Title: Another Life 2/5 Author: Erin M. Blair E-Mail: eblair@sonic.net Classification: SRA--Story, Romance, Angst Content: Mulder/Scully Romance. Alternate Universe. Archive Notes in Part 1. Authors' Note at the end of this story. -------------------------------------------- ANOTHER LIFE (2/5) Written by: Erin M. Blair --------------------------------------------- Mulder's Apartment Alexandria, VA Three Weeks Earlier That morning in early February was a cool, crisp day. Dana Scully decided to have an earlier start to see her partner, Fox Mulder. She parked her car to see him because she wanted to tell him what she learned. Scully knew that Mulder wanted to search for information about Diana Fowley after she voiced her concerns to him. She turned off the car's engine, and took out her key out of the ignition. She got out of the car, grabbing her purse and trench coat, and walked towards his apartment. She could feel the cool air blowing her auburn hair, and she pushed back a wisp of her from getting into her hair as she pulled open the front door of his apartment building. As she was walking down the hallway, she inwardly smiled as she remembered the warmth of Mulder's lips when they had their near kiss before the bee stung her. Ever since they had got back from Antarctica, they had barely talked about it. *Maybe we should,* she thought, *I know that that I want to talk about it...* Scully neared his apartment. The door was slightly opened. With curiosity, she peaked in through the small opening. She gasped when she saw Diana Fowley kissing Mulder. At first, she told herself that it was all her imagination. That she dreamed it. Deep within her, she could feel the jealousy surging towards her brain. She tried calming herself by taking deep breaths. She couldn't stop her anger no matter how hard she tried. She was upset with Mulder because she's in love with him; she was upset with Diana because she took him. The tears fell down her face, and she turned away from the door towards the hallway. She went inside the car, and turned the key to start the engine. She backed out of the parking space, and drove off. Her mind was focused on Mulder when she saw a car swerving into her direction. She tried to put on the brakes when the car hit her to put her into darkness. Northeast Georgetown Hospital Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. Three Weeks Later Mulder waited by his Scully's bedside, and he grasped her fingers. He gave them a little squeeze to show her that he's still there. "The invitrofertilization's a success, Scully. You're pregnant. We're going to be parents." He let go of her hand, and then he stroked her stomach gently. "I hope that you'll come back to me as I love you and our baby..." He paused. "Please come back to me." He hoped that she'll listen to his pleas, but his faith was fading fast. Mulder Residence Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. Alternate Universe Scully was full of happiness of being with little Dani, the child she'll never have. The child she'll never have with Mulder. "Mommy?" Scully looked up to see Dani, and she noticed the concerned expression on the child's cherubic face. At four years old, she looked like herself when she was little with curly, auburn hair and blue eyes. "What is it, Dani?" "You're not going to go 'way," said Dani. She looked at her mother, and sighed with unshed tears. "Like Aunt Samantha?" Scully frowned, and she held the little girl in a hug. "No, Dani. I'm not going anywhere. Why would you say that..?" "Daddy said that you are, but Mommy, I don't want you to go away." Scully looked at Dani's clear blue eyes--much like her own--and she tried to reassure her. "Daddy's worried about me. I haven't been myself lately, Dani. I'm never going to leave the both of you." She knew the "real" Dana Scully-Mulder of this universe will be back when she goes to back to her own Mulder. *If I decide to go back at all,* she thought, as she tenderly stroke Dani's hair. "Dana?" She looked up at Mulder, and gave him a smile. "Fox, there's something that we need to talk about." It was still felt strange to call Mulder 'Fox.' Mulder gave her a concerned expression as he watched his wife got up from the sofa that she's sitting with Dani. He followed her to their den, and closed the door behind them. "What's wrong, Dana?" "Dani. She overheard us last night. I have a feeling Dani thinks I'll be going away or something." "In a way, you will be..." "Your Dana will be back in my place. You know that, Fox." "I know," he whispered. He saw her face grimace with pain. "What's wrong?" "I'm fine," Scully said, quickly. She was in the "real" Scully's body, and she felt a sudden queasiness. As a medical doctor, she knew what was going on within "her" body. "She's pregnant, isn't she?" "Yes," Mulder said, quietly. "She's pregnant. Dana told me before she took a nap..." "I bet she's excited. I know that I would be if that ever happened to me. Unfortunately, I will never know." "Never say never, Dana." "I still can't get used to you calling me that," remarked Scully, with a sigh. "I know. It took me awhile before I was used to her calling me Fox." He laughed. "I used to hate people calling me that, but I started to like my name whenever I hear her voice calling me Fox." He paused. "I guess I had become used to it..." "Oh?" "You should try it sometime," Mulder said. He gave her a small smile. "I did. He didn't like it." "Really?" "No, he didn't. However, he lets that Fowley woman do it." "Who's Fowley?" "Diana Fowley..." "Oh," Mulder said, with some recognition. "I thought you meant something else." He saw her frown, and he knew that Diana Fowley had something to do with her being here. "It's because of Diana that you decided to stay, isn't it?" Scully nodded. "That's only part of the reason. Several factors came into it. My job's a waste of time. My partner doesn't trust me..." "Your partner doesn't trust you?" Mulder echoed. With a frown, he realized that she was talking about the other Mulder. "I can't believe that he wouldn't trust you. I trust Dana with my life. She's everything to me." "That's what he said." Mulder saw the tears which were threatening to fall down, and gave her a tissue. "Thanks," Scully said, as she took the tissue to dab her eyes. "Go on." "After Emily, I realized that I wanted to have children after they had taken my ova. There's a part of me wanted to get married and have children. Here, I have that and more." "Who's Emily?" Mulder whispered. "My daughter. Actually, she's an alien/human hybrid made from my ova which they stole from me. My only chance to have a child died." The tears flowed from her eyes, and he embraced her. "You've suffered so much more than he did, Dana. I'm not going to let you go back to that life. You're staying here. Your partner doesn't deserve you after what he put you through." "We both suffered so much..." "Dana, you suffered *more* than he did," Mulder said, gently. "You deserve more than a partner who couldn't trust you with his life." Scully nodded, slowly, as she considered his words. It was true what he had said to her. "You're right. I do need someone I can trust." "Dana, I trust you..." Scully nodded. "I trust you too." How come she keeps feeling of being pulled in each direction? She could feel someone was pulling her in, but who? Northeast Georgetown Medical Center Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. "Scully, you've got to trust me on this one. I know it's my fault you're here - it should have been me! I know you had seen Diana kissing me, but guess what, Scully? I _didn't_ kiss her!" Mulder exclaimed, as his hazel eyes filled with unshed tears. He was losing his faith in Scully's recovery, and it showed with his unkempt appearance. Ever since he found out about her car accident, Mulder hadn't slept. Bill came back several times to prod him into going to the cafeteria. He knew that Bill was trying to be nice to him, and he thanked him for it. The truth was that Mulder couldn't be consoled. He blamed himself for what happened to Scully, and he refused to go on cases until "Scully's all right." "More than anything, Scully, I want you to open your eyes and come back to me. I want us to be together, and raise our baby. We have a future, Scully - I know we do. I want you to hold on. Please forgive me, Scully. Please give me a sign to let me know you had heard me." He looked at Scully to see if she heard him, but there's no movement. All he could do was sit back and wait. His faith had finally shattered. For good. "I love you, Scully." Mulder got up from his chair, and walked near the door. He turned to face the comatose, pregnant Dana Scully. "If you don't want me in your life, I understand." His hazel eyes were misty with unshed tears as he opened the door to face the world with despair. Mulder's Apartment Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. Mulder finally got home after driving around for hours not caring where he headed. All he wanted to do was to think. With a groan, he sat down on his sofa, and recalled his last words to Scully. "I wasn't being fair..." "No, no. You were being fair." Mulder turned around in his apartment to see her. "Scully?" He paused, as he was surprised to see her. He looked at her clear blue eyes, and saw her shoulder-length auburn hair. "Aren't you..?" "In the hospital?" Scully inquired. "Yes, I'm still in the hospital, but my mind isn't. It's far away to an alternate universe." At first, he didn't hear her right. "What do you mean by alternate universe?" He paused. "That's why you couldn't wake up?" Scully nodded. "It has nothing on you. The alternate Mulder's so different from you." She paused, as she was trying to find the words to describe him. "He's mature, caring, supportive, and he's very protective of me. He doesn't want you to hurt me anymore." "So he wants to keep you?" Scully nodded. "Yes, he does. Mulder, on that alternate plane, we're married and have a daughter." She paused, as she decided to reveal what she had discovered. "My abduction never happened there, and I'd never had cancer." "Scully, those things made us stronger. We'd grown closer because of what happened to us." "I'd seen so much, Mulder. Whatever you do, don't lose your faith in me. Don't do what I did." "What did you do?" "I lost faith in you, Mulder. I thought that you love Diana Fowley, not me." She saw him gasp, but she reassured him. "I know that I jumped to the conclusions, and I paid dearly for that." He was going to say something to her, but she was gone. He got up from his sofa, and his eyes focused on his apartment. No Scully. Had he seen her? Was she in his mind? A vision of what he wanted her to tell him? He didn't know. "I guess it's an X-File," he muttered. He heard an incessant knocking at his door, and he moaned. "Go 'way!" "Fox! I need to talk to you!" It was Diana Fowley, and he opened the door. His voice was full of anger when he saw her. "Do you want to finish the job?" "What are you talking about?" "Scully," Mulder said, with a cry. "She's in the hospital as if you care." "Why?" "She's fighting for her life. She could die at any time. She's in a coma because of what you pulled on me! Don't deny it!" "Just because I kissed you?" Diana inquired, as she was shaking her head in disbelief. "Fox, you pulled away from me." "I know that, Diana. Scully saw what happened, and she thought that I love you. She's devastated, Diana! She got in a car accident which put her in a coma!" Diana looked concerned as she took in what Mulder said. She gasped. "Oh my God!" She looked down at the floor, and then looked at Mulder. She could tell that he was devastated at what happened to Scully, and was filled with helplessness. "I'm so...sorry...for what happened." "You damn well should be!" Mulder exclaimed, with a roar of anger. "If it weren't for you, Scully would have been fine!" Diana's face was full of pain as she realized that she shouldn't have put Mulder on the spot with her kiss. "I'm so...sorry. Please forgive me..." "I'll never forgive you!" Mulder exclaimed. "Get out, Diana!" He watched as Diana left his apartment in tears. After she left, he broke down in tears. His face was full of pain and sorrow as the guilt of what happened came flashing through his mind. "Scully, I'm so sorry..." End of Part 2 of Five Parts