Title: Remember When?: A Starry Explanation

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other information is in the first chapter.

Author's Note: Sorry that this has taken so long to post. I've had absolutely no ambition -- must be because of the idea of having to go back to school in a few weeks -- haha. But I'm very thankful for the wonderful and awesome reviews. You all are great. Well here's more to the story. Please R&R and Enjoy of course!

******

August 25, 2002

Southeastern Minnesota

It's dark. At first there seems to be no one alive in the vastness of an unknown place. But under the velvet star speckled sky lays out five sleeping bags. Although the couples under the sleeping bags have combined theirs to make a bed more capable of warmth, of the feeling that there was someone there with them.

The fifth sleeping bag is smaller. And the blond hair with tints of red peeks out from underneath it. Fifteen month old William is sound asleep underneath the late August sky. The two pairs of adults next to him are wide awake.

Their voices are in hushed tones.

"How much time do we have?" Monica Reyes asks her eyes wide with the revelation that Mulder had revealed to them.

"Ten years."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why didn't you tell us back in May--?" Doggett inquires starting to get angry. Angry at the thought that Mulder had kept this information secret from them for three months.

"I needed to be assured that I had a solution," Mulder tells them quietly.

"And you have one now?" Doggett asks.

"It all seemed so complex, but now it is so simple."

"What is the solution, Mulder?" Doggett inquires reaching for an answer.

"A vaccine."

"I thought that you've been through this before. I thought that the only means to defeat an alien race that plans to take over the planet was found in William--" Doggett starts.

"But that's gone now," Monica pipes up, looking at both Mulder and Scully confused, "The only way that you'd be able to get this vaccine would be the combination of both your and Scully's unique genes--" Monica stops, her eyes wide with realization.

Realization as to why Dana had been trying to hide her recent trips to the bathroom, her pale face, the fatigue. It all made sense now to Monica.

"Oh my God--" Monica Reyes responds.

It takes John a few more seconds to realize what the pair in front of them is saying. "But I thought you were unable to conceive--"

Scully nods with a smile on her face, one of joy, as well as disbelief, "I was, but we are once again given a miracle child."

"When did you find out?" Monica Reyes asks looking at Scully closer, trying to see if her midsection is starting to show some sign of a child within. If you weren't looking for the small bump covered by Mulder's Knicks t-shirt you wouldn't have seen it.

"Last month."

"Why didn't you tell us?" John asks her, looking at both Mulder and Scully with concern.

"We wanted to be completely certain that I'd make it out of the first trimester before we told you of how we are going to come about with this vaccine."

"When are you due, Dana?" Monica inquires.

"February 11th, I'm fourteen weeks pregnant."

"We had to make sure that we had the ability to make the vaccine," Mulder continues.

"The ability?"

"Scully and I would go into town to get supplies, but we would also check in with our contact from inside the Centers for Disease Control --"

"--Since when did you have a contact inside the CDC?" Doggett interrupts suspicious.

"Since Skinner revealed to Scully and I that he has been with the CDC for years trying to find a vaccine to stop the coming alien colonization."

"Skinner is part of the shadow government?" Doggett questions, not believing that Skinner could have been capable.

"Not the shadow government, necessarily, but rather a group of government officials who know that the invasion will come and the only way to stop it is with a vaccine -- one that they will put out into the mainstream -- one that will save the entire population of mankind," Mulder finishes.

Monica and John stare at the duo in disbelief. This is just too much for them to take in. Too much for a lot of people.

"So you're saying -- all of those years there were people that actually cared what you two were doing down in the X-Files office--"

"What I'm saying John, is maybe we were all put down there for a reason," Mulder replies.

Doggett looks to Scully skeptical, "Don't tell me that you're believing this too?"

"I've known about Skinner's involvement for close to five years -- he told me when my cancer relapsed--"

"So, everything the two of you have been through is for a secret agenda at the CDC to save all of mankind from the alien invasion," Monica pieces it together.

"Monica, John, both Mulder and I know it is a lot to take in, but we couldn't ever utter a word about it to you two, not when we were always under constant surveillance by the groups who were trying to thwart the CDC's efforts, a group who was trying save themselves, and no one else," Scully explains.

Everything is quiet. John and Monica are trying to take it all in. Information which Mulder and Scully both had some sort of grasp on years before, but never truly understood the outcome until they found out they were expecting another child -- a child with genetic material which can and will save humanity. The same genetic material that was taken away from William when Jeffery Spender gave him the antidote against it -- another attempt by the shadow government.

"If this is all true," Doggett interrupts the silence, "then what do we do next?"

"When I reach about twenty weeks an amniocentesis will be performed on me to get the genetic material out of the amniotic fluid. This way it will not harm the child or me," Scully tells him.

"That's it? We get the genetic material out of the amniotic fluid?" Monica questions.

"That's just the beginning," Mulder starts, "They will take the amniotic fluid to a facility deep underground where they will begin to duplicate the string of DNA they need -- the string of DNA which will vaccinate the world against the aliens. Once they do this they will declare some sort of emergency to get a vaccine against a new form of polio or measles or some sort of disease that would threaten anyone and everyone."

"And they'll get the entire population in ten years time?" Doggett asks skeptically.

"That's our hope --" Scully replies.

"And what if they fail?" Monica wonders.

"They won't," Scully states simply.

Again the vast silence comes over the two couples. Scully watches William sleep, his chest rising and falling, undisturbed by the rest of the world. Her hope for him is to be safe.

"Dana, they will go after William, again," Monica whispers.

"I know," Scully replies softly, her face full with the pain and realization that she may never be able to keep her son safe. She might not ever be able to keep neither one of her children safe.

"That brings us to another point," Mulder responds putting his arm around Scully protectively.

"What?" Doggett asks.

"We need you both to keep our children safe," Mulder tells them.

"But Mulder you and Scully are the best ones for the job," Doggett tells them.

"I hope that's true," Scully whispers.

"And if its not?" Monica asks.

"Then we're going to need your help," Scully tells her matter-of-factly.

Scully falls silent with the rest of the group. John and Monica realizing what Mulder and Scully are telling them. They need them to keep their children safe. Right now everything seems fine, but ten years from now it could be a different story.

"How can we help you?" Monica inquires.

"When the time comes," Scully starts painfully placing her words together, "you may have to take over the care of our children."

"Dana, you're talking nonsense," Doggett starts softly, "Both you and Mulder will be around for years."

"That's not the point, John," Scully replies.

"Then what is?"

"For their safety, after this child is born and the vaccine is made, we can not be connected to these children as their parents," Mulder tells them, "or all of us will end up dead."

"Are you sure?" Monica asks softly.

Scully nods her head, biting back tears. She will once again have to give William up, but the second time around it will be harder. The second time around she'll have two children to give up, two children who she will get to watch grow up, but will not have the opportunity to raise.

"We'll always be with them and we'll have this time with William and this child," Scully tells them rubbing the small, but prominent bump on her abdomen, "But we want them to be safe, we want them to grow old and for that to happen they need to be raised by someone else."

Monica rubs Scully's arm, as Scully finally breaks down in tears. By this time little William is up and toddling his way towards Scully with a goofy grin on his face.

"Momma!" he screams happily running into Scully's arms.

Scully hugs him tightly as tears strain down her face. Mulder puts his arms around both Scully and William. It is their small family -- one they only have six months with. Six months that they will cherish forever.

Far off in the distance headlights appear, riding along the dusty road. Doggett watches it for a minute, not having the heart to break up the family hug.

"John?" Monica questions as he continues to stare at the headlights that are only a few miles away.

"Did anyone call for a pizza?" Doggett asks lightly. He turns to see that everyone is now looking out at the headlights, "Didn't think so."

As if on cue the entire group jumps up from where they are and start to throw everything into their vehicles in record time. Then the jump in themselves and head in the opposite direction of the headlights as fast as they can.

Someone knows where they are.

Someone they never expected.

TBC

******

More to come! Please R&R.

Thanks

~Jen