Chapter Two - Life Without Mulder
Mulder turned and looked at Clarence like he had two heads. "I know longer exist?"
"That's correct."
"If that is the case, why am I still here?"
"Well, the Almighty doesn't throw away a life as quickly as you would. He has given you a chance to go to three places to see how the lives of others would be without you. At the end of the third visit, you will be gone."
"I see" Mulder said still doubting what Clarence had said. "Okay, I will play your game. Let's see what life in the Mulder household would be like without me."
"As you wish" Clarence said. "Just keep in mind that you will only be able to observe not interact with those you see."
Mulder was about to respond when he felt suddenly dizzy. He closed his eyes trying to get his head to stop spinning.
When he opened his eyes, he couldn't believe his eyes. He and Clarence were standing in the living room of his family home in Martha's Vineyard. It looked pretty much like he remembered but he was still a bit shocked when he looked around the room.
Gone were the pictures of him and his sister that always adorned the mantle over the fireplace. In their place stood pictures of his sister alone. No picture showed Samantha older than the age of eight.
Mulder was about to ask Clarence about this when he heard voices and footsteps approaching the room.
He turned to leave when Clarence stopped him. "Remember Fox, they can't see you."
Mulder turned then to see who was entering the room. His mouth sprung open when he saw his mother walking along side the man he detested most - the Cigarette Smoking Man.
He managed to shut his mouth and listened to their conversation. Apparently his mother was trying to get out of going to some sort of company dinner party.
"I don't know why you need me there anyway." she said frowning. "I always feel so uncomfortable when I am around Bill and his newest girlfriend."
CSM smiled at her indulgently. "I know you do, but you are my wife and I need you there for appearances sake. Besides, I don't like leaving you longer than I have to."
Mulder's mother smiled at this and said "You just want me to remember all the little bits of gossip that the woman talk about when you men lock yourself away with your brandy and cigars."
CSM took her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead before turning to leave. "We leave at 6 sharp. Until then there is other business I have to attend to."
Mulder felt his stomach lurch as he walked CSM leave the room. He turned to Clarence as if looking for an explanation of what he had just witnessed.
"I always suspected there was something going on between my mother and that man - but this?"
"Well, Fox with their only child Samantha gone, your parents had no reason to hold their marriage together. They both went their separate ways."
"Samantha gone?" Mulder asked confused again. "I don't believe it."
He felt dizzy again and when his vision cleared he found himself standing in the middle of a small cemetery about a mile or so from his family's house. Looking down he saw a small grave marker bearing his sister Samantha's name.
He knelt down in front of the stone, and brushed his fingers across it as to caress his sister. "I don't understand. How could she be dead?"
Clarence looked down at Mulder and sighed deeply. "You assumed, Fox, that your presence was the cause of your sister's disappearance. But it wasn't. Your sister's fate was to disappear and without you there to insist that she was abducted, your parents finally stopped looking for her and assumed her dead."
"And my father and that man?"
"They are still business associates within the Syndicate. Without you to tug on his conscious, you father stayed in the business. As far as I can tell, will work on the project until his death."
Mulder sat down fully on the ground now, still looking from time to time at his sister's grave. "Well, at least he will live a longer life without me to aid in him getting himself murdered."
Clarence paused before commenting. He bowed his head as in prayer. Mulder thought he looked like he was asking for guidance before speaking further.
"Fox, you yourself cannot control when the Almighty decides to bring a person to join him in Heaven. You assume that just because your father wasn't murdered with you in his house, that he lived a longer life. Chances are his death will come at about the same point in his life, but hopefully he will probably be given a more peaceful death."
Mulder sat a few more minutes slowly pulling up strands of grass around where he sat. He was trying to absorb everything that Clarence was telling him.
Finally he looked up. "I think I am ready for stop number two. I want to see Scully."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ end of chapter two. Comments anyone? Any thoughts about what else would be different if Mulder wasn't around?
Mulder turned and looked at Clarence like he had two heads. "I know longer exist?"
"That's correct."
"If that is the case, why am I still here?"
"Well, the Almighty doesn't throw away a life as quickly as you would. He has given you a chance to go to three places to see how the lives of others would be without you. At the end of the third visit, you will be gone."
"I see" Mulder said still doubting what Clarence had said. "Okay, I will play your game. Let's see what life in the Mulder household would be like without me."
"As you wish" Clarence said. "Just keep in mind that you will only be able to observe not interact with those you see."
Mulder was about to respond when he felt suddenly dizzy. He closed his eyes trying to get his head to stop spinning.
When he opened his eyes, he couldn't believe his eyes. He and Clarence were standing in the living room of his family home in Martha's Vineyard. It looked pretty much like he remembered but he was still a bit shocked when he looked around the room.
Gone were the pictures of him and his sister that always adorned the mantle over the fireplace. In their place stood pictures of his sister alone. No picture showed Samantha older than the age of eight.
Mulder was about to ask Clarence about this when he heard voices and footsteps approaching the room.
He turned to leave when Clarence stopped him. "Remember Fox, they can't see you."
Mulder turned then to see who was entering the room. His mouth sprung open when he saw his mother walking along side the man he detested most - the Cigarette Smoking Man.
He managed to shut his mouth and listened to their conversation. Apparently his mother was trying to get out of going to some sort of company dinner party.
"I don't know why you need me there anyway." she said frowning. "I always feel so uncomfortable when I am around Bill and his newest girlfriend."
CSM smiled at her indulgently. "I know you do, but you are my wife and I need you there for appearances sake. Besides, I don't like leaving you longer than I have to."
Mulder's mother smiled at this and said "You just want me to remember all the little bits of gossip that the woman talk about when you men lock yourself away with your brandy and cigars."
CSM took her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead before turning to leave. "We leave at 6 sharp. Until then there is other business I have to attend to."
Mulder felt his stomach lurch as he walked CSM leave the room. He turned to Clarence as if looking for an explanation of what he had just witnessed.
"I always suspected there was something going on between my mother and that man - but this?"
"Well, Fox with their only child Samantha gone, your parents had no reason to hold their marriage together. They both went their separate ways."
"Samantha gone?" Mulder asked confused again. "I don't believe it."
He felt dizzy again and when his vision cleared he found himself standing in the middle of a small cemetery about a mile or so from his family's house. Looking down he saw a small grave marker bearing his sister Samantha's name.
He knelt down in front of the stone, and brushed his fingers across it as to caress his sister. "I don't understand. How could she be dead?"
Clarence looked down at Mulder and sighed deeply. "You assumed, Fox, that your presence was the cause of your sister's disappearance. But it wasn't. Your sister's fate was to disappear and without you there to insist that she was abducted, your parents finally stopped looking for her and assumed her dead."
"And my father and that man?"
"They are still business associates within the Syndicate. Without you to tug on his conscious, you father stayed in the business. As far as I can tell, will work on the project until his death."
Mulder sat down fully on the ground now, still looking from time to time at his sister's grave. "Well, at least he will live a longer life without me to aid in him getting himself murdered."
Clarence paused before commenting. He bowed his head as in prayer. Mulder thought he looked like he was asking for guidance before speaking further.
"Fox, you yourself cannot control when the Almighty decides to bring a person to join him in Heaven. You assume that just because your father wasn't murdered with you in his house, that he lived a longer life. Chances are his death will come at about the same point in his life, but hopefully he will probably be given a more peaceful death."
Mulder sat a few more minutes slowly pulling up strands of grass around where he sat. He was trying to absorb everything that Clarence was telling him.
Finally he looked up. "I think I am ready for stop number two. I want to see Scully."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ end of chapter two. Comments anyone? Any thoughts about what else would be different if Mulder wasn't around?