A Golden Cross By Kate Dyer Athena1600@aol.com CATEGORY: S, A RATING: G SUMMARY: A note from Scully leads Skinner to reminisce on Mulder and her last case together TIMESPAN: 32 years in the future SPOILER WARNING: A tiny reference to Revelations KEYWORDS: Character death DISCLAIMER: I swear on Skinner’s bald head that Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, The Scullys, AD Skinner, and any other characters with XF origin belong to Chris Carter and 10-13 Productions. All other characters come from my imagination. I’m not getting any money from this fanfic, or any other, so don’t sue me. Thankyou. ARCHIVE: Sure, go ahead, anywhere! FEEDBACK: Please? I’ll respond. A Golden Cross By Kate Dyer Athena1600@aol.com ---------------------------------------- December 23, 2030 6:16 PM Richmond, Virginia ---------------------------------------- “Jason Fox Skinner! Come back here this instant with that pie!” a shrill voice shouted from inside the kitchen. A tall man came runny out and took refuge behind his father, who was sitting in a large chair in the living room. “Watch out, hon, I’ll sick dad on you.” Jason called back jokingly to his wife. Walter Skinner laughed. “Mary, I don’t think you’re in any immediate danger.” He said, folding up the newspaper he had been reading. A young girl burst through the front door, sending a gust of cold air into the room. “Grandfather!” She yelled, throwing her arms around Walter Skinner’s neck. “I got the mail.” She stated, pulling away from her grandfather and handing it to her parents. Mary sighed and flipped through them. “Bills.” She said exasperated. Then she came to the last letter in the pile. “And a Christmas card!” She said cheerily. “That’s weird. The envelope is simply addressed to Skinner. It doesn’t say which one.” She opened it and motioned for her husband to read it. “Do you know anyone by that name?” She asked. He shook his head. “Jess, do you know anyone who goes by the name Scully?” Jason asked. “Scully?” Walter Skinner asked. “Yeah, you know him?” Mary asked. “Her. Dana Scully. She used to work under me in the FBI.” He looked at the card. The cover showed a nativity scene, and on the inside, in short, neat letters, was a message: Skinner, I was thinking about you and everything else the other day. Season’s Greetings, Scully. Skinner sat back and closed his eyes. Memories came flooding back to him. He came out of his short reverie when his grand daughter laid her hand on his arm. “So who’s Dana Scully?” She asked. “Well, like I said, years ago when I worked with the FBI, she was one of the agents that worked under me. She and her partner, Mulder, were brilliant investigators. They worked on the X-Files, cases that were ruled paranormally oriented, or were unsolved. They were a great team, and worked on many cases together. But there is one case that stands out particularly in my mind.....their last case together........ ---------------------------------------- April 22, 1998 10:13 PM Bethesda, Maryland ---------------------------------------- Red. Bright, warm, glistening red. It covered her hands and dripped down her arms onto her suit. “It’s gonna be okay, Scully.” Mulder said, grabbing her hand. “I’m at peace.” “Don’t say that Mulder. I won’t let you. The ambulance is coming. Just hold on a bit longer.” She urged him, praying with all her might. “This is amazing, Scully! I can’t feel any pain!” He exclaimed. “That isn’t amazing - it’s shock Mulder. You have to make everything an X-File, don’t you?” She asked, smiling a bit in irony. “Just hold on a bit longer.” “Take care of the X-Files for me, Scully.” He wheezed. “No, Mulder! Stay with me!” Scully shouted. “You’ve made my work worthwhile.” He said weakly. With the little strength he had, he reached up and wiped away the single tear that had escaped his partner’s emotionless shell. “You’ve mad my life worthwhile.” He whispered. “Mulder!” She yelled. She reached her hand to his neck. No pulse. Hand on forehead, tilt chin back. Breath. Breath. Five chest compressions.... She didn’t know how long she had been doing CPR when the medics arrived. It felt like hours. “He has a gunshot wound to the chest. I believe it punctured his right lung. He’s been bleeding profusely.” She said automatically, as if in a trance. AD Skinner walked into the hospital waiting room. Agent Scully was sitting in the corner. “Agent Scully?” He inquired. She didn’t move. She was sitting ram rod straight, staring straight ahead with no emotion in her eyes. “Agent Scully?” He called again, walking toward her. This time she looked up. “Agent Mulder....” He began to ask. “Was shot.” Scully interrupted, and pausing to take a gulp of air. “And declared officially dead upon arrival at the hospital.” “Oh God.” He said, sinking into a chair. “Not Mulder. Are you all right, Agent Scully?” He asked softly. “I am fine, sir.” She said slowly before getting up and walking toward the exit. Skinner listened to the click of her shoes, announcing her departure against the linoleum. He took off his glasses and slumped into the chair with a sigh. Agent Mulder, every life, every day is in danger. That’s just life. Agent Mulder’s funeral was held a few days later on Martha’s Vineyard. Only a few people came to the ceremony, including Mulder’s and Scully’s mothers, Skinner, and the Lone Gunmen. Dana Scully didn’t show. Margaret Scully held a worried look through out the service, praying to God that her daughter wasn’t throwing herself off a cliff right then. As the coffin holding Mulder’s body was lowered into his grave, a shout interrupted the proceedings. “Stop!” Scully yelled, running up the hill toward the gathered group. Margaret Scully sighed with relief. Scully ran up to the coffin and began to open the top. Her mother laid a hand on her shoulder. Scully shrugged it off. Her quick intake of breath upon seeing Mulder’s lifeless body caused a hissing sound that sliced the morning air. She trailed her fingers along his jawbone. Oh, he was so cold. She slowly reached to her neck and fingered her cross. With a firm yank, she pulled the necklace from her neck. The clasp broke with a snap. She laid the cross in Mulder’s clasped fists, and turned to run back from where she had come. “Dana...” Her mother said, trying to pull her into a hug. Scully resisted and pushed away. She took one last look at the coffin before sprinting back down the hill. As she neared her car, she saw a man leaning against a tree nearby. His eyes were closed and a small wisp of smoke was emitted from the Morley he held between his fingers. “Are you making sure he’s really dead this time?” She asked sarcastically, surprising him. His eyes flew open. He started to reach to his waist band, but Scully had her gun trained on him in two seconds flat. “Trust me on this one, he is.” She hissed. “You wouldn’t kill me Agent Scully.” He smirked. “Mulder may have been hesitant to shoot you, but I’m not Mulder.” She growled through her teeth. “Certainly not! Mulder’s about to be buried six feet under.” He said confidently, taking a draw of his cigarette. He started to grow nervous as he saw her hands tighten around the grip of her Sig Sauer. “You don’t have to remind me.” She said, pulling the trigger. The bullet shot out of the barrel of her gun, and hit the bark of tree about an inch from his head with a dull thump. The Smoking Man made no effort to move as she jumped into her car and sped out of the cemetery. ---------------------------------------- December 23, 2030 6:30 PM Richmond, Virginia ---------------------------------------- “Did you ever see her again?” Jess asked. Skinner laughed. “Of course, she couldn’t give up work. She continued working on the X-Files. I tried to get her to take time off, but she refused. She worked from seven in the morning until seven at night and she never took a holiday off. It was as if nothing else mattered anymore. I tried to assign her a partner, but she refused. And if people talked about her before Agent Mulder’s death, they talked even more afterwards. She always wore simple black suits. They called her ‘Spooky’s Ghost’. But, she still did a great job.” ---------------------------------------- June 16, 2012 8:09 AM J.Edgar Hoover FBI Building ---------------------------------------- AD Skinner’s secretary looked up as the office door opened. She smiled at Agent Scully, and waved at her to go into the A.D’s office. Skinner stood up to great her, and shook her hand. “So what did you need to talk about, Agent Scully?” He asked, motioning for her to sit down. “Do you know how old I am, sir?” She asked. He looked up, not expecting the question. “You don’t have to answer that.” She said, smiling. “I just realized that I am too old to go chasing genetic mutants and members of the occult. I’m applying for early retirement.” Skinner stared at her, shocked. “But what about the X-Files?” He asked when he found his voice. “Well, I don’t think you should assign them to another agent. I’d recommend closing them.” Skinner gaped at her. “That way, someone who is really interested in the paranormal can dig them up, much like Mulder did. And they too will give their life to their work. I don’t want them assigned to someone who will whine and complain and do less than an adequate job.” She handed Skinner her retirement request, and began to leave. “Agent Scully, you are one of my best agents...” Skinner began. “Sir, you can’t convince me not to do this.” Scully interrupted. “Scully, please do not interrupt me while I am speaking.” He said. “As I was saying, you’re one of my best agents, so I’m going to get you one of the best retirement packages.” He finished. She smiled, and left his office. ---------------------------------------- December 23, 2030 6:47 PM Richmond, Virginia ---------------------------------------- “A couple weeks later she left. I probably could have found out where she had gone, but she deserved her privacy. I’ve never heard from her since she left. Nearly twenty years ago.” Skinner finished. “Well, maybe some day you’ll see her again.” Jason said. “Yes, maybe some day.” Skinner murmured. ---------------------------------------- January 1, 2031 5:11 PM Manassas, Virginia ---------------------------------------- “Hi, there.” Dr. Dana Scully said to the small brown haired girl. “I’m going to listen to your heart. Can you take a deep breath for me? Good. Another.” Scully sighed, finishing her last appointment of the day. She took off her lab coat and headed out of the waiting room. She followed the wide path to the parking lot. She was about to step off the curb when she heard someone call her name. “Agent Scully?” She froze in place. Had the Consortium found her after all these years? She slowly turned around, and saw an old man facing her. His face had aged, but she still recognized him. “Skinner? Sir is that you?” She asked. “You don’t have to call me sir anymore.” He laughed. He motioned for her to sit down on a nearby bench with him. “Only if you don’t call me Agent Scully.” She said. “Yeah, I guess it has changed.” He remarked, pointing to the modest gold band on her ring finger. “Well, I guess I’m really Dana Wesson now, but everyone calls me Doctor Dana Scully.” She said, nervously playing with the ring. “Yeah, I’ve been married for about nine years now. He’s very kind and understands me. He has two children from an earlier marriage.” She sighed. “He gave me something that I thought I would never have. I enjoy them so much, I treat them as if they were my own.” “Do you love him?” Skinner asked. After a long, awkward silence, she finally responded. “I lost the ability to love long before I met James.” She looked of in the distance. “So, has any one resurrected the X-Files?” She asked, changing the subject. “Yes, actually. I’ve kept in contact with many of the agents, and they say that an agent name Kryder got the new AD to reopen them. I hear that he’s a lot like Mulder. Very spooky. Supposedly, he shows signs of the stigmata.” Scully looked at him. “Kryder? Kevin Kryder, with the stigmata?” She asked. “The one and only. Do you know him?” He asked. “He’s an X-File himself. Mulder and I were on a case were a serial killer was killing people showing the stigmata, and we had to protect him.” She laughed, more to herself, and wondered if she had really seen messages from God. “You still miss him don’t you?” Skinner asked. “I’ve never stopped missing him, sir.” She stated. She stood up slowly. “Well, good-bye, sir. I have somewhere to go.” She began to walk to her car. “Agent Scully!” Skinner called to her back. She turned to face him, squinting into the sun. “Happy New Year.” “You too, sir.” She smiled. ---------------------------------------- January 1, 2031 7:23 PM Martha’s Vineyard ---------------------------------------- Scully walked slowly through the graveyard. She passed Bill Mulder and Teena Mulder’s graves before stopping in front of Fox Mulder’s. The inscription on the tombstone read, the truth will set you free. Scully sighed. “How can the truth set you free if it’s covered by a lie?” She began to pick at the flowers in the bouquet that she had brought. “I’m sorry I never visited you, Mulder. I just couldn’t face the truth. I kept working on the X-Files. They’re in good hands now. Remember Kevin Kryder? He’s running them. I’m sorry I never found your sister. I’m sorry I let you down.” She whispered. The wind shrieked around her, blowing her hair around wildly, as if in protest. She quickly put the bouquet against the granite stone. As she did, she noticed a small trinket reflecting light in the grass nearby. She picked it up and lifted it up. She gasped when she saw that she held a gold chain between her fingers. And attached to it, was a small golden cross. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw that the clasp was broken. She raised her head toward the stormy skies and let the tears run down her face. She tied the chain behind her neck and fingered the cross. ---------------------------------------- January 2, 2031 12:55 AM Manassas, Virginia ---------------------------------------- “Dana, where have you been? Are you all right?” James asked as soon as she stepped into the house. “I’m fine, James. I was visiting a friend.” Was all that she said. James could tell by her demeanor that she didn’t want to talk about whatever had happened. “I’m tired. Goodnight.” She kissed his cheek. In the darkness of the bedroom, she listened to James’ steady breathing. He started to snore and the corners of her mouth curved into a small smile. She missed Mulder. She thought about everything that they had gone through. And she finally fell asleep listening to her husband’s breathing. Around four that morning, her chest stopped moving up and down, her hand that lay clutching the cross stopped moving, and Dana Scully’s heart stopped beating. The End.