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Rated: G
Category: MT, SA, MA, Missing Scene.
Spoiler: End Game.
Summary: Scully helps Mulder to make sense of all that
led him to the freezing depths just off the coast of
Alaska, and considers things she cannot prove with science.
Feedback: patfiler2016@outlook.com
Archive: Gossamer. You may have it if you ask politely.
Disclaimer: Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox
Studios own them, I'm afraid. I neither charge money nor
accept remuneration for writing fan fiction, and I intend no
copyright infringement.
EISENHOWER FIELD
He appeared pale. While his vital signs had stabilized and he
was slowly recovering, Scully couldn't help but analyze his
face, nail color or respirations.
When she sat beside the bed, he turned and saw her. That smile
was worth the wait.
"Hey. How you feeling?"
"Like I got a bad case of freezer burn," he whispered hoarsely.
"How did I get here?"
Scully patiently explained the details to Mulder, and memories
of traveling around with someone who he had believed was his
sister came flooding back. The call from his father, the way
he felt when he first saw that woman at the house, their very
words about Mom and Dad and the story of the people who had
raised her -- all those things he just felt he had to share
with Scully, because she had nearly lost her life for him. She
had been beaten, kidnapped, used as a bargaining tool. At least
he was sure this partner of his was the real Dana Scully.
After Scully told him of his rescue, his encounter with the
alien retrovirus, survival through a cold-induced
hypermetabolic state, the antivirals that had helped rid him
of that virus, Mulder knew he had to share all he had been
through. After all, he had admitted that he hadn't found
exactly what he was looking for, but he had found the faith to
keep searching.
He tried to sit up and failed. He was still too weak. "I should
call my Dad, about the Samantha business, Scully."
His partner grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Mulder, after
what happened to whoever they... "
"My cloned sister..."
"Whatever happened to your 'cloned' sister in that water, would
your father understand that? Would he even want to hear that?"
Mulder sighed. "I doubt he really believed that woman was
Samantha. He probably kept that from my Mom after all she's
been through, and now that I think of it... " His voice was
becoming more hoarse, and he was very tired.
"Mulder, don't try to talk too much right now. I know you
have a lot you want to say, but you also have a lot of healing
to do. I'm not going back to DC until you're well enough to
travel."
He nodded. "Tell you a lot of secrets tomorrow if you bring
me some ice cream, little girl." Still that same innuendo and
Mulder sarcasm.
Scully smiled. "You're back. Listen. If you're really good,
I'll see you tomorrow, the day after, and as long as you're
in the hospital. You can tell me bit by bit and leave me on
the edge of my seat until you've told it all. Then, maybe the
ice cream when the doctors say you can leave here."
"That's... that's torture Scully."
"Maybe for you. I can take the story slowly, and reward you
with the ice cream when you finish. Make it slow, interesting
and keep up the suspense."
"Write you... write you a miniseries?"
"Sure."
As Mulder drifted off to sleep, Scully knew she had to read
over her case notes again. They'd both made some headway with
regard to Samantha's fate.
THE NEXT DAY
2:00 PM
"Good. You're sitting up today." That was a good sign.
"Yeah. You ready to hear something from out of the most
fantastic, imaginable and screwed up universe, Scully?"
"Well, you still look a little grey... " Scully was holding
a file folder.
"Case notes, Scully?"
"No. I mean not entirely. I haven't finished. I'll be back in
a minute. I just want to talk to somebody."
"Yeah." Was that a look of worry on her face again? 'Why
am I sweating?" he thought. "It was cooler in here last night."
A nurse arrived with a thermometer and took his pulse, then
left as quickly as she had arrived.
"Agent Scully, I'm going to call the doctor and get right
back to you."
"I'm a doctor. What is it?"
"Probably nothing, but his temperature's elevated. Excuse
me."
When the doctor arrived, sputum samples were ordered and
Mulder's chest sounds were taken into account as Scully
watched her partner.
"Well, Mulder. It looks like you may have another infection.
It's probably just a rhinovirus."
"Probably just rockin' pneumonia and boogie woogie 'flu."
Mulder turned his head away from her and looked at the window,
coughing as he did so.
"Well, considering what you've been through, you could just
have a secondary infection. We have to wait for the cultures
to know for sure, and that takes time. The doctor ordered
something for the fever." Scully wanted Mulder to face her.
She knew he was a million miles away.
The silence was broken after a few minutes, and Scully heaved
a sigh of relief. "He knew it wasn't her, Scully. He knew."
"Then why would he... I know you don't speak with your father
much, Mulder, but... "
"No. I remember he handed me this key card and an envelope
after I told him I was sorry I lost her again, after I cried
right there in front of him." Mulder's tone was becoming
lower and angrier. "He began to say, 'Your sister', then he
said, "Samantha left this for you. Why would he stop calling
her my 'sister'? Now I know why. SHE WASN'T MY SISTER!"
Scully stood and walked over to the bed."Mulder, calm down and
look at me."
He reluctantly moved his head toward his partner. "We've all
been duped. And your friend "X" told us exactly where you were
and how to find you."
A tear fell from his eye. "There were these... three or four of
these 'Samanthas' all at a women's clinic. They claimed they
were the result of a hybridization project... that whoever had
cloned them were designing a human-hybrid clone so they didn't
all look alike, as the two who supposedly came back here...
and you don't believe a word I'm saying."
"Go on. I want to hear this. I want to understand what it was
the late doctor found in the lab that they didnt want
her to know. Please go on."
"Two alien races getting ready for warfare over who originally
ran Earth. It did not include us just as we are. The people
who had raised the 'Samantha' I was with supposedly live all
over the country, look too much alike, and want to use humans
to vary their appearances and reclaim what she referred to as
their "rightful stewardship" over our planet."
"I see. I guess I'll read it in the report, too. Skinner says
take your time."
"Damn. My throat hurts. I have my doubts about him."
"Don't talk like that," Scully cautioned. "He said he'd drop
by if he possibly could. If he could get away."
"He can't. It's not that he won't. He can't." Mulder closed
his eyes, then forced them open when the nurse arrived with
a fever med.
"This should help," the nurse told Scully. "The fever's not
that high, but he needs the rest."
"I know. Mulder, I'm going to leave and come back this
evening, okay?" She held her hand out to Mulder and he took
it.
"I have no immedi-- don't have a date anyway."
That made Scully smile. She knew he hadn't been dating
anything but the phone, video stores and cable stations anyway.
6:35 PM
Scully arrived shortly after Mulder had managed to ingest a
small dinner. "Hey, I heard you're going to live, Mulder.
Common cold."
"Yeah. I can't wait for the sneezing to start. What's that?"
Scully was holding two bags, one large, one a small paper bag.
"Some clothes, and Nachos if you can keep them down. We'll
have to see what your chart says. Those things that you told
me, Mulder, are things which could be supported if I had
enough..."
"Science? See? There you go again!"
"That's just the story, Mulder. I don't have enough evidence
to say anything so out of this world as you claim these people
are doing. I wish I did."
"Then you've got to promise me something, as soon as we get
home."
"Which should be in about four days, according to your doctor,
and you have two weeks to muster up your strength for work.
I can promise to work with you, as long as the Bureau has me
assigned with you. I'd like to continue the partnership."
"Then promise me that you'll do everything you can, with your
science, to help prove and NOT debunk all that we've found?"
"As long as it doesn't keep getting away from us, Mulder. But
it always seems to. May as well consider me always on your
side."
"Some day, we'll have enough to get to the truth, and I'm not
going to give up with or without you. I can't let it get away
anymore, and I need you to help me make sure it doesn't."
For some reason Scully hesitated. The upper echelons at the FBI
could be intimidating and might even separate them. She hung
her head in thought for a moment. "Whatever does happen, you
know I want to see justice and the truth," She clasped her
hands around Mulder's. "And you're always there for me, too."
END
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