AUTHOR: Kate Mulder EMAIL: Enigma806@aol.com TITLE: "Perspectives" SUMMARY: Bill Scully, Jr., reflects on recent events concerning Fox Mulder's motives. RATING: PG (just a couple of tiny bad words) CATEGORY: MulderTorture, Vignette, M/S friendship SPOILERS: "Emily", the whole Gethsemane trilogy, pretty much ("Gethsemane", "Redux", "Redux II") ARCHIVE: Yeah, sure, just send me the link so I can come by! And I want my name to stay attached. FEEDBACK: YES! Please, I'm desperate to know your thoughts. Enigma806@aol.com DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Chris Carter's. He shares with 1013 and FOX. Don't sue me. 'Nuff said. #$#$##$#$$$#$#$#$$$###$##$$##$$##$$##$ Well, I can't exactly say I understand how we've gotten this far, come to this point...but we have. That's a fact, and I'm not going to argue it. Now I'm sitting here, in a hospital room at Northeast Georgetown Medical Center, "keeping watch" over a man I claim to hate. And hoping like hell that he'll wake up. It makes no sense. But I've found that in the line of work he's gotten himself (and, consequently, my baby sister) into--there's very little that ever does make sense. Yeah, Dana told me all about it. We've had a lot of time these past three days to talk. It's not like she's never tried to explain everything to me before...oh, she has. It's just that before, I never listened. I guess I didn't want to hear it. There's something very unsettling about watching your sister on her deathbed, trying to explain what brought her to this point...or doing the same as her only child is lying in a coma. I sit back with a small sigh and wonder how I ever got myself into this mess. Always, in these situations, I end up playing the bad guy just because I open my mouth. I can see the look in Dana's eyes...like she's plotting to kill me later, once she figures out how. I got that look all the time when we were kids; I know it when I see it. Mom comes into the room. She looks surprised to see me here. Well, I can't say it surprises me too much. She knows how I feel about him, even if she disagrees. Like Dana does. Sheesh, is my whole family against me on this one? Maybe it's just as well that Charles hasn't met him yet... I stop for a moment to think, and answer the one question that's been bugging me all day. Namely, "How did we get here from there?" *****Three days earlier***** I had come home that weekend on two week's leave...intending to surprise Tara and Matthew. Well, as things often tend to work out in my family as of late, my wife had decided to take Matthew to visit her mother. She'd be back in a week...well, at least I'd have a week with them. Which is certainly more than I've gotten sometimes. And I should get a land-based assignment soon. The Navy's never been the easiest of family lives...but we all knew that when we got into it. Rather than spending the week alone in the house, I decided I'd take a little trip of my own--to visit my mother. And my sister, if she wasn't off gallivanting around the country chasing little green men or the whatnot. I'd only been in for a couple of hours when the phone rang. Mom answered it, and I knew something was wrong. Something in her expression...as though she weren't entirely sure what to do with herself. "Of course, I'll be right there," she promised, and hung up. "Dana?" I guessed, praying it wasn't. Mom nodded. "Yeah...I'm going to the hospital." "I'm coming with you," I assured her. It surprised me when she gave me a strange look. "You're sure?" "Of course," I replied. This was my little sister we were talking about. Why wouldn't I want to go to the hospital? Or was this just another plot on the part of my mother to keep me from killing Mulder? I strongly suspected the latter of the possibilities. But Mom needn't have worried. I wasn't going to *kill* Mulder...no, that would have been far too easy and humane. I was going to hurt him. This was the last time he put Dana's life on the line to fulfill his own agenda! Once we got to the hospital, I had thought up several lovely and interesting new ways of injuring the man...and had a small amount of fun imagining how his pretty-boy face would look afterwards. It confused the hell outta me when Dana met us in the lobby, pacing like a caged lion. She was perfectly fine...except for some dirt, some bruises, and a nasty looking scratch above her left eye. She grabbed Mom instantly, muttering something into her shoulder. Somehow or another, Mom was able to make out what she was saying, but that must be some kind of special motherly trick, because Tara can do the exact same thing with Matthew, and he's just turned two. Has it been that long already? "It's okay," Mom whispered, "everything's going to work out. How is he?" And that was when it dawned on me. It had been Dana that had called...because Mulder was the one who'd gotten hurt. But why would she call Mom? For emotional support? It was entirely possible. I mean, she thought she was so dependent on him...didn't ever stop to think that she'd have been better off without him. Yes, I realized that it was more than likely whatever was in that chip he gave the doctors that turned her cancer around. I realize he might have been the one to thank for her remission. But she'd never have had the cancer if it hadn't been for ol' Spooky's exploits to begin with. Yeah, I knew what they called him. I knew what other people thought. I don't start despising someone without doing a little bit of research first. Dana was telling Mom something. I forced myself to listen, although it was hard to tell between her sobs. She was crying, softly. All I was able to pick up were the words "he", "died", and "me". Then something about "last time". I was finally left alone with my sister, and I managed to get the whole story out of her. She and the prick (my words, not hers) had gone to investigate some claim of something paranormal in some warehouse in D.C. I'll admit, I wasn't really listening very closely during that part; I just wanted to get to the heart of the matter. Something happen, and a part of the roof started to cave in. Mulder had apparently thrown himself over her in an attempt to protect her...hold on, back up right there. Protect her? Mulder? Are we talking about the same guy here? Anyways... Dana wiped away another tear. "If he dies, he died for me," she sighed sadly. "Like Missy died for me." Oh, no. Please, Dana. Don't bring that up again now. It wasn't your fault, Dana. And I've even stopped blaming Mulder...for that. And only that, mind you. Simply because I can't find a logical reason, considering that he was supposedly dead when it happened. I went home for a little while; Mom stayed at the hospital with Dana and "Fox". I'd like to know exactly what point she started calling him by his first name. When I came back, they had moved him out of the ICU, but he was still in critical condition. I had never really considered it up to that point...but those must've been some pretty heavy roofing materials. I shudder to think what they'd have done to someone as tiny as Dana is. Maybe one of the nurses was psychic, because right then, I heard her say something about how Mulder was lucky to be alive now...it would have definitely killed anyone smaller than he was. That was when I started to realize that he'd saved her life--perhaps even sacrificing his own to do so. Now that's commitment. I have a healthy respect for human life, but there are only a few people in this world I'd actually die for. My family, maybe one or two of my really close friends... And that pretty much brings us up to this point. Dana's nearly beside herself with worry...I fear for what would happen if she loses him. That's the main reason I'm hoping for him to wake up. For Dana's sake. For my sister. Always for my sister. Hey, I may have threatened to kill her beloved pet rabbit when she was a little kid...but it was all in that wonderful sibling relationship. I wasn't *really* going to do it...never mind that *Dana* didn't know that...okay, so maybe that *was* kind of mean. Come to think of it, whatever *did* happen to that dumb puffball? Mulder's been in a coma ever since the accident...three days now. It's tearing Dana apart, really it is. And Mom's pretty worried too. As reluctant as I may be on this, I am forced to admit that my mom may have more or less "adopted" the man. Oh, God...he's coming around. I pull back, somewhat cautious. After all, I know that *he* wouldn't be the first person *I* wanted to see when I woke up... He looks over at Patti, the nurse next to the bed--on the other side, fortunately. I can barely make out his words...they're slurred. It's the pain meds; I'm willing to bet. And he's just come out of a coma, too... "Scully...where...?" He wants to know where Dana is. "She'll be here soon," Patti assures him. "I'll call her." "All right?" "Yes, she's perfectly fine." "Good." I'm taken aback by the finality with which he says that last word. She's fine, everything's all right then. All is right with the world. He turns over slightly, and I can't help but be amused at the way he pulls back when he catches sight of me. "Don't worry, Mulder," I tell him. "I'm not going to kick your ass...yet. That'll have to wait 'till the next time she gets hurt." "I'll 'tect her," he mumbles sleepily. "Like always..." I'm still not sure he's processing everything yet. But the grin on Dana's face when she sees him awake is worth every moment I've spent watching him; waiting here...it's one of her rare, toothy grins. She's so straight laced, so serious...it's good to see her happy once in awhile. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a man prone to changes of opinion. I still think that Mulder's a prick. But, hey, if he's willing to protect Dana, to lay his life on the line for her, to do anything for her...he's the kind of prick I don't mind hanging around my baby sister. Much. **Finis**