Title: Remember When?: Redemption

Author: Jen Zoromski

All other info is in first chapter.

Author's Note: Sorry it has taken so long with posting this chapter -- I have had a ton of homework and couldn't get around to posting. Look for posts about once a week. Thanks for all of the awesome reviews. Thanks for reading. Here's more. Enjoy!

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Bethesda Nursing Home

June 10, 2052

Jack Doggett watches as the elderly Dana Scully sleeps peacefully in her rocking chair after hearing more of her story. Catherine is out of the room -- no where to be seen as he continues to watch the rise and fall of Dana's chest.

In her hands is one of her many photo albums with decades of pictures. The book slips out of her hand with a gentle thump on the ground. Some of the pictures scatter across the floor. Jack curiously looks over at the photos splayed on the ground.

Dana Scully shifts in her sleep, but she doesn't wake, muttering something about Mulder.

Jack walks quietly across the room and picks up the scattered pictures and the album, moving to put it back in her lap, but a picture catches his eye and he walks back to his chair holding onto the treasured photo album.

The smiling face of a twenty something year old, Marc Doggett and his small family looks back up at him. In the picture is the piercing blue eyes of himself. Jack flips over the picture and stares at the familiar handwriting.

Mulder, Scully: Our pride and joy -- Marc and Jamie Doggett with Johnny, 6, and Julia, 2. We miss you -- Monica & John.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Catherine whispers, sharply.

He holds up the picture to her as she walks over to him, offering no explanation.

"Jack?"

"My grandparents kept in touch with Mulder and Scully."

"These are her own personal properties --"

"Kate, look at the back of this picture. Look what my grandmother writes to them. They had to disappear --"

"Jack, it could be a coincidence."

"But its not, Kate. Doesn't this make sense to you? Haven't you ever asked yourself why your uncle gives monthly donations to this facility? --"

"Jack --"

"No, Kate, look at these pictures. Look closely at her son -- doesn't he look familiar to you?"

Jack flips open the book to a page with a picture of William on it when he was in his teens smiling at the photographer with Mulder's mischievous smile.

"I don't know --"

He flips to another page. This one has a picture of a redheaded woman next to William again. They are both smiling at the photographer, she looking like a younger version of Scully, but with piercing hazel eyes.

"Recognize her?"

"Yeah," she swallows.

"It's your mom. Why would Dana Scully have a picture of your mom and your uncle?"

"I don't know --"

"Yes you do."

"Help!" Dana Scully yelps waking up with a start.

Jack and Catherine look over at Dana Scully like two children who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Guiltily they walk over and sit next to her.

"You were looking at my photo album --" Dana Scully accuses softly.

"Yeah," Jack replies biting his lip.

"And what have you learned?" Scully inquires, looking into the eyes of the future.

"We, ah --" Jack starts.

Looking into the piercing blue eyes of the man that stands before her, Scully smiles. "I've seen that guilty look before -- from your grandfather."

"You did?"

"I worked with him for two years on the X-files. There were many cases, especially during that first year were he'd guiltily stare at me with those same eyes -- always sorry for not being able to find Mulder."

"I was named for him."

"I know --"

Sitting in the bland hospital waiting room Scully rests her head on Mulder's shoulder -- trying to stay awake. Next to them sits an anxious John and Monica Doggett.

"How long has it been?" Monica whispers.

Across the room sits George and Karen McCaleb, looking just as anxious.

"Too long," Karen replies getting up to start pacing the room.

"Scully, why are we here?" Mulder whispers into her ear.

"To support John and Monica."

"Do you know how many times I've sat in a hospital waiting room, waiting for someone else's child to be born?"

"In two months you'll be waiting again --" Scully replies matter of factly.

"Yeah, but that'll be my grandchild --"

"And this is John and Monica's."

Minutes later Megan, at nearly seven months pregnant waddles through the waiting room door followed closely by a beaming seventeen year old Marc Doggett.

"I'm a father!" Marc tells them excitedly.

"It's about time," Mulder says under his breath.

"Mulder!"

"I've got a son -- a little boy."

"Does he have a name?" Scully questions.

"John George Doggett -- named for both of his grandfather's," Marc beams.

"Well let's go see my namesake," John replies taking Monica's hand as the happy grandparents follow Marc out the door.

Megan sits down next to Mulder and Scully, letting out a huge sigh.

"Are you all right, Meg?"

"I don't know if I can go through that alone --"

"You won't be alone -- we'll be there with you."

Megan smiles at the couple, weakly.

"But then you're leaving."

"It's the only thing we can think of that'll keep you and your brother safe. In the long run it'll keep everyone safe."

"I wish you would have been able to raise us -- to know what it was like to have children," Megan responds.

"Me too, Meg, me too," Scully replies softly as she pats her daughter's hand.

"Mrs. Mulder?" Jack inquires breaking her train of concentration.

"I'm sorry?"

"I was just saying that its amazing how much you can remember -- yet still forget."

"An oxymoron in its best," Scully laughs.

"You ended up moving away from your children, didn't you?" Catherine questions.

"Yeah."

Scully stares at the pictures, tracing over the images from long ago. She closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

Mulder bolts for the machine -- picking it up instantly.

"John! What's going on?"

Scully runs in beside Mulder -- listening in on the conversation, nervously wondering what was going on.

"Megan -- she's missing."

"What do you mean missing?"

"Will came running into the house shouting that someone pulled Megan into their car."

"Did he notice anything else?" Scully inquires frantically.

"I don't know -- here, I'll put him on."

"Aunt Dana?" the voice of a concerned sixteen year old echoes into the phone. Megan is only thirteen -- far too young to be bothered by the world of uncertainty that has surrounded their family.

"Will -- what happened?"

"It was -- a -- I don't know. I can't believe that she's gone," the young man replies, swallowing.

"She's not gone, Will," Mulder tells him forcefully, remembering the impact his own sister's abduction had on him.

"Do you remember anything odd about the car?"

"No, but --"

"But what, William?" Scully prods.

"I think I've seen the man before, maybe at school."

"What'd he look like?"

"He -- he -- well its not important."

"What?"

"He looked different."

"What do you mean different?"

"His face was disfigured."

"What else can you remember?" Catherine inquires -- looking at the woman's closed eyes.

Dana Scully opens her eyes slowly, looking up at the pair.

"My memories -- they come to me in instances, yet I forget them before I can tell you both. Things that are important."

"They'll come."

"Where was I?"

"Amy and Skinner had their son, Sergei --"

"And we were on our way to the bunker to give them the DNA for the vaccine."

"Right."

"So what happened?" Jack questions.

"We came to a dangerous cross road -- where one path would lead to the end of the world --"

"And the other?"

"The redemption of humanity."

TBC

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More to come! Please R&R

~Jen