TITLE: Find the Future Series: Chapter One AUTHORS: xphilernj and Fibbie (aka FBIWhistleblower) E-MAILS: xphilernj@aol.com and FBIWhistleblower@aol.com WEBSITES: https://donnilee.xf-redux.com/xphilernj.html and http://members.aol.com/xphilernj/fbiwhistleblower.html DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first! RATING: At least, no one under the age of 13, please, due to some curse words. If rating changes, a 'CONTENT WARNING' will be included. CATEGORIES: S, MSR, H, A KEYWORDS: AU, Mulder/Scully married SPOILERS: All episodes up to Requiem and before Mulder's abduction. Then ventures off into an unknown future. SUMMARY: Father and Son have an adventure. DISCLAIMER: Fibbie - Sorry CC, we just couldn't help ourselves, but we will return them when we're good and ready. nj - Shhhh, don't tell anyone. We'll sneak them back in before midnight. (Maybe...) * * * * * * * Chapter One 1/1 * * * * * * * 'erms by xphilernj & Fibbie * * * November 21, 2005 Monday before Thanksgiving The bright mid-morning sun chased the chill of the Fall morning away as a father and son explored their world. The three year old boy ran ahead pointing and asking one question after another. Fox Mulder smiled, taking great pleasure in the simple act of spending time with his son, William. Three years before, Mulder and, his partner, Dana Scully worried if they would ever have a future as a family. They had worked tirelessly making sure *that* future became a reality; that the world at large had a future as well. The days and nights of looking over their shoulders, jumping at moving shadows and being an ever-vigilant presence in their son's young life almost took their toll. They tried very hard to give William the life an innocent little boy deserved by keeping him out of the line of fire and leaving the stress outside the door of their home. Unlike the majority of the world, they were privy to the inner workings of a global conspiracy, a Consortium, that was working with what most people would think impossible: extraterrestrial biological entities -- in other words, aliens. And these aliens weren't even close to the friendly, benevolent ones portrayed in Spielberg's 'Close Encounters' film. The Consortium had been a cluster of old men and Their minions who collaborated against the world and with the aliens for decades in order to greedily save themselves at the expense of humanity -- all five billion plus of them. At one point, Mulder and Scully believed that the Consortium had been destroyed, but, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, at least one of Them -- the most heinous of them all -- had survived and resurrected a new Consortium, but with basically the same plans. The Consortium, with the aliens, were working on a virus that would, in essence, wipe out all but a select few of the humans. Scully and Mulder both had been purposely exposed to the vaccine, and from their own blood and DNA, they hoped a vaccine could be found. Mulder and Scully married a few months after his return from Oregon. Scully chose to return to Quantico and teach until her maternity leave. After many late night discussions, Mulder, having had fairly recently discovered his sister Samantha's fate and, in essence, the truth, had decided his work as a Federal agent was done. He felt that helping to raise his and Scully's baby was much, much more important. Not long after, Mulder resigned from the F.B.I. and decided to, with much encouragement from his wife, write a line of Young Adult books about his and Scully's escapades into the paranormal realm, which combined action and adventure with learning and reading activities. Mulder had been overwhelmed by his books' success, but Scully, knowing her husband's genius, sense of humor and proclivity toward creativity, was not at all surprised. Her usually effusive husband had been stunned speechless the day she brought home Book Review Magazine where he had been described as "possibly the next J.K. Rowling." English teachers were actually using his books in their classrooms as the basis of school projects, and he was asked and paid to talk to school auditoriums full of avid fans of his stories. On the practical, real life side of things, with Scully's connection and reputation within the Medical Community, she was able to secure an 'underground' lab run by scientists, who like herself and her husband, believed. Mulder's contacts, who were considered to be less than reputable, were able to obtain many items needed. Behind the guise of a defeated and uninterested retired Federal employee, he was able to move about more freely than he and Scully had anticipated. Mulder had turned the tables and was now monitoring *Their* whereabouts and activities, unbeknownst to Them, instead of vice versa -- how it used to be for them when they were field agents. After many false starts, when a trial vaccine proved to be the virtual 'Holy Grail,' the synthesized product was mass-produced and introduced into the medical main stream. Hidden behind the ruse of a new and fast-spreading "deadly pandemic viral plague" which could only be avoided by vaccination, the unsuspecting public was given a second chance. After all the veiled death threats against Mulder, Scully and their newborn son, Mulder and family finally began to live their lives on their own terms. With the help of their friends, Mulder was able to secure a future in Culpeper, Virginia. In the process of remodeling their home, he brought his mother-in-law, Maggie and his mother, Teena down to live with them as well. It was a bit touchy for awhile trying to convince their mothers to move, but in the end they knew it was for the best. Mulder and Scully had the room, Maggie Scully's youngest grandchild lived fairly close, and her own house was large, and she was alone, so she decided to move to Culpeper to spend more time with her family members who lived closest. With both Bill and Charlie being sailors and, like their father before them, moving from port to port, Maggie felt this was her chance to settle down. Her sons could come to Culpeper to visit as easily as they could visit her in Baltimore. Teena Mulder was a bit more resistant at first, having closed herself off so much with the loss of her daughter at such a young age, but William was a sweetheart and had innocently ingratiated himself into his 'Gamma's' good graces. Teena, frankly, could not get enough of the little boy; he reminded her so of Fox at that age. Looking out across his backyard, he admired the numerous flora, shrubs and vines Scully had planted not long after moving to the farmhouse. An old wooden rail fence enclosed a modest amount of land to make a very active little three old boy happy. Mulder had a five foot privacy fence placed two feet on the outskirts of the railed fence providing the 100 by 200 foot yard security for William's curiosity and he and his wife's peace of mind. Mulder was drawn out of his thoughts by his son's voice. He looked and had seen William prancing from one foot to the other waiting to show his Daddy what he had found. "'ook, Daddy," the little boy yelled while pointing at the fence. "What, little Buddy? Whadaya see?" the little one's father questioned. "'on't know." The boy looked up at his Daddy and shrugged his shoulders. His hands thrust out, palms upward, the only way a three year old could. He lifted his arms up and demanded, "Up." "Up what, Son?" "Up peez, Daddy," the little one answered. Just as his Moma had taught him. "That's a good boy, William," Mulder said as he lifted his son up close to his chest and kissed him on the cheek. "Now, what did you want to show me?" William pointed to the fuzzy little creature that was slowly crawling across the top of the fence rail. "'ook, 'erm," William said with a frown and pointing. He wrinkled his nose and said with disgust, "'uk!" Mulder laughed at the face his son was making. "No Buddy, that's a caterpillar." With a much too serious look on his face for such a small boy, he shook his head and pronounced, "Uh uh, Daddy. Dat's 'erm. 'uk!" Mulder knew, just as with his mother, when he had lost an argument. William could be just as stubborn as she. Mulder smiled and looked into his son's eyes and asked, "You want to take it home and show your Moma?" William shook his head with a surprised look and placed his hands on either side of Mulder's face. "No Daddy! Moma 'on't 'yike no 'erms! 'uk!" "I guess you win. No "'erms" for Moma." Mulder laughed, swung his son up on his shoulders and William placed his small hands on top of Mulder's head. Then he slipped his hands down and covered his Daddy's eyes. "Hey! Who's doing the driving here?" Mulder laughed as did William. "Peek boo! Daddy!" He squealed with delight when Mulder pulled William's hands down and blew raspberries in each palm. Still giggling and laughing, father and son made their way back up the path along the old fence that bordered their backyard. "Daddy, war 'erm goes?" William questioned while leaning his head down trying to look into his Daddy's eyes. "Whoa Son, hang on there." Mulder shifted William and tilted his head, thought for a moment and then spoke. "Well the caterpillar, um ... worm will make a home and sleep for awhile. And then, when he wakes up, he'll be a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly will fly away." "War he go, Daddy? I 'ant ta fy Daddy," William proclaimed, throwing his hands above his head. "To see the world, Buddy. To see the world." Mulder reached up, grabbed William around the waist and lifted him above his head. William's laughter made Mulder chuckle with delight. "I 'ant ta see the 'erd, Daddy." "You will, Son. One of these days, hopefully, you will," Mulder replied thoughtfully, trying to stave off thoughts of a teen-aged William leaving home for college. As they got closer to the house a screen door screeched and then banged against the door frame. A petite redhead, hands on her hips, shook her head, a smile on her face. "What are you guys up to?" She asked. Mulder placed the boy down on his feet when he stepped up on the porch. "I go fyin 'yike uh ... uh," William stuttered and then turned to his father and said, "Daddy?" Mulder bent down and whispered to William, "A butterfly." William swung around, arms out as if flying, and whispered, "utfy. An I taw uh ... uh ... 'erm." "A worm!?! Yuk!" Scully exclaimed with wide eyes, wrinkled her nose and then spoke with a serious tone. "I don't like worms." William turned around quickly, stomped his foot and looked up at his father with his little hands on his hips. "To'ya, Daddy. Moma 'on't 'yike no 'erms." Scully patted her son indulgently on his head, chuckled and then announced, "Lunch is ready. Come on in and wash up." She opened the screen door and started inside. "Just like your mother." Mulder muttered then asked loudly, "Whatta we having? Sandwiches and worm soup?" Scully and William both exclaimed as one with a look of disgust on their faces. They wrinkled their noses, eyes wide. "Mulder!" "Daddy!" "Yuk!" "Uk!" "What, what did I say?" Mulder threw his hands up in self-defense. Grinning with mischief in his eyes, he followed Moma and son inside. End of Chapter One * * * * * * * Shall we continue? FEEDBACK: Constructive critisism gladly accepted. Flames used to start our fireplaces to keep us warm this winter. Chestnuts optional. xphilernj@aol.com and FBIWhistleblower@aol.com