out from the men
who wanted to kill him and the last time she'd seen him, he said he'd call if
he needed her. She was glad that he was still alive, but she knew deep down
that this phone call couldn't be good news. "What is it, Kurt?" "The men who
run the project...they know what you and Agent Mulder are doing." "How do you
know this?" "Because they are watching you. They know where you are right now,
where you've been, and where you are going." "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I have information for you and I'm somewhere they would never expect
you to come." "Where are you?" "I'm in a laboratory that you and Mulder wouldn't
be able to find. There's no record of it anywhere. Meet me here, Agent Scully,
I have some important information to give you." It only took a split second
for her to decide her answer. "OK, Kurt, tell me where you are?" *****************************************************************************
Scully flipped her phone closed and turned to see Cindy's disapproving stare.
Despite the look, she told Cindy all about the phone call and where Kurt wanted
to meet her. "Dana, you can't possibly be considering going off on your own.
Agent Mulder is waiting for us at the next building." "I know, Cindy, but I
have to do this. Mulder will understand, I know he will. Just give me a second
to call him and tell him what I'm doing." Scully opened her phone and punched
in Mulder's number. She waited and waited but couldn't get an answer. "Dammit,"
she hissed under her breath. She looked at Cindy, "I can't get through to him.
I know he has his phone on, but for some reason he isn't receiving the call."
She shoved her phone back in her pocket, grabbed the bag filled with evidence
and headed for the warehouse door. When she reached her car, she turned back
to Cindy, who was opening the door to her own vehicle. "Cindy, I need you to
tell Mulder where I'm going, OK?" "Dana, I don't think--" "Please, Cindy, just
tell him to meet me there as soon as he can." She didn't wait for an answer.
She just jumped in her car and sped away. ******************************************************************************
*January 16, 1999* *7:13 pm* Scully drove as fast as she could, but it still
took her more than an hour to get from the Los Angeles harbor to the warehouse
in the Melrose area where Kurt was waiting for her. As she stepped out of her
car, she peered up at the huge building, it was by far the largest building
she had been at all day, but it was also in the best condition. This warehouse
didn't look more than a few years old. Scully walked to the front door and turned
the handle...it was open. She cautiously stepped inside and closed the door
behind her. Once the door was shut and the echo had faded, she studied the darkness
and listened to the sound of the building. She heard only the normal creaks
and groans one would expect from a building this size and as her eyes adjusted
to the darkness she realized she was standing at the end of a long, wide hallway.
Scully flipped on her flashlight and began walking forward. As she walked, she
noticed that there were doors and small, narrow hallways on either side of her.
She tried to open some of the doors, but they were all locked and she shone
her flashlight down some of the smaller hallways; they all seemed to be interconnected
like a giant maze. As Scully reached the end of the main hallway, she stopped.
She could go either left or right, but there was still no sign of Kurt and she
wondered if she could continue. It had taken her an hour to get here and she
knew that that was how long it had taken Cindy to get to Mulder and tell him
where she had gone...so she was on her own for at least another forty-five minutes.
But the farther she headed into this warehouse, the longer it would take Mulder
to find her. She was debated whether or not to continue when she heard it...the
sound of footsteps running somewhere off to her left. She pulled out her gun
and took off after the sound. She was so focused on tracking down the owner
of those footsteps, that she didn't pay as much attention as she should have
to the twists and turns she was taking through the warehouse and when she finally
stopped she didn't notice the hand reaching out of the shadows behind her and
covering her mouth. *****************************************************************************
"God, what was she thinking." Mulder couldn't believe what Cindy had told him,
after Scully had lectured him about ditching her, she goes off on her own. Within
seconds of Cindy's news, Mulder and Cindy jumped in his rental car and raced
at record speed to Scully's location. "She said that this Kurt Crawford had
important information for her." "How important can it be?" "Agent Mulder, she
is doing this for you." Cindy's words were soft and gentle. Mulder knew what
Cindy was trying to do and he appreciated it. He reached up and ran his free
hand through his hair, slowly grasping and working each strand, trying to think.
He pulled out his cell phone and tried to call Scully, when he noticed the no
service light. "Dammit!" he yelled. "What is it, Agent Mulder?" Cindy asked.
She was watching him, watching the worry and concern written all over his face.
It was so obvious to her that he cared for Scully and that he was upset with
her, but she also noticed that he seemed to understand Scully's motivation to
go and meet Kurt. "My phone isn't working." "Well, that makes sense. Dana tried
to call you, but she couldn't get through." "How much longer until we get to
that warehouse?" "About twenty minutes the way you are driving." *******************************************************************************
Scully tried to scream, but she couldn't. The hand over her mouth covered it
too completely. Then she felt herself being turned around and her eyes locked
with Kurt Crawford's. He pulled his hand away. "Kurt, God, why did you do that?"
"Because if you'd screamed, he would have heard you." "Who?" "The man who is
here to kill me." "Is that who I was chasing down the hallway?" "Yes. I've been
following you, waiting for the right time. Now, you must follow me and be very
quiet, I don't want him to hear us." Kurt turned and led Scully through the
maze of hallways and around to a large storage room. She could see the computers,
empty tanks, old boxes, and crates stacked all over the room. He led her to
a dark corner behind a stack of empty wooden crates and then he stopped. They
stood there for a moment listening to the silence and then Kurt opened his mouth
to speak. "I have something for you, Agent Scully," Kurt whispered. "What?"
He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew two computer disks. "This is all
the information I could get on Samantha Mulder, I think you should have it."
"You are taking a huge risk by meeting me here, just to give me this information."
"I know, but it's important....important to you and to Agent Mulder. I want
you both to know what she went through...what we all went through." Scully nodded
her head and placed the disks in the pocket of her jacket. She made sure they
were safe and wouldn't fall out...she had to protect them so that Mulder could
see what was on them and see what happened to his sister. She was lost in thought
when she heard a small crash on the other side of the large room. Kurt reached
over and grabbed her hand tightly in his own. "We have to go...now!" he hissed.
Scully shook her head. "No, I can't. Mulder is on his way here." "Then we had
better get outside and warn him. We can go around and meet him at the front
door." As they started to walk out of the room, the shadows around them started
to move and then, quietly, the darkness spoke. "Neither one of you will be going
anywhere." Scully and Kurt looked around, but they couldn't see anyone. The
man in the darkness felt close and Scully knew it was Henry Nelson, his voice
echoed from every corner of the room. Her eyes were darting around the room,
trying to find an escape route, when Nelson walked out of the shadows and right
in front of Scully and Kurt. He had his gun drawn and Scully could see that
it was a small twenty-two pistol. She watched in horror as Nelson motioned Kurt
forward and slipped a small metal rod out of his pocket. Scully had seen that
weapon before and she knew what it was used for. Kurt, obedient to his creator,
stepped forward. In the silence of the room, they all the heard the hiss as
Nelson pushed the button that released the weapon's killing point from it's
case. Scully couldn't stand by any longer and one fast move she withdrew her
gun and aimed it at Nelson. "Don't move, Nelson!" Scully and Kurt made eye contact
briefly and she tried to comfort him as best she could with a look...[stand
still, don't worry, I'll get you out of this]. But she didn't know if she could
keep Kurt alive. "Agent Scully, I'm surprised at you," Nelson said cooly, "You
have a gun aimed at me, when I am not the enemy here. I am a human being...this
*man* is not." Scully looked at Kurt again to see what was going through his
mind. Did it hurt him to be spoken of this way? Did it bother him not to be
human? Or did he value his life and the opportunity he had to live it, no matter
what color of blood coursed through his veins? Scully thought it was the latter
and that was why she was protecting Kurt, he had every right to live. "Kurt
is not the enemy, Nelson, you are. You are the one committing these crimes."
"And what crimes are those?" "You are murdering innocent victims." "I beg to
differ, Agent Scully. I am murdering no one. I am simply protecting my work."
"Shut up! I've heard enough from you." She stared coldly at Nelson and while
never breaking eye contact with him, she said quietly to Kurt, "Come back over
here, Kurt. I'll get you out of here." Kurt took a step toward Scully and she
knew she was doing the right thing by trying to protect him. He might be the
last clone left who was involved in the project. Who would ever know how many
clones Nelson had murdered to protect himself and his self-righteous attitude.
Nelson had been given too much power by the Consortium and he had wielded that
power and twisted it into something ugly and sinister. He had to be stopped.
Nelson however wasn't about to let anyone get in his way. He watched as Kurt,
his subject, took that step toward Agent Scully and he knew if he didn't act
fast it would all slip away. Before Kurt could take another step away from him,
he raised his arm pointing the weapon and tried to plunge it into the back of
Kurt's neck, but Kurt ducked out of the way. "Freeze!" Scully screamed at the
top of lungs. She still had her gun pointed at Nelson and quick as lightning
Nelson flashed his gun in her direction. They stood fifteen feet from each other,
weapons raised, breath held, waiting to see what would happen next. ******************************************************************************
Mulder and Cindy were racing through the hallways at the warehouse trying to
find Scully and Kurt. They had become lost early on, but then they were guided
by the sound of yelling coming from somewhere deep inside the warehouse. It
was muffled at first...[Don't move, Nelson!] ...but it put them on their way
in the right direction. And after a few more moments they could hear the yelling
more clearly... [Shut up!] ....Mulder and Cindy stopped long enough to make
eye contact, they knew it was Scully's voice, and with renewed intensity they
made their way down the last hallway, around the corner and quietly through
the door to the storage room. Mulder already had his gun out and he motioned
Cindy to go around the room in the opposite direction. They were planning a
surprise attack, but it was Nelson who had the surprise for them. Mulder watched
helplessly as Nelson lunged for Kurt and Scully pointed her weapon at Nelson,
this time with a firmer grip and stronger purpose, but Nelson didn't seem to
care and as he and Scully faced off, Mulder could see that this man was a loose
cannon. He had to get to Scully...fast...he bent down and ducked behind a pile
of boxes, but as Mulder peeked around the corner his shadow caught Nelson's
eye and within the young scientist something gave way. The wall that had held
Nelson in check...the barrier he had kept in place to keep the wild impulses
and crazy thoughts reigned in just fell away and suddenly his own life didn't
matter to him. His eyes blazing he refocused on the female agent standing before
him and began firing. Scully knew exactly what was happening to her, and even
though it all happened so fast, to her every second seemed like an hour. She
felt each bullet rip through her body...pain lanced through her shoulder and
she was pushed back...she felt the searing heat of a bullet plunge into her
stomach and she fell to her knees...and just when she thought it couldn't hurt
anymore, Nelson's last bullet pierced her upper chest and she was thrown backwards
by the force, flying into the pile of empty wooden crates, which started to
cover her body. Her last conscious memory was hearing her dear Mulder screaming,
"SCULLY!!!!!" End of Chapter 6. To Be Continued.... TITLE: Almost Within Reach
Chapter 7 (1/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com DISTRIBUTION
STATEMENT: Anywhere as long as my name and addy stay with it. SPOILER: anything
through the fourth season. RATING: PG CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance CLASSIFICATION:
X-x-file, S-story, R-romance, A-angst. SUMMARY: About a year in the future,
after becoming involved with other people, Mulder and Scully reach a cross-roads
and decide to go their separate ways, but destiny and a strange FBI case reunite
them. DISCLAIMER: CC and 1013 Productions own the X-Files, characters, and storylines.
All other characters are mine. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to thank a few people.
First of all, my cyber-sister Nicky C. for being such a wonderful friend. And
Deborah Wells, her's was one of the first fanfiction stories I read and she
inspired me to try my hand at writing fanfic. And Lynn Spirelle for helping
me with Los Angeles geography. Thanks! Lastly, this story is dedicated to Jon...he
is the inspiration behind it. Because of him I caught a glimpse of what was
Almost Within Reach... *******************************************************************************
I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left. I lived a few weeks while
you loved me. *******************************************************************************
"SCULLY!" Mulder screamed. His voice sounded strangled...choked...like it was
welling up from some deep, hellish place inside him. He'd watched in horror
as each bullet pierced her and then the wooden crates tumbled down to cover
her wounded body. He ran towards the pile of crates and moved his hands across
the wood, as if willing the crates to move on their own and Scully to be lying
underneath them in perfect condition... "Scully...," he whispered. Like a man
possessed, Mulder began hurling the crates behind him, creating a new pile,
until at last, he could see Scully's hand, scratched and bleeding, peeking out
from underneath the last crate. He knew he was close to her. He gently picked
up the last crate and uncovered her. Tears filled his eyes, he dropped to his
knees and choked back the sobs. He was trembling as he reached his fingers in
and gently pressed them against her neck. He let out a ragged sigh of relief
as he felt her pulse. She was alive. "Agent Mulder?" Cindy ran up behind him.
With all that had happened he'd forgotten that Cindy was there with him. He
looked up at her and she saw the tears in his eyes. "Oh, no...she's not dead...is
she?" Mulder smiled and wiped away his tears. "No, she's alive." "Thank God.
I'll go call an ambulance." "Wait, Cindy. Use my phone." He reached in his coat
pocket to grab his cell phone, when he remembered that it wasn't working. "Dammit....wait
a minute..." He reached over to Scully and put his hand in her pocket and pulled
out her phone. He flipped it open...it still worked. "Here, Cindy, use this."
Cindy took the phone from him and started to dial. Mulder refocused on Scully.
He needed to move her to a more comfortable place...he needed to hold her, but
he didn't want to hurt her anymore than Nelson already had. He took his coat
off and spread it over her body, the tears filling his eyes again...he reached
up and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open. "Scully?"
"Mulder?" "Oh, thank God," he sobbed. He cupped her face with his hands and
gently placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled back and asked, "How are you?
Can you move? Do you need anything?" "Mulder, I'm fin---" She shook her head.
"No, I'm not fine, but I think I'll be OK. Where's Nelson?" "He got away." "No,
Mulder. You can't let him get away, you have to go after him." She tried to
speak as forcefully as she could, but it only aggravated her wounded stomach
and she started coughing; horrible, choking spasms that twisted her face into
a painful grimace. "Scully, it's all right. We'll get him someday. Right now
we have to take care of you." Mulder spoke quietly, as he wiped her brow with
a handkerchief he found in his coat pocket. "Please, Scully, try to rest." "No...Mulder...go
get...him...please." The agony her wounds were causing her was written all over
her face. "I'm not leaving you, Scully." "I'm fine, Mulder. I want you....to
go....get him." Mulder shook his head violently. "I just got you back. I don't
want to leave you." The tears were again filling his eyes and spilling out onto
Scully's blood-stained clothes. She reached up with her hand and tried to wipe
away the tears on his face, but for each tear she touched another one ran down
his cheeks to take it's place. "Scully, I don't want to lose you," he whispered.
"Mulder, I'll be OK. I promise." Her voice was so quiet and strained now that
he had to lean in to hear her speak. "I promise," she repeated. Mulder moved
in and kissed Scully softly on the lips. They tasted each others tears and Mulder's
sobs again racked his body. His arms encircled Scully and he lifted her off
the floor just slightly and pressed her body close to his. She moaned in pain,
but she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Mulder's neck. Then, just as
gently, he broke the kiss and softly laid her back down. "I love you," Mulder
whispered. "I love you, too." Scully answered, with a small smile on her lips.
"Now go." Mulder stood up and walked over to Cindy. He could hear the ambulance
sirens approaching from a distance, but there was still concern written all
over her face. "Cindy, take care of her." "I will, Agent Mulder. Don't worry."
Mulder turned at took one last look at Scully, then he ran out the door and
tried to get out of the building the way he had come in. He had no idea which
way Nelson had gone, but it didn't take too long to find out. About halfway
to the front door, in a side hallway, Mulder noticed the green pool of bubbling
liquid that he could only assume used to be Kurt Crawford. He swallowed, took
a deep breath, and quickly made his way to the front door, trying not to get
lost. The building was truly a maze, a labyrinth of hallways. Mulder could hear
the EMT's somewhere in front of him and he figured he must be nearing the front
door of the building. He turned the corner to his right and ran down a small
narrow hallway and then he turned to his left, but he quickly jumped back around
the corner and pressed himself flat up against the wall, hoping he hadn't been
seen. The EMT's had stopped Nelson and were asking him where the injured woman
was. Nelson was pointing them in the right direction and trying to explain to
them how to get there, it was ironic that the very man who had shot Scully was
now telling the EMT's where they could find her. Mulder stood there pressed
again the wall, wondering how it was that even though Nelson had had a five
minute head start he'd still caught up with him. He could only guess that killing
Kurt Crawford had taken some time, and that maybe Nelson had become lost in
the maze of hallways, too. No matter what the reason Mulder was glad he'd found
him. Mulder waited for the EMTs to pass by, but he stayed hidden so they wouldn't
see him. Then he raced down the last hallway to the front door. He swung the
large door open and saw Nelson opening his car door and getting in. Mulder quickly
did the same and took off after him. There was no way he was going to let Nelson
get away. ******************************************************************************
*January 16, 1999* *10:55 pm* Mulder crouched in a corner behind a large, metal
desk. His eyes were searching the small, dark room, watching the shadows and
listening to the scratchy, uneven breathing of Henry Louis Nelson. He knew it
was now or never, but he also knew that Nelson was insane and that made what
Mulder was about to do *very* risky. Mulder had followed Nelson around the Los
Angeles area for over two hours. He'd stayed discreetly at a distance so that
Nelson wouldn't know he was being followed, but as the seconds and minutes passed
away, Mulder's thoughts drifted to Scully. She had probably been taken to the
hospital already and gone into surgery. He wanted so badly to be with her and
to be there when she woke up, but he was doing what she asked him to do...he
was going after Nelson. He was just about ready to give up, when Nelson finally
turned onto the UCLA campus, parked his car, and went inside one of the buildings
to his office. Mulder followed. As Nelson leaned over his computer, muttering
and cursing under his breath, Mulder slipped into Nelson's little office on
his hands and knees and hunkered down behind a desk across from where Nelson
was sitting. Mulder waited and waited until the right moment dropped into his
lap. Nelson, his mind wandering farther and farther into oblivion, starting
laughing...laughing and yelling and throwing papers around the room. Mulder
knew that Nelson had provided just the distraction he needed and he jumped to
his feet, gun aimed. It took a few seconds for Nelson to realize that Mulder
was standing in front of him, his laughter died away and all that could be heard
in the office was the swaying of the last piece of paper as it floated to the
floor. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you, Mr. Nelson." This was the
moment Mulder had been waiting for... contemplating. "I want to know about my
sister, Samantha. I want to know how she died." Nelson was quiet for a few moments,
studying Mulder. "I liked your sister, Agent Mulder. I *really* liked her,"
he taunted. But Mulder only stared him down, unmoved and unwavering in his determination.
He was not going to let a weasle like Nelson get the better of him....not now.
"I want to know how she died," Mulder repeated. "It was an unfortunate accident,
really. I was experimenting, I had developed a new test, but I needed a subject.
Samantha had always been a valuable resource to the project..." Nelson stopped.
Mulder was seething and it took every ounce of self-control he ever had in his
life to keep from pulling the trigger and killing Nelson right then and there.
He' d watched this man shoot Scully in cold blood and now he'd found out that
this man had killed Samantha. It was almost more than he could bear. Mulder
didn't know if Nelson was going to continue, but he needed to know the whole
story...everything. "And?" Mulder coaxed. "And so I performed a trial run of
the new test on Samantha and it didn't work. She...died. But Agent Mulder, you
should take comfort in the fact that part of your sister lives on in the hybrids
you met many years ago. That was her...or what was left of her. It's too bad
really...one year earlier and you might have found your sister alive and well.
As it was, you were too late to save her." Mulder could no longer keep his anger
and the pain he was feeling under control. Thoughts of his sister lying on a
cold operating table, giving her life for a project and for people who never
gave anything back to her was more than he could bear. In a way Nelson was right,
if he'd only opened the X-Files one year earlier...if only. The tears filled
his eyes and the uncontrollable urge to kill this man made his blood boil, sweat
dotted his brow, his cold and clammy fingers gripped the metal gun, his trigger
finger slowing tightening and pulling back. If Nelson knew he was about to die,
he gave no sign. Instead, he started doing what he'd done just moments before...he
started laughing, the sick, hollow cackles of a madman. Nelson had slipped over
the edge...never to return. Thinking of himself as a God, taking control of
people's lives and the very building blocks of mankind, had finally taken it's
toll. For a brief instant Mulder didn't know whether to put Nelson out of his
misery with a quick bullet to the head or to pity him. That slight moment of
indecision was all Nelson needed, and in a blur he stood and pulled his own
gun on Mulder. For the second time that night, he was in a stand-off...a shoot-out,
but this time he would not survive. The clock on the wall ticked, the sweat
on Mulder's brow beaded and trickled down his face, the thoughts inside Nelson's
head became more scrambled and incoherent. Nelson lowered his gun and smiled
at Mulder, his destiny was written. Mulder's gun never wavered, so when Nelson
quickly raised his weapon again and prepared to fire, Mulder squeezed the trigger.
One bullet and it was over. The End of Part 1... TITLE: Almost Within Reach
Chapter 7 (2/2) AUTHOR: Jennifer Lucas EMAIL: jenn@pipermaru.com *January
17, 1999* *12:17 am* He parked his car and in the blink of an eye, he was inside
the building, but this was not a warehouse or an office space, whose tenants
were anxious to create a new species of life. This was a building whose employees
were dedicated to saving mankind and keeping him just the way he is. This was
the building he had been trying to reach for almost two hours. He'd had to wait
as the police arrived to question him and he'd had to wait again for the Medical
Examiner to come and ask him some questions. He waited some more to find out
where she had been taken and and he'd had to wait on the freeway as traffic
slowed down view an accident. It had taken what seemed like and eternity, but
he was finally here, in the same place that she was. The Emergency Room doors
swished open and Mulder moved swiftly to the main admitting desk. "I'm looking
for Dana Scully. She was brought here earlier this evening." The nurse looked
up at him. He looked tired and sad. She noticed the black circles forming around
his eyes, almost a reaction to the pained look she saw exposed on his face for
everyone to see. She glanced down and saw the blood and dirt and little slivers
of wood on his shirt. This man had truly been through something. "Agent Scully,
was taken upstairs after her surgery. She is in room 916. Take the elevators
just around the corner to the ninth floor and her room is to your left...."
She could only hope that he'd heard her directions, because he took off running
around the corner before she could finish. Mulder was the only one on the elevator
as it made it's slow trek up to the ninth floor. As soon as the doors parted,
he was off again running down the hallway, checking the room numbers. He vaguely
remembered a nurse saying, "Sir, please don't run," but he didn't listen. He
came around the last corner and his search was over. Room 916. He slowly pushed
the door open, and when he saw her, the tears began to flow down his face and
he was choking back sobs once again. She was sleeping, an IV needle in her right
arm. He didn't want to wake her but he was too overcome with emotion. Like a
broken dam, everything that he'd been thinking and feeling in the last few days
and in the last nine months, came to the surface and he was unable to stop it.
He was weeping, crying...sobbing. He walked over to her bedside, pulled up the
chair, and sat down. He gazed at her for a few moments and finally he reached
out for her hand. He felt her soft, slender fingers and wrapped them around
his own, then he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her hand. "Oh, Scully...."
he whispered. "Agent Mulder?" It was a whisper from just inside the door of
the room. Mulder turned to see Scully's partner, Cindy. He let go of Scully's
hand and walked back to Cindy. "Cindy, how are you?" "I'm all right." "How is
Scully?" "She's going to be fine, Agent Mulder. It was touch and go for a little
while, but once they got her into surgery, she was fine." Mulder let out a sigh
of relief. She was going to live, but then he really shouldn't have doubted,
Scully promised him she would. "Thank you, Cindy. Thanks for taking care of
her." "What happened to Nelson?" Mulder just shook his head and Cindy nodded
in understanding. "Well, I'll leave you and Dana alone again. I called Dana's
mother and I have to go to the airport and pick her up." "Mrs. Scully's coming?"
"Yes, she should be here in a few hours." "Good, Scully will be so happy to
see her mother." Cindy smiled and she patted Mulder on the shoulder. "See you
later." After she was gone, Mulder walked back over and resumed the same position
he had been in earlier. He took Scully's hand and watched her breathing. The
sound of her breath and the drip of the IV created a rhythm that soothed him
and rather suddenly, knowing that Scully would be OK and that their case was
over, he was overcome with weariness. He laid his head down on the bed next
to Scully and he within moments he was sound asleep. ******************************************************************************
*January 17, 1999* *4:04 am* He felt a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing
and then he heard his name being whispered in his ear. "Fox...Fox..." He knew
he should open his eyes, but his lids were heavy and his body weak. "Fox..."
the voice whispered again. "Hmmmm" He lifted his head off the mattress and rubbed
his free hand over his face, trying to revive the feeling in his cheeks. He
opened his eyes and looked up. "Mrs. Scully," he whispered. Before he knew it
he was standing and had thrown his arms around her and hugging her. "She's going
to be fine, Mrs. Scully. She's going to be fine." "I know Fox. Come on, let's
go out in the hallway, so we don't wake Dana." They found a couple of chairs
right outside Scully's room and sat down. Margaret took Mulder's hands in her
own, he looked like he needed the extra comfort. "What happened, Fox?" "Scully
and I were working on a case and she went to meet an informant on her own. She
was cornered, I tried to get there in time to help her, but I was too late."
He hung his head, the memory of Scully being shot flashing in his head. "Fox,
it's OK. The doctor told me Dana was shot twice and though the bullet in her
stomach did some damage, she is going to make a full recovery." He was shaking
his head, that wasn't what he remembered. "No, she was shot three times....I
saw it." "Well, what is important is that Dana is going to be fine." Margaret
smiled. "I know, you're right. Why don't you go in an sit with her, Mrs. Scully."
"I will, Fox, but only if you promise to go get something to eat." Now it was
Mulder's turn to smile. *****************************************************************************
*January 17, 1999* *5:36 am* Scully wanted to roll over and sink back into sleep,
but when she tried, she felt a piercing pain in both her shoulder and her stomach.
"Ooohhh..." she moaned in protest. "Dana?" her mother asked. "Mom?" Scully answered.
She opened her eyes and realized where she was. She looked around at the white,
sterile walls and the pastel curtains covering the window, then she took a deep
breath, it smelled like a hospital, that fresh, overly clean, mediciney odor.
She looked over at her mother. "Hi." "Dana, how are you?" "I was shot, Mom."
Margaret Scully couldn't help it, she started giggling. She was so happy that
her daughter was doing well and in good spirits, but she had to laugh at Scully's
statement, even though she was probably still half asleep, it was funny. "I
know you were shot, honey. Why do you think I am here?" Scully started to chuckle
a little too, but pain flooded her stomach. "Ouw, that hurts...don't make me
laugh." A peaceful feeling washed over Scully. She had missed her mother terribly
after she moved to Los Angeles and it was so good to have her here. "Is Mulder
here?" Scully asked. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask
that question," her mother teased. "Mom..." "Yes, honey, he's right outside.
I made him go get something to eat and the last time I checked he was resting."
"Well, I'll let him sleep then." "Dana, I'm sure he'd love to see you, now that
you're awake. I could go and get him." "No, Mom, that's OK." "Dana, when are
you going to be honest with me?" "I don't know what you mean?" "I know why you
moved out here to LA--" "Mom--" "No, let me finish. He loves you, Dana, and
you love him. I'd have to be a fool not to see that." Scully smiled and nodded
her head. "Will you go get him for me, Mom?" "Of course I will." Margaret Scully
walked out the door. Scully watched her mother leave and marveled at the woman's
wisdom. She was still looking at the door to her room, when he walked in. Mulder
rushed to her side, sat down, and took her hand once again. "Scully," was all
he could say, it was all he needed to say. "Hi, Mulder." She could feel that
this was the beginning for them, the chance they had waited for. They had fallen
in love over a year ago, but it wasn't their time. They both had too many lessons
to learn and they had caused each other too much pain. But now, sitting here
in a small hospital room in Los Angeles, touching each other and looking at
each other, Scully knew it was their time. "How are you, Scully?" "I'm feeling
pretty good...considering." "Scully, I'm sorry I couldn't stop him. I was right
there, I saw Nelson, but I was too late." "It's OK, Mulder. Looking back at
it, I shouldn't have gone off on my own." "I understand why you did. I really
do. But, Scully, your mom said you were only shot twice. How is that possible?"
Scully let go of Mulder's hand and slid open the top drawer of the nightstand
by her bed. She reached for and pulled out two computer disks. At least they
used to be computer disks, they were bent and broken now and the metal ends
were sharp and jagged. "These are how it was possible," she answered. Mulder
looked at the disks and then to Scully and back again. He took them out of her
hand and turned them over in his own. "I don't think I understand, Scully."
"Kurt gave me those disks, in the warehouse. I put them in my jacket pocket.
The last bullet Nelson fire at me--" "Struck these disks instead." "It was luck,
Mulder." Call it luck or destiny or fate, he could only look at her and feel
thankful that she was alive. He knew he should tell her that Kurt was dead and
that Nelson was dead as well, but he decided that those things could wait. There
had been enough death that night, and Scully was lucky to be among the living.
"What was on these disks?" "Kurt told me it was all the information he could
find on Samantha," she said quietly. She knew how much he wanted to know about
his sister and what had happened to her, but just like always, the evidence
on the computer disks was destroyed when she was shot. "I'm sorry, Mulder. We
could take these disks to the FBI labs. I'm sure they can retrieve something
from them." "No, it's OK, Scully." She was shocked and he knew she was. After
years of following even the most obscure clues to try and find his sister, he
was letting up. "Mulder, I--" "You were right, Scully. Samantha is dead and
I need to let her go. I've been so focused on finding her and finding the people
who took her, that I didn't even notice how important it was that I'd found
you." He looked at her again and he studied her reaction. She gave him a *look*
he'd come to know by heart. Her forehead wrinkled just slightly and her eyes
widened first in question and then in understanding as if to say [Oh, Mulder].
He'd seen that look so many times, but one of the first times he could remember,
he was sitting in a small room with a reel to reel tape running. She hadn't
thought he was watching her reaction that night, but he was. The X-Files had
been shut down and he'd come so close to proving the existence of extra-terrestrials,
but he'd been denied. He was so full of frustration that night, but he took
the time to recount his blessings, [I don't have the X-Files, Scully, but I
still have my work. And I have you, and I have myself.] He'd seen the *look*
on her face that night, it was the same look she was wearing right now. "Scully,
I've spent my whole life blaming myself for Samantha's disappearence. But I
shouldn't have. I've been telling myself these last few days that if I'd only
opened the X-Files sooner, if I'd found the Gregors or Kurt Crawford sooner,
then maybe I could have saved her. But she's gone and I'll never get a second
chance with her. I did the same thing with you, Scully, for months I told myself
that if I'd done the right thing and broke off my engagement to Nicky sooner,
if I'd told you that I loved you sooner, you wouldn't have left. But you did
and I blamed you for that, but Scully, it wasn't your fault...it was mine."
"No, Mulder," she said quietly, "we are both to blame for what happened." "But
we have a second chance, Scully. At least, I hope we do." He gave her a questioning
look, and she smiled, her eyes sparkled, and she nodded her head. "We do, Mulder.
We do." And then with a little bit of painful effort, Mulder watched as Scully
moved herself over to the far side of her bed. She patted the empty spot beside
her. "Come here." "Scully, I don't think the nurses would approve." "I don't
care." So he stood up and gently climbed into bed beside her. He placed one
arm under her head and around her shoulder, he circled the other one around
her back and pulled her to him. She put her hands up to his face and wasn't
at all surprised to feel the tears on his cheeks, because she was crying too.
They'd done enough of that today...it was time to make things right...it was
time for them to be happy. She wiped the tears away and kissed him softly, his
lips responding. Even with her injuries she could feel her desire for him welling
up inside of her, but Mulder pulled back and gave her a quick peck on the nose.
"You should get some rest, Scully." "I know, but..." "Go to sleep, Scully."
Their bodies relaxed and their breathing became more even. The pressures of
the case and the pain and loneliness of the last nine months slowly drifted
away. Right before Mulder slipped off to sleep he whispered, "I love you." Scully
wrapped her arm even tighter around him and whispered back, "I love you, too."
*****************************************************************************
*January 23, 1999* *11:34 am* "Well, this is it, Scully. You do the honors."
"No you go ahead, Mulder. My hands are full." "Allright." He pushed the key
into the lock and slowly opened the door to her condo. It looked just like it
had the last time he had seen it, but so much had changed. It struck Mulder
as odd, that the world and the everyday places stay the same, even though so
much can happen inside a person's head and heart. Scully took a deep breath
and walked through the door. "Well, it looks like my mom did some cleaning."
"She wanted to do something for you before she left." Scully walked over to
the couch and set her bag down. Mulder shut the front door and put the keys
on the counter top in the kitchen. "Scully, would you like some water?" he called
from the kitchen. "No, Mulder, there is only one thing I want right now..."
she answered. He popped his head out of the kitchen and saw her standing there,
hands on her hips, smiling at him. "Oh, you're right. You should probably get
some sleep. I'll go back to my hotel room and let you rest." "Actually, Mulder,
what I want to do doesn't involve getting any rest," she hinted. She had never
seen a bigger smile light up Mulder's face before. They were barely in the door
thirty seconds, but it was what they both wanted, it was what they had wanted
since the first moment they had layed eyes on each other in Mulder's hotel room
almost two weeks ago. Mulder walked over to her and scooped her up, trying not
to hug her too tightly. "Are you sure, Scully?" "I'm positive." He swung her
legs up and carried her to her bedroom. She had always wondered what would happen
if Mulder came to Los Angeles to work on a case. She'd hoped that they might
be able to see each other and talk, but in her dreams she'd always hoped that
he would come to her condo, they would tell each other how much they loved each
other, and then they would make love for days. And though her dreams were wonderful,
she realized that reality was even better. ******************************************************************************
*Epilogue* *March 1, 1999* *9: 05 am* "Good morning, Agent Scully...Agent Mulder.
Sit down, please." They were sitting in Assistant Director Skinner's office
and it looked the same as the last time Scully had seen it. It was her first
day back at work on the X-Files in Washington DC. She and Mulder had been to
their basement office and had just enough time to set their briefcases down,
when Skinner called them to his office. "Thank you, sir, "Scully said. She and
Mulder sat down across from him and prepared themselves for what they figured
was coming next. "It is good to have you back Agent Scully, but I do have one
question." "What is that, sir?" "I was noticing on your new file that your address
is the same as Agent Mulder's. Is that a mistake?" "No, sir. It isn't." She
looked over at Mulder and he glanced quickly her way. They'd expected this and
they had made some plans just in case they could no longer work for the FBI.
"I see." "Sir," Mulder spoke up, "Agent Scully and I have--" "Agent Mulder,
I don't think you should say any more," Skinner interrupted. "The less you tell
me, the less I know, and I think that would be a good arrangement for all of
us." Mulder understood his meaning. Skinner was giving them permission to pursue
their personal relationship and still work together, though he was not going
to *say* it. "Thank you," Mulder said. "Yes, thank you, sir." Scully was surprised
and pleased. She'd always felt that Skinner was their ally and she also knew
that she and Mulder made a good team, personally and professionally. She was
overjoyed that things seemed to be working out. A year ago, she and Mulder started
something they were unable to control. Their feelings and the love they felt
for one another guided them and it led them apart. Scully'd often felt that
she and Mulder came so close to almost having everything...it was all within
their reach... and now it truly was. Skinner stood, it was Scully and Mulder's
cue to leave. They stood up and walked to the door. Mulder opened it and placed
his hand on Scully's lower back as she walked through, just as he'd done for
years. Skinner watched them, and as they reached the door, he cleared his throat
loud enough to attract their attention. They turned back to look at him. "You
two, behave yourselves," he said with what could only be described as a smile.
"We will, sir," Scully said. And they walked out the door and back down to their
office. The End!
This story is © of The Sun Is Out Again Productions, 1997-2001.