Title: Picture Imperfect
Author: Deenalynn
Author e-mail: [email protected]
Category: XRA
Keywords:  MSR
Archive: Yes, just keep my name and address attached please
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG -13 Language
Feedback: Please!

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Chris
Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox Broadcasting.  No
infringement is intended.

Summary: What if Mulder's life depended on Scully
being willing to believe?

Thanks: To Kathy, without her wonderful cheerleading
this would never have been written and without her editing
it would not be readable.  To the 'Storytime' gang, you
are all an inspiration.

For Jake
 

Picture Imperfect 01/03

April 18
Washington DC
12:13 pm
 

Special Agent Dana Scully sighed deeply as she removed the
prophylactic gloves and turned away from the body on the
table.  This one was just like the others she had seen in the
past two weeks, perfectly healthy stable adults taking their
own lives.  It would have made no sense at all except that
all five of these people had lost their significant others
to some sort of accident only hours before they ended their
own lives.  It wasn't terribly unusual for suicide to
coincide with the loss of a loved one, but the numbers in
this case where just a little to coincidental.  The fact
that all of these people had been to see the same psychic
only a couple of days prior to their deaths had caused
Scully's partner, Fox Mulder, to label these deaths an
X-File.

Scully looked up to see her partner poke his head into the
bay "Hey Scully, you all done?"

"I am, but I don't have anything for you that you didn't
already know.  The tox screen came back clean and there was
no sign of anything physical that could have caused mental
breakdown.  Michael Jasper died of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound to the head, most likely caused by the extreme anguish
at the loss of his longtime girlfriend."  She glanced again at the
body of the thirty year old man on her table and wondered,
not for the first time, what she would do if the person she loved
above all others were to die suddenly.

"Well, I'm hoping that this psychic can help shed some light
on this," Mulder said quietly, having similar thoughts.

"Just give me a few minutes to change and we can head out,"
Scully said over her shoulder as she headed for the locker
room.
 
 

April 18
Alexandria, Va.
2:01 pm
 

"So what did this woman say when you called to make the
appointment?"  Scully's words were muffled around the
sandwich she was eating as Mulder negotiated traffic.

Mulder cast a sideways look at his partner.  "Well..."

"Mulder, you 'did' tell her we were with the FBI?"

"Scully, I want to see her in action.  I want to know what
it is she does and if she 'is' involved you know that the
chances of her doing her thing are negligible if she knows
we are from the bureau."

"And how are you going to get her to 'do her thing'?  We
don't even know what her 'thing' is." Scully said quietly

"We have no idea why any of those people went to see her, so
how are we going to ask for the same service."  Sometimes,
not often, but sometimes, logic actually worked with Mulder.

This didn't appear to be one of those times.

"We know that all of the suicide victims were involved in
serious relationships with people who died in accidents soon
after they visited this Lois Morgan.  According to friends
and relatives of the deceased, they visited her as couples,
so it only makes sense to me that these visits had something
to do with their relationships."  Mulder smiled
sweetly at his partner.  "Sooo..."

"You have got to be kidding me!  You want to go to this woman
and pretend we are a couple, don't you?"

"It may be the only way to find out exactly what happened.
This is just too coincidental Scully, in the last twelve
days, ten people with a connection to this woman have died.
She is somehow involved.  I can feel it."  This was Mulder at
his most convincing.

"Mulder, five of these people died in unrelated accidents.
The other five were suicides, how can they possibly be
connected?  As far as we can tell none of these couple knew
any of the others."  As much as she hated doubting her
partner's intuition, there were times when Scully just
couldn't keep her misgivings to herself.

"I know it's a leap, Scully, but I 'KNOW' that there is
something here," Mulder said as he parked in near of the
store front office of Lois Morgan. "Listen, we go in there
and pretend a little, she does her 'thing' if there is
nothing to see what harm is there?"

"I'm not sure Mulder, it just doesn't feel right."

"Don't worry about it.  After all those other people were
really couples and we are just pretending, right?"  He
looked at her carefully.

Scully avoided his eyes. "Right."

Little bells tinkled in the distance as the entered the
dimly lit shop.  The reception area was simply and tastefully
decorated with expensive looking antiques.  Scully glanced
around at the beautiful furnishings, "Being psychic must pay
better than I thought," she whispered to her partner.  He
simply nodded.

"Hello!  May I help you?"  An attractive woman in her early
thirties appeared from behind the curtain to their left.

"Yes, we have an appointment to see Lois Morgan." Mulder
answered with a smile.

"Well, that's me, and that must make you Fox and Dana."  She
smiled brightly.

She was nothing like Scully had expected.  In her mind,
psychics were all eccentric crackpots who dressed and acted
the part.  Lois Morgan was wearing a well-tailored,
conservative suit, not too unlike the one Scully herself
wore.  Her fair hair was worn in a short, attractive cut
around a friendly, open face.  All in all she looked more
like a doctor or lawyer than a crackpot.

"If you two would care to join me in the other room we can
begin."  Morgan turned and ducked back behind the curtain.

Scully and Mulder looked at one another, shrugged and
followed.

The back room was more what Scully had expected, the dim
light had a rose cast to it and the faint smell of incense
lingered in the air.  The walls were hung with beautiful,
dark-coloured tapestries and there were candles on almost
every surface.  At the centre of the room was a low table
surrounded by large soft-looking cushions.  It was on the
cushions that Morgan signaled Mulder and Scully to sit.

"First, I will speak to you together for a few moments,
then I will speak to Miss Scully alone."  Morgan seated
herself on the cushions across from the agents.
Mulder glanced up sharply.  "How do you know her last name?
I made the appointment using our first names."

Morgan smiled.  "I think you will be very surprised at what
I know Mr. Mulder."

The partners glanced at each other.

"Please don't be nervous.  There is nothing that will be said
here that is not the truth.  After all, Mr. Mulder, isn't the
truth what you seek so diligently?"  Morgan put her hands on
the table and indicated for them to do the same.  "I am
going to hold your hands for a few moments.  This will help
me get a feel for the connection you have to one another,
and exactly what it is you are seeking by coming here."  She
covered the agents' hands very lightly with her own and
closed her eyes.  "You have a very strong connection to one
another.  You each feel an almost spiritual bond to the
other.  You have worked very hard together to find the
truth, yet are unable to face those truths which are closest
to you.  You have come here today not to find answers about
yourselves or each other, but about the others who have come
to see me."  Morgan opened her eyes and looked at Mulder.
"You believe something I said or did caused the deaths of
those people!"  Her expression was one of absolute horror.

"I am sorry, Miss Morgan, but you are the only connection we
have in all of these deaths and I have a very difficult time
with such an alarming coincidence."  Mulder kept his tone
soft so as not to intimidate the woman.

"Agent Mulder, I have been in this area for almost a month
now and business is booming.  I have acquired almost two
hundred clients in that time, most of them repeat business,
all of them very much alive.  I am sorry for what happened
to those poor people but I can assure you that I had nothing
to do with it."  Lois Morgan was either telling the truth
or it was an Oscar worthy performance.

"Was there anything special about the service they sought
from you, maybe something you don't get asked for very
often?"  Mulder knew there was a connection, he was just no
longer certain it was anything intentional on the part of
the psychic.

"I would have to check my logs to see exactly what it was
they had done."  Morgan go up from the table.  "It may take a
few moments, please make yourselves comfortable."  She left
back through the curtain.

Mulder could tell it was taking considerable effort on the
part of his partner to keep from commenting.  He watched her
for a moment, then said, "Okay, Scully, you can say it now."

Scully gave her partner a very unconvincing look of
wide-eyed innocence "Why Mulder, I have 'no' idea what you
could possibly mean."

Mulder just looked disgusted.  "Fine, play it that way.  We
both know that something weird happened to those people..."

"No, Mulder, 'we' don't know that, 'you think' that."  She
glanced at the curtain "All we 'know' is that ten people are
dead."  Scully looked at her partner, "I just thought of
something, Mulder."

"Hmm?"

"Our Miss Morgan didn't ask us the names of the clients we
wanted information on."

"She didn't ask us our last names either, Scully."

"Mulder, you are rather well known in the circles I'm sure Miss
Morgan travels in.  Chances are she has heard your name and
seen your picture.  It is 'not' because she is psychic."

"Here we are," Lois Morgan came back through the curtain,
"I have found the people you are looking for."

"Would you mind telling me how you knew who it was we were
referring to?"  Scully asked.

"I saw them when I was in your mind Agent Scully."

The very suggestion of someone being in her head was enough
to make Dana Scully shiver.  "I'm sorry Miss Morgan but I
have a... difficult time with so-called psychic ability."

Lois Morgan smiled, "Yes I know."  She flipped through
several pages in the large leather-bound book she was
holding.  "As far as I can see, all of these people just
wanted the usual relationship reading.  "Will he marry me?"
"Will we still be together in ten years?" that kind of
thing.  There is nothing all that unusual...oh dear!"

"What?"  Mulder sat forward.

"These couples all went through a hypnotic reading."  Morgan
flipped through more pages of her notes.  "Oh, no!  I 'have'
noted that in all five cases one of the partners was
particularly upset after the reading."  She looked
pleadingly at the two agents.  "You have to find out -- I have
to know if something I did caused this."

The young psychic looked close to tears and Scully patted
her hand.  "I am sure it is just a coincidence." This earned
her a sharp glance from her partner.  "Why don't you explain
to us what a hypnotic reading is so we can look into this
more thoroughly."

Morgan looked at Mulder who nodded reassuringly.  "Just
after I discovered my 'talent,' I met a woman who taught me
to use hypnosis to show people exactly what it was I see
when I look into their minds.  In the hypnotic trance I am
able to get closer to a person.  With most people this
allows them to actually see the same visions I do."  She was
calming as she spoke, "I do this all the time, at least
thirty percent of my clients request this service.  You
don't think that..."

"Do you remember what it was you saw when you connected
with these people."  Mulder was looking more and more
intrigued, much to his partner's dismay.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm never able to remember what it is I see
under hypnosis."

"You go under?  I assumed it was the client."  Mulder looked
thoughtful "Do you self-induce?"

"We are both put under, and no, my assistant induces us."

"Is your assistant here today?"

"Yes, she is.  Let me go get her."

"Mulder what the hell are you up to?"  Scully hissed,
"Please tell me you are not going to undergo this ridiculous
treatment!"

Mulder looked at his hands and then up through his lashes at
his partner.  "Actually..."

"NO!" Scully shouted, then lowered her voice.  "Mulder, you
can just forget it.  I am not going to allow some stranger
to hypnotise me and then go poking around in my head.
Absolutely not!"

"Scully, I would be more likely to notice anything out of the
norm while you were under.  'I' know what to look for.  Do
you?"

"Mulder, this could be dangerous.  People have died after
having this done."

Fox Mulder looked his partner square in the eye.  "Do you
honestly believe the I would 'ever' intentionally endanger
your life?"

"NO!!  No, of course not, but..."

"Scully, we know we are looking for something and we are
aware that something strange may be going on.  Those
other people were not.  They were alone and unprepared.  I
will watch you every moment, and if I think anything
untoward is happening, I am capable of bringing you out of
the trance."  He reached over and covered Scully's hand with
his own.  "We have to find out if what is happening here has
contributed to the deaths of those people.  If it has others
could be in danger.  You know I will do whatever it takes to
keep you safe."
 

This earned him a soft smile.  "I know you will.  I'm just
very uncomfortable with this whole situation."

"I know, but I can't see any other way."

Lois Morgan chose that moment to return. The woman who
followed her looked exactly like one would expect a psychic
to look, from the top of her turbaned head to the tip of
her pointy shoes, this woman had it all.

"Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, this is my
assistant Luna." She even had the name.

The woman looked unsmiling at the agents and nodded.

Morgan rolled her eyes indulgently.  "The agents would like
to ask a few questions about some of our clients who have
undergone the hypnotic treatment recently, Luna."

Luna sat at the table and turned to Scully.  "What can I
help you with?"

It was Mulder who answered.  "Over the last couple of weeks
several people who have come to Miss Morgan for her services
have died.  They have all undergone the hypnotic reading and
we hoped maybe you had noticed something while they were
under that may help us figure out why they died."

Luna turned her gaze to Mulder.  "I am generally unaware of
what is happening during a session.  Neither Miss Morgan or
the client says anything as a rule.  On the rare occasion
that someone does react outwardly, it is usually just a
small exclamation and I have never heard anything coherent."

Mulder turned back to Morgan.  "We would like for Agent
Scully to undergo the reading."  As the psychic began to
shake her head Mulder continued, "I am capable of bringing
you both around if anything not to my liking begins to
happen Miss Morgan.  We need to know what is happening here
and this is the only way I can see to find out."

"I just want you to know that I am not all that comfortable
with this, Agent Mulder."  Morgan looked at Scully. "If
something I am doing is harming people, I don't want to
continue"

"We know that, Miss Morgan, but wouldn't you feel better
knowing for sure?"  Poor Morgan.  Scully knew from experience
that the woman didn't stand a chance when Mulder smiled
sweetly at her.

Morgan sighed.  "All right, I will do it, but I need your
word that if you suspect, anything I want you to stop it.  I
refuse to harm anyone else."

"I can promise you, Miss Morgan, that I would never allow
anyone to harm my partner."

Morgan smiled.  "I guess I knew that."  She moved to sit
beside Scully on the cushions.  "Luna will begin to put us
both under.  All you need to do is give me your hand and
relax."

x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

'Dana?  Can you hear me?'

'Oh, God, I can hear her voice in my head,' was all Scully
could think.

'Well, that was the idea after all was it not?'  There was an
obvious smile in Morgan's 'voice'.

'I suppose it was.  So now what do we do?'  Scully wasn't
yet convinced that she wasn't hallucinating.

'I am going to do the same thing for you that I...'

'Excuse the intrusion ladies.'  A third, definitely masculine
voice, interrupted Morgan.

Suddenly Scully found herself standing in a large airy
office.  The sun shone through the windows behind the desk,
upon which sat a name plate: Assistant Director Dana K.
Scully.  "What the hell is going on here?"

"Ma'am?"  Scully turned to face the young man standing in
the office doorway.

"I um..., can I help you?"  Scully wasn't sure what else to
say.

"Uh ... AD Scully, your husband called and he isn't going to
be able to make dinner tonight."  The young man watched her
carefully as she made her way around the desk.  "Ma'am, is
something wrong?"

"What?  Oh ... no, I was just thinking, thank you."  Scully
looked at the surface of the desk, praying for inspiration.
She found no help.  "Was there anything else?"

"No, ma'am."  With another confused look at his boss, Kyle
Jessup backed out the door.

Scully sat down behind the desk and began to go through the
things on its surface.  There was a small desk calendar that
caught her eye.  It said the current date was April 18,
2019.

Scully simply stared at the calendar; this had to be a
hallucination.  She then took a closer look at the computer
that occupied one corner of the desk.  It was unlike
anything she had ever seen before, there was no keyboard
that she could see and the screen was only about an inch
thick, there was a slot in the bottom of the screen that
appeared to be a smaller version of a CD ROM and there was a
small microphone protruding from its front.  The screen
currently bore the Bureau logo "How do I get more
information out of you when you have no keyboard?"

"Please use either voice or touch command to request
information."  The computers voice was soft and masculine.
Scully jumped, "What the hell is this, Star Trek?"

"Bad command"

Scully gave the computer a dirty look, "OK, tell me
today's date."

"The current date is April 18, 2019."

Scully reached out to touch the screen and it came to life
displaying an index.  She carefully read through the listed
options and touched on personnel.  "Please state name of
employee."

"Dana Scully."  The screen changed to show a picture of
her, but not her.  She had lines around her eyes, and around
her mouth were very prominent frown lines.  Her hair had
faded to the colour of old pennies and she didn't look like
she smiled very often. She skipped through the standard
stats until she saw something that made her do a double take

Marital Status: Married, 03/16/09, Dr. Mitchell Tyler MD

What the...

"Computer request information: Special Agent Fox Mulder"

The screen changed displaying the same picture of Mulder she
had last seen in his ID. Then she stopped cold

DOB: 10/13/61 DOD: 04/19/99

"Oh, God, that's tomorrow!"

"Bad command."

"Oh shut up!"

How could this be happening?  How was it possible that she
was in a future in which there was no Mulder?  Just the
thought made her throat tighten.  Scully got up and began
pacing around the room.  Mulder's file provided only very
basic information, and said nothing about how he died.

Kyle looked up, startled as the door to the inner office
was flung open.  "Yes, ma'am?"

Scully glanced at the name plate on the desk, "Kyle?  I
um ... I need you to get me the files we have on Special
Agent Fox Mulder.  He ... he died about twenty years ago."

"Yes, ma'am, I know who he was.  Did you want his whole
file, ma'am?"  This was interesting, Mulder and Scully's
partnership was legendary; made even more so by his untimely
death and the rather nasty rumors about the way his partner
had handled it.

"No ... uh ... just get me the report on his death,
please."  She had to turn away.

Kyle Jessup had been Dana Scully's personal executive
assistant for five years and he didn't miss the tears in her
eyes as she returned to her office.

April 18, 2019
Washington, DC
7:15 pm

Dana Scully stared blankly at the report in front of her,
just as she had been doing for the last two hours.  This
just wasn't possible.  They were supposed to find the truth
beat the bad guys, and live happily ever after, together.
She had it all worked out.  It wasn't right that he should
die like this.  All the times they had been in danger, all
the crazy things that had happened to him, to them, for him
to die like this ... God, it was so unfair.

Scully jumped a foot when she heard the knock on her
office door. "Come in."

"Where the hell were you?" the tall, handsome man who
burst in shouted.

"Pardon me?"  There was something about him that was
slightly familiar.

"I get a call at the hospital from Jennifer saying that
my wife couldn't even be bothered to show up at the
restaurant and that you didn't even bother to call and let
them know you weren't coming.  I know Jen isn't your
favourite person, Dana, but the least you could do is call
and let her know you aren't going to be there.  She is, after
all, my daughter."

So this must be Dr. Tyler, the husband.  'Your husband,
Dana.'  "I'm sorry I got caught up in work and didn't realise
how late it had become.  I will apologise to Jennifer."
That sounded reasonable.

"Don't bother.  It's not like you were all that missed.  You
never say two words around my family anyway.  Jen just
wanted to make sure you were all right."

'Now why do I doubt that?'  Scully was beginning to
understand the frown lines.

"What are you working on that has you so enthralled it
made you forget about your family?"  Dr. Tyler moved toward
the desk.

Scully closed the file quickly.  "It wasn't anything
important.  Just some personnel reviews."

"Well, I'm glad you blew off my family for something
important.  Are you coming home tonight, or are you going to
stay in town-again?"  Tyler turned to leave.

"I uh... I guess I'll just stay in town."

"Fine"

As the door slammed behind the man she was married to,
Dana Scully became truly afraid for the first time.  "How
could I have married someone that cold, that..."  Then she
realised why he looked so familiar.  He could have passed
as Fox Mulder's older bother.  "What I am I supposed to do?"
She asked the room at large and then feeling lost and alone,
lay her head down on the desk, only to be awakened by her
assistant poking his head in through the door.  She jerked
upright as he said, "Assistant Director Mulder, your
husband is on the phone."

"What did you just call me?"  Scully stood up and moved
toward the young man.

"A-assistant Director Mulder, ma'am." Kyle Jessup had never
seen his normally cheerful boss look like this. "I said
that AD Mulder is on, line one ma'am."

Scully felt the colour drain from her face and rushed to the
phone on the desk.  She punched what she hoped was the
appropriate button "H-hello?"

"Hi, sweetheart, I just wanted to let you know I'm snarled
in traffic and it looks like I am going to be about fifteen
minutes late for our meeting."  It was his voice but how...

"Mulder?"  Her voice sounded weak.

"Dana?  What's wrong?  You sound a little odd, and when did
you start calling me Mulder again?"

Oh, Dear God what was happening to her?  "F-fox, I um, I
really need you to get here as soon as possible."  Her voice
was trembling almost as bad as her hands.

"I am about twenty-five minutes out, Day, I'll get there as
quick as I can.  You just hang on, okay?"

"I... just get here."

"I love you, angel."

"I... uh, I love you too... Fox."  She heard the click as he
disconnected the cell phone.

As she looked around the office she realised that it was
different.  While before it had been well-decorated and
beautiful, it had been rather impersonal.  This office had
touches everywhere that claimed it as hers, from the
collection of brightly coloured ginger jars adorning an
elegant cherry shelf, to the pictures prominently displayed
on her desk.  The desk!  She grabbed the name plate and
turned it around: Assistant Director Dana K. Mulder.  Oh!
Scully immediately turned to the computer.  Tapped on it and
said, "Please get me personnel files for Dana K. Sc... Mulder
and Fox W. Mulder."

The picture of her that came up was radically different from
the other one.  In this one the lines around her mouth
looked more like laugh lines and she was smiling.  She
scanned the information:

Marital status: Married 02/27/02 Fox W. Mulder D Phil

Children: Daughter, Kaylen Marie 04/14/03
                Son, Jacob Andrew 09/08/05

OH!  How?  It wasn't possible -- well, they may have adopted
but...

"Assistant Director Mulder is here, ma'am." Kyle's voice
interrupted her thoughts.

The office door opened and there he was.
 

"Dana, what's wrong?  You sounded a little out of it on the
phone."  It was definitely him and had he ever aged well.
He came around her desk to kneel by her side.  He reached
out and cupped her cheek.  When she smiled shyly, he returned
the smile with a rather passionate kiss.

"I..." clear the throat "I need to speak to you, Mul... um,
Fox."  She looked at him more closely.  Hair liberally
salted, face more lined, but those eyes, that smile, they
were still her beautiful Mulder.

"What is it, sweetheart?  Nothing's happened to the kids?"

"No, no, it's just... Fox, what can you tell me about Lois
Morgan?"

"The psychic?"  She smiled at his amazing powers of recall,
and nodded.  "We solved that case.  Don't you remember it took
some work but we were finally able to figure out that it
was...

'Oh, I don't think so Agent Scully.'  The voice from before,
the one that had interrupted Lois, was back in her head.  'I
think you'll have to work a little harder than that to find
the answers you seek.'

'What is going on?  Who are you?'  Scully wanted a better look
at her life with Mulder.

'That matters not Dana.  What does matter is very soon you
are going to have to make a choice.  A choice that will
impact the rest of your life.  At the time it may seem very
simple and of little consequence but it will change the
course of your life forever.  You have seen the results of
this choice.  It is now up to you to choose the life you
want.'  The voice was deep, soothing, and altogether
unfamiliar.

'What is the choice?'  Scully could hear the tremble in her
mind's voice.

'Oh, no, Dana, this choice will come to you in your life.
You will have no warning that this is the choice of which I
speak.'

'So what you are telling me is that some time in the near
future, I am going to have to make a decision.  One choice
will lead me to an unhappy marriage to a man I don't love
but who happens to look like my partner; the other will lead
me to a happy life with a man I love and our two beautiful
children?'

'That sums it up quite nicely, Dana.'

'Who the hell are you to play games like this with peoples'
lives?'

'Ah ... but if I tell you that, it would take all the fun out
of it, wouldn't it now?'

'Is this what happened to those other couples?  You gave one
the chance to save the other and they couldn't handle the
guilt when they failed?'

'It is not my fault that humans are creatures of such weak
constitution.  They had the freedom of choice the same as
you do.  They chose to take their own lives.  I had nothing to
do with that decision.'

'Why are you doing this?  Why play these games?'  Scully was
fast losing control.

'Because I can, and humans are such vastly entertaining
creatures.  Good bye for now Dana, I give you back into the
rather inept hands of our Miss Morgan.'

"Wait I need..."

'Agent Scully, what's wrong?  You are extremely agitated.'
Lois Morgan's mind voice once again came through loud and
clear.

'I need to wake up now, Miss Morgan.  I need to speak to my
partner.'

'Of course, I will tell Luna.'

x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Suddenly, Scully was aware of the room around her.  "Mulder?"

"I'm right here, Scully."  Mulder's voice became more anxious
when he saw the look on his partner's face.  "Scully, what is
it?  What happened?"

"We need to get out of here, now!"  She stood and exited
through the curtain.

Mulder turned to Lois Morgan with a quizzical expression on
his face.

"I'm very sorry, Agent Mulder, I don't remember, as I said
before, but your partner should be able to remember most,
if not all, of what happened during the session."
Mulder turned and followed his partner out, only to find
that she had left the office altogether and could be seen
standing beside the car in the rain.

The day was gray and drizzly and Scully was getting wet, but
she didn't care.  How the hell was she going to know which
choice was the important one.  It occurred to her that it
would happen within the next twenty-four hours -- Mulder's
file had said that he had died tomorrow.  God, this was
confusing!  Scully wasn't even sure if she should believe
any of this, or consider it to be a hypnotically induced
hallucination.  'I can't take that chance, if this is real
and I do nothing, I could lose him.  I have to believe it's
real.'

Mulder was startled when his partner jumped as he reached
for her.

"Jesus, Mulder!"

"Scully, I walked right up to you."  Now he was really
worried, it wasn't like her to be high strung.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."  Scully climbed into the
car when her partner unlocked the door.

Mulder got in behind the wheel and turned to his partner
"What happened in there, Scully?"  Concern deepened the
lines on his forehead.

"Let's go to my place.  We need to talk."  Scully turned
pleading eyes on her partner.  "I really don't want to do
this in the car."

"I can do that."  Mulder pulled out into traffic.

April 18,
Georgetown, Washington DC
7:17 pm

Scully busied herself puttering around the apartment
getting them something to eat, something to drink and
generally trying to come up with a way to explain what had
happened.  For his part, Mulder sat on her couch and watched
her move around the kitchen and living room.  Something had
happened to her, that much was obvious.  It took a lot to
rattle Dana Scully, and being rattled usually pissed her
off.

"Scully, come sit down and tell me what the hell is going
on."  Mulder patted the seat next to him.

She eyed the seat beside him as though it hid a land mine
and sat in the armchair across from him instead.  How was
she going to explain this to him without making him
uncomfortable?  They had never really spoken about a future
together.  It was just something she knew in her heart would
happen.

Mulder reached across and took her hand> "Tell me what
happened, Dana"

She had to smile at the use of her first name.  She doubted
he even knew he did it, but Scully was very aware of
this particular habit, he only called her Dana if he was
worried.  Scully patted his hand and began her story.

April 18, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
8:39 pm

Mulder sat wide-eyed and silent on the couch.  Scully sat
beside him, quietly watching, as he tried to absorb what
she had just finished telling him.  She had switched seats
when she had reached the part about how he died.  He turned
to face her, "Two kids?"

Scully just gaped at him.  After everything she had told him,
was this all that had registered?  "Yes, Mulder, two kids,
but only if you survive tomorrow."

"You and me, both ADs, happily married with two kids?"  The
smile began as a twitch of his lips and blossomed into a
wide grin.  "Sounds about right."

"Mulder, did you hear what I told you?  Sometime in the next
twenty-four hours, a decision I make will determine whether
you die."  It was driving her crazy that she couldn't seem to
make him see the seriousness of the situation.

Mulder could see that his partner was close to tears.
"Scully, we know how I'm supposed to die sometime in the next
twenty-four hours.  We even know how and where I'm supposed
to die.  It really shouldn't be all that difficult to prevent
it from happening."

"Well good, it's settled then.  You are staying here
tonight."

"Hold it a minute, Scully, I didn't say anything about
spending the night here."  Contrary to popular opinion at the
office, overnights were not on the agenda unless one of them
was OD'ing on bad water.

Scully scrambled off the couch to catch up to her partner.
"Mulder, if you leave and something happens to you, I will
never forgive myself.  Take my word for it, I know."  Scully
grabbed his arm as he headed for the door.  "Please, Fox..."

Two could play his little name game.

Mulder smiled gently at his frantic partner.  "Okay, Scully,
I'll stay here if it will make you feel better."

"It will."  Scully removed her hand from his arm "Let me go
get some blankets and a pillow for you."

"Uh, Scully?"  She turned back to face him. "It's only nine
o'clock"

"I know, but this way, when you fall asleep halfway through
the movie I won't have to worry about how comfortable you
are."  She grinned at him knowingly.

"Movie?"

"I bought 'The African Queen' yesterday and haven't had time
to watch it, so I figured..."

"Sounds good.  I'm always in the mood for a little Bogie."

Scully went to get the blanket and Mulder went out to the
car to get the overnight bag he kept in the trunk.

April 18, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
11:18 pm

Dana Scully was indulging herself.  It wasn't something she
did often but every once in a while she liked to just look
at her partner.  He was sound asleep on her couch, having
made it through the first half hour of the movie before
dozing off.  'You really are a beautiful man.  I promise I will
do whatever it takes to protect you.'  She tucked the
blankets more firmly under his chin, turned out the lights,
and went to bed.

Scully was awakened by the sound of the ringing phone but
it stopped before she had a chance to answer it.  Hearing
Mulder's voice from the living room, she realised he must
have answered it.  She glanced at the clock as she pulled
her robe on, 3:17 am!

"Scully, Scully!"  Mulder yelled.

"What is it, Mulder?"

"It's Bill on the phone.  Your mom's had a bit of an
accident."

"What?"  Scully grabbed the phone.  "Bill, what's happened
to Mom?"

"What the hell is he doing answering your phone at three
o'clock in the morning?"  Her brother's bullhorn voice
blasted through the line.

"None of your damn business.  What happened to Mom?"  There
were times when Scully had to work very hard to like her
brother.

"She slipped and fell on the stairs."

"Oh, God, is she okay?"

"The doctor says she has a badly sprained wrist and a
slightly sprained knee."

"Thank God."  Scully felt her heart start to beat again.

"Yes, well, she is going to need a bit of help around the
house for a few days.  They're keeping her in the hospital
for observation since she does a have a bump on the back of
her head."

"That's very normal Bill, they just want to make sure
there's no concussion.  They'll probably release her
tomorrow afternoon if everything checks out."

"Yeah, that what the doctor here said."

"Well, at least you and Tara are there to give her a hand
when she goes home she might have a tough time getting
around with a sprained wrist and knee."

"How long will it take you to get here Dana?  We're at MGH."

Scully looked at her partner.  "I, um, hmm, I can't come
Bill."

"WHAT?"

Mulder could hear the explosion from across the room and
started shaking his head.  "Scully, you have to go, this is
your mom.  Go get dressed.  I'll drive," he whispered.

"NO!  I can't take that chance."

"Dana, what the hell is going on?  Our mother is in the
hospital.  Get your ass up here NOW!"

"Bill, the doctor said she would be fine.  Tell her I love
her and that I'll see her tomorrow."  There were tears in
Scully's eyes as she said this.

"My God Dana, what has he done to you that would make you
forget about your mother."

"Fuck you, Bill!"  This effectively stunned both men silent.
"I have been there for Mom more times in the last ten years
than you have in your entire life.  For that matter, so has
Mulder, so don't you dare feed me this bullshit about not
being there for her because it isn't going to work.  Now tell
'our' mother that I love her and that I will explain
everything when I see her tomorrow."  Scully slammed the
phone down and started pacing the room.

"Scully, you have to go see your mom," Mulder pleaded.
She turned to face him and there were tears on her face.
"Mulder, this is the choice.  I had to choose between going
to my mom and staying here with you.  Don't you see that?  If
I go to her you will die.  My mom is going to be fine and we
are staying right here.  I will explain it to her, believe
me she will understand."  She smiled through the tears.
"Actually, Mom is more likely to believe this than I am.
Goodnight, Mulder."

"Scully?"  He waited until she turned back to face him.

"Thank you.  I don't really know any other way to say it."

"You are very welcome, Mulder."  She reached up and kissed
his cheek. "'Night."

"'Night, Scully."

Mulder sat awake for quite a while after Scully had turned
in.  He felt rotten that he was going to be the cause of
more hard feeling between Scully and her jerk brother.
Unable to sleep, he began prowling around the living area
of Scully's apartment.  He had been there many times before
but usually during a crisis and had never really taken the
time to look at the way his partner lived.  The furniture
was pretty and practical there were knick-knacks scattered
about, and knowing his partner, there was a story behind
each one.  The mantle bore pictures of her family in various
combinations and, to his surprise one of him.  The was a
shelf above the desk that held a small collection of little
fat jars in bright colours.  He could get used to a room like
this.

April 19, 1999
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
8:54 a.m.

Scully woke to the sounds and smells of someone preparing
breakfast. "Whatcha makin'?" she said around a yawn, as she
made her way into the kitchen, pulling on her robe.

"French toast and bacon." He smiled at her slightly glazed
expression and handed her a cup of coffee. "Here you look
like you need this." He grinned at her again as he took in
the sleep-flushed cheeks, tousled hair and oversized
terrycloth robe.
 

"Mmmmm, thank you."  She took a sip. "Breakfast smells
wonderful. How much longer?"  She watched her partner flip
the toast expertly.  He was dressed in the sweat pants and
T-shirt he had slept in, and his eyes still looked slightly
drowsy. It was a sight she could get used to waking up to.
 

"About two minutes." He handed her the orange juice "Here,
put this on the table and have a seat."
 

Scully went to sit at the dining room table. "Turn the
radio on, Mulder.  I like to listen to the news while I have
breakfast."
 

They were eating the delicious food in companionable silence,
listening to the morning, news report when suddenly, Scully
stopped cold. "And there was a double tragedy on the streets
of Baltimore early this morning. An ambulance enroute to
Maryland General Hospital was struck in an intersection ,
forcing it into a third vehicle. Baltimore Police say the
driver of the ambulance and the driver of the third vehicle
were killed instantly. no names have been released and
police say alcohol may have been a factor. In other news..."
 

Scully just stared at her partner for a moment.  "Mulder..."

"Scully, we don't know if that was the accident you saw in the
report."  Mulder got up and took his empty plate into
the kitchen.

"But Mulder, that could have been us.  The timing was right
if we had gone to see my mom.  In the report, there were
three vehicles involved in the accident that killed you."

Scully leaned against the counter, "I know this sounds
crazy to you, Mulder..."

Mulder laughed, "I am the 'last' person who should call
anyone's ideas crazy, especially yours."  He reached for her
hand, "Why don't you go hop in the shower, get dressed and
go visit your mom.  I'll stay here if it makes you feel
better.  I want to contact the boys and have them take a
closer look at both Morgan and Luna.  I'll do a little
research and see if there have ever been any other
occurrences like these ones."  He smiled at her and turned
to start cleaning the kitchen.

Once he had finished tidying the kitchen, Mulder could hear
Scully in her bedroom, her shower finished.  After his own
quick shower he went back out to the living room to find
Scully sitting on the couch wearing a pair of leggings and a
big, soft looking, green, sweater.  Noting that her hair was
damp and her face was bare, Mulder asked, "Did I keep you
from getting ready?  I'm sorry."

"You didn't keep me from anything.  I'm not going anywhere."

"But..."

"Mulder.  I know damn well that if I leave this house you
won't stay here more than two minutes.  I am not going to
take any unnecessary chances.  My mom will be fine.  I am
staying right here."  She crossed her arms and glared up at
her partner.

Mulder frantically tried to come up with a solid sounding
denial, failing, said instead, "Scully, you have no idea
how much I appreciate this, but, you don't have to watch
over me for the next," he glanced at the mantle clock,
"fourteen and a half hours."

"Mulder, please try to understand how important this is to
me.  The future I have in store for me, without you..."  She
turned her face away from him.  "I was old, and sad, and
lonely Mulder, all because I didn't have you."  She turned
to look at him, smiled sadly, then rose and went into the
bedroom.

Mulder watched the door close behind his partner.  He
realised that he had been taking this whole situation less
than seriously.  For him it was just another distant threat,
Scully had to live with the results.  She had seen what her
life would be like either way and had chosen him.

Mulder stood and went to her bedroom door knocking softly he
said, "Scully?  Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

When he opened the door he found her sitting on the bed
wiping the tears from her cheeks.  "Scully, I'm sorry if I
hurt you.  I'm just having a tough time relating to this
one."  He sat beside her and reached for her hand.  "If it
will make you feel better, we can stay in today and do the
research on the phone and on the 'net.'"

"You weren't there, Mulder, you didn't see the difference
in my life.  I will 'not' allow that horrible future to
happen."  Scully turned blazing eyes on her partner.  "I
can't."

"Okay.  Then let's get to work.  We have to be able to find
out what has been happening in order to stop it.  I don't
believe that who or whatever is doing this is going to just
stop 'cause we know about it."  Mulder stood up and offered
his hand to Scully.  When she took it he pulled her into his
arms.  She hugged him back, 'hard.'

When she pulled away Scully looked up at Mulder and smiled.
"For a while there, I thought you were trying to get yourself
killed to avoid marrying me."

Mulder laughed and threw his arm around her shoulders as
they returned to the living room.  "Not a chance, you
promised me I get to be an AD.  I'm gonna hold you to that
one."

They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out
what may have happened to Scully and the others.  Mulder
called the Lone Gunmen to enlist their 'research' skills.  They
had both Scully's laptop and her desk top computer
plugged in and were both searching the internet looking for
any similar occurrences.

It was nearing four in the afternoon when the phone rang.

"Mulder.  Yeah, just a minute Bill."

Sully grimaced as she took the phone.  "Hello."

"Why is it that that man answers your phone more often than
you do, Dana?"  Her brother sounded even more belligerent
than usual.

"What do you want Bill?"  Scully sighed.

"I want to know when my sister is planning on coming to see
our injured mother.  I want to know why that same sister
seems to think spending time with her crazy partner is more
important than her family.  That's what I WANT TO KNOW!"

Bill's voice had risen in volume until he was yelling loud
enough that Mulder could here him from halfway across the
room.

"Bill, I told you, I will see Mom tomorrow and I will
explain everything to her then.  Mom will understand, Bill."

"Well, tomorrow just isn't good enough, Dana."

"I'm sorry, Bill, it's going to have to be."

"Tara and I can't be expected to spend our entire vacation
looking after her.  She's your mother, too."  Now it sounded
like her brother was whining.

"Oh, now I get it.  You and Tara had plans for tonight
didn't you?"  No answer.  "DIDN'T YOU?"

"We made these plans ages ago, Dana.  Tara was really looking
forward to tonight.  I don't want to disappoint her."

"Tough.  You have conveniently been absent every time
anything has happened in this family, Bill.  When Dad died,
you had to get back home and couldn't stay after the
funeral.  When I was missing, you didn't even bother to show
up to help mom get through it.  When Missy died you
couldn't be here.  You sent FLOWERS.  When I got sick you
showed up and made things miserable for everyone.  When I
found out about Emily, instead of trying to help me through
the worst time of my life, you ranted and raved about how
everything was Mulder's fault.  So if you have to cancel
your bloody plans in order to stay and help OUR mother,
that's just too damn bad.  Consider it your turn."  With
that she slammed the receiver down and slumped into the
chair.

Mulder approached his partner carefully.  "Maybe you should
go."

"No.  Bill can damn well 'do' something for this family.  My
mom would kill me if she found out I had left you at a time
like this."

"But I don't want to be the cause of problems between you
and your brother."

"Mulder, my brother is an asshole.  I know, you know it, and
my mother knows it.  He'll survive."  She smiled up at her
partner's concerned face.  "Let's get back to work.  The
sooner we find out what the hell is going on, the sooner I
can tell you more about what I saw in our personnel files."

April 19, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
7:24 pm

They had worked steadily for a couple of hours, and had just
taken a break for dinner. when the phone call came,

"Hello?"

"Hello, Agent Scully.  How are you this fine evening?"

"Hello, Frohicke.  Have you guys found anything?"  Scully
really didn't have the time to deal with Frohicke's
flirting.

"As a matter of fact..."

Mulder took the phone.  "What did you find, Frohicke?"

"Fine.  We found that this same thing has happened at least
six times in the past five years."

"Are there any connections?"

"It would seem that these strange occurrences follow your
Miss Morgan around.  There have been similar incidents the
last two places she has lived."

"But, you said this has happened six times?"  Mulder tilted
the phone so Scully could hear what was being said.

"Yeah, that's what we can't figure out.  The last three,
including this one, have happened in her presence.  But we
haven't been able to connect her to the four before that."

"What about her assistant, Luna.  Where was she before she
hooked up with Morgan?"  Mulder really didn't think Lois
Morgan had anything to do with it.  He couldn't explain why,
it was just a gut feeling.

"Well, that's another problem.  As far as we can tell,
'Luna' didn't exist before she started working for Lois
Morgan."

"Are you sure?"  As soon as the words were out of his mouth,
Mulder knew he had insulted his friend.  Odd though they may
be, the gunmen were always thorough.  "Sorry, Fro.  It's
just frustrating having to sit here and wait."

"You'll excuse me if I don't weep for you.  I would hardly
call being stuck in an apartment, with your brilliant and
beautiful partner a hardship."  Frohicke had never made any
attempt to hide his admiration of Scully.

"Listen, Mulder, we are going to try a few new places to
see if we can't dig up a little more information on your
Luna.  If anything pans out we'll call.  Are you spending
the night at Scully's again?"

"Do I want to know, how you know, that I spent last night
here?"

"No."

"Fine.  Call when you find anything."  Mulder hung up and
turned to his partner.  "You may want to get one of the
exterminators from work to come spray for bugs."

"I'd rather kill Frohicke."  Scully watched as her partner
went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine and
two glasses.

"Unfortunately, that isn't an option."  Mulder sank back down
beside her on the couch.  "I haven't been able to find a
damn thing that even remotely resembles what we are looking
for."  He gestured towards the computer with his wine glass.

"Well, the boys seemed to have had a bit more luck.  Why
don't we relax for a bit?  If I have to look at that screen
for much longer, I'm gonna end up with square eyes."  Scully
took the offered glass of wine and sat back on the couch.

Mulder watched his partner for a few moments until she
raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.  "I was just trying to
figure out why you are so willing to believe this is real.
If this had happened to anyone else, you would be quoting
chapter and verse about confabulation and the powers of
suggestion."

Scully took a sip of her wine.  "Actually, I'm not
completely convinced that that isn't exactly what's
happening here."

"But...?"

"'But' I'm not willing to take the chance that there is any
possible way this could all be real.  I have to treat this
as though I believe because the consequences...  Well, let's
just say it's not worth the risk."

"That's another thing that puzzles me.  You seem to be so
willing to accept a future in which we have a life
together."

Scully just smiled at him.  "Hmmmmm."

"Have you ever considered it?  Us, I mean."

Again the smile.  "Hmmmmm."

He smiled back.  "Me too."  He took a sip of his wine.  "I
always thought of it as kind of the prize for beating the
bad guys."  He grinned.  "You know, the hero gets the girl."

Scully's eyes widened.  "Hero?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do.  That means we must get the bad guys
pretty soon. According to my personnel file, we get married
in February of 2002"

"Less than three years, huh?  So how long before that do you
think we will get together?"

"Guess we'll just have to wait to find out, won't we?"

Mulder reached out and touched her cheek "But..."  The
ringing of the phone interrupted whatever he was going to
say.

"Mulder!"

"Relax big guy.  You'll get your chance."

Now Mulder was going to make sure Scully's home was swept
for bugs.  "What do you have Frohicke, and make it good."

"Your friend Luna?  Her real name is Carol Sharp.  She's
been hanging around psychics for years.  Never actually
claimed to have any powers herself, just acted as an
assistant.  Five years ago, she acquired a locket, can't
find out from where, but almost immediately these ... things
started to happen.  People who saw the psychics she worked
with began exhibiting strange behaviour.  There have been
several nervous breakdowns, eight suicides, and more than
two dozen fatal accidents."

"None of these things happened before she got the locket?"
Mulder asked.

"Nope.  We have a couple of feelers out to see if we can get
more on the locket itself.  We'll let you know what we
find."

"Thanks again Frohicke.  I'd say I owe you one but since I am
probably going to spend the next week hunting down and
destroying the hardware you have planted in Scully's house,
just be grateful I don't let her have you."

Mulder spent the next couple of minutes explaining to Scully
what Frohicke had told him.  He concluded with, "We have to
go see Luna."  He got up and reached for his coat.

Scully grabbed his arm.  "'You' are not going anywhere."

"Scully, if she's doing this to people..."

"NO!  Mulder, if it is her, and it's intentional, she left
town the minute we walked out that door.  If it isn't,
then she'll still be there in the morning."

"Scully, I'll drive carefully, I promise."  By this time he
had his jacket on.

Scully grabbed him by the arm again, spun him around,
reached up, pulled his head down to hers and kissed him,
thoroughly, passionately.  When she broke the kiss a moment
later, Mulder was rather glassy eyed.  "'That' is what you
will miss out on Mulder, if you walk out that door.  We
could have 'that' for the rest of our lives."  Scully turned
and went into the kitchen.

Mulder stood gaping at the doorway through which his
partner had passed.  He reached up and touched his lips.  She
had actually kissed him.  A real kiss, like she meant it.
There was really only one thing he could do; grinning
foolishly, Mulder removed his jacket and went to sit at the
desk.

He was logged into the Bureau database, looking for any
mention of Lois Morgan or Luna, when Scully came back
into the room.  She smiled innocently at him when he turned
to face her.  "Decided it could wait until morning, eh,
Mulder?"

"Yeah, well, I'm sure she'll still be there."  He had to
force himself to meet her eyes.

Scully reached out and touched his face.  "You know..."
She stopped and started to turn away.

"What is it, Scully?"

"Nothing important, Mulder, let's just get back to work."
She went and sat on the couch in front of the lap top and
started working.  Carefully avoiding looking at her partner.

Mulder watched her for a few minutes and then turned back to
his own work.
 

April 19, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
11:45 pm

Mulder's back was telling him it was time to get up and
stretch.  He turned to speak to his partner and found her
sound asleep on the couch.  Her head was tilted at an
uncomfortable looking angle and her glasses were tipped
precariously off the end of her nose.  Her cheeks were
flushed and her full lips slightly parted.  This was a sight
he desperately wanted to wake up to every morning for the
rest of his life.

Mulder turned out the lights, leaving only the gentle glow
of the fireplace to guide him.  He gently lifted his partner
and carried her into her bedroom.  He smiled when she
snuggled into his arms and was loath to put her down.  He
laid her on the bed and pulled the comforter up to her chin.

"'Night, Scully," he whispered and turned to leave.

"'Night, Mulder," came the drowsy reply.

Mulder turned down the flame in the gas fireplace and tucked
himself in on the couch.  He watched as the clock turned to
midnight and smiled.  Life was good, and it looked like it
was gonna get even better.

April 20, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
7:15 am

Once again Scully awoke to the sounds of someone else in her
home.  Turning to look at the clock, she grinned, they had
made it!  Mulder was still alive and they had a chance to
prevent anyone else from going through what they had.

Knowing that her partner was most likely already showered
and dressed, Scully headed for the bathroom to begin her
morning routine.  When she emerged from her bedroom half an
hour later she was showered, dressed, and ready to go.

"Hey you."  Mulder said as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Hey yourself.  So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"I spoke to the boys and they think they know what's going
on."  Mulder took a sip of his coffee and sat at the kitchen
table.  "They think the locket is enchanted."

Scully almost choked on her coffee.  "Enchanted?"  She sat
across from him.  "You've 'got' to be kidding."

"What, now all of a sudden you don't believe?  Where's the
woman who was frantic that I not leave her sight?"  Mulder
knew he shouldn't be surprised at this turn, but he was,
surprised and disappointed.

"I never actually said I believed..."

"You kissed me!  You told me you believed we have a future
together!"

"Mulder, I have always believed we have a future together."
She reached across the table and took his hand.  "Why don't
you finish telling me what the guys found out."

Mulder stared at her silently for a moment, then nodded
"The locket is said to be the home of a malicious spirit.
This 'thing' thrives of the pain and suffering of others.
Maybe it sees this hypnosis trick as some sort of game, I
don't know."

"The voice I heard, it said that humans were entertaining."

"Maybe it's bored.  Whatever the reason, we have to get it
away from Luna and Lois."  Mulder got up from the table and
put his cup in the sink.

"And do what with it?"

"Destroy it.  What it put you through is no game.  It was
responsible for the deaths of those five suicide victims.
It can't be allowed to continue."  Mulder pulled on his suit
jacket.  "You ready to go?"

"Yeah."  Scully grabbed her coat and they left.

April 20, 1999
Alexandria, Va.
9:15 am

The closed sign was hanging on the door of Lois Morgan's
office when they approached.  "I hope that we didn't scare
them away.  We need to get rid of that locket."  Mulder
knocked on the door.  The place looked dark.

A few seconds later, Lois Morgan peeked out from behind the
curtains on the door.  When she saw who it was her eyes
widened.  She opened the door.  "Oh, thank God.  You have no
idea what a relief it is to know that what happened to those
poor people isn't my fault."

Mulder and Scully just looked at each other, this woman was
rather disconcerting.  "Miss Morgan, we really do need to
speak to your assistant.  Would it be possible to get her
address?"  Mulder wanted to get this over and done with.

"Of course.  She lives in one of the apartments upstairs.
We can go there now."

Morgan led them through the office to a staircase in the
back, it was narrow and dim and Scully shivered in spite of
herself.

"You okay?" Mulder whispered.

"Yeah, this place is just..."

"Spooky?"  He grinned at her.

She shot him a dirty look and refrained from commenting.

There was a door on either side of the corridor and Morgan
knocked on the one to the left.

The door opened a crack and Luna peered out.  "Can I help
you?" she said rather brusquely.

"Luna, you remember Agents Mulder and Scully?"

Luna nodded.

"Well, they would like to speak to you about those young
people who died."  Morgan's voice was very calm.

"I had nothin' to do with that," was the defensive reply.

"It's okay Luna, we don't believe that you did anything
wrong."  Mulder stepped forward.  "May we come in?"

Luna hesitated a moment.  "Fine."  She opened the door and
waved them in.

Scully couldn't help but stare at the room they entered.  It
was a small sitting room, made smaller by the fact that
every available surface was covered with clutter.  There
were books on magic spells and psychic powers, covering the
coffee table and spilling from the shelves.  There were
what appeared to be idols of every size, shape, and
description.  The windows were hung with gauzy scarves in
bright colours giving the room a soft glow.  'What is it
with these people and candles?'  Scully thought looking at
the dozens of them scattered around the room.

Mulder interrupted her perusal of the fascinating room. "You
have quite a collection here, Luna"

"Oh, just call me Carol.  I'm sure you know that's my real
name."

"Okay, Carol.  We have come to believe that you may
unwittingly be causing the problems that Miss Morgan's
clients have been facing."

"What?  That's not possible.  I'm not Psychic."  The woman
looked understandably shocked.

"Yes, we know.  But the locket you wear when you are
working, may be enchanted."

"You 'are' kidding, right?"  Luna looked at Scully. "Tell me
he's kidding?"

Scully shook her head.  "No, I'm afraid he is telling the
truth.  There is a legend involving your locket and a
spirit.  Mul... We believe that when you hypnotise your
clients, it gives this spirit access to their minds.  It
then plays a very cruel and destructive game with them,
causing a great deal of fear and anxiety."

"But why?"  Luna looked from one to the other.  "What does
it have to gain by this?"

"It told me, it finds humans entertaining."

"What are you going to do with the locket?"

"We'd like to destroy it.  We just don't know if that
would do the job or not."  Mulder had thought about it on
the way over.  Just destroying the locket wasn't going to be
enough.  They had to get rid of the spirit.

"I have an idea."  Three sets of eyes swung to look at Lois
Morgan.  "I have a friend who ... well, he's ... I'm actually
not really sure what he is, but he knows more about magic
and such than anyone I know.  Maybe he has a way we can get
rid of this thing."

Mulder and Scully looked at each other.  Scully shrugged,
"It's worth a try.  We don't have any better ideas."

Twenty minutes later, a rather ancient butler escorted them
into a parlour that put Luna's to shame.  Mulder was like a
kid in a candy shop looking through the vast collection of
books and artifacts contained in the large room.  He turned
when he heard Scully's quiet gasp.

Scully couldn't help but stare at the giant of a man who
entered the room with Lois.  He had to be at least seven
feet tall and was almost that across the shoulders.  He had
snow white hair worn in a long tail down his back and a
white goatee that reached to his chest.  He wore a gray robe
that reached to the floor and had a gold amulet hanging
around his neck.  All in all, he was everyone's idea of what
a wizard should look like.

The huge man smiled, flashing more than the average number
of bright white teeth and a deep set of dimples.  "So, I
finally get to meet the great Fox Mulder," he boomed
reaching out and pumping Mulder's hand enthusiastically.

"You know who I am?"  Mulder looked over at his partner who
just smiled knowingly.

"Of course I know you.  You're all I hear about from Melvin
and the boys.  Who would have thought, an FBI agent who's a
believer."  He turned to Scully.  "That means this lovely
lady is Dr. Dana Scully.  It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.
I can see Melvin wasn't exaggerating."

"Mr...?" Mulder began.

"Drake, Jason Drake."  The big man sat next to Scully on
the couch.  "Now, Lois here tells me that you two kids have
a problem."

After regaining his composure somewhat, Mulder explained the
situation, telling him about the five suicides that had led
them to the case, and the other deaths they believed were
related to the locket.  He also told him in detail about
Scully's experience.  "So you can see why it is vital that
we get rid of this thing," he concluded.

Drake turned to Luna, "Did you bring it with you?"

"Of course."  She handed him the enameled locket.

The giant man examined the necklace carefully "Hmm.  I think
I've seen this somewhere.  Let me look."  Drake got up and
began rifling through the gigantic bookshelf that took up
one entire wall of the room.  A few minutes later they heard
"AHA!  I knew I'd seen it before."  He set a small leather-
bound book on the coffee table.  "The locket is meant to be
an earthly prison for the spirit.  The gypsy who banished
the spirit for its nasty pranks may not have know that it
could still connect with those who possess psychic powers.
The gypsy meant for the spirit to suffer by remaining
earthbound.  I may know a way of destroying both the locket
and the spirit."  He looked at Luna, "If you don't mind?"

"Of course not, if that thing is killing people I want it
gone."  Luna was indignant.

"Good, good."  Drake went back to rummaging through his
books.  They could hear him mumbling to himself as he
checked and discarded book after book.  After about half an
hour of hunting he finally found the book he wanted.  He
brought the book to the couch and began reading.  A few
minutes later he said, "Okay I think I've found the spell
that will get rid of the spirit for good."  He looked up to
find he held everyone's attention.  "I am going to need all
of you to be silent and still."  They all nodded.

Drake began to chant unintelligibly.  He picked up the
locket and turned it over and over in his hands.  He then
placed the locket carefully on the table picked up a large
heavy statue and smashed it down on the locket.  There was a
brief flash of light and the locket disappeared.  "There,
done."  He grinned at his audience.  "Can you all stay for
tea?"

Mulder and Scully just stared.
 

April 20, 1999
Georgetown, Washington DC
8:20 pm

"Yes, Mom, everything is fine."

"Are you sure Dana?  This must have been very difficult for
you?"  Scully could hear the concern in her mother's voice.

"I'm fine Mom.  I just need to rest."

"Well, you make sure you get a good night's sleep."

"Yes, Mom.  Are you sure you don't want me to come by
tonight?"

"No, Dana, I'm going to turn in early.  You stay there with
Fox."  Scully could actually 'see' the smug grin on her
mother's face.

"Mom 'Fox' is more than capable of looking after himself."

"Yes, I know, Dana"

"Goodnight, Mom, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight, baby, I love you."

"I love you too.  Bye."  Scully hung up the phone and turned
to her partner.  "You know, she didn't question a single
thing I said."

"Well, at least someone in your family has an open mind."

"Mulder..."  They had been arguing all afternoon about what
had happened to her, and what they had seen at Jason Drake's
house.

"Scully, you saw the locket disappear, you saw the visions.
You were the one who held me hostage in your apartment.  Now
your telling me you think it was all ... what?  A
hallucination?"  Mulder was trying very hard to get through
to his pigheaded partner.

"Mulder, you know I don't believe in psychics and wizards
and whatever else those people thought they were.  And I
certainly don't believe in enchanted lockets!"

"What about your visions Scully?  How do you explain them?"

"Confabulation.  Mulder what I saw in those visions isn't
anything new.  I do live in fear of losing you.  I know for
a fact that I would never get over it.  The other one?  I
have always believed that we will be together when the time
is right."  She reached out and took his hand.  "As for the
other stuff, our jobs, the children.  It's wishful thinking
Mulder, that's all.  It was a beautiful dream, and I intend
to work very hard to make sure it comes true."

"I don't believe that, Scully.  I think what you saw was our
future."

"What difference does it make then, Mulder?  Whether or not
the visions were real, we both see the future the same
way."

He thought about it for a moment and nodded.  Then he
grinned mischievously.  "At least I know I'm not gonna get
fired for at least the next twenty-three years."

"Shut-up and watch the movie Mulder."

The End