Title: Mirror of love (1/11) Author: Tanja E-mail addy: voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl or xfshippers@writeme.com Rating: PG-13 Keywords: MSR, Mulder Angst, Scully Angst, Kidfic Spoilers: The Parent Trap Summary: Two girls, spend their holiday in the same summer camp in the USA. The one comes from England, where she lives with her father, the other lives in San Francisco, together with her mother. How is it possible that two girls, who have never met each other before that day, look so much alike? Disclaimer: They're not mine, hehehe, I wish they were, but they're not. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox Network. And the story is based on the movie "The Parent Trap". Author's notes: This story is based on the movie "The Parent Trap", with Dennis Quaid. I grew up with the book and although it's a bit of a children's movie, I love it :-) That's why this story, in honor of the movie. I don't live in the USA, so I'm sorry if I made any geographical mistakes. And this story is also the 50th story I've written and to celebrate my first anniversary as a fanfic writer :-) Dedicated to: Joey, a great friend :-) She read this story while it processed and encouraged me to finish this soon, thanks Joey! Mirror of love (1/11) - Lisa - Lisa Scully wasn't a very happy little girl. To be quite honest, she was the exact opposite. Lisa Scully was a very angry 11-year old. Angry, because her mother had send her on summer camp to Lake Michigan. For 8 weeks for god sake! What on earth was she going to do in some stupid summer camp, in the middle of the woods, for 8 weeks, while all her friends were having fun at home. Her mother had told her that she would love it. Lake Michigan, children of her own age, a whole summer of fun. The only thing Lisa had mumbled was "oh goody." They lived in San Francisco together. As long as she knew, they had been living in San Francisco all her life. Her mother worked in one of the bigger hospitals in town, General Hospital, as a doctor. Lisa didn't know, that she had been living somewhere else the first 1.5 years of her life. 1.5 years after she was born, her life had changed and after that she and her mother had moved to San Francisco, where they had been living for the last 10 years. She looked a lot like her mother. Same color of hair, same character, the only thing she didn't have from her mother, were her hazel brown eyes. Eyes she inherited from the father she had never known. Sometimes she wondered what he would be like, but she had never asked her mother before. Her mother had told her about her father once, and Lisa had seen the sad look in her eyes, when she was talking about him. After that she hadn't asked anymore, because she didn't want her mother to be sad again. - Lyndsey - Lindsey Mulder thought, as she got out of the taxi that had brought her from the airport to the summer camp at Lake Michigan. She had come here before, for the last two years she had been spending her summer holiday in this summer camp. She had made friends and every year, she was happy to go back, knowing that she would see her friends again. Life was an adventure itself for Lindsey. She didn't spend a lot of time in the USA, only the times when she visited her grandmother or went to the summer camp. The rest of the year she lived in Oxford, England. Together with her father, who taught at Oxford University. She didn't know better than that she and her father had always been living there. She didn't remember that the first 1.5 years she had been living in America, with both her parents and with her twin sister, of which she didn't even know she existed. Lyndsey had only one memory of her mother, one half of a picture. Her mother was a beautiful woman, with bright blue shining eyes, half long red hair and when she laughed her eyes were twinkling. She had no idea why her mother had left them, had been too afraid to ask her father, who always got a lost and hurt look in his eyes, when her mother's name was mentioned by someone. She had accepted it and was perfectly happy with the life she and her father had. He hadn't been too eager to send her away for the summer, but she had practically begged him to let her go and in the end he had given in of course. He would never be able to say no to his daughter, the girl that looked so much like the woman who still was the love of his life, even though she wasn't part of it anymore. 10 years ago they had been married, happy with the family they had never expected to have, but something had gone wrong. One simple misunderstanding, but it had meant the end of their marriage. She had left the house, together with Lisa. He had expected her to come back, they always made up after a fight. But this time she hadn't come back. Not after one day, not after a week and 6 months later the divorce had been a fact. After that he had moved to England with Lyndsey and they had never seen each other ever since. The taxi driver handed her her bags, she paid him and he left. Looking around, Lyndsey spotted her two best friends in summer camp, Jackie and Alexa. Waving enthusiastically, she made her way to them, dragging all her luggage behind her. They hugged each other and couldn't stop talking about everything that had happened to them in the last year. Lyndsey thought - Lisa - In the mean time Lisa was not having such a good time. She couldn't find her luggage and felt lost and alone. When she got back, her mother was going to pay for this, big time. Pulling at some bags effortlessly, she sighed. "Need some help?" A voice came from behind her. She turned around to see who it was. The voice belonged to a girl of her own age, with long brown hairs and brown eyes. She smiled at Lisa. "Ehm yes, I think I could use some help, I can't find my bags in this pile!" Like she had done it a thousand times before, the girl climbed on top of the pile and pulled out a big blue bag. "This one?" "Yes, thanks!" "You're welcome." The girl grinned. "Hi, I'm Jane." "Hi, I'm Lisa." She introduced herself. "First time here?" "Yes, you?" "Fifth time." Jane laughed. "Come on, let's go, I'll show you around." "Okay." Grabbing her bag, Lisa smiled and followed Jane. Maybe this was not going to be such a bad summer after all. THE NEXT FEW DAYS The next few days went by quickly. Lyndsey was happy to be back in the camp again and Lisa found out that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She still missed her mom every now and then, but there were too many things to do, to spend much time thinking about it. Standing in line for dinner in the camp's cafeteria, Jane and Lisa were talking and Lisa didn't watch where she was going, the result was that she bumped straight into somebody. "Hey, watch where you're going!" It was Lyndsey, that Lisa had bumped into. She was balancing to keep her plate straight, almost dropping it on the floor. "Sorry, I wasn't looking ...." Lisa apologised. She wasn't really looking at the girl. Jane was and so were the girl's friends. They looked at the two in shock. Was this coincidence or did those two really look exactly alike? "I could see that!" Lyndsey said angrily. She gave the girl one last look and turned around, walking away, followed by her friends. As she walked away, Lisa turned around to Jane, who stood next to her, still with her mouth open in surprise. "You know this girl?" She wanted to know. "Did you see how much she looked like you?" Jane asked, ignoring her friend's question. "What do you mean?" Lisa frowned. "You two look exactly alike!" "No we don't." "Yes you do." "No we don't and who is she anyway? Is she always this friendly?" "Oh come on Lisa, aren't you overreacting a little bit? Lyndsey is a nice girl. She's only a little ....." "Weird?" "No .... I'd say direct is the better word." Lisa shrugged. "If you say so. Come on, let's go, my food's getting cold." Jane sighed and followed her, again starting the discussion that they really looked a lot alike, but Lisa didn't want to listen to her. About the same discussion was going on between Lyndsey and her friends and Lyndsey didn't want to hear anything about looking like Lisa either. End of part 1 What will happen next? Why do Lisa and Lyndsey look so much like each other? Find out in the next part of Mirror of love. Mirror of love (2/11) ONE WEEK LATER It was one week later and the situation between Lyndsey and Lisa hadn't become much better in that week. They were basically ignoring each other and tired of their friends telling them the whole time how much they looked like each other. No matter how much they denied and ignored it, the girls did look alike. The same color of hair, same laughing hazel eyes. Their looks were the same, their characters weren't. Dana Scully always laughed, when people told her her daughter looked exactly like her, both looks and character. She knew better than anybody else, that that wasn't true. Lisa might have inherited her looks, except for the eyes, but the character she inherited from her father. Just like Lisa, Fox Mulder was somebody who went his own way and did what he wanted to do. They were both persons that didn't easily allow people to come too close to them, afraid that they might get hurt somewhere along the way. People that did manage to find the way into their hearts were special for them. So many years ago Dana had succeeded in doing exactly that. She had walked into his office and at that moment she had won his heart, she hadn't done anything special to earn that special place, she had just been who she was. The person he fell in love with at first sight and who had never left his heart again. Lisa was a dreamer, where her mother wanted answers to a question, she accepted the question as a fact. She didn't need the scientific proofs her mother was always looking for. That too, Lisa had inherited from her father. In their partnership at work, he had been the believer and she the one who was always looking for rational explanations for his theories. Like her father had been the exact opposite of her mother, Lyndsey was the exact opposite of her sister. She stood in the world with a broad smile on her face, twinkling eyes and both feet firmly on the ground. From the moment she could talk, she had asked "Why?", when her father had said "Because." Both Dana and Lyndsey easily made friends, but they also had only a few people that were really special to them. Only those people were able to get really through to them. Where others thought they knew them, they knew they didn't really know them that well at all. Fox Mulder had been one of those persons in Dana's life. He knew her like nobody else knew her, not even her own mother. When she would say she was fine, he knew she actually wasn't. He had always been able to read her like a book. Her temper was also something Lyndsey had inherited from her mother. They both looked like persons who went through life quiet and calmly, but once something happened that really hurt them, they could get really mad and Fox had learned pretty quickly that when they actually did get mad, which didn't happen very often, it was better to stay out of their way for a little while, the storm always calmed down quickly. LATE AT NIGHT Lisa was sitting down near the water, staring over the lake. Summer camp wasn't that bad, actually it was pretty nice. She didn't miss her mother too much, there was so much to do all day long. It was only at night that she sometimes felt a little lonely and missed her mother. That wasn't so strange, if you knew that Lisa and her mother had hardly been away from each other from the moment she was born, if they had been, it had never been for more than 2 days. This time it was for 8 weeks. A shadow fell over the water in front of her and made Lisa look up from her thoughts. To her surprise it was Lyndsey standing behind her. "What do you want?" Lisa asked, disturbed. "Nothing, I was just taking a walk. I always do that when I can't sleep and this is usually where I come down when I want to think." "Oh." Was all Lisa said, turning back to stare over the lake again. "Are you alright? You looked kind of lost in your thoughts. Is something wrong?" "I'm fine and even if I wasn't, why do you care?" "Whoa, sorry I even bothered you ma'am." Lyndsey said, turning around to walk away. "Wait!" Lisa stopped her. "What?" "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, it's just that I .... sometimes I just miss my mom. I know it sounds stupid, but we've never been away from each other this long and ...." She paused for a moment, before she continued "Never mind, forget about it. You probably think I'm acting stupid." "I don't think you're stupid. Are you and your mom really that close?" Lyndsey asked, sitting down next to her. "Yes, we are. We do a lot of things together. We always used to go on holiday together, but this year she couldn't, because of her job. She's a doctor in a big hospital in San Francisco." Lisa told proudly. "And your father? Don't you miss him?" "I .... I don't have a father. Mom and dad broke up when I was little, I've never seen him after that." "He just left?" "I don't know. I never asked mom. She told me about my father once and she looked so hurt and sad when she did, that I didn't dare to ask anything else after that. But my grandmother told me they had a fight and mom left with me and that was it." "I'm sorry. I have no idea what it's like to live without your father. My father's the only one I have." Lyndsey smiled, when she thought of him. "You don't have a mother?" "I guess I have one, since everybody has, but I've never known her. She left after I was born. My dad and I have been living in England ever since." "You live in England?" "Yes." "But why are you coming all the way to a summer camp in the USA than?" Lisa wanted to know. "I always go to the USA in the summer. Dad sometimes joins me, to visit my grandmother and some old friends. He used to work for the FBI." "The FBI?" Lisa echoed in surprise. "My mom used to work for the FBI too before I was born. Hey, maybe they met each other there. Wouldn't that be funny?" "Yeah, but a lot of people work there, so they probably didn't know each other. Besides, my dad worked for a kind of ehm .... strange department. Your mom being a medical doctor probably never even heard of the department." "What department?" "They called it the X-files. My father and his partner investigated cases related to the ...." "Paranormal. Cases the bureau couldn't solve, so they filed them under the X and one day they were discovered." "How do you know?" "My mom worked on the X-files too, she told me about it once." They both looked at each other with wide open eyes, when they realized something. "You think ....?" Lisa asked hesitantly. "They were partners?" Lyndsey finished her sentence. "Probably, my dad said he had only one partner in the time he worked on the X-files." "You think they were friends?" "Maybe, I don't know, I never heard my mom about it. Did your father ever say anything about it?" "No, never. Hey, maybe we should introduce them to each other again. I'm sure they'd love to catch up on old times." "That's a great idea, but how did you want to do that? I mean, your father and you live in England and we live in San Francisco." "Dad said we might go visit grandma for my birthday and because of the holidays." "When's your birthday?" Lisa asked. "December 25th." Lisa's jaw dropped. "De .... decem .... ber 25th?" She stuttered, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Yeah, why is that so shocking?" "My birthday is on the 25th of December too." Lisa was starting to put 2 and 2 together. Lyndsey was not doing the math yet. "Don't you just hate having your birthday and Christmas on the same day. I always tell my ...." "Lyndsey!" Lisa interrupted Lyndsey's babbling. "What?!?" "Don't you see it?" "What?" Lyndsey asked dumbstruck. "Don't you think this is too much coincidence? I mean, you don't have a mother, I don't have a father, they worked together, we have the same birth date, we look exactly alike ....." Lyndsey finally started to get the point. "You mean ....." She hesitated for a moment, before saying the words out loud. "I mean ..., you think that we are ....?" "Sisters?" "Yes." "I think so, Lyndsey not only sisters ... I think we're twins." Lisa paused for a moment, waiting for the message to come through. They sat in silence for a moment, trying to comprehend what they had just found out. Suddenly Lyndsey jumped up, Lisa looked at her. "Come on, we have to go see if this is true. Do you have a picture of your dad?" "Only one, it's the half of a picture. I have it in my cabin. I think it was a picture of them together. Do you have a picture of your mother?" "Yes, in my cabin. It's .... half of a picture too. Come on, let's go get it, we have to know." Lyndsey grabbed Lisa's hand and pulled her on her feet, dragging her with her to their cabins. They both disappeared in their own cabins and came back a few minutes later, a picture in their hands. Slowly turning the photos around, already knowing that they would recognize the person on the other photo, they showed the pictures to each other. End of part 2 Will the truth be what they think it is? Who will be on the photos Lisa and Lyndsey have? Find out in the next part of Mirror of love. Mirror of love (3/11) A gasp left their mouths, when their suspicions were confirmed. It was as if the pieces of the puzzle all fell together. They were twins, split when they were 1.5 years old, because of a mistake. A simple mistake that had ended the marriage of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, 10 years ago. There was a long silence, all kind of thoughts and questions were running through their minds. Why were they separated? Why had they never known they had a twin sister, but the question that bothered them the most was, why their parents had broken up, they seemed so young, so happy and so in love on the photo. What had gone wrong? An idea suddenly came into Lyndsey's mind. She looked at Lisa and said "I have an idea. Please don't say immediately that you think it's stupid, just listen okay?" Lisa nodded. "Okay." "What if we switch places? I'd go live with mom for a while and you with dad." "You're crazy. They would immediately realize." The words slipped from her mouth, before she realized it. "Of course they wouldn't! Come on Lisa, we look the exact same and we have 6 weeks left to learn all about each other's lives." Lisa was still hesitating, but she had to admit that she liked the idea of finally meeting the father she had never known. Lyndsey continued to convince her sister. "Don't tell me you don't want to meet dad. I would love to meet mom and spend some time with her." Slowly she started to win Lisa for the idea. Lisa suddenly came up with something else "And they would have to switch us again some day and then they'll meet again!" "And they'll fall in love again and live happily ever after! Lisa we're brilliant!" Lyndsey cried out laughing. The sun was already coming up when the girls found their way back to their beds. There were too many things to talk about, too many things to discuss. They would have another 6 weeks, to tell each other all about their friends, their parents and their lives back home. And when the 6 weeks would be over, Lisa would go to England as Lindsey and Lindsey would go to San Francisco as Lisa. 6 WEEKS LATER The last 6 weeks had gone by in a rush and it was time to say goodbye, before they knew it. From the moment they had found out the truth about their relationship and past, the girls were inseparable, to the big surprise of their friends. They suddenly spend all their time together. Lisa had told her everything about their mother, her grandmother whom they lived in the same house with. She had told Lyndsey everything about her Uncle Charlie, her mother's brother who adored his little niece and came by as often as he could to spend time with her. Charlie was Dana Scully's younger brother and he was married with Casey. They didn't have children yet, but Casey was expecting their first child by the end of the year. She had also told her about Uncle Bill, her mother's eldest brother. She was grateful that he didn't come by as often as her other uncle. Bill and Dana didn't get along very well, in fact Bill didn't get along very well with anybody in the family. He had his own life back home and when he visited the rest of the family, he always had to make comments about their lives. He had never understood why Dana had married that asshole of a partner of hers, as he had said it when they had told the family that they had tied the knot in a private ceremony. When his sister was going through a difficult period, because of her divorce, Charlie had been there for her. Bill had only said that she was better off without that jerk anyway. It was the only time in her life that Dana had slapped her brother right in the face and thrown him out of her house. And Lyndsey told Lisa about their father, his friends back home. Two of his best friends were Nick and Michael. Both were teachers at Oxford University too and he had already met them years ago, when they were all studying at Oxford. After graduating, Mulder had moved back to the USA and every now and then they called each other. The friendship remained, but they just didn't see each other a lot anymore. They had never met his wife, because the two of them had never thrown a big wedding, they had simply eloped and got married. When he decided to move to England after his divorce, they had been there for him, listening to him when he wanted to talk, helping him search for a house and they had very easily picked up the friendship where they had left it so many years ago. Two other persons Lyndsey told her about, were her grandmother and Uncle Walter. The times spend in the USA were either staying with her grandmother or with Uncle Walter and his wife, Sheila. Lyndsey and her father liked staying with his mother and her grandmother, but they preferred staying with Walter and Sheila. Walter Skinner was an import person in Mulder's life. He had been their boss at the FBI and had seen their romance growing, after 7 years finally resulting in a marriage and unfortunately he had also witnessed the end of it. Now, 10 years later, he was still convinced it had been a mistake and he still thought the two of them belonged together. After the divorce it had been Walter Skinner who had got Mulder through the most difficult period. Lyndsey saw him as the grandfather she never had and the two could spend hours walking and talking together. It was always a funny sight when they returned from one of their long walks, the long, tall and baldly man, and next to him, with her little hand in his, the little redheaded girl. A taxi honked its horn and Lisa realized that it was for her. The taxi would bring her to the airport, where she would take the plane, home to meet her father. Lisa and Lyndsey hugged each other one last time, assured each other that they had the right phone numbers to call each other and then it was time. Lyndsey waved until she couldn't see the taxi with Lisa in it anymore and made her way to the waiting bus, ready to go home to meet her mother. End of part 3 Find out in the next part what happens when Lisa and Lyndsey made their parents. Mirror of love (4/11) - Lyndsey - SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT Lyndsey arrived in San Francisco a few hours later. Grabbing her luggage, she tried to get out of the plane as soon as possible. She couldn't wait to meet her mother. Looking around, she didn't see her. Suddenly an elder woman came walking to her, waving enthusiastically. It took Lyndsey a moment to realize that this was her grandmother, of course she recognized her from the photos that Lisa had shown her. "Lisa!" Her grandmother swept her of her feet and hugged her enthusiastically. Lyndsey hugged her back and when she stood on her feet again, the woman looked at her with a wide grin on her face. "It's good to see you again young lady, is it just me or have you grown again while you were away?" Lyndsey laughed "Hi gramma, where's mommy?" "Oh honey, I'm sorry, she really wanted to pick you up, but she was suddenly called in for an operation. She asked me to pick you up, but she promised she would be home as soon as possible. What do you say when we go have lunch somewhere first and do some shopping, before we go home? You've been away way too long, I feel like spoiling my granddaughter a little bit. Besides, by the time we'll get home your mother will also be back." "Okay, I'd like that." Lyndsey smiled at her grandmother. She could already tell that she liked her a lot. Talking, they made their way to the car and drove to the shopping centre. Two hours later they came home, carrying bags and packages with them as they entered the house. "Dana, we're home!" Her mother yelled and an older copy of Lyndsey and Lisa, came running out of the kitchen. She hadn't changed much in the last 10 years. Her red hair was a little bit longer, hanging over her shoulders now, but nobody would be able to guess Dana Scully's real age. If she told people her age and that she had an 11-year old daughter, they always looked at her in surprise. Her bright blue eyes were twinkling and she hugged her daughter just as enthusiastically as her mother had done at the airport. "I'm so glad you're back honey, I missed you so much!" A few tears escaped Lyndsey's eyes when she hugged her mother. Letting her go a little bit, her mother asked "But honey, why are you crying?" Wiping the tears away furiously, Lyndsey laughed through her tears. "I'm sorry mommy, I just missed you so much and I'm glad to be home again. With you and gramma." Dana smiled. "We're very happy you're back again, honey. The house was kind of silent without you." - Lisa - AROUND THE SAME TIME HEATHROW, LONDON AIRPORT It had been a long flight to London. Lyndsey had told her, that dad was going to pick her up in London and from there, they would drive home to Oxford, where they lived together. Picking her bag out of all the luggage, she had learned something about that on summer camp, she dragged it with her and made her way to the hall where her father would be waiting for her. She felt nervous and was anxious at the same time, she couldn't wait to finally meet him. Her look going through the hall, she spotted him right in front of her. He was staring at the crowd of people coming out of the plane, looking for her, when he suddenly saw her the grin on his face became even wider. Lisa threw her bag on the ground and ran into her father's waiting arms. "Dad!!!!" He swirled her around and laughed happily, glad to have her back safely. "Hey kiddo, how was summer camp?" He was surprised when she hold onto him tightly, hugging him for a long time, without saying a word. "Is everything alright Lynn? Did you miss your old father a little?" She nodded with her head against his chest and looked up at him. "I love you daddy." "I love you too sweetheart. Was summer camp alright or wasn't it nice? Did something happen?" He asked a little worried, this wasn't the usual Lyndsey. She was always enthusiastic, but never so open in showing affection and he was glad she was back, but he had never hear her admitting to him so openly that she had missed him. Usually she was so enthusiastic and full of stories that she couldn't stop babbling. Oh well, maybe she had changed over the summer. 8 weeks could do a lot in the life of a teenager. Looking at her, he realized once again how much she looked like her mother and once again he realized how much he still loved and missed Dana. There was nothing or nobody that could change that, not even the woman he had started dating again recently. "No, nothing happened. Summer camp was great. I just missed you a lot." She quickly reassured him. He smiled. Picking her bag up from the ground and with his hand in hers, they made their way to the waiting car. - Lyndsey - Lyndsey was having a great time, pretending to be Lisa. She loved her mom and was glad that she was given the chance to be with her and spend time with her. Not that her father wasn't great and she did miss him, but she was also happy to be with her mother now. - Lisa - Lisa was enjoying the time with her father just as much, until she came home and found out who her father had been spending his time with while she was away for the summer. Uncle Nick was there and he welcomed her warmly, swirling her around. After a while, the doorbell rang and her father went to open it. There were voices in the hallway and her father walked in with his arm around a woman. He smiled "Lyndsey, I would like to introduce you to Phoebe. Phoebe, this is my daughter, Lyndsey." The girl and the woman stared at each other. Lisa didn't like her from the moment she had walked in the room with her father. Who the hell was this woman and what did she want from her father? Phoebe wasn't having too many friendly thoughts either. Phoebe Green and Fox Mulder knew each other from college. She had dumped him ungraciously when something nicer had walked by. It had broken his heart, but he had continued his life without her. He moved to the USA and she had visited him there once, with the excuse of a case. She had tried to win him back then, but had failed because his heart belonged to somebody else. Despite the fact that they weren't a couple, it was obvious that he was deeply in love with his redheaded partner. She had hated the woman immediately and had laughed when she heard about their divorce. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, but suddenly after 11 years she had shown up in his life again and this time there had been no Dana Scully and she had been able to win him back again. At least, that was what she thought. If she would know that his thoughts and heart were still with Dana Scully, nine of the ten times he was with her, she would have been acting differently. For her liking, the girl looked just a little too much like her mother and that was already one good reason why she didn't like her. "Hello." Lisa said, a little too sweetly. "Hello Lyndsey, it's been so great to meet you, your dad has told me so much about you." Phoebe cooed, as if she was talking to a 5-year old, instead of an 11-year old teenager. All Phoebe was thinking. Lisa looked at Uncle Nick, he made a face and she rolled her eyes. Phoebe Green had never been his favorite person either. He had warned Fox when he started dating her again, but he hadn't want to listen to him. Before Fox Mulder knew it, Phoebe had him in her claws again. Lisa decided that this was not good at all. She had to go call Lyndsey, she would probably know who this woman was and what she was doing with their father. End of part 4 What's Mulder doing with Phoebe Green? Has he forgotten about his ex-wife or is it all a facade? Mirror of love (5/11) - Lyndsey - It was early in the morning and they were just having breakfast with the three of them, when the phone rang. Her grandmother got up and answered it. She listened to the person on the other side of the line for a moment, than held up the phone "Lisa, it's for you." Lyndsey got up and took the phone, asking who it was. "A girl from summer camp, she said her name was Jennifer. Funny, she sounds just like you." Maggie smiled and walked back to the table to finish her breakfast. Lyndsey immediately realized that it was Lisa on the other side of the line. "Hi Jennifer!" She said enthusiastically, realizing her grandmother and mom were listening with her. "Lynn it's me. We have to talk, it's important!" Lisa said on the other side of the line, realizing that Lyndsey probably wasn't alone in the room. "How are you doing Jennifer?" In the mean time Lyndsey excused herself and quickly walked to her own room with the phone. Thank god for cordless phones these days. In the safety of her own room, she could speak freely. "What's wrong Lisa?" She asked worried. "It's your dad." "What! What happened? Is he ill or ....?" "No, no, it's nothing like that. He's okay, but .... Lynn who's Phoebe?" "Phoebe?" Lyndsey had heard that name before, she thought for a moment, then realized she had heard her Uncle Nick mention the name before. Uncle Nick had called her a bitch. "I don't know her. But Nick mentioned her name once, I believe dad dated her in the past, when they were still in college, but after that they never saw each other again. Why?" "Well, guess what. Now they did see each other again and they were together all summer and I think she's dad's girlfriend." "What!?!!?! Dad hasn't dated anybody in years." "I know, but trust me, now he is. I think he might even ask her to marry him." "Oh no, this sucks. Lisa you have to do something. We can't let that happen. We have to get mom and dad back together and how do we have to do that when dad's married to someone else?" "I don't know. I'll try and do my best to get her out of here. Any suggestions?" "Play the wicked stepdaughter, hopefully that will help. And Lisa?" "Yes?" "Good luck!" "Thanks. Lynn?" "Yes?" "Give mom a hug from me, okay?" "I will, give dad a hug from me. Bye Lisa." With a sigh Lyndsey hang up the phone. This was not good, not good at all. She hoped Lisa would know what to do, to end this Phoebe-thing. Lyndsey went down, put the phone back in its cradle and went back to finish breakfast. Her mom and grandmother were looking at her curiously. Lyndsey took a bite of her toast and didn't say a word. "Who's Jennifer, honey?" Her mother asked. "A girl I met at camp this summer." Lyndsey said, with her mouth full of toast. "Why did she call?" "Oh she just wanted to say hi." That was all Lyndsey was going to say about it. They finished breakfast in silence. - Lisa - Lisa hang up the phone with a sigh and decided to go get ready for dinner. LATER THAT NIGHT She was lying in bed, when her father walked in to say goodnight. He leaned over her to give her a goodnight kiss. "I'm glad you're back again, honey." He smiled at her. "Daddy?" "Yes?" "Where do you know Phoebe from?" Fox sighed and sat down on her bed, sensing this conversation was not over yet. "We know each other from college. We met again a few weeks ago and ....." "You like her dad?" "Yes. I like her a lot." "Just like mommy?" His jaw dropped. Lyndsey had never asked about her mother before. Of course he had always known that the subject would come up some day, but he had secretly hoped it wouldn't. It was still a painful subject for him to talk about. "Have you been thinking about your mom?" "Yes, what was she like?" He thought of that for a second. What was Dana Scully like? Difficult to describe. He remembered the first day she walked into his office, how she had stolen his heart when she had thrown herself in his arms on that first case. Shaking and scared, completely trusting him. He remembered the way she used to smile at him, the way her eyes twinkled when she laughed. Everything they had been through in the 7 years they were partners. She had gotten sick, cancer and he had been so afraid to lose her. The cancer went into remission and she returned to work. It had taken them 7 years to open up about their feelings for each other. He had almost lost her again on a case. She had been yelling at him that he should stop being so overprotective at her, he had yelled back that he only did that because he loved her. She had stopped yelling and had looked at him in shock, whispering "you love me?" The words had left his mouth before he had known it, it had been too late to take them back. He had nodded and waited for her to hit him in the face or walk out on him, she hadn't. A single tear had trickled down her face as she stood on tiptoes, leaning closer towards him and finally kissing him softly. Letting ago again, she had told him she loved him too. After that things had gone pretty quickly and the next 2,5 years had been the happiest of his life. They got married, to the big dismay of her brother Bill and the great happiness of the rest of the family. 6 months later they found out she was pregnant and 9 months later Lisa and Lyndsey had been born. Both were still working on the X-files, thanks to Walter Skinner, their boss, who had arranged that they could still work together, despite being married now. Maybe it had all been too perfect. The babies grew up and when they were 1 year old, things had started to go downhill. They had more fights than they used to have. When he had ditched her once again on their latest case, to protect her, and she had almost lost him because of that stupid case, she had had it. The bomb had burst and after a big fight, she had left the house, taking Lisa with her. He hadn't gone after her, giving her time to calm down, expecting her to come back. She didn't, 6 months later the divorce was a fact. He had kept Lyndsey and she had taken Lisa with her. The stupid thing was that their fight had been about the fact that she had almost lost him because of the case and now she had lost him anyway. He still missed her every day. Every important step in Lyndsey's life, like the time she went to school for the first time or the times she had got ill, with a high fever and he had spend the night near her bed, he had wished she was still there with him and every time he had realized she was gone, to never come back again. "Your mother was .... very special. I loved her a lot, the best thing she ever gave me was you." "Do you miss her?" "Yes, sometimes I do." Correct that with all the time, but he thought he'd better keep that one to himself. "Why did you and mommy split up?" "I don't know." He answered honestly. "One day we had a fight and after that she left." He added to that, but he couldn't say that out loud, since Lyndsey didn't even know she had a sister. What would he say if he knew it wasn't Lyndsey but Lisa lying in the bed? "Do you love Phoebe like that too?" Oops. How was he going to respond to that. He did care about Phoebe, but not the way he had loved Dana. But he had learned to accept that he would never find that kind of love again. It had been too special for that. "I like Phoebe and I care about her a lot." He answered slowly. It seemed to be enough for Lyndsey. She sat up and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Okay. Good night daddy." "Good night Lynn." He answered, taken a little aback by her reaction. He had expected more questions, but Lisa had known enough for now. She slept peacefully as her father left her room, all kind of emotions and feelings swirling through his head. End of part 5 Are Lisa's questions bringing back old feelings? More in the next part. Mirror of love (6/11) - Lyndsey - Lyndsey had come to the hospital with her grandmother, to pick her mother up from work. They had agreed to meet each other at the hospital and go out for dinner together, since it was her grandmother's birthday today. A couple of colleagues greeted them and Lyndsey was trying to remember all the names she heard, but it were too many people to memorize them all at once. A few minutes later Dana had finished her work and she came walking to them. With the three of them they made their way out of the hospital. Busy talking, they almost bumped into somebody. "Oops. Sorry." The man excused himself. They looked at him and all recognized him immediately. Lyndsey almost let the enthusiastic greeting "Uncle Walter!" slip from her mouth. Thankfully she realized just in time that Lisa had never met him and didn't know him. Dana and her mother both looked a little surprised to see him. "Sir?" Dana said, still surprised. "Scully? Hello, it's been a long time." He was just as surprised to see her and her family. His look traveled to the girl next to her. She was an exact copy of the girl he knew so well and that had spent so many holidays with her father at his house. He smiled and greeted her. "Hello, you must be Lisa?" Lyndsey nodded, still trying not to be too enthusiastic, afraid that she would betray herself. After all Uncle Walter knew her pretty well. "Sir, if I may ask. What are you doing here?" Dana asked. "I'm in San Francisco visiting some relatives. An old friend's is lying in this hospital, so I paid him a visit." "I see, how are you doing Sir?" Even 11 years after she had left the FBI, she called him Sir. He grinned. "I'm doing fine, that is when you stop calling me Sir, Scully. You'll make me feel old. I retired from the FBI a few years ago, but that doesn't mean that I'm that old already!" "Sorry S ..., ehm ...." She looked at him helplessly, she had no other idea what she had to call him, but the so well-known and easily said Sir. "You can just call me Walter, Scully. I'm not your boss anymore." "Okay, but under one condition." She laughed. "And that would be?" "That you call me Dana. I'm not in the bureau anymore either. Nobody ever calls me Scully anymore." That was one reason, the other was, that after she and Fox had broken up, she hadn't want to be called Scully anymore. It was him who had started using that name and she didn't want to hear anybody else use that name for her. Even though it was only her last name, he had made the name special for her. He smiled. "Okay, Dana." "I'm afraid we have to go now, but would you like to have dinner with us tomorrow night?" She asked him. "I'd love too." She gave him the address and phone number and they made their good-byes. "Lisa, Maggie, it was a pleasure seeing you again. I'll see you tomorrow night." With that he turned around and walked away. - Lisa - Lisa was trying her best in playing the wicked stepdaughter. And she had to say, she was doing a good job, if she said so herself. And things were going exactly as planned, until tonight. She had made up a whole story about all the women her father had dated, after that she had started talking for half an hour about how great her mother was (that had ended when her father walked in) and at dinner she had *accidentally* thrown a glass of red wine over Phoebe's expensive white dress. And the night hadn't come to an end yet, Lisa had had lots of other ideas to get that woman running out of Oxford, to never come back again. However she hadn't expected her father to act so quickly. Or maybe it was better to say, Phoebe act so quickly. Lisa was pretty sure that this wasn't her father's idea. She had to go call Lyndsey, right now, even though it was still dark outside. At least it would be early in the night in San Francisco. - Lyndsey - Walter Skinner and his wife arrived for dinner that night. When Lyndsey had opened the door for them, Sheila had also had a surprised look on her face, which she had quickly hidden, because the girl looked exactly like the girl she knew from the holiday visits with her father. Now Sheila and Dana were in the kitchen, fixing the last things for dinner and Maggie and Walter were sitting in the living room, chatting. Lyndsey was playing a game on her mother's laptop on the other side of the room and couldn't follow the conversation. Walter Skinner looked at her for a moment, than turned back to Maggie. "She looks so much like her." He said softly, so that she wouldn't hear it. "Like Dana?" Maggie wasn't immediately picking up the meaning of his words, because she didn't know they saw Fox and Lyndsey frequently. "Also, but I actually meant like Lyndsey." Maggie's jaw dropped and she stammered, when she heard the name she hadn't heard so long. "How .... how do you know? Have you seen her?" "Fox and Lyndsey visit us every now and then. She's a sweet little girl, just like Lisa." He smiled, Lyndsey was the granddaughter he would never have. "How's Fox doing?" "Alright. He enjoys working and teaching at Oxford and they enjoy living there." "Anyone special in his life?" "Not that I know of. Fox doesn't go out a lot, his whole life turns around Lyndsey, he adores her. She's not the kind of girl to do so, but if she wanted, she could get anything she wanted from him. They make a good team together." He smiled. "I'm glad he's happy." "Almost." Walter said. "Almost? What do you mean?" "He's still missing one thing and I doubt if he'll ever forget about that." "Dana?" Maggie guessed, knowing the exact same thing could be said for her daughter. She knew she still missed him, even now, 10 years later. Other men had tried to ask her out on a date, but it had never worked out, because she always kept comparing them to the man she had loved and still loved after all those years. Their daughters were the most important thing in their lives and that's what they lived for. "Yes. Does she miss him too?" "Yes. She won't admit it, but I know she does. I've told her a thousand times that she should call or write him, but she refuses to do that. I just wish she wasn't so damn stubborn." "I know what you mean. I've tried to convince Fox to do the same, several times, but they're both just so stubborn. They already were when they were working on the X-files and obviously they still are." Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Dana, calling that dinner was ready. When dinner was finished they all sat down in the living room to drink coffee. The phone rang and Maggie got up to pick it up. "Lisa." Lyndsey was talking to her mother and Sheila and didn't immediately react, for a moment forgetting that she was Lisa. Walter looked at the girl, she only reacted when her grandmother called her for the third time, as if she suddenly seemed to realize who she was. Not for the first time that evening, he couldn't get rid of the idea that this was not Lisa, but Lyndsey. He knew it was a crazy idea, Lisa and Lyndsey didn't even know each other and Fox and Dana hadn't seen each other in 10 years, but still the idea kept playing in his head. "Who is it?" Lyndsey asked, not in a hurry to get up. "Jennifer." Maggie answered. Hearing the name, Lyndsey was up in no time, running to the phone to take it from her grandmother. She was talking softly, than looked at the people in the living room and quickly excused herself, walking upstairs with the phone. Walter frowned, once again he had the feeling something was going on, only he couldn't quite figure out what it was. "She still has contact with that girl?" Maggie asked her daughter. Dana laughed. "Yes, I guess they miss each other. Lisa said they were close friends this summer." "Jennifer is a girl she met at camp this summer." She quickly explained to Sheila and Walter, who had no idea what they were talking about. They nodded. Walter suddenly stood up, excusing himself, saying that he had to go to the bathroom for a moment. Instead of walking to the bathroom, he walked upstairs, in the direction of Lisa's room. The door stood half open, he didn't want to eavesdrop on her phone call, but he had the feeling that phone call would tell him more about what was going on. "What's wrong?" Was the first question Lyndsey asked, as soon as she was in the safety of her room. Where nobody could hear her, or at least that was what she thought. "They're getting married!" Lisa cried out, on the other side of the line. "What?!?!?!?!" Lyndsey yelled. "What the hell happened?" "I have no idea. I thought everything was going as planned. I was convinced that if I would continue like this, she would be out of here in no time. Guess I was wrong about that. Dad told me tonight that they are getting married in 3 weeks time." "That soon!!?!!? They can't do that. You have to stop them!" "Trust me, I'm doing everything I can. But until now it obviously hasn't been a great success! There's only one thing I can think of." "What?" "You have to tell mom. That way she has to come to England or we have to come to San Francisco, because they have to switch us. They'll have no choice but seeing each other again." "You think that will work?" "Well right now it's the only thing I can think of Lynn. Unless you have a better idea?" Lyndsey had to admit she hadn't. "I think you're right. Telling her will be the only thing that might help." "Tell her soon Lynn." Lisa urged her. "I will, I promise. I can't tell her tonight, because we have company right now, but I will tell her first thing in the morning." "Okay." Lisa sighed. "I miss you Lynn." Walter listened to the conversation, catching only bits and pieces, he had no idea what they were talking about. That was until he heard the last thing she said before she hang up the phone and at that moment he knew his suspicions hadn't been so crazy after all. "I miss you too. I have to go now, I'll call you as soon as possible, okay?" "Thanks, bye Lynn." "Bye, Lisa." Hanging up the phone, Lyndsey threw the phone on the bed and sank down on the ground. Putting her face in her hands, she groaned. "I'm going to be in soooo much trouble when I tell her." She didn't hear the door of her room open and didn't notice that Walter walked into her room. "Are you, Lisa?" He asked. "Uncle Walter!" She looked up at him in shock and the words left her mouth, before she knew it. "I mean ... sorry, I ..." she stammered. "Or should I say Lyndsey?" He saw the panic in her eyes, and he realized that he had been right. He had no idea how it was possible, but this was Lyndsey and not Lisa. "How ... how did you know?" She wondered how he had found out, she had been careful enough, hadn't she? "I had a feeling that something was going on and I was pretty sure after I heard you talk to your sister on the phone." He admitted. "Oh." Was all she said. "Want to tell me what's going on here, Lynn?" He sat down on the ground, next to her. She nodded silently and sighed. "Okay. Lisa and I met at summer camp this morning. Mom and dad send us to the same camp. Speaking of coincidence, huh? Anyway, after a week we bumped into each other at the lake one night and we started talking. Lisa ...." Lyndsey started telling the whole story, how they had found out that their parents had been married and that they were twins. She told him everything, until the point that she had gone back to San Francisco as Lisa and Lisa to England as Lyndsey. Walter frowned, when she stopped for a moment. "But didn't you realize that they would find out sooner or later?" "Yes, of course we did. That's what we wanted! If mom and dad would find out that they were having the wrong daughter, they had no choice but switching us back and that way they would have to see each other again and if they did, they would realize that ...." "They still love each other?" He finished for her. "Yes!" She sighed for the tenth time in five minutes. "And your plan is not working out the way you wanted it?" "No! Lisa just called me to tell that daddy's getting married in 3 weeks!" "What?!? To whom?" That even surprised Walter. He hadn't expected Fox to ever get married again, unless that would be to Dana Scully. "I don't know her. Her name's Phoebe." "Phoebe Greene?" Walter knew who that was. He had met her once, when she was in the USA for a so-called case. It had been pretty obvious to him that she had only come back to the USA to seduce Fox Mulder. He had been amused at the way she had been making a fool out of herself. Every time she had been talking to him, and Dana had entered the room, he had immediately lost all interest in Phoebe and has just left her standing there, to talk to his partner. It had been kind of pathetic. He hadn't liked the woman at all, and now she had obviously succeeded in winning him back in her claws. "Yes, you know her?" "I met her once, when she was working on a case with your father. He told me later that they knew each other from college." "That's what Lisa said. She can't marry him Uncle Walter!" "I know honey, I know." "You think dad could still love mom? Maybe if they see each other again .... ?" Lyndsey asked hopefully. "They might. You have to go tell your mother first and than we'll have to come up with a very good plan." "You'll help me?" "Of course. I don't like Phoebe too." He smiled secretly at her and she laughed. "Thanks, Uncle Walter." She hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back. "Come on, we have to go down now, before they get suspicious." She nodded and followed him back to the living room. Of course they asked where they had been so long and they made up an excuse of Lyndsey showing Walter around the house. End of part 6 Will Lyndsey tell her mother the truth? How will Dana react when she finds out Lyndsey's not Lisa? More in the next part. Mirror of love (7/11) NEXT MORNING She had been able to extend the execution for one night, but now the morning had come and she had to go tell her mother right now. Action was necessary or before they knew it, dad would be married soon, to the wrong woman. Dana Scully was running late for work. Running through the house, she quickly pulled herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, in the mean time trying to put on her shoes. At that moment her daughter walked in. She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Morning sweetie." "Morning mom, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you." "Oh honey, I really have to go, I'm already late. Can't it wait until tonight?" She put down her coffee and started putting her stuff in her bag. "No, it can't. It's really really important, mom." "Okay, but make it quick." Dana was half-listening, in the mean time trying to think if she wasn't forgetting anything. "I need to go to Europe." Lyndsey said, completely serious. That got her some attention, her mother turned around. "What? Honey, what are you talking about?" "I need to go to Europe." Lyndsey repeated. "Okay, Lisa listen, I have no idea why you suddenly want to go Europe, but this can wait till tonight, can't it?" She was ready to leave now and she really wanted to talk to her daughter, only not right now. "No! It's important!" "I know, you already said that before. Why do you want to go to Europe? What would you have to do there?" "I have to go see somebody. She needs me." Now Dana was completely lost, she had no idea what this conversation was going about and she had not the slightest clue who her daughter had to see in Europe. "Well, maybe we could go there next summer. You need to go to school now Lisa, it's your first day after the holidays and I need to go to work. "I can't go to school." "Why not?" "They don't know me there!" "Lisa, of course they do, you've been going to that school since you were 5 years old!." "No, I haven't!" "Lisa!" "I'm not Lisa." Lyndsey mumbled, so softly that her mother didn't hear her. "What did you say?" "I'm not Lisa." Lyndsey said, a little bit louder now. This time her mother did hear her. She laughed "You're not? So, who is it that I'm talking too? Your clone?" Lyndsey was nervous, and she was afraid to tell the truth. Tears started to trickle down her face. Dana looked at her daughter in shock. She put her bag down and pulled her in an embrace. Lyndsey circled her arms around her mother's waist and cried. All the tension of the last few days came out. When she had calmed down a little bit, her mother asked again "If you're not Lisa, who are you than?" Lyndsey looked up at her with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm not lying. I really am not Lisa, I'm Lyndsey." A deadly silence fell down in the room and Dana's face lost all its color. It took her a few minutes to find back her voice. "And where's Lisa, if you're Lyndsey?" "With her father, Fox Mulder, in England." Dana looked at her and could see she wasn't lying. The girl's face was completely serious. What she didn't understand was what had happened and what Lisa was doing in England with Fox and Lyndsey here with her. "But how is that possible?" "You and dad sent us to the same camp this summer. We met there and when we talked, we found out that you and dad were married and that we were sisters." "And you decided to switch places?" "Yes. I wanted to get to know you and Lisa wanted to meet daddy. So we decided to switch and Lisa went to England and I came here. I'm sorry mom, please don't hate me. I love you." "Oh honey." Dana sighed and pulled her in a warm hug. "Of course I don't hate you, I love you too. Do you have any idea how many times I wished I could see you again?" "Really?" "Really." Dana reassured her. A sigh of relief escaped Lyndsey's mouth. "But Lyndsey, didn't you and Lisa realize that you would also have to go back again some day?" Of course they had. That was partly why they had done it, knowing that sooner or later they would find out and they would have to be switched back again. That was the intention, that way their parents would have to see each other again. But Lyndsey wasn't going to tell that, not yet at least. She wisely remained silent. "We have to do something about this as soon as possible. Your father has to know that you're here and that he has Lisa with him, instead of you. Do you know where to reach Lisa?" Lyndsey nodded. "Yes, I spoke to her a couple of times on the phone." Something suddenly dawned on Dana. The secret phone calls, Lyndsey sneaking out of the room, saying that she needed some privacy. "That girl from camp that called a few times, Jennifer, that was Lisa, wasn't it?" "Yes, it was." Dana thought for a moment. "I think it might be best if you go call your father and I will call the airport to book us on the next flight to England." "I don't want to go away from you, mommy." "I know Lyndsey, I don't want to lose you either. But legally, you're your fathers and Lisa is mine." "Laws suck." "I know, they do. But I promise we will find a solution, okay?" "Okay." Lyndsey hugged her once again "I love you mom, and I'm glad I had the chance to meet you." "Me too, me too." Dana said, hugging her back, before letting go. "Okay, time to make some phone calls." "Don't you have to go to work?" Lyndsey reminded her. "No, I'll call them that I have to go out of the country for a while. This is more important." At that moment Maggie Scully decided to walk in. She looked in surprise at her daughter and granddaughter and wondered what was going on. Dana noticed her mother. "Morning mom." "Morning, is everything alright?" "Yeah, everything's fine. Mom, could you do me a favor?" "And that would be?" "Call the hospital, tell them I'm not coming. I have to go out of the country for a few days." "What?!?! Where are you going?" "Europe." "What the hell are you going to do in Europe?" "Get Lisa back." "Huh?" Maggie looked at her granddaughter, who was standing next to her daughter. "Dana, are you sure you're alright? Lisa is standing next you." "That's not Lisa, this is Lyndsey." Maggie's dropped and she looked at the two in shock. "L...L..Lyndsey?" She stuttered confused. "Yes, mom, ehm ... it's kind of a long story, but this is Lyndsey and not Lisa." Still confused, Maggie looked at her granddaughter. "But if you're Lyndsey, where's Lisa?" "With Fox in England." Dana answered the question for Lyndsey. "When ...? How ...., I mean ...., ehm ...." "The girls went to the same summer camp, found out the whole story and they switched." Dana gave a very quick version of the situation. "And you're going to England now to switch them back?" Dana nodded. "Yes, would you mind calling the hospital for me?" "Of course not, I'll go to do it right now." THREE HOURS LATER Three hours later everything had been arranged. Dana had taken a week off from work, Lyndsey's school had been called and the tickets were booked. Maggie had helped Lyndsey pack her suitcases and now they were waiting for Dana to finish packing. Lyndsey dragged her suitcase to her mother's room. She peered around the corner of the room. Her mother was pacing around, the suitcase empty and Maggie was trying to calm her down a little bit. "Mom, I can't do this! I haven't seen him in what? 10, 11 years?" "Everything is going to be alright, don't worry." "What am I going to say when I'm seeing him again? Hi, long time not seen?" "Well for starters." Maggie grinned. The fact that Dana was so nervous to see her ex-husband again, told her enough. She wouldn't be so nervous if she didn't care. Dana didn't think it was funny. "Mom!" "Maybe I shouldn't go. I mean ... I can just keep Lyndsey and ...." She didn't even know what she was saying, of course this had to be solved, they couldn't leave it like this. Sighing, she sat down on the bed. Her mother sensed that this was not going to go anywhere, if she didn't take some action soon. She quickly started packing the suitcase for Dana. Lyndsey walked into the room, her mother looked at her. "Are you all packed, honey?" She nodded. "Yes." "Good, did you call your father to say we're coming tomorrow?" "Yes, I did." "What did he say?" "He was looking forward to seeing us." Lyndsey lied to her, with a straight face. In reality she had called Lisa, to tell her they were coming, but her father had no idea. They had both agreed that it would be better that they would find out in England, the shocking way. "Oh good." Dana sighed in relief and stood up, when her mother told them it was time to go. They quickly made their way to their airport. End of part 7 Lyndsey and her mother go to England. How will Fox react when he sees her again and when he finds out he hadn't Lyndsey at home, but Lisa? Read more in the next part! Mirror of love (8/11) IN THE MEAN TIME IN ENGLAND Lisa sat down on the bed in relief, after she had spoken to Lyndsey on the phone. She was really glad that Lyndsey and her mom were coming to England. This had got way out of hand, she was only 11 years old, okay almost 12, but still too young to handle this alone. She was sure it was going to be a lot easier if Lyndsey would be here. "Lyndsey!" Her father called from downstairs. "Yes?" She yelled back. "Dinner is ready, are you coming?" "Coming!" She picked the phone of the bed and walked downstairs. Where she found out that Phoebe was joining them for dinner too. Phoebe was feeding her father some of the tomato salad with a fork. Yuck, the sight of it made her want to run straight to the bathroom, she thought she had just lost all her appetite. She couldn't wait until Lyndsey and her mother would be here. With the two of them, they would certainly be able to get that bitch out of here in no time. If seeing their mother again would not be enough already. NEXT DAY When her father woke her up the next morning, she told him she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to go to school. He asked worried if she was going to be okay on her own or if she wanted him to stay home with her. She assured him that she was going to be alright and that she wanted to sleep anyway, so that it was no problem if he was going to work. Phoebe came up to see what was wrong and snorted something about "spoiled little girls" and left again. The moment her father was gone and she was all alone in house, Lisa jumped out of bed and got dressed. She looked at her watch, it would be at least another hour before Lyndsey and mom would be there, she started to walk around through the house, to kill some time. Fox took the train to work. He was a little worried about Lyndsey, but convinced himself that she was almost 12 years old and was going to be okay. Getting out of the train, he walked across the street to the University. As if he sensed something, he looked around and his heart stopped beating for a moment. He took another look. This couldn't be, could it? He could swear he saw Dana Scully getting into a taxi, together with a girl, who looked exactly like Lyndsey. Before she got into the taxi, she looked up and their eyes locked. A longing feeling got over him. To hold her in his arms again, to feel her soft lips on his, to .... What the hell was he thinking? He was engaged, for god sake. He would be getting married in three weeks time and .... Suddenly he realized where he was and wondered what the hell she was doing here. The funny thing was, that she didn't look too shocked to see him, as if she had been prepared, while Oxford had been the last place he had ever imagined to see his ex-wife, and still the person he loved with all his heart. Dana was indeed not too shocked to see him, although the moment she had seen him standing there, her heart had skipped a beat. She told the taxi driver to wait a moment and started walking towards Fox. Lyndsey hesitantly got out of the taxi and looked at her mom and dad walking towards each other. A few steps and they stood in front of each other. "Dana?" Fox asked hesitantly, still not sure if he was dreaming or if it was really her. "Hello Fox." She said softly and smiled at him. That enlightening smile, that had made him fall in love with her, the day they met. "Ehm ... what are you doing here?" He asked, confused. She frowned. "What do you mean, you knew I was coming, didn't you?" "Ehm not exactly, how should I have known?" By that time Lyndsey had walked to them and was standing next to her mother. Dana turned around and looked at her daughter. "I thought you said ...." The guilty look on Lyndsey's face told her more than enough. "Lyndsey!" "Huh?" Fox looked from the one to the other, this was getting more confusing with the minute. Dana turned around to him again, an apologizing look on her face. "I'm sorry Fox, Lyndsey said she had called you to tell you we were coming, but I believe ...." He stopped her. "Wait a minute, I'm really trying to understand what's going on, but I have to admit, I'm kind of lost here." Looking at Lyndsey, of whom he had no idea how she got here and how she knew her mother, he asked. "What are you doing here Lynn? I thought you were sick at home." "That's not Lyndsey." His ex-wife informed him. "Huh?" "The one that's sick at home?" He nodded. "That's not Lyndsey, that's Lisa." His jaw dropped and he looked at the girl and her mother in front of him, trying to comprehend what Dana had just told him. He frowned. "Lyndsey?" He asked, still shocked. "Hi Dad." She smiled at him. "H ... h .... ho .... how?" He was still trying to recover from the shock and had kind of lost his ability to let a decent sentence come out of his mouth. Dana realized that they were still standing outside a busy station, people were all around them and that the taxi driver was still waiting for them. "How about we go to your house and explain this there?" She suggested. "Ehm ... okay." It was not like he would get much done at work anyway. And he really had to know what was going on here. Dana stepped in front, taking the seat next to the taxi driver. Giving father and daughter some time to say hello to each other. She looked over her shoulder and saw how they hugged each other and how Lyndsey leaned against her father during the ride. She smiled, she could see these two loved each other a lot and the thought that Fox adored his daughter and that she was growing up as a happy little girl, filled her heart with happiness. The only thing that stung a little, was that she hadn't been there to see it happening. During the ride, Lyndsey tried to fill her father in on the whole situation. They were home before they knew it. Lisa had been listening sharply if she heard a car stopping and when she heard the taxi pulling up on the drive way, she ran to the door and pulled it open. Her mother was the first one to get out of the car and in her enthusiasm of seeing her mother again after such a long time, she didn't realize her father was there too. "Mom!" She quickly ran to her and fell in her waiting arms. Dana's smile widened and she kneeled down, catching her daughter in her arms. "Lisa!" Fox and Lyndsey had got out of the car too and looked at mother and daughter greeting each other. Fox smiled at the sight. He had always known that she would love their daughter as much as he loved her. He corrected in his mind, it was over, their love had been in the past and he was going to get married to somebody else in three weeks time. Why was it than, that his heart didn't want to listen to what his mind was telling him? When Lisa looked up, she saw not only Lyndsey standing there, but also her father. "Uh oh." Slipped from her mouth. "You can say that again." Her mother told her, she looked at Lyndsey, than at Fox. "You two do realize that you're in trouble here, don't you?" "And you'd better come up with a very good story, to explain this." Their father said. Lyndsey and Lisa looked at each other, both knowing that they were in big trouble here. With a sigh, they followed their parents inside, hoping that they weren't in too big trouble, sensing some house arrest on the way. End of part 8 Will they be in big trouble and what will happen when Phoebe finds out Dana is back, with Lisa/Lyndsey? More in the next part! Mirror of love (9/11) TWO HOURS LATER Two hours later the whole story had been explained. How they had met each other in the summer camp, how they had found out they were twins and how they had switched places after that. But there was still one thing Fox didn't understand after hearing it all. "And why did you decide to tell us the truth now. Why not earlier or later? Why now?" "Uncle Walter found out and he told me I had to tell mom." Lyndsey said honestly. "Walter?" He frowned. "Walter Skinner. We ran into him at the hospital and he and his wife Sheila had dinner with us a few nights ago." Dana explained. "He recognized you of course?" He asked Lyndsey. She nodded. Now Dana was confused. "He recognized you? Did you see him before?" "We usually visit them, when we're in the USA." Fox answered for Lyndsey. "Oh. I didn't know that." They were suddenly interrupted by the doorbell that rang. Without realizing, afternoon had already arrived. Fox prayed to God that it wouldn't be Phoebe. He wasn't really in the mood to see her right now. Lyndsey got up and ran to the door to open it. They heard a happy scream from the hallway, followed by an "Uncle Mike!" A long, tall man walked into the living room, with Lyndsey hanging on his arm. "Hi Fox, I ..." He stopped in the middle, when he saw his friend was having company. He wondered who the woman was, his look fell on the girl that was sitting next to the woman and his jaw dropped. This was an exact copy of the girl that was hanging on his arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." He started apologizing. "That's okay." Fox reassured him, he saw his friend looking at Dana and Lisa curiously and he could tell that he was dying to know who this were. "Mike, I'd like you to meet Dana and Lisa. Dana, Lisa, this is Michael Cain, a good friend of mine." Mike frowned. He suddenly realized who this were. The woman he had never met, because she and Fox had been divorced before that. The girl that had stayed with her mother, Lyndsey's twin sister. As far as he knew, they hadn't seen each other in 10 years, he wondered what they were doing here. Fox could see his confusion. "It's a long story, I'll tell you later." He told him. Mike understood. Something had happened and knowing Fox he would hear everything about it later. "Hi." He greeted Dana Scully. She smiled and greeted him friendly. "Hello, nice to meet you." He smiled back, he liked her already. She was the opposite of Phoebe Green. Friendly, no-nonsense, laughing eyes, and when she smiled, it wasn't fake. He could see why Fox had and still did love this woman and could only hope that his friend would come to his senses, dump Phoebe and fix things with his ex-wife. He saw them looking at each other, when they thought the other wasn't seeing it and the way they looked at each other, told him more than enough. "I can see you're busy now. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Mike said. Fox nodded, absent-minded. Too much was happening at the moment, he would explain everything to Mike later. MIKE'S HOUSE When Mike came home, the first thing he did, was tell his wife about Dana being there when he dropped by at Fox's house, after that he picked up the phone to call Nick. Nick was surprised to hear that Fox's ex-wife was in England, together with the other daughter. The first thing Nick said, was what Mike had been thinking from the moment he had met Dana. "We have to make sure he doesn't let her go again, or he'll regret it for the rest of his life. And we have to get rid of Phoebe." Mike couldn't agree more. MULDER RESIDENCE Everything had been explained, but solutions had not been found yet. They both agreed that they couldn't split the girls from each other again, not that easily at least. However, what they were going to do was not clear yet. One option would be, one of them having the girls with them and the other would see them in the holidays, but Fox didn't even want to think of the idea of missing Lyndsey all day and he didn't want to miss Lisa anymore either, he had already missed the first 10 years of her life, he wanted to be part of it for the rest of that life. The same went for Dana. There was one very simple solution. That way the girls wouldn't have to be separated and they .... would get what they both wanted, but didn't dare to admit to the other. It was time for dinner and they were sitting at the table, with the four of them, just like a family. Which they were and at the same time weren't. When they were about to take their first bite, Phoebe entered the house. "Honey, I'm home!" She yelled. Lyndsey and Lisa rolled with their eyes and Dana gave them a warning look. Fox stood up to greet her and when he was out of their hearing, Dana said, with a threatening look in her eyes. "I'm warning you both, behave!" "But mom, ...." They both protested. "Don't mom me, just be nice. Sometimes you also have to be nice to people you don't like. And your father loves her, okay?" Deep silence followed. She once again gave them THE look. "Okay?" With a deep sigh they said. "Yeah mom." At that moment Phoebe walked in. "Phoebe, you remember Dana don't you?" Phoebe looked at the woman she had met once so many years ago, when Dana and Fox were still working on a case. She had hated her immediately, because it had been pretty obvious to her that Fox was in love with Dana Scully. At that moment in time there had been nothing between them, but she had already seen what they hadn't. A few years later they had seen it and they had got married. A marriage, resulting in the birth of twins, of which one lived with Fox, after the marriage had ended up in a divorce. Phoebe wasn't completely crazy, she knew that he still loved his ex-wife, but she would make sure that Dana wouldn't get him back. He was hers now. Putting up a fake smile, she said. "Hello Dana, it's soooo nice to see you again." Dana felt a nauseous feeling coming up and wanted to roll with her eyes too, but remembering what she had just told her daughters, she put up her best fake smile and in the same way as Phoebe had said, she answered. "Hellooooo Phoebe, it's nice to see you too." Lyndsey and Lisa giggled. Their father shot a warning look in their direction, which stopped the giggling. "Phoebe, you've met Lisa already, the other one is the real Lyndsey." Lyndsey giggled and politely gave her a hand. In an exaggerating tone she said. "It's sooooo nice to finally meet you, I have heard sooooo much about you. Nothing but good of course." She quickly added. Phoebe was obviously pretty thick-headed, because she didn't even notice it. Dana, Fox and Lisa were biting their lip, to prevent themselves to laugh out loud. Dana told herself that it was not nice to laugh about this, but she couldn't help herself. She looked at Lisa with a grin on her face, Lisa grinned back widely. Fox was the only one who noticed the exchange of looks between them. He couldn't help but smile, it was not nice, but he couldn't blame them either. They all sat down for dinner, but the nice and comfortable atmosphere that had been there, before Phoebe had entered the room, was gone. Everybody ate dinner in silence. NEXT EVENING Fox and Dana still hadn't solved the problem, but Dana had decided to stay a few more days to resolve it and to spend some time with both of them. Nick and Mike dropped by the next morning. Nick of course, because he couldn't wait to meet the woman that had not only stolen the heart of his best friend, but also because she had managed to keep it for the last 10 years, and that was something, considering that they hadn't even been together in those 10 years. The moment Dana had left the room for a second, Lyndsey and Lisa had told them that they wanted to get their parents back together, but they couldn't do that alone and maybe they could help them? Mike and Nick had told them they were more than happy to help them and the pact had been closed. Mike and Nick arranged a table in a romantic restaurant in town, where they would have lots of privacy. Which was important they had agreed with the four of them. And Lyndsey and Lisa told them they had a surprise tonight. They didn't tell what it was, all they told was that they had to dress up for it. Fox was ready to go, and waited for Dana together with his daughters. Five minutes later she came down the stairs and his heart skipped a beat when he looked at her. Wearing a long blue dress that matched her eyes, she looked stunning, and he didn't know why, but to him she looked even more beautiful than ever. Lisa and Lyndsey grinned, when they saw their father looking at their mother, as if he had never seen a woman before. Maybe this was going to turn out alright after all. Walking outside, Fox stopped Dana for a moment. "You know where we're going?" She shrugged. "I have no idea." Mike arrived with the car, he was going to bring them to the restaurant. Getting in, Fox asked his friend. "You know more about this too?" Mike didn't say anything, just smiled and started the car. Half an hour later they were at the restaurant. Lyndsey and Lisa brought them to their table. They looked at in surprise, because it was only set for two people. Dana voiced her surprise. "This is only for two ...." "That's because we're leaving again." Lisa and Lyndsey smiled sweetly and after a meaningful "Have a nice evening together." they quickly left. Still surprised, they sat down. "You think they're trying to tell us something?" Fox asked. "Wishful thinking." Dana smiled. She was doing some wishful thinking of her own, but didn't say that out loud. "Let's just enjoy the night, they went through all this trouble for us after all." He smiled and held up his glass of wine, clinking it against hers. "To a wonderful night, with a beautiful lady." She blushed and clinked her glass against his. "To a wonderful night." They were talking about all kind of things and of course the conversation came to the past. "Why didn't you come back that night?" He asked her, waiting for the answer he had never had. "You didn't come after me." She simply stated. "Would you have wanted me to come after you?" He asked, shocked. He had left her alone that night, thinking that she wanted to be left alone for a moment, that the storm would calm down and she would come back. She hadn't and it had resulted in their divorce 6 months later. How could he have been so stupid? He should have gone after her, it might not have been too late, but that was the past and it hadn't gone the way they had wanted it to go. Now it was 10 years later, and one of them was about to get married in 3 weeks time, they still loved each other, were unhappy without the other near them, but both too stubborn to admit it. Why did love always have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just say the words and kiss and make up? The answer was simple, too much time had gone by. "We both made mistakes." She whispered softly, tears in her eyes. The room was filled with silence. Both too afraid to say something. Fox broke the silence first. "We can't change what happened in the past, and they didn't organize all this for nothing, so how about we just enjoy the evening? "You're right, we should enjoy this." She smiled at him through her tears. And as the evening went on and they tried to forget about the conversation they had about the past, the chance to fix things between them, had passed once again. Going out like a candle at the end of the night. End of part 9 Will they find the courage to admit their feelings to each other? Or will Fox marry Phoebe instead? Find out more in part 10 of Mirror of love. Mirror of love (10/11) The days had passed and decisions had been taken. Now Dana and Lisa were ready to go back home. A taxi would bring them to the airport, both Fox and Lyndsey couldn't bring themselves to say goodbye at the airport. It would just be too difficult to see them walk away, back to another life, of which they wouldn't be a part. They had decided that Lisa would spend the Christ- mas holidays in England with her father and with Eastern, Lyndsey would come to the USA to see her mother and sister. In the summer holidays they could go to the same camp again. After saying goodbye, the taxi drove away. Taking two broken-hearted people with him and leaving two broken-hearted people behind. Fox held Lyndsey tightly against him, as she cried. Tears were streaming down his own face too. Why couldn't he just have told her the truth? That he still loved her with his whole heart, that he wanted her back, to start again, together with their daughters. As a family. Why was it so difficult to say the words out loud. And now it was too late, she was gone again and she would not come back. His heart cried out, Abruptly he rose. Lyndsey looked up at him in surprise, wondering what her father was going to do. "We're going." He told her, running inside to get the car keys. She ran after him. "Where are we going daddy?" "The Airport." Was all he answered, walking to the car, letting his daughter in. He started the engine and sped off. He was probably risking a speed ticket, but at this moment he couldn't care less. Lyndsey sat in the seat next to him, holding on to the dashboard, with a big grin on her face. She knew it, she knew her father wouldn't let them go that easily! At the same time that Lyndsey and her father were on their way to the airport, Lisa and her mother had arrived there. The drive there had been hell. Both hadn't said a word, alone with their thoughts. Lisa missed her father and Lyndsey already and was sad that their plan hadn't worked out the way they had wanted it. Dana was far away with her thoughts. She couldn't believe that this was happening again. It felt like d�ja-vu all over again. Why hadn't she told him what she really wanted? What she really wanted was him back in her life. To fall asleep again in his arms at night and wake up next to him in the morning. To be a family with the four of them, to do all the things that normal families do. Watching their daughters growing up, together, instead of going through all those family moments on her own. She loved him so much, how could she just have left, without saying that to him? Would they have had the chance to start all over again, to do it right this time? Tears trickled down her face and she wiped them away angrily. Love wasn't supposed to hurt this much! She didn't realize they had arrived at the airport, until Lisa called her name. She looked at her daughter. "Yes?" "We're there mom." Looking out of the car window, Dana saw that they indeed had arrived at the airport. With a sigh, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car, letting Lisa out too. Lisa looked at her, worried. "Are you alright mom?" She merely nodded, still lost in her thoughts. "Yes honey, I'm fine." Damn! Lisa couldn't believe that this was happening, she couldn't believe that they were about to go on a plane back home and that their plan hadn't worked out. She could tell her mom was hurting, but still they were leaving. With a sigh, she helped her mom with the suitcases and together they walked to the check-in hall. Arriving at the airport, Fox parked his car as quick as he could. Grabbing Lyndsey's hand, they ran to the departure halls as hard as they could. After finding out from which gate the plane to San Francisco left, they stormed into that direction, stopping abruptly, when they saw the plane leaving. Their faces fell and they looked helplessly how the plane left. End of part 10 Okay, sorry to keep you hanging here, but more will follow in the next part! Are they really gone? And if so, what is Fox going to do? Find out in the next part! Mirror of love (11/11) They were almost at the entrance of the plane, when Dana stopped. There was still a way back now, once they were in the plane it would all be over. No way back, did she really want that? Lisa tugged at her hand. "Mom?" "I can't ...., I have to ...." Dana mumbled. "Mom, we have to go. The plane is leaving." Lisa told her. Suddenly determined, Dana turned around and started to walk back to the departure hall, pulling Lisa with her. "Mom, where are we going?" "Back." Was all her mother answered. "Back? But mom, the plane ....." "Forget about the plane, we're not going with it." A grin spread over Lisa's face, when she realized what this meant. They were not leaving yet, her mother had finally come to her senses. Without saying it, her mother suddenly stopped walking, which caused Lisa to bump against her. She looked what her mother was looking at and her jaw dropped, when she saw Lyndsey and her father standing there, with their backs to them, shoulders slumped in defeat. She quietly walked towards him, softly whispering his name. "Fox?" He immediately turned around, recognizing her voice. Telling himself that he was only hearing what he wanted to hear. They had just left on that plane, hadn't they? But his ears weren't betraying him, it really was her. His jaw dropped, and he just stood there in shock. Hesitantly he asked "Dana?" She smiled sweetly and nodded. "But I don't understand, your plane .... it just left. How ....?" "We didn't go, I couldn't. I tried, but I couldn't leave, not again." Hope filled his heart. Could this really mean .....? He stepped forward, stretching out his hand, to touch her face. To convince himself that it was real. He looked into her eyes, searching the answer he was looking for. Her eyes told him all he needed to know. She still loved him and she wasn't going to leave him again. They were going to make this work, starting over again. "I love you so much, Dana." He whispered. She laughed through the tears that were falling down her face. "I love you too, but Phoebe .....?" "Screw Phoebe." He muttered, swiftly pulling her against him in one move, crushing his lips on hers. That was all she needed to hear, wrapping her arms around his neck, she returned the kiss with passion. They had finally come home, where their hearts had always been. "Ooooh." Lisa and Lyndsey looked at their parents, mesmerized. The "ooooh" brought Fox and Dana back to reality. Letting go of each other, they looked at their daughters, both blushing. "Told you so." Lisa and Lyndsey said in choir. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go home." Fox said, grinning like a fool, kissing Dana again. With his arm around Dana and Lisa and Lyndsey next to them, they walked to the car. Going back home. It didn't look they were going to take that plane to San Francisco today. Maybe in a few days, but than they would be taking it with the whole family. A FEW WEEKS LATER Things changed pretty quickly in the next few weeks. Phoebe got dumped ungraciously, being told that there was not going to be any wedding, because yes Fox was in love, only not with her. She had been furious, but he had just listened to her whole tirade with a stoic face and in the end she had thankfully left, still furious, yelling that she wouldn't forget this. He didn't care, he was just happy that she was gone and had gone back inside to his family. Family, the word sounded good. For 10 years, family had only been Lyndsey and him. Now it was Dana and Lyndsey and Lisa. He smiled, when he thought of his ex-wife, soon to be wife again. To the great joy of his daughters, he had, very romantically, gone down on his knees for her and had asked her to marry him. Of course she had said that she would love to be his wife. They had decided to move the whole family to San Francisco. Fox didn't mind leaving Oxford behind, his friends could always visit them and they could go to England in the holidays. The only reason he had left the USA, had been because he wanted to be away from Dana and that was exactly the reason why he didn't mind going back now. Because he would be with Dana and their daughters. A few days after their reunion at the airport, they had taken a plane to San Francisco. They hadn't called Maggie to tell they were coming, because they wanted to surprise her. And a surprise it had been. Fox and Lyndsey had stayed outside, and Dana and Lisa had gone inside. "Dana, Lisa, you're home again!" She had said in surprise. They had pretended that they had come back alone. Maggie had looked very disappointed, of course she had hoped that Fox and Dana would realize they still loved each other, but obviously that hadn't happened. Until they couldn't pretend any longer and burst out laughing. Maggie had looked a little confused, until Lyndsey had entered, followed by Fox. Her jaw had dropped, and a wide smile had spread over her face, when he had stepped forward, standing next to Dana, taking his hand in hers and they looked at her with goofy grins on their faces. She had been excited, especially when they had told her about their wedding plans. Walter Skinner had been excited too, when they had called them to invite him for the wedding. WEDDING DAY It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining outside and everybody was happy and laughing. Fox leaned over to his wife and whispered something in her ear and she laughed happily. With his help she carefully cut the cake and looked at him with a look that said "Don't even dare shoving this cake in my face". It was good to be so happy again. The photographer called Lisa and Lyndsey and told them to stand next to their parents. With their arms around each other and around their daughters, they laughed and with a click of the camera, the moment was captured forever. A photo of a happy family, home sweet home. The end Okay end of story, phew, this was supposed to be a short story, but I guess it got a little longer as expected. Feedback welcome at voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl or xfshippers@writeme.com. More stories can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/oh/xfshippers/index.html