AN: Mary (commenting on "All of 'all things'") - re: "Are you planning to write more vignettes?:)"... I might dabble with Mulder and Scully once again, but it would most likely be after I've finished one of my Alex/Olivia stories (currently 3 on the go right now) or if I got a sudden bolt of inspiration (but for me, that's not unheard of) :-)
AN2: This was written after the announcement that the 2nd X-Files movie was finally going ahead, so 2006-2007ish? Back in the day, I was quite prevalent on an XF messageboard in the country I live in. From memory, after the announcement had finally been made official, I posted a prompt asking for my XF friends to "write what they'd like to possibly see happen in the new movie, or what they'd like as the opening sequence of the new movie". I personally chose the opening sequence. Please don't ask me to continue where it leaves off because I know people will, just accept what is written and think of the possibilities of what could happen next ;-). Just remember it was my interpretation of what I thought could be an opening sequence to the 2nd movie that took ages to come to fruition (seeing it was supposed to take place immediately after the end of season 9) :-). The original version of this opening sequence was lost from that messageboard, but I remember most of it, so I've rewritten it here. I hope you enjoy the opening teaser for what I had hoped would have been "XF2: In Search of William" :-)
"Asshole!" he muttered while shielding his eyes with his left hand from the high beam headlights of the oncoming car.
It was the first vehicle on the lonely stretch of road on the back roads of Wyoming he had seen in over an hour this time of night. He wanted nothing more than to honk the horn and give the other driver the middle finger, but he didn't want to wake his passenger from their fitful slumber.
As the car on the opposite side of the road passed, he lowered his hand back down to the steering wheel. He smiled as the glint of gold on his left ring finger caught his eye. He reached his right hand over and rested his on top of his passenger's before brushing his thumb over the one securely on her left ring finger for a moment then grasped the steering wheel once again. To anyone, they looked the perfect married couple, and they were husband and wife in every sense of the word... but not in the eyes of the law. How could they? They didn't exist. There was never a fancy wedding, no suit or dress, no flowers, no cake, no reception. They had exchanged simple vows and plain gold rings in front of noone else but each other in the days after ceasing to exist and beginning their life on the run. To love and cherish each other until the day they died. It wasn't until they said those words that the truth came out. They both admitted they had been doing that in various forms since the early part of 1992.
Since they were assigned to work together on the X-Files.
"Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted."
"Agent Mulder? I'm Dana Scully. I've been assigned to work with you."
"Oh, isn't it nice to be suddenly so highly regarded. So, who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?"
"Actually, I'm looking forward to working with you. I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh, really?! I was under the impression that you were sent to spy on me."
"If you have any doubt about my qualifications or credentials, th-"
"You're a medical doctor, you teach at the academy. You did your undergraduate degree in physics. 'Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New Interpretation'. Dana Scully's Senior Thesis. Now that's a credential, rewriting Einstein."
"Did you bother to read it?"
"I did. I liked it. It's just that in most of my work, the laws of physics rarely seems to apply. Maybe I can get your medical opinion on this, though?"
But the X-Files didn't exist any more.
Just like Special Agent Mulder and Special Agent Scully.
Or even Fox William Mulder and Dana Katherine Scully, for that matter.
To any one that asked their names, they were just William and Katherine Smith, Taylor or Jones. Sometimes it was even Petrie when they were in a more lighthearted mood, but only in the privacy of their own company were they still just Mulder and Scully.
She wasn't Clairol Nice 'n Easy 110 Natural Light Auburn any more. This surprised him more than anything, finding out the red hair that he'd fallen in love with was from a bottle, but he loved her all the same. She corrected that she was auburn, but used the dye to make it more of an even colour. But that colour, even in her natural form, was out of the question now. Currently, she was more blonde, her hair much longer than he'd ever seen on her before. He loved running his fingers through it at night as he held her protectively in his arms as she lay on top of him. Even he had changed these last few years. A little grey at the sides, a little longer on top and his forehead more creased than ever. These last few years on the run, in constant hiding had aged them more, but they were alive and still together.
They were their own little family... with one very important member missing.
Their son.
William.
They had tried having more children, but to no avail.
William was a miracle.
Their miracle.
Conceived through love.
Their love.
Their first time being intimate.
Although, they 'practiced' quite often, as he put it. Almost every night, reaffirming their deep, unyielding love for each other. Rarely was it a frenzied night of passion, but almost always slow, gentle and tender lovemaking... just like their first time.
They complimented and completed each other in every sense of the word, but required their son to be the whole family they wanted and needed to be.
His eyes darted to his wristwatch, 9-25pm, before he looked down at the gas gauge, now just hovering above 'E'. They needed gas and food for dinner soon. As luck would have it, he saw a sign for a gas station just 2 miles away. As he pulled in to the station, he saw who he presumed to be the owner locking up.
He jumped out the pick up and raced to the door. "Oh, nonononono! Please! We've been driving for hours. I need gas!"
"Sorry man, I need to get home to my family."
He looked at the embroidered name on the man's shirt, "Hey... Mitch? It'll be a full tank and whatever food you have in the heater, in the fridge or on the counter so you don't need to toss it out. Pizza slices, corndogs, sandwiches, cupcakes, muffins... whatever you've got, I'll take."
Mulder could see Mitch considering his options.
"Look, my wife's pregnant and she's as hungry as hell with her cravings. Please don't let me get my head bit off, otherwise you'll be dealing with her in the morning seeing our tank's only got vapours right now. Let me tell you... a hormonal woman, not pleasant!"
He hated using Scully like that, but it always worked.
"I hear ya. My wife's going through that 'change of life' right now, oh boy! Alright man, lemme just turn the pumps back on."
"Thanks. Oh and can you put the food in a small box?"
Mulder openly studied Scully as he filled the tank. It had been odd seeing her in anything other than a business suits, slacks, skirts and heels, but now that was a distant memory. Jeans, sweats, t-shirts, sun dresses and long flowing skirts were the norm now, and today was no exception. A tight white t-shirt that clung to her body, accentuating her breasts even more and a pair of denim jeans that hugged her curves. He didn't think she could be any more beautiful, but he was bias. The tiny fine gold chain and cross rested against the base of her throat, the only other piece of jewellery she allowed herself these days. No watch, no earrings. Just her chain and her wedding band.
He entered the station to pay for the gas and food, grabbed a couple of cans of cola and bottles of water as well before giving the man named Mitch an extra $10 for his troubles.
"Drive safely," Mitch called as Mulder returned to the pick up with the box of food.
He hopped back in and checked the road map before he slowly pulled back out on to the road. In the rear view mirror, he saw the taillights of Mitch's car heading in the opposite direction.
Some time and many miles passed before she stirred awake, "W-what time is it?"
"Umm... 10-13."
She arched her back before yawning, "M-my t-turn to d-drive."
"No Scully, you sleep."
"Mulder!" she groaned.
"I'm awake. You keep sleeping for a while longer."
She smiled lazily at him, "Well I'm awake now."
He pulled off the road but kept the engine running as he reached over and kissed the back of her hand, "Love you."
"I love you too." Scully closed her eyes and sighed, "He's 5 tomorrow."
"I know. We'll find him, I promise you we will find William... trust me."
"You're the only one I trust." She unbuckled her safety belt before leaning over and pressing her lips to his. He slowly deepened the kiss as he lightly caressed her cheek, their tongues gently becoming reacquainted before Scully reluctantly ended the kiss. "Promise me you'll wake me when it's midnight?"
"I promise. There's a cupcake in the box, and we have a lighter... we'll make a wish... maybe it will finally come true?"
"Mine did."
"Really?!"
"I got you and we have a child... the only thing more I could ask for is having William back with us now," Scully said before kissing Mulder again.
"I'm home, Mrs Van De Kamp!"
"In the kitchen, Mr Van De Kamp."
"Sorry I took so long, Lou baby. Had a guy arrive just on closing time for a full tank... Lou? Louisa, what's wrong?"
"Mitch... it's Billy."
"What did our boy do? He didn't hurt himself, did he?"
Louisa Van De Kamp smiled sadly at her husband, "Billy informed me today that... he didn't want to be called Billy any more. He wants us to call him William."
"Oh... ok, then. He's growing up, the big '5' tomorrow... and his real name is William after all. No need to get upset about that. You know I was the same with being called Mitchell when I was a kid."
"It's not just that... he, ahh... he informed me that he knew that we're not his real parents."
"You told him about his adoption?"
"No! We both agreed that we wouldn't say anything until he was older!"
Mitchell Van De Kamp let out an exasperated sigh, "Maybe one of our friends said something in passing and Billy... William... overheard? He's a real smart kid."
Louisa wrung her hands together, "He also said that he wouldn't call us Mommy and Daddy any more... because it wouldn't be much longer until his real parents came for him."
"How would the birth parents know where he is? It was a closed adoption for crying out loud!"
"I don't know. Maybe... maybe we should talk to the adoption agency? Let them know about this."
"Don't think they can't just come waltzing back in and take him back just because they want him now! We might not be rich, but we'll fight them tooth and nail. Do they know what his favourite colour is? Do they know what his first word was? Do they know what his favourite Sesame Street character is? He's our son, we've raised him for most of his life!"
"I just wanted you to know, Mitch."
Mitch took his wife by the hand, switched off the kitchen light and led Louisa down the hall. "I say we get Billy... William's... birthday out of the way, talk about it after that. We're not going to let this ruin our family."
"Ok, honey."
As quietly as she could, Louisa Van De Kamp opened the door to bedroom of their son. Mitchell Van De Kamp walked over and pressed a light kiss to his forehead before switching on the nightlight and exiting the room. "See you in the morning, birthday boy... our birthday boy."
At the sound of his bedroom door closing, little blue eyes opened before the brown haired boy slowly hopped out of bed and stared out of his bedroom window. He pressed his nose against the cool pane of glass, willing the time to arrive faster. His imaginary friend told him the time was drawing closer, but nothing more than that. That was many nights ago and he hadn't seen him since.
"Patience, little white buffalo."
The little boy spun around to see the elder Navajo Indian in the darkened corner of his bedroom.
"Albert!" he whispered in awe. "You came back!"
Albert Hosteen approached before crouching down to the little boy's eye level, "I never left. I'm always with you. I've been with you since they day you came to be... I've watched over you while your mother carried you... I even watched over your father while he was gone... and I was there the night you were born. Now I watch over you, until you and your parents can be reunited... even then I'll continue watching over the 3 of you."
"They're near, aren't they? My real parents."
"They are... but the time isn't right. It may seem like a long time away for such a young man as yourself, but in your entire lifetime, it's only a little while longer."
"I believe you. Albert... what will happen to Mitchell and Louisa?"
"Your adoptive parents are caring for you for as long as is necessary, but you will return to your real parents very soon."
"Are Mitchell and Louisa going to die?"
Albert Hosteen sighed heavily, "That... I can't answer. Terrible things will happen soon because you're a special young man, but the fate of your adoptive parents isn't clear yet. Now, young men who turn 5 tomorrow should be in bed."
He reluctantly got back in to his bed before hugging his stuffed white buffalo toy tightly. "You'll stay until I'm asleep?"
"I always do." Albert indicated the stuffed toy, "Even when I'm not here, I'm always watching over you."
"Goodnight Albert."
"Goodnight William."
As little blue eyes progressively got heavier, Albert Hosteen's spirit slowly faded away.