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In Memory Classification: Vignette . This is basically part of my AU, where babies stay with their parents, friends don't die, dead villians stay dead. Spoilers: Through season 8. Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to 1013 Productions, Chris Carter, and Fox. Archive: Yes, but let me know where please Note: I've been holding onto this for months, trying to decided if I should do something else to it. I've decided that for what it's worth, here it is. "Yowch!" Mulder dropped a screwdriver in disgust, and stuck his pinched finger in his mouth. Who would have thought that putting together a baby crib would be beyond the capabilities of someone with two degrees? Dropping onto the nearby bed, he glanced out the bedroom window. "Scully! Dan's coming!" "Got it," she yelled as the doorbell dinged. He grinned at the thought of Scully waddling across the living room to answer the bell. For the last few weeks, the UPS man had appeared daily, bearing gifts for their unborn child. He picked up the assembly directions again. Okay, place bolt C into slot A, and tighten . . . as he worked on the crib, he listened to the murmur of Scully talking to the delivery man, and then to the sound of paper tearing. After a few minutes, he heard a strange noise, almost a choking sound. He quickly placed the tools on the bed and entered the living room. "Scully? What's wrong, sweetheart?" She was crumpled into a ball on the sofa, a pillow against her face, burying sobs. He pulled her into his arms, and she sobbed against his chest. "Oh, God, Mulder, I forgot, I thought someone would have stopped it, I am so sorry what can we do I can't stand to look at it . . ." Gently he rocked her until the words ran out and the sobs slowed to quiet shudders. Turning her face to his, he kissed the tears off her cheeks. "It's okay, Scully, whatever it is we will fix it. What happened? What's wrong? Was it something in the package? Tell me, I will fix it!" Shakily, Scully handed him a flat package. It was a double frame, hinged at the back. Wondering, he took it from her and opened it, to find . . . . . . an FBI Memorial Star, awarded in memory of Fox William Mulder, killed in the line of duty . . . He felt like someone had kicked the wind out of his chest. Holding the award in his hands was the first thing that had made him truly realize that to the rest of the world, he had been dead and buried. He drew a ragged breath. "Scully, where did this come from?" Tears began to flow again. Between sobs, Scully explained that soon after his funeral, Skinner had gone to Kersh and asked for permission to submit Mulder's name to the committee that issued the Memorial Stars, thinking that it would be a comfort to her. Evidently, when Mulder had recovered, no one had thought to contact the committee. "And Mulder, there's more. If they issued this, we need to go check . . ." That afternoon, they entered the grounds of the National Law Enforcement Memorial. Even in the warm sun, Scully felt a chill as they walked along the path by the wall listing the names of so many fallen officers. As they reached the end of the wall, Scully turned away before she could read the newest name chiseled there. She heard Mulder gasp quietly. "Is it there, Mulder?" She could hardly bear to ask. For a minute there was no reply. Then, she heard a quiet, "yes," and turned to see Mulder crouched down, finger tracing the newly etched name. His own name, placed on the wall for all to see. The XFiles is the
property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions, and Fox
Broadcasting. |