Title: Beyond the Grave 
Author: Y.H. Spooky San

Disclaimer : Not mine and never will be. It belongs to CC and his
FOXy gang.

Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate a young girl who rises from 
the dead.

Author's note: based on an idea by Jojo


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

1.

The preacher spoke with a soft and gentil voice, but it didn't relief
the pressure from George and Sarah Marshall. His eyes found theirs
regularly and somehow he tried to comfort them, but he couldn't. No
one could help them.

The coffin slowly slided into the grave. Sarah turned away, and hid
in her husband's arms. He carressed her hair, but couldn't help her.
He couldn't even help himself. They stood up, looking at the several
sadlooking faces all around them. The preacher came towards them,
gave them the roses lying on Hope's grave, and said, "She's in a
better place now." 

"Thank you," George heard himself say. "I appreciate your concern." 

They didn't go to the other moarning people around them, but simply
turned around and walked up to the car. George made sure his wife had
sat down before he closed the cardoor carefully. Then he walked
around the car, got in, and drove off, leaving the others to talk
about Hope's accident. As he looked around, he saw his wife lending
back against the leather seat, with her eyes closed.

"It's okay, honey," he said. "I'll take care of you. You'll be
fine." 

She didn't respond.

Not more than ten minutes later he stopped in front of their large,
white, villa in the hills of Englewood. As they got out the gates
behind them closed automatically. The door went open. Marie, their
frenchspeaking servant, opened the door for them. He nodded towards
her, and said, "You may go, Marie. My wife and I would like to be
alone." 

"Oui, monsieur," she responded. Relieved she could escape the cold
and silent house, she grabbed her coat, stepped into her small black
car, and left the mansion. George closed up every door, and brought
his wife upstairs. There, in their bedroom, he took off her coat and
shoes, and lay her gently on the bed. She closed her eyes as he lay a
blanket over her shivering body. He wanted to leave her alone, but
she grabbed his hand, saying, "Don't leave me, George. Please, don't
leave me alone." 

"I won't,' he responded. "I'll take care of you." He sat down at the
side of the bed, held her hand and waited patiently until she finally
fell asleep. Then he let go, closed up the curtains, and walked
downstairs. In the livingroom he pore himself a drink, sat down and
grabbed Hope's f ramed picture from the table. He remembered every
single detail of the accident, eventhough he didn't want to. He would
have to learn to live with it for the rest of his life. But he
couldn't.

Jackson waited patiently until the last grieving visitors had left the
cemetary, 0nd until the preacher had said, "Close it up, Jackson.",
before he took a shuffle and started filling the grave. Dark clouds
gathered nearby. He knew there was a storm coming real soon, and he
didn't want to get himself wet. He worked hard. Somewhere halfway
through it started to rain. First it were just a few drops, then it
became a real storm. "Damn!" Jackson said, staring at his drenched
clothes. He just wanted to enjoy a nice cup of coffee. And yeah, why
not? It could wait. The girl wasn't going anywhere.

Jackson dropped his shuffle, and ran towards the shack, where warm
coffee was waiting for him. He slammed the door behind him, took off
his wet coat and crawled up near the fire. Damn, why did this always
have to happen to him? It was already late, and he wanted to go
home, to his wife. But he couldn't leave the grave open. The
preacher would be mad as hell.

He stood up, looked outside and noticed that it was still raining. He
sighed, put on his wet coat again, and opened the door. No time like
the present, the preacher would say. Finish up what you can do now,
so you won't have to think about it tomorrow.

Jackson sighed again, as he grabbed his shuffle and started closing up
the grave.

Suddenly an extremely large, bright light surrounded him. He looked
up, staring at the endless sky. The light was all around him, blinded
him. He lay down the shuffle, and backed away from the grave. He
couldn't see straight. What the hell was going on here? He heard a
humming sound - it became loud as he turned around and started to run.
The next moment he fell down, while his back burnt like hell. His
hand crawled to his back, but he didn't know what hit him. He turned
around, lay on his back, and stared to the sky. The light was all
around the open grave. He saw something. The coffin. It opened. He
saw a body crawling out of its grave. He saw the girl's face. Her
eyes were opened, but they were dead. She just stood there, while the
light surrounded her, and came inside of her. She was picked up by
it, let herself float through the sky. Jackson heard noise like
lightning. As the girl was put down again, while light seemed to
shine from her body, he died.

The world turned back to its normal self. The only witnesses of the
facts, were a corps and an opened grave.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

George Marshall found himself drinking his sixth glass. His mind
turned away in a rush. He was tired. How could he live with the fact
he killed his own daughter? He got up, and walked up to the bar.
Night had fallen, and he wanted to forget. Then his eyes found
something outside. He shivered. There was something out there. He
walked to the window, pushed away the curtains, and saw a shadow in
the light of the full moon. The glass dropped out of his hand. He
heard himself say, "No. No. No!" The pain hammered in his head.
He had to get out of here. His mind was playing tricks on him. He
saw her. His daughter. She was standing right outside, looking at
him. Her ghost had come back to haunt him, to punish him for killing
her.

"No ...!!!" His cry was heard upstairs. Sarah reached up, and heard
it. She walked down, just in time to see her husband almost getting a
heartattack.

"George?" she said. "George, what is it?" 

He pointed towards the terrasdoor. She looked up, and saw it. Her.
She held in her breath. Then it slipped out of her in one long, deep
breath. No, this couldn't be happening. This was a dream - nothing
more than a bad, bad dream!

But there she was. Their little girl. Their 12 year old daughter.
She stood there, looking at them, saying, "Mom? Dad? Why are you
looking at me like that? It's me, Hope. Mom? Dad?" 

The girl came further inside. George saw her strange, dark eyes. Her
voice sounded strange - mature and childish at the same time. Weird.

"Mom? Dad? Mom, it's me. Don't look at me like that. Why are you
looking at me like that?" 

The girl stood in the middle of the room, looking at her parents.
George crawled up. In his desparate urge to believe, he stretched out
his arms, and she threw herself against him. He felt her warm body
against his, carressed her hair, and heard her say, "It's okay, daddy.
I'm back. I'm not going anywhere anymore. I'm home. I'll never
leave you again." 

George's eyes found his wife's. She cried as Hope turned towards her
and begged, "Mom, hold me. I don't know what happened to me, mom.
Mom ...?" 

Sarah couldn't resist her daughters cry. She couldn't resist those
eyes.

"It's okay, honey," she said. "We'll take care of you. I promise
we'll take care of you. You will never be hurt again." 

Hope smiled.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

2.

Scully put on gloves before she touched the coffin. The wood smelled
burnt.

"So, Mulder," she said while getting up. "What do you think? Is
Donnie Pfaster back to his old tricks?" 

"No," Mulder responded. "I took the liberty of checking on him when
detective Ross told me about this grave. He's got nothing to do with
it. I don't think we have a fetisjist here, Scully. They don't take
the body, just the reliks." 

"Then what do you think?" 

"I don't know." 

Scully reached up, and saw her partner bent over and touch the burnt
grass around the grave. Then he walked over to Jackson Bates' dead
body, and examined it carefully. Several police-officers were
standing around them, talking to each other, discussing what could
have happened here. Nobody had an answer.

"Look at this, Scully." 

She came closer and saw hem touch Jackson's back.

"He's been struck, but not by lightning. This heat was too intense
even for lightning. His body stiffened after a few minutes, you said,
right? So, what if he was touched by aliens?" 

"What?" Scully said surprised. "Aliens? Why would they come here
? What would they do with the body of a dead girl?" 

"I don't know. But the intense heat, the burnt marks - it fits the
profile. It had to be aliens. Who else you know can bring back
people to life?" 

"I know one person," she said. "But He died 2000 years ago. But
claiming this was the work of aliens ... Mulder, it's without any
proove, any notifications." 

"Right. Let's go, Scully." 

"Where to?" 

"Her parent's house. Don't you find it odd that they haven't even
been here to check out what has been happening? Ross said he called
them an hour ago." 

'How did they react?" 

"Weird, according to Ross. Like they expected it." 

"And Ross didn't bring them in for questioning?" Scully asked.
"Didn't it occur to him that they might have taken the girl's body?
Feelings of guilt and grief can twist someone's mind." 

"So your theory is that they took her body home?" 

"It has happened before." 

"Alright." Mulder stepped into the car, and opened the door for her.
"We'll soon find out, won't we?" 


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

George saw them coming via the camera put on top of the wall, but
didn't open the gate. Instead he said to his wife, "Get the girl out
of sight and then come back." 

Sarah nodded her head, and brought their daughter upstairs. Hope
didn't object when Sarah pushed her up the stairs leading to the small
and dark attic. She didn't feel scared, didn't cry when she ended up
in darkness. She just waited, like they told her to wait.

Mulder waited patiently for about two seconds near the intercom, but
no one responded. He stepped out, walked up to the fence and turned
towards Scully who said, "They're probably not here." 

"Oh yes, they are. Just look at those windows. There are lights
burning." 

Scully followed his pointed finger, and took a look at the rest of the
windows. Upstairs she saw curtains moving. They were watching them.
Impatiently Mulder pressed the intercombutton again. A voice said, 
"Yes?" 

"We're with the FBI, sir. We would like to ask you some questions." 

The iron gate turned open. Mulder and Scully got back in the car, and
drove further. The gate closed immediately after them. Scully
watched it, and said, "Looks just like a prison. What a life that
girl must have had." 

"Ross said they were very protective about her. She was their only
child. Her death must have been quite a blow to them." 

"Losing a child always is terrible," Scully said, remembering
previous cases.

The frontdoor opened. A young, thirty-five year old man looked at
them without saying a word.

"Mr. Marshall," Mulder said. "We're with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. This is agent Scully, I am agent Mulder. We would
like to ask you some questions concerning what happened to your
daughter's grave last night." 

"I haven't got much time," George responded. "My wife and I were just
about to leave." 

"To the cemetary?" Scully asked.

"No, we eh - we decided to go on a trip to forget what had happened." 

"Doesn't it concern you, sir, that your daughters body is gone?" 

"She'll turn up again," George said coldly. "Now, was that all, miss?" 


"May we search your house, sir?" Mulder said.

"Have you got a warrant?" 

"No, but it won't take long to get one." 

"As long as you don't have one, you're not getting into this house," 
George replied. "No, excuse me. We don't have much time." 

The door slammed in their faces. Mulder turned towards Scully and
said, "The girl is here, Scully. In the house. They're hiding her
body. You were absolutely right." 

"But why?" 

"Grief. Pain. Who knows? Come on, let's go." Mulder turned around
towards the car, got in, and waited for her to step in next to him.
The gate went open again. Mulder left the street, but then stopped
and parked the car.

"What are you doing?" Scully asked. "I have never seen you quite so
soon." 

"I'm not quiting," he smiled. "I'm waiting." 

"They'll see you." 

"No, we'll see them." 

"If they leave." 

"They can't stay in the house forever, can they? And this is the
only way out. That street is a dead end so ... Just relax, Scully.
We could be in for a long wait here." 

"And what if we're wrong?" 

"We're not wrong." 

 Scully sighed. She hated to wait. But fortunately, this time they
were lucky. Within ten minutes, a car left the street.

"What the hell ...?" Mulder said as they saw three figures in the
car. The car passed them. Automatically the FBI-agents bent over so
they wouldn't be spotted. Then, as Mulder looked back up, he saw a
girl at the backseat. A girl with long, black hair.

"Scully, what did Hope Marshall look like? Have you got a picture?" 

"Yeah, right here." 

She opened the file, gave it to him, and said, "Why? What's wrong?" 

Mulder gave her back the picture, started the engine, and left the
parkingspace. He stayed behind the grey Sedan the Marshall's were
driving. Soon the Marshall's left the hills and took a route which
would lead them straight out of the city.

"Where are they going?" Scully said looking at a map. "Silverton?" 

"Probably. Or some godforgotten town." 

"But why?" 

"Look at that figure in the backseat, Scully. It's her. It's Hope." 

"That's impossible, Mulder! She's dead." 

"Who signed the death certificate?" 

"Some doctor at Memorial Hospital. But there was no doubt about her
death. This has to be someone else. A twin - a double." 

"And what if it isn't?" 

Scully looked at her partner with unbelieve. "Mulder, you don't
really think she raise from the dead, do you? Remember what I told
you about one man who can bring them back?" 

"We have encountered it before, right?" 

"What could be so special about this girl that she would be granted
life again?" 

"Let's find out." 

Mulder pushed in the gaspedal, took another lane until they drove next
to the Marshalls, and got their attention. "Move over!" 

George Marshall bit his lip, turned to his wife, and said, "What
should I do?" 

"Drive faster," Sarah said, looking at their daughter sitting behind
them. "Ignore them. They are not taking Hope away from us again." 

"No ..." George slowed down, and left the busy Route, taking the
first secondary route they encountered. He stopped, and waited
patiently until the FBI-agents came to take away his daughter. Mulder
was the first one at the car. He took George's side, opened the door,
and said, "Get out, sir." Scully opened the backdoor, and said to the
girl, "Please, step out of the car." Hope obeyed instantly. Filled
with surprise Scully stared at her, remembering the picture. This was
Hope, without a doubt.

Mulder said, "What is going on, sir? Your daughter ... This is Hope,
isn't it?" 

"Yes." 

He turned towards the girl standing quiet against the car. "Hope, do
you remember what happened?" 

"I died and came back. I don't know anything more." 

George looked up. "You are not taking our daughter. She belongs with
us." 

"No one is going to take your daughter, sir," Scully said. "But we
have to determine what happened to her. So she's going to the
hospital with us to be examined. You can come too if you like." 

"You're not taking her away," Sarah said again. "She's ours." 

"Alright," Mulder said. "Scully why don't you join Mr. Marshall in
his car. Follow us. Mrs. Marshall, would you like to drive with us
?" 

"Yes, agent Mulder." 

Mulder opened the cardoor. Hope looked at it and said, "I want to sit
in front." 

"Alright," Mulder said. "Mrs. Marshall ...?" 

Sarah stepped in without a word, and watched her daughter get in next
to Mulder. "Don't forget your seatbelt,' Mulder said. Hope obayed
silently.

George Marshall got in his own car, and waited until Scully had taken
place before starting the engine. George waited until Mulder drove
off, before following them. Scully watched him, and then said, "Can
you tell me what has been happening, sir?" 

"I don't know," he responded. "I only knew we got our daughter back.
I don't care how it was done, or who did it. I killed her, and now
she's back." 

"And what if she isn't your daughter?" 

"She IS Hope!" George yelled. "How can you say she's not?" 

"It has happened before." 

"How do you mean?" 

"Never mind." 

"What is going to happen in the hospital?" 

"She's going to be examined. It could be possible the doctors made a
mistake, but I don't see how that was possible. Somebody should have
seen she was burried alive." 

"So ...?" 

"A blood- and DNA-test will tell us more." 

"Good," George said. "That will clear this once and for all." 

"And then there still is the matter of the gravedigger, being found
dead at the cemetary. Hope is the only witness. If she knows who
killed him, she must tell us, or she could be charged herself." 

"Hope? She's just a kid!" 

"Let's just wait until we get to the hospital, sir," Scully said
friendly.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mulder watched the mirror. Mrs. Marshall lent back, and looked
outside, silently and with pain in her eyes. After a few minutes she
seemed to fall asleep. Hope looked back, and then looked at Mulder.
"She's sleeping. That's good." 

Mulder looked aside, and said, "What is going on, Hope? Who are you?" 

She smiled. "I am who I am." 

"And who are you?" 

"I am Hope Marshall, born ..." 

"No, who are you really? You're not human, are you?" 

For a second her eyes filled with surprise. Then she lent back,
smiled mysteriously, and said, "So, what do you think I am, agent
Mulder?" 

"I saw what happened at the cemetary. The burnt traces, the dead
body. The way you got out of the grave. The way Hope Marshall's body
got out of the grave. But you are not Hope, are you?" 

"Take Route 11, agent Mulder. It'll take you straight into town, past
the river and the woods." 

Mulder watched the other car in the rearview mirror. Scully and
George Marshall were following at close range.

"Were you planning on leaving Englewood for good?" 

"Yeah. I asked them to. They had to abandon everything in order to
keep me." 

"Why? What are you afraid of?" 

"They left me here, just like many others. I have a mission, but I
don't want to accomplish it." 

"What is your mission?" 

"To infiltrate in human life. To become one of them. We use dead
human bodies. We use children's bodies. Their parents are weak and
vulnerable. They need their children. So we give them back what they
desire." 

"What are you?" 

"We are not human. You call us alien, but in our world they would
call you alien." 

"Why take over our world?" 

She laughed. "We're not planning to take over anything. We just need
a new chance to survice, and in order to do so, we study you, and your
ways. And what better way than to be amongst you?" 

"You said you didn't want to complete your duties. What did you mean
by that?" 

Her mouth, carrying a strange, mysterious smile, changed. She said
, "I have only one year to stay here, but I want more. That's why they
are on the run. They know. I told them. And we have to keep on
running for the rest of our lives, eventhough it's probably useless." 

"Will they find you?" 

"Perhaps they already have." 

Mulder slowed down. "Then let us protect you." 

She laughed. "How can you? Why would you? I am not human. I
would be a testsubject for your world. They would fear me." 

"No one has to know." 

"Don't you understand, Mulder? It's useless! Even this - this
driving to a hospital to check me out. I have Hope's body but her
mind is dead. I'm lost before anyone can save me.' Her head turned
around, looking at her sleeping fosterparent. She said, "I like this
woman. She has been nice to me. And I like her husband - Hope's
father. They knew I wasn't theirs anymore, but still they took care
of me. I don't want them to get hurt. And yet I need them, because a
human child can not survive on its own. I told them I loved them, and
they were happy. They finally had a way of forgetting their fear and
guilt." 

"So you do experience our feelings, do you?" 

"Yes. Every second counts. Every second is like ten human years for
me." 

"And there will be many more," Mulder said convinced. She smiled.

They passed a sign. Silverton, ten miles. The woods surrounded them
now. They made the day look like night. It was peaceful here. The
radio wasn't playing, and Hope had silenced. Then, for some unknown
reason, the car started to shake. Mulder felt the steeringwheel slip
out of his hands. It had taken over control. The car drove off the
right side of the road, across the street, towards a large ditch.

Scully watched it from the other car, but couldn't believe what she
saw. The car seemed to be struck by lightning, but it wasn't like
anything she'd ever encountered before. The car lost every bit of
control, tumbled once, got back on its wheels, and ended up inside the
ditch. George stopped the car, and saw Scully open the door, even
before he had the chance to turn off the engine. He ran after her to
the other car. Suddenly she stopped, staring at the light surrounding
the car. She saw Hope's body being lifted out of the vehicle,
floating in the sky, while the light was sucking life out of her.
George screamed, "No!" but there was nothing he could do. As he ran
forward, the light vanished. Hope Marshall's body fell on the ground,
dead as she had been dead before. He saw it and knew he had lost her
again. He heard a sound. One of the carwheels was turning and
turning. Sarah! He opened the backdoor, and found her, staring dazed
at the frontseat where her daughter had sat a few seconds before. He
pulled her out, embrassed her, and said, "It's over. She's gone
again." Sarah cried.

"Mulder. Mulder!" Scully pulled the cardoor open and found her
partner lending back. His eyes were closed. "Mulder ...?" She
touched him by the shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
She smiled in her relief. "I thought you were dead." 

"Did you see it?" 

"Yes, I did. Mulder, what the hell happened?" 

"She's gone. They took her again." 

"Who?" 

"The ones who brought her here. She was too dangerous. She was a
fighter, and they couldn't handle that. So she had to be returned.
But she didn't want them to hurt anyone anymore. She begged them to
keep us alive, and they did." 

"Mulder, I don't understand what you are saying. What did that girl
tell you?" 

Mulder stepped out of the car, helped by his partner. He was shaken,
but fine. He saw George and Sarah near their daughters body, took
Scully by the arm, and said, "It's a long story, Scully. A long, long
story." 

George helped his wife up, and took her away from Hope's body. The
few hours they had together, had been like a god's gift. That's all
that mattered.

The End