Title: Another Life (5/5) Author: Erin M. Blair E-Mail: eblair@sonic.net Classification: SRA--Story, Romance, Angst. Content: Mulder/Scully Romance. Alternate Universe Archive Notes, Disclaimers, and Spoilers are in part 1. Author's Notes and Thanks at the end of this story. -------------------------------------- ANOTHER LIFE (5/5) Written by: Erin M. Blair --------------------------------------- Dana Scully's apartment Monday, 9:00 a.m. "Well, here we are," Mulder said, as he watched Dana unlocking her apartment. "It's going to be a strange experience for you." Dana nodded. "It's going to be an experience all right." She opened the door, and she put down her bag of clothes. She turned around and she saw Mulder standing in the doorway. "Come in, Fox." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I forgot that I should call you 'Mulder' because I always call my husband----" "Don't worry about it," Mulder interrupted, as he walked into the apartment. He watched her surveying the surroundings. "What do you think?" "I remember this place." "You do?" "It's where I lived before I married Fox," Dana said, softly. Mulder still felt strange whenever she mentioned his other self. It was hard for him to listen to Dana whenever she spoke lovingly about her husband, and briefly, he wished to God that his Scully was back in her own body. He wanted her so much that it was pure agony. It was jarring for him to listen to Dana's talk about her Fox Mulder because he felt envious of how open and devoted he was to both Dana and his Scully. All he could do was try to do the same for Fox's wife, Dana. "Do you have good memories of this apartment, Dana?" Dana nodded. "Some good, some bad. Mostly, I have very good memories." She got up from the sofa, and she walked into the bedroom. She looked at the bed, and she noticed Mulder's smile. "What is it, Mulder?" "This is where she let me rest when I was sick," Mulder said. He saw a look of confusion on her face, and decided to explain. "My apartment building was being drugged." "Why?" "I don't know. It was because I had something very important. A DAT tape." Dana nodded with understanding. She remembered it all too well. "The same thing happened to *my* husband." "Really?" Mulder asked, curious. "What happened?" "Fox almost lost his FBI career because of that tape," Dana said, softly. "And his life." Mulder nodded. "Same thing happened to me, but Scully was there for me. I don't know what would have happened if she wasn't." He paused, as he saw the tears welled up in her blue eyes. "Were you there for him?" Dana nodded. "Yes, I was. It was hard though because we were going through some tough times. I thought that he didn't trust me, but I found out that our old apartment was being drugged." "Was Dani affected?" "Thank goodness, no. She didn't drink water at the time, but I was still worried. For some strange reason, neither Dani and I were affected, but Fox was. I found the source, and I took it for testing. It was LSD." "Oh my God," Mulder muttered softly. "I'm so sorry." Dana looked at Mulder, and she knew that she had to reassure him. "Don't be. If anything, it made us stronger as a family. We're all right." "As partners?" "He always had his strength of his beliefs, and I have mine." "That doesn't tell me anything," Mulder said, with a laugh. "Um, do you think that you're his equal?" "Yes." Dana couldn't understand why he's asking her these questions, but she wanted to him one of her own. "Does your Scully have her own desk? For example, if I wanted to see the X-Files office, would I find a desk there?" Mulder sighed. "No, she doesn't have a desk. I...I never got her one." He saw her frown with sadness. "I thought she'd leave me if I gave her a desk. When I gave Diana a desk, she left me." "Mulder, my husband gave me a desk on my second day. He even gave me a nameplate to put on the door, and we weren't married then. If you love Scully as you say you do and want her to return to you, you have to give her a desk and a nameplate." "I'm afraid." "Of what?" "What happens if she leaves me?" Dana sighed, as she looked at him. It stunned her to see her husband's other self was so insecure that she didn't know how to reassure him. She was startled to see how badly hurt he was. With Samantha's abduction, Diana's leaving him, and the other Dana Scully's abduction and cancer, it's no wonder he's afraid to love. "She's not going to leave you." She touched her other self's stomach, knowing that there's a baby growing within her. "She's having your baby. Although it bothers me how that came to be, I'm sure she knows the reasons why you had given her a chance to be a mother." She paused, as she gazed into Mulder's hazel eyes. "She loves you. I hope you know that." "I do." He got up, and walked towards the window. He looked out towards the starry sky. He knew that Scully's still out there, somewhere. "Dana, I hope that she'll come back to me..." "She will come back to you, and I'll come back to my husband. If it makes you feel any better, I'm here." Dana sighed, as she walked towards the window. "I understand how you feel." "Do you?" "I miss Fox so much. I know you're Fox Mulder but you're so different from him. I want to be with him." "I understand, Dana. I want to be with her. She made me a whole person. I can't live without her. I just can't." Afterwards, they hadn't said anything. There was nothing to be said. All they knew that their lovers were out there in an another universe, waiting to be returned to their rightful places. END of Story Next Up: Another Life II: The Reunion of Souls. Will Scully return to Mulder? Will Dana return to her husband, Fox Mulder? Feedback: Only positive please. Send to: eblair@sonic.net Author's Notes and Thanks: In the middle of writing this story, I'd come across a story which was very similar to this story. It's called "Cubed" by Louise Marin. For awhile, I had thought of quitting this story which was a joy to write. The "CUBED" story wasn't anyway shape or form an inspiration for "Another Life." It came from reading the "One Son" spoilers, and my own imagination. I'm so happy that I continued with this story. "Another Life" was a joy to write, and I appreciate everyone on "Church of X," "AnXFObsession", "SEFAMSRN", "Scullyfic", "ErinMBlairXFfanfic", "Angst Addicts", and "Antifowley" for taking their time to beta read this story. THANK YOU! =) Is there a sequel in the works? I'm currently writing the sequel entitled, "Another Life II: The Reunion of Souls." The title might be changed slightly. I felt that the storyline was too huge, so I decided that everything will be resolved in the next story. The answers to these questions will be answered in the sequel: Will Scully return to her rightful body? What's Scully's reaction when she finds out about the baby? What will happen to universe Dana and Fox?