Title: Another Life (1/5) Author: Erin M. Blair E-Mail: eblair@sonic.net Classification: SRA--Story, Romance, Angst Content: Mulder/Scully Romance. Alternate Universe. Spoiler: *supposed* One Son. Small spoilers for: Lazarus, One Breath, The End, The Beginning, Memento Mori, and the X-Files: Fight The Future Movie. Rating: PG Archive: OK to Gossamer and Xemplary. Others: ask me first. Please forward to ATXC. Disclaimers: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and Diana Fowley (puke) doesn't belong to me. They belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and the FOX network. No infringement is intended. Summary: Scully sees Fowley and Mulder kissing and drives off mad. She ends up in an alternate reality where she's married to Mulder. -------------------------------------- ANOTHER LIFE (1/5) Written by: Erin M. Blair -------------------------------------- Northeast Georgetown Hospital Monday, 2:30 p.m. Fox Mulder waited by Dana Scully's bedside, watching her breathe. She was off the respirators per her conditions stated in living will. Scully was still in a coma, but he knew that there was still hope for her recovery. He felt his hand being squeezed by Scully, and the pressure told him that she was trying to come back to him. All he could do now was hope that she would forgive him; he had caused the car accident that had left her in this condition. If only... All he wanted to do was change the past to correct what she had seen Diana Fowley do. "It's my fault, Scully. I wish that I hadn't let Diana kiss me... If she hadn't, you wouldn't be in a coma. Again. It's all because of me..." His hazel eyes were misty with unshed tears that were threatening to fall. "It's all my fault..." FBI Building Monday, 9:30 a.m. Two weeks earlier "Scully?" Scully looked up to face Mulder in their cubicles. "Yes, Mulder?" It was a far cry from being in the basement office, but at least, she got a desk from their new reassignment. She was busy working on the report of their latest case with the domestic terrorism unit. "What's wrong?" He touched Scully's cheek lightly. "Have you ever thought if things were different?" "No. Not for one second," Scully answered. She saw the concern In Mulder's face and knew something was amiss. "What's wrong, Mulder?" "Diana Fowley has some information for me to see that may give us the X-Files back," Mulder said, and he saw Scully frown at the mention of Fowley's name. He didn't want to see her hurt. "I know what you're thinking, Scully, but trust me on this." "I trust you, Mulder. I do." Mulder knew what she was trying to tell him, but he suspected it was more than a matter of trust. Was she jealous of Fowley? "You trust me, but you don't trust Fowley." Scully nodded. "Yes." "Why?" "I don't know. There's something about her that I don't trust. You know what she did in her report at the nuclear reactor? She neglected to mention certain aspects of her report like Gibson Praise." "It's not that she forgot to mention Gibson Praise in her case report, is it?" Mulder inquired, and he wanted her to admit how she felt. "I know you, Scully. I know how I felt towards Jack Willis..." Scully frowned. She didn't want Mulder to know how she really felt. "Mulder, you didn't act jealous when Jack asked me to help him." "I did, Scully. When you told me that you were going to the bank with *him*, I was jealous. More than jealous, I was worried that you wanted to be with him more than me." He paused, and then added. "And that was before I found out that Jack was your lover." "Mulder, there's nothing to worry about. He's in the past. I've forgotten him. Really." "I know that now, but back then, I was jealous. I was totally insecure about my feelings." "I had no idea you felt that way, Mulder," Scully said, softly. She was shocked, to the least, that he felt the same as she did. Mulder chuckled softly. With a small smile, he remembered how he'd felt. "I do. You don't know how much I wanted to kill Jack Willis." He paused. "There's nothing going on between Diana and myself. You've got to trust me." Scully sighed. "You know I do, but it's Diana that I don't. How come I've got this feeling that she will betray us both?" Mulder gazed into Scully's blue eyes, and he knew that he had got to find a way for her to believe that everything was going to be fine between them. "She won't do anything." "Somehow, I doubt that." Northeast Georgetown Medical Center Monday, 2:30 p.m. "I was a fool, Scully," Mulder whispered, as he held her hand tightly to return the pressure that she gave him earlier. "I was a fool to trust Diana. I want you to come back to me." He paused. "I'd do anything for you..." Meanwhile, in Scully's mind, she was lost in a different world... Mulder Residence Monday, 2:35 p.m. Alternate Universe Scully woke up from her nap, and focused on her surroundings. It wasn't her Georgetown apartment, but she was in a master bedroom. She got up to inspect. All her clothes were hanging in the closet, including the camel-colored trench coat that she'd thought had been lost when she had been abducted by Duane Barry. She felt the material in a state of shock. "What the? This was never recovered. I thought I'd never see this trench coat ever again." "Dana?! Where are you?" She could hear Mulder's voice calling for her. *Why was he using my first name?* She frowned. "I'm in here!" Mulder walked in to see Scully dressed in a creamy white suit. "I thought that you were with Dani," he answered. He saw his wife's confused expression and he became concerned. "Dana?" "How come you don't call me 'Scully,' Mulder?" Mulder looked confused. "I haven't called you 'Scully' for a long time, Dana, and you haven't called me 'Mulder' in years." "So what do I call you?" "You call me 'Fox'," Mulder said, slowly. "Are you all right, Dana? You look startled." He thought that she had hit her head on the bed post. He lifted up her head to inspect for any injuries. "Did you hit your head?" "Mulder, this is crazy." She was becoming overly confused. He was usually caring towards her, but she couldn't understand why he touching her intimately. "What's wrong?" "Who's Dani?" "Our daughter. Dana Kristine Mulder. We'd been married since December 5, 1992," Mulder said, in a slow, careful manner as he was concerned with Scully's mental state. "Do you know your name?" Scully nodded. "Yes, I know my name. I know yours." She paused, as she was trying to figure out through her confusion. "We're married? We have a daughter?" She sat down on the bed. It was too much. "I can't believe this..." "It's true," Mulder said, softly. "I didn't know we're married and had a daughter. The last thing I remember was being in a car accident...after seeing Diana kissing you." Mulder's frown deepened, as he understood what happened to her. In his mind, he was beginning to put two and two together. There wasn't any sign of trauma to warrant her having amnesia. He felt through her auburn hair, and there wasn't any bumps. "You don't have any bumps on your head, and you don't have amnesia." He paused. "Want to know what I think?" "What?" "It sounds to me like you're stuck here in some kind of alternate universe." "If that's so, where's Dana? Your wife?" "I don't know," Mulder said, as he frowned. "I guess wherever you are..." "Mulder - can I call you that?" Scully asked, as he nodded. She took the camel colored trench coat off its hanger. "I want to show you something." "It's your trench coat. So?" "I don't have this anymore. I wore this when I was abducted by Duane Barry and I lost it in the process." "That didn't happen, Dana." "It didn't?" "No, you were on maternity leave after giving birth to Dani." He paused. "I made certain that he didn't know anything about you, but he *did* abduct Alex Krycek's sister, Allyson." "How's Allyson?" "She had cancer..." "Cancer?" Scully inquired. "Was it a nasalpharyngeal tumor?" Mulder nodded. "Yes, it was." He whispered. "How did you know?" "I had it a couple years ago. Did they took her ova?" "From what Alex said, yes. He met these clones at the Lombard Research Facility, and they showed him his sister's ova. Let's just say that he wasn't too happy with them." He looked at her confused facial expression with alarm. "What's wrong? Dana?" "In my universe, I was the one who had been abducted by Duane Barry," she whispered. "Everything what happened to Allyson Krycek happened to me." "You had cancer?" Scully nodded. "I was also left barren. I can't have children." "I'm sorry," he said, gently. "There must be a way for you to have children." "I doubt it." "Stranger things have happened for a reason, Dana." "What do you mean?" "You're here for a reason. To find out what your life would have been like if you married me." Scully listened to his voice, thoughtfully, but then, she sighed. "Doesn't that work both ways?" She paused. "Mulder never asked me to marry him." Mulder frowned. "Why not? I know I would." "We haven't...We never... We don't have that kind of relationship right now," Scully said, with a sigh. "Of course, I'd never asked him." "Both of you never declared your feelings for each other..?" "Not really," Scully frowned, and she thought about how she had everything that she wanted here. A husband who's devoted to her. A child. A good career. It seemed that she had everything she wanted most in the world. After carefully weighing the pros and the cons, she made a decision which will change her life forever. "I want to stay." "Here?" Mulder inquired, shocked. Scully nodded. "Yes, I do..." "What about your life in your own reality? What about my Dana? It'll confuse things..." "What life is that? Not much of one. I'd been dealing with useless, boring, background checks at the FBI." "Boring background checks?" Mulder echoed. He paused, as he remembered reading the file about Dana when he found out he was going to be partners with her. "What's so bad about that?" "That's what happened when your career's finished at the FBI." "And you'd rather leave the life you have in order to be with me?" Scully nodded. "Yes, I do." "What about your partner?" Mulder asked, concerned. He paused, and then he thought about his wife. "And what about Dana? If you're here, where's Dana?" "You said that I'm in an alternate universe, right?" Scully asked, as he nodded. "What do you think happened, Mulder?" "I have a theory - want to hear it?" Scully nodded. "Yes, I do." "When you jumped into my life, my wife went into yours." "She's feeling whatever I'm feeling, whatever that is." Mulder realized something that might help them. "That doesn't fit though. I don't think that your bodies switch, but your minds did." "What did you say? It sounds like science fiction!" "Listen to me. You have the same long, auburn hair that she has." "Long hair? I don't have long hair. I always cut my hair to be above the shoulders." Mulder sighed. "Look in the mirror." Scully walked towards the mirror to see the reflection of what she looked like before her abduction. Her auburn hair flowed down past her shoulders, and she had bangs. It wasn't her current hairstyle at all. "This is me, but yet, it's not me." Northeast Georgetown Medical Center Monday, 3:00 p.m. After the doctor's came into Dana Scully's room after she went code blue, Mulder walked into the hallway. He had no idea that her going into code blue coincided with her decision to stay where she was. He noticed her brother, Bill Scully Jr., sitting down at a chair. "Bill, don't start. I don't need this right now..." "It's your fault that she's here." "She wouldn't have been in the car accident if it weren't for me. It's all my fault!" Bill saw Mulder's face lined with tears and the frustration of not reaching her. With a sigh, he felt terrible for directing his anger at Mulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. Look, I know that we don't get along very well. Dana wouldn't want us to get into a fight while she's in a coma." "That's true," Mulder replied. "You're right. She wouldn't want us to fight over who caused her accident. We have to be strong for her." "I know... Have the doctors said anything?" "No. When I was sitting there at her bedside, I remember what Melissa told me when Scully was in a coma last time. I'm sure that she's choosing whether or not she lives..." He paused. as he looked at Dana's brother. "Where were you when she was in a coma a few years back?" "At sea," Bill said simply. "I wanted to be there for her, but neither Charlie or me could get off. Mom had kept us informed though." He paused. "At least, I was there for her when she had cancer..." "I'm glad that you were there for her..." The doctor, dressed in green scrubs, walked out to the two men. "Miss Scully---" "Doctor Scully," Mulder interrupted. "Let the doctor finish," Bill said, with a sigh. "I want to know how my sister's doing." He paused, as he switched his attention to the doctor. "How's Dana?" "*Doctor* Dana Scully is still in a coma. She's still in critical condition. We had a scare, but she's fine now. However, we found something rather unusual. Usually, when a patient's comatose, there would be nothing on the EEG. Her brain waves are steady... I don't know how to explain it." Mulder listened, thoughtfully, and came to a realization. *She's still here, but her brain isn't. It's stuck somewhere. How do I reach her? How do I pull her ashore?* He didn't want to state his idea to the doctor or Bill. He especially didn't want to air his reaction to Bill. He'll call him crazy or something. He had to reach Scully. "Do you think that she'll come out of it?" Bill asked. His face was fraught with both concern and confusion over what the doctor had said. "Is there any hope?" "There's always hope," said the doctor. Both Mulder and Bill nodded at the doctor, and they watched him walk down the hallway towards the nurses' station. Mulder sighed, and he looked at Scully's brother. He wanted him to see her before he did. "Bill, do you want to see her?" "You can. I'm going to get some lunch at the cafeteria." "OK," Mulder said, as he watched Bill walk towards the elevators to the cafeteria. Mulder walked back into Scully's room and sat beside her. "Scully, I know you're there. Where, I don't know. As Melissa said a long time ago, you're choosing whether to live or die." He paused, as he gently held her hand into his. "I can't imagine my life without you. I won't lose you. I can't. You mean the world to me." "Agent Mulder?" Mulder glanced up to see Dr. Garrison, the doctor in charge of Scully's case. "What's wrong?" "Since you're Dana's partner, I would like to discuss her case with you. I've already contacted her family," Dr. Garrison said, with a sigh. "I called in a specialist which deals with comatose patients. Her name is Dr. Jessica Wilson. She looked at Dana, and she told me that she hasn't seen any case like Dana's." He paused. "We're at a lost of where to go from here." Mulder listened thoughtfully, and he thought of the something that would bring her back to him. "She has to know what she's missing... I can bring her back by giving her the two things that she wants most." He paused. "Would it be unethical to do invitrofertilization with her ovum and my sperm?" "It's extremely unethical, Agent Mulder." "I know," Mulder said, softly. "However, I think that she would have wanted it..." "Do you know that for sure?" "I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think that she wouldn't have wanted it..." Mulder paused, as he sighed deeply. "She told me how much she wanted children..." "On a comatose woman?" "Yes. I think that it'll bring her out of the coma. I've got her ova in a cold storage facility waiting to be used." "Her ova's in cold storage?" "Long story. I'd never told her any of this... She thinks she can't ever have children, and she also believes that I'm lost to her. I want to prove her wrong." He paused. "I want her to know how much I love her... I want to bring her back to me. I know that this is wrong, but I'd do anything to bring her back to me. Can you do this for me?" Dr. Garrison sighed deeply. He knew that it's very unethical to do the procedure on a comatose woman, but if she agreed to it... "I don't see any reason not to. It's untraditional, that's for sure." "I'd do anything to save Scully," Mulder whispered. END of 1/5 Author's Notes: While I was reading the upcoming episode spoilers about One Son, I was thinking what would happen to Scully. This probably won't happen, but stranger things happened. Regarding Scully's IVF while she's comatose, it's *very* unethical. I doubt that any doctors would do such a thing to a comatose woman. It's a very risky storyline idea, but I wanted to address it. I would like to thank Michaela for her beta reading and offering me suggestions to improve on the plot. Feedback: Always appreciated and welcomed. I'd love to hear comments regarding this story to: eblair@sonic.net