Title: Remember When?: William

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other information is in first chapter.

Author's Note: I'm baaaaaack!!!! Well thanks to everyone for your awesome feedback! I'm glad that you are all enjoying it and thank-you for your continued support in this story.

Well here's another chapter! Enjoy!

*******

May 23, 2002

10:01 p.m.

Middle of Montana

Scully absently watches out the window as their car rolls along the vastness of Montana. Three miles and they'd be to the described location on the card. Three miles. It seems like a lifetime for her.

There isn't a star in the sky since the rain clouds have moved in and already started to threaten the humid May air with the growing claps of thunder. There isn't any rain. Not yet at least.

Mulder looks over at Scully. It had to be one of the quietest and longest twenty minutes of either of their lives. So many things could have been said. So many words of reassurance coming from Mulder, but after nine years of disappointment after disappointment Mulder said nothing to reassure her.

Those thoughts were going through her mind too. How many wild goose chases had they been led on in their nine year careers? Too many to count. All starting with a revealing phone call or a letter carefully slipped under the door.

"Mulder --"

Mulder looks over at her, startled that she actually broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we had that discussion about starlight?"

"That wasn't a discussion, Scully, that was me being philosophical."

"Of course," Scully responds sarcastically -- almost returning to her pre-fugitive on the run days sort of tone.

"Scully, there aren't any stars out tonight. It looks like we're going to get a pretty nasty storm."

"Yeah. Do you remember what you said?"

"Lost souls reside in the stars. Their light travels for millions of miles to reach the Earth's surface. By the time they reach it the stars are long dead. Lost to the world."

Scully's silent for a long time. Mulder glances over at her puzzled.

"Why, Scully?"

"The night when we found you dead, I had a discussion about starlight with Skinner. I didn't want to believe that you were dead, but I had seen a vision that you were. And that scared me, Mulder, it scared me like you wouldn't believe. After eight years of being the skeptic the only thing that I could hope for was that it wasn't true."

"You're not seeing visions now are you?"

"No, I don't know what I'd do if I saw visions now -- especially of you or of William."

"I'm all right. He's all right. We're all right. Case closed," Mulder responds reaching out for her hand.

As he grabs onto her hand the rain starts to pour. Lightning illuminates the vast skyline and thunder booms across the land. It's raining again. Scully prays that it's just a coincidence and nothing more.

"I hate rain," Scully states flatly.

"Me, too."

Mulder and Scully sit in silence once again. Their car rolls into a town with an announcement that they are in their destination. A small place of just 56 residents. A town that has a gas station, a post office, and three bars along main street. It is a town with one motel and about four side streets.

The sign reads:

NOW ENTERING ROSWELL, MONTANA CITY LIMITS

POPULATION 56

"Well our informants have a sense of humor," Mulder deadpans.

"Something like that."

"I think I can see the sign that says you're leaving the city limits three blocks down."

"Where did they say they were going to meet us at?"

"Well take your pick Scully, you've got Joe's Tavern, Al's Bar, or Cindy Lou's Watering Hole."

"I'm serious, Mulder."

"The motel."

They pull up to a dingy looking motel with about ten rooms and apparently still sporting lead based paint from the early 1950's on the exterior.

Just looking at the place makes Scully's hopes drop.

"Are you sure that they are here?"

"That's what it said on the card."

"Are you sure that its them?"

"Scully --"

"Mulder I don't want to be disappointed. I don't want to open a motel room door and find some Cigarette Smoking Bastard sitting on the other side."

"He's dead, Scully."

"Is he though?"

"I think this time they got him."

"Mulder--"

"What? When the entire place that he was in blew up, my guess would be that he finally found his way down to his long lost twin. He's a crafty guy, but he'd have to be some sort of mutant to survive that."

"Mulder--"

"--But if you don't want to we can just turn the--"

"No, I need to see my son. To make sure he's all right," Scully interrupts forcefully.

"Me too, Scully. Me too."

The rain starts to pour even harder as they exit the vehicle and head for the specified motel door that they were sent to by the piece of paper that had been slipped underneath their door.

They both stand staring at the slightly crooked number '3' on the door. Mulder looks over at Scully and then back at the door. He raises his knuckles to the door, but it opens before he has a chance to knock.

Mulder and Scully stare at the slightly opened door. It's dark inside the room and Mulder suspiciously opens the door further, the years of FBI training make him reach for the gun on his hip that is no longer there. Bad habits die hard. Scully, like old times, starts to reach for her gun at her back, but comes up short.

Mulder pushes the door open further and walks in cautiously. Still it is very dark. They both walk into the room still looking for any sign of movement.

Any at all.

The door slams shut behind them.

"Who's there?" Mulder asks into the dark room.

Nothing.

"We've traveled this far --" Scully starts trying to think of something sensible to say.

A lighter flicks and a tiny burst of fire burns in the corner. Scully gasps. The one thought going through both Mulder and Scully's mind is that it is the Smoking Man. Somehow survived from the fiery blast.

But when the lighter doesn't go towards the person's lips, but rather towards a candle on the table they both let out their breaths -- both unaware that they were even holding them.

The person takes the candle into their hands and moves it towards his face.

"The lights went out half an hour ago. Apparently someone cut the power because the owner forgot to pay his electric bill. But since we don't know what is lurking around the corner we had to be very careful about putting ourselves outside," the voice says coming closer to them.

Scully squints her eyes to make sure that she is really seeing the man who is in front of her. The voice is unmistakable, but just being able to confirm what she hears with what she sees makes it all the better.

He looks at them both, but notices that neither one has said a word, so he continues.

"We were under the impression and the belief that we would never contact you two again or see you for that matter because it would be dangerous for all of us. We headed north right after we left you in New Mexico. Heading for an undisclosed location in the Midwest. Which just happened to land us in Montana."

"My son? Is he okay?" Scully finally asks.

"He's fine. A little paranoid, but I guess he takes after you Muldah."

"I think after everything we've gone through we are all a little paranoid," Mulder responds.

"I need to see him." Scully says desperately.

"I know."

He leads them towards a small room at the back of the motel room. It has its own door which is shut at the time. He slowly opens the door and peers into it.

A crib is in the room. Along with a rocking chair. A brunette is asleep in the chair next to the crib. He walks into the room and gently shakes the woman awake.

She jumps. Everyone is a little on edge. Especially now.

"Monica, its okay. They're here."

Monica turns to look at the couple that stands in the doorway. She smiles at the sight of them. Instantly Monica gets out of the chair and pulls Scully into a tight hug.

"Dana, I'm so happy to see you again."

"Monica, is he all right?"

"He's perfectly fine. William just fell asleep a few minutes ago."

Scully walks over to the crib and gazes down at the gentle rising and falling of the child's chest as he peacefully sleeps.

Mulder watches her from a distance -- not quite sure about how to act or approach Scully with their son. She had spent eleven months with this child. She had to give him up to protect him and he wasn't there.

John Doggett sees the look of contempt on Mulder's face and his unsure gaze at Scully and William. Scully continues to just stare down at the child -- watching him sleep. Something that she used to do in the early months of having him. When she still couldn't believe that he was right there in front of her. She'd watch him sleep some nights for the entire night, afraid that if she left his side he would have just been a figment of her imagination in the morning.

"Muldah, go on and look at your son," John simply states, maybe with a hint of jealousy that Mulder can look at his child, while John has no child to look at -- having lost Luke all of those years ago.

Monica notices that look on John's face and puts a protective arm around him. To comfort him. Their time together has proven to go beyond the realm of friendship. To go someplace that many married couples have never and probably won't ever experience.

They watch as Mulder walks slowly towards William's crib. When he gets their he gazes down at the child that he hasn't seen in over a year. The child that they had dubbed a miracle. For the first time in a long time tears shimmer in Mulder's eyes as he watches his son sleep.

William stirs and opens his big bluish hazel eyes. Staring up at his two parents. Usually the infant cries when around other people, but after a few seconds of studying the two now crying adults in front of him the child smiles up at them.

And for that moment everything seems perfect. They don't think about the running or the future that stands in front of them. The fight that they still have to fight. All they see is their perfect family.

Until the moment is shattered by the sound of smoke alarms going off.

They break out of their trancelike states and in one swift movement Mulder scoops William up out the crib.

"We need to get out now!"

TBC

*****

More to come! Please R&R! Thanks

~Jen