Chapter 4: Deja Vu
1996
Saturday.
Scully stared out to the window of Mulder’s hospital room. There was nothing much to see except an empty street. Between the buildings in the distance, she could see that the sun was setting.
“Scully.” Mulder’s voice said huskily from behind her. She moved to his bedside.
“I’m here.” She told him. He looked up at her with half closed eyes. His head was heavily bandaged. Scully touched his temple gently.
“Where am I?” He asked.
“You’re still in the clinic. The operation was a success – the implant is out. You’re going to be fine now.” She reassured him. He smiled a lopsided smile at her. “You should go back to sleep.” She told him. “I’m wrapping up the loose ends of this case.” Looking down at him lying there, Scully thought back to the kiss she had shared with his future self. Such a sweet tender kiss which had confirmed her love for him. Maybe it *was* worth the risk. “I love you.” She told him quietly.
“What?” He asked, trying to lift his head. She eased him back down.
“I love you.” She repeated, smiling down at him.
“Love me?” He asked with a smile, already drifting back towards sleep. She nodded and his smile grew. “Love you too.” He whispered and fell asleep. Scully placed a gentle kiss on his temple.
XXXXXX*****
“Dr. Scully?” Fenegold asked from behind her as she left Mulder’s room at the clinic. Scully turned to face him. “How’s he doing?”
“He woke up for a few minutes.” She replied and Fenegold nodded.
“He’ll drift in and out for the next few days. Are you going home?” He asked.
“I’ll be staying at Mulder’s apartment for couple of days.” She told him.
XXXXXX*****
Monday.
Scully sat at Mulder’s desk in the basement. She had already made her report to Skinner – who was not at all happy. He wanted to know where Mulder was, but Scully had promised their ‘extra terrestrial’ helpers (she did not believe they really were E.B.E’s) that she would tell no one. She told him simply that Agent Mulder was being taken care of in a private hospital and that there would be no expenses claim for him to sign. Skinner had been appeased not at all, but had no choice but to accept it. Scully sighed when she remembered the scene. Dismissing it from her mind she picked up the last sheet of her report. The final paragraph stood out from the page.
‘The investigation into the deaths of Magdaline Szabi and Eric Fitzgerald has reached a dead end. No evidence has been found which sheds any light into the circumstances of their deaths. The case remains open and unexplained.’
She re-read the paragraph and was amazed by how easily lying seemed to come to her these days. She really should tell Mulder the truth about the test, about Fenegold’s time machine and about everything else. She gathered up the papers and put them back into the plain manila file. As she closed the file, a red hair became trapped in the folds. Scully quickly found the correct place for the file. With a last lingering look; she filed it and closed the drawer.
The file sat there in the dark interior of the cabinet. Waiting to fulfil it’s destiny – to repeat the cycle another time. Waiting for 29 years to pass so that it could be found and retrieved – as it already had been three times – but time and other forces were still against them.
XXXXXX
Katie knocked softly on the door of Mulder’s apartment. She’d gone to Scully’s apartment first but when she wasn’t there she’d come to the next logical place. After a few moments the door opened and Scully stepped out into the hall with her eyes wide.
“How’d you find me?” She asked.
“I went to your place but you weren’t there.” It was explanation enough.
“You’d better come in.” Scully said casually.
“How’s Mulder?” Katie asked. Scully frowned and Katie looked at her in concern.
“Major deja vu.” She commented, dismissing the odd feeling. “Haven’t we done this before?” She joked wryly. Katie smiled. “He’s much better.” Scully continued. “You know the people that helped us don’t you?”
“Yes I do.” Katie answered honestly. There was another knock at the door.
“Busy tonight.” Scully commented as she went to answer it. She’d had plenty of time to question the Mulder from the future’s reasons for warning her away from her apartment and she had no intention of repeating old mistakes in a new situation – even though she only half believed his theory. She peered cautiously through the peep-hole in the door – and saw Dr. Fenegold. She opened the door.
“What are you doing here?” She demanded as he stepped inside. He shut the door behind him.
“Is Katie here?” He demanded in return.
“Peter? What is it?” Katie asked as she walked into his arms. The couple exchanged a deep kiss. Scully turned her eyes away, but smiled at the scene.
“You’re in great danger.” Fenegold told Katie, at some length. “They’ve sent a man to kill you.”
“Why?” Scully demanded.
“Why would they do that?” Katie exclaimed.
“Who are ‘they’?” Scully asked, still receiving no answer. The couple were looking into each others eyes and did not seem to remember Scully’s presence.
“Because of what you are, love.” Fenegold said tenderly, as he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
“Then I should go to my superiors for protection.”
“No, come with me. The Group will protect you.”
“My superiors will too. Don’t forget that I’m their pet project.”
“That’s exactly why you’re in danger.”
Scully decided it was definitely time to make her presence felt.
“What’s going on?” She demanded loudly and the couple turned to face her.
“It’s not you concern.” Katie told her.
“While you’re in my time it’s my concern.” Scully insisted. “Why would they send someone to kill you?” Katie and Fenegold exchanged a look. Katie walked over to Scully.
“I’ve told you who my father is – I think it’s time that you knew who my mother is.” She told her. Scully had wondered – Katie was a blue eyed red-head – she’d allowed herself to believe that Katie might be her daughter. “You’re my mother.” She said, confirming this. Scully smiled but Katie’s expression was grim. “I don’t know all the details but I was born in October 1994 and I’m not what you think I am.”
“October ’94?” Scully questioned. Towards the end of the time when she’d been missing. Scully did some quick sums – Katie had to have been conceived at the time when ‘the test’ was carried out on Mulder. “You were born during my abduction.” Scully said out loud. Katie nodded her head.
“You and Mulder are my parents but my genes are not *just* yours.” Katie added, her lips twisting into a near snarl. “Ironic. I’m the alien-human hybrid that my father beliefs have led him to search for.”
“Great!” Scully exclaimed in disbelief. “In the last few weeks I’ve found out that I’ve slept with my partner, although he was under the influence of drugs at the time! I’ve spoken to several people claiming to be from the future! I’ve discovered that I’m in love! I’ve met a woman claiming to be an alien! I’ve found out that I have a daughter I didn’t know about and now I’m supposed to believe that *that* daughter is in fact an alien-human hybrid created in some weird experiment conducted on me without my knowledge!!!” Scully finished in near hysteria. Katie had opened her mouth to speak several times during the tirade but had not managed to interrupt the flow. Now that Scully had stopped she tried to calm her down.
“I know it sounds incredible, but it’s true.” She insisted.
“Dr. Scully,” Fenegold began. “The people who experimented on you were using highly sophisticated techniques developed in the future. They were exchanged as part of the deal which Katie told you about. Pieces of future technology in exchange for anonymity and free movement in *this* time.”
“Who made the deal?” Scully demanded – hoping to, at last, find out the truth of who abducted her and why.
“My superiors.” Katie informed her.
“Who are?”
“I can tell you.” Katie would not meet her eyes. Scully turned away from her in anger.
“That’s *just* great!” She spun back. “Why are you protecting them?”
“I’m not. You just wouldn’t understand.” Scully was not appeased.
“I don’t believe anything you’ve just told me. I don’t believe that you’re my daughter. I think you’ve just been lying to me *and* to Mulder.”
“She *is* you’re daughter.” Fenegold insisted. “My Group can give you proof.”
“And who is ‘your group’?” Scully asked.
“They call themselves ‘The Clones Network’ and they have helped you in the past. They own the clinic that Mulder is in right now, they saved *my* life as well as Mulder’s. They even saved the life of someone close to Mulder – a woman whom I’ve never met.” Scully’s brow creased in thought.
“A woman? Do you know her name?” Fenegold shook his head.
“I’ve never heard them say it.” He replied. Scully decided that it didn’t matter.
“You’ve said nothing to make me believe you.” Scully insisted, as a knock sounded at the door. The three of the exchanged looks of concern. Scully went to the door and spied through the peep-hole. She received a shock – it was AD Skinner. Opening the door was a reflex action. Skinner stepped inside.
“Where’s Agent Mulder?” He demanded, his eyes drifted around the room. Scully saw immediately that things were wrong – Skinner *knew* that Mulder was in hospital. Her alarmed expression was picked up by Fenegold, who was standing just out of sight of the door with Katie. Wordlessly he directed Katie to peer around the edge to look at the visitor. Katie’s eyes widened when she saw him.
“Mulder’s in hospital.” Scully replied – pretending that things were fine. “I’m just feeding his fish.” Katie was looking at her in blind panic and Scully remembered the man who had looked like Mulder but wasn’t Mulder. She struggled not to freeze, as she looked for where she had put her gun. Following Mulder’s warning – from the future – she’d decided to keep it near, so it was on the table by the door. She grabbed for it and pointed it at Skinner.
“Agent Scully?” He asked in apparent innocence.
“Stop there.” She ordered. “Up against the wall.”
“There had better be an explanation for this.” He warned, but did as she bid.
“Don’t shoot.” Katie said stepping out from behind the dividing wall. Skinner turned to look at her – his eyes widened. “I’m the one you’re here for.”