Title: It's A Wonderful File Author: Erin Ashby Rating: PG Classification: SRAH Spoilers: Just about everything Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance Summary: Scully contemplates suicide and is met by a guardian angel discovering the world as if she'd never been born....sound familiar? Well, it does have some twists...Did I say Angel? Well, it's close anyway....read on. :-D ************************************** It was Christmas Eve. Walter Skinner stared out his window into the depths of Washington DC lights and the rain. He was thinking about one of his agents. One who was in trouble, not physical but trouble but that which was harder to treat. Trouble of the heart. He whispered a prayer to a God he only tentativley believed in. Agent Pendrull stared at his bunson burner, contemplating Agent Dana Scully. He had had a crush on her for so long but had come to respect her more and more. She had come to his lab the other day on business but she didn't seem to really be THERE. She was distant. Her face was dark with emotions and he was worried about her. He had been raised Methodist and he still attended church now and then, "Dear God, I don't know what's going on with Dana but please...if you could help her God...just don't let anything bad happen to her okay God? She's had enough..." Bill Scully and his wife had been discussing his sister. Ever since she had found out about her daughter and then so suddenly lost her she had been far away from everyone and they were worried. Bill's wife prayed and so did he, for his sister, for her heart and her soul. Margaret Scully pulled the blankets closer up to her chin gazing into the darkness of the night. Her daughter worried her. She had wanted to talk to Dana, to comfort her now that they shared a new kind of bond. They had both lost daughters. Though Dana had not known hers until a little while before she had died it didn't matter. Emily had still been a daughter. "Our father...who art in heavan..." Fox Mulder stared blankly at the television screen picking a sunflower seed out of his teeth. He wasn't thinking about the baboons who were currently screeching at eachother in excitment on PBS. He was thinking about his partner, his best friend and so much more. She was drifting away from him...again. And he couldn't stand to lose her. He refused to. He couldn't lose her like he had almost lost her so many times. He wouldn't allow it. Though Fox Mulder had never really gone for faith in God the way Scully seemed to he had made allowances...and always because of her. And once again he made such an exception and uttered a prayer for his partner. *************************************************** Two figures stood on the plain of reality looking down into the realm of fiction. One turned to the other and sighed. "Chris, we've been getting alot of prayers for Dana Scully." said the smaller one. The larger and looming figure sighed, "Yes?" "She's contemplating throwing away her existance." "Well Rob, then send down a viewer." "That's just it sir...It's Erin's turn." "Oh no, the Romantic?" "Yes, she hasn't got her modem yet." "That's because she's a potential Shipper." Chris said gruffly. Rob shrugged, "But she does like good plots too." The larger one shrugged, "I guess she has to get her modem sometime, call her up." A bar from the theme song played and another much smaller silouhette appeared on the plain of reality. "Yes sir, Mr. Carter?" she asked eagerly. He sighed again, "Erin, we have a job for you." "Really sir?" "Yes," said Rob, "there's a character down there that's in trouble, Dana Scully." "Dana Scully? Oh no! What's wrong with her, is she sick?" "No, it's worse, she's contemplating breaching her most important gift." Erin gasped, "Her contract?" "Yes, and it's up to you to make sure she doesn't leave." Erin stuttered out the next sentance, "Um...if-if I do this job...might I get my modem? It's been two hundred seasons worth of TV Shows now sir and the other viewers are beginning to talk." Chris nodded, "Yes Erin. If you help Scully you will get your modem." "Great! So, what are they wearing this season?" "Wait a minute, Erin. Have you ever SEEN the X-Files?" "Well...no, but-" "If you're going to help Dana you'll want to know something about her don't you?" "Well...I guess." "Good, "said Chris, "Then sit down and watch." "But I don't see anything." "That's right, I forgot you haven't got your modem yet. Here, I'll help you now concentrate...see anything?" "Why...why yes...there's a little girl near a snake." "That's Dana? A little girl?" "That's her as a little girl. Now be quiet and watch." ************************************* Erin watched as a pretty little red headed girl stood in a circle with two older boys around a small green snake. They were beating it to death and Dana was taking part until the snake started to die. When it took it's last breath she buried it and cried. She ran to her mother inconsolable over the loss of one life. "She's a sweet kid." said Erin. "Yes, now shut up and watch." As she watched the scene changed to an older Dana Scully sitting next to a Christmas tree with her sister, Melissa. They were shaking presents next to their ears but were soon interrupted by their mother, Margaret. "It's okay girls...you can open that one now." He saw as they opened the small boxes to reveal little gold crosses on chains. The girls smiled and put them on. Again the scene changed and she now saw a beautiful young woman sitting in a chair in an office. Behind the desk in front of her was a broadshouldered bald man with deceptivley cheerful blue eyes. The woman spoke, "Yes sir, I know he has quite a reputation but I'm prepared." The man replied, "I'm just warning you. He isn't called "Spooky" for nothing." She nodded, "Yes sir." She smiled. The scene froze. "What did you stop it for?" Erin asked. "Look closely at that face." Chris said. Erin did so. "Oh, is that Dana?" "Yes." said Carter. "The girl with snake?" "That's the one." She continued to study the face, oval and pale with cupid's bow lips and bright blue, almost hazel eyes and that amber hair. "She's got a pretty face. I like her, I like Dana Scully." "Good." said Chris. "What's she doing now?" she asked as scene unfroze and the woman continued her conversation then got up and left the office. Rob explained, "Scully is about to meet about the most important person in her life right now, a man she will come to trust, a man she will come to-" "Rob..."said Carter in a warning tone. Rob sighed and muttered something incomprehensible in response. Scully left the room but the scene continued to play in that office, from another door appeared a dour figure with a cigarette. He wore a suit and a trench coat. He had a dark look in his eye and by his behavior he was clearly in position of power over the bald man. "Wow, "said Erin, "who's that? A president?" "No, " said Chris, "that's the Cigarette Smoking Man....one of the most evil and most powerful man in the country....in the world." "Wooww." said Erin in awe. The scene switched back to Scully. They continued to watch in silence as Dana Scully walked down a long dark hallway and stepped cautiously into a dank basement. At the desk was an attractive young man in glasses hunched busily over a slide projector. Erin exhaled,"Whoah, now there's a guy with the glasses-gene." Chris gritted his teeth but let it slide...he'd have to remember not to let the glasses sneak in much this season . Scully introduced herself, "Agent Mulder...I'm Dana Scully, I've been assigned to work with you." His reply wasn't the most congenial, "Oh isn't that nice to be so highly reguarded? So who did you tick off to get stuck with this detail...Scully?? "Actually, I'm looking forward to working with you. I've heard alot about you." "Oh really? The two continued in their conversation, the man, Mulder seemed to be attempting to scare off Scully with his acerbic wit but she stood her ground. Erin was impressed. They continued on into the pair's relationship case by case. Erin found herself crying at some points, especcially when she got abducted and Mulder nearly killed himself trying to get her back...and then when she came back but she was in a coma. Later they watched the last crucial events to occur in Scully's life. The discovery of her child, Emily and her subsequent death. When she opened the coffin to discover only the gold cross and sand Erin gasped. Carter grimaced sheepishly at this shoes. Erin personally had decided somewhere near the first season of Scully's life that she and Mulder were madly in love but of course she didn't say that in front of Carter, she had the feeling he wouldn't appreciate that sentiment. ************************************************************ She watched now as Scully paced in the dungeon of the Lone gunmen, her partner Mulder was looking at her worried. "Something wrong, Scully?" She ignored her her partners concern, "So...what's with this case Mulder? I don't see the big deal. The fingerprints are a match aren't they?" She gazed around at the lamely decorated room, the tinsel wrapped carefully around the computers and christmas lights wrapped around high tech equipment. "Uh...yeah but their's some discrepencies reguarding the DNA...are you sure something's not wrong?" "I'm fine, " she said she tried to change the subject as far away from her as possible, "so...what's wrong with Frohike?...looks a little green." Langley rolled his eyes, "Yeah, he spent all last night standing in line outside a new strip club." Frohike sneezed, "Ah, it was worth it. But they weren't no Scully's." Scully managed a half smile. Frohike leered slightly, "I did get this, compliments of the owners. I give it to you my dear," He held out a condom with a happy face painted on the wrapper, "Take it...it's for good luck." "Hmm, " said Scully, "could use some of that I guess. But I doubt I'll need it for other purposes." She forced a wink and slipped it into her pocket."Actually, I think I may be coming up with something myself." She sniffed. Mulder could swear he saw tears in her eyes. Something was definatly wrong but he couldn't get her to talk about it. "Do you want to go home?" he asked."We can finish up here...I could call later..." "No!" she snapped, "I just...I 'm going to go back to the lab and check up on the DNA samples..." "Scully, we can do that tomorrow, maybe you should get some rest." he said. She needed rest too, ever since Emily she hadn't slept or eaten much. "I can take care of myself, Mulder. I just need to get away...I mean just...I'll see you later." She grabbed her coat and left, Mulder following her with his eyes. She'd been moody lately. He needed to talk to her, or vice versa but she just closed up tighter and tighter the nearer her got. Langley raised an eyebrow, imitating Scully, "Trouble in paradise?" Mulder grimaced, "You call this paradise?" ************************************************************* Dana Scully stood in the darkened lab of FBI HQ on a cold winter night. She was puttering around examining some evidence for a case but she was eyeing a bottle of cyanide rather nervously. She was crying and muttering to herself. "It would have been better....for Emily...for my mother....God, help me. How did I get here?" She wasn't being very coherent,but she hadn't been very coherent all night. "I should just get it over with...what's the point...be better for everybody...no more pain..."She started to reach for the cyanide and then tipped it over when she heard a huge clatter behind her. She watched in shock as a young woman fell through the glass window of the FBI lab. She pulled her gun in confusion then put it away just as quickly as the girl lay bleeding on the floor of the lab. Scully knelt beside her. The girl was dressed in a custodial uniform, her face was a bit cut up and her wrist was bleeding profusly. Scully put her troubles on hold and immediatly went into doctor-mode. "What the hell happened?" she asked the girl. Scully examined her wrist and grimaced grabbing a guaze strip from one of the lab tables and tying a turnicut on the girls arm, getting blood stains on her own clothes. The girl gasped in pain. "I saved your life." Scully shook her head at the girls obvious delerium, "You're about to bleed to death, I'd say I saved your life....let's get you to a hospital." Erin admired Scully's good samaritan attitude on the way to the hospital. She had to do well on this...her modem depended on it. As Erin was getting stitched up in the hospital Scully looked up at her, now concerned about the girl, "So really, how did you end up crashing through that glass window? Do you know what chaos security went into over that?" "I told you, I was saving your life. I'm sorry about the mess but I had to get your attention. You see I'm your guardian angel...in a manner of speaking." Scully rose an eyebrow, "My guardian angel?" "Yeah, see you were about to kill yourself but I saved you." Scully looked away, ashamed that this person seemed to know this about her. Erin continued, "I know all about you Dana. Don't worry I'm your friend. You've encountered angels before. Remember that nurse at the hospital? After your abduction?" Scully frowned, "How did you know about that?" "I told you Dana. I know all about you. Don't worry, I'm your friend. " Scully contemplated this as Erin got finished being stitched up. She was little worried about this young girl who looked about 18. Was she crazy? And wasn't she pretty young to be a custodian at FBI head quarters? As they walked out of the hospital into the night Scully asked her, "Do you have a place to go? What's your name?" "My name is Erin. I'll be fine, "the girl said, "I'm here to help you." "Uh huh." said Scully, "How old are you?" "17 K." she said. Scully did a double take. K? What the heck did that mean? She put it aside in her head. "Listen, " said the girl, "I know all about your problems Dana. I'm here to tell you that you musn't end it all. You can' t give up. The world is a changed place because of you." Scully grimaced and sadly shook her head, "Sometimes I wish...I think things might be better if I'd never have been born." Erin's mouth dropped open, "Oh no, Dana! You musn't say things like that...wait a minute. Is it...could I? A bit extreme I guess...but an extreme possiblity...yes I think I will. " Scully looked at the girl in confusion. "Okay, Dana, " said the girl, "You were never born." A thunderclap was heard overhead and Erin glared at the sky, "Sorry Mr. Carter it was the best I could come up with!" "What?" asked Scully. "You've never been born." said Erin and suddenly the rain stopped, "Anything you've ever done...gone. Check your pocket." she said nodding at Scully's pocket. To humor her Scully checked her pocket not sure what she was supposed to find and then noticed that Frohike's condom was gone. "What the-?" "And your blouse...." said Erin. She looked down at her clothes and to her disbelief found that the blood stains were gone. And when she looked up she saw that Erin's stitches were gone. She shook her head, "This is some sort of trick. Consortium...or something...fake blood...or...I'm ...I'm going home. I hope you're alright." "I'll be fine, Dana." she said mysteriously. Dana Scully took a taxi to the FBI HQ, they had taken an ambulance to the hospital. She went to the parking lot but found to her horror that her car wasn't there. She found the parkinglot attendant and asked him how her car had been stolen. "I'm sorry, I didn't see anything, Miss. What did you say your name was?" "Dana Katherine Scully."she said impatiently. The man typed the name into his computer to see if a parking pass was checked in under that name."You're not cleared to park here. ...you don't work here. I'm gonna need to call security, ma'am." "What? I'm Dana Scully-"she recited her badge number and her partners name. He looked up the badge number on the computer. As he was looking this up Alan Pendrull strolled by. Scully motioned him over. Curious , he came. "Pendrull, Pendrull knows me." she said emphatically. "Excuse me? Do I know you?" "Alan, it's me, DANA!" "I'm sorry, " he said, "I've never had the pleasure..." "Dammit Alan! Stop this! Stop playing their games and help me! Please!!!" He was angry now, "Look, I'm sorry Miss whatever your name is but I 've never met you before and I'm not going to lie and say I have!" She was sobbing, "Please Alan...please help me!" she grabbed him by the lapels slamming him up against the side of the parking booth much to his suprise. "Let go of me!" he shouted. She let go finally putting her head in her hands. The attendant watched this conversation carefully while looking her up on the computer. "That badge number is registered to Jeff Williams VCS and he doesn't even work in D.C, ma'am." The attendent gave up and called for security. She reached for her ID and found it was gone, as well as her gun. "Oh god..."she whispered to herself. "I'm calling security right now, ma'am." "No, no, I'm leaving..."she said. She'd gone crazy she was sure of it. Maybe she was hallucinating. She left HQ and begin the walk home. She needed help. Mulder...no, she didn't feel like talking to Mulder yet. This was big, some Consortium trick to drive her crazy. She needed to talk to Skinner. She had no money, her wallet was gone. An abduction? Had she been abducted and landed somehow in some later time.....it was nuts, she thought. She sounded like Mulder, worse than Mulder. She saw what looked like a kind soul on the street. "Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry could you spare 35 cents?" The woman looked nice enough, he thought. He gave her his change. "Thank you very much." she said. She found a pay phone and dialed the FBI Headquarters. Skinner usually stayed late. "Federal Bureau of Investigation."the receptionist said. "Walter Skinner, please." "Walter Skinner?"the woman repeated confused. "Assistant Director Walter Skinner." Scully said again more firmly. The woman chuckled to herself, "I'm sorry ma'am A.D. Skinner hasn't been here since he was convicted of the murder of a prostitute over a year ago." "What?? But-" "I can patch you into the new Assistant Director, Tom Colton." "Tom Colton?? Wha-...um, no, no thank you." She hung up, shaken now. Ready to collapse. Suddenly Erin appeared. "Skinner's not there anymore Dana. You and Mulder cracked that case wide open. Without you he got a life sentence, he never had a chance." Scully at least pretended to believe her for now, "And Colton?" "Still climbing that ladder, as high as he can get." "Does ....does he-"Scully asked, the question not daring to escape her lips. "Yes, Dana. He 's a puppet for The Consortium. Cancerman set up camp at FBI headquarters. " Scully closed her eyes and grimaced in disgust. This was a dream, a nightmare. And soon she would wake up. Hopefully in Mulder's arms. "My mother...I need my mother..." she said. Scully ran wildly into the night and didn't stop but finally slowed to a walk as she made the journey to her mother's house. She stood, panting outside the door and knocked frantically. Her mother answered, haggered and with a haunted look behind her eyes, "Yes?" "Mom! Mom, it's me, it's me Dana." "Mom? Who are you?" "It's me Dana Katherine! Don't you know me?? Mom...I was, I was with you the night...the night Melissa died...don't you remember? Don't you remember the hospital room when I woke up?????? Mom???!!!" The older woman scowled at her, "It's a lie. Melissa isn't dead.....as far as I know anyway. I haven't seen or heard of her in years. Could be dead now for all I know..." Tears came to the woman's eyes. "Get out! Get away from me!" The door slammed in her face and Scully stood there frozen. Erin appeared again."Melissa wandered, Dana. The only reason she came back was because of your disapearence. You kept her grounded. Without you she just drifted off, alienating herself from her whole family.....from lot's or people. No one here knows where she is. Because of you she made peace with her mother before she died." Scully was in tears. Where was she? Some kind of alternate universe? She needed Mulder. Mulder would fix this. Mulder always had an answer no matter how crazy it was. "Mulder! Where the hell is Mulder??!!" "No." said Erin simply. She gripped the young girl by the collar, "Tell me!!! I need him!! Where's Mulder???" "He should be dead, by now Dana...he wants to be." she said quickly, trying to explain. "Tell me!" "You weren't there to save him...he kept chasing them and chasing them.....always blaming himself over his sister. The X-Files were shut down a few years ago but he kept going...they drove him crazy, Dana. Cancerman and the rest...just kept screwing with his brain." "Where????!!!" she screamed. "Lincoln Memorial!" Erin cried. Thunder clapped overhead again and Erin glared angrily at the sky."Oh get a grip." she muttered. *********************** It was colder when she got there. Stormier and angrier. The wind was in gusts as she ran toward the Lincoln Memorial looking for her best friend...her partner.....her love. She saw an outline of a scruffy figure sitting on the steps. "Mulder?" she cried. Nothing. She neared him. It was Mulder. "Mulder? Help me!" He sat up at that. He was a mess in old jeans and an old shirt and trench coat. He was thin and his eyes were empty of rationality and full of fear. His hair was greyer, he had a half grown beard, his face guanter. He was holding a half empty bottle of Gin. And he was looking not at her, but at nothing. "Get away from me, " he muttered, "No no...away..one of them aren't you? One of them...green, grey, whatever...away away...damn lights..i saw the lights there here again...disguised as lightning...go away...damn Morleys..." he laughed maniacally."I'M READY!! COME AND GET ME!!!!! I seen em like this before disguised as beautiful women...can't fool me, I seen em..." She was horrified. More than anything else that night this shocked her. He was a lunatic, a raving madman. Maybe Schitzophrenic. Had they reduced him to this? "Mulder! Snap out of it! It's me DANA!!!! "she was sobbing, "Get up Mulder! Wake up! I'm your partner...the X-Files...I know all about you, I know about Samantha and-" "SAMANTHA?????!!! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SAMANTHA?? I KNOW YOU!! YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!!!" He screamed."THEY'RE HEEEEEEERE!!!! NOT AGAIN DAMMIT!!!!! THEY'RE TAKING ME AWAY AGAIN! THEY'RE HEEEEEERE!!!" And he was gone, running wildly down the street away from her, but she ran after him. "Mulder!!" "NOOOOOOOO! AWAYYY!! AWAY FROM ME! THEY'RE HEEEERE!!" Duane Barry. They had turned him into Duane Barry. And this filled Scully with a cold hard fear. She followed Mulder to a nearby bar. The bartender knew him. "Aw no, man. No more for you. Yer in here every night and everynight I tell you, one bottle, no more." Mulder sidled up the bar and with blurred eyes looked up at the bartender, "Nah..you don't understand... she's here to get me." he motioned to Scully. The bartender looked her over. "Then whattaya need me for? You're a lucky man!" he said laughing. Mulder left the bar and stumbled down the street getting as far away from Scully as he could. Across the street Scully saw a dark figure in an alley lighting a cigarette. She ran up to him in a rage , "You! You did this to him!!" she said pointing to the drunken Mulder. The man looked at her with that eternal Mona Lisa smirk, "I don't know who you are young lady, which is in itself rather troubling....but if you're any friend of his...you can't mean much to me." And with that he strolled away into the night. **************************************** Scully found herself stumbling down Pennsylvania Avenue sobbing uncontrollably. "God...help me...please...I want to live again..please...I want to live again. I want Mulder...I want my mother...please God....let me live again..."she cried. It begin to drizzle and Dana stood there in the rain, the drops mixing with her tears. "Please God....please...let me live again..." A car slowed in front of her and stopped. A young man got out and strolled up to her. "Agent Scully?" asked Alan Pendrull, "Agent Scully, is that you?" She glared angrily at Pendrull, "Get away from me, Pendrull, get away!" "Agent Scully? What's wrong? Mulder came down to the lab looking for you. Where have you been?" A look of absolute suprise washed over her face, "Pendrull...you know me?" "Know you?" he asked in confusion. "I've been worried sick about you. " Scully in a new kind of shock stuffed her hand in her pocket. "Frohike's condom! Frohike's condom! It's here, Pendrell!!!" Pendrull looked down at her blouse, "Agent Scully? What happened to you? You're blouse?!" She looked down at the blood stains on her blouse, "My blouse! My blouse is stained Pendrull! I gotta go! Merry Christmas!" He looked after her as she ran away, "Merry Christmas Agent Scully!" he called out, "Sure you don't need a ride?" but she was already gone. ************************************* Scully ran wildly down the streets of Washington D.C. "MERRY CHRISTMAS D.C.! MERRY CHRISTMAS FBI HEADQUARTERS! MERRY CHRISTMAS CANCERMAN YOU SONOFABITCH! MERRY CHRISTMAS FLUKEMAN! MERRY CHRISTMAS RETICULANS!" She took a taxi to Mulder's apartment and ran as fast as she could to his door. She pounded on the door and it was opened by a policeman. "Mulder? Where's Mulder?"she asked. "Are you-"the cop looked at his pad of paper, "Dana Katherine Scully." She beamed, "Yes, yes, that's me, where's Mulder?" He and another policeman let her into the apartment where the Lonegunmen were waiting. "Byers!"she cried, "Langley! Frohike! Oh it's so good to see you!" To their incredulity she hugged them to her, and to the utter pleasure of Frohike. "Hey, I feel fine, Dana." he said happily. "You feel fine?"she repeated laughing. They stood huddled together, "Where's Mulder?" she asked. Byers answered, "Oh he freaked out, Scully. He went down to HQ and found a bunch of broken glass and an empty bottle of cyanide so he called the cops. I think he's out looking for you." Her eyes widened, "Oh no-!" she started to say but was interrupted by a ruckus at the door. She turned to see, it was Mulder. "Mulder!" she cried. He pushed past the two policemen, "Scully!" he cried back. They ran to eachother and Scully fell into his arms. "Oh Mulder....Mulder, I'm so glad to see you." "Scully, Scully I thought you were gone again." Over his shoulder she was suprised to see more people enter his small apartment. Skinner walked in, "Skinner, sir!" she said and walked over to shake his hand to his befuddlement. Followed by Pendrull again, Mrs.Mulder to Scully's total happy shock, her mother who she embraced, and her two brothers. But she turned back to Mulder. "Oh Mulder, you have no idea how glad I am to see you." He smiled down at her, "Me too Scully. I didn't know where you were...and then and then...when I told everyone..." "I know-"she said nodding." "They brought fruitcakes." he finished. "What?" "They all brought us fruitcakes." he said happily."we can open up a new case file on them." Sure enough everyone who had come in dropped a fruitcake on Mulder's coffee table till it started to sag. Fruitcake after fruitcake. Scully laughed happily . She and Mulder and the Lonegunmen huddled around Mulders lame excuse for a Christmas tree while Byers played Auld Lange Syne on the piano. They sang along and Mulder's powerbook set off an alert sound. Langley grinned, "Look Scully! Everytime a computer rings someone gets a modem!" Scully beamed again, "That's right Langley, that's right!" They sang out loud together as bells rang from who knows where, "SHOULD OLD AQCUAINTANTS BE FORGOT AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND! SHOULD SOMETHING SOMETHING HMMM HMM MMMM AND AULD LANGE SYNE!!" After all, thought Scully, did anyone really know the words to that song? ------------------------------The End------------------------------------- Send your delightful ramblings TO: SpookMuldy@aol.com LUV YA! and thank you ALyonssr for bugging me to finish this . ;-) "Where's the writer?" -Mulder "Post Modern Prometheus"