361 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
361 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
Author's Note: This story is based on characters from the X-Files. No
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copyright infringement is meant.
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The following work is approximatly PG-13 for strong language,
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violence, and details of alien abduction.
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Christmas Cheer
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Jer Pond@aol.com
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12/26/94
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Prolouge
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Massachusetts
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8:47 PM
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September 6th, 1973
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The boy sat stretched out on the floor watching the political news
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show. Soon it would be over and "The Magician" would be on. Man, that show
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was cool. Suddenly, the channel flipped.
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"Why'd you do that?" he asked.
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"I want to watch something else." said the little girl.
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"While mom and dad are at the Hendersons I'm in charge and I say that
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we watch "The Magician". Got it, buttmunch?" asked the boy as he raised
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himself to his full height. He was tall for his age and the girl was short
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for her's.
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Suddenly, the house began to rumble. The two children look around in
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fright. Then a bright light began to shine inside the windows.
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"Fox! What is that?!?!" asked the girl as she fell to the ground. Then
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a bright flash lit the inside of the house. The boy felt himself freeze in
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his tracks as the light became blindingly white. "FOX HELP ME!" screamed the
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girl as she felt herself levitate.
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"SAMANTHA!!!!!!!!!" screamed the boy. Then the world went black.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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J. Edgar Hoover Building
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November 5th, 1984
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"You have the job. Welcome to the FBI. As soon as you pass the
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mandatory 2 years at the FBI Academy in Quantico you'll be an official field
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agent." said the balding man behind the desk. On the other side of the desk
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sat the man who had once been the boy. He wore a plain grey suit and a red
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tie.
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"Thank you, sir." he said politely. He always spoke in the same even
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tone, ever since that night 11 years ago.
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"You're welcome Mr. Mulder. I see great things for you here at the
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FBI." said the man as he dismissed him. Mulder stood and walked out of the
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office. Maybe he could lose himself in this job and forget his pain.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Quantico, West Virginia
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FBI Academy
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April 21st, 1985
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Fox Mulder walked down the hallways at the end of a long day. He had
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just finished class with Agent John Geehreng, which was criminology. Now he
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wanted to go back to his dorm and get some sleep. As he walked through the
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crowded halls the other students gave him wide berth. After all, he was that
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wierd Mulder guy. One student, however, missed no chance ot bother him. Kyle
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Johnson was the best scholar in the academy until Mulder came. Kyle stuck
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his foot out to trip Mulder, who was not paying attention to where he was
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going. Mulder was sent sprawling. Then he whirled around to face his
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antagonist.
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"Just what the #@$% is your problem, jerk?" asked Mulder angrily.
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"You, you self righteous piece of #@$%!" yelled Kyle.
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"Stuff it, @$%-hole." retorted Mulder as he walked away. Then Kyle
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ran up behind him and gave him another push. Mulder turned and punched,
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connecting with Kyle's jaw.
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"Who the @#$% do you think you are?"
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"Me."
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"I think you're "Spooky" Mulder."
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"That's a new one. Did you think it up all by yourself?" asked Mulder.
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"You're always talking about those aliens, and UFOs, and #$%,
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you're Spooky."
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"Shut the #$% up." said Mulder as he continued to walk away, knowing
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"Spooky" would probably stick.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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2nd National Bank Garage
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Level 5, Section B4
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September 24th, 1986
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The armored car door slammed with a resounding thud. As the two men
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got out Mulder saw them from behind. His 45. automatic felt cool in his hand.
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The safety clicked off silently.
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"Oh %#*, the FBI!" yelled the suspect in a New England accent.
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Mulder raised the gun to shoot but hesitated when the man pulled the driver
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up to his gun.
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"One move and he dies!" yelled the suspect to the agents around him.
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Mulder saw his partner and supervisor Agent Reggie Pardue acrossed the
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circle surrounding the suspect.
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"Just release the hostage." said an agent Mulder didn't recognize. But
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soon his face would stay forever fixed in his mind. Barnett, the suspect,
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fired a round into the driver's chin and turned the gun on tne agent who had
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spoken. Mulder's gun fired at the exact second Barnett's did. Barnett's
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gunhand ripped almost in two. The agent and Barnett both fell at the same
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time. Mulder felt the grief well up inside of him as he realized that he
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could have saved the agent's life by going against the regulations. He
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stumbled away from the rushing agents. His life was one pitfall after
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another.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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J. Edgar Hoover Building
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The Basement
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December 24th, 1991
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An older Agent Mulder sighed in disgust. His last case had come with a
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nightmare amount of paperwork. He had gone looking for a quiet place to
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work on it and had found this room. All it contained was a desk, an
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ancient IBM 286 PC and several filing cabinents. Mulder had been doing
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paperwork for the last 3 hours and decided to take a break. He wondered if
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the computer had a modem. No, nuts. Maybe the filing cabinets would have
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something interesting. They were jammed shut. Maybe, he could just unjam...
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THERE!
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Mulder picked through the first few loose papers in the front. He thought
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he saw a Don Mattingly 1991 baseball card in there. Then he came to the
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files which were marked with a red and yellow pattern around the edge. He
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picked one out to look at it. It was marked "The X-File Project" on the top.
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The case number was X-NCC-1701-D. Then he saw the three words which where to
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change his life: "Alien Abduction-UNSOLVED".
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"What in the world?" he wondered. Then he began to read.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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New York City
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The Office of Dr. Hytes Verber
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January 4th, 1992
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"I want you to count slowly down from ten, Mr. Mulder." said an aging
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man wearing thick glasses. His white hair was thin on the top and his skin
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was wrinkled with age. He seemed to have more life in him than most
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children, despite his age.
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"Are you sure you can help?" asked Mulder. He was sitting in a chair
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self conciously looking around him. He did as the doctor asked and felt his
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tension slip away. The doctor took him back into his repressed memories of
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the day of the abduction. He remembered everything in a horrible clarity.
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What seemed like seconds later was really 3 hours later when the doctor
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pulled him back to the present.
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"Mulder, I offer my consolation. I am truly sorry." said the man.
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"Th...that's okay."said Mulder. He leaned back into the chair, wondering
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what was next.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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J. Edgar Hoover Building
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September 29th, 1993
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Mulder sat putting slides in the projector for the guest he was expecting
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any minute now. He had a report on his desk that said, "Transferred Agent
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Dana Scully: VCS to The X-Files." below this he had another report that
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said, "Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New Interpetion by Dana Scully."
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Mulder heard the knocking on the door that signified his guest's arrival.
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"Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." he said. The door creaked
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in and a short woman with auburn-red hair entered the room. She looked
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around at Mulder's unique taste in decore. Mulder smiled and shook hands
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with her.
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"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder." he said.
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"Agent Dana Scully. I've been sent to work with you." she replied.
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Mulder turned back to finishing his unique slide show.
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"So who'd you tick off to get stuck with this detail, Scully?" he asked.
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For a second she composed herself before answering, "Actually I'm looking
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forward to it, I've heard a lot about you."she said.
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"Oh, really? It's so nice to suddenly be held in such high regard. I was
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under the impression that you were sent to spy on me." he retorted. He knew
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this was the beginning of something new.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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America Bridge
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November 5th, 1994
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Conciousness swam around Mulder fleetingly giving him glimpses of the
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world around him. He saw the government assassin in the front of the van.
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The van pulled to a stop on the bridge and Mulder forced himself awake.
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He saw the figure of Deep Throat in the window. He was handing the assassin
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a package. The assassin pulled the trigger of a gun after he had the
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package.
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Deep Throat let out a choked cry of surprise before falling over. Mulder
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was thrown out the back of the van and he hit the hard ground. He saw Scully
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check to see if he was alive then she left his field of vision. He felt
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conciousness slipping away again. He tried to speak but couldn't. Scully
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came back to where he was and she looked as if she was about to cry.
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"He's dead, Mulder." she whispered as he fell into the deep pool of
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blackness around him.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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West Virginia
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October 24th, 1994
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An enraged Agent Fox Mulder stood over Duane Barry choking him to death
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with his bare hands. He had just seen some of Scully's hair on the man's
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watch. Scully had been abducted by him to offer a replacement for him to
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the aliens. Mulder suspected it had something to do with the fact that he
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seemed so close to an answer and the shadow government knew it. Finally he
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let go of Barry. His uncontrollable rage still burned white hot but it was
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giving way to sorrow. Everything was over. Everything. Scully and the
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X-Files were gone.
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His sister had never returned, he was no longer the FBI's prize
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psycologist. It was all over. He wanted to quit.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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Mercy Hospital Garage
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November 17th, 1994
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Agent Fox Mulder ran after the swiftly retreating figure. The escaping
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man held a tube of Scully's blood and possibly an answer to her abduction.
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After pursuing him for quite some time he caught him and was about to take
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the blood when his head was hit by a pipe. Mulder fell to the ground
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semi-concious. Then he heard the snap of a broken bone and a gun shot.
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Instead of finding himself dead he saw his new informant hovering over
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the injured assailant.
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"You want to know what it takes to know what I know?" asked the man in
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a rhetorical voice. Then he lifted his gun to the man's head and fired. Soon
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Scully's blood sample mixed in with the man's oozing blood and gore from
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both gunholes. Mulder fell to the ground, exhausted.
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Washington D.C.
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Mercy Hospital
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Reconvalencse Ward
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November 18th, 1994
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Agent Dana Scully heard the door open and her heart leaped with joy.
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Her best friend had come. Mulder nodded politely to Mrs. Scully and
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Scully's sister, Melissa.
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"Hey, Scully." he said.
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"Thank you for coming, Fox." said Mrs. Scully.
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"Not Fox, *Mulder*, mom." said Scully with mock annoyance.
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"I brought you a present." said Mulder. He handed her a package.
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Scully strained to focus her weak eyes.
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"It's the Best of the Superbowl tapes." he said.
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"I knew there was no reason to live." moaned Scully and Mulder smiled
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for the first time in weeks.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Washington D.C.
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The residence of Fox Mulder
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December 23rd, 1994
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Mulder took his burritos out of the oven and sat down to watch some tv.
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He found "The Field of Dreams" on HBO.
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As he watched the phone rang.
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"Hello." he answered.
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"Fox, it's Maggie Scully. It would mean a lot to us all if you would
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join us for Christmas. We've rented a cabin in Canada. Would you like to
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come?" she asked. Mulder briefly considered declining but then he remembered
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last year's New Year's vow: "Don't Seperate Yourself from People." Of
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course he made that vow every year. Then he remembered Scully's absence had
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taught him to cherish time spent with those you hold dear.
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"I'd love too ma'am." he replied. Mrs. Scully's smile could almost be
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heard over the phone.
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"I hoped you would. We'll see you over at Dana's at 8:00 am tomorrow."
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she said.
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"I can't wait." replied Mulder truthfully.
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"Never can we. Bye, Fox."
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"Bye Mrs. Scully." replied Mulder pleasantly and he hung up. Mulder felt
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good that he had decided to go after all. Maybe it would allow him to get
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over previous holiday traumas. He hadn't celebrated Christmas since his
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sister had disappeared 21 years ago. Maybe it would.
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Washington D.C.
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The Residence of Dana Scully
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December 24th, 1994
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7:54 am
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Mulder approached Scully's door and rang the bell. He felt both happy and
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embarressed by coming. However, he would not back down now. The door
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creaked open and Scully looked out.
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"Hi, Scully." said Mulder.
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"Call me Dana, we're not on the job." said Scully.
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"Call me..." began Mulder.
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"Mulder, I know." said Scully.
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"Fox." finished Mulder, astonishing himself.
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"S..sure, Fox." said Scully. Then the doorbell rang again and Scully went
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to answer it. Her mother and her 3 brothers walked in bringing holiday cheer
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with them. They all thanked Mulder for coming and then the group prepared
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to leave.
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As they piled in the car, Mrs. Scully explained that each two people take
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a turn in the front seats. Mulder and Scully were one pair, two of Scully's
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brothers were another pair, and Mrs. Scully and the last brother were the
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third pair. Mulder and Scully's turn would come around midnight.
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Mulder climbed inside the minivan that they were using and stored his
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backpack in the back. The bag had been through a lot with him, from
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infiltrating a bogus government quarantine to backpacking in the wilderness
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and running from a swarm of ancient bugs. Scully threw her bag in the back
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and hopped in beside him. Mrs. Scully, Scully's sister, and Jon (one of
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Scully's brothers) sat in the middle, while Jeremiah and Chris (her other
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brothers) sat in the front. Jeremiah started up the car and they were off.
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Sometime later they began singing Christmas carols. At first Scully was
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unsure of what Mulder would think. Then to everyone's surprise Mulder joined
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in on "Holly Jolly Christmas". Scully smiled and joined in as well.
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After awhile they stopped and there was silence for about an hour. Scully
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fell asleep and Mulder was on the verge of dozing off, as well.
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"Fox?" asked one of Scully's brothers.
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"Yeah?" mumbled Mulder semi-coherently.
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"What got you into the X-Files?" he asked. Mulder winced and Scully awoke
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as she felt him tensing beside her.
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"What?" she asked.
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"The uh..." Mulder stuttered in surprise. Scully's brother didn't know
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exactly what he had just asked, but he was beginning to realize.
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"Was that a bad question?" he asked. Instantly Scully knew what was
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going on.
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"Fox....Chris, it's kind of hard for him to..." said Scully but Mulder
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put his hand on her shoulder.
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"It's okay, Dana. I can answer it," he said, then he took a deep breath.
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"Fox, are you sure?" asked Scully again.
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"I was twelve when it happened, my sister was eight. We were alone at
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home when she just disapeared. My family was crushed. Dad divorced Mom, I
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haven't seen him since I left for colledge in England. Mom moved away to the
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coast and she's married again. I went to Oxford and became a psycologist.
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Then I entered the FBI academy. There I first became interested in
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investigating paranormal cases. I heard rumors of a project called the
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X-Files but I didn't believe them until I found them myself. I read
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everything I could, then I found out about a psycologist named Dr. Hytes
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Verber. He took me through my repressed memories to the night of the
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disappearance, I recall a bright light and my sister crying for help.
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I was paralyzed, I couldn't respond at all. Then she was gone."
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recounted Mulder.
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"I'm sorry, Fox." said Mrs. Scully.
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"Don't be." said Mulder reassuringly. Then he relaxed to fall back asleep.
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Scully also settled back in the seat. Soon they both had fallen to sleep.
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Sometime later, Mulder was driving the car at night. They were about
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3 hours away from their final destination. Scully sat next to him staring
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out the window in silence. Mulder wondered if Scully and her family would
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like the presents. He had gotten each of Scully's brothers a different
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video from the "NFL's Greatest Plays" collection. He had gotten Scully's
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sister a book called "Mind Over Matter: ESP". He had gotten Mrs. Scully a
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set of candle holders, and he had gotten Dana a membership on his favorite
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Internet gateway. Previously she had expressed an interest in trying out one
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of those computer services he always talked about. Mulder sighed happily.
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"What?" asked Scully.
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"Well, it's like I have a real family again when I'm with all of you."
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said Mulder.
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"We all are glad you could come, Mulder. I've never had a closer friend
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than you."
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"Thanks a lot, Scully. You're the best friend I ever had." said Mulder
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as he smiled even wider. His hand clasped over Scully's.
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"It's gonna be a great Christmas." said Scully as she smiled, too.
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"The best I've ever had." said Mulder in agreement as the car drove on.
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The-End
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