Title: Starry, Starry Night
Author: Jennifer Zoromski AKA Jennis524
Summary: "I took the road less traveled"
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Chris Carter, 1013, & FOX
Author's Notes: Well I was watching "The Family Man" and I got this idea…
Feedback: I love feedback! So be sure to tell me what you think.. Constructive criticism is welcome because it helps me to write better.
Enjoy!
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"Many people walk in and out of your life, but true friends leave footprints in your heart." -Eleanor Roosevelt
Mercy Hospital, Washington DC
April 24, 2003
Footsteps echo on the hospital floor as I walk slowly, my heels clicking methodically while I walk. I stop before a room. Tears fill my eyes as I silently reach for the door knob, not bothering to knock. Mulder lays on the bed with machines hooked up to him helping him to breathe and another one that is monitoring his heart.
His beautiful hazel eyes are closed and the rhythmic beeping of the machine somehow soothes my nerves. I pull up a chair and sit down next to the bed. I grab for Mulder's hand, the wedding ring on his finger reminds me of the day we were married almost two years ago. My lips ache to kiss his full lips, but the machine that helps him breathe makes that almost impossible.
I lay my head down in defeat as a I hold his hand. The tears start to flow freely as I watch his chest rise and fall. He once to told me to never give up on a miracle and I didn't. We now have a two year old son that is a complete miracle.
I still believe in miracles, but the disease the aliens gave him has come back again and there is no way to cure it. I have to watch him suffer. They upped his dose of morphine because they told me that he didn't have much longer and I don't want him to be in pain. I wonder if he still remember who I am.
His hand twitches. I lift my head surprised. Mulder opens his deep hazel eyes and stares at me intently. Those beautiful hazel eyes twinkle with recognition. Mulder still remembers who I am! I long to hear his voice again, but the machine makes it impossible for him to talk.
He tightens his grip on my hand and there is a look in his eyes that tells me he wants to talk. But if I unhooked the respirator he'd die.
"Mulder, I can't unhook the respirator," I whisper.
He nods his head. Determination in his eyes. A fight between my heart and my conscience starts out. One side telling me to let him talk, let his suffering end. Another side telling me to hold on to him.
Mulder takes his hand up to his mouth and starts to take the tube out of his mouth. Mulder once again made the decision for me. I smile, glad to know that he still has the determination that he once had.
I help Mulder take out the respirator and to my surprise he breathes on his own.
"Mulder?" I say, my voice cracking as I try to hold back my tears.
"Scully," he whispers, "I love you."
I smile. "I love you too," I reassure him.
Mulder closes his eyes. The pain finally taking its toll on him. I hear him struggle to breathe and I try to put the respirator back in.
"It's meant to be," Mulder barely whispers.
Mulder looks one more time into my eyes. He looks deep down into my soul. And then I hear him draw in his last breath. A flat line and a horrible beeping announces the fated end of Mulder's life. A life that I didn't want to let go.
I stand there shocked. I too close my eyes as the last ten years flash before them. I see our first meeting all the way to his funeral three years ago. I watch him as he comes back to life, but when I open my eyes again he is gone. Dead. I will never again feel his warm lips against my own. He won't get to watch our son grow up into a man. Mulder will never see him graduate, get married or witness the birth of his first grandchild.
My knees go weak and I finally fall to the ground. My lip trembles as I scream for a final time "THIS IS NOT HAPPENING" Then the world goes black.
Place Unknown
Hours Later
I see a bright light and I feel like I'm falling. From what I don't know. The years start to go backwards. I watch as William is born, I can see when Mulder came back from the dead, I relive his funeral, then I feel the anxiety of four months of searching. I feel the absolute joy of finding out about the pregnancy and I feel the loss of Mulder. Then I watch as the cases go by backwards one by one. I see genies, magicians, monsters, rain kings, fluke men, and aliens. I watch as people go in and out of our lives, Diana Fowley, Emily, my sister, Mulder's father, my own father and then I watch as I meet Mulder for the first time. His hazel eyes staring intently into my own, not wanting a new partner.
Then it stops. I open my eyes and sit on the couch of my parent's home back in 1990. It is Christmas. Missy sits on the floor shaking a present.
"Dana, you don't know who you'll meet at the FBI. You will never know what kind of life it could allow you," Missy reassures me.
I stare at her, questioning.
"Dana? You look sick," Missy tells me.
"What the hell is going on?" I ask, feeling completely lost.
"Dana, what are you talking about? It's Christmas and we are opening our presents early. You are so funny sometimes," she says laughing.
"Where's Mulder and William?" I ask looking around for them, questioning something I already know the answer to.
"Who's Mulder? William? Bill is off at sea," Melissa says looking at me like I just lost my mind.
The doorbell rings. I get up from the couch and open the door, still feeling lost. And there before me stands Mulder, completely healthy and ten years younger. We both stare at one another, completely shocked.
"Mulder?" I whisper.
"How'd you know my name is Mulder?" he asks, obviously not knowing who I am.
"You and I worked at the FBI for eight years before you were fired by Kirsch and I had William. We were married on July 3, 2001. Our son was born in Democrat Springs, Georgia on February 15, 2001. I named him William Fox Mulder after you and your father," I finish my speech breathlessly as he looks at me very confused.
"I've never seen you before in my life," he says.
"Then what are you doing here?" I ask, feeling like a failure.
"I work for a man by the name of Charles Spender who somehow knows William Scully. I'm assuming you are his youngest daughter, Dana," Mulder says.
"Yes, I'm Dana Scully," I pause, "You don't work for the FBI?"
He laughs. "Why would I work for the FBI? I never had a passion for it."
I look at him shocked at finally ask what he does do. He responds nonchalantly, "I work for the CIA."
"The CIA, Mulder? What about your aliens or that the truth is out there? What about your sister, Samantha?" I question looking for some kind of explanation.
"Miss Scully, I don't have a sister. I am an only child. Why would I believe in aliens?"
That's it! He is an only child. His sister's abduction was the thing that fueled him and since he doesn't even have a sister to get abducted the drive was never there. He should have been working at the FBI for at least three years now if it is December 1990. I would have met him in March of 1992.
"Mulder, why are you here then?"
"That is strictly business between your father and me."
"I don't even know if dad is home," I say.
"Isn't he a family man. What man misses Christmas?" Mulder asks.
I stare at him and see that on his left hand he is wearing a wedding ring. "You're married," I say shocked.
"I have been for the last five years."
"Then why aren't you home with your wife?" I ask.
"She's home with my son William Fox Mulder. I don't know who you are, but you are scaring me."
I let Mulder into my house and my dad meets us at the door.
"Dana, what are you doing up at this hour?" my dad asks.
"Dad, Missy and I were in the living room talking and then Mulder shows up at the door. What have you been doing?"
My dad stares at me, questioning. He looks a little on the uncomfortable side.
"Dana go back to bed."
"I'm twenty-six years old, I am completely capable of setting my own bed time," I say getting angry at my father and Mulder for being a different person.
I walk back into the living room, still trying to understand what just happened there. Melissa looks at me, her eyes questioning.
"Dana?" she asks concerned.
"I'm going to join the FBI," I say completely convinced. I want to see how life will turn out if Mulder is a CIA agent and working for Spender, the smoking man. I can't for the life of me figure out why all of this is happening. Am I supposed to be convinced that the road I took that basically ended with Mulder's death was the best path. I need to hold my son, make sure he is okay. But since it is only 1990, he won't even be a thought for another ten years even if somehow Mulder and I pair up, become partners to fight crime, but right now he is what he himself would have called one of his enemies, like Morris Fletcher out by Area 51. But then that hasn't happened yet. All of the memories I have are of another life. A life that I want to get back to desperately. Even if Mulder is dead to the world in that life, that is the only life that I would want to live. Knowing that I would be the only woman he would love was something reassuring in the other life, but he has a wife and an infant son with the same name as my own son. I don't have that reassurance in this life.
"Hey Dana!" Melissa says breaking me out of my trance-like state, "I'm going back to bed. Are you coming?"
"I'll be up in a bit," I say.
She leaves me alone in our small living room. I look at the tree, it's glittering lights making reflections on the wall. My dad and Mulder walk out to the front door, they are talking in hushed voices. I get up from the couch and tip-toe towards the front door.
"I'll make sure that you get your money, sir, You are one of the best CIA undercover investigators. Mr. Bush will be very pleased with your work out at Area 51 as will my own boss Mr. Spender. Your son is also doing a great job," Mulder tells my dad.
My father shakes his hand, "Merry Christmas to you Mr. Mulder. Go home and spend Christmas with your family."
Mulder smirks, "My wife doesn't appreciate me and I fear she will raise our son to despise me."
I step on a piece of paper and both men turn around. I smile looking at them.
"Hmm…Mulder are you leaving?" I ask.
"Yes I am, Dana," Mulder says.
"You can call me Scully. I might as well get used to it because I'm applying for a job at the FBI," I say trying to get both my dad and Mulder nervous and mad.
"Why the FBI? I hear from your dad that you are a medical doctor?" Mulder asks.
"I've always wanted to bring people to justice and medicine alone doesn't give me fulfillment like I know the FBI will," I say, trying not to choke on my words.
"Dana, I thought we had this talk before and you weren't going to join the FBI," my dad angrily says.
"Dad, I've made up my mind." I say, quickly leaving before Mulder can see tears starting to form in my eyes. The man that I grew to love was now a cold-hearted man that was working for the people that used to control his fate as well as mine. He was living a life that he would have spit on and he is completely unhappy. No aliens, no sister, and no FBI. I miss that Mulder, but deep down I think he is there. I know that sometime in the near future we will meet again and when we meet it will be the beginning of our fate.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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