2012- The return (finale)
CHAPTER 14- I gave you a life
Disclaimer- 'dear Chris… take it and makes it into a movie dammit!!!'
Summary: just a little look into the future for Mulder and scully. I made up lives for Emily and William too, and guess what CC… all the made up characters are M.I.N.E!! Muahahah!! Sorry if you guys cried over the last two chapters, this one is more like… comfort food. If you don't like it, just finish the story at the end of last chapter. Oh yeah, there's a small ode to my other story in there too.
Authors note: as Fran Drescher says; "oooiiii"…. This one was tough to write, still is. I said at the start, I HATE CLIFFHANGERS, so I'm gonna try and wrap this story up into a nice little parcel. Dedications are at the bottom of the page, cos I aint got enough room here. I will say this though, thank you for following this story and supporting me the whole way. This was my first ever story and possible my favourite. So enjoy this nice short little update.
Feel free to archive, that would make my day too…
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25 years later
The infant rays kissed her soft pale skin and set her auburn hair aglow. The sun rose over the treetops and came to rest across the hunched over figure that sat on the steps of the front porch. She breathed in the moist air and readjusted her grip on her well used pen.
'To say they live happily ever after would have possibly been far too clichéd; but then again… Mulder was the king of clichés.'
She finished the last word in her notebook and sighed. It had been hard work, but she loved writing. It was something she understood and was good at from an early age. Nevertheless; she was glad she had finished this particular story. It was the first story she had ever written, starting from when she was 14, till now.
"Katherine?" a gentle voice came from the door behind her. She turned around where she sat and smiled up at her grandmother.
She never let anyone except her grandparents call her by her first name. The same went for her twin brother, Charlie. They always asked everybody else to call them by there last names. She let her grandma and grandpa get away with it because, for her at least; she was named after her grandmother's middle name.
"Still writing that story of yours are you?" Scully asked as she folded her arms across her chest and wandered over to where Katherine sat.
Even at 74; she still maintained her professional standard of dress. She sometimes looked like a seasoned headmaster, and other times like professional cookie-making granny. Her fiery red hair had now faded to a gentle gold. Even in these cool mornings she still sported a black skirt and white blouse. She looked good for a woman her age.
"It's not my story grandma. I've told you before." Katherine said, closing her note book. "Besides; I just finished the final draft. Your story is almost finished."
"I think your version of my story is too romantic to be true. Your mother could have told you all about that, she was there for the worst of it." Scully remarked as she sat down next to Katherine and flattened her skirt out.
"Name one part about yours and grandpa's story that wasn't romantic… I'm a 17 year old girl. Romance is my speciality."
Scully smiled and started counting on each of her fingers "well there was the flukeman, vampires, monsters, and all those wonderful diseases I was exposed to over the years, and of course we can't forget those lovely aliens your granddad is still chasing…"
"Ok, ok… I get it." Scully pulled a stray hair out of her eyes. "I still think all great stories deserve to be written though." She leaned against scully and felt a comforting arm wrap around her shoulder.
Scully loved her four grandchildren equally. But Katherine was her favourite. Katherine to her, was like what she once was to Ahab.
Katherine was her oldest granddaughter. Emily met a young doctor when she began university. Chris Charles Spencer; (his last name had Mulder doing background checks) was studying to be a paediatrician. He was a typical, dark haired, hazel eyed, all-American boy. The two became close friends very quickly and decided to have a child. A decision, which ultimately resulted, in twins. With the addition of Katherine's brother, Charlie; Emily and Chris got married and finished their degrees together whilst building their lives as a family.
Scully, and eventually Mulder too, approved of Chris entirely. He was the kind of guy that would walk to the end if the world to buy his kids an ice cream. Probably the most assuring quality he had was his unbreakable devotion to his wife. So it was always a pleasure to have them all around.
Katherine was very much like Emily, and consequentially; exactly like scully. She was level headed and entirely rational. She was independent, yet capable of deep and poetic thinking; and had great literacy skills. She looked a lot like her mother, except she was taller; standing a good two and a half inches above her parents.
Charlie was a unique combination himself. He had the bright blue eyes and endearing smile, sadly his eyes were often covered by his scruffy black hair. He was an unusual contrast to his sister, but they weren't the argumentative type. They, like many twins, had a language all of their own. A grunt, a look, an eyebrow or simply a twitch of the head was all they needed to talk to one another.
William was also married, with two boys of his own. Billy, the oldest of his sons; looked similar to his father, except his hair was strawberry blonde. He was the impulsive one with a mischievous look about him. But can you expect any less from a ten year old? Apparently not. Williams younger son, john, was only seven, but intellectually equal to billy. He was the 'good son', the one that did as was told and never mucked around; unless influenced by billy, of course. Many of Mulder's features weren't lost on john. He had inherited the ever changing eyes and the distinct nose.
William met his wife when he was in high school. Sarah carpenter; a clever young girl from DC. She was well built and had glossy brown hair and steely grey eyes. She and William were stuck together as partners for science on day one. Although they weren't immediate friends, they grew inexplicably close over the years. Eventually they ended up dating and continued the relationship for many years.
William was offered a promising career in the CIA; but turned it down for a more 'close-to-home' job as a police officer in a small precinct. He enjoyed the work and loved being close to his new family.
Neither he nor Emily had used their abilities since that fateful day in wadān in 2012. they simply had no need to.
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When Katherine went back to school, she left the final copy of her unnamed story at Mulder and scully's house. She did it deliberately, in hope that they would give it a title that was appropriate.
Scully sat on the back veranda with a cup of black tea in one hand and rested the other on her cheek. Her glasses sat halfway up her nose and she read the amateur biography with a critical eye. It was a still afternoon and she had grown to enjoy the scenery around her house, taking in all its beauty.
Mulder came outside and wandered around to the other side of the table. He sat down and ran his short stubby fingers through his almost entirely grey hair. At least he hadn't begun losing hair. Scully could live with the grey.
"One of the few documents that we feature in, that actually tells the story without editing or amendment." Mulder dead panned. He hadn't lost his humour over the years, although he had grown up significantly. He was no longer the boyish FBI agent who disregarded the rules and ditched his partner. He had become simply a man who had seen too many things and experienced too much loss to let life pass by easily. He had made every moment meaningful, and each day significant.
"At least it's well written and is only moderately symbolic."
"Can you imagine what could have been written had history taken another course? What if we took a different path?" he asked over the top of his own glasses. Scully remembered the sinful joy she felt when he was told to wear them permanently. She liked them.
Scully looked at Mulder and allowed her mind to remember a conversation she had once had with him. A talk they had had many years ago.
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"I don't think you can know. I mean, how many different lives would we be leading if we made different choices? We... We don't know."
"What if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong? And there were signs along the way to pay attention to."
"Mmm… And all the... choices would then lead to this very moment. One wrong turn, and... We wouldn't be sitting here together. Well, that says a lot. That says a lot, a lot, a lot. That's probably more than we should be getting into at this late hour."
She didn't hear the rest of what he had said; she had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Perhaps for the first time, in a long time; she could rest.
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She nodded and put the manuscript on he table. "As long as I ended up here… I don't care what path I could have taken. I can't imagine not being here, or now."
Mulder smiled and leaned back in his seat, casting his gazed up and down over his wife. "I think that's something we can mutually agree on." He put a hand across the table and let it rest palm up in front of her. She slid her hand across the table to slip into his.
This was what she had wanted all her life. A caring husband. A wonderful family. Shamefully, she had to admit; when she first imagined how everything would turn out, Mulder wasn't the person she expected to spend the majority of her life with. But in no way did she regret it.
She remembered something she had written down once; along time ago, in her journal the night before she joined the FBI…
'My life is beginning and I only really know how I want it to end. I think if I can look back on my life and be happy with my achievements, I would be content. My time on this world is what I make it, but I'll know when I've left my mark. Most of all, I want to grow, have a family, and have someone to hold my hand when I'm old and walking those last few steps. Someone who will walk the journey with me…'
She also remembered her first impression of Mulder. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly trying to get into her good books. But people change, and the journey was long and hard, and particularly scary a lot of the time; but luckily Mulder was there to hold her hand whenever she needed him to.
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The sun was setting and it was a bit cooler. Mulder sat on the porch steps with his elbows resting on top of his knees. He thought about many things. His sister Samantha was never really found, in his mind. He thought of his friends; and how there lives had changed after 2012.
Skinner returned home, and he and Arlene adopted a young boy. They were too old at the time to have kids of their own, and a baby would be a lot to handle, so they chose a 12 year old boy named Ryan. They were dedicated parents and Ryan grew up to join the FBI, as his father had. Ryan was doing well and looking forward to a promotion to assistant director. It seemed as though there would always be an assistant director skinner at the FBI, in one sense or another.
John and Monica gave birth to a son of their own, whom they named Luke. Luke Doggett had just finished his university degree in education. He was going to be a high school physics teacher. His parents approved of his decision, as they had told him from an early age, not to work directly for the government.
Mulder was rather glad that everything had turned out as well as it had. He watched the sun begin to close in on the distant treetops. He turned his ears towards a sound that came from behind him, but turned his attention back to the lowering sun. He didn't have to guess who it was; no one else was going to be sneaking up on him.
Scully moved down the steps and sat in front Mulder, snuggling herself in between his legs and leaned back against his chest. She rested her hands on his knees; he wrapped both arms protectively around her shoulders and over her chest. Old habits die hard, I guess.
They watched the sun slide down behind the surrounding pine in silence. All that remained was an orange glow and a peach coloured skyline. Mulder looked down at the top of scully's head. Her hair was a shiny copper colour, like it once was. He closed his eyes, leaned forward and planted a little kiss on her crown.
"You're not cold, are you?" He muffled into her strawberry scented hair. She gently shook her head to the negative and he pulled his head back; running a hand across the silky top.
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Their journey had begun with a sunrise, and here they sat as they watched it set. Life was a journey, now and forever. He was there when the world had nearly ended, and she was there when he lost faith in it. They were balanced and peaceful. They spent the remainder of their lives in content and happiness…
Except for the sunflower seeds, scully could have lived with out those.
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Dedication: gold medal thanks to DanaKMulder for Betaing and keeping me on track, Dana42 for writing probably the most details reviews… ever and listening to my rambling and Xfileslover777 for helping me come up with some of the storylines. You guys rock!!
I reckon it important that thanks go to you, the reader. This was my first story and I wanna thank you guys for following the story, keeping me motivated to finish and reviewing. It means a lot. :oD thanks for reading!!!
Reviews for the story in general are welcomed and vastly appreciated!!