Cancer arc AU. It's 1997 in a world where One True Pairs exist. But the rare bond is only known when both halves of the fated souls whole, are in love with each other at the same time. Otherwise, true bondmates may never find one another, making them a rare and extraordinary find. Controlled by the government's Bondmate Wellness Program, Mulder and Scully find themselves in a desperate race against time to synchronize their bonded souls.
Timeline: Post episode Demons cancer arc, putting a twist on the episodes Gethsemane, Redux, Redux II.
Notes:
Written for the Tumblr contest.
This story won the AU category and also the Best Overall category (crazy)!
MonikaFileFan: This was so fun to co-write. The idea had been around for a few weeks before the contest challenge was posted and I decided that since I hadn't written for a challenge or an AU fic before, I thought it would turn out better if I had a co-writer. I thought about books I've read and the fact that Mulder and Scully have always had that special bond. They can sense when one another are in the same room, can meet each others eyes at a distance like magnets. After Mulder's abduction, we see Scully tap into Mulder's experiences on the ship and while he was gone which seemed to me like what a soulmate would receive if their other half were subconsciously reaching out to them. They are their "perfect other and perfect opposite" after all.
Kyouryokusenshi: I had a great time writing this and stretching my wings so to speak since I'm so used to writing family fic XD. Monika had this amazing idea and I really loved working on it and exploring the MSR dynamic earlier in the series during this arc. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as we enjoyed writing this! :)
Fanart below is by the awesome Meg (MSRAfterDark) on Tumblr.
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
Public Bondmate Wellness Center
Washington, D.C.
September 10th,1997
Mulder waited anxiously in the long and winding line. He had a stack of paperwork piled high attached to the clipboard chalked full of medical and mate questions regarding he and Scully in detail. He was there for one reason and one reason only; to save Scully's life.
"Have you filled out every paper in your bondmate and wellness packet?" The nurse asked tersely as Mulder stepped up to the window, her hand held out as she glanced behind him to see the mass amount of people impatiently and desperately waiting.
"Yes, ma'am I did. I just really need to be seen by an End of Life Administrator. My—"
"Are you sure you have found your bondmate already Mr..." she hurryingly cut him off, already knowing full well where his next words were headed.
"Mulder. And yes I have...we have, and it's a matter of life and death here!" Mulder raised his voice above the din of the crowds loud talking, arguing, and crying babies. He handed over his packet of medical and personal information to the nurse who instructed him to a meeting room around the corner.
Mulder's gut churned at the thought of being denied the right to synchronize his soul with Scully's and save her life, but he had a terrible feeling that somehow the powers that be would find out their secret that they've held for months now. Scully begged him to at least try and do this the legal way instead of risking both of their lives by potentially being caught using the government's medical chips to cure one another of all disease.
Some call bondmating abilities the Holy Grail of science. In the case of he and Scully, Mulder just called it fate and cried tears of joy while holding a very sick Scully in a tight embrace. After they realized they truly were bondmates, nothing was going to stop him from making sure Scully lived.
The End of Life Administrator walked through the door, startling him as she abruptly sat and ignored him while studying his paperwork. It was a strict law enforced by the government that stated that only those bondmates who have been approved under the definition of End of Life, met the criteria to synchronize their souls. Mulder's heart raced just sitting there watching a stranger read and judge the last of Scully's life that was sloppily scrawled out in his handwriting.
Suddenly, she reached over and slapped the laminated informational sheet that described in detail all of the information Mulder already knew. It characterized what a one true pair, or more commonly referred to as a bondmate, was and how one could use its advantage for health benefits.
Mulder has known for seven months that he and Scully were a one true pair bound by their essence. Ever since Scully's terminal cancer diagnosis and her finally realizing what her intense emotions for Mulder were, along with admitting to herself that she was actually in love with him too, gave them both the confirmation that they did indeed share that rare and special bond.
Mulder had stayed on the Bondmate Wellness Hotline for 26 hours straight to submit a formal request to use their bondmate ability. No one, not even high-level government officials could get the unique bondmate chip implants that were personalized for each patient near death to utilize the full benefits of Soul Synchrony without applying first. Besides the benefit of falling in love to find the other half of his soul, Mulder knew Scully really needed him for a much more important purpose—saving her life and in turn, saving his own.
Irritated that more time was being wasted while Scully lay dying her hospital bed, Mulder huffed, bouncing his knee rapidly, and read out loud the description of the Bondmate End of Life Option for probably the 150th time.
"As one soul in the mated pair is losing the last of its life-essence, the other half of the souls bond has an opportunity for Soul Synchrony—essentially absorbing and eradicating the dying half's illness to relieve that burden into their healthy one."
Seemingly oblivious to Mulder's obvious irritation, she continued. "Now, before we continue, I have to ask you a series of questions."
Mulder crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, much like Scully would. She was the reason he was here doing all of this.
"Have you felt your potential bondmate's pain?"
'Too many times to count.' "Yes."
She nods as she continues.
"Have you felt your potential bondmate's emotions when touching he or her?"
"I can always feel her, it seems like." There was a beat between them. "I mean, yes."
He wasn't prepared for the next question, however. "Have you engaged in any sexual contact with your potential bondmate?"
"Uh...no?" How do you explain to someone that you're involved romantically in just about every other way? As much as he wanted to push their relationship into that next level, he knew realistically it was impossible. Not only because they were best friends and colleagues, but part of him was afraid of the implications. He never wanted things to be awkward between them or somehow screw up the most important relationship he's ever had.
She nodded as she continued to write. "Have you immersed into any dreams of your potential bondmate?"
Did visions count? "No...I,"
Her rude, methodological approach was starting to get on his nerves. "Has your potential bondmate—"
"Stop calling her my potential bondmate. She IS mine and we're wasting precious time sitting here while you're asking me questions I already know the answer to!" Mulder leaned back in the chair with his eyes shut, exhausted both physically and mentally. "I'm sorry it's just...the woman I love is on her deathbed as we speak and we've waited seven months to get this far! Even as FBI and the fact that she has weeks, if that left, we aren't able to just skip ahead in line." He uncrossed his arms and shook his head, still not believing they're so close yet so far away from a cure. "This is bullshit," he mumbled, knowing he was being an ass but the sickening weight of their potential denial weighed heavily on his shoulders.
The administrator mirrored Mulder's annoyed body language as she crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
"Look Mr…" forgetting his name yet again, she glanced down at the paperwork, "Mulder. I'm just doing my job that I'm paid the whopping amount of ten dollars an hour to do. But it sounds like you being FBI and all, that you'd be better off speaking with my supervisor instead."
Before Mulder could protest and apologize, she stood and stomped her way to the door.
"I'm dying for a cigarette anyway," she tossed back over her shoulder as she walked out of the room. The rude and unnecessary attention she used on the word 'dying' had just lit the fuse on Mulder's already heated anger.
Twenty-eight minutes had passed before the End of Life Supervisor entered the room dressed to the nines and sat across from a now very pissed off and sick to his stomach with worry, Mulder.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she coldly said as she raised her brow in an assessing manner and simply stated what Mulder had already felt churning in the pit of his gut. "After an extensive review, the application for Soul Synchrony has been denied. I'm sorry."
Mulder sucked in a deep breath and stood as he yelled, "you're with Them . I already know you are so there's no sense in denying it!" He reached over and snatched his and Scully's information out of the woman's hands and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he looked back and locked eyes with her. "We never had a shot in hell did we?"
The supervisor had the decency to bare a shameful mask across her face and avert her eyes as Mulder's glare set her face aflame with embarrassment and what looked like fear to him.
"Good," he growled. "You should be ashamed at what you're doing to the most giving, selfless, loyal, and amazing human being that anyone would be grateful to have in their life. Be embarrassed at what you've agreed to do here today and remember who's dirty deeds you're carrying out!" Mulder's throat constricted with emotion as the volume of his voice rose. "You'll get yours. You'll all get yours in the end," he told her with his eyes misting over.
Mulder looks one last lingering look at the astonished, wide-eyed administrator and slammed the door on her and what very well may be Scully's last chance at survival.
Mulder had a feeling the smoking man was not only privy to what was happening to Scully, but he was certain he was the reason behind her illness. There was no way he'd be able to get the chips to save both of them. He almost hated himself for not just going to the gunmen in the first place, even if it was going behind Scully's back. Scully was always methodical in her approach to things and a law-abiding citizen, but this was life or death situation. In this instance, he knew Scully would have no choice but to forgive him. He didn't care what risks were involved, as long as Scully made it through this. Hell, he would give his life in exchange for the cure for hers. He cried out in frustration, kicking a rock in the middle of the parking lot as hard as he could, not paying attention as it hit a vehicle nearby.
Outside, a figure watched Mulder exit the building and return to his car. In his hand was a folder that contained the continents of a denied End of Life Bondmate application after tipping off the agency with a nice sum. To him, it did not matter what Fox Mulder was up to, but doing this would ensure saving himself from his father's experiments. He knew his brother was resourceful, this wouldn't stop him. He would be successful with or without the program.
East 46th Street Building
Washington D.C.
Syndicate Meeting
"This was completely unforeseen. Bondmates are rare as it is, yet Fox Mulder has found his in Dana Scully," the old man spat out, slamming his whiskey glass on the table.
"This was your plan—you sent her there to debunk his work, for the good of the project. And look where it's gotten us!" Another man sneered from across the room, his arms crossed as he stared out the window. "The cancer she has acquired can be reversed, taken away now. Right along with your assurance that this—Scully—would be Mulder's undoing!"
CGB frowned. "If my son goes through with this, it will be his own undoing. It's unfortunate and I'll miss him terribly, but the project will go on. I can start with my other son, Jeffrey. It's time he proves his worthiness."
Cigarette smoke wafted through the meeting lounge where several Syndicate members were anxiously working through possible outcomes for the problem at hand. CGB pulled a long drag from his own cigarette and reiterated his assurance to the group.
"No one would have foreseen this," he told the scowling man across from him as he waved his lit cigarette in hand. "The application to complete the bondmate procedure is denied."
The previously silent Well-Manicured Man sitting in the darkened corner stood abruptly and started to pace.
"Fox Mulder has other ways of getting what he wants. His outside sources have proved time and time again to hinder our proceedings," he impatiently explained, staring CSM down without fear.
Grunts and nods from fellow members only added to the feeling that a mutiny was growing among the group of men.
"Even so, by the time they have a chance to acquire what's needed to save Agent Scully's life through his illegal channels, it will be too late," CSM sneered and inhaled another chest full of smoke. He only hoped he wasn't lying to the now circling sharks looming around him—fearing that if he was indeed wrong, he himself might not outlive Dana Scully in the end.
Trinity Hospital
Emergency Medical Unit
Washington, D.C.
Mulder slowly entered Scully's darkened hospital room, not realizing he was holding his breath in the process. As if he was unsure of what he'd find. Her back was facing the door as he quietly made his way around the opposite side of the bed.
She was pale, her lips almost translucent while dark red circles seemed to circle beneath her eyes. Reaching for her hand, he settled in the chair next to her. The steady pulse he felt in her wrist was the last thread of emotional sanity he had left at that point, so when his eyes welled, he was prepared to let his tears fall and soak into the sheets.
But what he wasn't prepared for, was the sudden jolt he felt, almost like an electric current had passed between them. With a sharp inhale of breath, he closed his eyes and began to see several images. A house out in the countryside. A teenager and a baby...a girl. It was unmistakable who their mother was, although the boy had brown hair. There was quite an age gap between the children, but he just knew they were brother and sister. Scully was older, although just as beautiful as always. With a pang, he waited for the lucky man to appear since the chance of it being him was looking grim at the moment. Suddenly, he felt weightless and he looked down to see his body vanishing from beneath him. The strange jolt of electricity was back. Several moments had passed and he took multiple deep breaths to steady his uneven breathing.
"Mulder?" Scully whispered, tightening her fingers along his.
Mulder forced his eyes open at the sound of her voice.
"Mulder, are you okay?"
Confused, he shook his head immediately.
"Hey, how ya feeling?" Mulder brushed off her question and slid his hand that was already clamped onto hers, up and down her left arm while staring intently into her eyes. He was hoping to provide her with gentle comfort as he caressed just about all of her upper body, but he realized that he might be the one who truly needed that extra comfort just to make it through each passing hour as he helplessly watched her die before his eyes.
The decision to sacrifice himself in order to save her was no real decision for him at all. He had wished a thousand times before this for the ability to trade places with her, to take away all of the pain and goddamn evil they had inflicted on her body and mind since she became his partner years earlier.
Was being Scully's bondmate a gift from God? A higher power, fate, a divine plan written in the stars thousands of years ago to lead up to this very moment? He didn't know, yet he was grateful nonetheless. In Mulder's eyes, giving Scully renewed life—a future—was the only choice there is to make, even if it meant he wouldn't be around to witness it himself.
"Something bad happened today didn't it?" Scully weakly asked as she shifted her weight slightly on the bed.
Mulder cleared his throat and brushed the tips of his fingers along the crease between her brows while he searched for the right words to delicately deliver their harsh reality to her.
"Yeah, we were denied the application for Soul Synchrony," his words came out as a whisper yet it echoed in the quiet room. She shut her eyes in grim resignation and he could feel her pain right along with his own as his words held a tone of finality. Even though he knew that she would live if it was the very last thing he ever did; she didn't.
He saw the tears seep out from her eyes and both of her hands came out to cradle his face while her own turned into her pillow. She couldn't hold back the tears she'd been hiding from him any longer and silently sobbed as her lithe body shook along the mattress.
"I'm sorry, Scully. I'm so sorry," he croaked.
Mulder made the final decision in that very moment as he tried to comfort her while attempting to hold back his anger for the injustice of it all. He made a promise to himself that as soon as Scully fell back to sleep, he was going ahead with his plan to save her.
For her, always for her.
Scully opened her eyes to see Mulder had fallen asleep with his head resting on the bed next to her hip. Part of her couldn't help but feel relieved. Seeing the pain in his eyes was more unbearable than her illness itself. In a way, she felt as if she was letting him down, much like she let her parents down years ago by joining the FBI instead of becoming a doctor. If she had, she wouldn't be in this position.
No, she couldn't afford to ponder on the what-ifs. She knew Bill was though and while he didn't verbalize it, she knew it was taking everything to hold the words back. She supposed she couldn't blame him, he was losing his only other sister and he had already lost one as a result of this quest.
Weakly, she reached for her journal. The small activity in itself wearing her out with the simple motion. She started to write. 'The pain in your eyes...seeing you defeated and broken is worse than the very illness that consumes me…'
Two hours later…
Mulder had awakened to see Scully still resting next to him. He quietly got up, leaned down to leave a lingering kiss on her head, and walked out of Scully's hospital room. Clicking the door shut, he wiped a hand down his tear stained face, feeling completely drained and defeated. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come. The sun would be up soon and now that he'd made his decision, nothing was going to stop him from enlisting the gunmen's help on the most important, and possibly his very last covert op.
Thoughts raced through his mind as to how they could get ahold of the chip that Scully needed and somehow get her to agree to have the gunmen implant it in her neck without its mate being placed in his as well. Mulder knew damn well she would refuse his sacrifice if she knew the truth. She could feel his pain just as strongly as he felt hers after all. And he didn't want to lie to her. Mulder never wanted to lie to her and hadn't even attempted since they'd been bondmates, yet knowing that if he and the gunmen couldn't pull off the miracle of stealing and programming the chips to meet their needs, then he could just absorb her disease easily without the need for his own implant.
But that also meant dying himself and leaving Scully behind to endure the pain of his loss.
Scully had so much to live for. And Mulder, he only lived for Scully. He knew trying to go on without her would be a physical and emotional impossibility for him.
His body still refusing to leave as he continued to grip the door handle of her room, Mulder closed his eyes and replayed their earlier conversation.
Scully spoke to him as her cool hands ran along his skin, broken in every way possible while she tried to reassure him that even if she didn't live to see it, he would continue to do great things without her.
" Oh, Mulder, you have to let me go," Scully sighed staring at him, tears leaking out of her eyes, rolling over the side of her nose and into the pillow. He moved her hands from his face and kissed the back of her fingers, solidifying their bond through his touch, as if that alone could keep her from leaving the world. "Please, don't do this to yourself, don't feel guilty. For me, Mulder, I have to know you'll be able to go on—for me to have peace that you'll be okay in the end if we can't appeal. If we truly aren't able to sync our souls," she choked through the lump in her throat.
"No, Scully, don't say that to me!" he shook his head while his tears ran along their laced fingers and down her arm. "I won't listen to your acceptance of this. I can't!" He could feel her rollercoaster of emotions surging through him since this whole process began and it only made him more determined to not let her down. "You dying is not an option for us," he murmured along her hand.
Mulder could feel Scully's resignation of the fact that no matter how quiet their secret was kept that she and Mulder had become bondmates, someone from the Syndicate would've found out about their plans and stopped them when the time came to use their ability. They both felt as if they had the cure dangling in front of their faces yet it was impossibly far away.
He watched as the timed pain relief medication dripped down through Scully's IV and her eyelids grew heavy. Mulder bit his lip in anger at her suffering until he tasted blood and caressed her pale skin until she cried herself to sleep.
At the sight of her weakening, raw emotion thrummed through him like adrenaline.
Mulder knew it, dammit! He should've outright refused to go through legal channels months ago when Scully was so sick, but she had insisted, begged even. "Please, Mulder for your safety, and mine. I can't lose you either," she had pleaded to him one night while curled up on her couch in her apartment. She'd needed to leave work early that day from a migraine and Mulder had refused to leave her side for a second just in case she needed anything.
Anything other than a cure, he'd thought bitterly.
He was then left sitting at her bedside filled with not only sorrow, but utter hatred for that black lunged bastard and their own government screwing with their lives once again.
The sound of heels hitting the floor brought his attention back to the present and onto the woman approaching Scully's hospital room. Her kind eyes locked onto his and he didn't know if he had any emotional strength left to face Margaret Scully now.
"Fox," she started, watching as Mulder took a seat in the hallway.
He could have sworn her voice was laced with sympathy and maybe pity as well. Reluctantly, he looked up as she assumed the seat beside him. Looking back down at his hands, he sighed.
"There was something I wanted to try, something I thought would work. You probably wouldn't believe me, but it doesn't matter now. I'm all out of options."
"Fox, I know you blame yourself, but if there's one thing I've come to accept about my daughter is that she's resilient and headstrong. I always thought it to be an act of rebellion, but if I've learned anything over the years, it's that Dana won't do anything she doesn't want to do."
"Well, dying from a disease that was given to her certainly isn't something anyone would want." She sighed at his words and Mulder's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so insensitive, especially to you," he apologized, finally meeting her eyes with a look of emotional conviction and truth he only saved for the Scully women. "I love your daughter. There's no sense in hiding it anymore and I'm going to do whatever it takes to save her, whatever it takes."
Maggie's eyes widened at his admission that she'd known in her heart for a long time now. Seeing Fox Mulder with her daughter had given her a wide array of emotions through the years that they've been partners, yet the one that was blatant and clear as day to her was the rare and deep love they shared together. She had sat back and watched them interact while their feelings bubbled beneath the surface, silently hoping that one day they would actually do something about it. But now, she wasn't so sure Dana had much time left in her to hope for much more than a miracle.
At that thought, her eyes welled with tears and she patted Mulder's knee. "Oh, I know you do, Fox. I know," was all she said. There was nothing else she could say at the moment.
In Mulder's mind, that exchange only spurred him on to get in touch with the gunmen immediately. It was well past time to take real action.
Mulder was completely desperate now, and desperate men do dangerous things.
The Lone Gunman's Lair
Washington D.C.
Several hours later
Mulder felt Byers sit down next to him on the couch while he nursed a cooling cup of coffee. Aside from a cat nap at Scully's bedside, he'd been up for God knows how many hours straight and had no intention of wasting a second to finalize their plan to break into the governmental Health and Wellness Center and steal Soul Synchronizing chips.
What Mulder was holding back from the guys was that with the chances of getting caught inside and the amount of time it could take the gunmen to sync two chips to both he and Scully, was likely to be too long. And time was something Scully did not have. If their plan works and they managed to get at least one chip ready but ran out of time to sync his, then Mulder would have to tell the guys he would be sacrificing himself to save his other half.
Langly and Frohike packed up the rest of the equipment and came to sit down next to him while they ran through the plan as a group one last time. They were all going to go in together on this operation to back one another up and make damn sure they got what they came for.
"Are you ready for this, Mulder?" Byers asked.
Mulder was at his feet. "I was ready yesterday, just tell me what to do."
"Well, first, we'll need to disable their security system. You'll still need to keep a heavy watch out as we gain clearance and do what we need to do," Langly explained.
"You have the weapons we've given you? If we're caught we need to be able to exit immediately. We'll draw up a map of the place when we arrive, I don't trust there not to be outside forces at work with a place like this."
"Okay, I get it guys. We're running out of time though, at least Scully is. I'm ready. Let's get this over with."
Public Bondmate Wellness Center
Washington, D.C.
September 11th,1997
Once Langly was able to draw up a digital mapping of the building, they planned their entrance and escape routes.
"Now Mulder, we discussed the signal. We have to get out of there at any sign of distress, understand?" Byers explained as he made sure Mulder's earpiece was properly in place.
Mulder nodded as he moved to exit the truck. Every minute they spent talking was a minute less Scully had.
As he hurried towards the building, he was careful to keep himself out of view and that meant staying out of any brightly lit places. He heard Langly speaking in his ear as he hunkered down, waiting for gates to open into the inside.
Slowly he looked up to see the security step away from the front desk and made a dash for it.
"We're in!" he heard Frohike say into his ear. "We'll be right behind you Mulder."
It had only taken a minute or so before they had made it into the building and in search of the chips. With his heart pounding and adrenaline rushing, Mulder watched as the three men he'd grown to love like brothers scatter like mice through opposite corridors. He knew they had a short time to find the chips and get them to Langly in the mainframe matrix of the Wellness Center so the chips could be uploaded with his and Scully's personal health information.
Getting caught was a huge possibility that came with a death sentence. That was the only way Scully was able to talk him into taking the long and untrustworthy legal route. If he got caught here and died, then her death was soon to follow. Mulder had no intention of ever letting that happen and he sure as hell would take out anyone who got in his way tonight.
Mulder walked through hallway after hallway, room after room, which only brought more disappointment and wasted more time when Mulder came up empty-handed. He was getting extremely frustrated and the chatter through his earpiece wasn't reassuring him at the moment.
Just as he was about to start running through the halls in a panicked search, Byers muttered into the earpiece that a group of security officers was making their rounds and coming toward him. No way would he be able to easily blend in with the few janitors walking around and Frohike already was impersonating one of them. Spinning on his heel, he turned around and briskly walked through a darkened side hallway and around a corner, nearly smacking right into a locked door labeled "Warning! Red Level Access Only."
"Just what I'm looking for. Thanks, Byers," he mumbled, whipping out his key card that the gunmen made mirror copies of. Frohike had followed and picked a Red Level supervisors pocket in a cafe's restroom earlier in the day when the gunmen tailed him on his break. Mulder didn't even want to know how he achieved that task.
He hurriedly unlocked the door and locked it back up behind him as he surveyed the dimly lit room. "Mulder, come in," Byers' voice startled him as he took in the massive wall of filing cabinets lining the entire room.
"Yeah, I think I've just found what we're looking for boys."
"I saw you walk past me just before security did. I'll find you," Frohike responded.
Mulder wasted no more time and tore through the paperwork on the desks and started opening filing cabinets left and right. The chips were right at his fingertips and his hands couldn't move quick enough. He needed help. And fast!
"Mulder, I've hacked into the Bondmate Wellness system—pulled up everything on Scully first like you asked," Langly confirmed. "All I need are the chips and we can get this show on the road."
"I've almost got them," Mulder declared, scrambling.
"You need to hurry, Mulder!" Byers yelled. "They're coming!"
"I'm trying," he yelled back before he reached a cabinet that appeared to be locked.
"Fuck!"
Frantically, he scoured the room, throwing open desk drawers until he came across a set of keys.
"Come on...come on," he muttered as he tried each one with shaky fingers.
It felt like an eternity before the lock gave way. "Bingo," he said, throwing open the cabinet.
It only took him a moment before he found what he had come for. Boxes of what appeared to me microchips.
"Mulder!"
Mulder looked up to see a wild-eyed Frohike headed towards him.
"Did you find it? We need to go, NOW!"
They could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance and Mulder shoved the box into his coat pocket.
Frohike pointed upwards. "The vent...this place is surrounded."
Mulder looked around before climbing onto a nearby chair. He pushed the top slat of the ceiling that Frohike had pointed at.
"Alright, you first Frohike…"
"Oh, you shouldn't have," he muttered wryly as Mulder quickly pushed him into the opening before following suit.
They quickly crawled their way down the ventilation shaft just as they heard the group of footsteps move away from them.
Huffing and sweating from anxiety and lack of airflow, they finally made it to the area where Byers had signaled through the earpiece that he was now with Langly hiding in the mainframe matrix.
"Shit, that was close," Frohike said, announcing their need for help as his legs dangled from the ceiling. "Security was right on my ass."
"What? You had to actually move those little legs of yours for once?" Langly teased.
"Can it, blondie!" he shot back with his head still inside the vent.
"Shh!" Byers rushed over and helped him fall silently to the floor and Mulder immediately followed.
As he looked around the room covered in computer monitors, Mulder reached in his pocket and handed the black box of individually encased microchips to Byers. "We don't have much time. On any front," he reminded them while locking eyes with Langly hovered over the keyboard.
Nodding and taking the chips, Langly entered the specific numbers of each one into the program. He scanned in both of the tiny barcodes on the back and Mulder realized what he was doing.
"Scully first, Langly! We agreed."
Without looking up from his hurried typing, he replied, "don't worry. It's just as fast to do it this way."
Leaning against the wall, Mulder finally rested his exhausted body while he watched on as the gunmen frantically worked to sync Scully's information to her chip.
So far, it looked like they just might get hers and his chip uploaded in time before the next security sweep happened. Mulder couldn't help but wonder if it was all too good to be true, if they really were lucky this time. His mind quickly shifted to the thought of Scully laying there in the hospital worried about him as her essence slowly slipped away.
Mulder only hoped that she could forgive him for risking everything and not being by her side, even if her Mother was. But Scully was hiseverything, and if his plan worked, he was finally going show her that.
The murmuring from the computer stations brought Mulder's attention back to the action in front of him. "Talk to me guys," he said.
"Once these chips are synced to you both, then we follow the escape plan. No need to rush and risk getting caught last minute," Byers reiterated to everyone but kept his knowing eyes on Mulder as he spoke.
The tension in the room was palpable as everyone worked feverishly while simultaneously wiping sweat from their brows. Mulder wanted to look around the matrix and see if he could find a way to help others that may be in the same situation that Scully was, but he immediately pushed that impulse away. They were pressed for time as it was and Mulder crossed his fingers that Scully would still be alive when he arrived.
"Yes, got it!" Frohike stood with a grin and asked, "you good, Langly?"
"Done! One of a kind chip coming right up," Langly beamed as he stood and handed the valuable chips to Mulder.
Byers laid a hand on Mulder's shoulder and squeezed. "You mean two!"
Mulder couldn't help but smile and nod gratefully to his friends for overlooking his intent to sacrifice himself. And he knew he couldn't repay them for risking their lives for him, yet again.
Mulder cradled the precious cargo in his hand, breathing a huge sigh of relief as they all gathered themselves and turned toward the vent to get the hell out of there.
Trinity Hospital
Emergency Medical Unit
Washington, D.C.
Scully sat her pen down on the side table and slammed her journal closed, tossing it at her feet. She sat in the bed frustrated and worried about what Mulder was up to without her for hours now. She hadn't spoken to him since early this morning and that had been an intense and emotionally charged conversation, cripplingly so. God, the look on his face was wrenching. And his emotions that flooded through her soul, were downright excruciating.
She'd told herself she wouldn't dwell on the fact that her chances of survival were slim, and that was months ago. But now, she was just as desperate to live her life with Mulder as he was to save hers. Her doctor had told her that "soon" she might experience seizures as the tumor pressed further into her brain or slowly slip into a coma before her life ended. That was something she hoped Mulder and her family would never have to witness.
Yet, she barely had enough energy to write in her journal again let alone keep fighting for her life while going through a governmental appeal process. But still she'd felt the overwhelming urge to say something meaningful, to leave a tangible piece of her thoughts for him to read for later…
'I know you're out there searching, fighting for a way to save me. And for that, I am grateful. I'm grateful for you and all that we've experienced together. You're my best friend and partner in every respect so it only seems fair that I leave you with a piece of me that's only for you. You may believe that you're responsible for my illness, that if I had walked out of your office the day we met that I'd have what most refer to as the American Dream, but the truth is that I would do everything all over again. My brother had asked me if it was all worth it and I could say with absolute certainty that this journey, while at times difficult, has never made me feel more alive and most importantly, it brought me to you.'
Holding back tears, she turned and looked out the window to watch the sunset. The pretty colors were swirling together before the darkness siphoned them. The irony of the comparison to the cancer invading her body was chilling, and she needed to think of something warm and alive.
That something was Mulder! She loved him. God, she was so in love with him it hurt. And he knew it because of their bond, but she hadn't actually said the words nor had they actually crossed the line into a romantic relationship with her illness consuming their lives. Now she regretted holding back from him. If the cancer didn't kill her first, her regrets would.
"Dana," Maggie called out. "Are you okay? You need anything?" she asked as uncrossed her legs and sat up in the chair.
"Just Mulder, Mom," Scully sighed, hiding her tears that slide down her cheeks as she watched the sun sink beneath the horizon.
Public Bondmate Wellness Center
Washington, D.C.
He and the gunmen had moved fast through the last part of the vent and crept their way down the side hallways where the map had shown they were least likely to be seen. The video cameras were hacked as soon as they had pulled the parking lot. So as long as they weren't seen by anyone up close and personal, they were in the clear.
Mulder could feel the fresh nighttime air hit his damp skin as he watched all three gunmen sneak through the private Red Level exit doors. Just feet away, he stepped around the corner to reach for the door handle when a large foot poked out from the dark corridor next to him. A strong hand immediately followed and grasped onto Mulder's wrist, twisting it so hard that tears instantly welled along his eyelids and clouded his vision.
"Ahh, Christ!" he cried out, hoping to get the gunmen's attention but he couldn't see or hear them.
"Gotcha!" the muscular man growled.
Fight or flight kicked in and Mulder fought for his life, and for Scully's.
Punches, kicks, grunts, and bodies bouncing from wall to wall should've alerted more security. But lady luck really must've been on Mulder's side tonight, because no backup had arrived for the man who currently had Mulder's head caught between his large bicep and burly heaving chest.
The man gave his head a crushing squeeze and panic set in. Mulder grunted while squirming his back along his huge stomach and was done with the hand to hand bullshit. He reached down into the side of his waistband and yanked out the sharp hunting dagger Frohike had handed him for a silent weapon.
Gripping the handle in his fist, he slammed his boot down hard along the instep of the security officer's foot causing him to yelp and lean forward just enough for Mulder to forcefully swing the dagger around in an arc behind his own head, plunging it into the side of the man's neck.
"Ugh!" they both groaned. One from the effort and one from shock.
The squelching sound of flesh and blood echoed in Mulder's ear and instantly, the death grip around his head released. Mulder couldn't afford to stop now so he shifted his weight and rammed his back into the man, making him stumble and collapse to his knees as he frantically tried to pull the handle out of his bleeding neck.
Knowing he had no other option, Mulder regripped the handle firmly and thrusted the blade all the way in to the hilt as he twisted it, making the oozing slit a ragged hole while hopefully cutting his vocal cords in the process. He sure as hell didn't want to hear the man yell out and bring any more attention to himself before he got to escape.
Mulder then jerked the dagger's blade out of the man's neck and smacked his flailing hands away from the now spurting stream of blood pumping out of his carotid artery. A squeaking noise and a loud thump from the man's body hitting the floor while he attempted to slow the bleeding, was the only other noises Mulder could hear through the adrenaline rushing in his ears.
Suddenly, Byers' voice rang through his earpiece. "Mulder!"
He turned and saw the gunmen staring at him with shocked expressions through the cracked open door.
"Where the hell have you been?" Mulder gasped out and nodded down to the squirming dying man on the floor while glaring at his friends.
"Shit, we're sorry! We got ambushed by two security guards when we walked out the door and had to fight them off," Langly explained in a rush.
"Byers took a few hits while I tased their asses," Frohike quipped. "We knocked them out and tossed them in the dumpster, but they'll be awake any minute."
"Let's get the fuck outta here before the cavalry comes." Mulder took a deep breath and wiped off the blood he felt on his chin with his sleeve. Then he swiped his bloody hands down along his pants and walked out the door.
They all sprinted out toward the truck and jumped in as Mulder pulled out the encased chips from this now bloody pocket, finally breathing out a sigh of relief. They did it. He may of killed to do so, but they had just saved Scully's life!
And as Frohike peeled out of the parking lot, a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and Mulder never looked back.
East 46th Street Building
Washington D.C.
Syndicate Meeting
"It looks like Fox Mulder was successful in getting what he needed. He stole chips from the bondmate center," the old man slammed down a bottle of beer. "Left a bloody mess in his wake."
CGB was unphased by the motion. For a moment, he almost felt a sense of pride. Almost. The boy was smart and ruthless, it seemed.
"Then it's time for Plan B. I won't stop until I see him defeated and broken for his actions."
"He's saved himself and his partner. This wasn't something we predicted," an elder stated while shaking his head.
"Every man has his weakness." CGB blew out a puff of smoke. "Fortunately for me, it's just cigarettes."
The man stared at him and looked at the others at the table. "So what are we going to do now?"
"I might need to use my other son to further our efforts."
The rest of the men seated around the room weren't convinced of CGB's words. He'd broken one too many promises and made yet another one that would likely end in another open-ended outcome for the group and their project's plans.
The future was coming. And as for CGB's and his son's, they would only bring about more questions than answers on the conclusion of how their group would fair in the end.
Doubt was what Well Manicured Man was seeing sitting right in front of him in CGB Spender. And as he leaned back and watched the credulous look on the man's face while he puffed on his cigarette, Well Manicured Man had a plan of his own to put an end to that doubt.
He would enact his Plan B and put in the kill order, hopefully clearing up the Spender legacy problem once and for all.
Trinity Hospital
Emergency Medical Unit
Washington, D.C.
September 12th, 1997
The gunmen sat in the hallway outside of Scully's hospital room and waited for the early morning nursing shift change to take place. They needed just the right opportunity to insert the chips in the back of Mulder and Scully's necks without anyone seeing.
After they made a brief stop to change clothes and wash the blood off of Mulder, they had rushed back up to the hospital. And since it was after hours, AD Skinner had to pull strings to allow them access. Mulder was on edge the entire time and couldn't wait to reach Scully, fearing he would be too late.
The last nurse at the station stood and walked down the hallway out of sight. This was it. They quickly made their way to the bedside of Scully and what they witnessed, was something that would stay with them for a very long time.
Mulder was sitting hunched over on the side of Scully's bed with his hands wrapped tightly around her waist and shoulders while his face was buried down into her neck. Scully was rubbing her hands along the curve of his back as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, slightly rocking him side to side in comfort. Her watery eyes opened at their entrance yet she didn't move a muscle. She was crying but a huge smile grew as the men stepped closer.
"Ahem," Byers cleared his throat and averted his eyes.
Mulder made no attempt to move so Scully just lifted her hand and waved them closer.
"Thank you so much. I know we don't say how much we appreciate your help enough, but we do. I do. You all helped save my life and I'm grateful," Scully said with a grin while Mulder grunted his approval along the skin of her neck.
The gunmen nodded with slight embarrassment but were just as grateful.
"Well, you're not exactly saved yet," Langly replied as Mulder untangled himself from Scully and faced him. "We're ready when you two are."
Scully nudged Mulder's arm and they shared a knowing look. The guys watched on as a hundred unsaid things passed between them.
Keeping his intense gaze on Scully's shining baby blues, Mulder announced, "let's do this!"
Scully laid on her stomach with her arms over her head, holding her hair away from the now sore sterile area on the nape of her neck. She was right next to Mulder's prone body on the hospital bed just a breath away, feeling his body heat radiating warmth into her cool skin.
She was an emotional wreck at the moment. Depressed and preparing herself for death one minute, then elated and crying tears of joy the next has worn her out physically and emotionally. She couldn't help but wonder if this was really happening or it was some sort of end of life hallucination.
As if Mulder was reading her mind, his hand grabbed hers, lacing their fingers together. She sighed in relief, instantly relaxing through their bond. She smiled as she met his eyes and knew he was thinking about what they needed to do for the final step of the Soul Synchrony process.
They had to kiss. Not just an ordinary friendly comfort kiss to the brow or cheek that they've shared several times over the years. This had to be a full on mouth to mouth passionate kiss in which they poured their emotions into one another. They couldn't hold anything back in order to fully sync their souls and complete the bond so they could absolve any illness permanently. She sure as hell didn't want to go through all of this and risk Mulder's life as well just to screw up the synchronization by being shy.
Mulder however, felt no shyness whatsoever and pulled her face toward him as their lips met while they exchanged a kiss full of fervor. As his tongue slipped between her lips, they danced together in a rhythm and she responded in sync. Several moments passed before Mulder broke the kiss and stared into the depth of her eyes. She held her gaze with his, taking several shallow breaths.
"You ready for this, Scully?"
"I don't think there is a choice," she whispered with a small smile, her nervousness completely gone.
"Cash me on the other side?" Mulder chuckled.
"Not funny, even twenty years into the future."
They both closed their eyes, still holding hands as they allowed themselves to drift off.
Heat radiated throughout both of their bodies and they clasped onto one another tightly.
Images started to flash before their eyes in rapid succession.
"Nothing down here but the FBI's most unwanted."
"I've even made my parents call me Fox."
"Not Fox, Mulder."
The gunmen exchanged glances as they watched Mulder and Scully fall into a deep rhythm, chests rising and falling heavily.
"It's time," Langly said, adjusting the computer.
"Let's do this," replied Frohike.
"You kept me honest, made me a whole person."
"You are my constant and my touchtone."
"And you are mine."
"This is not happening! NO!"
"What are you gonna call him?"
"William, after your father."
"It's what I saw in you when we first met, what made me follow you. Why I'd do it all over again."
"That stubborness of yours, It's why I fell in love with you."
"Don't give up? It was clearly meant for you, Mulder."
"He didn't say it to me, he said it to you."
"You are a father."
"That's impossible.
"I know. It's more than impossible."
"Is it done?" Frohike asked.
"Just about," Byers responded as he watched the data from each chip synchronize with one another on the computer screen.
Scully's personal data was rapidly mingling with Mulder's like a strand of DNA. Their souls were syncing and the damaged parts of Scully's body were healing right before their eyes. No wonder bondmates were so sought after. Just watching on the screen was incredible, but that didn't hold a candle to what the gunmen were witnessing just feet in front of them.
"Are you seeing this?" Langly gasped, "look at them…"
"Look at Scully!" Frohike stepped closer and held a hand over his gaping mouth. The guys had researched Soul Synchrony until their eyes hurt yet they had never actually seen it happen since it's so rare. "My God, her skin is pinkening, the dark circles are gone, and her hair...it's shining again."
"They're breathing in tandem and starting to drip sweat," Langly mumbled, astonished.
Byers saw the sequencing information on the screen slow to a trickle and knew Mulder and Scully's souls—their essences were now synced. "He healed her."
The gunmen all shared a look of relief and knew it was just a matter of time until they woke up able to access their full abilities at will as true and permanent bondmates.
A caribbean vacation followed by a simple ceremony.
"For better or worse."
The cry of a newborn baby. A baby daughter and a teenage son.
A beautiful unremarkable house.
Working as a doctor and living out their retirement.
Laughing with his son.
Dancing with his daughter.
Growing old together.
Suddenly, Scully's eyes flew open. She looked around, confused by it all until her eyes settled upon Mulder next to her.
His eyes fluttered as if he were lucidly dreaming.
"Mulder," she whispered.
Instantly, his eyes flew open and he jumped and sat straight up, looking around.
"Mulder, it's okay," she insisted.
She reached for his hand, grounding him, bringing him back to the present.
"Scully," he gasped, taking in her features. Gone was the pale and sickly looking Scully, replaced by the familiar and vibrant Special Agent and Medical Doctor in front of him.
"You're okay," he gushed as his hands moved to cup her face.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Yes, I'm okay because of you."
Scully was still a little weak and frankly so was Mulder after everything that happened in the last 48 hours. Mulder relaxed and laid himself down next to Scully, pulling her flush to his chest while they gazed at one another, surprised at the visions they had just witnessed.
"Oh wow! Oh, Scully!" Mulder's eyes widened and danced along her face and hair.
"What? What's wrong, Mulder?"
He glanced around the room and locked back onto her eyes. "I see red and green. I mean I've known the muted colors before but now, they're so vivid and bright!"
"I cured your color blindness?"
Mulder grinned. "We cured each other."
They both laughed and heard the chuckles from the gunmen standing around them, but Scully's eyes never left Mulder's and the men didn't say a word. Langley, Frohike, and Byers just stood back and watched in awe.
Scully reached up and brushed a stray hair away from Mulder's forehead and moved her face closer to his as she whispered, "you're my touchstone, Mulder?"
"For better or worse, Scully. And you are mine," mimicking her words to him.
"For better or worse," she breathed while she nuzzled his nose and closed her eyes as Mulder's mouth tenderly covered hers.
As their fingers ran through each other's hair and lips slid along one another's passionately, the three men quietly made their way out of the room and gently closed the door behind them.
Notes:
The actual soul synchronization took Mulder and Scully into the past as well as the future together where they shared visions and glimpses into each others minds. And, the fact that Mulder had died after he was returned from his abduction would have never happened IF he were returned with a pulse since Scully could've absorbed his ailments with their chips. ;)
Please let us know what you thought of our little AU twist and if you liked how we cut out some of the angst for the future episodes!