AN: Now things start to get more interesting…

Chapter 4

Two hours later Carolyn was still sitting with Dana on the porch swing, while Mulder sat in a nearby wicker chair as they all sipped ice tea. A dark car drove up and Carolyn exchanged a nervous glance with her friends, realizing that they were all quite young compared to the last time her children had seen them. In fact, her children now appeared older than they were. She had trouble quelling the butterflies in her stomach.

"Oh, God, what are they going to think?" she gave her friends a nervous look, as her grown children got out of the car and talking under their breath, approached the steps, not yet focused on the trio that sat off to the side of the main entrance.

Dana squeezed Carolyn's hand and gave her an encouraging nod.

Carolyn took a deep breath, and called out, as she stood up. "Kids, we're over here."

Jonathan and Candy turned and walked the few steps over to their mother and her friends and then with shocked expressions, stopped in their tracks.

"Mom?" Candy stepped closer and reached out and touched her mother's face gently, as if she was afraid she would break. "How can this be you?"

"Candy, look at them," he pointed to the Mulder's. "What happened Mom? What's going on?"

"We went on an alien hunt, and this happened," she gestured to herself and the others and then shrugged helplessly.

"An alien hunt?" Jonathan asked, sounding rather like the Captain in that moment.

"Did you find any?" Candy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Ahh, no. Just some strange gel like substance."

"Which in one way or another we all touched," Dana supplied helpfully. "When we got back here we all rested, fell asleep. When we woke up we were like this."

"Just like when we moved here," Candy said, walking around the youthful image of her mother.

"I forgot how beautiful, you were, Mom." Jonathan said with great respect.

"Thanks, I love you too," she said and smiled at her children.

Jonathan looked around and appeared to be listening for something but frowned at looked at his mother. "Where's Dad? Something's wrong or you wouldn't have asked Candy and I to show up without at least part of our families."

"Well, we didn't think we should show them our new selves until we figure out what's going on, but you need to know," Carolyn said with a sad smile.

"Danny is missing," Mulder said. "It seems that goo made us all younger, including William who is now about five. After we realized we had changed, Danny appeared to us, or tried to, but he wasn't corporeal."

"What?" Candy said.

"And then he disappeared, and we haven't seen him since," Scully said quietly.

"No, no, no, he can't disappear, not like that. He's an incredibly strong spirit. Nothing like an unknown substance could make him disappear," Jonathan said in protest while Candy looked at them thoughtfully.

"He isn't here," Carolyn said gently. "Trust me when I tell you that I want him here more than anyone, but he isn't here."

Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat and they could all see the tears in both his and Candy's eyes.

"He can't be gone, he just can't…" the man, now reduced to a small boy once again, said in protest.

"We know where he is, or, at least we think we do," Mulder interjected.

"Where?"

"He seems to be stuck in the past. The spirit he is now somehow ended up within the physical him in the past, a week or so before his death is what he's told us."

"Us?" Candy questioned.

"Me and Will."

"Our son has some unique abilities," Scully said.

"Which includes finding our Dad in a timeline?" Candy asked, more in astonishment than disbelief.

Mulder nodded. "He's quite the boy."

"How do we get him back?" Jonathan asked, desperation in his voice.

"We're not sure we can, but Mulder and Will are going to try." Scully said.

"Danny's afraid that if we don't get him back before he dies in the lifetime he is in, that the spirit we know now will cease to exist. That creating the paradox of two spirits of himself will cause his current self to vanish." Mulder frowned.

"Is it true?" Candy asked.

"We don't know, there's a lot we don't know." Scully sighed. "But we, and by that, I mean Mulder and William will have to try soon, before he dies in the original timeline. There isn't much time."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Jonathan, now the oldest man in the group ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, a nervous habit that only showed up when he was under duress.

"Will has to sleep to recharge. Without him trying to bring Daniel back to us, we have no chance."

"My Dad's fate rests with a five-year-old?"

Scully bit her lip and nodded.

"I've never heard of such rubbish!" He turned on his heel and stomped off the porch and into the house.

Candy sighed and looked at the group in front of her. "This is really weird, you know? With all of you being younger than us? And now Dad is gone and the only solution you have is a theory at best?"

"Candy, I know it's difficult, and I'm not happy about any of this. But at least he's still alive, and at least we have the possibility of bringing him home. That's a lot, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," she bit her lip and tried to bite back her tears. "Mom, we love him too, you know?" she said and fell into her mother's embrace.

"Trust me when I say we will do everything in our power to get him back home. We owe him so much," Mulder said with such sincerity that Candy couldn't help but nod.

"I believe you, but you may need to convince Jonathan. He's quite a bit like Dad, you know?" she gave her Mother a sad smile.

"I know., I'll go and talk to him. Fox, Dana, excuse me. I need to go and check on my boy," Carolyn said and went through doors that Jonathan had moments before.

When she was gone, Candy turned to her mother's friends and regarded them. "They're gone and it's only you and me. Is there really a chance to get him or are you just trying to make Mom feel better?"

"We think there's a chance and as soon as Will is up to it we're going to try."

Candy regarded them for a long moment. "All right, then let me know if I can do anything to help."

"We'll let you know when we're ready. Come on, Scully. Let's see how our boy is doing," Mulder took his partners hand in his and they disappeared through the doors leaving a sad Candy to stare out at the sea.

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There was no need to look anywhere else in the house, Carolyn knew exactly where her son would be, she found him in the Master Suite looking out through the Captain's telescope. He ignored her entrance into the room and continued to peer out at sea. She walked across the room to stand beside him and waited until he straightened up.

"Jonathan, it'll be all right."

"How do you know that? He's not here!"

"No, he's not." Carolyn sighed as she studied his sad expression.

"I didn't think there was anything that would ever make him go away, I mean, he's so strong. I've never heard about any ghost that can do the things he can do…"

"I never thought so either. Come here," she said and opened her arms to her son, who towered over her as he embraced her.

"We still don't know exactly what happened, but what caused him to disappear caused us to become younger. We can sort out the whys later, all we care do now is try to get him back."

"I should be comforting you," Jonathan said as he straightened up and looked into her tired face. "Has it been rough?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's been rough on you. I know how much you love him and how much he loves you." He laughed as he held his mother in his arms. "The love you two share is impossible, you know?"

"I know. Leave it to me to fall into a ghost."

"But you have taste. He's an astounding, amazing ghost, and a hell of a man. I owe him a lot, you know?" Jonathan's voice had dropped to a whisper as he wiped away a tear. "Do you really think they can get him back?"

"I'm counting on it. I don't know what I'll do if they can't."

Quietly, they held each other, hoping for the best and afraid of the worst.

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William blinked sleepily as he opened his eyes, and saw his Mom lying on the bed next to him. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I needed a nap too. You don't mind, do you?"

"Nope," He shook his head and sighed as he regarded her with a serious expression. "I don't like being younger than eight. I hate being five." He scowled. "Do you like being younger?"

"Umm, it's a little different for adults."

"So you like it?"

"Yeah, I think I do. As long as your dad is younger too."

"Oh, okay."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Nope. I want to be older, not younger."

"Okay, we'll have this conversation later. How do you feel?"

"Better, but hungry. Can I eat?"

"Of course, you can, let's see what Carolyn has downstairs."

"I like cereal, do you think she has cereal?"

"I'm sure she does, you're certainly over here enough. I bet she has frosted flakes, or Captain Crunch?"

"Frosted flakes," William said sitting up.

He was silent for a moment before he spoke to his Mom. "How is she?"

"Aunt Carolyn?"

He nodded.

"Sad. She misses Uncle Danny."

"I don't want her to be sad. I hope I can help," his face mirrored his sadness. "I miss Uncle Danny too."

"I know, Sweetie, I know," Scully pulled William to her and held him tight for a few moments. "But one thing at a time, first you have to eat. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, and they left the room together.

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No, no, no! Daniel screamed at himself, at the body and mind he had no control over. They had just docked in Schooner Bay after that horrendous storm that he piloted the ship through. He remembered feeling weary beyond reason, so much so that he turned over the docking and managerial chores to his first mate, something he never did.

He hadn't heard from Fox or William since their one contact with him, and it worried him, especially as he knew he was nearing the time of his death. And he was afraid, afraid that he would finally cease to exist altogether.

His physical self turned away from his friend with a tired smile and assurances that he would be all right; that he was heading home to rest.

No, no, no! Not yet, I need more time for them to get me out. Please.

But despite his internal pleadings, the man he was, the Captain that he was from this time, turned to walk back to his much-loved home, Gull Cottage. The footsteps were slow, and he physically dragged himself into the house, and out of the frigid wind that all but blew him inside.

The housekeeper had done most of her work, but it had been shut up longer than he had expected and needed a good airing out. That hardly mattered now because all he wanted to do was go up to his bedroom and go to sleep. Blasted house was cold though, cold enough that he knew he needed to start a fire in the fireplace upstairs in the Master Suite. He wouldn't bother with anywhere else as all he wanted to do was go to bed.

He shut the front doors behind him and trudged up the stairs, his body screaming for sleep. He entered the Master Suite and made his way over to the fireplace, bending down in front of it and laying down the foundation for a good fire. Then he stood up and yawned, when he was able to open his eyes again they fell on the small gas heater. Well, it wasn't a fire, but it would start to get the room warmed until he could get a fire started. He looked out the window as the wind rattled the glass and he swore at the weather, wanting nothing more than to open it and let the fresh air in. There was nothing for it, it was too bloody cold.

He brought a chair over next to the gas heater which he placed in the center of the room, and gratefully sat down. He started the heater and felt the tendrils of warmth that began to come from it, and sank back in his chair, relished the heat. He closed his eyes for just a moment…

No, no no! Fox! William! Get me out of here now! Please!

Suddenly, without warning, Daniel's perceptions went black. Not dark but pitch black with no trace of light. There was nothing that his senses could see, nothing for him to grasp. He had perception of speeding too fast and having no control over where he was or where he was going.

Then the pain started, pain he hadn't felt in over a hundred year. It felt as if needles were inserted in every fiber of his spirit body, and every ounce of pain was multiplied one hundred-fold. He cried out in agony, sure that he must be on his way to hell, nothing good could hurt so much.

After what seemed to be a very long, painful journey he came to an abrupt halt, thrown out of the blackness and onto the hard ground. He blinked, saw grass just in front of him, and some bare feet. He followed the path up the shapely legs of a lovely young woman all the way up to her face, and he saw the face of his beloved.

"Carolyn?" he whispered in astonishment as his world went black once again.