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Title: Penny Serenade
Archive instructions: Permission to archive or list on your web page is granted as long as my name and e-mail address are included. Just let me know where it was archived or send me the URL. Disclaimer: All characters which have been seen or mentioned on the X-FILES belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions, and the FOX network, and are used without permission. I do not seek to profit, only to entertain. Summary: Both Mulder and Scully return from having disappeared for over three months without remembering what happened to them and are surprised by Scully's subsequent medical examination results. Mulder undergoes hypnosis to help him remember what happened while they were gone. A special thanks to all each of my patient readers/editors/fanfic writing mentors: Rhoni, Jeannine, Aileen and Sasha.
Washington, D.C. General Hospital
"Excuse me sir, you can't go through there!" the triage nurse shouted to FBI Assistant Director Skinner as he ignored her and quickly made his way down the hallway of the Washington, DC Hospital Emergency Ward. "Where are the two FBI agents?" he questioned the doctors and nurses standing out in the hallway of busy emergency ward. Finally one of the nurses responded, "They're in rooms 4 and 5." "Thank you." Skinner found both Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully in side-by-side rooms. Both appeared to be asleep or unconscious. "How are they?" he asked the doctor standing outside their rooms. Never looking up from his chart, the doctor replied, "We're not sure yet. I'm waiting for the results of the tests I ordered. Both of them are unconscious, but other than that, their other vital signs look pretty good so far. It's too soon to tell, but I think they might be in some sort of drug-induced coma. Did either of them have any drug problems that you know of?" "No! Certainly not! They have been missing for almost three months now. How did they get here? Who brought them here?" Skinner asked. Once again, as in Agent Scully's disappearance several years ago, no one could tell him how they had mysteriously arrived at the hospital. A heart attack victim was being wheeled into an adjacent room and the
doctor excused himself. Skinner looked at Mulder and Scully. Although he
was relieved at having them back, he was angry. Chances are, neither one
of them would remember what happened to them while they were gone.
Tuesday, April 28
"Dana's just regained consciousness!" Margaret Scully tearfully told Skinner as he entered the private hospital room. Skinner looked over at Scully. Scully managed a weak smile when she looked back at him. "Thank God!" he breathed. Dana whispered something to Skinner that neither her mother nor Skinner could make out. "What was that?" he asked her. "Where - is - Mul-der?" she repeated. This time she managed to increase the volume of her voice by slowing down, but it was apparent to both her mother and Skinner that she was still very weak. "He's doing fine. I just came from his room," Skinner said as he looked over at Mrs. Scully. "He still hasn't regained consciousness." "What - happened - to - us?" Scully asked. "We were hoping you would tell us, you've both been missing for almost three months," Skinner told her. "Dana, right now you need your rest so it isn't important," Mrs. Scully added quickly, directing a sharp glare at the Assistant Director. "No, Mom, I'm fine. - I just don't remember anything. - I don't know why I'm here. - The last thing I remember was going to sleep in my apartment..." "Your mother's right, Scully. Try to get some rest." Margaret Scully and her son Bill were pleasantly surprised to see Dana sitting up eating when they came in to see her the next morning. "Hi, Mom; Hi, Bill." "Dana! It's so good to see you up!" her mother said with a smile. "But then again, you shouldn't be here in the first place," Bill added. By the look on his face, his anger was obvious to Dana and she appeared concerned. Sensing the tension between the two, Mrs. Scully scolded her son. "Bill, don't upset Dana!" "I'm sorry, Mom. It's just..." Mrs. Scully's scornful glare converted Bill's expression to a forced smile. He turned to Dana. "Dana, I'm so glad that you're ok." Dana finished her meal and the doctor came by to examine her. Bill announced he had to leave but would come by later. The doctor said it was ok for Dana's mother to stay. He finished examining Dana and told her she was coming along fine and just needed some rest. "Could I see my chart?" Dana was looking for clues that could help her determine what had happened to her. There was nothing unusual on her chart. No drugs detected in her system, no sign of physical injury, nothing. < Just like last time. > Although she loved her brother dearly she was relieved he was gone so that she could tell the doctor she wanted to see Mulder. "Doctor, I want to see my partner." Mrs. Scully looked protectively at Dana and then at the doctor. "Fox Mulder is just down the hall." Mrs. Scully turned to Dana. "Are you sure you're up to this?" "I can use a wheelchair. I *need* to see him, Mom. He was there for me when I was in a coma." "I'll get someone to bring you a wheelchair," the doctor replied and left the room. A few minutes later a nurse came by with a wheelchair and helped Dana get into it. Margaret Scully was glad to see her daughter smile in anticipation of visiting her partner. However, she worried about how she would feel seeing him unconscious. As they entered the room, Mrs. Scully watched Dana's reaction when she first saw her partner. Taking a deep breath, Dana asked for the nurse to move her wheelchair so she could get up close to the head of Mulder's bed. Stepping instinctively into her doctor role, she looked up at the monitors to interpret the information displayed. "Mom, he's going to be ok. I just don't understand why he isn't awake yet." Scully took Mulder's hand into both of hers and looked pensively at his face. "Mulder, you're going to be just fine, do you hear me? I'm here for you, like you were for me." A tear ran down Dana's cheek. "Dana..." Mrs. Scully didn't like to see her daughter upset like this. She knew how important Mulder was to her but she felt that Dana needed to concentrate on her own recovery right now. "I'm fine, Mom! Mulder needs me and I need to do this." The nurse nodded at Mrs. Scully and left the room. Dana Scully sat there silently for about five minutes holding his hand. Looking at Mulder, she struggled to remember what had happened to them. Unlike the last time she had returned from being missing, this time she wanted to know what happened. "Mom, this is going to sound really strange." "Go ahead, Dana." "Did you ever wake up from a dream frightened, not being able to remember what it was about, but your heart was still racing? Well, I can't remember what happened, but the emotions and the feelings I experienced... I'm still experiencing them. I can remember fear, pain, and this is the strange part- I remember feeling very close to Mulder." "Everyone has dreams like that sometimes, dear. Maybe you're trying too hard. Don't tire yourself out trying to remember- it may come back to you on its own. You should be going back to your room now." "I know. Just give me just a few more minutes with Mulder. I need to talk to him." "I'll tell you what, I'm going to the bathroom and when I get back, I'll wheel you back to your room." Mrs. Mulder left Dana alone with Fox so she could speak to him privately. "Mulder, I don't know what happened but I'm hoping you'll remember. I feel closer to you for some reason. Something must have happened to bring us closer together. I just don't know what. Mulder, please wake up." Dana was confused and frustrated by her feelings. "Mulder... Mulder, I need your help." Somehow, Dana felt that this would work. Dana felt the hand she held tighten its grip on hers. She smiled- it was working! "Mulder, you can hear me! Please, open your eyes and look at me." The grip loosened a bit and she saw his lips move. "Keep going, Mulder, open those beautiful eyes of yours and look at me!" The words that just came out of her mouth surprised her. It must have been a strong enough incentive for him, because he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Scully..." his lips seemed to mouth without any sound. Scully put a finger to his lips. "Shhh! Don't try to talk. It's ok. You're going to be ok." They gazed into each other's eyes without speaking. Dana's mother, who had been watching for the last few minutes, broke her silence. "Welcome back, Fox!" she smiled at him. She hugged her daughter as tears ran down their faces. Just then the nurse came back in. "Well, Mr. Mulder, you've decided to join us after all this time," the nurse smiled and adjusted his oxygen tube. "How - long..." he started. "...have - I - been - here? What - happened?" "We were both missing for almost three months, Mulder, and we've been here for over two weeks. I just woke up yesterday." "You too, Scully?" he looked at Scully with a hurt expression. Although he couldn't remember what had happened, he felt the same emotions Scully felt. "I can feel what happened, but I can't remember." "That actually makes sense to me, Mulder, because I'm experiencing the same thing you are." They continued to look deep into each other's eyes, holding hands. Mrs. Scully knew one thing that must have happened while they were gone. She knew that look. "It is time for you to go back to your room, Agent Scully," the nurse told her. Mulder and Scully didn't take their eyes off one another. Mulder noticed that Scully wasn't making any motion to leave. "You should go now, Scully." "Ok, Mulder. I'll come back as soon as I can." Scully held on to Mulder's hand until the nurse wheeled her out of reach. They continued to look into each other's eyes, as if it would help them remember. Without speaking, they both knew that their next challenge would be to find out what had happened to them, one way or another. Scully's Apartment
Scully went to her door to answer the doorbell. "Who's there?" "Scully, it's me." She swung the door open. "What are you doing here, Mulder? Did you drive? You know the doctor said you aren't supposed to drive for another week!" "What, you aren't glad to see me?" When Dana's angry look did not dissipate, Mulder continued. "I got a ride over here from your brother." "What?" Scully's eyebrows arched. "Now I know you're lying!" "No, I'm telling the truth. He came over and we had a long talk. I think we're going to be friends now." Dana just shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not going to ask you how you did it, but if that's true, well, Mulder..." "I just told him how I felt about you Dana, and that seemed to reassure him that I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you." She noticed that he called her Dana. "What exactly did you tell him?" "I told him that I was quitting the X-Files because I have decided that your safety is more important to me. I can't subject you to any more of this, Scully." Scully felt herself getting very angry. "Fox Mulder, I'm not letting you do this! Do you understand? I know how important your work is to you and I won't allow it!" "Scully, it's too late. I have already submitted my letter requesting a transfer back to the VC section. Bill drove me over to Skinner's office to turn it in." "Skinner accepted it?" "Of course he did. He believed that we had been killed when we disappeared. He agrees that this has gone too far. He doesn't want to risk losing us. We are his best agents." "We? I didn't quit the X-Files! It is just like you to assume that I
would quit just because you did." Scully was very angry with Mulder. The
intensity of her emotion surprised her. Her heart was racing and she
looked fiercely into his eyes. He was hurt. He didn't know what to say. He figured that anything he said would be taken the wrong way- a no-win situation that married men complain about. Funny, he noted that he was thinking of Scully as his wife or at least that this was similar to some sort of lovers' quarrel. "Scully, I'm sorry. I guess I just can't bear the thought of you being hurt again. Especially when I feel responsible for what happened to you. Can you forgive me for that?" "Mulder, you know how I feel about having you protect me." "I can't help it, Scully." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Yes, can I have the number for a Taxi?" After he left Scully called Skinner but he was out. She left a message for him to call her when he got in. That night Scully wondered about the conversation that took place between her brother and Mulder. She called Bill up. "Tara, hi. This is Dana. How's the baby?... Great... Oh, I'm fine. Is Bill busy?... Bill. What did Mulder say to you today? I want a detailed account- word for word." "Dana, I went over there to give him a piece of my mind now that he's well enough to receive it." "Bill, he's still recovering." "I know. I wouldn't have hit him or anything, even though I really wanted to, believe me. We talked and he said that he cared about you enough to quit the X-Files. That's all I ever wanted, Dana, to know that he is concerned about your well-being as much as I am. He should be, after all, he *is* your partner." A bit disappointed for some reason that she was unsure of, Dana thanked Bill and told him to give the baby and Tara kisses for her. After Dana had been missing for over three months, Ma Scully was beginning to lose hope that she would ever see Dana again. Bill had taken a leave of absence to bring his family over to stay with her for a while. Now that Dana was found and she was ok, Bill was going to return home. "Have a safe trip home, Bill. And, thanks." The next morning, Scully's doorbell woke her up. She couldn't believe that she had slept so long or that Skinner's phone call hadn't woken her up yet. "Who is it?" "I have a delivery for you ma'am." Scully, still a bit apprehensive, reached for her gun and held it in the pocket of her robe. Looking through the keyhole, she could see that it was a young man with a box of flowers. She opened the door, and thanked him as she took the flowers. "Well I'll be damned..." She read the card, "I hope these will make you
feel better. I haven't been able to. Love, Mulder." "Hello, Scully", he answered the phone. She smiled at his expecting her to call. "They delivered the roses. Thank you, Mulder. They did make me feel better." "I need to talk to you, Scully. These feelings I had after I woke up... they are starting to fade just like a dream upon waking. I want to remember what happened." "Mulder, I'm going through the same thing. I just don't know what we can do. I still don't remember what happened the first time I was taken. Maybe those feelings are just the result of dreams we had." There was a pause where neither of them spoke. "Mulder, I do want to see you though. We have doctor appointments scheduled for this afternoon. In fact, it's almost time for my mom to pick us up! How about having her drop us off here after our appointments and you can catch a cab home later on? It'll give us some time to talk."
General Hospital Medical Center
After their examinations were completed, Dr. Peterson had a consultation with Scully, Mulder and Mrs. Scully in his office. "Both your tests came out fine with nothing unusual to report except for one of your blood tests, Dr. Scully." "What was it, Doctor? Is something wrong?" Mulder asked, looking more concerned than Scully did. The doctor hesitated and let out a long sigh. Maybe not, I don't know how you're going to feel about this." Looking at Dana, he bit his lower lip. "HCG was detected in your blood." Dana's jaw dropped as she gave a shocked, puzzled look to the doctor. "What? But, that's... impossible!" "What's wrong, Scully?" Mulder asked her, fearing that her cancer had returned. Ignoring both her mother and Mulder she continued to discuss her condition with the doctor. "I was diagnosed as being unable to have children after my last disappearance." "That's what interests me, Dr. Scully. What was done to you during your last disappearance appears to have been 'reversed' somehow. This pregnancy almost seems to have been a test to see if the reversal worked." Realizing that Dana was pregnant, Mulder and Mrs. Scully exchanged somewhat relieved, but very surprised looks. Dana didn't appear to be relieved. "First I don't remember a thing, and now... Oh my God, what if this baby isn't normal? I want to have some tests done." Dr. Peterson nodded in agreement. "Also... how do I say this?" He looked at Scully and then at Mulder. I suggest that we run a paternity test to see if you're the father, Agent Mulder." Scully and Mulder looked at each other, surprised. Mulder was speechless for a moment. He never really thought about becoming a father- especially when he didn't remember participating in the child's conception. Mulder looked away from Scully. "Sure, I'll go through the paternity test." "Mulder," Scully uttered a bit awkwardly, looking away from him, "I don't believe I'm saying this, but it could have been artificial insemination." < Just like the rational Scully- an alternative explanation,> Mulder thought. The doctor saved them both from further embarrassment by sending them their separate ways to different labs. Mrs. Scully promised to track both of them so she could drive them to Scully's apartment, as they had requested. They really had something to talk about now. The tests were done, and there was nothing they could do but wait. Mrs. Scully dropped them both off, kissing and hugging them both, and telling them not to stay up too late. Dana and Fox both sat on the couch in Dana's apartment and stared at the wall in front of them without speaking for quite some time. Mulder finally broke the silence. "Scully, I know how this is going to turn out." She looked over at him now although he continued to stare at the wall. "This child you're carrying will turn out to be mine and it will be perfectly normal, well, except for the fact that it's mine, of course." Scully didn't respond. Mulder continued, "I know this- Scully, the feelings I had, we had, after we woke up, they were so strong. They're consistent with what I believe now. This child has to be mine. Scully, how do *you* feel?" He looked at her now. She continued to look at him. Looking into his eyes was difficult. He seemed so, so vulnerable. She didn't want to hurt him. "Mulder, I'm really sorry, I don't know what to feel right now. I guess I'm really scared to consider the different possibilities. I mean, this baby I'm carrying could be another Emily. What'll I do then? Or what if the baby is normal but it belongs to someone like Cancerman? Or what if it *is* yours, Mulder?" "Well, I'd like to think that the last possibility is the best out of the three, Scully..." He gave her a half smile, but she didn't seem to see the humor in the situation. "Mulder, I'm sorry, I guess this is just so bizarre, and I can't remember anything, damn it!" She stood up but they continued to look at each other. "Right now, I can't even talk about this." Mulder could see that she wasn't angry at him; she was frustrated at the situation they found themselves in. He stood up and hugged her. Mulder released his arms enough to lift her chin. He spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "Look at me, Scully. It's alright. We don't have to talk about this now. I just want you to know, that no matter what the test results are, I will be there for you, and with you, no matter what happens." His lips met hers for a brief moment and then she buried her head against his chest sobbing quietly. It was a bit strange for both of them. Although they never kissed like that, it seemed such a comfortable and natural thing for them to do. Mulder spent the night in her apartment. They ordered a pizza to be delivered and watched an old Cary Grant movie on TV. Both of them cried during the movie. It seemed to hit too close to home. Like Scully, the woman in the movie had been unable to have her own children. When the couple goes to finalize the adoption of a little girl they have cared for, they are told they don't qualify- just as Scully was. Overcoming these obstacles and adopting the little girl, the child dies when she is about five years old- again, similar to Scully losing Emily. Finally, in the movie, the couple can't take the loss of the child and they are about to split up when the unexpected prospect of adopting a little boy brings them back together. "I don't know why this movie was on TV tonight, Scully." "Or why we chose to watch it, Mulder." "It was fate, Scully. Maybe this baby will bring us together too." They both looked briefly at each other. Neither wanted to venture further into discussion on the subject. "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Scully threw Mulder a pillow and a blanket from her hall closet. She paused and saw him watching her. She walked over to him without saying anything. With a quick brush of her lips on his, Scully kissed Mulder goodnight. She was somewhat puzzled at how quickly they had both become comfortable with the casual kisses they had just started exchanging. Mulder saw it as another sign and continued to watch her as she walked into her bedroom. However, unlike Scully who went to sleep refusing to think anymore about it, he spent a restless night considering the possibilities... Dana awoke to the phone ringing. "Hello?" "Dana, I have your test results." She got out of bed and put her robe on. "Already? I thought they would take longer." "Well, it seems that the FBI has taken an interest in this and has prioritized the processing of your tests to aid in the investigation of your disappearance. I thought I would notify you of your results before we released the results to them..." "They what? Scully suddenly remembered that Skinner had not returned her call. She sighed and tried to swallow a lump that quickly formed in her throat. "What are the results?" "I'm pleased to inform you that the baby is a healthy, normal baby... did you want to know the sex of the baby?" By this time, Mulder had gotten up and walked over to Scully's bedroom. "Mulder the baby is healthy and normal. Do we want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" Mulder answered that it was up to her, although he thanked her for asking him. "Yes, Doctor." "Is that Agent Mulder you were speaking to just now?" "Yes, he's here with me." As she listened to the doctor Fox looked at her blank, somewhat shocked expression and suddenly felt quite nauseous. "Thank you, Doctor," Dana stated and hung up the phone, expressionless. "Well, Dana? Please! What did he say?" "Mulder, he told me to tell you that you're going to be the father of a healthy, normal baby boy." Now both of them had the same blank, somewhat shocked expressions on their faces as the stared at each other speechless for a moment. Dana looked away. "Mulder, I'm really confused. Now that I know, I mean, I don't remember us... I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing, I'm sorry." Tears began to form in her eyes. "Scully, maybe the emotional turmoil is partially due to your condition." "See, this is exactly what I mean. There you go again!" "Scully, I'm sorry, but it seems like I'm always walking on eggshells with you. I can't do or say anything right. I feel as if we're already married." "Who said anything about us getting married?!" She was puzzled as much as she was angry because she had been thinking the same thing. "Scully, that's it!" He paused. "I'm not going to say another word." Mulder looked at her. The same woman who had lovingly kissed him last night now looked at him as if he had raped her to get her pregnant. "Oh no, that can't be it. You don't think that I raped you, do you?" "Auuugh!" Scully cried in frustration as she pushed him out of the bedroom and slammed the door in his face. "Go away Mulder, I need to be alone right now." "Scully, I'm so, so sorry! Please, let's talk some more about this." "I can't talk about this right now. Please, Mulder." Mulder could tell by the despair in her voice that she needed her space. Reluctantly, he stopped trying to get her to talk to him. "Alright, Scully, I'm calling a cab," he told her sadly. She opened the door and watched him as he dialed the number he had written on her notepad the last time. As he requested the cab, he glanced over at her. Both of them looked at each other with hurt expressions. They wondered how what should have been the best news the doctor could have given them had resulted in this. They should have been in each other's arms and yet they couldn't even stay in the same apartment. Mulder walked over to Scully and gave her another one of those quick light kisses. His voice returned to almost a whisper. "I'm going to wait downstairs for the cab, Scully. If there's anything you need, or if you decide you're ready to talk, call me." She nodded slowly as he turned and left. When he got back to his apartment, Mulder decided that he was well enough
to return to his work. He had told Scully he was quitting the X-Files, but
he was not going to quit trying to find out the truth about what had
happened to them. He called Dr. Heitz Werber, the hypnotist that helped
him remember what happened the day Samantha was abducted. The hypnotist
said that a couple of patients had cancelled their appointments and that he
could see him that afternoon. On the way, he thought about how much he wanted to remember. Mulder made sure that the session was being videotaped so he could play it back for Scully after they were through. Maybe watching it together would help them remember. "Sit back and relax, Mr. Mulder. Breathe deeply and focus on the flower on the wall in front of you..." Scully was angry with herself for treating Mulder the way she had.
The phone rang and she answered it before she had a chance to wonder if it was Mulder calling. "Oh hello, Mom. The doctor said that the baby is a healthy baby boy and... it's Mulder's." "Oh Dana! That's wonderful news. I knew it was possible by the way you and Fox were looking at each other when you two first woke up." "Then why can't I remember anything? And why can't I be happy about this? What's wrong with me, Mom?" Dana began to sob audibly on the phone. "Dana, you're entitled to be upset, with everything that's happened to you. And you're pregnant, dear! You're going to have a lot of emotions with no rational explanation for them." "Oh Mom, Mulder was right and all I did was tell him to leave me alone. I pushed him away." "Dana, do you want me to come over?" "No Mom, I need to be with Mulder right now." Dana's attempt at reaching Mulder was in vain. He didn't answer at his apartment and he wasn't answering his cell phone. she thought. Meanwhile Mulder was in a deep trance, providing a detailed account of his experiences. He had turned his cell phone off before the session started. He didn't think there was much chance Dana would want to talk to him for quite some time. The video camera recorded his story. Dr. Werber worried that Mulder would
be disappointed. Fox's ramblings were the most incredible the hypnotist
had heard yet, stranger than his previous account of his sister Samantha's
abduction. When he opened the door to his apartment, he found Scully waiting there for him. "Scully, how did you get here?" he asked her. "Mulder, I saw you driving from the window, so don't start on me." "Regardless, it's good that you're here. We can watch this together to find out what happened to us." "What do you mean?" "I underwent hypnosis and this is the tape of it. This may help us remember what happened." "Of course," Scully replied with her usual smirk and raised eyebrow, as she sat next to Mulder in front of the VCR. Mulder started the VCR. After a few seconds of raster, an image of Mulder sitting in a chair facing the camera appeared. Agent Mulder, I've started the tape. I want you to relax... Dr. Werber began. Scully and Mulder watched the Mulder on the TV become more and more relaxed in his chair until he was actually slumped over. Agent Mulder, I want you to think back to the middle of January when you were first reported missing. Do you remember what happened? I just remember going to sleep on my couch that night and then waking up in a strange place. I don't remember how I got there, Mulder said in a trance-like state. I was in a small white room with only a bed, and a dresser that was also a desk. There was a mirror. It had a small bathroom with a toilet and a shower off to the side. Just then Scully flinched. Mulder hit the pause button on the remote control button. "What is it, Scully?" "I don't know. I just had some sort of flashback of, well..." "What, Scully?" "I can see that room, Mulder. And I see you standing in the shower." Not only did Scully "see" the scene in her mind, but she experienced the strong physical feeling of desire as if it were actually happening. The short gasp for breath she made and the flush of color that appeared on her face did not go unnoticed by Mulder. Relieved that Mulder didn't appear to notice her face grow hot, she tried to recover. "It was just an image, Mulder, that's all. It may just be the power of suggestion from listening to your tape." "Well, let's continue through this and if either of us remember anything, we can stop the VCR and talk about it." Mulder turned the machine back on. I got up and tried to open the door to the room. It was locked. I guess I panicked at the thought of being trapped. I tried banging on the door. 'Hey! Anyone out there? Hey!' No one came. I continued to bang on the door and kick it. 'Ouch!' Scully noticed that as the taped Mulder wrinkled his face in pain, so did Mulder. What happened, Agent Mulder? I was wearing slippers. I noticed that I was wearing a cross between hospital clothing and a prison uniform. I placed my ear to the door but I didn't hear anything. I tried ramming the door open with my shoulder but all I did was hurt my shoulder. Once again, Scully noticed that as the taped Mulder rubbed his shoulder, Mulder rubbed his shoulder too, as if he were feeling the pain again. What did you do next? I started looking in the drawers. I found wash cloths, towels, bed linens and extra clothing. I realized I wasn't wearing any underwear when I noticed there wasn't any in the dresser. There was a center drawer that contained a manual and a videotape. 'Instructions for new inhabitants. Hmmm. Not my usual brand of entertainment. Ok, where is the VCR?' Mulder alternated from telling about what happened to actually saying what he was thinking or saying at the time. Mulder suddenly stopped the tape. "Scully, I think I remember the VCR! It was hidden in the wall." He continued to play the tape and the Mulder on the screen continued his tale. I found a panel above the desk. I tried pulling on it but it wouldn't open. Finally I pushed one of the corners in the panel swung open. There was a VCR and monitor. I put the tape in and started watching it. Mulder pressed the pause button on the remote. "Scully, see- that's proof I remembered part of what happened." "Not necessarily, it could just mean you remembered what you said under hypnosis," Scully tried to keep Mulder from getting his hopes up too soon. Mulder looked over at her and knew that she needed to be convinced. Scully's sister talked her into seeing a hypnotist a few years ago to remember what happened the first time she was abducted. Mulder felt it could have helped, had Scully been opened-minded enough to complete the initial session. He pressed the play button once again. A mature male voice went through the instructions while the words he spoke were displayed on the screen. Mulder lowered his voice a bit to imitate what he heard: 'Welcome new inhabitant. Please remain calm. What follow are the rules for your stay. You will awaken each day at the sound of the bell. You will take a shower and change your clothing. You will then play the tape you have received through the slot in wall behind you. It will provide you with instructions for the day. Your door will open at the sound of the bell. You will then proceed in an orderly fashion through the door and follow the lit arrows to your designated dining area. No talking is allowed. You may sit in any of the chairs after picking up your food tray. You have 25 minutes to eat. At the end of 20 minutes a warning bell will sound. You have five minutes to return to your designated habitat to carry out the instructions you have been given in your daily videotape. Feeding sessions are conducted three times daily. At the end of the working and feeding sessions you will be allowed two hours of unallocated time. Failure to follow these general instructions or your daily instructions will result in electrocutions through the collar on your neck.' Mulder's voice in the video changed back to his normal voice. 'How am I supposed to tell time when they took my watch?' They placed some sort of metal band just above my right elbow and I felt a metal collar around my neck. 'Where the hell am I, in some sort of bad science fiction movie?' Both Mulder and Scully reached for their necks. They looked over at each other. "Scully, do you have a feeling that something's missing?" "Ok, it does feel as if I forgot to put my wrist watch on, except that it
belongs on my neck and elbow," Scully sighed. She still wasn't convinced
it wasn't just the power of suggestion acting on them but decided to
refrain from making that comment again. "I can see you're still not convinced, Scully." "Mulder, I'm trying very hard..." "I could see that, when you remembered seeing me in the shower." Mulder ducked. Embarrassed that Mulder did detect her physical reaction to the memory, she could only glare at him. He looked away, cleared his throat and pressed the play button. The elbow band looked like it was made of some sort of metal. I looked at the collar in the mirror and it looked the same. I couldn't figure out any way of getting either of them off. There wasn't anything I could cut them with. The videotaped Mulder flinched. An alarm went off and the door opened. I stepped outside and saw all these people dressed just like I was, silently marching in the direction of lit arrows, just like they were supposed to. The Mulder in the video got a twisted expression on his face. What's wrong, Agent Mulder? What's happening? Dr. Werber prompted him to continue. Scully? I see Scully. Or do I just want to see her? But I don't want to see her. I want her to be safe, asleep in her apartment. Scully got irritated at how even Mulder's subconscious mind sought to protect her. She resisted having Mulder stop the tape so that she could express this. 'Scully!' The taped Mulder shrunk back in his chair in pain. Agent Mulder, what is happening? It was her. I called her name and I got shocked for talking. Scully looked over at Mulder on the tape and then at Mulder sitting next to her. Both appeared to be in pain. "Mulder, are you alright?" She stopped the tape. "Scully, I have this sharp pain from elbow to my neck." His voice was strained and he appeared to be in a lot of pain. For a moment Scully stepped into her doctor role and feared heart attack symptoms. Then she remembered the tape. She unbuttoned Mulder's shirt and placed her ear to his chest. His heart was beating fast, but otherwise normal. He looked down at her head on his chest and got a dreamy look on his face. "I feel better now, Dr. Scully." "Mulder, I was seriously thinking that you could be having heart attack symptoms! That wasn't funny." He stopped smiling and buttoned up his shirt. "Scully, I really did feel the sharp pain. It was so real." "Just play the tape, Mulder." The taped Mulder continued. I fell to the ground and she ran to my side and helped me get up. She silently motioned for me to follow her to where the rest of the people, like mindless sheep, were going. We got our food trays. I thought about how we could communicate. There were paper and pens back in the rooms. I could pass her a note and together we could work on getting out of there. The taped Mulder shook his head. Scully was one step ahead of me. She sat down next to me and scratched her habitat number, '227', in her Jell-O. I scratched '229' in mine. The Mulder in the tape smiled. She ate a layer of Jell-O off to get a clean writing surface and she scratched 'go to 227' on it. She cleaned it again and scratched, 'not 229'. Scully was inviting me to her room. I was so excited by this I completely forgot about the collar. She went in the room first and I walked in a minute later. We waited until the door closed and then she started talking. 'Scully, why aren't we getting fried?' She reminded me that talking wasn't allowed outside the room, but that inside the room it was ok. I thought about how the yelling and screaming didn't get me shocked when I first woke up. Scully figured that I could go in her room without getting zapped. She said somehow she just knew, but I thought Scully knew all this stuff because she was there before. Agent Mulder, Dr. Werber continued. Did Scully tell you that she had been there before? No, she didn't. But she had to be... Continue Agent Mulder. What did the two of you talk about? Neither of us could remember getting there. It was the first day either of us had been awake. 'Where are we? What were we doing there? Who put us there? Why?' The meal we had was the last feeding session of the day and that we had about two hours to plan an escape before they turned the power off to the room. It seemed almost impossible- we didn't have weapons, we had shocking collars around our necks they controlled... Scully thought we should try waiting in our rooms a minute or two and then going in a direction opposite to the arrows when the crowd was thick. We could travel in the middle of the crowd and maybe they wouldn't see us. We didn't know where it would lead us but it was all we could think of. We were going to try it the next morning. The videotaped Mulder grew silent and smiled. Scully and I laid on the bed together and watched TV. You watched the videotapes? Dr. Werber asked. No, it was a regular TV, with regular TV programs on it. What did you watch? I know we didn't get the Playboy Channel. We watched CNN, and some sitcom. It was nice to know that our world was still out there. I was beginning to wonder if we weren't on some other planet. The videotaped Mulder smiled once more. Scully asked me how did I know that it wasn't a videotape they made before we took off? Just then the lights and the TV went out. Mulder's voice changed to a childish tone,'Night-night, Scully.' His voice changed to imitate the childish voice Scully responded to him with. 'I'm scared, Mulder.' His voice changed again to a serious adult tone. 'I'm here with you and I won't let anything happen to you.' Mulder stopped the tape. He had a disturbed look on his face. "What's wrong, Mulder?" "I don't know. I just wanted to take a break for a minute." He got up and went to the bathroom. Scully thought of how the childish dialog might have reminded him of Samantha's abduction and she felt bad about it. Just then Scully had another longer flashback... Scully remembered being in the small white room with Mulder. The bathroom didn't have a door and they had to take turns taking showers. They looked away from each other as they undressed. Mulder went first. He dried himself off and wrapped a towel around his waist. Scully went in and turned to make sure Mulder was looking away before she removed her towel. She was surprised to find herself disappointed that he didn't even try to look over. Before she removed her eyes from him, he dropped his towel. She gasped and reluctantly looked away. She looked straight ahead and
continued washing herself determinedly. She had seen him without his
clothes on before and each time she scolded herself for having such unclean
thoughts about what she would like to do with him. Mulder had returned from the bathroom a minute earlier and had paused to
watch Dana's face as she was having the flashback. She let out a long, deep sigh and caught Mulder looking over at her. She coughed nervously. "Mulder, I think I've had a another flashback. I remembered being in the room with you. It wasn't anything you talked about on the tape." "Scully, you have to tell me exactly what you remember. Then if I refer to it on the tape, it'll show that we both independently remembered the same thing!" Scully hesitated and then began. "Mulder, I remember that we traded off taking showers and that we caught each other looking at each other. I called your name and splashed water at you. That's all I remember." Mulder smiled at the image her words painted in his mind, remembering the physical response she exhibited during her flashback. "Good, let's continue watching." He pressed the play button on the remote. Mulder curled up in his chair on the tape. We fall asleep curled up next to each other. He took a deep breath. The bed is small for two people. She is soft and warm and feels so good. He closed his eyes and his desire showed on his face. I want her. Agent Mulder, did you have sex with her that night? Both Mulder and Scully sat forward on the couch a bit, anxiously awaiting the taped Mulder's response. No, we went to sleep. We are best friends. We don't do that. I love and respect her too much to have taken advantage of the situation we were in. They both sat back. Scully took the remote control out of Mulder's hand and pressed the pause button. "Mulder, did you tell him that I'm pregnant?" "No, Scully. I only told him that we disappeared together and neither of us remembered what happened. Why did you ask me that?" "I just wanted to make sure that his questions weren't leading you to say what he expected you to say." Scully stopped the tape for another reason. For the first time in the four years they had worked together, she had heard Mulder say that he wanted her. She knew that he loved and respected her by the way he treated her, but he had never admitted to wanting her. Sure there was the occasional innuendo, but she always dismissed it as Mulder trying to make a joke. "Wait a minute, Scully. I've got to say that I am beginning to feel awkward about this. I don't know what I am going to say next on that tape. I feel emotionally naked to you. You are seeing the inside of my mind..." "Mulder, stop. If you want to watch this by yourself first, I'll understand." "No, that's not it, Scully." "Well, if you mean that some of the stuff you are saying is just a result of the hypnosis and it really isn't true..." Scully looked away from Mulder, visibly hurt. "No, Scully. I meant what I said. Look at me!" She looked up. "I meant what I said. I need you to know that. The fact is, somehow I got you pregnant and it's important to me that you know that I meant what I said." They looked in each other's eyes and Dana began to cry. "Oh Mulder, I never thought that you took advantage of me. You know how much love and respect I have for you. You have been there for me through my cancer, through Emily. Even though we don't talk very much about our feelings for each other, I can assure you, anything that happened between us was based on mutual consent." She slowly brought her lips to meet his and for one brief moment, both of them had a flashback of a single red rose. They could smell it, and even taste it. When their lips separated, Mulder mentioned it. "Scully, I just had a very powerful image of a red rose. I could see it, smell it and..." "Taste it." Scully finished his sentence. "So could I Mulder." Scully
was beginning to dismiss her dream theory. Mulder smiled. They were making progress. He pressed play. Mulder continued his story. An alarm woke us up. Scully's daily videotape was there for her to watch. She was told that after the next feeding session she was to report to room 375. I didn't want her to go. I know she didn't want to go either. 'What would happen if you didn't go, Scully?' We knew she would get shocked like I did when I called her name. Scully said that maybe she could find a way for us to escape when she went there. I still don't want her to go but she gets mad and says she hates it when I try to protect her. The video Mulder smiles. We took turns taking showers. The bathroom had no door. She was watching me in the shower as she was getting undressed. She didn't know I saw her watching me, or that I could even see her, because I watched her in the mirror. She was so, so beautiful. Her eyes traced my form, slowly, from head to foot. I could tell she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. I finished and it was her turn. I couldn't see her in the mirror from my side of the bed. I sneaked a quick glance over at her, trying not to get caught. The Mulder on the tape took a long, deep, audible breath. I couldn't believe how perfect she was. He ducked and covered his head. 'Mulder!' he imitated her. She caught me so I stood up and dropped my towel. 'Ok, Scully, now we're even.' Scully stopped the tape. "OK, Mulder. That's what I remember." "That you wanted me?" Scully smiled coyly. "The pot calling the kettle black. I can't wait to hear you describe the rest of our adventure, now." The tape reinforced her memory. Once more, she felt the physical response that accompanied it. Mulder noticed her breathing had become more rapid and shallow. She started the tape again. Mulder continued. Just then the door opened. Scully left first. I wasn't hungry and I wanted to see if Scully's idea about going the other way would work. I reached a certain point and everyone was going in the same direction I was again. It was like a maze with two paths. We all ended up at the feeding area. I did notice that there were large double doors that were closed at various points in the path. There was one set that was open that no one was traveling through. I sat down next to Scully and we ate in silence. At the sound of the bell, I tried to follow Scully down the hallway to go to 375. She looked at me to stop but it was too late. 'OWWW!!!' Both the taped Mulder and the Mulder sitting next to Scully writhed in pain, grabbing their shoulders and right arms. Scully went to stop the tape but Mulder stopped her. On the tape, Mulder continued to describe what happened. I pulled myself across the floor back to the hallway my room was on and the pain stopped. He started crying in the video. But when Scully tried to come back it shocked her. Mulder went to stop the tape because this time Scully started grabbing her neck in pain. "No, Mulder! Let it continue!" Mulder continued to sob on the tape. I had to let her go. Tears ran down his face on the screen. Scully could see the sorrow in Mulder's eyes as he watched himself on the tape. I didn't see her for over three days! I kept hoping she escaped but I could feel her close to me in pain. I thought of her constantly. When I took my shower, I could remember her standing there washing herself just the other day. I couldn't get the image of her smiling and playfully splashing water at me out of my mind. When I closed my eyes, I remembered her lying next to me. I could smell her sweet scent and feel the warmth of her body next to mine. I didn't say it! I had the chance and I didn't tell her. Dr. Werber interrupted Mulder. Scully was disappointed that he didn't let Mulder continue. Did she come back? No, the tape in my room told me to go room 375. It was my turn now. The hypnotized Mulder continued his story. I thought I would find her so I went willingly to room 375. She wasn't there when I got in the room. They grabbed me and stuck a needle in my arm. I was too weak to stand and fell. That's all I remember. Who grabbed you, Mulder? I didn't see them. They grabbed me from behind. What do you remember next? I woke up in bed next to Scully. She was calling my name telling me she needed my help. Scully smiled when she heard this, remembering how she woke him up in the hospital. 'Scully, uh, what happened? Are you OK, Scully?' Mulder stopped the tape. "Scully, I remember waking up! I pulled the sheets up to look down. You asked me if I was still intact. I said I was and I told you to go take a shower so I could see if it still functions." Scully smiled at him, although she didn't share this memory. He continued on the tape. I told her I had been taken to room 375 three days after she was taken. She said we needed to examine each other for implants. 'Oh Scully! I can see that I am still functioning.' They both laughed as they watched Mulder say this on the tape. She pleaded with me to try and think of it as a professional medical exam. I went to take a cold shower so that I could go through with it. She felt the cold water splash on her and asked why I was taking a cold shower. 'What, Dr. Scully? How else am I going to be professional about this?' 'Ohhhh...' She ran her fingers along my back, and inspected every inch of my flesh from the hair on my head to the bottoms of my feet. Magic fingers. Luckily the cold water still had its effect on me. That and forcing myself to think of Flukeman in the sewer kept my responses to her touch under control. Scully and Mulder on the couch exchanged glances. Both were starting to feel the same desire they felt during the "exams." She didn't find anything on me and it was my turn to examine her. She took her clothes off quickly and watched me as I examined every inch of her. I ran my fingers slowly along her neck and back and she thought I couldn't see her face. But I could- the mirror again. She closed her eyes and opening her mouth slightly, took a long, slow breath. I guess she couldn't be 'professional' with this. The ecstasy showed on her face. I was doing this to her with my touch. I was glad I had a towel on during this part. I finished my intimate inspection. 'Agent Scully, we truly have no secrets from each other now.' But we did. I still hadn't told her how I felt. Mulder paused for a few more seconds and continued. We couldn't figure out why they let us stay in the same room, but we didn't complain; we were together. We watched our tape and it gave us instructions for a morning exercise session we were supposed to attend. We continued to work on gathering enough information to plan an escape attempt. We attended our feeding sessions and exercise sessions that day. The exercise room had machines that we worked out on for an hour. We were the only ones there. There was no other way out of the room. That night, I kissed her goodnight and we slept safe in each other's arms. The next morning brought more of the same. The videotape we received was the same as the previous day. We were becoming comfortable with having to undress and shower in front of each other and we were almost working out a morning routine. We started mapping out the facility as we knew it. There was a hallway of rooms with 200 series numbers. That was where our room was. There was a 100 series hallway that ran perpendicular to our hallway. I went through that way the day I took the other way to lunch. Then there was the 300 series hallway room 375 was on. Mulder starting crying on the tape again. Room 375. I failed to protest her again. Just as I failed to protect her from Duane Barry the first time. Just as I failed to protect Samantha. I am a failure as a man. I fail to protect the women I love. Scully stopped the tape and they both remained silent. Mulder expected her to get angry about his protective feelings for her. "Mulder, whatever happened, it was not your fault!" Scully sighed and then realized that she was once again denying him the right to his feelings. He was reliving Samantha's abduction, over and over again. "I know- stop trying to protect me, Mulder," he imitated her. "No, Mulder, it's ok." She hugged him and kissed him to reassure him that she didn't think he was any less of a man from what happened. They started with a light kiss, and followed it with a deeper, more determined kiss. Since their return, their relationship was undergoing a slow transition from profound friendship to strong physical longing for each other. Mulder set the VCR back to play. We couldn't figure out a way of disabling the collars; there was no way out. We didn't even know where we were or who our captors were. Maybe we just sit this thing out and they return us after it's over just like they returned Scully last time. And we won't remember a thing! Hell, we don't remember what just happened to us in room 375! Suddenly the TV turned itself on. I couldn't believe what was on. 'Scully, I was just kidding about putting in the Playboy channel for me.' I looked over and she was smirking at me. 'I'll see what else is on.' No matter what channel I turned it to, the same sex scene was on. I knew they were controlling what we were watching. Now I can't even turn it down or turn it off. He imitated Scully, 'Mulder, are you suggesting that we have been abducted by aliens who are trying to make us believe we are still on Earth by showing us TV?' He paused. 'What's more interesting to me now, Scully, is why whoever has abducted us is forcing us to stay in this room alone together watching dirty movies?' Scully walked over to the TV set and put a towel over the screen. 'You can lead a horse to water, Mulder...' he imitated Scully again. She grinned at me in that irresistible way. I gave her my puppy-dog look back. 'Aw come on, Agent Scully, what's wrong with drinking the water? Scully, seriously, what if they are watching us?' He switched to her voice again. 'Maybe they are planning to videotape it so they can show us to the others and get them to do it.' His voice returned to normal. 'All joking aside, what if this is another one of their tests?' Now that we knew what was expected of us, we agreed it would be the last thing we intended to do. The next couple of weeks went by. Each day there was something different- one day it was romantic music, then the hot water started turning cold except for five minutes each day so we were forced to take showers together from then on, strange scents were found in the clothing we were given... One time it was a rose on Scully's side of the bed when we returned from our evening feeding session. I was in a playful mood. I took the rose and held it with my teeth. 'Come on, my dear, let's Tango!' I gave her a very seductive smile and she took my hand to join me. 'Ta da da da da'... was the best Tango music I could provide through clenched teeth as we danced close together in the tiny space between the bed and the wall. She smiled seductively and looked up at me. She had never seemed more beautiful to me. 'Here Mulder, let me help you.' She reached up to my lips to take the rose away from me with her mouth. Right after I got out the last "da" I dipped her back to the bed. Still holding her we remained there for a moment gazing into each other's eyes. I could feel our hearts racing and the short deep breaths we were both taking. We both knew they were in trouble. I used my mouth to take the rose away from Dana's mouth and threw it aside. Able to resist no longer, I lowered my lips slowly to hers and kissed her passionately. We forgot all about where we were and what our agreement was. There was no one else in our private world at that moment and it didn't really matter what was in store for us in our future. We let go of all resistance and surrendered to our mutual desire. Mulder stopped the tape. "Dana, the rose image..." She nodded in agreement. "I felt every sensation I felt that night." "So did I, Fox." Her voice lowered to a soft, sexy whisper. "I'm still experiencing it." Fox raised her chin up and reached down to kiss her. Their tongues hungrily extended into each other's mouths, as they held each other tightly, reliving their first time. "Dana, let's watch the rest of this tomorrow," Fox suggested as they descended to the floor... Fox's Apartment
Dana awoke once again in Mulder's arms on the couch. This time it wasn't a dream or part of a flashback- it was real, it had happened! She felt his body next to hers and closed her eyes. Fox had watched Dana fall asleep in his arms after their lovemaking. Awake now, he kissed her lightly on each of her eyelids. "Good morning," she uttered, still a bit groggy. "It's a very good morning," he responded. "You know, I don't think the three of us are going to fit on this couch like this very much longer," she smiled at him as she got up from the couch and stretched out her arms and yawned. "Let's finish watching the tape, Dana. There isn't much more left." He started the VCR and she sat down next to her. The next morning we realized we had given in to our passion and talked about what might happen next. He recited their conversation: 'Maybe they might let us go now, Mulder.' A look of fear was in her eyes. 'Or maybe they might separate us.' 'I don't think so Scully, the Playboy Channel is still on. I never thought I would get so sick of...' 'You have me here, Mulder. Why would you still be interested in that stuff?' 'Maybe they want us to keep going with this. Maybe we should do what they want.' 'Mulder, maybe they are trying to breed us to populate this other planet we're on.' 'Funny Scully.' 'Funny's right, Mulder, because they made me infertile the last time they took me.' She pulled me down on the bed. We continued like this for weeks. Although we were content to be with each other, we missed our freedom. 'Scully, I want to take you for long walks on a beach. Hell, I would even settle for a night with you in the forest right now!' We continued to look for ways to escape. One day Scully and I discovered that we could short the electric shock from our collars by holding hands and having our elbow bands touch so they shorted out. It made sense. The shock travels from the elbow to the neck band. You can't touch your elbow to your neck to short it out, but what if you touched another person's elbow band? We decided to test it out the next time we were allowed out. It worked! We went down a forbidden hallway and we didn't get shocked. We were able to talk and didn't get shocked. Our plan was to go down the 300 series hallway to see where it led. It was a dead end. Room 375 was locked. Scully wanted to try shorting the electronic door locks with our elbows. The lock released and the door opened. We ventured into the room. There was no one in there. The room was empty except for some beds with straps on them. We walked slowly to the other side of the room where there was another door. This time the door was unlocked. We slowly opened the door and were surprised at what we found. I guess I didn't know what to expect- little greys monitoring cameras, I don't know. What we saw was a whole room of electronic equipment and computers. It looked like the control room for the facility. The funny thing was- there was no one at the controls! Someone, or something, grabbed us from behind again and that's the last thing I remember. The rest of the tape showed Mulder being brought out of his temporary trance. They shut the VCR off. After listening to the entire tape, Dana and Fox remembered enough of what happened to believe that the rest of the details were an accurate account of what occurred. They still didn't know what happened to them in room 375 or how they were captured or returned. Fox made Dana breakfast. "It was really sweet of you to prepare these bowls of cereal for us, Mulder." You're eating for two now, Dana. You know you shouldn't skip meals. I hope you don't mind having your Cheerios with water." "Mulder..." she started feeling strange calling him Mulder. He had started calling her Dana and didn't seem to mind that she was calling him Fox. Maybe he was getting over his fear of getting close to her. "Fox, we're free, we're together and soon our son will be joining us. That is all that matters right now." Tears began to flow down her cheek. "I didn't think I would ever be able to have children!" Fox placed his hand on her stomach that was beginning to swell, and smiled. "Finally I can allow myself to be happy about this because I know you're happy about it. I guess when you got mad at me, Dana, I sent you the flowers because subconsciously I knew that the rose was the aphrodisiac that finally worked on us." Suddenly Scully's expression changed to one of worry. "Mulder, even though I remember everything, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Why was this done to us? Do I have to worry now that they will try to take our baby from us?" Her fear of closeness appeared to be returning. "I can understand how you feel, Dana. It's just like that Cary Grant movie we watched together the other night, 'Penny Serenade'. First your ability to have children was taken away from you, then you were given a child and she was taken away from you. Now you have another chance to have a child and it's perfectly natural to worry that he will be taken away from you." "For once, Fox Mulder, I believe you understand what I am feeling right now." "I'm beginning to get good at this, Dana Scully, hopefully soon to be Dana Scully Mulder, just give me a chance. I promise I will make a good father to our child. Right now, I will do whatever it takes to ensure the happiness of the family we are starting." "We didn't have to say it to each other, Dana. I am sure you have always known how much I love you." "Maybe I didn't Fox, maybe I only saw you trying to protect me as a way of making up for failing to protect Samantha..." She saw the hurt look in his eyes and stopped. "I'm sorry. In any case, I see it now." They kissed passionately. This time they knew that the future was waiting for them and they would face it together.
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