All right.  This story is the end result of too much time goofing off in 
philosophy.  It has very little plot, very little importance, in fact 
little of everything except implied sex.  If you like it, we'd love your 
mail.  If you don't, don't EVEN mail us.   We'll send you a flame right 
back atcha.  :)  Ground rules.  If you recognize a character, we don't 
own it.  We take no profit or credit.  Don't sue us 'cause we're college 
students.  If you don't recognize a character, we own it.  Ask before 
using a character and feel free to post this on any ftp or archive.  

THE LEAP FILES
by Mary C. Abel (strbck@aol.com) and Laura C. Wood (UPPilot@aol.com).
Our middle names are Christine.



March 6 2001
	Mulder woke with a kink in his neck.  He stretched his long limbs and 
noticed that he hadn't slept on his couch.  In fact, he wasn't quite sure 
where he was.  A quick glance around the room told him he was in Scully's 
bedroom.  To top that off he was naked!  What the hell?, he thought as he 
heard the shower start in the bathroom.   Shit, he thought,  what have we 
done?  Scully came out of the bathroom in her pink silk robe and Mulder 
squeezed his eyes close to pretend he was still asleep.  Scully came over 
to Mulder, looked at him, decided he was sleeping soundly for a change 
and returned to the bathroom.
        Once Mulder heard the door close again and the water start up, he 
opened his eyes and jumped off the bed, looking frantically for clothes.  
Once he had some pants on he felt a little better.  A little less 
vulnerable.  Now, to find out what had happened.  He couldn't have 
actually
spent the night with the lovely, luscious, intellectually drop dead 
gorgeous Dana Scully, his partner and friend, could he have?  He sank to 
the bed and cradled his head in his hands.  Sure, it was his fantasy... 
any  man would think about it... but she was his partner for goodness 
sake.  
The door opened and Dana stepped out, dressed in a blue suit that Mulder 
had always thought she looked good in.  She smiled when she saw him.  
"Good morning.  You want to take a shower or something, before we go to 
work?  I've got a autopsy at ten, so you'd better hurry if you want me to 
drive."  she said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.  He looked up, 
overwhelmed with a feeling that he had missed something vitally important 
in the process of waking up.  
"Honey?" Dana asked, standing at the bureau, "are you feeling all right?" 
 
	"Uh, yeah, I'm fine- I was just sleeping really deeply, I guess." he 
answered unsurely.  Mulder had no idea what answer she was expecting and 
he felt like if he took a wrong step he'd be floundering in the air just 
like Wile E. Coyote.  
She laughed, slipping small gold earrings on.  "I'll say.  Benny's crying 
didn't even wake you up.  I had to get him the bottle."
	"Benny?" Mulder asked blankly.  Then he realized what it was he had 
missed- there was a small crib on the other side of the room, presumably 
with the child that Dana had referred to as Benny inside.  Brightly 
colored toys were scattered around it's legs.  Her smile brightened.  
"Your son- the boy most likely to be referred to as Spooky 2?" she said, 
then her smile faded.  "Are you sure you're all right?   You're in 
between cases and I'm sure Benny would love it if his father would stay 
him with rather than having to go to day care."
	"Uh, I'm fine, really, Scully.  I'll go take that shower.
Maybe it will start the blood pumping." he said, escaping into the
bathroom.  He closed the door and leaned against it, heart pumping
with adrenal.  What the hell had happened?  Was this some kind of
strange neurosis?  Had he lost his memory or something?  He looked at
his reflection in the mirror and froze.  He looked the same as he
always did, pronounced nose, hazel eyes looking a little tired, but
his hair.. there was a large streak of gray at his temple, one that
most definitely had not been there the night before.
	"Oh God.  Either I've got one bad hangover or I slept through the last 
seven years."  Mulder stared at himself then glimpsed the reflection of 
his son's crib in the mirror.  The wedding band on his left hand 
confirmed his marriage to Scully.
     	Scully came into the bathroom and noticed Mulder staring at himself.

 "Are you sure you're all right?  You look pretty pale."  Mulder looked 
at Scully's reflection but noticed that she didn't look a day older than 
normal.
      	Mulder turned to face Scully and she put a hand up to his forehead.
 "You don't feel warm.  Maybe should call in sick or go in a little late 
today."
 	All of a sudden Mulder grabbed Scully to him and crushed his lips into 
hers.  She tensed and then relaxed as his hands roamed her back.
(INSERT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT SCENE) 
     "Wow!", she said.  "You definitely did not feel this way last night."
 Mulder looked stunned as Scully wrapped her arms around his waist and 
returned his kiss a little more slowly.  "I'll try to finish up as soon 
as possible so we can continue this conversation later."  With another 
quick kiss Scully left the bathroom, kissed Benny good-bye, and left for 
the lab.
      "I must have the world's record for hangover paranoia."  Mulder 
decided to find a paper to check the date.  Sure enough it was March  
sixth, 2001.
 "Holy sh-" Mulder attempted, but was startled by the screams coming 
from
the bathroom.  Mulder walked into Scully's, no it was his bedroom too, 
and looked over
towards the crib.  "So, you're the product of a roll in the hay with Mrs. 
Mulder huh?  Damn, wish I would have been there."  Mulder thought about 
Scully saying " we can continue this conversation later" and instantly 
became flushed.  Benny was wailing by now so Mulder decided to pick him 
up.
 	"So, you're my son, huh?  You look just like your mother, you know."  
Just then the phone rang.
With just some slightly precarious juggling he managed to pick it up 
without dropping the strawberry blond infant.
"Mulder." he barked, softly, into the receiver.  His son, (and didn't 
that cause a strange feeling to run through him) looked at him with 
wisely innocent eyes the color of his father's.   

 4:00 PM March 6, 2001
       Scully unlocked the front door with some trepidation.  She had 
resisted the urge to call father and son at least a hundred times today. 
Somehow she had made it through two autopsies and a very boring meeting 
with Director Walker without reaching for the phone.  
"Fox?  Benny?" she called.  "I'm home."
She dropped her briefcase in the hall walked through the small suburban 
home.  All was silent.  Scully pushed her worry away.  They could be 
asleep, or at the store or in the backyard.  Mulder was fully capable of 
taking care of their son- in fact at times he was better with the willful 
child than his just-as-stubborn mother.  But Mulder hadn't been feeling 
well this morning... what if it had been something serious?  Don't be 
silly, the pragmatic part of her mind said.  If he was sick and he had 
had to go to the hospital he would have had them call her.  She walked up 
the stairs, her unease mounting with each step.  
     "Mulder?" she called out a little uneasy about the quietness.  She 
noticed her palms sweating and the hair and the back of her neck began to 
rise.
     Scully rounded the corner into her, no their, bedroom and saw her 
two men squatted on the floor with pictures scattered everywhere.  "Honey?
  What in the world are you doing with our photo albums?"  Mulder looked 
up towards Scully with the same confused look he carried earlier that 
morning.   
    "I thought that taking a day off of work would cheer you up, but you 
still look like he---ck.  Scully caught herself just in time.  Both she 
and Mulder had to get used to refraining from harsh words with the little 
one around.  
"Mulder!  Why isn't Benjamin dressed?  He's just sitting on the floor and 
his diaper's backwards!"  Scully walked over to Benny and proceeded to 
change his diaper and then dressed him.
     "Dana?  Do you remember our first date?  In details?"  Mulder lost 
his look of confusion and a new look of curiosity spread across his face. 
 
"What do you mean do I remember?  It seems pretty impossible to forget!"  
Scully gave Mulder a look of concern then placed Benny in his crib.  She 
walked over and sat on the floor next to Mulder.  Scully put an arm 
around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. 
    "I told Skinner that you weren't feeling well today so he told me to 
tell you 'Take as much time as you need.'"  Mulder stared at the books of 
pictures and picked up one that must have been taken, from what he can 
tell, sometime in 1995 since they were at Disneyland and the new Indiana 
Jones ride had just opened.  "Did we have fun at Disneyland, Dana?"
     "You must be sicker than I thought.  Of course we had fun, except 
when you threw up after Thunder Mountain.  Then again, I couldn't get you 
to go on Space Mountain enough."  Scully picked up their wedding picture 
and sighed.  "I can't believe it's almost been three years.  Time flies 
when you're married."
     "Dana, I'm serious.  Tell me everything you remember about our first 
date.  I mean in explicit detail, nothing omitted."
Dana looked over at her husband and the hair on the back of her neck rose 
once more.  She set Benny down and handed him a toy.  "Fox, is there 
something you're not telling me?  Because, if you want to know the truth, 
you're starting to scare me.  What's wrong with you?"
Fox looked at Dana, the one person he trusted over all others.  "Dana, I 
don't know how to tell you this- I don't remember anything for the last-- 
he picked up the Disneyland pictures again, " five or so years." 
"What?!" Dana exclaimed.  "You don't remember..."
"I don't remember dating you, much less marrying you, though I wish I had 
been there."
Dana looked down at the pictures in her lap and a lump rose in her throat.
  "You don't remember?  How could that happen?" she asked helplessly. 
"I don't know." Mulder answered.  
Dana looked down at Benny.  Sensing his parents' distress he had stopped 
playing and was looking at them both with wide, fearful eyes.  She held 
out her arms and the little boy scrambled gladly for his mom's arms.  
"You don't remember Benny, either, do you?" 
Mulder shook his head slowly.  "No, I don't.  But he's a great kid."
Scully took a deep breath.  It was time to start acting like an agent- 
this was just a small problem that could be solved quite easily, she was 
sure.  "What's the last thing you do remember?  You know me, so the loss 
starts after we were partners." she stated.
Mulder frowned, absently stoking Benny's head. "I remember working on the 
Davis kidnappings, and then we went to your apartment to watch some 
movies.  I remember that you finally let me show you the original "Alien".
  We were actually relaxed for once. I think that I fell asleep on your 
couch or something, but the next thing I knew I woke up this morning in 
your, uh, "our" bed.  Now I'm really scared because I have a baby, a wife,
 and either a bad case of amnesia or something else has happened."  
Mulder just stared Scully straight in the face.  He looked like a little 
lost child not knowing where his mother went.   
    Dana reached over and gave him a long hug.  It seemed forever until 
Dana said "Over the years I've learned to trust you instincts.  I've 
followed you to hell and back, but I've never experienced anything like 
this.  For God's sake Fox, we have a son.  We sleep in "our" bed every 
night, together.  I can tell you everything about your body, every mole, 
every scar."  She seemed to be losing it.  All Mulder could do was hug 
her more tightly.  "Dana, I'm not going nuts, am I?  I mean I know I've 
come up with some impossible theories in the past, but something is 
really wrong here." 
He picked Benny up and put him on his knees.  "So, you're what's come out 
of my time warp huh?"  Benny gurgled something unintelligible and smiled 
just like his dad.  Too bad dad didn't feel like smiling.
     "I thought we weren't supposed to work on the X-Files anymore."  
Dana was trying to brush the tension off, but Mulder just stared at his 
son.
 "Maybe we should try some stuff to help remind you of the last six years."
    Mulder looked up at Scully.  Benny was standing on his lap, hanging 
on to his dad's fingers.  "What do you have in mind?" he asked curiously. 
 
Dana's face turned into a huge smile, and she said "I think it's time for 
our son to take a nap."
Mulder tried to smile back but in truth he felt less like getting 
intimate
than he had for the whole of his previous life- that he could remember
anyway.  Dana swung Benny into her arms and carried him to the crib, 
covering the
little boy with a soft yellow blanket.  Then she turned back to Fox with 
an alluring smile on her face.  She sat on the bed and patted the space 
next to her.  "Come here." she said softly. 
Slowly, with trepidation, Fox settled himself next to her, close enough 
to feel her body heat.  She put one hand on his forehead and stroked the 
length of his face slowly, using only the tips of her fingers.  "The 
first night we made love, Fox, you told me that you would never leave me. 
 That I would always come first for you." she whispered.  Fox had closed 
his eyes at her touch and the sound of her voice caused some deep emotion 
to well up.  His eyes prickled.  When her lips touched his, his eyes 
opened with surprise, then closed again as she pulled him into the 
passionate kiss.  (YES, ANOTHER SEXUALLY EXPLICIT SCENE.  YOU GUYS HAVE A 
GOOD ENOUGH IMAGINATION)   Everything just felt right, the feel of her 
lips on his, the curve of her body meeting his.  He felt like he'd done 
this a thousand times before.  Apparently he had, if all of this was real.
  He moaned as her lips traveled along his neck, gently nibbling.  
"Shouldn't we go to the doctor or something, first... to see if the cause 
of the amnesia is organic or something?" he asked with some difficulty... 
Dana was doing the most wonderful things to his back.  Dana drew her 
attention away from his handsome physique with the same difficulty he had 
found.  "I suppose, if the condition persists," she answered, arching as 
his hands rubbed the tension out of her shoulders.  "but most of your 
cognitive skills seem intact.  This amnesia could be a transient thing."
"What if it's permanent?  I just lose six years of my life?" Mulder asked,
pulling away.  His agitation was clear.
Dana moved to the edge of the bed, studying him without rancor.  She'd 
never seen him this unsettled or uncomfortable with her before.  "Do you 
want to see a doctor?" she asked.
"I think it would be a wise thing to do." he said.  "But I'm afraid to.  
What if something is wrong with me?"
The frightened note in his voice touched Dana and she snuggled up against 
him, holding him.  "We'll go see a doctor- a neurologist.  All right?  
And if something is wrong- Fox, I'll be there for you.  You're my husband 
and I love you."
He returned her embrace, grateful as always for her support.  
They slept together soundly that night.  After a few hours Mulder drifted 
off to sleep.  At first he couldn't stop his mind from wondering over 
every possible solution to his apparent loss of time.  Gradually, he 
relaxed as Dana snuggled up to him in her sleep.  "This feels so right" 
Mulder mumbled.     Dana opened her eyes and smiled.  "Well," he thought, 
"maybe losing six
or so years is worth what I have now."  Somehow though, Mulder knew that 
this wasn't right.  She was right, but that couldn't be their son, this 
wasn't their home.  Somehow he was going to prove this to himself and 
whatever else knew about his crazy situation.  Mulder awoke with the same 
feeling of his past morning, unfamiliarity.   Scully had her head on his 
chest, and Benny was sitting between them.  "I thought for a minute that 
yesterday might have been a dream or something.  Guess I was wrong."  
Benny giggled at his daddy's "weed-wacker" looking hair.  It was sitting 
in tall spikes on his head.   "Fox, you need a haircut."  Dana smiled at 
him and patted his hair playfully.    
"Dana, I need a shrink.  I have degrees from three different schools up 
the yin-yang, and still I am totally lost in the situation."  Mulder 
still contained that puzzled look about him.      "First you," Dana 
kissed his neck "yeah, you definitely need a shower.  Then we're going to 
see Dr. Hammett.  If she doesn't know what's wrong with you, nobody will.
"  Dana grabbed Benny and took him to the changing table.   "Mom is 
coming in about thirty minutes to watch Benny for the day.  I told her 
you weren't feeling well, but you know how she loves to watch her 
grandson anyway."
Scully placed Benny in his crib, then walked into the bathroom to draw 
Mulder a bath.  "You're going to relax, my way.  Take a long bath in 
there and don't come out until I get you
out.  Got it?"
     Mulder leaped out of bed, stubbed his toe on Benny's plastic Barney, 
then proceeded to draw his bath.  "Dana?  Who's this Dr. Hammett?"  Dana 
looked toward Mulder with confusion.
   "She just won the AMA's top prize in neurology.  She's also the 
President's niece" Dana answered.
    "So who's the president?"  Mulder realized that he was really out of 
place.
    Scully answered with "Marcia Clark.  Don't tell me you don't remember 
OJ Simpson!"
    All of a sudden Mulder felt his stomach start to churn.  "I think 
I'll take that bath now." he said, disappearing quickly into the bathroom.
  Dana watched him go with a small smile on her face.  He certainly was 
acting the same even if he couldn't remember the last six years.  He 
couldn't stand
President Clark before he lost his memory.  This just proved that 
whatever had happened to him was fixable.  All of a sudden, she heard Fox 
cry out and a gigantic splash.  The cry was cut off in the middle.
        Fox shook his head.  It couldn't have happened, could it?  That 
awful trial, that took over the media, actually produced a president.  He 
reached over and twisted the faucet off, then slid into the gently 
steaming water.  He sighed as the heat worked at his tense muscles.  He 
looked around for the soap and saw that it was on the ledge of the window,
 near the ceiling.  He sighed, wondering why it was way up there then 
decided it had to do with keeping it out of Benny's reach.  With another 
sigh, he stood and reached for it, taking a small step.  A forgotten toy 
moved underneath his foot and he lost his balance.  For a moment all hung 
in suspension.  Mulder knew with great certainty that he was about to 
fall. Then, time resumed it's normal pace.
"AAAaaaaagggghhhhhhhhhh!"
SPLASH!
Dana ran in just in time to see her husband's head connect solidly with 
the edge of the bathtub.  Mulder's eyes rolled up in his head and he slid 
under the water, unconscious.  "Oh god." Dana exclaimed, working quickly 
to pull him out from the tub.  With some awkward tugging and a whispered 
"Sorry, Fox," when certain parts of his anatomy were bruised on removal, 
Dana got him out.   She checked to see if he was breathing.  Thankfully 
he was.  But he showed no signs of coming to.  There was a rapidly 
forming lump on his head from which blood streamed steadily.  Grabbing a 
towel she pressed it against the wound.   Benny started crying, insulted 
at being ignored for so long.   "Shit." she muttered.  "You know, you 
picked a really great time to have a mid-life crisis, my love." she 
whispered harshly.  Grabbing another towel, she covered Mulder's 
nakedness with it, then went to pick up Benny and grab the phone.  Phone 
and tot in hand, she kneeled again next to Mulder and dialed 911.


	Mulder felt like he was falling.  Memories he couldn't account
for were flooding into his mind.  Just when he thought he would never
stop falling he leaped into consciousness only to hear "By the state
of Maryland, I now pronounce you man and wife!"  Cheers echoed through
the church and the priest told Mulder that he could now kiss his wife.
He looked to his left and saw Dana standing beside him, tears
streaming from her eyes.  Her smile spread across her face.
    "Wha...what?"  Mulder's mind spun to life.  He found himself in a 
church filled with people he hardly knew.  "Oh no, not again" he thought 
to himself.
    "You can kiss your wife, Mr. Mulder."  The priest had seen many a 
groom with that same confused look on his face just after he'd been 
married.  With that, Mulder thought "what the hell", so he lifted Dana's 
veil and kissed her slowly.  He finally broke off the kiss, and Dana 
tugged at his arm.  
	   "Let's go" she whispered.  The audience cheered and stood to their 
feet as the newlywed's dashed down the center aisle and out the doors of 
the church. Scully hauled Mulder after her, beautiful in white lace and 
silk.  Mulder was stunning in the formal glory of his tux, the pink 
rosebud in his lapel matching Scully's bouquet.  Outside the sun beat 
down with all of the force of July, even though it was only May.  A limo 
was parked out on the curb, a bevy of cardboard  targets attached to the 
back bumper.  Mulder found himself inside the limo without a second to 
think.  Scully leaned against the far door and laughed up at him, eyes 
happier than he remembered seeing.
 "Open the champagne, Mr. Mulder." she said, laughter edging her words.  
Without thinking Mulder reached over and popped the cork on the chilled 
bottle.  
 "At your service, Mrs. Mulder." he answered as the bubbly liquid foamed 
all over his hand.  She held up glasses then handed him one when he set 
the bottle down again. He took a large gulp of the liquid and coughed 
when some bubble went up his nose.  
	"So," he said. "we got married."
Scully looked at him over the edge of her glass.  "That we did.  You 
think we did the right thing?  We can't work together anymore, and.. " 
Mulder leaned close to her, placing his lips on her to stem the flow of 
words.  "We did the right thing." he said.  Hell, he'd loved Scully from 
that moment in the hospital  in Belle Fleur when she looked at him and 
seen what he had seen.  That connection that had always been there, was 
just now flowering, like the bud in his lapel.  She kissed him, pulling 
him close, tasting with pleasure the champagne on his lips.  For the 
moment he gave into the moment, letting himself be drawn into another 
kiss worthy of the label newlywed.  The car started and pulled away, 
amidst the cheers of the guests.   "Scully-" he began, breaking the kiss 
and sitting next to her.  "I thought we agreed- surnames at work only." 
she said, looking at him from underneath a beetled brow.  
He smiled.  "Of course- sorry.  Dana, I need to talk to you."
"About what?" she asked, faintly mystified.  It couldn't be work, they'd 
just settled the question about marriage.
	"Um, this is a little hard to explain." he began.  "First off,
what day is this?"  Scully smiled.  "May 6.  1997" she said, adding
the year for good measure.
  Fox cleared his throat.  "Um, okay, what would you say if I told you 
that when I woke up this morning it was the year 2001, and we were living 
in some suburban development and that we had a son."  
	"I'd say you have a good imagination- but then I've often said that 
before."
	"I'm serious Dana- before waking up this morning all I can remember is
working on the Davis Kidnappings and falling asleep on your couch... then 
I woke up, it was five years later and we had a kid and then, I fell in 
the bathtub and now I'm here at the wedding.  Not that I'm sorry to be 
here or anything- but Dana, something is wrong with me and I need to know 
what it is!  Am I going crazy?"
The pure misery in his voice touched Dana and she reached out and 
smoothed the hair away from his forehead, laying aside the scathing 
retort for later.
He kicked the door close behind them.  Gently he set her down on the bed, 
and their lips met, mouths exploring with gusto.  He moved his hands to 
the back of the dress and finally started on the buttons.  This time he 
was successful and one by one the buttons came undone, leaving her back 
smooth and bare to his touch.  Just as slowly Dana pushed his coat off of 
his shoulders and unbuttoned his shirt, running her hands over his chest 
with pleasure and appreciation.  His lips moved down her neck and she 
shivered in delight.  "Wait a minute." she whispered, pulling back.  
"Wha-" Mulder asked, looking at her with passion dark eyes.  With quick 
motions she undressed to her slip and laid her dress gently over the back 
of a chair, then kicked off her shoes and took off her hose.  Taking her 
cue, he slid out of his shirt completely and had his shoes, socks and 
pants off
in record time.  He pulled her into his arms at the side of the bed, 
enjoying the feel of her body next to his.  
	"I love you." he whispered.  Whatever else had happened today,
two years ago, or two years from now, that would always be the truth.
His eyes filled as he looked at her, strong and delicate at the same
time, the partner to his soul.  She smiled at him, her lower lip
trembling a little.  "I love you too."  she answered, laying her head
on his shoulder.  "I'll always love you Dana, and you'll always be
first for me.  No one else could be as important to me as you are."
he whispered in her hair.
  
	She responded by looking up at him, then drawing him into yet another 
kiss.   This one set of sparks of passion that would not be easily doused.
  He wanted her, now.  And her desire was just as urgent.  They moved to 
the bed, clothes gone in seconds, and it was just them, together, 
learning about each other, or rather learning each other's bodies.   They 
already knew each other's mind and soul.  
(SORRY, YOU'LL  HAVE TO RELY ON YOUR IMAGINATIONS AGAIN.)
	Later, after their passion was sated for the moment, Mulder lay with 
Dana cradled in his arms.  She was already asleep and he was near to 
following her but for the moment he just wanted to enjoy her closeness 
and warmth.  The memories of that future from now time were growing dim, 
he realized, and he wondered if it had just  been a 30 second 
hallucination, the kind a groom has just before he says "I do."  But what 
about the rest of it?  He couldn't remember what he had done yesterday, 
or the day before.  The earliest thing he could remember was the Davis 
Kidnapping and falling asleep on Dana's couch.  Now, though, it meant 
that he'd only lost two years instead of five or six.  Not exactly 
reassuring but not unworkable either.  His eyes slid shut, pulled into 
sleep by dulling thoughts.  His last thought was that he hoped he would 
wake up in Dana's arms tomorrow.  There wasn't any place he'd rather be.
	Mulder woke up with vivid details of his previous night with Dana, his 
new wife.  He instinctually rolled over to wrap himself around her when 
he hit something he didn't expect.  "What the hell?" Mulder told himself. 
 He opened his eyes, and his eyesight adjusted to the back of a couch, 
but not the leather couch in his apartment.  This couch was cream colored,
 and his feet stuck off one of the ends.  
      "I figured that moment wouldn't last to long.  This is really 
starting to piss me off!" Mulder mumbled as Dana strolled out of her 
bedroom wearing a blue silk robe.
     "Finally decided to wake up Mulder?  I mean I know we shared a few 
beers last night, or maybe it was the extra garlic on the pizza, but you 
completely passed out."  Dana managed to get those words out before her 
surprised yawn took over.
     "Dana, you're not going to believe my dreams last night."  Mulder 
wasn't sure if he believed them himself.  They had seemed so real.  His, 
no, their son, their wedding, making love to Dana--Mulder suddenly 
blushed with the memories of his previous night.  "No" he thought, "they 
were only dreams,
only dreams.  This is crazy."
     "What?  What's crazy?  Did you dream about your sister again?" Dana 
came and sat next to her partner on the small couch.  "Mulder, you look 
really flushed.  Do you feel hot?"  Mulder scooted over away from Dana. 
    "No, uh, I'm fine.  I just need to take a shower or something."  
Mulder's mind was going in circles.  His dreams had seemed so *real*.  He 
swore to himself that he could remember everything about Dana's body.  
After all, he had a photographic memory.
    "Mulder-you don't sound fine.  You don't have to keep anything from 
me, you know.  If something's bothering you..."  Dana couldn't imagine 
what was going on in that brain of his.
    "You want to know what I dreamt?  You asked for it then."  Mulder sat 
straight up and stared directly into Dana's sleepy eyes.  "Fine, here 
goes.  The first thing I remember is waking up in your bed, but it wasn't 
1995.  It was 2001, and we were married.  We had a son named Benny.  I 
tried to tell you that I couldn't remember anything from the last six or 
so years, and we were going to go to the doctor, but I slipped in the 
bathtub and knocked myself out.  Then I remember coming to at our wedding 
two years early.  I mean I popped in right when the priest said "Husband 
and Wife."
 Then we got into a limo and made out all the way to the hotel.  We then 
spent the entire night m-maki...."  Mulder blushed again, but then 
continued, though his voice was a little more shaky.  "Anyway, I remember 
everything about it, about you."  
  Dana looked down at her lap.  None of this was making sense to her.  
"Mulder, you just had some crazy dreams.  That's all.  Next time we do 
our paper work, lay off of the beer."
    Dana started to get up, but Mulder grabbed her arm and forced her 
gently back onto the couch.  "Dana, if it was all a dream, then explain 
to me how I know every inch of your body starting with the birthmark only 
you and your mother would know about."  Dana instantly turned a deep 
shade of red.
Mulder held her gaze for a moment, then relented, looking down at his 
hands.   Dana took a moment to regain her center.  "I don't know Mulder.  
What I do know is this... we were doing paper work last night on the 
Davis kidnappings and we had pizza and some beer.  You fell asleep on the 
couch and since we didn't have anything pressing today, I decided to let 
you stay there."
"Dana, was I wearing a ring last night?" Mulder asked slowly.  He was 
still staring at his hands.  
"What?" Scully asked, mystified by this sudden turn of events.  "Were you 
wearing a ring last night?  Did you lose one?"
"Just answer the question... do you remember if I was wearing a ring on 
my left hand last night?"
Dana looked down at Mulder's hands, but he had his fingers hidden from 
view.   "Geez, I don't know Mulder.  Uh, I don't remember you wearing one.
  No, I don't think you were wearing a ring last night.  You never wear 
any jewelry."
"Okay, then, how did this get here?"  Mulder asked, holding up his left 
hand.  There was a distinct tan mark around his ring finger, a paler 
circle of flesh near his hand.
"Let me see that." Dana answered him, pulling his hand towards her.  She 
poked and prodded at her hand for a good five minutes, keeping silent.  
Mulder kept his mouth shut too... perhaps he was just tired of thinking.
     "Mulder, I don't know what to say."  For the first time in her life 
Dana Scully was at a loss for an explanation, scientific or otherwise.  
"Maybe you slept on your hand wrong..." Dana trailed off knowing that her 
explanation sounded really dumb.
     Mulder kept looking down at his hands.  He felt tired, drained from  
thinking about the past few days, but it hadn't been two days.  He had 
finally woken up from his *dreams*.  "Scully, tell me how I would know 
about your birth mark?  I mean, there's only one way I would have seen it.
" Mulder didn't know what else to say.
     Dana just sat on her couch, shocked.  "How would you know about 
that!" Anger was almost creeping into her voice, but somehow the details 
of Mulder's incredible story were slipping into place.
     "Dana, I told you.  For me, my last night, it was spent being with 
you.   How else would I know about it?"  Mulder felt drained and laid his 
body back against the couch.  He looked up towards Dana with eyes that 
would not hide confusion.
      Scully blushed.  "How else would he have know about that?" she 
asked herself.  "Mulder, I don't know how to explain that or the tan line 
on your finger, but I know for a fact that you slept on my couch for the 
entire night."
     "But my dreams are so vivid"  Mulder continued.  "Dana, I remember 
*everything*.  They weren't just dreams.  They were real, you were real, 
and our son... he was real.  So were we."  Mulder looked into Dana's eyes.
  "We were married."
Dana looked away from the insistence in her partner's eyes.  It was too 
crazy, too outrageous.  Mulder had just had some particularly vivid 
dreams.  The mark on his finger was inconclusive.
She shrugged.  "Look, Mulder, I'm tired of discussing this.  I have an 
autopsy to do and you are supposed to be finishing the files at work.  
Why don't you go home, get a shower, change clothes, and I'll meet you 
for lunch."
The tone of her voice clearly warned him not to push and like the valiant 
man he was, Mulder took the warning.  If what he had "dreamed" was true, 
whatever happened this morning had little to do with the subsequent 
future.    And if it wasn't true there was no sense in pushing the issue 
and perhaps generating a true fight.  He hated fighting with Dana.  He 
nodded and tried a smile on for fit.  "Okay. How about we go to Sal's  
Deli?"
"Another "to die for" pastrami?" she asked, also smiling.  "Okay.  I'll 
meet you in the office."


FBI Headquarters 12:00  PM
Dana pushed open Mulder's door exactly at twelve.  The autopsy had been 
finished in record time and she had even had time to scrub away all scent 
of the morgue.  "Mulder?  You ready?" she called, after a quick glance 
around the small room revealed it empty.  He was probably in the back, 
putting away files.  
"Be right there." he called.  
Dana smiled and walked farther in, examining as always the many posters 
and fliers taped to the walls.  How many times had she caught him staring 
at one or the other, searching for inspiration?
She looked up, Mulder's footsteps coming close.  "Feeling bet...." Her 
voice trailed off as her partner walked into the room and the bright 
fluorescent light shone brilliantly on the... silver streak that swept 
distinguishably through his hair.   "What happened to your hair?" she 
asked, in shock.
"What?  Dana, are you all right?  You look like you've seen a ghost." 
Mulder answered bemusedly.  He swept in and gave her a soft kiss on her 
lips.  Not an entirely unpleasant experience.... she thought dimly, her 
mind reeling in shock.
"Happy anniversary, love," he whispered, and handed her a sweet smelling 
bouquet of roses.  "I made reservations at Chez Louis's.  You ready to go?"
"What happened to Sal's?" she asked, not sure if this wasn't some giant  
practical joke Mulder was playing on her.
"Sal's Deli?  Are you okay?  Sal's was torn down two years ago.  Too bad, 
too.  There was a pastrami "to die for." Mulder said.
Scully looked wildly around.  She felt like she had had a mental 
earthquake... her eyes fell on the wall calendar.  The year, clearly 
stated in bold black numerals, was 1998.
"Ohmigod" was the only word that would come out of Scully's horrified 
mouth.  Mulder looked down at his partner in a look of confusion.
    "What?  Did I spill something on my tie?"  Mulder tried to snap Dana 
out of it, but she was clearly in a state of suspended animation. She 
didn't even breathe.  "Dana..." his voice trailed off.  "Dana, are you 
all right?"
    "You were right."  Dana walked past Mulder towards his desk and sat 
down in his chair.  Her legs just couldn't keep her upright anymore.  
    "What was I right about?  Usually you try your damnedest to convince 
me otherwise."  Mulder sat on the edge of his desk and looked at Scully.  
Clearly, he noticed, she was not her normal self this morning.
 "Yesterd.....that morning you told me that we were married and had a son.
  You weren't hung over.  I didn't believe you."  Scully stared at 
Mulder's desk calendar.  It read May 6 1998. "Any other day I would have 
thought that you were pulling some sort of joke, but after yesterday, or 
whatever day it was...."  Scully's mind drifted off into a million 
different directions.  Mulder sat up and pulled Scully out of his chair.  
She was still very weak in the knees, and she leaned into Mulder for 
support.  Mulder thought back to the morning, some three years ago, when 
he woke up in Scully's apartment and told her about his experiences.  At 
first he believed in himself, his observations.  But, as time went on he 
had convinced himself that he had been dreaming.  Besides the fact that 
he and Scully were now more, much more, than partners there was no 
evidence of his journeys, until
now.  "Dana....I don't know what to say.  When it happened to me, I 
thought it was the result of too many beers.  Now, now I don't know what 
to think." 
 Scully wrapped her arms around his waist, and she could hear his heart 
beating rapidly.  They stayed that way for what seemed like hours.  
Mulder's mind was filled with memories of his leaps of time.  Now he had 
Scully to deal with, and he was pretty sure that she would leap again.  
This scared him to the bone.  "What is the last thing you remember, hon?" 
 Mulder had experienced the
last three years with Scully, but she was not use to the pet names.  
"Mulder, don't call me 'hon'."  She backed away from him and started 
towards her desk, but to her surprise it wasn't there anymore. "Where's 
my desk?" Dana asked surprised. 
     "You transferred over a year ago.  You don't remember do you?"  
Mulder already knew her answer.  
     "The last thing I remember is kicking you out of my apartment.  Now 
we're married."  It was more of a question than a statement.  The ring on 
Mulder's finger was a sure sign of that.  She hadn't even noticed the 
slightly smaller identical ring on her own finger.
     "Wow, you really don't remember.  Dana," he stepped towards her and 
took her hands in his, "we've been married for exactly one year today"  
Mulder's look of concern disappeared as his usual lopsided grin took 
control of his face.  His hands moved to Dana's waist, and he pulled her 
into him.  "That's what your doing here, now.  We're going to lunch for 
our anniversary."
 Mulder's eyes smoldered as he bent his head to kiss her."
Whoa!  Wait a minute Mulder.  We may be married, but I missed the 
honeymoon remember?"  Dana had barely managed to slip out of Mulder's 
grasp, not that the thought of being lip locked with Mulder didn't 
intrigue her. 
"Look Dana, let's go home and call it a day.  We really need to talk.  
Maybe we can figure out what is happening.  I have a feeling that you 
won't be around long enough for us to figure it out, but we'll try anyway.
"Mulder took Dana's hand as she was about to protest and almost dragged 
her out of his office.
        Scully let Mulder lead her... she needed a minute to think.  As 
she walked behind her... husband, she noted that hardly anything had 
changed down in the basement realm.  She wondered what was different up 
top.  If she was only going to be here for a little while anyway, it 
hardly mattered yet... she had an insatiable curiosity over the changes 
that had occurred in the last three years.  "So where do I work now?" she 
asked.  
"Oh, you're head of Forensics." he said nonchalantly.   "When Old Iron 
Maiden retired, they appointed you."
"Really?" she asked, very pleased.  They were in the parking garage by 
now and weaving among the cars.  
"Oh yeah, you deserved it."  he answered, with a kiss on her cheek. "Here 
we go."
He unlocked the door of a sedately colored Taurus and she sat inside.  A 
moment later he was behind the wheel and they were off.  A not 
uncomfortable silence descended between them.  Scully kept snatching 
glances at her husband, then looking down at the ring on her finger.  It 
was lovely, red gold, engraved with vines and leaves.  They both jumped 
when a phone rang.  It was Scully's and she reached automatically into 
her purse for it.  
"Hello?" 
There was a moment of silence and Mulder risked looking over at her.  
Dana's eyes had grown very wide and her skin very pale.  Had something 
happened to her family... maybe her mother?
"Yes, thank you,  Doctor... yes, I'll make an appointment for next week." 
she said mechanically.  "Tuesday at 9 is fine.  Yes.  Thank you." With a 
small beep she disconnected and stared out the window for a minute.  
It was almost more than Mulder could stand.  "Dana!  What is it?  Which 
doctor?  Are you sick?"
Dana  looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide.  "That was my 
gynecologist. She wanted to tell me that the test had come back positive..
 I am pregnant."
"What!?!"
    Dana Scully sat in amazement.  It was bad enough that the past three 
years were a total blank to her, but now she was going to have her former 
partner's baby.  "Oh, God.  I think I'm going to throw up" Dana said as 
she started to roll down the window.  Mulder immediately pulled over to 
the side of the road.  "You're pregnant?"  Mulder's mind raced.  "Let me 
guess.  It'll be a boy.  Shit, I
bet we even name him Benny."  Mulder didn't know what else to say.
    "Mulder!" Dana was really pissed off.  Not only had she become a wife,
 but now she was going to be a mother.  "What are we going to do?  I 
can't have a baby now!"  Dana's face had become a deep shade of red, a 
reflection of her anger.
    "What do you mean you can't have a baby?  We didn't exactly *not* try 
to make one, you know."  Mulder looked over at his wife and took her hand 
in his.  "We talked about this a few months ago."
    "No *we* didn't talk about this."  Scully yanked her hand away from 
Mulder's.  "I wasn't even there when...anyway, I can't remember any of it.
  I'm going to go crazy if this keeps happening to me like it did to you. 
 I have to do something."  
    Mulder looked almost confused, but he knew that she was right.  "I 
know" he said.  "But first we're going home, and then we'll concentrate 
on what to do.  For all it's worth Dana, I don't think there's anything 
we can do about this.  It just happens.  You'll probably wake up in the 
morning and
be in labor or something a few months from now.  Who knows, maybe you'll 
even go back to our first-" he was cut off by Dana's scream.
      "SHUT UP MULDER!!!!"  Dana couldn't take it anymore.  Her head was 
spinning.  Her heart was pounding.  Her stomach was about to deposit it's 
contents into Mulder's lap.  She just wanted to go home, to 1995.
      Mulder restarted the car and headed home.  He felt impotent at 
Dana's situation.  There was nothing he could do.  Not only was he 
helpless, but there was nothing his wife could do to change her situation.

        
	Dana took two steps, turned smartly on her heel and took four steps in 
the opposite direction.  She saw her reflection in the bureau mirror and 
scowled, turning left and walking towards the window.  Two seconds later 
she was going back towards the bed to start the whole process over again. 
 It was the 68th time she had completed the circuit.  Mulder had been 
counting.  Sprawled on the bed in complete disregard of the condition of 
his suit, he had decided that there was a time to be comforting and there 
was a time to keep your mouth shut.  This, if ever there was, was a time 
to keep his mouth shut.  
Dana suddenly stopped abruptly, her hands on the polished wood of the 
bureau surface.  "We came in what could be considered traumatic points in 
our life--- highly stressful times that are very important." she told her 
reflection.  It nodded wisely at her, then slumped, sighing loudly.  "So
what does it mean?" she asked plaintively.
Mulder saw his opening and took it.  Gathering himself up gracefully he 
took her gently into his arms.  She was more precious to him than 
anything and to see her so distressed was hurtful.
"It'll be okay." he whispered.   
Dana, who had been on the verge of pushing him away, suddenly gave into 
the pressure of his arms and collapsed towards him with relief.  "Mulder..
 I just don't know what to do or think.  Why is this happening?"
"I don't know love, but if my experience is anything to go on, it won't 
last forever... you'll probably be back in your "normal" time in just a 
few days. And this will be just like a memory of a dream."
Dana turned her face away from his, tightening her arms around his waist. 
 She liked the feel of his arms around her, strong and supporting.  
Whatever this was, time warp, experiment gone wrong, psychological 
disorder, she hoped that this future was the one she lived in.
Mulder pulled back a little, then kissed Dana on the forehead.  "You 
hungry?"
"What?"
"We haven't had lunch yet, we haven't celebrated our anniversary. We 
haven't celebrated our "good news"," here, he patted her stomach. "and 
our reservations are being held.  So let's go, have some fun."
Dana considered for a moment, then smiled.  "Okay, let me comb my hair." 
She walked into the bathroom.  "I'll be just a minute." she said over her 
shoulder.
    Mulder saw the door close and heard the water start to run from the 
sink.  He was just about to walk to the bathroom door when the phone rang.
  "Hello?  Oh, hi Mom.  No, Dana's in the bathroom brushing her hair.  
Yep.  I'll get her.  Hold on a minute."  Mulder set the phone on the bed 
and walked over to the bathroom.  "Dana?  It's you mother.  She sound's 
sort of upset."  Scully opened the door and walked over to the phone.
   "Mom?  Yeah, we were just about to leave."  Dana's face turned into a 
look of concern.  "Sure, we'll be right there.  No, mom.  Don't worry 
about it.  Tell him we'll be there in about an hour.  Bye."  Dana hung up 
the phone and sat down on the edge of the bed.
   Mulder sat down next to her, shoulder to shoulder.  "What is it?" he 
said.
 "Did something happen one of your brothers or something?"  
   "My grandmother is in the hospital, and my grandpa is going hysterical.
   She wants the whole family there because she said there isn't much 
time..."  her voice trailed off, and she desperately tried to choke back 
her tears.
    Mulder opened his arms and wrapped them lovingly around his wife.  
She sobbed into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.  "Fox?"  
she wasn't sure if he would let her call him by that name.
    "Yeah.  I'm here for you.  Don't worry."  What else could he say?   
Nothing had been settled about their loss of time, and now they had and 
impending death along with a pregnancy to worry about.  Dana probably 
couldn't take much more of this.  
    "I'm scared.  For the first time in my life I have no control!   I'm 
going to have a breakdown if anything else happens today."  Her tears had 
all but ruined his tie which was probably a good thing anyway. 
    Inevitably the doorbell rang.  Mulder released Dana from his hug.  
"Why don't you go get washed up and we'll go.  I'll get the door."  Dana 
tried to smile but it came out as a sort of lopsided frown.  She walked 
back into the bathroom while Mulder walked down the hall to answer the 
door.
Dana splashed cold water on her face and took some deep breaths.  This 
was definitely in the running for weirdest day of her life.  She picked 
up the brush and began to run it through her hair.  She frowned, as she 
thought she saw something.  Her hair... it was gray.  She leaned forward, 
forcing herself to take deep breaths and looked closely.  It wasn't the 
lighting.  Her hair had definitely turned gray.  "Oh god, not again.." 
she whispered.
"Mom? You ready?  We're going to be late.  Dad's already in the car."
Dana looked up violently at the voice.  Mom?  They couldn't be talking 
about me, could they? she thought to herself.  "Oh god." she whispered 
like a prayer.  Gathering all the courage that she had developed over 
years as a FBI agent she turned and walked slowly out of the bathroom.
Standing in the doorway was a handsome young man who reminded her 
irresistibly of Fox, except somehow his eyes looked like her father's.  
The knowledge was like a blow.
"Benny." she said slowly.
The young man, Benny, grinned.  "That's me, you know, your son, the one 
who is graduating from high school today.  Are you ready?  They don't 
like it when the valedictorians are late." he said, gently taking her 
elbow and leading her downstairs.
It seemed the same house she had walked into this morning yet now a troop 
of family pictures marched along the wall downstairs.  Dana couldn't help 
but study them as they walked past...
Benny saw the look on his mother's face and nodded.  "Yeah, I know, time 
flies, huh?"
Dana looked over at her son and nodded.  More than he would ever know, 
she thought to herself.
She slid into the front seat of the car and looked over at Mulder, almost 
afraid to see what eighteen years had done to him.  


"Hon, you all right?" Fox asked.  She looked pale and her eyes seemed 
puzzled.  "I'm fine.  I was just remembering the day we found out I was 
pregnant." she said to him.
Fox started up the car and they pulled into the street.  Something was up 
with Dana, and he had a feeling it was more than Benny's graduation day.  
He thought back to that day, eighteen years ago and remembered.  "Shit." 
he whispered.  "It happened again, didn't it?" he asked, looking over at 
her.  She nodded, biting her lip.  "Mmm."
"What happened again?" Benny asked from the back seat.
"Uh..."
     Dana turned around and said "Nothing's happened, honey.  I was just 
remembering something that happened before you were born.  It was just a 
case of deja vu.  That's all."  Dana hoped that her son would buy it, but 
from the look on his face he just looked more confused.  Dana noticed 
that
when Benny was thinking his face held the same look of concentration as 
his father's.
    "Dad", Benny said "don't forget to pick up Christine at Daniell's 
house.  She was late home from school so she just stayed there.  I told 
her we'd get her on the way."  Benny forgot about what
his mom and dad were discussing and focused his thoughts on graduation 
and his last summer before going on to Yale in the fall.   
    Mulder looked towards Dana and she mouthed "Christine?".  Mulder just 
nodded and turned his attention towards the road.  
   "So Mom, what did you and Dad get me for graduation?  Or, do I have to 
wait?"  Benny knew that he was getting a trip to Europe, Fox had let him 
in on it a while ago, but he wanted to act surprised. 
   "You'll just have to wait, and if you ask me again I'm going to revoke 
your gift."  Fox took Dana's hand and squeezed it tightly.  She looked 
over at her husband of what now seemed like only a day, but no, it had 
been eighteen years.  
    Fox pulled up to Daniel's house and Benny ran in to get his sister.
Mulder took the opportunity to discuss Dana's newest leap.  "Dana, I 
thought that it had stopped.  I mean, it's been quite a few years, and I 
was hoping..." his voice trailed off.  Words were unusually hard to come 
by for Fox at this moment.
   "We have a daughter?" Dana asked.  "I swear that I'm going to have a 
mid-life crisis at thirty.  My hair is gray Fox!  We're old!  What the 
hell is going on?"
   "And another son.  Here they come.  We'll talk about this later."  
Mulder started the car as Benny and Christine climbed into the back of 
the car. 
   "Hey Mom and Dad.  Sorry about not getting home, but Daniell had a new 
VR she wanted to show me.  It was really cool."  Christine looked over at 
her brother and punched him in the arm.  "Brat, I can't believe you're 
graduating.  I still have to tough it out for four more years."
    "Oh yeah, Yale will be a piece of cake" Benny replied.  "Give me a 
break.   High school is nothing compared to college, right mom?"  Benny 
looked towards his mother, but heard nothing in response.
    "Dana?"  Fox asked.
    "Huh?  Oh, yeah.  Well I was in the science department for almost 
eight years so I'd have to agree with you on that one."  Fox still hadn't 
let go of Dana's hand, and now he squeezed it a little harder.
    "Dad, I'm going to spend the night at Alisha's if it's all right with 
you.   I'll just go home with her after the graduation."  Christine knew 
that her parents trusted her enough to let her make her own plans most of 
the time.
    "OK honey" Fox replied.  "It'll give your mom and me some time alone 
for once."  That got a response of giggles from the back seat. 
    "That's gross!" was all that Christine could say.  Benny just smiled 
to himself.
Dana walked slowly into the house, heartily glad that all offspring were 
otherwhere, Ben at his all night sober grad party and Christine at her 
friend's.  Wait a second, she thought, frowning.  Didn't Mulder say 
something about another son?  Mulder was watching her with a look she 
knew extremely well.  About six months into their partnership she had 
decided he was part mother hen and that the look was genetic.  She looked 
over at him.  "So, what about the other son?" she asked.  "Where was he 
for his brother's graduation?"  
Mulder's lips quirked and he looked down.  "Samuel is where he always is, 
Dana."  He paused for a moment, obviously hurting.  "I don't know how to 
tell you this."
"What is it?" Dana asked softly.  "Where is he?"
"At the Kingsford Nursing home.  A year ago he was in a car accident and 
his brain was damaged.  He doesn't remember us... he can hardly take care 
of himself."
"Oh god." Dana whispered, horrified at Mulder's words.  
Mulder came forward and took her hands.  "I was hoping I wouldn't have to 
tell you that." he said.  "This last year, you've had so much hurt.  I 
didn't want to see it in your eyes again."  He wrapped his arms around 
her and pulled her close, drawing as much comfort from the touch and she 
was.  
"Mulder, why does this happen?" she asked plaintively. "All the other 
times this leaping has happened, it's been to find out good things... or 
at least what our lives are like in the future.  Why did I have to find 
out that one of my sons is hurt and he'll never get better?  It isn't 
fair."  She swallowed hard and pushed back tears. 
Mulder chuckled, his eyes shining suspiciously.  "Life isn't fair." he 
whispered against her cheek.  Then his lips found hers and for a moment 
there wasn't anything they wanted to say.  
"Why don't we go upstairs?" he suggested.  "We'll be a little more 
comfortable up there."
"I don't know...." Dana said slowly.  "This is still new for me.  And as 
happy I am that my life has turned out like this.... I want to be there 
for the whole thing.  Will it ever end?"
Mulder sighed.  "It will end.  Did for me.  Why don't we go upstairs and 
I'll give you a backrub... I noticed that the bleachers were bothering 
you." 
Dana stretched and realized that her muscles were stiff.  "Okay... but no 
funny stuff." she warned with a smile.
The look that Mulder gave her bordered on angelic.
Mulder took Dana into their bedroom and sat her down on their bed "Take 
off your shirt."  Mulder's face was completely serious. 
"What?" Dana replied.  "I'm not taking off my shirt in front of you."
Mulder just laughed.  "Well, I already know what you look like.  We're 
married remember?"
 Mulder asked. 
 "NO WE ARE NOT MARRIED!!!" Dana shot him a look from Hell.  "I'm still 
living in 1995, and we are definitely not married."  She didn't mean to 
sound so angry, but her life was passing all to quickly before her eyes.
"Fine," Mulder replied a little taken back.  "I'll rub your back 
*through* your shirt.
About an hour later Dana was asleep next to Mulder.  He was happy that 
she finally was getting some rest since the day had been nothing but 
stressful.
Mulder covered them with a blanket and drifted off to sleep.  
"Mom!" Dana suprisingly woke up to 'mom' although to the best of her  
knowledge she was not anyone's mother, yet.
"Mom!?!  I'm leaving.  Can I have some money for the movie?"  In that 
place between sleep and wake Dana remembered Benny and got up to give him 
some money.
She opened her door to see a young man of about fifteen or so resembling 
Mulder in every aspect of his appearance.
"Mom?" Samuel asked.  "Are you feeling all right?"
"Samuel?" Dana replied.
"Yes?  Mom, I think you should go back to bed.  You don't look so good." 
Sam looked concerned for his mother.  She had a look of total confusion 
on her face.  He turned to go back downstairs to hit his dad up for money 
when Dana grabbed and pulled him into her arms.     "You're all right!" 
was all Dana could say.  She just kept her arms around her son.  
  "Mom, we're leaving now.  I need some money"  Samuel said. 
 "Where are you going?" Dana asked, and then she remembered that Mulder 
had told her that on the way to the show Samuel had been in an accident.  
He was practically a vegetable.
   "You know.  We're going to see that new movie about some alien or 
something.  Mike's waiting out front for me."
   "Tell him you can't go."  Dana was sure that her leap into this event 
was to stop her son from being hurt.  She was sure of it.  "Where's your 
father?" she asked.
   "Downstairs, and what do you mean I can't go!  You said last night-" 
he was cut off.
   "I don't care what I said last night!  You aren't going out!  Don't 
ask me why.  Just please trust me.  Tell Mike that you'll go another time." 
Dana was not going to let her son out of the house much less onto the 
highway.
   "Mom!" Samuel whined. 
   "Just do it!  Now!  And go get your father for me."
Samuel scrunched his face up in a horrific frown but stomped down the 
stairs without a word.  Dana followed him, her expression set and worried.
  She was sorry that her son was unhappy, but there was no way he was 
leaving today.  
Sam threw open the front door and walked a few steps out.  Dana could see 
another boy, approximately Sam's age, standing next to a car.  She saw 
Sam gesturing and the other boy nodding, shrugging, then getting into the 
car and driving off.  Sam stood at the curb for a long minute, then 
turned back up the walk.  He looked resentful, and Dana wondered if she'd 
done the right thing.  
He walked inside and shut the door with push just this side of a slam, 
then opened his mouth and yelled "Dad!  Mom wants to talk to you." 
Dana winced at the volume but folded her arms and leaned against the 
banister.  "I'm sorry about the movie, Sam.  You can go see it some other 
time."
"Sure." he answered, not meeting her gaze.  "I'd like to know why you 
wouldn't let me go... if you think I'm "old" enough to understand." 
Uh-oh.  Dana pursed her lips.  Now where had she heard that tone before?  
Oh yeah, when her older brother had been on the verge of leaving for 
college and her younger brother still stuck in junior high.  
"Of course you're old enough to understand." she answered him.  "But I 
don't know if I can explain why.  Sometimes, things happen and there 
doesn't seem to be a reason why they happen when they happen.  But later, 
it makes all the difference in the world."
"So, you're basically saying: I'm doing this for your own good?" Sam 
asked, finally looking at his mother.  His eyes still held resentment, 
though. 
Dana opened her mouth, paused, then nodded.  "Yeah, I am doing this for 
your own good.  I'm your mother.  If I didn't look out for your good, who 
would?"  she asked.  She swallowed hard over the lump in her throat.  God,
 she couldn't believe she was standing here having this conversation with 
her...son.  She was somebody's mom, three somebody's mom, and all three 
looked to her for mom-stuff.
"I would."  Mulder's voice said from the doorway.  "What's the problem?" 
he asked neutrally, looking from his wife to his son.  He and Dana had 
long ago come to the agreement that they would interfere in the other's 
discussions with offspring only if help was requested or it seemed the 
situation needed a united front.
"Mom won't let me go to a movie that she SAID I could go to yesterday.  I 
want to know why and all she'll say is that it's for my own good." Sam 
told his father.  "And it's not fair!" he added.  "Now the guys are going 
to think I'm a dork." 
Dana caught the ghost of a smile in Mulder's eyes, but his face never 
changed expression.  "Sam, I'm not even going to answer that because you 
know as well as I do life isn't fair.  If your mother has changed her 
mind about the movie, then she probably has a good reason for it."
"But... she said I could go!" Sam repeated.  He was fast losing ground 
and he knew it.  Usually all he had to do was smile and his mom would let 
him do pretty much what he wanted, within reason of course.  He suspected 
that it had something to do with his resemblance to his father... not 
that he would ever tell anyone that, of course.  
Dana walked forward, her arms out.  "Sam, I need to talk to your father 
for a minute, alone, okay?"
"Fine.  I'll go watch the stupid news on the stupid t.v." he answered, 
stomping into the family room.
"Dana, what's going on?" Mulder asked as their son left.  Her eyes were 
shiny with tears but she seemed on the verge of laughing hysterically.   
"Oh Mulder" she said softly.  "The time traveling happened again." she 
said.  "And this time I think I changed the time line."
"What?"
"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you... I don't know what the policy 
is about that kind of information."  She laughed a little.  "Oh god, 
Mulder... we have three kids.  Isn't that amazing?" 
Mulder hugged her, stroking her head.  "It's wonderful Dana.  I love you." 
he said.  He knew that this past Dana was going to leave soon and his 
Dana, the one he had lived and loved with for seventeen years would be 
back... but somehow there didn't seem to be much difference between the 
two.  Either way he loved her with all his heart.
Dana took a deep breath.  She knew that it was silly, that she hadn't had 
the same experiences he had had, and that this was all new to her.  But 
one thing begged to said.  "I love you too."
"Good."
Dana smiled.  "Do you think we should tell the kids?" she asked.  "About 
the time-traveling, I mean?"
Mulder raised an eyebrow.  "Sure.  Maybe it's genetic.  Dana, I think we 
should rest on it tonight.  We'll tell them tomorrow.   You should go 
back up to sleep."  Mulder moved closer to Dana and whispered "You look 
like I used to look like after I slept on the couch.  Go to bed, and I'll 
be upstairs in a few minutes."  He kissed her ear which sent shock waves 
through Dana.
    "OK.  Don't take forever down here," she said as she walked up the 
stairs.
    Mulder was upstairs a few minutes later to find his wife sleeping on 
her side of their bed.  "Maybe this will end tonight," he said to nobody. 
 Mulder took off his shoes, changed into a pair of sweats and climbed 
into bed next to Dana.  "I love you," he said as he drifted off to sleep.

        Dana awoke the next morning with sun pouring into her bedroom.  
Wait a minute, she thought.  Is this my bedroom?  She lay still for a few 
minutes afraid of what she'd find.  Finally, she rolled over expecting to 
find Mulder, but the bed was empty.  "God," she said.  "Please let him be 
on the couch, asleep."  She sat up, looking around the room.  Her heart 
lifted as she realized everything was normal... until she saw the wedding 
picture on the bedside table.  "Damn," she sighed, leaning back on the 
pillows.  "Guess I'm still in the future."
"What?" Mulder asked, walking in.  "How are you feeling?  I know how much 
you want to be at Sam's graduation but if you have that flu that's going 
around I don't think that you should leave the house.  It's laid out half 
the Bureau."
"I feel fine, Mulder.  Only problem is- wait a second, did you say Sam's 
graduation?  Sam is graduating from high school?" 
Mulder nodded, leaning over Dana and pressing his hand against her 
forehead. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.  Then he looked into her 
eyes and knew.  "You're from 1995, aren't you?"
She nodded slowly, miserably.  "Yeah I am."
Mulder took a deep breath.  "Well- a small update- Today is May 6 2022, 
and our son Samuel is about to graduate with honors from high school.  
You are- or were- getting sick and weren't sure if you were going to be 
able to come."
"Sam's graduating!  I changed history and saved him!" she said jubilantly.
 
"What?"
Dana smiled up at him.  "Doesn't matter.   I love you." 
He grinned.  "I love you too." He leaned close and she closed her eyes, 
expecting the touch of his lips on hers.  After a second, when nothing 
happened she opened her eyes and saw Mulder's face swing into focus. 
"Scully, are you feeling all right?  You passed out."
"What?"
"You fainted.  Are you all right?" Mulder asked, handing her a steaming 
cup of the stale tea they kept by the coffee maker.
"Sorry- I didn't think you'd want any coffee." 
"It's fine." Dana answered him, automatically taking a sip and trying to 
sort her fuzzy thoughts.
"It happened.. the time traveling.  We were married,  had three kids!" 
she said, as fragments of memories floated into her awareness, like 
drifting snowflakes.  And like the small bits of ice they melted away as 
soon as she tried to grab for them- she had only the impression of 
laughing eyes and
three young voices.  Yet somehow she knew she wouldn't have to wait that 
long to hear them again.
"What?  Are you talking about that crazy dream I had?" Mulder asked.  "I 
think you've been working too hard, Dana.  Maybe you should take some 
time off."
She smiled at him, suddenly sure of one thing.  "Maybe so.  Have you ever 
been to Disneyland?  I hear the Indiana Jones ride is wild." 
Puzzled, but certainly not dismayed by her behavior, Fox smiled back at 
her. Maybe there was something to dreams after all.  "No.  Is that an 
invitation?"
"Could be.  If you play your cards right." she answered over her shoulder.
 
"Come on, I'm starving.  Let's go get lunch."
                                     The End