Margaret

End of Darkness Falls - While Mulder and Scully are kept at the High Containment Facility - Mrs Scully's house

Too many hours since she had been woken up by a bad dream and upsetting blurry sensations, warning her that something had happened to Dana. Too many hours since she had been startled by an early dry phone call from the FBI. Too many hours waiting for more specific news, for hopeful news, for good news, for any news.

As Margaret Scully was trying to keep her impatience and worries at bay over a cup of tea, the phone rang. This time, as she was stretching her arm towards the handset, she didn't feel a sour taste in her throat but warmth settling and spreading in her belly.

She picked up the phone.

"Yes, Mrs Scully speaking," she said.

"Mrs Scully, it's Agent Fox Mulder," a male voice answered, lacking assurance.

"Oh, Agent Mulder! I was so worried. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs Scully. I'm fine, really."

Maggie wondered if her daughter's FBI partner was using these words the same way Dana was. She intuited that it wasn't the case, at least right now, even if she could hear his palpable tiredness and weakness.

"I'm so glad to hear that... They don't want me to come and see both of you, because of the quarantine. And they have been so allusive and sparse in their explanations… I'm not sure I understand well what you're currently going through," she said.

"I can explain the details if you want, Mrs Scully."

"Maybe later, when you're not tired... You still seem weak... But, surely, it's not why you're calling me. What about Dana? Is she okay?"

Fox Mulder didn't answer right away, Maggie hearing him control his breath. For a brief moment, she thought of a bad omen and squeezed harder the handleset. Yet, when Fox began to talk, she relaxed and could only widely open her heart to let his concern and anxiety be captured and tamed.

"Mrs Scully… Well… Dana is… she's still unconscious for now. We have to wait. I assure you the doctors here are very competent. They are taking care of her as best as possible… And we are in the same room. I'm constantly by her bedside," Mulder said.

"Thanks, Fox. Then, I guess she's in very good hands... I really appreciate you calling me."

"Mrs Scully… I'm sorry I don't have better news. It wasn't supposed to be like that… for our case, I mean. And… I… er... I..."

"Don't, Fox. I'm sure you've done nothing wrong. I know that your job is hazardous. Dana is responsible and well aware of those risks. She always acts on her own judgement."

"Yes, but… I..."

"Not to me. You tell Dana when she wakes up. Meanwhile, tell her I'm praying for her recovery and that I love her. Would you do that for me, Fox?"

"Of course, Mrs Scully."

"And you can call me anytime."

"I will, Mrs Scully."

"Rest and stay safe, Fox. Goodbye." And she hung up the phone, reassured.

Her cherished daughter, how fierce, strong and independent she could be, was needing an unswerving ally and a steady anchor; not knowing much more than what Dana had occasionally told her and the words she'd just exchanged, Maggie thought that Dana's FBI partner seemed to perfectly fit the profile.

A couple of hours later the phone rang once again, as Maggie was busying herself in the living-room, diverting her mind from the empty and useless minutes without any news.

"Hello," she said.

"Mrs Scully. It's Fox Mulder."

She sighed, relieved. In those few words and the way they were mouthed out, there was all the news she needed. Dana was okay, Dana was safe.

Fox Mulder confirmed her intuition and filled her in with more details about the ordeal he and Dana were going through. He obviously couldn't speak about a few elements that had to be kept secret, but he had a way to report facts, express his insights and share his feelings that was completely sufficient for Maggie.

She smiled when he told her how faithful to Maggie's prayers he had been, whispering constantly in Dana's ears the words he had promised to repeat. She knew life enough to guess that her own words of hope and love were only half the energy they had conveyed, the other half -or even more- being the voice and heart that had pronounced them. She knew better than not to believe that Fox was a kind and positive energy himself, one that could reach Dana's soul whenever needed.

Sensing that Fox's doubts and guilt were still lingering under his skin, Maggie managed to finish their conversation by some small talk in which she could put simple comfort words. Because Fox could be a FBI Agent and a grown independent man, in Maggie's heart he had now become more than Dana's FBI partner.

The day after, as the afternoon was already long enough, Mrs Scully was gardening. She had felt the need to grasp earthly and lively forces in her hands, as well to settle down her thoughts in the soil.

In the morning, Maggie had received a brief call from Dana reporting how fine she was, or, rather, how things had turned out well for her, even if a long path of healing was still ahead.

Dana hadn't been able to speak a lot, as she had been still tired and suffered pain in her throat and lungs. But Maggie was patient, and she knew that she would soon receive fresh news, even if short ones, from her daughter or maybe from her partner.

The phone rang, and she made it in the house just in time.

"Mrs Scully, speaking," she said, slightly panting.

"Hi, mom," Scully replied.

"Dana, how are you?"

"Fine. Not completely healed, but fine."

"I can hear that your voice and breath are healthier, indeed."

"I still have to eliminate residues of this chemical component remaining in my lungs, but nothing to worry about."

"Have you eaten? How's the food?"

"Yeah, a little bit. That's OK, even if not really completely recognizable."

"What about Agent Mulder?"

"He can eat anything. He's actually eaten twice my portion and finished mine."

"It's because he's taller and has recovered faster than you… Dana... I wanna tell you, your partner… He was so nice to give me news, you know... I had difficulties understanding what you'd been through when I was first alerted. Nobody was patient enough to explain to me, or they feared to reveal some secret, I don't know. But Fox found the right words. He made my worries disappear."

"Yeah… Mulder can do that..."

Maggie smiled internally. Dana wouldn't call her partner by his first name but there was already such an intimacy pouring out the way she was using it. For long, her daughter had got friends or acquaintances Maggie had heard of, but only sparsely and briefly. Dana was often secretive, especially about the matters of her heart. Yet, since she had been paired with this intriguing FBI Agent, she had been more open and warm than usual when speaking about him, more prompt to let feelings transpire, even if it was light and subtle -faint clues that a mom could easily decipher.

And then, Maggie and Scully chatted quite long about Mulder, as if he were equally familiar to both of them or as if he were a beloved cousin or nephew. It didn't feel wrong or awkward, just natural.

When Maggie went back to Scully's health -after all, she was still very concerned about her daughter's physical state- the conversation ended quite quickly. Maggie had suddenly felt that something had popped up in Dana's mind, something seemingly troubling her and surely related to her partner, so she let her daughter close the call.

That night, despite all the good news, Margaret Scully was awakened in the middle of the night by a nightmare. Her baby girl Dana had been taken away, in so disturbing circumstances -even for a bad dream- that Margaret had been scared to death. She wasn't considering her a psychic but she was enough a believer in her dreams and premonitions to be utterly upset and confused.

Months and months later - Arlington Gardens Memorial; Washington, D.C. area

Mrs Scully was telling a story from Scully's childhood, as she was sitting beside Mulder.

"[...] Dana began to cry with irrevocable guilt. Through her tears, she was saying that… something was missing from the snake. She had taken something that was not hers to take. And although deathly afraid of snakes, Dana held the animal as if sheer human will could keep it alive. The snake, its blood on her hands, died. There was nothing she could do to bring it back," Mrs Scully was narrating.

"It's too soon, Mrs Scully. We can't give up," Mulder said.

"That day in the woods, I felt for my daughter. But at this moment, I know how my daughter felt."

The door opened and Margaret Scully stood up. A man walked in, carrying something wrapped in a piece of paper and put it down on the counter. As Margaret walked over, the man lifted the cover off. It was a tombstone, where were written the words: 'DANA KATHERINE SCULLY, 1964-1994, LOVING DAUGHTER & FRIEND "The Spirit is the Truth." JOHN 5:07'.

Mulder, who had joined Margaret at the counter, turned away when the unbearable tombstone was revealed. Maggie felt for him, knowing that it was as hard for him as it was for herself. Yet, she was grateful for his presence, needing him by her side today. And, despite Fox's deep sadness, she could now feel something positive emanating from his body. Something she couldn't discern precisely, but something comforting and hopeful.

These last weeks, Maggie had been completely at a loss, the nightmare of Dana's disappearance haunting her fiercely at nights. She had been at a loss as to how to interpret the persistent occurrence of that dream and how to search for clues in other daily omens, as if the dark forces that had taken her daughter away were indecipherable and unearthly.

Though, sensing Fox's aura behind her, Maggie was now experiencing something new. Finally, amidst this real nightmare of uncertainties, death and despair, Fox could be the good omen she was looking for.

She hoped so. She believed in it.