Title: Bound Together
Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono
Rating: PG
Category: Vignette, Romance
Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance
Spoilers: Je Souhaite, The X-Files: Fight the Future
Summary: How does half a man become whole?  Sequel 
         to Mirror Gate.

Feedback: Please?  I've hardly gotten any lately, 
          so anything you have to say would be 
          appreciated.  RhiaRamsay@aol.com

Archive: anywhere and everywhere, especially 
         Gossamer, Spookys, and Xemplary

Disclaimer: Once again, the setting is not mine.  
            Neither is Mulder and Scully


Bound Together
Elizabeth L. Iacono


     He was there again, standing on the desert 
sand with the velvet night sky above him.  The 
towering sphinxes were once more behind him, 
enigmatically glaring at each other.  He wasn't 
supposed to go there this time either, but back 
to the mirror.

     It had been a few years since he had been 
there, but he remembered the way clearly.  Truth 
be told it wasn't an actual way, all he had to do 
was keep walking and when it was time he would 
find it.  Right now it was just like last time, 
walking on and on for what felt like forever.

     In an attempt to pass the long walk he thought 
about how things had changed in his life from the 
last time he had been in this place.  In those years 
he had been through things both horrible and 
unimaginable.  He had found answers to some questions 
and asked others.  People he cared for died, and 
others had stayed in his life through thick and thin.

     It must have been time again, because he suddenly 
saw the mirror again, the polished silver face with 
the dark metal edging, still glowing with the light 
he couldn't place.  The face of the mirror stayed 
silver, not reflecting anything yet.  Was it 
pondering the image it was about to show him?  
Could it be that bad?

     He thought he had changed also in the years 
since he had been there.  He was hoping he wouldn't 
see the half man again, he liked to think that he 
had overcome that hurdle.  He recalled something 
he said a couple of years back, an admittance torn 
from an almost secret place in his heart.

     'You've kept me honest.  You made me a 
whole person...'

     He could have sworn he heard his own voice 
echo on the wind, but it was only a figment of 
his imagination.  The mirror finally decided to 
show him what it was reflecting.  The liquid 
silver rippled and an image formed in the center 
of it.  He saw himself once more, a few years 
older than the last image.  The stories of his 
experiences were told in the new lines on his 
face, tiny ones at the corner of his eyes.  Other 
than that it was exactly the same.

     The mirror rippled again and another part of 
the image slowly became visible.  It started with 
the mirror image of his hand, slowly revealing that 
it was clutching another hand, the fingers laced 
through his.  Slowly the image came to life, 
spreading outwards from that point, and he saw 
an incredibly familiar figure there, one he could 
never get tired of looking at.

     A smaller woman stood next to his mirror image, 
her head barely reaching past his shoulder, red hair 
falling loosely around her face, a more relaxed 
style than what she wore to work.  Clear blue 
eyes gazed at him over an aquiline nose and rose 
tinted lips.  In his eyes, she was gorgeous, not 
just outside but within also.

     She was the woman who had saved him time and 
time again.  The one in five billion who meant 
more to him than anyone else in the world.  The 
image of the woman turned to his mirror image, 
still holding onto his hand, and slid her other 
hand over his heart.  His mirror image turned 
slightly to look the woman in the eye and moved 
his own hand up to cover hers.

     Together like that they formed a sort of 
know, two creatures bound together.  He turned 
his back on the mirror, feeling that even though 
they were just images they still deserved some 
privacy.

     He began to walk back, towards the place he 
had started out from.  He felt the sudden urge to 
move faster and return, knowing there was something 
out there that he had to reach.  Something or 
someone?  He was leaning towards the latter.

     He found himself running across the sand.  
His footing was unsteady, slipping every few 
feet.  Once he even fell face first into the 
sand, but didn't even pause.  He just pushed 
himself up, spat the sand out of his mouth, 
and started running again.

     Running...running...running...

     Finally the sphinxes were in sight again.  
He rocketed himself towards them, knowing 
instinctively that he had to pass through the 
gate they formed.  Soon he was running between 
them, their stony stolid faces a ways above him.  
He felt a sort of invisible barrier give, and 
then...


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     Fox Mulder shook his head to bring his 
eyes back into focus.  Staring at the television 
for too long always made his eyes go out of 
focus.  The familiar images of 'Caddyshack' 
had blurred into a mass of colors and forms.

     He sighed and rested his head against the 
back of the couch.  The past few days had been 
interesting, to say the least.  He'd had three 
wishes, one a big time disaster, one used to 
right that disaster, and the last to make sure 
no one else would make a not very well thought 
out wish like he did.

     If he'd gotten the wishes at other times in 
his life Mulder knew his wishes would have been 
different.  In his teen years and many others, 
getting Samantha back would have been a main 
concern.  In later days a better job, extra money, 
physical things like that would have come up.  
Even later he would have wished for things like 
a cure for Scully's cancer, or removing dependence 
from the chip in her neck and let her live her 
life freely.

     He had even considered using some of his 
wishes on her, to give her things she wanted, 
but he decided against it.  Scully most certainly 
did not like someone meddling in her life like 
that.  She'd had enough bad control experiences 
with their enemies, she didn't need any from 
him.  Besides, she said she was fairly happy, 
which for them meant more than it sounded like.

     Right now though she was asleep, out cold 
with her head resting in his lap.  Mulder's hand 
carefully brushed a loose piece of hair off to 
the side.  She truly did mean more to him than 
anyone else out there, even himself.  They were 
supposed to be having a fun night at his place, 
watching movies, drinking beer and eating popcorn 
that should have had butter on it.  About half an 
hour into the movie though she dozed off.  Mulder 
didn't really mind, he just liked having her close.

     A sudden burst of noise from the television 
brought Scully back to wakefulness, and her eyes 
popped open.  They searched around the room until 
they met his eyes smiling down at her.  "Hi," she 
mumbled, pushing herself to a sitting position.  
She didn't move far from him though, rather she 
twisted around until her legs were half across 
his lap and her head was resting against his 
shoulder.  In an almost automatic move, he 
wrapped his left arm around her back, resting 
his hand on her hip.

     "You're missing the movie," Mulder said, 
keeping his eyes fixed on the television.

     "Oooh, big deal," Scully said, holding 
back a yawn.

     "What, you don't like my choice of movies?" 
Mulder grinned at her, his eyes twinkling.

     Scully rolled her eyes and leaned back 
against the arm around her back.  "I think it's 
a movie designed solely to appeal to the 
adolescent part in every male brain," she said 
with a tiny smirk on her face.

     Mulder glanced at her sideways, a wicked 
idea forming in his head.  With a move that 
showed more grace than his body implied Scully 
found herself laid out on the couch.  Mulder 
pushed her knees apart with his knees and leaned 
over her, bracing his hands by her head.  "So 
you think I act like an adolescent, huh?" he 
asked her, a playful glint in his eyes.

     "Well you have your moments," she smirked, 
not at all scared to be in that position, she 
actually felt safe.  Mulder gave her a mock stern 
look, and she couldn't help but laugh.  She wrapped 
her hands around the back of his head, winding 
her fingers in the short, silky hair, and pulled 
his face close.  "Although I will admit that you 
wouldn't be you without them," she whispered, 
smiling up at him.

     Mulder grinned back and leaned down to kiss 
her, pressing lip against lip until you couldn't 
tell where one ended and the other began.  Two 
people bound together by their own choice, and 
both the better for it.


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I couldn't resist ending it like that.  I 
kept having a continuing thought of Mulder 
and Scully making out on the couch during 
most of the movie they were watching. ;)


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'True love, it's the greatest thing in
the world.'

Miracle Max
The Princess Bride

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'Men will fight bravely and be heroes, but
for a last ditch defense against any odds,
get a mother.'

Defender
High Wizardry

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'This is the Fish Patrol in 201.  Our
flying fish has flown away.  In fact,
things are so rotten around here that 
even the pigs won't stay!  But we'll fight
to the bitter end!  Beware the Fish!'

Bruno Walton
Beware The Fish

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