All disclaimers apply.
Part four or Bohemian Nostrum.
luvnkses@aol.com


(Part four, The Journey Begins.)

Scully feels stiff, every muscle in her body is aching

She try's to open her eyes, but her lids are heavy, and they
feel as though they are taped shut.

 She groans a heavy groan, that came out sounding more
like a gurgle than a groan.

 Her throat hurt.

 Her arms and legs felt like rocks.

 Her head felt strangely warm, but it felt very good, not like
before.

She felt someone tugging at her eyelids, someone calling
her name.

"Scully?...Scully??...Dana? Can you hear me Dana?"

Her eyes flutter open, the light blinding her, forcing her to
close them again.

She hears someone say,  "She's waking up!"

She opens her eyes ever so slowly, only to see a foggy
image in front of her.

 She blinks rapidly, trying to make out the mystery face in
front of her.

As her vision clears, she sees the face of an angel, standing
over her smiling.

"Mullldddderrrrr?" She croaks.

"Hey There."  He purrs, softly touching the side of her
cheek.

"Where am I?"

"In the Hospital, how are you feeling?"

"Tired...thirsty."  Scully rasps.

Mulder pours her some water and helps her drink some
down, the effort almost wearing her completely out.

"Rest Scully, Rest." Mulder says stroking her hair, "Your
Mom is here. She's going to be so happy you've woken up."

"She is?...Where is she?"

"She's down talking to your doctor."

"Oh...mmm...I'm so tired Mulder."

"Sleep then. We'll talk later. You need your strength."

"Mulder... Where is the baby?"

"Baby Scully?" He's really bewildered.

She looks at the look on his face, and realizes, Mulder
doesn't know what she's talking about.

"There's no baby?"  She says, almost tearing up.

"Scully.... Sleep.... We'll talk about all this later. You just
rest."

As she falls back defeated, exhausted, she giggles a little.

"Mulder?"  She laughs, falling asleep.

"Yeah Scully?"

"I Heard you... I heard you call me....Dana." she says,
almost  passing out once again..."...Dana...Dana...."..She
says as she finally passes back out.

Mulder looks to Scully, the sun shining on her face,
lighting up her beautiful red hair.

She looked as though she was finally at peace, as though
everything about her was anew.

There may have been no baby,

but,

She was reborn.

(Later the next day)

Margaret stands over her, once again sweeping her Red
hair from about her face.

Scully groans, and turns her head from side to side,
obviously having a bad dream.

"No, No...not now..No..No...Mulder!!! NOOOO!"

"Dana? Dana honey?"  Margaret says trying to bring her out
of her nightmare.

She slowly opens her eyes, to see her mother grinning at
her happily.

"Mommmm?" She groans, still out of it.

"Hi Sweety! You don't know how good it is to see you
awake! How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, ummm, great in fact. A little stiff is all." Scully
says groggily.

Just then Mulder walks into the room, as Margaret springs
to her feet.

"You stupid, arrogant, son-of-a-bitch!" Margaret says
smacking him with the rolled up magazine she had in her
hand.

"What?? What? Whatido?" Mulder says, holding his arms
up defensively.

"You almost killed her!" She says in an almost whisper,
"next time, try your experimental drugs on someone
besides my daughter."

"You gave me your permission, Mrs. Scully." He says, still
on guard.

Scully looks at the two, whispering to each other, both
obviously frustrated.

"What's goin on Mulder?"  Scully demands....No answer.....
"Mom?".....No Answer.

Bill walks over from the corner he'd been standing in
snickering, while his mom pelted Mulder with the
magazine.

He turned his mom around to face him, and smiled lovingly
at her.

"Mom. You're forgetting one thing. It may very well have
been that same arrogant man, that saved Dana's life."

Margaret looks from Bill, to Mulder, to Bill, then down at
the floor.

"I'm sorry Fox, I don't know what came over me."

"Its O.K. Mrs. Scully, I may have very well deserved that
lashing."

"I'm just glad she's back."  Bill says walking over to his
sister who's sitting up confused.

"Bill? Someone? Will someone tell me what the hell is
going on?" Scully demands, sitting up in bed.

"Never mind. It's just good to see you up and talking. We
can all thank God for that.......and maybe even Mulder."

"Huh?"  She says crossing her arms over her chest.
"Mulder, what the hell is going on? MOM? Someone
answer ME!"

Margaret and Mulder walk over to Scully's bedside.

"I'm sorry Honey,"  Margaret says taking her hand, "he had
that coming, for a long time now."She says half joking, half
serious.

Mulder side steps his way to the other side of Scully's bed,
as to avoid another flogging by Margaret.

"Hey Scully.... How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Mulder. Will you please tell me what I'm doing in
the Hospital?"

"You mean...you don't remember anything?"

"Nothing much..... I do remember...well you know..." she
blushes looking down at the bed.. "The Baby..." She looks
up at her Mom and smiles.

The baby again. Oh boy.

"What Baby Honey?"  Margaret asks

"Scully...there is no baby, remember, we talked about this?"
Mulder sighs.

"I don't remember... it was so vivid, so real, and I can still
feel her.... We named her Melissa... Mulder, you were
there.. Are you suggesting..." she tears up.. "Are you
suggesting it was all a dream??"

"Her?" Mulder says.  "Scully...oh god...uhmm...."

"Melissa?" Margaret says choking up.

"Scully, You were on some powerful Hallucinogens. The
Morphine..."

"Morphine? Mulder?"  Scully has that Doctor look on her
face.

"...And the paralyzing drugs.."

"For what?" Now she's really Dr. Scully extraordinare.

"...A..an..and then when Albert gave you that Peyote..."

"He did what?" Scully says getting very distant. "I
remember Albert, being with me, in a forest...Mulder..He
was with me..  I'm sure of it.. You said he gave me
Peyote?" PEYOTE?!"  Scully shouts finally catching on..
"Are you crazy Mulder?"

"Yeah, I trusted Albert. He said it wouldn't hurt you, and it
didn't. In fact I think it helped you. When the Doctors gave
you that mixture of Chemo drugs Frohike found in that
second file..."

"Frohike? Chemo? What file? "

"...And then when it all went bad. Well I think Albert's
influence in the whole situation, helped more than anyone
will ever know."

"Mulder? What are you talking about? How long have I
been in here?"

"You really don't remember do you?"

"No."

"Well then this time, I think it'll be a blessing." Mulder says
half serious.

"O.K. Mulder, start over. I want to hear the whole thing
>from the beginning." She said raising that brow in her "I
WANT" look.

    After Mulder had gone through the whole story, of how
she had collapsed at the Inquiry into his supposed death.
How she had gotten so bad he enlisted the Lone Gunmen's
help as a last ditch effort to save her. He told her how
Langly had been sent the second file, The part of the file
The Thinker didn't have time to download, after he had
hacked into the Defense Department records. He told her
all the whole story, up to Albert praying and chanting over
her bed as they had administered the lethal chemo drug
combination.Right down to describing Bill's self-imposed
Shamanism, as he chanted right along side Albert.

"And then you flatlined...you...you...."

"I died?"

"Yeah, they pronounced you dead and everything Scully."

"I don't remember it Mulder."  Scully says confused, "If I
died, then... this could all  be a dream?"

"No...no Scully. Definitely not a dream." Mulder says
gazing intently at her.

Scully sat back, taking in all that Mulder had told her. She
couldn't believe it, she didn't know what exactly to think of
what he had told her.

Mulder Breaks the silence.

"Mrs. Scully, umm, have you?" He says motioning in
Scully's direction.

"No Fox, not yet."  She says smiling.

"What? Did you do what Mom?"  Scully says sighing.

"Dana, Honey, the doctors called me into a conference this
morning. The Cancer...." Scully cuts her off.

"I know, I have Cancer. That much I remember."

"No, No. Sweetheart, Listen to me. The Cancer...it's..it's..well it's gone."

"Gone? How? OK, Now I KNOW I'm dreaming."

"This is no dream Scully, its for real. Your Cancer's gone
into remission!!"  Mulder says Grinning like a guilty
schoolboy.

"Remission? Really?" She says choking back the tears.

"Really," Margaret says, "and not a moment to soon." As
she starts to cry.

Scully cries tears of Joy, tears of relief, tears for her being
given a second chance.

"But How?"

"Were not sure, but it was amazing! You died, then came
back to us, and your Cancer wasn't even visible with the
first Cat-scan. Maybe that's what Albert meant when he
said your journey was over."

"Albert was here? Albert Hosteen?" she said confused.

"Yes he was."

"But how could he have been here with you? He was with
me the whole time I can remember."

"What?"  Mulder says as confused at Scully was.

"Yeah, I remember him pointing me threw a door, where I
heard this beautiful music. He told me, to complete the
Journey, I needed to see what was on the other side."

"Other side of what sweety?"  Margaret asks.

"I'm not sure. It was this long hallway, Dark at one end, and
Light at the other. I remember the Light  giving me an
overpowering feeling of happiness. Yet when I looked
through the door at the other side, all I saw
was...was..was.."

"What Dana? What did you see?"  Bill finally speaks,
almost drooling.

All eyes were focused on her, everyone in awe of her story,
waiting for her to finish.

 Scully falls into a trance of sorts, staring into space, as her
memories come flooding back.

"Scully? Scully? Scully what did you see?"

"I saw..I saw you Mulder." She said looking up at him, with
a look he had never seen.

 Could it be?

"You kept saying 'Come back to me,' over and over. Mulder
I..." she cut herself off mid-sentence.

The look she  gave Mulder, was unmistakable. Her eyes
were filled with tears, her blue gaze piercing his soul.

He stares back, both of them knowing why she had been
given a second chance.

For Him.

For Her.

For Them.

Margaret picks up on the way the two are looking at each
other, and quite quickly deduces maybe she should leave
them alone.

Her Daughter..................was in Love.

It was obvious, by the way she looked longingly at Mulder.

She decided it was time for Bill and herself to get
something to eat.

"Bill, honey, I'm awful hungry, would you care to join me
in the cafeteria?"

"No Mom, I'm gonna stay with Dana." He says, oblivious to
what's going on.

"Bill. I insist, "Margaret says taking him by the arm."We
can have a nice talk on the way."

"But Mom I'm not.."

"NOW, William." she demanded.

Bill, not one to argue with his Mom, when she called him
by his given name, gives in and follows his mom out the
door.

Mulder and Scully sit silent for a long time, diving deep
within each others eyes, both knowing, what neither one of
them wanted to say.

"Mulder?"
"Scully?"

They both burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry Mulder, you go first."

"Scully, umm, I just wanted to say, umm, I just don't know
how to tell you how relieved I am your going to be OK." He
says chickening out.

"Well, if what you say is true, and what I remember is true,
then I think," she says looking deep into his soul, "I think, I
came back for you Mulder. You are the only thing .....I'm
sure I remember."

He gazes into those blue pools, as she in turn searches for a
sign that what she's just told him is true.

She sees the Light, the peace, that comfortable feeling she
felt while unconscious, within Mulder's eyes.

He leans closer to her, as Scully's heart leaps within her
chest. Their eyes dare not part, as Mulder draws closer and
closer to her.

She can see the tenderness, the calm, the love, she had
obviously been missing before.

He leans up, inches away from her face, as she closes her
eyes.

What she felt next can only be described as indescribable.

She feels Mulder's lips brush hers, as a deep exhale escapes
his lips.

Her lips tremble beneath his.

As their lips join, Mulder kisses her, as softly as a feather
floating in the wind.

As their lips part, Scully not dare open her eyes, for fear it
would all be a dream.

She welcomed the overpowering feelings she had, that this
was indeed, Right.

Mulder holds Scully, closely, as she slowly opens her eyes,
and realizes this was forever real.

She starts to weep as Mulder holds her, quietly at first, then
deep wracking sobs.

 As Mulder goes to pull away, to see why she's crying,
Scully clings to him for dear life.

"Hey, hey, hey, your crying.  What's the matter?"

No answer.

"Gosh Scully, I usually don't make the women I kiss cry."

This makes her laugh a little, as she pulls back, exposing to
Mulder her  tear stained face.

"Dammit Mulder," she sobs "I'm not crying because you
kissed me, I'm crying because, because....because I love
you Mulder."

Mulder stared at her a minute.

The silence was deafening.

Scully lowers her head, taking Mulder's silence as a sign he
doesn't feel the same.

Suddenly and without warning, he raises her chin up,
looking at her with such  love and endearment, her whole
body just melted.

He kisses her again, but this time with such undeniable
passion and tenderness, she knew her fears were
unfounded.

As their lips part for yet the second time, Mulder takes in a
deep breath, as he pulls Scully back to look within her
gaze.

"I love you too Dana....more than life itself....more than
you'll ever know."

"Oh, Mulder, I..." As she's cut off by one solitary finger of
Mulder's, placed across her lips.

"Shhh," he says stopping her, pulling her in close. But this
time, it was Mulder, who was hanging on to
her....................for dear life.

(6 weeks later)

   Mulder and Scully are walking down the halls of the J.
Edgar Hoover Building, heading for their office.

This being Scully's first day back on the job, she was
anxious to get to work.

Mulder walks proudly by her side, the inclination to take
her, and sweep her off her feet all encompassing.

 But they hadn't told anyone, except their families about
their new "partnership."

Mulder passes her on purpose, just so he can give her hand
a little "I'm here" squeeze on the way by.

Just as he brushes his hand across hers and grabs hold for a
second, A.D. Skinner rounds the corner in front of them.

 Mulder drops Scully's hand like a Hot potato, as Skinners
eyes follow his dropping hand.

"Agent Scully, good to have you back."  He says eyeing the
two.

"Thank you Sir, its very good to be back." Scully says
nervously.

"I've been looking for you two, there's something I need
you both to do for me."

Mulder and Scully look from one to another, wondering if
he knew about "them,"  or if he saw that little shenanigan
of Mulder's.

"What is it Sir?" Mulder asks nervously.

"Well this concerns Agent Scully more than yourself," he
says pulling something out of his coat pocket, "You see,
well you missed the Departments annual mandatory drug
testing Agent Scully. Could you please fill this and return it
as soon as possible to the Medical Department."

Scully took the specimen cup that had been thrust into her
hand, befuzzled at the irony of the whole thing.

 Skinner knew damn well she couldn't pass a drug test,
even 6 weeks out of the Hospital.

"But Sir?"

"Sorry Agt. Scully, its out of my hands," as a sly smile
cracks his lips.

She looks to Mulder who just shrugs his shoulders, then
looks back at Skinner panicked.

He couldn't keep his composure any longer, and burst out
laughing.

"I'm just kidding Agent Scully, relax." He laughs, letting
her off the hook, "And again, Welcome back." He says
walking away chuckling to himself.

Scully look to Mulder, who shrugged again.

"You knew about this didn't you?" She questioned him.

"Me?" He said backing away, "What ever gave you such a
preposterous idea?" He says walking backwards.

"Mulllldeerrrrr..." She growls.

"I swear Scully, I didn't have a thing to do with it."He says
quickly, then takes off half walking, half running down the
hall.

"Mulder! You come back here! You can run, but you cant
hide!!!!" Scully threatens Mulder, closing in on him.

He runs down the stairs, as Scully decides to take the
elevator down, just to be contrary.

She was being patient, as she knew she'd find him soon
enough.

As she opens the door to the office, someone grabs her
>from behind, pinning her arms.

"Did I tell you how good it was to have you back?" Mulder
says grinning, hugging her as she lay back against his chest.

"Yes, I believe you did. Refresh my memory?"She says
slyly.

"Why Scully, you little devil," he says spinning her around,
"and we're at work even...shame, shame Dr. Scully."He
says teasing her.

"I think that Peyote did more than give me Visions
Mulder."She says smiling.

"And why is that?" He says inching closer and closer to her
lips.

"It's been documented that certain, ummm, narcotics can
actually, ummm, heighten a persons, ummm, libido?" She
says in almost a whisper.

"Well," he says almost purring, "what do you say we test
that theory Dr. Scully?"

He kisses her deeply, languishing in the feel of her
embrace.

"MMHmm, Research...." Scully says as their lips part.

She breaks free of the embrace,  and casually walks over to
their office door.

With one swift turn of the lock, she was back in his arms,
where it was safe, and warm.

Embarking on a whole new journey.

The journey Albert had promised.

Their Journey together.

end.

(Feedback?? Sure! Love some!)