Chapter 2: Wrong Turns
1996
Friday.
“Okay, what if the future is never set.” The Mulder from the future began excitedly. Scully stared up at him, his enthusiasm was bordering on manic. “It’s a moving thing and all our actions – moment by moment – affect it. Not just something dramatic like Fenegold and his time machine but everything.”
“That would make it dangerous if someone knew what the future was like at a particular moment – they could find out at which moment would be best to change it for their own ends.” Scully replied thoughtfully as she let her eyes slide to the floor. ‘We predict the future’, the man at Bill Mulder’s funeral had said. What would happen if they could? <What if they already can?>
“You’re right but you’re thinking too big.” Her eyes locked with his again. “I’m talking about you and me.” He sighed and shook his head regretfully. “I can’t tell you what’s in store for you in *this* future Scully. I – the me in that room,” He pointed. “told you that I loved you. I don’t know how much more I would need to say to make the future turn out different. I can only say that I love you more than anything else. More than the X-Files – more than *everything*. Promise me that you’ll tell me the truth about everything, that you’ll hold nothing back. Not even out of a misplaced idea of protecting me or anything.”
“You’ve really helped Mulder. I’m more confused than ever.” She joked wryly – but his words had really affected her. She had lied to him and kept many things from him. <Could those things really have an adverse effect on the future?> If they could, would it really be possible to change them? She didn’t believe that, things didn’t happen that way.
“Just promise me.” He insisted – his plea was a choked with desperation. Scully felt her heart twist in her chest. She didn’t believe, but she promised anyway.
“I promise.” His smile showed great relief.
“Okay then…” An incessant beeping from his watch cut him off. He shut off the alarm. “Time’s up.” He told her. Scully stood up and walked over to him. He looked down at her curiously. She had to stand on tiptoe, but she reached up and kissed his cheek. <I love you> she thought, but she didn’t say it.
“See you in the future.” She whispered close to his ear.
“I love you Dana.” He whispered back with a catch in his voice. He placed his hand under her chin and brought her face up to his. Their lips met in a kiss of exquisite tenderness. They both stepped back slowly and the bright light of the gate came on. Scully looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. She loved him but she didn’t believe his theory of time. She smiled regretfully and turned away from him. She bowed her head and screwed up her eyes – she did not want to see him walk into the light. The blinding light disappeared and she was alone in the corridor again.
XXXXXX*****
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.” She swallowed with difficulty. What harm would it do to give Mulder’s (the Mulder from the future’s) theory a try. “Mulder, when you’re feeling better – I have some things I need to tell you.”
“What?” He asked, trying to lift his head. She eased him back down.
“It’ll wait.” She smiled lovingly down at him and a question formed in his eyes. “I love you.” She told him on impulse.
“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*****
Monday.
Scully sat at Mulder’s desk in the basement. She had already made her report to Skinner – who was not at all happy. 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 had promised the Mulder from the future that she would not lie to him, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t lie to everyone 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 – waiting to repeat the cycle. Waiting for 29 years to pass so that it could be found and retrieved – as it already had twice – but the hand which had put it away would still never touch it again.
XXXXXX****
Katie knocked softly on the door of Scully’s apartment. It seemed an age before the door was opened. There stood Scully – dressed in navy sweats with her hair tied back into a messy pony tail. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. She stepped back from the door.
“You’d better come in.” She said casually.
“How’s Mulder?” Katie asked.
“Haven’t we done this before?” Scully joked wryly, unaware of how right *and* how wrong she was. Katie smiled. “He’s much better.” Scully continued. “You know the people that helped us don’t you?”
“Yes I do.” Katie answered honestly.
“They have Fenegold.” Scully said quietly. Katie nodded in response. “You haven’t been in contact with him?”
“No. I think it’s best that I’m not. It would risk his life and it would blow my cover.”
“You love him.” Scully stated.
“Yes. It’s going to be hell without him, but we’ll both be alive.” She smiled at Scully. “As long as I know that he’s safe – then I can live without him.” Katie shook herself to clear the negative thoughts. “How did we get so side-tracked?” She asked. “I came here to tell you that the water transport project has been closed down. All operatives have been called back to 2025 – I’m leaving in a few hours.”
“Why is it being closed?”
“I don’t know.” She replied. “They just issued orders to close it down.”
“That’s strange.” Scully said, creasing her brow in thought. Katie just shrugged.
“I’d better go.” She replied. “They’ll start wondering where I’ve gone.” She turned to leave, but changed her mind and turned back. “Oh yeah. Keep an eye out for Krycek.”
“Why?” Scully asked, her brow creasing in confusion.
“Let’s just say that he has quite an interesting future ahead of him.” She answered and was nearly at the door when Scully called out to her, with the question that had been bugging her.
“Katie. I know that Mulder’s your father, but who’s your mother?” Katie looked at Scully with suddenly sad eyes and Scully wondered what she had said to cause the look of pain.
“I never knew my mother.” Katie answered, turning her eyes away from Scully. “She died when I was little.” Scully swallowed with regret at ever asking the question. She had hoped that *she* was Katie’s mother – after all Katie was a blue eyed red-head – then she’d share something very special with Mulder. Then the thought hit her like a train – maybe she *was* Katie’s mother. <*I* die> She thought frantically.
Katie looked up at the woman who was her mother. She saw the exact moment that Scully realised the possibility. <Damn. What do I do now?> She had been fascinated by Scully from the moment they’d met. This woman was the mother she had never known. She knew that they had met but she had been too young at the time to remember her. A million times she had wanted to tell her the truth and a million times she had bitten her lip. Scully had to find out the truth in the correct manner – in the way which had already happened. Katie was a bright girl – an unusually bright and gifted girl – but the concept of time travel and paradoxes played havoc with her mind. She did not see that things had changed around her – that she had changed – and that the correct manner in the future was different now to what it had been the day before. <What do I tell her?> Katie thought desperately <I can’t tell her what I am. I haven’t even told Dad what they did to me>
“Scully?” Katie asked, snapping through Scully’s reverie. Scully was still shell-shocked by the potential knowledge of her own death.
She looked up to see Katie sitting down opposite her. “I can see what you’re thinking.” She told her. “I don’t know what to tell you.” Her eyes shone with tears.
“Am *I* your mother?” Scully asked with unnatural calm. Their eyes met.
“Yes.” Katie said quietly.
“And I die when you’re young?” The unnatural calm stayed intact. Katie eyed her with concern.
“Yes.” She replied. “But I can’t tell you anymore. It wouldn’t be right to.”
“When do I die?” There was no emotion in the words.
“I can’t tell you.” Katie’s tears spilled onto her cheeks. “Please don’t ask me to.”
“You’re in your late twenties aren’t you?” Scully’s voice stayed flat and scientifically cold. “That must mean it’s pretty soon.”
“I can’t tell you.” Katie repeated through her tears.
“When were you born?” Scully asked flatly. Katie just shook her head. Scully’s calm cracked spectacularly. She jumped to her feet and grabbed the other woman roughly by the shoulders. She began to shake her violently. “When were you born?” She demanded again and again. Katie refused to tell her at first but she finally gave in and screamed it back at her.
“1994.” Scully let go of her in shock and Katie collapsed onto the couch. “October 18 1994.” She repeated.
“That’s impossible!” Scully said quietly, her eyes flicked around the room. “I was…that was when…during…”
“During your abduction.” Katie finished for her. “You don’t remember having been pregnant – but you were and Mulder was the father.” Scully sat down heavily and stared at her.
“But how… Mulder and I haven’t…” Then Scully remembered the videotape and the test – February 1994. “My God! I didn’t know…” Her eyes locked with Katie’s. “I didn’t know. I have a daughter!”
“I’ve said too much.” Katie said, hanging her head.
“No!” Scully exclaimed. “I needed to know.”
“And you would have, but not this way.”
“Where were you? They took you – but where?”
“I don’t remember.” Katie said shaking her head. “Dad told me that I met you, but I don’t remember it and he didn’t say much about it.”
<‘Dad’ – Mulder> Scully’s mind was racing. “I have to go.” Katie told her.
“No.” Scully said instinctively and Katie smiled.
“I feel the same way.” Katie replied and Scully heard Mulder in their daughter’s voice. “But I have to go.” She stood up and moved to the door. The thought of Mulder had triggered another memory – ‘What if the future is a moving thing…and all our actions – moment by moment – affect it.’ Scully smiled and stopped Katie before she reached the door.
“Your father’s a smart man.” She told her. “Most of his theories are total crap,” The woman shared a smile. “but if he’s right about the nature of time then things don’t have to be the way they are. I’ll make it better.” She told her with sincerity and they embraced.
Katie opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. She turned back to Scully and the women shared a loving smile. They hugged again.
“Katherine.” A low voice said from behind Katie and she turned out of Scully’s embrace to look. She gasped.
“No!” She said as she was grabbed. Scully flew at the man who had grabbed her daughter but he flung her away from him with unnatural strength. She hit the wall up high and slid into a heap at the bottom. As her focus returned she saw the man clearly and felt a wave of fear hit her. It was the assassin who had killed the Gregors. Scully stood up and ran into her apartment while the man was busy with Katie.
Unseen by Scully the man withdrew what looked like a pen knife but with a sharp point instead of a blade. He pulled Katie forwards by her hair and exposed the base of her neck. She struggled violently against him but he plunged the point in deep. Green fluid sprang up from the wound.
Scully emerged from the apartment, with her gun aimed ahead of her, just in time to see Katie’s lifeless body fall to the floor. She fired in anger at her daughter’s murderer – three shots at point blank range into the man’s chest. Green fluid sprang from the holes but the man just stood there unhurt. The wave of pain hit Scully and her hands flew to her eyes. Scully remembered too late Mulder’s insistence that he had contracted that retro-virus in the arctic by shooting at the assassin. She died minutes later in extreme pain.