Chapter 4:
It was cold outside. Cold and dark.
Standing in the middle of a sandy, open plain Mulder felt the chill acutely. In all honesty he had felt it so, ever since he had left Scully. He shook his head as he considered his lost time with her, and silently vowed to make it up to the woman he loved and needed above all.
He checked his watch for the umpteenth time, and realised there would only be a few minutes more until midnight... until he would be reunited with her. He involuntarily smiled at the thought, and looked up at the stars. Every night without Scully, Mulder had always taken the time to watch the stars, knowing that somewhere she may also have been looking at the same sky. It was a long shot, but somehow it always made him feel closer to her, and a little less lonely.
Mulder wrapped his arms around himself more tightly as a new burst of wind came from the east. Along with the wind though, came the most beautiful sound his ears could ever be exposed to.
"Mulder!"
Peering through the fog that was starting to accumulate, he saw Scully running fiercely towards him.
"Scully!"
The relief and joy he felt was overwhelming. He bolted towards her and really saw her for the first time in so long.
She was the same Scully he knew and loved. Nothing had changed- she was still so beautiful. Thank God nothing had changed.
He caught her in a strong embrace as they finally met on the sparse plain.
"Scully! Oh Scully!" was all he could say as he buried his ample nose in her hair.
"I know Mulder, I know." She did know. She was a part of Mulder no less; Scully knew him better that he knew himself.
After a few moments of silence in each other's arms, Mulder pulled back.
"Oh Scully! Scully I'm sorry, we have to get going," he said urgently.
"I know Mulder," Scully repeated quietly.
He turned to go, but she pulled back on his hand.
He looked at her questioningly before her troubled eyes started to shed light tears.
"Mulder, I… it's William."
"Shh Scully. It's all right. I know. I know about William."
He knew. He felt the separation from his son deeply, and knew that the feeling must have been 10 times worse for her.
"I've been looking out for you both to the best of my abilities, and I know. You made the right decision Scully. You don't need to worry, he could never have been given a decent chance at life if he were to hide out with us. He's got a chance at so much more now," he reassured her quietly.
Mulder paused before raising Scully's knuckles to his lips as he made a vow.
"When we're safe once more Scully, then we'll all be together again. I promise. You did the right thing."
He knew her better than she knew herself.
Scully nodded, and Mulder brushed away the drops that had fallen on her cheeks.
"Shh Scully, I love you."
With that, he bent down and softly kissed her. She warmed to his kiss, and realised that as she did with William, she was again making the right decision with Mulder.
They both broke apart and looked at each other. Mulder in particular scanned her face to make sure she was really all right, and that she believed in him and his love.
He was wrong before, he decided. Something about her was different, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. He kept looking at her to try and decipher what had changed, but for some reason he couldn't.
'It doesn't matter right now,' he thought as he cupped her cheek. What mattered was that she was here, and that she was his.
He smiled at her and without saying a word, they together turned and walked away with fingers intertwined.
In the distance, two figures watched as the couple started off into the night.
Doggett and Reyes had come as a means of protection for Scully, and had kept a close look out in case any trouble loomed on the horizon.
Their job done, Reyes turned on the ignition of the car, but her eyes did not leave the image in front of her. Doggett too kept looking steadily on. He watched as Mulder wrapped his arm unwaveringly around Scully as they walked off towards the horizon.
At that moment, Scully looked behind her, and in the distance she made out John's figure in the darkened car. For a brief second their eyes locked before Scully smiled and turned away.
As Doggett watched Scully leave, he suddenly remembered an incident in his childhood. He once had a bird in a cage that his mother had given him for Christmas. It was his first pet, and he had made sure to take very good care of it. One day, he had accidentaly left the door to the birdcage open as he was changing its water. The little bird had seen its chance and had escaped through the open door, before it then flew outside through the kitchen window; never to return.
He knew a bird's natural habitat was in nature, and even as a boy John knew the bird was probably happier, and better off being free out in the wilderness, despite the love and care John had given it.
He had still missed the little bird though, and one day his mother sat him down and spoke to him, "John, if you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it was never yours to begin with."
Doggett and Reyes continued to watch the two partners as they disappeared over the horizon into the wilderness.
"It's time for us to go John," said Reyes sitting next to him.
Doggett nodded at her, but still did not meet her gaze.
"You made the right decision," she continued.
He looked at her in surprise, only to meet her kind but knowing stare. In the depths of her eyes, he saw something that mirrored a look he had seen in Scully's eyes the night before. He looked back out at the empty plain.
"Let's go home John," said Monica, placing a hand on his arm.
"Yeah Mon, let's go home," he replied covering it with his own.
FINIS
It was cold outside. Cold and dark.
Standing in the middle of a sandy, open plain Mulder felt the chill acutely. In all honesty he had felt it so, ever since he had left Scully. He shook his head as he considered his lost time with her, and silently vowed to make it up to the woman he loved and needed above all.
He checked his watch for the umpteenth time, and realised there would only be a few minutes more until midnight... until he would be reunited with her. He involuntarily smiled at the thought, and looked up at the stars. Every night without Scully, Mulder had always taken the time to watch the stars, knowing that somewhere she may also have been looking at the same sky. It was a long shot, but somehow it always made him feel closer to her, and a little less lonely.
Mulder wrapped his arms around himself more tightly as a new burst of wind came from the east. Along with the wind though, came the most beautiful sound his ears could ever be exposed to.
"Mulder!"
Peering through the fog that was starting to accumulate, he saw Scully running fiercely towards him.
"Scully!"
The relief and joy he felt was overwhelming. He bolted towards her and really saw her for the first time in so long.
She was the same Scully he knew and loved. Nothing had changed- she was still so beautiful. Thank God nothing had changed.
He caught her in a strong embrace as they finally met on the sparse plain.
"Scully! Oh Scully!" was all he could say as he buried his ample nose in her hair.
"I know Mulder, I know." She did know. She was a part of Mulder no less; Scully knew him better that he knew himself.
After a few moments of silence in each other's arms, Mulder pulled back.
"Oh Scully! Scully I'm sorry, we have to get going," he said urgently.
"I know Mulder," Scully repeated quietly.
He turned to go, but she pulled back on his hand.
He looked at her questioningly before her troubled eyes started to shed light tears.
"Mulder, I… it's William."
"Shh Scully. It's all right. I know. I know about William."
He knew. He felt the separation from his son deeply, and knew that the feeling must have been 10 times worse for her.
"I've been looking out for you both to the best of my abilities, and I know. You made the right decision Scully. You don't need to worry, he could never have been given a decent chance at life if he were to hide out with us. He's got a chance at so much more now," he reassured her quietly.
Mulder paused before raising Scully's knuckles to his lips as he made a vow.
"When we're safe once more Scully, then we'll all be together again. I promise. You did the right thing."
He knew her better than she knew herself.
Scully nodded, and Mulder brushed away the drops that had fallen on her cheeks.
"Shh Scully, I love you."
With that, he bent down and softly kissed her. She warmed to his kiss, and realised that as she did with William, she was again making the right decision with Mulder.
They both broke apart and looked at each other. Mulder in particular scanned her face to make sure she was really all right, and that she believed in him and his love.
He was wrong before, he decided. Something about her was different, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. He kept looking at her to try and decipher what had changed, but for some reason he couldn't.
'It doesn't matter right now,' he thought as he cupped her cheek. What mattered was that she was here, and that she was his.
He smiled at her and without saying a word, they together turned and walked away with fingers intertwined.
In the distance, two figures watched as the couple started off into the night.
Doggett and Reyes had come as a means of protection for Scully, and had kept a close look out in case any trouble loomed on the horizon.
Their job done, Reyes turned on the ignition of the car, but her eyes did not leave the image in front of her. Doggett too kept looking steadily on. He watched as Mulder wrapped his arm unwaveringly around Scully as they walked off towards the horizon.
At that moment, Scully looked behind her, and in the distance she made out John's figure in the darkened car. For a brief second their eyes locked before Scully smiled and turned away.
As Doggett watched Scully leave, he suddenly remembered an incident in his childhood. He once had a bird in a cage that his mother had given him for Christmas. It was his first pet, and he had made sure to take very good care of it. One day, he had accidentaly left the door to the birdcage open as he was changing its water. The little bird had seen its chance and had escaped through the open door, before it then flew outside through the kitchen window; never to return.
He knew a bird's natural habitat was in nature, and even as a boy John knew the bird was probably happier, and better off being free out in the wilderness, despite the love and care John had given it.
He had still missed the little bird though, and one day his mother sat him down and spoke to him, "John, if you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it was never yours to begin with."
Doggett and Reyes continued to watch the two partners as they disappeared over the horizon into the wilderness.
"It's time for us to go John," said Reyes sitting next to him.
Doggett nodded at her, but still did not meet her gaze.
"You made the right decision," she continued.
He looked at her in surprise, only to meet her kind but knowing stare. In the depths of her eyes, he saw something that mirrored a look he had seen in Scully's eyes the night before. He looked back out at the empty plain.
"Let's go home John," said Monica, placing a hand on his arm.
"Yeah Mon, let's go home," he replied covering it with his own.
FINIS