Dana Scully stood in the middle of the vegetables aisle, leaning against a shopping cart. She let out of a sigh of frustration. Mulder would no doubt complain about the presence of edible food on the dinner table. Him and their daughter would much prefer chinese food over her cooking. These were the times when she missed Jackson the most.
She pulled out her phone and stared at her lockscreen. The smiling faces of her family stared back at her, filling her heart with love. They were safe from the consortium. The final showdown with CSM was the last X-File her and Mulder took on. Although they've assisted the FBI in special cases throughout the years, their lives have stayed relatively unchanged.
Dana tossed a variety of fruits and vegetables into her cart, pausing when she felt her phone buzzing in her back pocket. She answered the phone, prepared to listen to Mulder's daily ramblings. Unsurprisingly, he started to describe a potential X-File about drugs and vampires.
"Scully, this is exactly like the case in Chaney." Mulder argued, his voice a bit muffled from holding the phone too close to his face. He has always been technologically challenged. "We could finally catch that bucktoothed sheriff."
Dana rolled her eyes. "Mulder, his teeth were perfectly straight," she said, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't even think about ditching me again."
"Never again," he promised, "I love you and our little family too much."
A pink blush spread across Dana's cheeks. After over 40 years together, she still hasn't gotten used to those three words.
"I love you too," Dana whispered into the phone, wary of her surroundings. "Have you and Jackson picked up your suits for the ball?"
Every year the FBI throws an annual ball, celebrating the citizens that dedicate their lives to the protection of americans. It's held in an event hall with high ceilings, rows of delicious foods, and an open bar. Mulder and Scully were being honored at the ball because of their outstanding achievements in the X-Files. The board of directors weren't too happy about the FBI encouraging the exploration of extraterrestrials. However, Skinner was able to eventually wear them down. Despite everything the X-Files have taken from Mulder and Scully, they deserved some recognition for their work.
"When have I ever not been prepared?" Mulder asked. "Actually, don't answer that question."
"The suits, Mulder," Dana reminded him, "Did you pick up the suits?"
"Oh, right," Mulder responded, oblivious to his wandering mind. "Not yet. We're on our way."
Dana shook her head. A broad grin spread across her face. He was her spooky Mulder. She and Mulder had most certainly been put through the wringer throughout their messed up relationship. His trust issues, her abduction, her infertility (well, past infertility), Antarctica, Mulder's death, the seven years it took for them to kiss for the first time. By the time their relationship was somewhat established after the birth of their son, they had already experienced a lifetime of love and loss. Her heart panged at the thought of her parents and Melissa. They would have loved to see her and Mulder settled down with their little family.
Her phone buzzed again, pulling her out of her thoughts. Mulder hadn't noticed her silence. He was too busy trying to explain why it was incredibly important to have pizza for dinner instead of the leftovers sitting in their fridge.
"I have to go Mulder," Dana interrupted, shaking her head in amusement. "Someone is calling me."
Dana hung up on Mulder, answering the next call. "Scully."
"Is this Mrs. Mulder?" A woman's voice asked. It was high pitched and unrecognizable to Dana.
"Yes, this is she," Dana replied, worried about why this unnamed woman would be calling her in the middle of the day.
"This is Samantha's literature teacher. I heard that she has a nasty case of the flu. I was calling to wish her a fast recovery."
Dana scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Her daughter had seemed perfectly healthy this morning, complaining about her upcoming history test. Despite her offer to give her daughter a ride to school, Samantha had insisted on walking up the driveway and catching the bus. Dana had found it odd, but she didn't think twice about it. Samantha had always had a love/hate relationship with school. She has been "sick" too many times for Dana to count.
"I don't recall telling the school she was sick," Dana said, narrowing her eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides, furious at her teenage daughter.
"You've probably had a busy day," Samantha's teacher reassured her. "The school received an email from you this morning."
"Huh, it must've slipped my mind," Dana muttered, catching on to her daughter's scheme, "I'll pass on the message."
It took twenty minutes for Dana to get everything on her shopping list. Once the groceries were in the car, she sped home. Her hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, waiting for the excuse her daughter would inevitably give her. The frustration for her long list of errands before the ball was nothing compared to her daughter.
She sighed. The day Samantha was born was an eventful day. Dana and Mulder had just discovered that Jackson was alive, causing a heartfelt family reunion between the three of them. Coincidentally, Samantha wanted to join in on the fun and was born a week early. Skinner had explained Dana's pregnancy, who was sure she was infertile, was a result of her alien DNA. She vowed, the moment she looked into her baby girl's hazel eyes, that she would have the same loving relationship she had with her own mother, Maggie. She had kept her promise over the years despite her 17 year old daughter's incessant need to push her away as far as she possibly could.
Samantha was different around Mulder. She was warm and inviting, eager to play the role of daddy's little girl. He would always say "it's all in your head" or "she's probably just going through something." When both mother and daughter would butt heads, Mulder was the only person able to calm them down before things got too heated. Maybe if she asked Jackson to talk to her, she would get her act together. They have a large age difference, but they both possessed alien DNA in their chemical makeup. Dana knew Mulder wouldn't be able to help. Samantha had him wrapped around her finger.
Dana pulled the motorcade into the driveway, leaving the groceries in the car. She didn't want anything in her hands when she was yelling at her rebellious daughter. Dana slowly approached the door, hoping to catch her daughter red handed. No one was supposed to be home until 4pm today because Jackson, Mulder, and Dana had errands all day. With the house completely empty, she knew her daughter would be lounging in plain site.
A wooden porch was attached to the front of the house. Dana crept up the steps, careful of the loud creaks. She opened the door slowly, looking around the front entrance as though something should be different. Nothing was out of place. Yet.
She walked into the living room, expecting to see her daughter in front of the tv. Instead, she saw her beautiful baby girl, lying half naked in the arms of the captain of the football team, Liam Harris. Her keys dropped from her hand.
"SAMANTHA MARGARET MULDER!" Dana screeched. Both teens jerked away from each other as if they were burned.
"Mom?!" Samantha squealed, fear and embarrassment in her eyes. She used her arms to cover herself as much as she could while she searched the room for her shirt. Liam followed her lead, pulling on his shirt. "Why are you here?"
"Why-why am I here? Why the hell are you not at school?" Dana retorted.
"Well, um, I wasn't feeling well earlier, so I—" Samantha paused, seeing the fire building in Dana's eyes. "I'm sorry. Can we move on now?"
Dana placed her hands on her hips, determined to not fall for her daughter's insincere apology. "You can stop with the act, Samantha. You're only apologizing because you got caught," Dana scoffed.
"Mrs. Mulder, we have a perfectly good explanation," Liam defended Samantha. Dana didn't take it that way. She took it as a young, incompetant teenager questioning her authority.
Dana turned toward the boy and crossed her arms. "Save it. Get out before I get out my gun. I may be retired, but I never miss." Mulder would attest to that. She wouldn't ever harm a child, but her motherly instincts sometimes had her making a long list of threats.
Liam darted out of the house as fast as he possibly could. Mother and daughter glared at each other, narrowing their eyes. It was like disciplining a young Dana. Samantha's dark hair was short, styled in a bob. Her eyebrows were repeatedly raised, and her stubborn streak was a direct link to Dana. Everything about Samantha reminded Dana of herself at a young age. Everything, except her eyes, which were as green as Mulder's, was identical to Dana.
"Ugh, you're running my life," Samantha complained loudly.
"I come home to find out you skipped school again and you're sleeping around. And you have the audacity to tailor my reaction?" Dana yelled, pointing her finger. If she was any angrier, steam would be shooting out of her ears.
"I am not a slut! Liam and I love each other." Samantha cried. As expected, Dana rolled her eyes. "I knew you would do that. This is why I didn't tell you."
Dana closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She spoke at a lower volume, attempting to make Samantha understand where she was coming from. "You can fall in love with whoever you want. Hell, he could believe in the strangest things and I wouldn't care. But isn't this a little irresponsible?"
"How am I supposed to talk to you about this? You're such a judgy person!"
Dana heard herself in her daughter's voice. She saw red. "Check your attitude, young lady. You don't get to act like the victim. If you think you can skip school and not have me find out, then you are sorely mistaken."
"I love him and nothing you say can change that," Samantha proclaimed, raising her chin in defiance.
"None of this is about love, Samantha," Dana disagreed, gesturing with her hands. "This about your obsession with breaking the rules. You're the daughter of two FBI agents. Pull yourself together!"
"Oh, please," Samanatha said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Dad loves to break rules. You, on the other hand, are such a rule follower."
"You don't know anything. Let alone the amount of times breaking the law has almost killed your father. You're grounded for a month." Dana didn't take any pleasure from punishing her children. It was for their own good. She had already tried talking it out with her daughter and that didn't do anything.
"That's so unfair!" Samantha whined, clenching her fists.
Dana sighed, pinching her nose in frustration. She thanked God every day that she didn't have to deal with two magical children. One was enough. The slamming of the front door brought her back to reality as her son entered the room.
"Mom, we just got back from the—" Jackson paused in the doorway, looking between his mother and sister, eyebrows raised. "What's going on?"
Jackson slowly walked to the middle of the room, blocking Samanatha's view of her furious mother. Dana was silent, waiting for Samantha to tell her sob story. She didn't. Instead, she wiped at the tears under her eyes, shook her head, and stomped up the stairs.
"What was that about?" He ashed.
"She skipped school... I caught her on the sofa. With that football player," Dana told him reluctantly. She shook her head in disappointment, attempting to forget the clear image of her daughter trying to have sex.
"Football player? Are you talking about Harris? I'm going to kill him," Jackson growled, narrowing his eyes. No one touched his sister.
Dana smiled. She and Mulder have witnessed the amount of snarkiness and sarcasm that fill up a room when Jackson and Samantha are near each other. They never came to physical blows because Jackson always used magic in the end. It drove Samantha crazy, but she still teased him constantly.
"You're not even in high school, Jackson. Please don't make it worse than it already is. I'll talk with her teacher," She said, bending over and picking up her keys. She groaned when she saw the lamp tipped over. The broken bulb laid next to it. God only knows how that happened. "Where's your father?"
"He went to buy you and Samantha corsages," Jackson answered, leaning against the doorway.
"Oh, alright. Could you do a favor and put the groceries away? I left them in the car," Dana asked.
"Of course, mom," Jackson said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and dashing out the door.
Dana sat on the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. She hated fighting with Samantha. Each fight made her feel like a failure of a mother. It reminded her how her relationship with her daughter was much more strained than her relationship with her own mother. Sure, they've had their fair share of arguments, but she never hated her mother. Dana used to have such a sweet and innocent little girl. Back then, she couldn't wait to jump into her mother's arms for one last hug. As Samantha grew older, she became more distant and didn't hesitate to push Dana's buttons.
If Mulder were here, he would tell her Samantha was just like her. Samantha hasn't developed any powers as of yet, so Dana didn't have to deal with another X-File. The FBI had already tried to take advantage of her son's powers. It took years for Jackson to feel safe in public. The last thing she wanted was for the government to take away her daughter. She sighed, the only thing getting her through the day was that Jackson would be staying at the house for the weekend. Dana stood up, deciding that her and Mulder would be having a long conversation with Samantha tonight.
Samantha was curled up on her bed, tears streaming down her face. Her mom didn't know anything. She didn't know how hard it was to live up to her expectations. She was the great Dana Scully who could do no wrong. Well, she is wrong, Samantha thought, muttering curses under her breath as she stuffed random articles of clothing into a backpack. She moved around her room, grabbing anything that looked important.
She never thought about running away before. Sure, Samantha and her mother were complete opposites in her eyes, but she always felt that her mother loved and cared for her. She just needed some time away. She couldn't stand her mother's constant nagging, nor Jackson's teasing. Jackson was nice to her on occasions when he wasn't getting on her nerves, but he was never home. She loved her dad, but he could never be serious. If Samantha tried to bring up her feelings or the fights with her mother, he would brush her aside, telling her it was all in her head. He would say that they were just "looking out for her." With Jackson being "the miracle baby," sometimes she felt as if her parents loved him more than her. They don't need her.
When she was a kid, Mulder would bring her to the front yard with a telescope and tell her about aliens. Dana would then scold Mulder for filling Samantha's head with fantasies of mythical creatures, halting their fun. The times Mulder and Samantha spent fantasizing about life on other planets were some of the happiest moments of her life. Samantha couldn't figure out how everything changed.
Samantha zipped up her backpack and threw it over her shoulders, walking over to her bedroom window. The house had come without window screens, so she should be able to climb out the window. Once Samantha was on the roof, she dangled her legs over the edge, attempting to reach the railing attached to the wrap around porch. Eventually, she found herself on the ground, walking the length of her long driveway. She had no clue where she was going, but she walked in the direction of civilization. The Mulder house was in the middle of nowhere, making it hard to run away.
Every day of her life, Samantha is constantly reminded that she was the daughter of two of the greatest FBI agents. How it took her parents seven years to admit their feelings to one another and how they were destined for each other. Namely, it was uncle Skinner who spouted stories upon stories of her parents, especially after a few drinks. Occasionally, her parents would tell her the tale of how her dad went to Antarctica to save her mother's life. She always wished she could be as brave as her parents. Jackson had seen them in action when he was a teen, but he refused to share any "classified information."
Her mom often says she understands. That she knew what it felt like to not have familial support; but she had a large family, just exactly how judgemental could the Scully clan have been? Samantha knew she chose to enter the FBI over being a full-time doctor and she knew that uncle Bill didn't approve of her mom's relationship with her dad. Even with all her issues, why would chasing down bad guys and falling in love not be desired? Samantha couldn't wrap her head around it. Her mom would never understand what it felt like to want nothing but excitement and spontaneity.
Samantha lost herself within her mind for hours, walking along a dirt road. It was only when the sun began to set and the beautiful red and orange colors of sunset were painted across the sky that she realized just how far she walked. Everyone was probably sitting at the dinner table, assuming she was sulking alone in her room.
She looked to her left and right, wondering how much longer until she reached a bus station. There were no cars or houses in sight, only one long dirt road. A large field filled with crops taller than her was parallel to the road. In an attempt to rest her feet, Samantha climbed the wooden fence. She sat her bag against the fence and sat heavily on the ground, resting her chin on her hands. Her feet throbbed as she shifted her weight. She regretted not bringing her hiking boots, dreaming about a hot, warm bath. Maybe she could go back. A few hours was more than enough time to scare her mom into listening to her. Her dad would no doubt use FBI resources and find her anyway, putting her into a boatload of trouble.
Just as Samantha was about to give up and ask for her mom's forgiveness, a bright light flashed in the distance, peeking through the crops. She scrambled away from the crops, grabbing her backpack. She regretted not bringing any weapons. She could use some pepper spray right about now.
The white light grew closer, poking through the crops. A small, glowing orb stood behind the yellow crops, begging Samantha to follow it. She couldn't describe what she felt when she locked eyes with the strange creature. Her fear vanished as she unconsciously followed the orb further into the field, replaced with a sense of curiosity and wonder. She walked deep into the field, stopping when she found herself in the middle of a clearing. Dead land met her view, with strange markings of the ground.
Her nerves came back tenfold. Samantha was sure there weren't any signs of life near the field. Her arms felt tingly, similar to whenever Jackson messed around with powers in a poor attempt to scare her. She backtracked in the direction she came from and sprinted out of the clearing. As they fought against the tall and bellowing crops, she found herself back in the same clearing. Or was it another clearing that looked identical to the first? The latter seemed more plausible considering how she had walked in a straight line rather than a circle.
"Are you lost, dear?" A woman's voice asked behind her. Samantha spun quickly, searching for the unknown woman. Standing directly behind her was a middle aged woman. She was tall. Almost as tall as her dad.
"Who are you?" She asked, hiding her fear.
"At the moment, I'm just a human. Back in the day though, I was one heck of a genie." Samantha furrowed her eyebrows. A genie? "Enough about me. Why aren't you with the other Mulders? Trouble in paradise?" The woman teased, showing her whitened teeth.
"You know me?" Samantha blurted out, struggling to contain her questions. Her lack of control probably wasn't a good idea considering she had no idea how this woman knew her and her family.
"Your dad saved my life. The least I could do was keep tabs on him," the genie responded, shrugging her shoulders. "And I have to admit I wanted to see the day he got together with your mom."
"I ran away," Samantha said, clutching the straps of her backgrap.
"Couldn't take the Ice Queen anymore?"
Yes, she thought initially. Although the sound of anyone else referring to her mother as the Ice Queen, didn't sit too well with Samantha.
"I need to go," Samantha said, stepping away from the woman and toward the crops.
"The light led you here. Why would you leave?"
"Light?"
"You didn't have to follow the light, but you did it anyway. Sounds like fate to me," the genie argued, crossing her arms.
"Don't look at me and say you wouldn't follow a floating orb. That is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Samantha defended herself, throwing her hands in the air. "Now get out of my way!"
The genie took hold of her forearm, pulling her towards the middle of the clearing. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Let me go!"
"You want your life to change. I can see it in your eyes," the genie insisted, staring into her soul. "I can help you." Her grip tightened as the clouds darkened, swirling above the clearing. Wind blew Samantha's hair into her face, blurring her vision.
"Get the fuck off me, lady!" Samantha growled. She was completely done with this unhinged woman's bullshit.
"I may not have my powers anymore, but I still have one trick up my sleeve. You can thank me later."
The genie pushed Samantha onto the ground. It would have hurt if it weren't for the bright portal that appeared beneath her. The blinding light swallowed Samantha and everything went black.
Author's Notes
Hi again! I finished this chapter pretty fast which is surprising to me. Feel free to comment and/or review! I would greatly appreciate it. Fun Fact: I got the first dose of the Phizer vaccine this week! I do not own the X-Files, nor do I profit from this story.