Title: Remember When?: Daylight breaks
Author: Jen Zoromski
All other information is in the first chapter.
Author's Note: Sorry that it has taken so long to post. I've been gone for a week. Thank you so much for all of the reviews. You guys are awesome. Keep them coming! Thanks & Enjoy!
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Middle of Montana
May 23, 2002
5:15 a.m.
Red and orange start to spread across the horizon. The beginning of another day. Another day for Mulder and Scully. They could have easily made it to Montana in a day, but through Mulder's paranoia they stretched the trip out. Their car seeing the vast mountains of Colorado before heading back towards Montana.
The couple sleeps soundly in the back of their SUV having found that the night before they were too tired and in the middle of no where to have found a motel. By the time Mulder became too tired to drive it was nearly one in the morning and they were in the middle of the rolling plains of Montana. Just hours away from their son.
Their sleeping in the back of a vehicle or the knack for falling asleep has become an acquired habit that has found them both in the last nine years. Maybe this habit has come to their disadvantage.
Scully stirs against the strong grip of Mulder's arms, but she does not wake. Mulder, too, has finally found a peaceful place where even though he is as paranoid as he once was the only place that he has found where he can sleep soundly is in her arms. Or with his arms around her.
Minutes later the sun starts to peek of the horizon. It is the promise of a new day. Maybe even the promise of a new life.
The sky has now turned a subtle shade of orange mixed with a tinged reddish pink that no man could ever recreate. Much like the living beings in nature nothing can be completely duplicated as it was first put out in nature. Perhaps if this duplication could have been made then maybe Mulder and Scully would not have had to worry during her pregnancy with William. And she would never have had to give him up because of the creatures that wanted him. Because they could not recreate what nature had given them.
Mulder opens his eyes and stares at the sleeping woman in front of him. Thoughts much like that go through his minds. Thoughts of their lives could have been like had they not become involved with any of it.
Scully turns over in her sleep and after a few moments opens her eyes to the perplexed look on Mulder's face.
"Mulder, what's the matter?"
"Look at how beautiful this is," Mulder indicates the rising sun.
"It's very beautiful, but--"
"--the only kind of colors that nature can create. No man could ever recreate these. They could come close, but never be perfect."
"Are you okay?" Scully whispers concerned.
Mulder disregards her concern and continues on still staring out the window, "Scully, have you ever regretted this?"
"Regretted what?"
"Being here with me. Searching for the truth," he pauses, looking down at her, "Losing everything for my cause?"
"Mulder it was not only your cause. I chose to follow you all of those years ago and with that I have received a type of friendship, a partner that I would never want to return."
"But what about everything that you've sacrificed?"
Scully reassuringly strokes his cheek, staring at him intently. The gaze is one that doesn't need words. One that has become a patent gaze reassuring the other when no words were needed.
"I would do it all over again. I have not regretted a moment of the last nine years."
Mulder doesn't respond, only turns his gaze back towards the rising sun.
"What is the talk about man not be able to recreate what nature has given us?" Scully finally asks, curious.
"We'd still have our son if they'd have found a way to recreate nature. If they would have found a way to recreate the genes that only he has--"
"--But then Mulder, our cause would not have been a just cause. We wouldn't have anything to fight for. We wouldn't have the chance to save the world because the aliens would have already taken over."
Mulder grins at the prospect of Scully mentioning aliens.
"What?" she asks.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you actually believed in aliens," he jokes, light-heartedly.
"I have seen way too much to even try and disprove it. I guess you've made a believer out of me."
"Wow, Scully, I'm impressed."
"And I'm hungry."
"All right. We have two hours until we're there."
"Good."
Mulder climbs up into the driver's seat as Scully heads towards the passenger's side.
"Oh, and Scully, don't think that I'm going to turn skeptical on ya."
Scully grins, "Now that would be a day to see."
Quickie-Go Gas Station
Middle of Montana
7:02 a.m.
Scully and Mulder skim the aisles for anything to eat. Mulder as he usually does heads right for the sun flower seeds. After everything that has ever happened to him those seeds have been his security blanket. The sun is now up and fully shining, making the day a lot better off than some of the hazy ones they had seen before it.
Scully holds an apple in one hand and a water in the other as she finds Mulder going down the junk food aisle.
"Scully, I thought you said that you were hungry."
"I am hungry," Scully replies.
"Well I can see why. You should eat more," Mulder tells her grinning.
"Shut-up, Mulder! I'm just nervous, that's all."
"Well don't be nervous. Everything will be fine."
"I sure hope so."
Mulder puts his arm around her protectively and pulls her close to his body.
"We're almost there."
"But isn't this a little weird. 'Hi, my name's Dana Scully and I gave my son up for adoption a month ago, but I'd like him back now because I've been having strange dreams that an evil man from our past is going to find him and kill him.' Mulder, people don't receive this kind of information well."
"Hey, it sounds like something I would say."
"Did you ever wonder how you got the nickname 'Spooky Mulder'?"
He gives her a puzzled look with an impish grin and continues up the junk food aisle grabbing onto bags of chips and chocolate.
"Scully, you ready to go?"
"Yeah, have you asked for directions?"
"I was going to do that when we checked out."
They reach the cash register manned by an older gentleman with a warm friendly smile.
"How are you folks doing today?" the cashier asks.
"We're good," Mulder replies.
"So are you from out of town."
Scully nods with a small smile on her face.
"What brings you out to the middle of Montana?" the man asks.
"We are actually visiting some friends of ours. The Van De Kamps."
The older man's face just falls. He looks at the two with an expression that is best left for those that are going to be dead or dying.
"Haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?" Scully inquires, becoming very nervous.
"Oh it's a real shame. They were such a nice couple, but they were found murdered in their home early this morning."
The blood from Scully's face drains leaving behind a pale complexion that could easily pass for a ghost.
Mulder firmly grabs onto Scully as he tries to dig deeper into what happened.
"What about their son?" Mulder asks, praying to God that he was okay.
"The kid is missing. Police have been out there since four this morning after receiving an anonymous phone call about the murder. I'm sure you folks could talk to them."
"Can you give me directions?" Mulder inquires as he continues to steady Scully.
"Sure."
Walking out of the door of the convenience store Scully clings onto Mulder.
"They must of known."
"Who, Scully?"
"The same people that were out to get us in New Mexico. The same people that tried to kill William and you before. They must have found him."
"He's missing, Scully, not dead. They wanted to kill him. Why would they kidnap him?" Mulder inquires trying to reach for some sort of hope.
Scully bites back tears as they get into the SUV and drive the next three miles in silence. Approaching the Van De Kamp farm both of them are taken back by the site. Yellow police tape surrounding the house, bringing back memories from their not too distant days as members of the FBI.
Mulder pulls the car up on the long gravel driveway and puts it in park.
Scully turns to him, looking very much like the Scully of old and whispers, "He's safe. I can feel it."
TBC
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More to come! Please R&R
~Jen
