Title: Forgiven
Author: X_fairy fairy175@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The X-files belong to CC and Mulder & Scully belong to each other, not to me! No infringement intended!
Rating: PG?
Category: R
Spoilers: A very small one for End Game
Archive: Anywhere, with my name and addy, but please let me know!
Dedicated to the one I love.
Author's note: I wrote this one for a challenge. I don't know what will come out of it yet...
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Forgiven
by X_fairy
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Scully's apartment
Sunday evening
11:21 PM
The phone rang and startled her out of deep sleep.
"Scully," she mumbled sleepily.
"Am I speaking to Special Agent Dana Scully?"
"Yes, you are. May I ask what the purpose of this call is?"
"You are on the emergency list of Special Agent Fox Mulder...."
"Mulder? What happened to him?" She hadn't seen him since Friday afternoon.
*****
Mulder's apartment
Friday evening
11:21 PM
Mulder jerked awake when the phone rang next to his head. He picked up the receiver, "Mulder."
"Fox?" a low female voice asked, "Is it you?"
He recognized the voice immediately. "Sammy?" he asked incredulously.
He heard her sigh with relief. "I'm so glad I finally found you. Listen, Fox, this is really important. You have to come and get me. I'll explain everything when I'm out of here."
"Where are you, Sammy? Where have you been? Why...?"
"My parents can be back any minute," she urged.
"Your parents? I... What...?" He was at a complete loss.
She sounded frantic. "Quick, write down the address I'll tell you. I can already hear them at the door...."
He grabbed for the nearest piece of paper, a newspaper picture of himself, and scribbled down the address.
"I'll phone you again if I can." The line went dead.
He blankly stared at the words he had written. If this was real... He grabbed the phone and dialed a number.
"I need a ticket for the next flight to Albuquerque."
"I'm sorry, sir, but this flight is booked up. May I get you a ticket for the next one? That would be...... tomorrow evening at 9:50 PM."
"I'll take that one," he said wearily.
"And your name, sir?"
"Mulder, Fox Mulder." He put down the receiver. Fox... He hadn't allowed anybody to call him that as long as Sam couldn't do it... Just then he started to comprehend what had happened. If this was really Sam... But he refused to get his hopes up. He remembered too well the last time a woman had claimed to be Samantha. He had to know for sure.
*****
John F. Kennedy airport
Washington DC
Saturday
9:30 PM
Mulder stood at the gate, tapping his foot impatiently. He should have boarded the plane ten minutes ago, but it had not even *landed* at that time. At that moment he heard an electronic sounding voice, "Passengers of flight 1013 to Albuquerque boarding now." Finally!
Half an hour later he sat in the plane, twisting the piece of paper with the address on it in his hands. For the first time he realized what it was. He didn't remember cutting out that picture... It was from a newspaper from a few days ago... Perhaps this was how she had found him!
He thought of Sam and what it might be like to see her again after all this time. The noise of his cell phone ringing startled him out of his reverie. "Mulder."
"Fox? It's me again. I'll try and tell you what happened to me. Just listen, I don't have much time. Those people I called my parents yesterday... They kidnapped me that night. I think they drugged me or something... Anyway, they made me believe I was their daughter. They keep me like some sort of pet. I'm not allowed to go out alone, They lock me up when they go away. A few days ago, I saw a picture of you in a paper, and your name, and that brought the memories back. It was very difficult to get your number. I tried a few times to phone the FBI until I got to somebody who knew you. A man called Skinner gave me your number..."
"Sam, I'm so glad that you're alive..."
"Fox, you have to be careful. My *parents* will do anything to keep me."
"I should be with you by tomorrow afternoon."
"I'll look out for you. Bye, Fox, I love you."
He smiled. "Love you too, Sammy."
*****
Somewhere in New Mexico
Sunday morning
5 AM
Mulder was driving as fast as he could, but that was still quite slow with the car he had.
The plane had touched down at 1:30, but it had taken him nearly two hours to get a rental car. This car had not been worth the effort... He felt like he could be faster by foot.
He floored the accelerator, but the car didn't seem to get faster. In fact, it seemed to be getting slower...
He looked at the fuel gauge and sighed exasperatedly. A moment later, the car stopped.
Mulder got out and looked up and down the street. A few miles ahead, there seemed to be something that suspiciously resembled a gas station. He looked into the trunk and found a canister with a few drops of gas left. He hoped it would be enough to reach the station. He didn't feel like pushing the car after a sleepless night.
*****
Las Cruces
New Mexico
8:07 PM
After a whole day of reckless driving and a short break at around 2 PM when he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, Mulder had finally reached his destination. He searched for the address Sam had given him, and found it soon. The house looked like a fortress. A heavy wooden door, the windows barred. He had to think of Sam's warning. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number of the local police station. "This is Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. I need backup in a possible case of kidnapping." He told them the address. They promised to be there as soon as possible, but he didn't want to wait.
He walked around to the back of the house. The backdoor seemed heavy too, but not as much as the front door.
He heard the turning of a key in the lock and quickly flattened himself against the wall.
It was Sam.
Before Mulder could think of anything else, she was in his arms and hugged him tightly. "Fox! Oh, Fox, I'm so glad you're here!"
He buried his face in her hair. "Anything for you, Sammy."
"Let's get away from here, Fox. I passed the last 23 years of my life in this house, and I never want to see it again."
At that moment, a man with a gun appeared in the doorway. "Let go of my daughter!"
"I AM NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!" Samantha called.
"Get away from that man, Lucy. Be a nice girl. You should be in bed by now." He talked to her as if he was talking to a little child.
Mulder flashed his badge. "Sir, I'm a federal agent. This woman is not your daughter, she is my sister. Please put the gun down, sir."
"Get away from my daughter!" the man called again. And then, without further warning, he shot.
Mulder pulled Samantha to the ground. A moment later, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The last thing he heard before passing out was the siren of a police car and a shout, " Put down the gun! You're arrested!"
*****
Hospital of Albuquerque
Monday
4 AM
Samantha was sitting at her brother's hospital bed. He was still unconscious, but the surgeon had told her that his condition was steady, and that it was only a matter of time till he would wake up.
The door opened and a redheaded woman of about her age entered. She seemed surprised to find someone at Fox's bedside. She watched Sam closely, and then asked, "You're Samantha, aren't you?"
Sam nodded. "And you are...?"
"I'm your brother's partner, Dana Scully. Can you tell me what happened?"
Sam told her the whole story. "... He was brought in by the police. They operated on him immediately. The surgeon told me he had a perforated lung and lost a lot of blood, but he said his condition was steady." She bit her lip. "Oh, Dana, I'm so scared. I just found him. I don't want to lose him again..."
Scully put her arms around the young woman, and Samantha started to cry.
When she felt better again, Scully said, "You should go get yourself something to dress." Sam was dressed in a thin nightgown that was full of dirt.
Her gaze wandered to the figure in the bed.
"I'll look after him," Scully promised. Sam smiled weakly and went out the door.
Scully sat down by the bed and took Mulder's hand. She had been worried like never before when they had phoned her some hours ago. She had nearly gone frantic during the hours of the flight. She only wished that he would wake up. She had something really important to tell him...
*****
The first thing Mulder felt was the pain in his chest. The next was Scully's hand in his. He made an effort to open his eyes. The first thing he *saw* was Scully's smile. It reminded him of the one she had given him when he had woken up in Alaska... And that thought made him feel guilty. Once again he had ditched her, and once again she had forgiven him. Or had she...?
"I'm sorry, Scully. I promise I'll do my very best to stop ditching you, but I had to help Sammy... I'm so sorry..."
She sat on the edge of the bed and took him in her arms. "It's okay, Mulder. You're forgiven."
"I always do this to you, again and again, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself. But I need you... You're the stone to put my back up against... I'd like nothing better than to see you happy... I... I love you, Scully, but I don't deserve you." He was near tears.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She tenderly cupped his face in her hands. "You take the words out of my mouth, Mulder. You do deserve me, and I love you too." She kissed him softly.
*****
Samantha smiled. She had been about to enter the room when she had seen her brother and his partner...
Today was the happiest day of her life, and not only of hers, as it seemed...
The End...