Summary: An accident with time travel leaves Mulder one year in the 
future, where nothing has remained the same. Not even Scully.

Spoilers: Redux II, Patient X, Dreamland, The Rain King

Timeline: Occurs during S6 right after The Rain King

Classification: X-File/Romance/Angst

Rating: R

Note: All song titles from Pink Floyd's 'The Division Bell' are 
included within the story. Keep your eyes open. Listen to the album 
too while you read. Its excellent!

Disclaimer:  The characters and situations of the television program 
"The X-Files" are the creations and property of Chris Carter, Fox 
Broadcasting, and Ten Thirteen Productions, and have been used without 
permission.  No copyright infringements are intended.  This work is 
not to be forwarded or distributed to any newsgroup or WWW site 
without the permission of the author. I give permission for it to be 
put on atxc.


******************** 

The Division Bell 

By Shaun Reich 

March 25th, 2001

********************


"I never thought that you'd lose that light in your eyes" - Poles 
Apart


FBI Building
Friday, September 3rd 1999
4:22 pm

Agent Dana Scully yawned after nearly six arduous hours of boring 
computer work and background checks. Stretching her arms out wide, she 
wished she could be back at her previous position on the X-Files. She 
carressed her soft auburn hair while snapping the kinks out of her 
neck. The Friday before Labor Day was always the worst day to work. 
All she could think of all day was for the extended weekend.

But today was soon going to be something different for Scully. On her 
most previous case in Kansas, she had to offer her friend Sheila some 
advice on serious relationships. Thinking back to her words that 
night, she recalled telling Sheila, "The one person who was once 
simply your friend suddenly becomes the one person you can't live 
without."

Scully next massaged her weary eyes while examining her bold, yet 
unjustified statement. She kept thinking to herself, "Could it 
actually be true? Could it happen to me?"

Looking past her monitor, Scully saw her dark-suited partner checking 
his e-mail for the end of the workday. She couldn't wait. Her heart 
pounded with excitement and fear. And in that instant of anticipation, 
Scully reflected back to earlier that day.


Friday, September 3rd 1999
2:14 pm

Scully was overwhelmed by the strangest of feelings. Playfulness, or 
at least that's what she consistenly told herself. But Dana knew deep 
down what the bizarre, although intoxicating feeling was. Lust. A 
sinful word that inevitably leads to sinful acts. 

Her #2 pencil exhibited teeth marks as she chewed on it while staring 
uncontrollably at Mulder directly in front of her. His every movement 
simply seemed to fascinate her today, for no apparent reason.

At one point she found Mulder dozing off at his terminal. Instead of 
whispering his name to wake up, she playfully tossed the ruined pencil 
at his bobbing head. Mulder instantly sat straight up, causing enough 
commotion to turn his adjacent coworker's heads. Most of them simply 
sniffled in laughter at his goofy antics.

"Hey! You know, you could've just whispered my name" he replied in a 
half-surprised, mostly embarrassed tone.

"What? And miss you make a clown out of yourself. Besides, I needed 
something to keep me awake. I'm on the verge of dozing off too."

"It's way too hot in here to make us sweat like animals. There's gotta 
be some way we can stay awake" Mulder leaned closely over Scully's 
desk. Lucky for him she kept her desktop neat and orderly. He was 
partially surprised when she leaned her head forward against his and 
whispered seductively to him, unconcerned about the other coworkers.

"All we need to do is make sure we keep talking." 

"I just wish there weren't so many spying ears nearby just waiting for 
the next bit of juicy gossip."

They both knew about the rumors and gossip spread around by the other 
FBI agents just to pass the time. Ever since the agents lost access to 
the X-Files, the rumors started to flare up even more. The most petty 
rumor was that Mulder and Scully were an item, and that they were 
kicked off the X-Files for 'improper use of work time', to put it 
mildly.

The next two hours rolled by fairly quickly for the two enamored 
agents. Using Instant Messages in between background checks, Mulder 
and Scully were able to keep their minds off the monotony of work. 
They felt almost like teenagers again with their modernized 
note-passing. Scully bit her lip in anticipation as the time drew 
closer to the end. She was going to ask Mulder on a date, finally 
after seven long years.


Friday, September 3rd 1999
4:30 pm

It was at that point that Scully's flashback ended as Mulder rose from 
his uncomfortable swivel chair in front of her. He grabbed his large 
sports jacket from off the back of the seat and swung out the arms as 
her readied to leave for the extended holiday weekend.

"So Mulder, what're you up to this weekend? Any plans?"

"Actually yeah. I'm flying out to New Mexico to meet the Lone Gunmen. 
They got some good intel on an ultra top-secret test flight out by 
Roswell. Thought I'd go join them."

"But Mulder, we were just there a few months ago."

"Yeah, and also last time I came home to find my apartment 
mysteriously refurnished. Who knows what'll happen when I get back on 
Monday."

Scully was lost for words at the moment. She found herself ready to 
bite her tongue for now, afraid that the timing just wasn't right to 
ask him out. There would always be next weekend.

"I still have to pack before my flight. I hope you have a nice 
three-day weekend, Scully" Mulder said to her while rubbing her 
shoulder. She had high hopes that this weekend would be the one where 
they let go of their inhibitions. She gave him a disapproving smile, 
but never said goodbye. 

How was Dana Scully supposed to know that would be the last time she'd 
ever see Fox Mulder again?


La Platte, New Mexico
Saturday, September 4th, 1999
10:13 pm

Frohike turned the wheel sharply on the Lone Gunmen's blue van. The 
group of four had been travelling backroads for the past hour, ready 
to pick up the last passenger. They finally pulled up to a run-down 
trailer deep in the middle of nowhere. Mulder looked at the area, 
unimpressed with the garbage and antique furniture littering the yard.

Byers jumped out the passenger door of the van and raced over to the 
dilapidated trailer. Using a system of two knocks, followed by a brief 
pause, and then another two knocks, the door was opened ajar by their 
paranoid contact. The modern-day hippie man was roughly Mulder's 
height and build, with short-cropped curly brown hair and wearing a 
ty-dyed Pink Floyd concert t-shirt.

"Mulder, this is our contact, Phil Evans" Langly introduced them as 
the contact entered the van.

"Shut up, dipwad. Phil Evans died two years ago. Now there's only 
Publius Enigma."

"You faked your death. But why?" Mulder asked inquisitively.

"So Uncle Sam would think that I'm dead, man. If you only knew about 
half the stuff I've stolen from government databases. I had to go 
underground to protect myself from being discovered, ya know."

"How do you live like this though?" he asked while Frohike sped down 
the road toward the next highway to Roswell.

"Me, I sell the secrets I steal to get cash, which I use to upgrade my 
computer system. No friends, no family. Actually, the Lone Gunmen here 
are like the only friends I've actually agreed to meet in person. 
Their newsletter kicks major ass. Hey man, I didn't catch your name 
yet?"

"The name's Mulder. I'm an FBI agent."

"Oh crap! What do you want from me? I didn't do nothing, man!"

"Relax, Phil. I'm not here on duty. I'm just as interested in seeing 
this test flight as much as you are."

"That's such a relief, man. You scared me there. Cuz this test flight 
we're gonna see tonight is gonna make history."

"How so, Phil?" Byers joined in with the questions now.

"Cuz this baby's gonna make the first ever time-jump. According to the 
records I downloaded, those crazy's out at Area 51 used some special 
technology from a downed fooie dubbed 'the division bell'."

"The division bell? What's that?"

"Its their time machine. Apparently, when the 'bell' rings, it 
'divides' the dimensions of time and space. They're gonna try the 
first test run tonight and travel one year into the future. Totally 
cool stuff, man."

Mulder and the Lone Gunmen looked at each other with flabbergasted 
expressions on their faces. They all wanted to witness this historical 
event. Frohike pressed the pedal all the way as he merged onto the 
highway, headed in the direction of Roswell, New Mexico.


Roswell, New Mexico
Saturday, September 4th, 1999
11:27 pm

"Hey Frohike! You done with those hot dogs yet?" Langly bellowed over 
to his stubby friend working effortlessly around a medium-size 
campfire.

"Two more minutes. They're almost done."

Byers, Langly, and the Publius Enigma (now dubbed P.E. for short) were 
all working collectively with very sensitive surveillance equipment. 
They wanted to make sure they had complete coverage of the time jump 
when it happened. There was still an hour to go.

They had set up a small campsite in the middle of the desert, complete 
with a campfire and snack food, blankets, and folding chairs. Mulder, 
however, was not helping out one bit. He was on the roof of the parked 
blue van on a blanket, watching the silent glow of the stars as they 
spanned the vast reaches of the valley. 

He was reflecting back to his conversations with Scully the previous 
day. And he felt like such an ass. He should have seen the signals she 
was throwing out: the hair curling, the seductive smile, the 
cloudy-eyed look. If only he had been paying more attention to her 
subtle advances.

"God its cold out here, man! I'm gonna freeze to death before the jet 
time-jumps overhead" was announced by P.E. to the crowd.

"Why the heck did you wear a friggin' t-shirt, Phil? You live out 
here, you should know better" Langly accosted him, looking for a 
fight.

"Take it back, jerk! I told you, Phil doesn't exist anymore, only 
Publius Enigma."

"God Phil, you're so friggin' paranoid. You might as well just lock 
yourself up in that craphole you call home and wait 'til the coming of 
the next ice age."

P.E. wasn't going to take any more verbal abuse from Langly. There had 
obviously been bad blood between the two of them in the past. But 
where normal men fight over women and politics, these two guys fought 
over Dungeons & Dragons and conspiracy theories.

He grabbed Langly's long curly hair while smacking him in the head 
with a sloppy punch. Langly grabbed rebutted in the same manner, and 
before long, they were in a silly wrestling match.

Mulder slid off the roof and pulled back the angered hippie, while 
Byers struggled with containing Langly. Byers led his upset friend 
over to the campfire as Frohike shoved a juicy hot dog in his hand. 
Mulder led P.E. to the open van door to calm him down. Removing his 
trench coat, Mulder handed it to the shaken hippie.  

"Thanks, man. You're pretty cool for a fed" Publius remarked while 
sliding on the blazer. It was the perfect size and kept him 
comfortable from the chilly night air. Mulder wandered over to the 
Lone Gunmen for some food, returning to Publius with two hot dogs for 
them to eat. The five men ate in silence, save for the occasional 
asking for the ketchup. Little did they know it would be their last 
supper.


New Mexico Military Airspace
Saturday, September 4th, 1999
11:55 pm

Cluster One glided wiskfully through the night sky, ready to launch 
into the history books. Two pilots sat in the cozy cockpit of the 
stealth bomber. Colonel Dormond was a hot shot pilot of special 
aircraft. Captain Blake was a quantum physicist, only partially 
experienced to flying the stealth bomber. Together, the two men were 
ready to test out the newest technology, the Division Bell.

"Captain, how exactly does that Bell work?" asked the head pilot.

"I'll give you the quick explanation. As we fly around the sky, we 
have special internal engines that convert air velocity into a 
potential energy for the Bell. That's what this gage here is for. 
Because were in such a large object, we need to collect lots of energy 
before we can make the time-jump. Understand?"

"I guess so. How long until the Bell is full then?"

"Should only be a few more minutes... What the heck was that?"

Blake saw a flash of light streak across the cloudless night sky. 
Something was amiss. He felt as if they were in danger now.

"Sensors didn't pick it up whatever it was. I think its somewhere 
above us now though. We'd better radio this..."

Suddenly, the entire fuselage of the bomber shuddered from the 
tremendous impact of an electromagnetic pulse. The electrical system 
of the aircraft stopped functioning. Dormond and Blake cursed wildly 
as the bomber went into a nose dive to the desert far below.

The two pilots pulled back on their control sticks in an attempt to 
straighten out the jet. A crash was inevitable, so they hoped for the 
best. The bomber glided briskly over the desert, now just a hundred 
feet above the rocky ground.

The scraping sonds of metal and rock filled the cabin as the craft 
slid along the uneven surface. A large rock formation smashed open the 
right wing of the aircraft, spinning the bomber to its final resting 
place.

Captain Blake coughed and wheezed in pain, his body severely pinched 
beneath the heavy sheet metal of the hull. He could feel the cool 
drafts of air wisp through the wreckage of the stealth bomber. 
Managing to free his right hand from its trapped position, Blake 
unstrapped his helmet to release the tension to his battered head. He 
felt a large gash across his forehead, probably from flying debris 
during the crash.

"Matt! Matt, you okay?" he coughed out his partner's name in agony. 
But then it struck him as he looked over to the pilot's seat. His 
friend Matt's neck was obviously broken by its peculiar angle. Letting 
out a cry of grief for his dead friend, he waited in the silence of 
the ruins.


New Mexico Desert
Sunday, September 5th, 1999
12:07 am

The dirty blue van screeched to a halt a hundred feet from the 
fuselage of the wreckage. Small fires of electrical components 
littered the rocky landscape. The five men were astonished to be 
witnesses to the destruction of such a sophisticated aircraft. 

Mulder jumped out the side door first, ready to help the surviving 
pilots. Frohike and Byers followed behind him carrying a medical kit 
and a fire extinguisher. The uncaring Publius, however, followed 
behind with a video camera to document the event. Langly stayed in the 
van, trying desperately to radio contact someone for help.

The right wing of the plane had been severed from the fuselage during 
impact, ripping a small hole open leading inside. Mulder figured the 
hole was large enough for him, so he pulled back his sleeves. Exerting 
his upper body strength, Mulder hoisted himself upto and inside the 
opening. Only the sparks from burning control panels lighted the way 
for him, making the crawl difficult.

He heard the shallow moans of a survivor near the cockpit over the 
soft humming of electrical fires. The stealth bomber's front two 
windshields were still intact, leaving a flourescent trail from the 
moon's rays for Mulder to follow. He saw the body of the one pilot 
whose head was violently distorted. However, the co-pilot was still 
moaning, ever so slightly as to attract help.

"Who.. r'you?" the injured man mumbled as Mulder approached.

"I'm Mulder. I'm with the FBI?" he replied. Mulder instinctively 
reached to his pocket, but realized his badge and identification were 
in the coat pocket Publius was wearing.

"I'm Blake... Why r'the Feds... here?"

"We're not. I actually came here to watch your time-jump."

"How.. d'ya know... 'bout that?"

"I'll tell you later. Here, let me get that panel off you."

Both men tried with all of their strength to budge the heavy 
barricade, but to no avail. Mulder sat back and wiped his sweaty face 
to think of another way to move it.

"Its... stuck good."

"Yeah, let me go find something to... pry... it... off..." Mulder 
stumbled over the end of his sentence as a familiar humming sound 
echoed throughout the valley. It's escalating intensity could only 
mean one thing. Suddenly, the entire cockpit was illuminated in bright 
white lights, emanating from far above. His look of hope turned to 
fear now. Mulder knew exactly what was happening. 


Sunday, September 5th, 1999
12:15 am

Frohike covered his eyes as best he could from the intense light. 
There was no way he could even attempt to see the hovering UFO. 
Frohike always heard the stories of UFO encounters, but was never 
before a witness to one. It was unlike anything he could've imagined. 
The high-pitched sound that echoed throughout the valley left him in a 
state of paralyzation. It felt as if time itself were standing still 
for this very moment.

Suddenly, the intense white light vanished without a trace. Frohike 
frantically searched the dark skies for the alien craft, but it was 
nowhere to be seen. Despite the calmness of the surroundings, Frohike 
still had a chill that they were still not alone.

From all around the darkness, the silhouettes of running creatures 
surrounded them. The shadowy figures turned out to be human as they 
approached, but their horribly scarred faces told otherwise. They 
encroached quickly around the wreckage and the van, cutting off all 
possible routes of escape.

Frohike's dwarfish frame collided with one of the faceless alien 
soliders as he turned to run. The creature grabbed Frohike by the neck 
and crushed his fleshy windpipe with ease. There was only a slight 
whimper of sadness as Frohike closed his eyes for the last time.

Byers tried to battle off one of the alien rebels with a piece of the 
wreckage, but it proved to be in vain as well. The alien simply jabbed 
its torchgun at Byers and ignited him into a screaming fireball. 
Publius ran to the rolling Lone Gunman in a daring attempt to save his 
life. He removed Mulder's sportcoat and used it as a blanket to damper 
the flames. It was too late though, Byers was already burned to death.

Suddenly, another alien soldier knocked Publius backward onto his 
back, still clutching the crisped jacket. The alien stepped directly 
on Phil's throat to pinch him down. Then with the most cruelest 
torture, the alien jabbed the torch into Phil's open mouth. His head 
ignited into a giant fireball, incinerating bone and flesh instantly.

Langly heard the muffled screams of his comrades dying. Shadows were 
everywhere around the wreckage and the blue van. He was just about to 
hurdle up to the driver's seat when suddenly the side door of the van 
swung open. A fast arm reached in and grabbed Langly's long droopy 
hair as he was unbalanced. 

The alien pulled him from the safety of the van to the rocky bed of 
earth. Not wasting any time, the alien soldier coiled his other arm 
around Langly's skinny neck. Then with one quick motion, Langly's neck 
was broken into two. Langly was now dead. They all were.

The alien rebels moved in close around the wreckage, trying to 
determine the easiest way into the crumpled mass. Several soldiers 
started smashing rocks against the cockpit windows, while another 
climbed into the hole that Mulder had moments earlier. They had to 
finish their mission before the human authorities arrived.


Sunday, Septemer 5th, 1999
12:25 am

"Oh my God! They're killing my friends" Mulder shouted in anger as he 
peered through the dirty cockpit window. He wished he had brought his 
gun now. Mulder returned his attentions back to the trapped and 
injured pilot. Blake had already given up on escape.

"What are they after, Captain?"

"They've come... for the Bell. Guess they... want it back. Ya can't 
let'em... get it. Who knows... the damage they could do... with it?"

Mulder nodded in agreement with the dying Captain. Mulder followed 
Blake's pointing to a rear compartment of the fuselage. The only light 
emitted in the slim corridor was from against the far wall. A clear 
plastic panel protected the delicate Division Bell as it sat in its 
harness. Apparently it wasn't jarred or damaged from the crash.

Mulder turned the knobs holding the panel fast to the wall. The vacuum 
seal was released now, allowing Mulder to open the plastic door. The 
Division Bell was roughly the size of a softball, with a smooth 
metallic finish glistening in the blue emergency lights. Mulder 
removed it gingerly from its cradle and scanned it even closer.

On its side was a tiny display featuring the current date and the Jump 
To date. It currently read:

             M/ D/ Y  H: M
Current - 09/05/99 00:30
Jump To - 09/05/00 00:00

Beneath the display were five tiny knobs, each one corresponding to a 
different function of the date display. Two small red poles within the 
equator were together in the middle of the sphere, most likely the 
trigger buttons. He figured that sliding the poles to opposite ends 
would trigger the time-jump. It seemed fairly easy to use, but time 
was of the essence right now. He spun on his heels and returned back 
to the cockpit for Captain Blake. The screams of terror and pain 
outside had subsided, now replaced with sounds of banging and 
smashing. The alien rebel soldiers were trying to get inside the 
fuselage!

As Mulder approached the cockpit entrance again, he was shocked as the 
cockpit window shattered. Two alien rebels jumped inside and quickly 
started searching the interior wreckage. Mulder ducked in amongst the 
shadows and watched in horror as Captain Blake was set on fire.

Mulder accidentally knocked over a piece of scrap metal as he stepped 
backward, catching the attention of both alien murderers. They 
followed in pursuit, but luckily Mulder was able to barricade himself 
within a storage locker off to the side. It would only provide him a 
few extra minutes of safety. He was trapped with no escape!

The storage locker was devoid of anything that could be used as a 
weapon. All Mulder had was the transcendental Division Bell. He 
thought quickly to himself about the possibility of using it to 
escape. There were no other alternatives except for death-by-fire.

Suddenly, the storage door gave way to the unbelievable strength of 
the alien rebels. Time was up! Mulder quickly spread the poles apart 
on the Division Bell and pushed them in simultaneously. A surge of 
quantum energy fluxed all around Mulder's body, blinding the two alien 
rebels.

Then suddenly he was gone. The ringing of the Division Bell had begun.


FBI Building
Tuesday, Septemer 7th, 1999
9:01 am

Scully walked briskfully to her seat, acknowledging she was one minute 
late, a rarity for the punctual agent. Tossing her trench coat onto 
her spotless desk, she was less than surprised to see Mulder still not 
at work yet. She knew that he hated his new job and always arrvied 
late.

Suddenly, the muffled sound of the phone ringing on her desk could be 
heard. Scully lifted her coat up to answer it.

"Scully."

"Agent Scully. It's Skinner. There's been an accident in New Mexico. 
We need to get out there right away. Be at my office in five minutes."

"Sir, what happened? What's going on?"

"Its Mulder. He's dead."


New Mexico Desert
Tuesday, Septemer 7th, 1999
5:30 pm

Skinner pulled the navy blue Ford Taurus up to the makeshift entrance 
to the crash site. Two armed marines walked up to his window, 
demanding identification and the purpose of their visit.

"We're with the FBI. We were called in to identify the bodies of some 
civilians found near this crash site" Skinner remarked while flashing 
the guard his official FBI badge.

The guard nodded in agreement with Skinner's comments and motioned for 
another guard to escort them. Scully held her breath as the car was 
directed to a large tent across the desert. She paused for a moment 
before exiting the vehicle, terrified to learn the truth.

The musty smell of formaldahyde and burned flesh permeated throughout 
the interior of the tent. Six cots filled the interior, each one 
containing a cloaked corpse. A pair of morticians silently greeted the 
new arrivals, ready to confirm the worst news possible.

"You're from the FBI, right? We've identified our two pilots, we just 
need your help with the last four" the first mortician asked.

It took Skinner a moment to muster up the strength to reply a simple, 
yet solemn "Yes."

The morticians took the uneasy duo to the first cot and lifted the 
sheet. The crooked head posture of Langly indicated his neck had been 
snapped.

"This is Ringo Langly" Scully said with a tear in her eye. She had 
hoped this day would never have arrived. But now she had to be strong 
as the mortician unveiled the next corpse; charred, but identifiable.

"John Fitzgerald Byers. Friend of Langly's" Scully whimpered. It was 
becoming more unbearable. She already knew the answer to the next two.

"Melvin Frohike" cried Scully. Three of her loyalest friends had just 
been horribly murdered. The pain deep down was beginning to manifest 
itself. And now, the last corpse was about to be unveiled. Was she 
strong enough to learn the truth?

The head mortician led the way to the last covered corpse. The sheet 
was pulled back completely, exposing a totally incinerated corpse.

"I can't tell if its him. He's too badly burned. Have you tried a 
dental examination?" Scully posed the question to the mortician.

"No need to. We found this in the coat pocket in his hand. That's how 
we knew to contact you" the demure middle-aged man replied. He handed 
Scully a slim plastic bag containing a single item. Scully removed it 
and broke into tears in Skinner's arms upon confirmation of the truth.

It was the uncharred FBI badge of Agent Fox Mulder.


New Mexico Desert
Tuesday, September 5th, 2000
12:00 am
One Year Later

Mulder collapsed on the dry desert ground, scraping his elbow as he 
landed. He was disoriented from the time-jump, his whole body felt 
nauseous and beleaguered from the experience. Muscle spasms him caused 
him to vomit where he lay. He could feel the yucky remnants wearing 
the inside out. Mulder turned on his side and looked around.

It was dark out, a clear night sky smiled down from high above. There 
was no UFO or bright lights. No more screams of agony. Even the entire 
wreckage itself was gone. Mulder was too exhausted to ponder the 
little intricacies of time travel. Instead he simply lay asleep on the 
cold rocky ground all the way to the sunrise six hours later.


Roswell, New Mexico
Tuesday, September 5th, 2000
11:27 am

Mulder sat on the porch step outside a gas station in the middle of 
nowhere. He had been walking all morning on the faint desert road, 
merely trying to find water, food, or a phone. Lucky for him, the 
first place he encountered had all three. After gorging himself on 
stale potato chips and snackie cakes, Mulder gulped down a large 
Mountain Dew. 

His eyes peered upon a crumpled newspaper on the ground near his feet. 
On the cover was a report about the upcoming election, but it was the 
date at the top that astounded Mulder the most. It read Tuesday, 
September 5th, 2000. He still couldn't believe it. He was actually in 
the future. Exactly one year to the day that he departed.

Mulder pondered the idea for awhile, then spotted a payphone near the 
bathrooms. He needed to call Scully, to let her know he was okay. 
However, trying to make a long distance call using his credit cards 
proved useless. They had all been cancelled. So Mulder chose his 
second option and made a collect call to Scully's house.

"Hello" a jovial young man responded back to the call. Mulder was 
caught aback at the idea of another man being at Scully's place, but 
got his bearings to answer the greeting.

"Uh, hi. My name's Fox Mulder. I'm looking for Dana Scully."

"I'm sorry Mr. Mulder, but she hasn't lived here for over two months."

"Oh man. Do you happen to know where she lives now?"

"Yeah, hold on. She left her mailing address in case some old mail 
still came to this address. No phone number though."

Mulder waited in silence as the helpful bachelor searched the 
apartment. He had almost forgotten about the time-jump. Things would 
have changed for him and everybody he knew. Heck, his apartment was 
probably cleaned out shortly after he left.

"Okay Mr. Mulder. Here's her new address. Its 1013 Manarang Road, San 
Diego, California."

Mulder thanked the man for his help. He still found it hard to believe 
that Scully would have left Virginia and the FBI for California. Then 
he remembered something, her family was originally from there. She 
probably wanted to be closer to them. He had so many questions as to 
what has been happening for the past year without him.

After securing a map and some more food, Mulder waited for the next 
bus out of New Mexico. Destination: San Diego, California.


San Diego, California
Wednesday, September 6th, 2000
9:45 am

Mulder dressed hurriedly when he awoke in a cheap motel room the next 
morning. The bus rides had taken all day the previous day, leaving him 
with a sore back and neck. But it didn't bother Mulder, all he wanted 
to do was find Scully and tell her he was alright.

He hailed a taxi as soon as he paid for the room, and gave the driver 
his destination. Mulder arrived at 1013 Manarang Road forty-five 
minutes later, eager to see her sparkling smile again. The house was a 
quaint yellow country house with flowers lining the baseline. He 
followed the inviting stone steps up to the front door and knocked 
heartily. Mulder was surprised to see Margaret, Scully's mother, 
answer the door. She gave him a quick look of astonishment and threw 
her arms around him.

"Oh my god Fox! I can't believe you're alive!" she kept repeating.

Mulder was glad to see his friend's mother in high spirits. She pulled 
him close while dancing around. She played with his messy hair, and 
kept insisting he see Dana at once.

"I'd love to. Where is she right now, Mrs. Scully?"

"Dana's down on the docks. You go straight down this road for ten 
blocks and you'll find her there. Please hurry Fox."

Mulder didn't waste any time. After bidding Margaret farewell, he 
jogged towards the docks to see her again. To see Dana again.


San Diego Pier
Wednesday, September 6th, 2000
10:13 am

Dana sat on the edge of the empty dock, lost in deep thought. The 
serenity of the ocean ripples usually eased her pain when she sat here 
to comtemplate. However, today it was not working. Tears of sadness 
dripped down her face onto the single photograph. 

It was the only one Mulder and she had ever had taken together. Mulder 
was behind her in the picture, with his arms around her waist and his 
head alongside hers. It was taken two years ago, when her mother had 
insisted that Fox not be alone on Christmas Eve. From the joyfull 
expressions on both of their faces, it appeared as if for a brief 
moment the two partners were more like lovers.

Dana kept rethinking her last conversation with Mulder, and how she 
should've been more direct with him in asking him out that Friday 
afternoon in the office. Now it was exactly one year later since then. 
A lot had changed on that fateful weekend. Being marooned alone on the 
X-Files after Mulder's death, Scully tried to continue his work, but 
it was to no avail. She lacked her late partner's unbridled drive and 
audacity for claiming paranormal phenomena. Within three months, the 
X-Files had been officially closed.

Scully left the FBI after that and pursued her career as a doctor. 
Even though she saved many lives, she would have given anything to 
save her partner's just one last time. Putting in fourteen hour shifts 
at the hospital left her personal life in shambles. She was relieved 
when her mother forced her to end torturing herself and leave 
Washington DC.

They moved in together in a quaint house in San Diego, both content to 
be living back home near the rest of the family. Scully continued to 
work as a doctor, but in moderation this time. She still missed Mulder 
deeply, and her heart was permanently wounded by his untimely 
departure.

She had been feeling fine for the past few weeks, cherishing Mulder's 
memory with his pictures spread around her home. But today she fell to 
pieces again. It was exactly one year since he died. Her life was now 
a struggle to find happiness again, a rarity by her standards. The 
timeless ripples of the ocean helped her escape to a happier place.

The rays of the sun emerged from behind the clouds, casting 
reflections up from the clear water. Suddenly, as if angels had 
descended down all around her, Scully felt a presence coming back to 
life. She stood up quickly and turned around, her mouth in awe at the 
miraculous sight before her. Fox Mulder was walking right toward her. 

"Oh my god! Mulder!" she cried out repeatedly as she dashed towards 
her long-departed friend. It was no dream, he was in the flesh.

Scully jumped into his gaping open arms, hugging and kissing him like 
she never had before. It was the best gift she had ever received.


Scully Residence
Thursday, September 7th, 2000
2:14 am

Scully sat straight up, frightened by the nightmare she just had. This 
time her visions were different. Now that she had Mulder in her life 
again, she was so afraid he'd leave her alone, again. Just the thought 
of being abandoned again plucked the last remaining chords of her 
heart.

The terrified red-head pulled the fallen sheets back up around her 
naked body. Turning on her side, she ran her arm across Mulder's bare 
chest as he slept. It had been an intense night of passion and 
lovemaking. The former Scully would never had indulged herself so 
completely before.

She breathed in his masculine aroma, letting the sensation of having 
him returned totally engulf her sense of reality. It was a great day 
for freedom. Freedom from the guilt and anguish that haunted her. 
Freedom from the sexual tension of seven years of partnership.

Mulder's hand gently touched her own as they lay in the moon's 
twilight. It was so serene living in the moment for both of them. They 
were both wide awake, neither apparently wanted to close their eyes.

"Mulder, where have you been for the past year?" Scully finally 
whispered the words that had haunted her.

Mulder grimaced uneasily at the question. He knew it would be hard for 
him to explain. Time travel was not his area of expertise. So instead 
he replied to her, "Let's not discuss that now."

"We have to. I need to know what's been going on. Finding you and the 
Lone Gunmen dead in the middle of the desert was the most painful 
experience of my life."

"Alright, but its not easy to explain. I think the body you found of 
me was actually that of a recluse named Phil. Apparently he's the one 
that tipped off the Gunmen to the Area 51 test flight."

Scully looked at him with a puzzled expression, but then relaxed 
herself back against his chest. She chided herself for not performing 
an autopsy. The FBI badge was enough proof for her at the time. Mulder 
shrugged his body slightly as he continued the story.

"The jet crashed in the desert near us, so we went to help. I crawled 
inside and tried to free the pilots. Suddenly the whole place flooded 
with light and noise. It was a UFO..."

Scully nodded in agreement, finding the tale fascinating yet doubtful. 
She found herself digging her sharp nails in his skin as the story 
approached its climatic ending.

"I could hear my friends outside screaming, and dying. The pilot then 
told me about the top secret weapon they were searching for; a small 
time-travel sphere dubbed 'The Division Bell'. I only had a moment to 
think before the aliens broke into the wreckage. I had to use it. It 
was the only way out for me" Mulder whimpered toward the end.

"I'm just glad you're back. We can put the past behind us now."


Thursday, September 7th, 2000
2:22 pm

Mulder was pacing the Scully's botanical garden back and forth, 
contemplating many things. So much had happened the past few days. He 
finally had Scully's love, something he had desired for so long. But 
at what cost? The lives of his friends and a year of his life missing.

And then he pulled it from his coat pocket again, The Division Bell. 
The shiny metallic sphere registered enough energy for one more 
time-jump. The idea of returning to the past to fix it was gnawing at 
him. He desperately wanted to stay in the future with Scully's love by 
his side. But his loyalty and devotion to his friends lives 
counter-balanced the scale. He just wanted things the way they were a 
week ago.

"You're going to leave her again, aren't you Fox?"

Mulder looked up from the ground, stunned to see Mrs. Scully watching 
his contemplation with disdainful eyes.

"I don't know" was Mulder's only reply.

"Then you truly are a fool Fox. My daughter has defended you for your 
overzealous nature, and this is how you repay her. You don't seem to 
realize the hell she's been through over the past year, mourning over 
your death. Did you know she almost became an alcoholic?"

"No. I didn't" said Mulder, nearly choking on the thought.

"Do what you want Fox, but know this. We won't put up with your silly 
disappearing acts any longer. If you're gonna leave her again, it had 
better be for good this time."

The ultimatum was said. The backdoor slammed shut as Mrs. Scully 
stormed into the peaceful house. Mulder stood speechless in the 
garden, with his mind made up. He needed to speak to Scully now.


San Diego Hospital
Thursday, September 7th, 2000
3:14 pm

Scully snapped off the bloody rubber glove that stuck to her delicate 
hand. Breathing a sigh of remorse, she tilted her head from side to 
side. It had been a rough afternoon for her. What should have been a 
basic operation turned fatal for one helpless individual. She 
reflected upon the look in the deceased man's eyes right before they 
had fallen backward; the pain of loss and despair blurring Scully's 
sight.

She rubbed her aching eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she saw 
the movement of him, her man, the love of her life. Fox Mulder had 
come to visit her, to cheer her up and tell her everything would be 
okay. However, his slow methodical approach made her hairs stand up. 
His face seemed pale, his eyes the look of preponderment. Scully could 
tell something was really bothering him.

"Hi" she said politely. It was the best she could come up with.

"Hi... Do you have a moment?"

"Sure, let's go in the lounge" she motioned for him to follow her. She 
could tell now something dreadful was about to happen. She closed the 
door to the empty lounge room behind them as they started the 
discussion.

"What's wrong Fox?" she finally summed up the courage to ask. A tear 
ran down Mulder's face as he stated the hardest words of his life.

"I have to leave you Scully."

The heart-broken physician sat down on the couch, her head falling 
into her palms. She couldn't keep it in any longer. The tears started 
to mount up.

"Why? Is it something I did?"

"No, Dana. It's a mistake I made. A mistake I need to correct now. I 
have to go back."

"But Fox... You can't change the past. Nobody can. Just because you 
have that... that thing, doesn't mean it'll work. What if you go back 
and fail?"

"I won't fail. I have it all planned out" he replied. Mulder could 
tell she wasn't thinking fourth-dimensionally. If he succeeded with 
his mission, the future he was now trapped in wouldn't exist. At least 
that's what his hope was.

"Let's say you go back and succeed. What if my reality here still 
remains. I can't go through losing you again. It was hard enough 
losing you once..."

"Dana, I'm doing this for you. Let's say this reality does still exist 
after I leave. At least you'll get to live your life happy again. We 
got to share a moment of intimacy together, a final way for you to let 
go of your grief and regret. You are the strongest person I've ever 
met. I need you to promise me that you'll keep going, living life to 
the fullest again."

Scully pulled a tissue from the nearby box and wiped her reddened 
eyes. She knew it had to be done. She had to let him go... again.

"I promise."


San Diego Park
Thursday, September 7th, 2000
7:15 pm

"Here we are. End of the road."

The lovers exited the car, walking hand-in-hand to the edge of the 
park across the street from the library. Mulder had explained his plan 
to Scully on the drive over. Although pessimistic about the whole 
ordeal, she concurred in the end.

The park was deserted except for the occasional late-night runner. The 
twilight of the stars smiled upon the couple as they spent their last 
moments together. Scully felt like she was walking with an angel, or 
perhaps having the most incredible dream. They were finally alone, 
deeply surrounded in the park by the silouettes of the trees.

Mulder pulled his lover against his body for what could be the last 
time. Their lips met in a long passionate kiss. It was going to be 
hard for them both to let go. Their hands touched until the last 
possible moment, as Mulder walked away from her. He pulled the 
Division Bell from his pocket, with the destination date already set.

He waved goodbye to her. And in a flash he was gone...


San Diego Public Library
Friday, September 3rd 1999
8:00 am

Mulder crossed the street he and Scully just had in the future. It was 
different now. It was daylight, people were out enjoying the sun. A 
few children pointed at the sudden appearance of a man from nowhere. 
Their mouths had dropped open, unable to believe their eyes. His 
timejump had been successful. He was back in his own time.

Across from the park was the Public Library, exactly what he needed. 
After securing help from the librarian, Mulder was seated at one of 
the online computers. He created a new account at one of the online 
search engines and accessed the e-mail. Mulder began typing away at a 
letter; a letter that would change the future he was recently in. 
After he finished, he sent the letter onward to a man at the FBI. A 
man by the name of Fox Mulder.

Picking up his jacket, Mulder decided to indulge his last few hours 
relishing the sights and sounds of the park. Perhaps he would go play 
with those children.

As Mulder exited the building, he vanished, like nothing ever 
happened...


FBI Building
Friday, September 3rd 1999
8:47 am

A weary Fox Mulder turned on his computer monitor as he tossed his 
trench coat on the back of the desk chair. He hated his new job at the 
FBI. It left him unfulfilled. The only reason he stayed was because of 
her. Because of Scully.

Mulder did his usual routine check of his e-mail. He was surprised to 
find one addressed to him, from him...

As he read the detailed letter, his mind circled in amazement at the 
thoroughness of it. The details included private thoughts he had had. 
The one that jumped out at him immediately was the intimate detail of 
Scully's cancer. It described the night he had cried by her bedside as 
she slept. What his feelings were, how he had admitted failure in 
trying to save her life. No, this was no hoax. The e-mail was real.

The second portion of the letter explained the situation; the crash at 
Roswell, the alien attack, the death of his friends, and the time 
jump. Each section was finely detailed.

And finally, the last section was the instructions for him. He was to 
call the Lone Gunmen and instruct them not to go to Roswell. He was 
also to contact his anonymous source at Area 51 to convince them to 
not launch the stealth bomber. The third instruction was the most 
intimate.



Mulder, as a final request. Ask Scully out on a date tonight. She 
wants to ask you the same, but she's nervous. She's afraid to take 
that next step. Don't let fear keep you two from experiencing the love 
that surrounds you. Please do this for the sake of both of your 
happinesses. Good luck, and God bless you both.

From your Time-Displaced Alter-Self,
Fox Mulder


"Good morning Mulder" Scully smiled as she walked in moments later, 
taking her spot directly behind her favorite partner. But something 
was wrong, it was written on his expressionless face. She could tell.

"Mulder, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong."

"Oh. You had me worried there."

"Sorry, its just that... Scully, would you like to go on a date 
tonight?"

She immediately stopped what she was doing to upon hearing his 
request. Could it be true? Was Mulder finall ready to take the next 
step?

"Mulder, its not barely nine o'clock in the morning. I haven't even 
had a cup of coffee yet to wake me up and you're already asking me on 
a date."

"Uh, I'm sorry. My fault, I wasn't thinking" he sheepishly replied and 
turned around in embarrassment. Suddenly, he felt Scully's arms slide 
around his waist from behind as she maneuvered in front of him. She 
gave him the biggest smile of "Gotcha!", right before she kissed his 
unsuspecting face.

"I'd love to..."


THE END


"We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world" - High Hopes