Title: Another Life II: The Reunion of Souls (2/2) Author: Erin M. Blair E-Mail: eblair@sonic.net Classification: SRA--Story, Romance, Angst Content: Mulder/Scully Romance. Alternate Universe. Archive Notes and Disclaimer in Part One. Author's notes at the end of the story. ------------------------------------------- ANOTHER LIFE II: THE REUNION OF SOULS (2/2) Written by: Erin M. Blair -------------------------------------------- Fox Mulder's Apartment Alexandria, VA Tuesday, 3:00 a.m. Mulder tossed and turned in his sleep. He was having a nightmare about Scully as he feared she'd never return to her rightful body. She would be lost to him forever. He loves her so much, and wanted her back with him for good. Then he woke up. He glanced at the clock, and knew he had at least four more hours before he had to get ready for work. He heard his cell phone ring. *Who would be calling at this hour?* He reached for the phone, and said, "Mulder." "Mulder?" inquired Scully. "Mulder, it's me. I'd never thought I would say this, but something's strange is going on." "Why would say that, Dana?" asked Mulder, not making the connection. "Mulder..." "What?" "You hardly ever call me Dana. Anyway, I need to ask you about something." "It's three in the morning, Scully." "I know. Mulder, we'll talk about this at work." "OK," said Mulder with a sigh. He paused. "Scully, are you all right?" "I'm fine." "Are you sure?" "I said - I'm fine." They briefly talked a few minutes longer before Scully decided to end the conversation. As he placed down the receiver, Mulder couldn't help but wonder if his Scully had returned to him. * * * X-Files Basement FBI Headquarters Washington DC Tuesday, 7:00 a.m. Mulder opened the door and walked towards his desk. "Scully?" He watched Scully come from behind her desk, and figuring her pregnant torso. "The last thing I remembered was seeing you with Diana, but I don't recall becoming pregnant!" Mulder gave her a delighted smile. "It's really you, Scully!" "I would hope so," said Scully, dryly. "Can you please explain this?" Mulder nodded. "You'd undergone fertilization while you were in a coma." Scully's jaw dropped. "Mulder, I don't even remember the accident. Several months are missing from my life, and I can't account for it. I don't know what's going on." She rubbed her pregnant torso. "Who's the father?" "I am," said Mulder. "Of course it's me, who did you think it would be?" He heard her laugh a bit and then continued. "I can explain everything to you." "I sure hope you can. However, I think we have to thank our alternates who helped us out." "What for?" asked Mulder with confusion in his voice. "Who're are alternates?" Then he remembered Dana, of course, but he didn't know who the other one was. "Your alternate, Mulder. Fox. The one who's married to Dana. I visited you in a dream, and I told you all about it. Remember?" Mulder nodded and then replied in a low voice. "I do remember, Scully." He paused. "Are you really back?" In response, Scully gave him a questioning glance. "Mulder, why would you say that?" She watched him started to reply but she didn't want to hear the explanation. She had already known what happened to her and didn't want Mulder to give her a repeat performance. "Never mind, Mulder. We've got other things to discuss. Like our baby." With sadness in his eyes, Mulder felt bad at what happened. Although he wanted so much for her to have their baby, he knew the way he had decided to make her pregnant while she was in a coma was a terrible decision. Mulder realized he should have waited until she awakened. "Scully, I can explain about the baby." "Why did you decide how I should become pregnant?" "I gave you the baby so you could come back to me." "You gave us a baby so I can come back?" inquired Scully, as she watched him nod. "I know it was for selfish reasons, Scully. I realize that now. I basically raped you." Scully frowned. She realized Mulder was full of regret for his actions but he had given her back something she though she would never have. "I was upset at you for not telling me the truth, but you didn't rape me, Mulder. You had known how badly I wanted a child and now I'm going to have one with you." "You're not mad at me, Scully?" Scully nodded. "No, I'm not. Now I'm wondering how I came back to you." "I wished for you to come back, Scully. I wanted you to return to me. And now here you are." He paused as he leaned towards her to give her a kiss on the lips. "I sure hope Dana returned to her Fox Mulder." "I believe she has," said Scully with a smile. "And their daughter, Dani. I know their daughter's named Dana Kristine, but I want ours to be named Kristine Dana Scully-Mulder." "Scully, that's a nice name but...I want her name to Kristine Dana Mulder." "Why?" Scully asked in a teasing tone. "Are you gonna marry me?" Mulder smiled with happiness. "Of course I do. Do you want to get married, Scully?" Scully looked at Mulder's face and she sighed. There were so many things she had to tell him - what she learned when she was with the alternate Fox Mulder, and what her life could be if things were different between them. "Yes, it's what I want for us, Mulder. I'd always wanted to let you know how much I love you, but was afraid to act on it. Seeing the alternate us has made me realize how much I want us to be together." "Is that really a yes, Scully?" inquired Mulder, as he wanted for her to take the next step in their relationship; he wanted her to be his wife. He leaned a bit closer to her and then he noticed her rose lips starting to curl upwards to turn into the most beautiful smile that he'd ever seen. "Mulder, we've been together for years. Of course, I'll marry you. I want us to be together. Seeing Diana Fowley had made me realize how much I was getting sick of hiding my feelings towards you when I didn't have to," said Scully as she watched Mulder smile with happiness. She felt him slip an engagement ring on her ring finger. "Mulder, you didn't have to do this." "I want to. I know you'd already said yes, Scully, but I want this to be official," said Mulder, as he bent down on his knee. He wanted to do everything right. "Will you marry me, Dana Scully?" "I already said yes, Mulder," said Scully, as she laughed softly. She paused. "Get off the floor, Mulder. What happens if Skinner walks in?" "He won't. I overheard Skinner telling his secretary that he cancelled all his calls." "I guess we shouldn't be interrupted then." "I don't think we will." * * * Dana and Fox Mulder's Residence Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. Alternative Reality "Dani, just because you're going to have another brother or sister doesn't mean we don't love you," said Dana, as she stroked her daughter's auburn hair. She looked into her blue eyes. "And I'm not going away." Dana and Fox were sitting in the living room with their daughter on the sofa, and little Dana "Dani" was between them. They decided to have another talk with their daughter about the upcoming baby. "That's what you said before, Mommy," said Dani, her eyes looked wide with innocence. Then she faced her father. "Right Daddy?" Mulder nodded. "We told you this several times, Dani." "I know," said Dani. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I know you won't leave me, but I'm scared." "Scared of what, honey?" inquired Dana. "That you're afraid I won't love you anymore because I'll be with the baby." Dani nodded. "Yes." "That's not going to happen, but I have enough love for all three of you. Your daddy, the new baby, and you. I'll have a special place for you, Dana Kristine, because you're my first baby. Besides, you're named after me. We Danas have to stick together." "I'm sorry for what I said, Mommy. I overheard you and Daddy saying how I made a mess." Mulder laughed. "That you did, Dani. You're not the only one who was jealous." "Who was?" asked Dani, curious. Mulder looked at Dana, who laughed, and smiled at his wife and daughter. "Never mind. It doesn't matter, does it?" "No, it doesn't, Fox." Dana looked at her watched and frowned. "We have to get ready for work and take Dani to school." "Do I have to go to school, Mommy?" whined Dani. "I don't want to go." "Yes, you do. Your daddy and I went to school, and now you have to go," said Dana, as she watched Mulder picking up their squealing daughter and put her down. "I don't wanna." Mulder looked at his daughter and then to his wife. "Dana, we should take her to work." "Skinner would kill us," said Dana with a frown. "Absolutely kill us." She paused and then whispered in his ear. "I'm glad I'm back." "Me too," whispered Mulder. His voice returned to his normal volume as he picked up his daughter. "Dani, you're going with us to work." "Yay!" Dana smiled at their daughter's joyful reaction. "I guess we'll have to call her school to let them she's not going to come in." She paused. "And I can't wait to see Skinner's reaction when he sees little Dani walking with us to his office." "He likes Dana Kristine." * * * A couple of hours later, the proud parents took their daughter to work with them. Inside the basement office, little Dani's eyes were wide with awe. She looked at the paranormal pictures and didn't understand anything. She read a few headlines here and there. She looked up at her mother because she couldn't understand what the headline was about. "What's an alien?" Dana smiled at her daughter. "I think your Daddy better explain that to you." "An alien lives on another planet. I believe they live here all ready." Dani looked skeptical. "Are you sure?" Mulder turns to his wife and laughed. "Dana, I think we named her right. She really lives to up to her name." "She's a Mulder, too." "Are we an alien?" asked Dani, her eyes wide with interest. "Are we?" "Fox, see what I mean? She's just like you," said Dana, as she noticed a smile spread across Mulder's face. A phone ring, and she answered it, "Scully." "Yes, Sir. We'll be right there - I promise." Dana hanged up the phone and sighed. "Fox, Skinner wants to see us. What are we going to do about Dani?" Dani was upset that her parents hadn't yet answered her question and pouted. "Daddy, you haven't answered me." "We'll talk about this later, Dani. Your mother and I have to visit Skinner. You remember him, right?" Dani nodded. "I'll stay right here." She watched her parents leave as she decided to do some exploring. She walked towards a couch, and decided to sleep. When she woke up a half an hour, Dani rubbed her eyes and looked up. Something about the room startled her, it was a different 'I Want To Believe' poster on the wall of her parents' office. Has she imagined it? She became a bit frantic, but otherwise, she was calm. She told herself to be wait for someone to open the door. She saw the door knob turn slightly and she saw what appeared to be her parents but not. "Scully, who's this? She looks like you," Dani heard the man who looked so much like her father. "Mulder, I know she looks like me. There's got to be a logical explanation why Dani's here," said the woman who looked so much like her mother. Dani gasped. "How do you know my name?" "Long story. Dani, feel free to call me "Dana" - is that all right with you?" Dani nodded. All she wanted was to go home. She looked at her father's lookalike. "I bet you want me to call you 'Mulder' - right?" Mulder nodded. "How did you know?" "That's what my Daddy wants everyone - except for my Mommy - to call him," explained Dani. She paused. "I want to go home." "I know you do, Dani," said Scully, soothingly. She remembered the little girl from her time when was with the alternate Fox Mulder. She then focused her attention to her new fiance. "Her parents must be very worried - I know I would be." She whispered. "How did she come here, Mulder?" "I don't know," whispered Mulder. "Maybe she wished herself here?" "That's crazy," sighed Scully. "I don't have any explanations either." They looked at each other and then at Dani with a loss of what to do with their alternates' daughter. "We have to get Dani back to Fox and Dana, Scully." Scully nodded. "I wish I know what to do." She gave Dani a tender hug and rubbed her back to soothe her. "Dani, you're going to be here for awhile but we're going to do our best to bring you back safely to your Mommy and Daddy." Dani looked up with her scared, blue eyes. "I want to go home, Dana." A short pause. "I miss my Mommy and Daddy." End of "Another Life II: The Reunion of Souls" Next Up: "Another Life III: The New Beginning" Author's notes: This story is still being worked on and edited. For this part, I'd used the techniques I had learned in my creative writing class using descriptive words and a reworking of phrases throughout this story. There will be "Another Life III" about Dani in Mulder and Scully's world and her return. Also, both Dana and Scully will give birth. Watch for "Another Life" interludes and a possible spin off. Dedications: Thanks to my supporters who're following and reading my stories. You know who you are! Feedback: Most appreciative and welcomed. Send to: eblair@sonic.net