Author's Notes: Sorry I've taken so long to update. I had my wisdom teeth out last week ::cries:: and I started school on Tuesday. They start school earlier every year. I'm going to try to update this as often as possible, then finish Obstacles and whatever else I haven't completed. Then I have another story I *really* want to start. As usual, reviews make me write faster.
New Beginnings 13
Dana Scully, or rather, Dana Gordon, blinked her eyes and looked around the room. With a critical eye, she ran her finger along a nearby shelf and frowned at the amount of dust on her finger. After brushing her hands on her jeans, Dana turned to inspect her quite unusual companions.
After studying them from head to toe, she shrugged decidedly. She sat down on the couch that Dana Scully had occupied only moments before. Then she looked up at Langly, who just happened to be the nearest to her, and asked "Who are you?" Her manner was so matter-of-fact, like Dana Gordon was used to periods of, shall we say, nonexistence and popping up in unknown locations with unknown people; it was commonplace. Even expected.
The Lone Gunmen each introduced themselves to each other, intrigued by the obvious change that happened when Dana Scully became Dana Gordon. The woman who sat in front of them seemed oddly calm. Nevertheless, there was work to be done, and very little time to do it. Byers stepped right in and began the project that lay before them.
"So, Mulder tells me that you are a religious woman," Byers opened, casually.
Dana Gordon nodded solemnly, "I am."
"What church do you belong to?" Langly asked innocently.
"My husband's church. He broke off from the Church of Latter- Day Saints. They said that he was too radical, but they just didn't understand Donald. I think he is just before his time, but he doesn't mind. He knows that one day all people will see the truth in his ways and convert. Then they can attain salvation. His church is called the Divine Church of Salvific Repentance."
"So," Frohike started, "do all members of the church obtain salvation?"
Dana Gordon shook her head, slowly, "Men are higher beings than women. Men who follow God's teachings, through Donald's church, of course, are saved. For a woman to be saved it is much harder. We must spend our mortal lives as servants to attain eternal life. But even then, it isn't for sure. Saintly women do, of course, for that's what a saint is. A person we know is in heaven. The Divine Church of Salvific Repentance believes in thousands of saints. You know the Catholic Church has hundreds of saints, right? Well, we believe that all of those people are saints, as are hundreds more. Basically, for a woman to be ensured salvation, we have to experience some sort of encounter."
Mulder spoke up, cautiously, "Have you been guaranteed salvation?"
Dana Gordon visibly shrunk, ashamed as if she was sitting naked in front of them. "No." She looked like she was about to cry.
"Well that's okay," Byers said reassuringly, like he was talking to a small child. "We know how to contact you with God."
Dana Gordon's eyes lit up with naive hope. As Mulder watched all of this, he marveled at how trusting and naive Dana Gordon was, considering how paranoid Scully has become over the years. He wondered if Dana Gordon is more like the Dana Scully before the X Files. Mulder started as his drifting mind was brought back to the present by a squeal.
Smiles slowly spread across the faces of the four men. Scully's idea may be the key to this whole puzzle.
"You mean, I can talk to God, and he will talk back?" Dana Gordon asked.
Mulder nodded his head as Frohike pulled out a small box from one of the numerous desks. With as much mystery as he could muster, Frohike slowly and somewhat ceremoniously brought the box over to Dana Gordon. Just as he lowered the cardboard box so that she could look into it, he snapped the lid shut. Dana Gordon looked up at Frohike, afraid that he would not do as promised. In fact, Mulder could have sworn that he saw her lip start to quiver.
"First, there are some rules that you must follow. You don't want to anger God," Frohike said, shaking his head. Dana shook her head with his.
"Sometimes, God is going to tell you not to talk, only to listen and obey him," Byers chimed in. Sometimes he will tell you what to say to people around you. You can't tell them who told you. God does not want other people to know you are talking to God. You are a key part of God's plan."
"I am?" Dana Gordon asked, awestruck. Mulder and the Lone Gunmen nodded solemnly.
"You have to promise us that you will obey God. You have to listen to everything he tells you," Langly said.
"What does he want me to do?"
"Dana," Mulder said, "God is testing your husband. He wants to see if Donald is sincere about his devotion to God. You see, that is why you cannot tell Donald. God cannot test him if Donald knows. And if Donald fails, he may not be saved."
Dana Gordon's eyes widened with fear. "Okay."
"This is what you do," Frohike said, opening the box. Dana peered into the mysterious box with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and awe. "This little device is what God calls your Guardian Angel. It--"
"It just looks like a hearing aide," Dana said, confused.
Frohike shook his head. "No, it is what God will talk to you from."
"So do I need to talk to him in a special way?"
Frohike nodded, glad that she seemed to be asking all of the right questions. "All you have to do is wear this," he said as he pulled out a velvet jewelry box. Inside was a simple gold cross on a chain, similar to the one Scully wore around her neck. The only difference was that this cross was bugged. It worked as a microphone, picking up not only what Dana Gordon said, but also those in her general vicinity.
"Can I take my baby?" she asked.
The four men exchanged glances and nodded their heads in unison.
"When can I talk to God?"
Mulder looked at the clock, which read 11:21. "Uh..tomorrow. It's late tonight."
Dana smiled. Tomorrow, God would talk to her. Mulder ushered a yawning Dana Gordon into one of the rarely-used rooms of the Lone Gunmen. He pushed a pile of books off of a piece of furniture that is mainly used for a bed, but which gained the role of bookshelf a while ago. Mulder then fished out some clean blankets and haphazardly assembled a suitable bed. Dana climbed into it, and just as Mulder was about to leave the room, she sat bolt upright.
"Where's my baby?"
Mulder smiled and pointed to the playpen in the corner of the room, where he slept peacefully. Dana lied down once again, her slumber filled with pleasant dreams of heaven. Mulder stayed up with the infamous trio, trying to work out a plan for tomorrow.