The story takes place sometime in the seventh season—Sein Und Zeit and Closure never occurred. The X-Files doesn't belong to me, of course, da da da, dee dee dee.
Chapter 1: A Face
The car cruised along the streets of Brenda, Maryland, Mulder at the wheel, one hand rubbing absently at his sore shoulder. He stole a glance at the silent Scully. She was staring out of the window, lips pursed, her brow creased in a frown. He sighed.
"You're not still mad at me, are you, Scully?" he asked.
"Well, Mulder, you dragged me out of bed at 3am on a Saturday to investigate a wonderful, mundane, very much not X-Files case. Next time you hear something about a ghost from a three-year-old, please leave me out of it," Scully answered out of the corner of her mouth.
"I really thought she knew something," Mulder protested. "Besides, it's not like I came out of it unscathed." He continued massaging his shoulder. "See? I already got punished. So forgive me? Please?"
Scully rolled her eyes, knowing very well that he would do it again in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, she gave her head a curt nod, allowing a faint smile to settle on the corners of her lips.
"Well, now that that's done with," Mulder said. Grinning, he floored the accelerator. The car shot forward in an enormous burst of speed.
"Whoa!" Scully exclaimed, her body pressed hard against the seat. "What the hell was that for, Mulder?"
"Always wanted to do that," he said, slowing down. He looked at Scully and gave her an innocent smile.
Scully sighed. 'It's been a long day. Let's just go home, okay?"
They settled into a comfortable silence, Mulder concentrating on the road, Scully watching the houses fly by. She caught a glimpse of a mother out in the yard, tossing a ball back and forth with her son. She felt the familiar tug at her heart. I wish.
Suddenly Mulder sucked in a sharp breath. The car lurched to a stop and swerved around, tires screeching, heading back the way they had come.
Scully sat up and fixed a stare on the side of Mulder's face. "Mulder, what are you doing? It's not funny."
He didn't answer. He let the car roll to a stop in front of a beautiful brick house, a couple of blocks back. A woman sat on the porch steps, a kitten cradled in her arms. Her curly brown hair framed her pale face, hazel eyes looking out into the sunlight. Mulder's breath quickened. His hands clenched the steering wheel, so hard his knuckles were white.
"Mulder?"
Mulder turned to her, his eyes wild. His breath came in gasps, and he wore an expression of a mixture of fear and hope.
"Mulder?"
"Samantha," he breathed.
"What?" Scully looked past him at the house, seeing no one. "What are you talking about?"
Mulder tripped out of the car and dashed to the porch. He stopped and stood there, confused. He turned in a circle, eyes searching. But there was no one, no woman with a gray kitten, no one at all.
"Mulder," Scully called, stepping out. "What happened? What did you see?"
Mulder's shoulders slumped. He trudged back to the car, not looking at his partner. He rested his forehead on the wheel and closed his eyes.
"Mulder?" Scully asked, shutting the passenger door. She gently laid a hand on Mulder's arm. "Mulder, talk to me."
Mulder raised his head and looked at her. Scully blinked, taken aback by the pain she saw in his face, the hopelessness that filled his eyes.
"I saw her, Scully," he whispered, trying to convince her as much as himself. "I did."
Scully didn't know what to say. "Mulder—"
"I saw her, Scully! I really did! She was there," he jabbed a finger in the direction of the house. "She was right there, with a kitten in her lap. I swear, Scully, she was right there. Right there…" his voice broke, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
Scully reached up and gently brushed the tear away. "Look, Mulder, let's talk about this later, okay? I'm going to drive you home, and I'll just catch a cab back to Georgetown. Okay? Come on." She got out of the car and went to the driver's side. "Come on, Mulder. You're exhausted. I'll make you some tea before I leave."
A/N: Ahhh, finally. A fic I got around to posting. I hope I finish this one…:-/. Review, please!! Tell me how I'm doing. Do you want more? Should I stop now before I make a fool of myself?