Title: Life After Mulder: The Path Less Traveled (2/6)
All other information is in Chapter One.
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The one-year anniversary of Mulder's abduction has just passed. I look at Will, and I find that I have the strength to continue. To look up to the sky and to pray everyday that Mulder would have the chance to meet his son. But for right now, all I can do is just wait.
Skinner has just called me into his office.
"Yes, sir?" I ask him with a questionable look. " We have found something. It's a letter addressed to you." My eye's opened with the highest hint of glee that I felt with my son. "Do you have it, sir?" Skinner handed me the letter. As I began to read it, my heart raised. A tear glided down my cheek slowly.
One year-one full year of being a mother. Will took his first step at 11 months and started talking just the other day. He knows what I'm thinking and it scares me. His first word was 'Mulder' because I always think about Mulder. Will means everything to me and I will not lose him.
My partner got partnered with another person and I am happier than ever. I barely come it to work now; instead I look for Mulder and watch Will. The Lone GunMen have helped me since I requested the closing of The X-Files. They have inside information that is helping in our search, but we have not prevailed, as I would have liked.
Skinner finally confronted me about my career and he said, "Agent Scully you are barely in to work any more and you are always calling in to take off. I know it is hard for you being a single mother so I have asked the board to except a leave of absence until Mulder is returned. I know you are working with other resources that probably help you more in your investigation into Mulder's disappearance. I hope you feel the same way about this as I do."
"Sir, that is the thing I could have wanted more than anything. Will I get to keep my position and my badge?"
"Scully you can still use your badge into this investigation."
I thanked him and left. I was finally able to wait for Mulder's return, something I anticipated more than anything. My son loved having me home and I knew I could protect him more than anyone else. I didn't think the people of the project knew about Will's DNA, but then again I didn't know they were the ones that had helped create Will. They gave me back my ova to produce a son/daughter that would be able to save them all. I didn't find this out until much, much later.
With the closing of the x-files, and my leave of absence, this opportunity had addressed itself to me as a wonderful blessing. Its almost as if, somehow, that my leave was planned by unknown sources. I wouldn't be able to say that for sure. I left the office with Will in tow, and proceeded to the Lone Gunmen's headquarters. I had also contacted my brother Charles who works for the NASA space program in Houston. He informed, months earlier, that a possible conclusion into the disappearance of Mulder in the Oregon woods was linked to the sighting of an unidentified object hovering over the earth's atmosphere. The object was triangular in shape, and it matched the description that Skinner had given me in the hospital. My theory was that it was a possibility that this unknown craft was waiting. For what I don't know. All I do know is that this craft took my son's father away and I wanted him returned
The Lone Gunmen loved Will. He was so cute and the guys would have made great baby-sitters. Byers called me over to his computer to give me some information on a satellite photo that was sent to him by Charles. "What am I looking at?" I asked Byers.
"You're looking at what the Hubbell Space Telescope discovered on a routine mapping mission of Mars." All the while, I can hear Will laughing and giggling at Langley and Frohike. A pleasant though.
"What is it supposed to show me?"
"Take a look at the upper right hand portion of the photograph." As I did what Byers told me, I noticed that there was a pattern of unusual light. Byers thought that it was just random solar flares. I asked if he had an image inhancer. He did, and proceeded to make the pattern of light seem larger on the computer screen. To our amazement and fear, the light was a message that the computer read as "I coming home. I will see you soon. And I love you. Yours always, Mulder."
I couldn't believe it Mulder had left me a message: He would come home, but when, that was the question. I greatly enjoyed my visit with the Lone GunMen. I know Will did too. We left that night, me with higher spirits and Will with new playmates to look forward to playing with.
The next three months went quick. We kept getting messages from Mulder; he misses me and is trying to come home as soon as possible. I knew that he was under going horrible tests that could hurt him for the rest of his life, but he wouldn't tell me about that.
It was finally May again, the second anniversary. I think I took it better than the first one, but still the fear of him never returning was there. I looked up towards the starry night, a tear, one single tear ran down my face as I thought Mulder was out there somewhere maybe looking down on me this very moment knowing I was looking at him. My heart ached for him, for his love that I knew he had for me. My Mulder will come home I am closer now I believe, but I have no way to control it, no way to make all the bad go away and be at peace with my family: Mulder and Will.
On that second anniversary I got bad news, but it wasn't about Mulder. Charlie called and told me while choking on tears, "Dana I hate to tell you this on the anniversary, but mom passed away an hour ago."
My world fell apart then. My mother, the one who had comforted me in my greatest deepest time had died. A part of me died with her. I was totally drained and I think Will actually understood. His big hazel eyes looked at me in concern and he asked,
"Grammy?" I looked down into those eyes, those eyes I knew so well and told him,
"Honey, Grammy has gone to heaven to live a better life, we won't see her anymore." I broke down then, my son beside me giving me a hug trying the best he could to comfort me. He was only 15 months old, but he somehow understood. Maybe it was the mind reading that had advanced him brain wise.
I had to find Mulder now before the other half of me died. A dream came to me almost a month later and I saw Mulder he was smiling at me and mouthing something, It looked like the words to the Lord's Prayer and then he said, "I love you, Scully. It won't be long now." I awoke then to the screams of my son. It was the beginning of the end.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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"All lies lead to the truth." –Scully "Redux II"