"Do
I Know You?"
A
Cinderella Story (M&S Style)
"Mulder, watch out!" Scully screamed just before the car screeched off
the road and into the woods. They had just come from a late meeting at the FBI.
Since Scully's car was in the repair shop, Mulder agreed to take her home. They
were both really tired, and that's probably why Mulder suddenly closed his eyes
while he was driving, causing the car to swerve off the road. He had awakened
at Scully's cry and then immediately hit the brakes. His attempts to stop the
car were in vain, seeing as they had already gone into the woods.
"What the-?" Mulder
exclaimed as he tried to steer the car away from danger. Out of the darkness in
front of them came a huge tree trunk.
"MULDER!" Scully yelled
as they hit the tree. Then all was quiet…
"Mr. Mulder? Oh, I think he's coming to!" Mulder
heard as he opened his eyes.
"What? Where-" He said weakly as he tried to lift his
head.
"No, you rest." Said the nurse gently as she slowly
pushed him back down. "Now, you were involved in a car accident, with a young
woman by the name of Dana Scully. She is still in an unconscious state-"
"Dana Scully? I don't know what you're talking about.
I don't even know a woman named Dana Scully."
4 DAYS LATER
"Miss Scully? Miss Scully?" Came a
gentle voice from the darkness in Scully's head. As she opened her eyes, the
nurse smiled. "Oh, thank goodness! I was wondering when you would wake up!"
"Wha-what happened?" Scully said
groggily as she studied her surroundings.
"You were in a car accident five
days ago, with a young man named Fox Mulder? Do you recall the accident?"
"Huh? Oh, no. Who did you say I was
in the car with?"
"Fox Mulder. Do you remember him?"
The nurse asked in a concerned tone.
"I don't think so." Scully said,
confused now.
"Tell me, Miss Scully. Do you
remember anything before you woke up?"
"The last thing I remember is…
waking up here. Are you trying to tell me that I have some sort of amnesia?"
"Well, you did suffer a pretty bad
blow to the head, as did Mr. Mulder. We released him four days ago. He had the
same symptoms you had."
"Did he have amnesia?" Scully asked,
now worried.
"Yes, but luckily, this kind of
amnesia has the tendency to go away after a while; that is, if you look at
something that reminds you of your past in any way; like diaries or home
movies."
"Do I have it?"
"Well, we can't be sure of that
until we run a few tests, which we can start now, if you like."
"Alright." Scully said.
3 HOURS
LATER
"Miss Scully?" said Scully's doctor
from behind the door.
"Yes? Please come in." Scully said,
anxious about the results of the tests. The doctor opened the door and came to
Scully's bedside.
"I have some bad news. It turns out
that you do have amnesia; the same kind Mr. Mulder had." The words hit Scully
like a brick.
"Ar-Are you sure?" Scully asked.
"I'm afraid so."
"What should I do?"
"Well, when we released Mr. Mulder,
we gave him his home address and had a cab pick him up and take him home. His
case wasn't as severe as yours, though. He remembered everything up until when
he graduated collage. You, on the other hand, don't recall anything before
three hours ago, am I right?"
"Yes…" Scully said, a little
embarrassed.
"Well, I suggest you move somewhere
near people who can fill you in on the last thirty-eight years. I phoned you
Mother. I told her not to come down because your case was nothing to worry
about. She said that there was a house in her neighborhood, right next door,
for rent. Cheap, too. Would you consider moving there for at least a year?"
asked the doctor.
"Well, I'm willing to do anything to
get my memory back." Scully said with a slight laugh.
"Alright, then. You mother said that
if you choose to move, she would have someone clear out your apartment for you.
Would you like that?"
"I would love it! Thank you,
Doctor."
"Do you have any questions?" The
doctor asked, turning to leave.
"Just one-When can I leave?" The
doctor laughed.
"Not for a few more weeks. Your
apartment will probably be sold by then. When you do leave, I'll have your
mother pick you up. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you." Scully said.
3 WEEKS
LATER
"Wow! It's beautiful, Mom!" Scully
said in an amazed tone as she looked around her new house. It was light blue
with white shudders with a Victorian front door. It also had a flat roof that
you could walk on, using a door from the attic. It had a spacious backyard with a fence around the outside. It
was gorgeous.
On the inside, it was just as
beautiful. Everything was set up. Scully's pictures were on the wall, her sofa
and TV were in the living room; it was as if she herself had placed everything.
"I'm glad you like it, Dana. I
thought you would." Said Mrs. Scully as she closed the door behind them.
"What's this?" Scully asked as she
picked up a book from the coffee table.
"Oh! The movers found it in one of
the boxes in your closet. It's a photo album. I thought I'd leave it out for
you to look at; you know, to speed up your recollection."
Scully thumbed through the book.
Pictures of herself, her mother, her brother, and her late father and sister
were plastered in all around the pages.
"Who's that?" asked Scully, pointing
to a picture of a good-looking, dark haired man. He was sitting on a sofa with
a smile on his face that looked like he wasn't thrilled to be photographed.
"Oh! I completely forgot! I told you
about your family, but not about your friends! That's Fox Mulder. He's your
best friend."
"So that's who Fox Mulder is! The
nurse at the hospital told me that he had been in the accident with me. He had
amnesia, too. I hope he's okay." Scully exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine. We could go
visit him sometime, if you'd like, but I can't promise that he'll remember
you." Just then, the phone rang. "I'll be right back, Dana." Mrs. Scully said
as she rushed into the kitchen to get the phone. Scully ran her finger around
the picture's face. 'The feeling I get when I look at him, I would have guessed
that he was my husband or something.' Scully thought.
"Honey, that was the FBI-I told you
that you worked there before the accident, didn't I?" Mrs. Scully continued
when Scully nodded. "Well, they're letting you go…"
MULDER'S
APARTMENT
"You're letting me go?! Why? Oh…I see…But couldn't I just work in the
storage room or something and work up from there? Uh-huh…okay…I see…Yes, I
know- But-Yes, I know I don't remember everything I need to know to work
there-But-Can't I just go to the FBI Academy again? Yes, I know I'm too old to
apply again-Can't you make an exception? Yes but-No but-Sir-Oh, fine. Yes sir.
Yes sir, I understand. Goodbye." Mulder disappointedly hung up the phone. He
glumly walked around his apartment, looking for his shoes. He had to go for a
walk, just to get his mind off of things. 'Only weeks after I get home from the
hospital and already I get fired.' He thought.
ONE YEAR
LATER
"Mr. Mulder, you have a visitor."
Said a voice from the telephone intercom in Mulder's office.
"Who is it, Ms. Phillips?" Mulder
answered.
"It's Andrea Hopkins, sir. She wants
to know if you will be continuing your work on that apartment building on
Fifty-Fourth Street."
"Tell her that I said yes, and to
come to the new office in two weeks to chat. This is my last day in this city,
and I'll be in the new office from now on. If she doesn't already know, tell
her that I'm moving and that's why I'm going to the new office. That woman
always asks too many questions." Mulder said as he lifted the last of his boxes
out of his office.
"Yes sir." Ms. Phillips said as she
clicked the intercom off. Mulder un hooked the phone and put it in his box. On
the way out he passed by Ms. Phillips desk.
"Good luck moving, sir. See you in
two weeks." She said.
"Thank you, Ms. Phillips." Mulder
said as he left the building.
As Mulder pulled up to his apartment
building, he saw the moving trucks that he had ordered were already there. He
walked into his apartment and greeted and short, red-faced man at his door.
"Are you Mr. Mulder?" asked the man.
"Yeah. Are you from In-A-Jiffy
Moving Service?"
"How'd ya guess?" asked the man
sarcastically as he waved a hand over his uniform. "We already moved all 'a'
'da boxes into the truck…Just check around an' see if you missed anythin',
'kay?"
"Sure. I probably didn't, though."
Mulder said, looking around his empty apartment.
"So, ah, what business you in?"
asked the man, trying to make conversation.
"Oh, I'm the president of Robinson
Architecture. Why?"
"Eh, just askin'. I'm always
interested in otha' people's jobs. Gives me ideas for what I really wanna be. I
don' wanna be no mover."
"I see. Well, I should be going
really soon, so…" Mulder implied.
"Oh, yeah, sure. Okay, boys! Move
out!" the man yelled. He tipped his hat to Mulder and walked out the door with
the rest of his clan. Mulder set off to check if he had forgotten anything.
As Mulder was feeling around the
high shelves in his empty closet, his hand landed on a book. Surprised to find
something, he pulled the book down from the shelf and examined it. It was an
old photo album. He opened it to the first page. On it were pictures of him as
a baby; or at least that's what the label told him. As he turned the pages, he
came across a picture labeled "Scully."
'Scully…where have I heard that name
before?' he thought to himself. 'Oh! She was that woman who was with me in the
accident! What was her first name? Oh, I'm never good with first names…oh
well…' He continued to look at the picture. In it, a young, auburn-haired woman
sat of the ledge of an outdoor fountain, smiling. 'God, she's beautiful…I
wonder who she was…' he thought as he ran a finger over Scully's smiling face…
LATER THAT
DAY
"Mom! Looks like someone's moving in
across the street!" Scully shouted to her mother, who was helping her clean the
house that day.
"You mean that giant house that's
been empty for months?"
"Yeah! Great, huh?" Scully said
enthusiastically. "Should we go greet them?"
"No, Dana, it's too late…plus, we
should wait to be invited it."
"Yeah, I guess your right."
3 WEEKS
LATER
Mulder sat alone in his big new
house. It was Saturday morning, and Mulder has no work to do.
'I wish I knew at least one person
in this town…' he thought. 'That's it! A house-warming party! I'll invite
everyone in town! There'll be dancing, music, and of course food! I'll have it
tomorrow! Oh, that's a great idea!'
2 HOURS LATER
The phone rang in Scully's kitchen.
"Hello?" Scully greeted the receiver.
"Hi, Dana! This is Kim Jones from
down the street."
"Oh, hello! How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. Listen, I just called
to tell you about the house-warming party tomorrow. It's a twelve noon. Will
you be going?"
"Yeah, that's sounds cool. Where is
it?"
"It's that giant white house right
across the street from you."
"Oh, yeah! They moved in three weeks
ago. What were their names again?"
"I think his name is Sox Kulda, or
something."
"Hmmmm…strange name. Well, I'll be
there!"
"Oh, one more thing: He's supposed
to be very handsome-and very single!"
Scully laughed.
" I'll keep that in mind. Thank you,
Mrs. Jones."
"No prob. See ya tomorrow."
"Bye." Scully said before she hung
up.
NEXT DAY,
NOON
Mulder looked in the mirror. He was
wearing his dark blue jeans and a semi-tight black T-shirt. He was expecting
people to knock on his door at any moment, so everything for the party was set
up. The food and refreshments were on a table in his kitchen, the DJ was here,
and all of the furniture was moved out of the dining room so people could
dance. He knew it was only supposed to be a housewarming party, but in Mulder's
mind, what's a party without dancing?
He went down the stairs to check if
everything was still in place. When he found it in perfect order, he went into
his large, elegant, and empty dining room to check on the DJ. He was just
finishing setting up. "You all set?" Mulder asked.
"Yep. Just gotta put these CDs out."
"Cool." Mulder said just as a knock
was heard at the door…
2 HOURS
LATER
Scully raced onto her street. She
had just come from an extremely long stay at Bill's house, where she and her
mom had slept the previous night. Her mom then said that she was going to stay
there instead of going to the housewarming party, reminding Scully to look at
the time. She had realized that she was extremely late. She now leapt out of
her car and flew into her house. She franticly went though her closet for
something to wear other than the sweatpants and T-shirt she had been wearing
since last night. After much contemplating, she decided to wear a long blue
dungaree dress that had a small elastic band around the lower part of her rib
cage. She fixed her short, red hair so that it curled under. She put on light
pink lipstick, grabbed her pocketbook, and ran out the door.
When she reached the party house,
she knocked on the door. She could hear loud music though the door. A tall,
dark haired, strangely familiar man opened the door. He wore dark blue jeans
and a semi-tight black shirt…
Mulder stared in awe at the
beautiful woman standing in front of him. A strange feeling swept over him.
"Hi!" He shouted over the music.
"Hello! Are you Sox Kulda?" Scully
asked. Not able to hear over the music, Mulder assumed that she had pronounced
his name right.
"Yeah, just call me Fox."
"Oh! Fox! I thought Sox was an odd name!" Even though he didn't fully understand what she
said or meant, Mulder laughed.
"Come on in…uh…"
"Dana. Dana Sc-" The music engulfed
the rest of her last name.
"What?"
"Dana S-" Again, he was unable to
hear her last name.
"I'll just call you Dana!" Mulder
said, moving aside to let her in.
"Okay!" Scully answered, stepping
over the doorway. Mulder closed the door behind her.
They talked for a while, and then
they split up when Scully found Mrs. Jones by the punch bowl and Mulder was
dragged away by Mr. Melvin, who lived towards the beginning of the street. Soon
after Mulder was gone, Mrs. Jones questioned Scully about what she thought of
him.
"Is he handsome or what?" She said
with a mischievous smile on her face.
"You can say that again. I feel like
I know him, though…it's strange."
"Maybe you saw him around town or
something."
"No, I'm not sure what it is."
"Maybe he's meant for you, like you
know him from a past-life or something."
"That's impossible."
"Whatever you say."
After Mulder got away from Mr.
Melvin, he caught up with his friend, Josh McGuire. "Hey, Josh!"
"Hi, Fox! What's up?"
"Well, nothing, except that there is
this beautiful woman who just showed up about a half-an-hour ago. I feel like I
know her. It's really weird."
"Why don't you request a song and
ask her to dance?" Josh suggested.
"Good idea! Why didn't I think of
that? See ya later, Josh! Thanks!" Mulder said as he walked over to the DJ.
Scully saw him approaching her. She
couldn't believe how handsome he was. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.
Suddenly a feeling swept over her and she was lost in a gaze.
"Sure…" She said, not knowing where
the word came from. Before she knew it, she had taken his hand and was being
led to the middle of the dance floor. The song 'Unforgettable' by Nat King Cole
and Natalie Cole came through the speakers. He held her close, feeling a little
something more than that he knew her. She fought the urge to rest her head on
his shoulder. She just held him, breathing in his somewhat familiar scent of
vanilla musk, cinnamon, and a hint of Tide. She listened to the words to the
song:
Unforgettable
That's what
you are
Unforgettable
Though near
or far
Like a song
of love
That clings
to me
How the
thought of you
Does things
to me
Never
before,
Has someone
been more…
Was it
possible that she knew him somehow? That he was unforgettable? Something about
him told her this was true, but she couldn't put her finger on it…
Unforgettable,
In every
way
And forever
more
That's how
you'll stay
That's why
darling,
It's
incredible
That
someone,
So
unforgettable
Thinks that
I am,
Unforgettable,
too
Mulder now
knew he knew her from somewhere. The scent of her honeysuckle shampoo was so
familiar! As he listened to the song, he wondered if she felt like she knew
him, too.
No, never
before,
Has someone
been more
Ooh,
unforgettable
In every
way
And forever
more,
That's how
you'll stay
That's why
darling
It's
incredible
That
someone so unforgettable
Thinks that
I am
Unforgettable
Toooooo…
Mulder
looked down at Scully. She met his gaze. He slowly leaned down as she closed
her eyes and tilted her neck up…
"FIRE!!!" Someone called from
Mulder's kitchen; making both him and Scully quickly jump out of each other's
arms. Smoke was bellowing out from underneath the kitchen door like a fog
machine. The music stopped suddenly as the DJ took in what was happening.
"I told them not to cook anything!" Mulder said to no one in particular. He
turned back to Scully. "Dana, you get out of here…" He then remembered that
there were other guests in his house. "Everyone! Get out of the house! I'll
take care of this!" He yelled over the shrieks of frightened people.
"Fox, are you sure you don't need
help?" Scully asked worriedly.
"No, Dana. You go home. I'll be
fine." He said to her, jogging away. "It was nice meeting you!" He called over
his shoulder as he went into the kitchen. Scully looked at him disappear into
the smoke before following the river of people out the front door.
Meanwhile, Mulder was coughing in
the now-deserted kitchen. He located the source of the fire: Burning
French-fries. He quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and smothered the fire.
The smoke ceased almost immediately and Mulder was able to clear the remaining
smoke out of his house within an hour.
After he cleaned up the living room,
Mulder realized that it was already one in the morning. He dragged himself up
the stairs and thought about the woman at the party as he drifted off to sleep…
He was in
an FBI office. His hair was different, and he seemed to be working on a very
strange case. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Nobody in here but the
FBI's most unwanted…" he found himself saying. The door opened to reveal a
middle-aged woman with long red hair and blue eyes. Mulder recognized her as
Dana from his party! He wanted to tell her that he knew her, but just then she
spoke:
"Agent Mulder? I'm Dana Scully. I've
been assigned to work with you." So she WAS Dana! He was about to say
something, but his mouth was moving on his own!
"Oh isn't it nice to be suddenly so
highly regarded. So who did you tick off to get stuck with this details,
Scully?" What am I doing? He thought to himself. What am I talking
about?
"Actually, I'm looking forward to
working with you. I've heard a lot about you." She said. Before he could think
anymore, he suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, really? I was under the
impression…that you were sent to spy on me." Even though he was totally
confused, the words that came out of his mouth showed no sign of wavering.
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of white light. When it was gone, he found
himself in his old apartment building's hallway. As he looked around, he
realized that he was staring at the same woman that he just saw in the FBI, but
her hair was shorter. He then realized that he was talking. He didn't hear what
he had said, though, because he wasn't paying attention to his mouth and legs,
which were moving on their own, but on what the heck he was doing here and how
he got there. He decided to start listening to himself to see if it would give
him any clues to how he got all the way back to D.C.
"You kept me honest," he was saying.
"You made me a whole person…I owe you everything…Scully and you owe me
nothing." He gazed into her eyes. They were tearing up. "I don't know if I
wanna do this alone…I don't even know if I can." He paused and continued
looking at her. "And if I quit now, they win." There was another pause, and she
came forward. He took her in his arms, breathing in her scent as she cried into
his shoulder. They stood like that for a while, and then she broke the hug and
took his neck. She kissed his forehead and rested her head against his. She
seemed like she was trying to say something. All of a sudden, he took the sides
of her face. As he looked at her, a strange emotion filled his chest. I love
her, don't I? He thought. His question was answered when he found himself
leaning forward to kiss her…
"Ouch!" She yelped, falling into his
collar bone… FLASH
"Mulder, watch out!" A woman's voice
filled his sleepy head. He opened his eyes and realized that he was in a car.
The car had sped off the road and was now driving crazily into the woods.
"What that-?" Mulder yelled. Out of
the darkness came a giant tree trunk.
"MULDER!"
He woke with a start. He was covered
in sweat. After he figured out that he could move his mouth and limbs on his
own, he established that it was all a dream. Mulder thought for a moment. Dana
Scully, FBI…I worked on the X-Files, cases of the paranormal… He opened his
eyes wide. "I remember! It was 1993, and I was assigned to work with Dana
Scully. She worked with me for seven years…I went through so much with her…I
saved her life so many times…I-I loved her…" Mulder thought out loud. "My
memory is back! Wait a minute…Scully…Her mother lives on this street! If Scully
was at my party, she must be visiting…Oh no… She didn't recognize me last
night…That means that…That she got amnesia, too…That explains why she didn't
track me down…Oh, I've got to remind her…Somehow…" Mulder decided not to call
her mom, seeing as it was two in the morning, so he laid down to sleep.
THE NEXT
MORNING
Mrs. Scully
climbed out of her car. She had just come back from Bill's and was just about
to climb the steps to her house when…
"Maggie! Maggie!" Mulder yelled,
running across the street with his right hand waving above his head. At first,
Maggie couldn't see who it was. When she finally saw Mulder's face, her
expression turned from confused to amazed.
"Fox?!" She exclaimed, walking
slowly toward him. He caught up to her and hugged her. They pulled away and she
put his hands on his face to make sure he was really there. "I can't believe
it's you! What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I moved into that house over
there." He responded, pointing to the large house across the street.
"You-You mean, you're Sox Kulda?"
"Sox Kulda?" Mulder laughed. "I
guess one of the neighbors got my name mixed up. Anyway, how've you been
doing?"
"I'm fine, but that question should
be from me to you. What about your amnesia?"
"Actually, I came here to talk to
you about that. I just remembered everything last night. What about Scully?" At
this question, Maggie looked sad.
"She hasn't remembered anything yet.
Oh! Did you see her at the party last night?"
"I did, that's probably why I
remembered so much. Do you know where I can find her? At her apartment, here…?"
"Oh, Fox, she moved next door about
three weeks after the accident. She's there now."
"Really? Thanks, Maggie!" Mulder
said, running next door. Maggie watched him run to the house with tears in her
eyes. She really wanted to see what would happen, but she decided that if she
went, she would spoil the moment, if there ever was one.
Scully was just about to sit and
watch some TV when there was a knock on her door. She went to the door and
looked through the peephole. She smiled broadly and opened the door. "Fox! I'm
so glad your ok! I guess the fire wasn't that bad, huh?"
"Scully, I need to talk to you." He
said, not answering her question.
"Fox, how did you know my last name?
I didn't-"
"Scully, don't you remember me?" He
interrupted.
"I-Of course I remember you, Fox. I
saw you just last night."
"Scully, look," he said, sighing,
"Last night…I felt that I knew you from somewhere. You seemed very familiar to
me."
"Oh my God, same here. Wait, what
are you getting at, that we knew each other before? That this is…some sort of
coincident?" Mulder smiled.
"Yes! Exactly. Don't you think it's
at all possible that we might know each other, since the car-"
"Mulder, it might be, but I don't
believe in-" she interrupted. Mulder stopped her.
"You-You called me 'Mulder'." Scully
put her hand to her mouth. She had thought his name was 'Kulda'. Why did she
call him that?
"…Coincidences." She finished.
"Wait, car…what?"
"Accident. About a year ago. You
remember, right?"
"Your-Your Fox Mulder! The man in
the car with me! Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening…"
"Scully, my point is, last night, I
had a dream. I think that you flipped a switch in my mind, or something. The
dream was my memories. It's hard to explain, but when I woke up, I remembered
everything…I remembered you." He said, looking at her with a hopeful look on
his face. Scully stared back at him. She looked off into space for a while.
Suddenly, she spoke.
"Your Fox Mulder, FBI…I'm Dana
Scully, FBI…We worked in the basement…I was sent to work with you to de-bunk
your work; your belief in the paranormal…" Mulder smiled again and grabbed her
shoulders.
"Scully, you remember!" he
exclaimed.
"I-I do! I…I don't know what to say…" She said, smiling, even though she
had begun to cry.
" Don't say anything, Scully, because I have something to say…" He paused
and looked at her. "Last night, I realized that I had been given a second
chance…I had lost you, but by some strange fate, I found you again…If I ever
lost you again without telling you…What I'm trying to say is…" He moved his
hands from her shoulders to around her face. "I love you, Scully." Scully
looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"I love you, too, Mulder. I always have…" She said, her voice wavering.
He lowered his face onto hers. She met his kiss and put her arms around his
neck. They kissed passionately for a while, their love flowing over them like a
soft summer rain on a warm evening. They parted and looked at each other.
"I'm so glad I found
you." Mulder said softly.
"Me too, Mulder. I love
you so much." She said, tears now
streaming down her face. He gently wiped them away with his thumbs. They kissed
again, knowing that the past year would be the last time they would ever leave
each other again.
