Title: Suburbs Make The Best Place To Settle 
Author: Ulie Ashio  
Rating: G; safe for the kiddies. 
Catogory: Alternate universe. 
Summary: Scully chats with Scully. 
Archive: Gossamer, no. Everywhere else, ask first. 
Feedback: Hell yeah! Disclaimer: All characters tormented in this story are not 
mine. P.S. : This was deeply inspired by Richard Bach's "The Bridge Across 
Forever." Thank you, Mr. Bach! 

Thanks go to Em Hashimoto! You helped me soooooo much.... don't forget the 
cheese! P.P.S. My first, but don't let that bother you. 

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

Suburbs Make The Best Place To Settle 
by Ulie Ashi 


Darkness... darkness... 
then suddenly, a flash of light. Brilliant, if not happening to me, she 
thought. Please don't let this be an abduction again... 

The light flashes again, and suddenly... where the hell am I?!, she wondered. 

One minute, Dana Scully had been lying in bed, approaching deep sleep. Then she 
was outside, in a street. She looked around, staring at someone who could've 
been her twin. Her eyes hazy with sleep, and that light, she rubbed them, 
opening her eyes once more. 

No change. 

Her doppelganger was still across the street, packing a minivan to its limit. 
Two boys came running out of an average house, noisy and crying to the woman. 

Suddenly, for no reason, Scully's twin looked up to her. She smiled, then 
waved, gesturing her closer. Quickly, Scully walked across to this strange 
woman. 

Her twin shooed the boys into the house, yelling about washing up. 

"Oh, there you are! I've been waiting. I was so afraid you wouldn't get here 
until after we left to go to Mom's... hell, I'm just babbling. I'm you... well, 
you in about a decade. Happier, if I do say so myself." 

Scully's mouth stayed open, her eyes traveling around the lush neighborhood. "I 
don't believe this." 

She nodded. "You will, trust me. You'll see things, with him. You will believe, 
Dana. And besides, aren't we the ones who wrote Einstein's Twin Paradox: A New 
Interpretation?" 

"I remember writing four days straight by myself to complete it. There was no 
we," she muttered at the memory. 

Her older self smiled. "I wrote one, too, you know. Mom brought me meals; she 
was afraid I wouldn't eat at all. And Alex... remember Alex? He would give 
those terribly distracting back rubs." 

"This has got to be some sort of joke. Who are you?" she asked in her official 
tone. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't formally introduce myself. Dana Scully. But I figured," 
she said, gesturing to her face, "you'd know who was." She peered in at 
Scully's face. "Hmm. No wrinkles, not yet... well, a few. Don't worry, you'll 
get more. The kids and all." 

Scully looked to the house, as if finally seeing it. It was your average two 
story cape cod with a bright red door. "Nice house, am I supposed to believe 
this is yours?" 

Scully sighed, rolling her eyes at her younger self. "Damnit, was I ever like 
that? Yes, this is my house. I live in it with my boys, seven and five. And my 
husband, and our dog Ishmael. Would you like some DNA samples, Dana? Would that 
help?" 

Scully looked at the house. Her taste, pretty much. Pretty without being showy, 
and a lovely garden partially trampled. She looked down at herself, finding her 
attire identical to the woman standing in front of her. "You..." she began to 
say. 

"I am you, Dana." She turned, wrapping her arms around herself. Turning back, 
"Just believe me, okay? Now there's a reason that you've come. I was supposed 
to come to you, but that fell through. So. Here you are, to an advanced time 
that could be." 

"Could be?" 

Patiently, she explained it to Scully. "Well, I lived your life the same way 
you lived it. Only..." 

"Only what? I'm finding this quite hard to believe." 

She rolled her eyes. "Damnit, Dana! I'm trying to tell you something. That 
thing you feel missing from your life..." she gestured back to the house. 
"You're looking at it. My job is to show you what life can be like. If you want 
to be happy. Which you do. And you think, 'oh, I'm content. I have Mulder and 
mom and Bill and a job and I'm striving for the truth.' 

"Yes, indeed you have all of those things. But you could have more. And... you 
might." 

Scully had fallen silent, almost believing this fantasy she was painting for 
her. "You're wrong. I am happy." 

"What about a baby, Dana?" her twin shot back. "After Emily died, those 
feelings didn't die. You just repressed them. Admit it! Yes, you want to bring 
the conspiracy to light. Yes, you want to uncover the truth. But you can't fool 
me for a second and tell me that you wouldn't give it up for somewhat of a 
normal life. Because if I did, you can too." 

"I just want... I want to fight," Scully replied weakly. 

"And what about your partner? You've thought about him romantically." 

Scully shook her head. "Does Mulder find his sister?" 

She smiled. "So you finally believe me?" she asked, sitting on the curb. Scully 
nodded, then shook her head, no. "I don't know. Just tell me. Does he find 
Samantha? In your, uh, reality?" 

She hesitated. "If I tell you, it would affect me and you. Especially you. 
Because when you wake up, you're not going to remember this. But you will come 
to, if your life turns like mine has. So. Do you still want to know?" 

Scully hesitated, then nodded. Her doppelganger mirrored her. "Yes, here she is 
found. She came to him one last time before she disappeared again. And... it 
gave him a sort of peace." 

The boys tumbled out of the house, right near the two women. "I thought I said 
wash up," she warned. "Ryan, don't kick your brother! And Christian, stop 
that." 

The boys didn't notice her. 

Scully simply watched them move, and she closed her eyes. Her twin watched her 
and smiled. "They're beautiful. Sure, soon they won't be seen with me in 
public, but for now I can concentrate on loving them wholeheartedly." 

Scully watched her husband come out, a smile on her face. "You married him." 

"How could you not?" 

They stared at each other, both with a clarified sense of who they were. The 
light began to beckon, and Scully found herself moving. 

"Remember what I said, eventually," she called. 

"I'll try," Scully replied. 

Darkness... darkness... 

then suddenly, a flash of light. 

Scully woke up startled. I just had a terrifying dream, she thought. Although, 
I don't remember what it was about.... 

THE END