AN: This is an AU series that is an X-Files/Ghost and Mrs. Muir crossover series. Yes, I know it sounds like it couldn't possibly work, but somehow the characters mesh well together.

Before you read this story, it is STRONGLY suggested that you read "The Ghost Files" – the first story in the series. It will give you the context you need for the rest of the series.

And this story involves two consenting, loving couples – there will be physical intimacies from time to time (nothing graphic); if that isn't something you like then don't read.

Summary: Daniel and Carolyn Gregg, along with Fox and Dana Mulder receive the promised gift from "the powers that be", but there is an unexpected twist for the Captain due to the fact that he is a spirit and he becomes lost in a previous time. Will the others be able to rescue him? And what will be the consequences of his unexpected journey?

The Ghost Files – Story #3

A Stitch in Time

By Dark Poltergeist

Chapter 1

"No, no, absolutely not! What is the point of such a hunt?" The ghost of Captain Gregg crossed his arms in front of him and glared at his friend.

"Come on, Danny, it'll be fun," Mulder said.

"Come on, Uncle Danny, please?" The seven-year-old boy said and ran to stand in front of the Captain.

"But…aliens?" he said the word with great distaste.

Although he tried not to show his reaction in front of his son, Mulder blanched.

"I'm sure they're long gone," Scully said taking Mulder's arm in hers and squeezing it. "We'll just be going to see if they've left any evidence behind."

Yeah, that," he agreed and gave her a grateful peck on the cheek.

"Come on, Daniel, it will be fun. We've been cooped up here for a long time, it will be good to get out," Carolyn agreed and hung onto his arm.

"I don't know. I mean, aliens," he mumbled while rubbing his chin.

"Would you rather we went for a ghost hunt?" Mulder asked.

Daniel gave him a look of disbelief and gestured slowly to himself and his corporeal form. "And really, Fox? What would be the point to that?"

"Not all ghosts are as magnificent as you, Daniel." Carolyn chuckled. "It might be interesting to find a lesser spirit."

He snorted in contempt.

"Why don't we vote?" Scully suggested.

"Do I get to vote too?" William asked.

"Yes," said Mulder.

"No," said the Captain, which earned him a look of disapproval from the boy.

"Why not?" William crossed his arms in front of him.

"You're too young to vote," he said with an exasperated look.

"Am not!"

"He can vote," Carolyn said, silencing her husband.

"Okay, all in favor of the alien scavenger hunt, say yes," Scully said.

Everyone except the Captain called out yes.

"And the nays?"

"Nay," said the Captain's lone voice.

"I guess it's settled, Danny. Scavenger hunt it is. Everyone out, we'll take the mini-van." Mulder said as his family departed through the doors of Gull Cottage.

The Captain gave his wife a long-suffering look, and she leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth. "It won't be so bad. You know there won't really be aliens there."

"No, I suppose not. I suspect that might be too much for Fox to handle," he grimaced at the thought of his friend's horrific memories. "So, I suppose I must go with the lot of you."

"Yes, you have to, you old salt. Stop being such a curmudgeon," she chided him with a smile.

"I cannot help it, it is my nature," he grumbled, but allowed her to lead him out the door.

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They drove to a remote location in Maine countryside, and departed the mini-van, stretching as they got out. Daniel assisted his elderly wife out of the car seat and offered her his arm to steady herself. She looked at him gratefully and they shared a sweet, chaste kiss.

"You two kiss a lot!" Observed William who stood in front of them and stared at them. "You're almost as bad as Mom and Dad."

Mulder and Scully chuckled as they ruffled their son's hair

"And how bad does that make you?" Carolyn asked with a quiet smile.

"You don't want to know," Mulder admitted, and Daniel chuckled.

"Come on, let's look," William said and began to run along the aged, wooden fence line.

"Hey, Will, not so fast," Mulder said and jogged after his son.

"Meet you at the barn," Scully said and pointed to a dilapidated grey barn, a short distance away.

Carolyn nodded in agreement and walked arm in arm with Daniel down the dirt road filled with pot holes and overgrown with weeds.

"We won't find anything, you know."

"I know, but it's fun for William to look, and fun for them to have some family time together."

"Then why are we here?" The Captain grumbled.

"Oh, I think you know. We're family too, at least adopted family."

Daniel snorted as if the idea was unwelcome, but Carolyn only laughed. "You're not fooling anyone you know."

He sighed but smiled at her. "Well, I am rather fond of them, even Fox."

Carolyn laughed. "As I said, you're not fooling anyone, they all know it."

"Just as well." He smiled at his wife. "I am more than glad they have found such happiness."

"Through your efforts."

"I rather think it was through all of our efforts."

"True enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you got rid of that demon, but I don't ever want you doing something like that again."

"Such is not my intent, dearest. But I will have to see what the future holds."

"The powers that be, you mean."

"The same." He paused. "I expect they will leave me alone for a time now that we've gotten rid of that Pflaster demon. Our time is our own."

"This is much nicer," she settled in against his arm.

They arrived at the barn a few moments later but saw no sign of the Mulders. He frowned at the barn, gauging its structural soundness and was not impressed. He was about to stop Carolyn from entering when he heard Mulder calling to them.

"Daniel, Carolyn…we're on the back side of the barn!"

A few moments later after walking around the corner of the barn, they stopped short and almost tripped over Mulder who was crouched down, something on his fingers as he held them up to his nose.

"Fox, what are you doing?" Carolyn asked.

"This is a really strange substance," he said.

"He's sniffing something, he's always sniffing things," Scully said with a bemused expression as he glared at her. "What? It's true. You like to taste things too."

"Just for that," he stood up quickly and grabbed her, rubbing the strange substance across her cheeks.

"You shit!" She screeched finally wiggling out of his grasp. She found some more of the goo and planted her hand against his chest under his untucked t-shirt.

"This is cool," William said, rolling the goo around in his hand.

"Oh, dear," Carolyn said with a laugh as she took a step forward and her shoes slipped out from under her. She fell in a heap but laughed at her clumsiness as Daniel helped her to her feet. "What was that?"

"More of that strange gel like substance," Daniel said, doing what he could to wipe it away from her legs.

"Daniel, it's fine, really."

He stopped after a few moments and rubbed the remaining substance between his hands until it vanished. "I wonder what in the world this is," he muttered.

"Maybe it's not of this world?" Mulder asked in good spirits, he and his wife having resumed acting like adults once again.

"What do you mean?" the Captain frowned.

"He thinks it's alien goo," Scully offered.

"You don't believe that?"

"Why not? And don't tell me aliens don't exist. You have seen my memories, so you know that they do." He rolled his eyes. "And you're a ghost, you know that the unexplained can exist. You're the poster boy for the unexplained!"

The women laughed at Fox's observation.

"Not funny," the ghost said, but the corner of his mouth quirked just the tiniest bit. "Pray tell, Fox, is there anything else to see? Or are we done here?"

"A few more minutes, Dad, please!" William implored.

"Okay, we're not in any hurry." He watched Will ran out into the field, Dana chasing him. With a grin still on his face he looked back at his friends. "Lunch on the way home? You pick the place." Then he turned and ran after his family.

The Captain wrapped Carolyn in his embrace and held her close, happy for his adopted family.

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By the time they arrived back at Gull Cottage in late afternoon they were exhausted. None could explain it but they all entered, set down their various bags and sat down for a quick sit in the living room, and were asleep before any of them realized it.

Carolyn woke first, yawning and reluctant to open her eyes. But when she did she focused on the couch where Dana and William were curled up against Fox, still asleep. She smiled at that and lifted her head, smothering yet another yawn, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind.

Something about the sleeping family wasn't right, something that wasn't registering quite yet, so she looked at them some more, and it struck her. They seemed younger somehow.

She stood up with more alacrity then she remembered having in her seventy something body and stretched feeling remarkably energetic. She walked across the floor and looked at them more closely as they were all beginning to wake.

"Carolyn? What's going on?" A sleepy Dana asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out," she said.

"I'm guessing we fell asleep?" Fox asked and gave an enormous yawn.

"It seems we all did." She peered at the two of them and saw they were younger, remarkably so. Even William was younger. "And it appears that something happened to all of us while we were sleeping."

"Carolyn, you're beautiful!" Mulder said staring at a short, blonde, and shapely thirty something Carolyn Gregg. "Ow!" Scully poked him in the ribs.

"Don't be rude!" Scully said.

"What? It's true. You look like you're in your thirties?"

"Am I? I don't know. The lot of you are younger too."

"Mulder, we are. My God, you look like when I started working with you at the X-files. Maybe even younger."

"So do you, Scully."

"I wonder what happened?"

"And Will, he's younger too," Dana said as the boy blinked open sleepy eyes.

"What happened?" William asked.

"How old are you?" Mulder asked his son.

"I'm five. I don't want to be five again!" He whined.

It suddenly occurred to Carolyn that she hadn't seen her husband anywhere. She went to stand in front of his portrait, instinctively reaching out for him through their mental bond, and she found him though the threads seemed weakened. Within moments he appeared in the room, sort of. He was insubstantial at best and his outline seemed to shimmer in the very air in front of Carolyn.

"Daniel?"

"I am here, my love. Well, at least for the moment."

"What's happened to you? Can you be corporeal?"

"No, it would seem not. In fact, I am quickly losing my ability to be here at all," he said sadly.

"What does that mean?" Carolyn tried to control the panic she felt, the fear she felt from him.

"I am afraid it means that I am fading away."

"But how can that happen?" Fox stood up and walked over to stand in front of his friend.

"My best guess, Fox, is that alien substance that we got on ourselves could be what caused this. Where it made you younger, it seems to be removing my existence."

"No! We won't let that happen!" Dana said and joined Mulder.

"How can you prevent it, my dear?" He shimmered again. "Sadly, it seems that I am fading fast." He gave a stern look to his friends. "Fox? Dana? Look after her for me please." He turned to Carolyn and sighed. "You are beautiful, radiant, my dear, but you know I've always thought that. Know that I love you, now and forever. And I will do my damnedest to be with you when you finally pass into heaven."

"But I don't want to start over, not without you!"

"I am afraid I have no choice." The Captain's words started to cut out, like when the signal escapes the range of a local radio station.

"Daniel!" She reached out toward his insubstantial hand as it disappeared into the air. She felt for him in the house, but there was nothing. "No, no, no!" She sank to the floor burying her face in her hands.

"Uncle Danny's gone," William said sadly.

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AN: You know the drill - author's love reviews! Thanks for reading the beginning of "A Stitch in Time." - CM