The X-Files: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 66

Atlantic Ocean 

The sound of a helicopter met up with Mulder long before he ever saw it. He fought against consciousness, not wanting to wake to see its black form coming for him. It had been forever since he'd slept, and sleep offered a welcomed escape from the pain that had taken up residence in nearly every bit of his body. Enough already! He'd sacrificed years of his life against this enemy. How could he continue to fight when he had nothing left to give? 

When he finally succumbed to the taunting whir of the rotors overhead, he was surprised to see splashes of orange and white dancing against the blue sky. Is orange is the new black he wondered as he twisted and turned in a downdraft. A lifeline preceded him, pulling him closer, but he drifted from it for a time until familiar voices called him back. 

He tried to open his swollen eyes but met with success only for brief glimpses and even those were no more than blurry images. Was he lying on the Kansas floor with the aliens hovering over him? Or was he a boy of twelve, back at home where it all began, paralyzed by fear because they'd come once again to take Samantha away? God, please let it end! 

"Mulder, it's me?" he heard and was comforted to feel a warm hand brush his wet, matted hair away from his icy forehead. 

"You sure he'll be okay?" 

"He's pulled through worse." 

Mulder tried to speak, but his lips were cracked and blistered from the sun, wind and salt water that had splashed over him for hours. 

"Mulder?" he heard his name again and though it pained him to smile, he did so anyway because he knew it was Scully. 

"I..." he attempted to speak but couldn't get any words out. 

Scully raised his head up and offered him a few sips of water, some of which seeped out of the corners of his mouth as he struggled to swallow. He didn't care. It did wonders for his parched throat. It wasn't until he felt the heat of Scully's body leaning close to him that he found the strength to speak. 

"I had you big time," he whispered, recalling the private joke between them. 

"You've always had me, Mulder. Always," she kissed him tenderly on the forehead, and gently squeezed his hand. 

It was all he heard - all he needed to hear as he gave in to the fatigue that pulled him away from Scully. 

For some time, she knelt beside him, watching him sleep, making sure he didn't miss a single breath as her eyes focused on the rise and fall of his chest. Only when she was certain he was resting peacefully did she move back to her seat beside William. 

Scully turned and sat gazing at William - in awe that he was sitting there beside her. Her eyes took in everything about him and more than once, it seemed like she wanted to say something, but all she could do was smile as tears fell freely down her cheeks. 

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked, breaking her silence at last. 

"What'd you do?"  

She smiled at his innocence. 

"I let you go." 

"Huh?" 

"I gave you up for adoption. I've hated myself for it ever since - hated myself for not giving Mulder the chance to say how he felt about it. I just did it, never considering that if I'd told him what I was planning, maybe we could have come up with a way to escape what was happening. I should have given him that chance, William... not only for his sake," she touched her son's cheek, "but for yours. I'm so sorry... sorry that I didn't have faith enough to believe we could overcome this. I'm sorry..." she repeated again and again, sobbing and releasing years of guilt and the burden that had accompanied it. 

"It's okay," he reassured her as he took her hands in his. "I think it all happened the way it was supposed to. I think it was how it had to be for us." 

Scully looked at him, inspired by his forgiving heart, and she smiled to herself because William sounded so much like Mulder, accepting the fate that had befallen them. 

"Can I ask you something though?" he posed. 

"Of course." 

"Did...well, did you and Mulder... love me... even a little?" 

"Love you?" she gasped, her hand rising up to cover her mouth. 

"It's okay if you didn't," he lied and turned away. "I mean, you had a lot going on and all..." he acknowledged, quickly wiping away the moisture that threatened the corners of his eyes. 

"Oh William," Scully cried again, hugging him even tighter than before. "We loved you so much. We cried so many times, wondering where you were... what your adoptive parents were like... wondering if they loved you as much as we did," she pushed away and cupped a hand to his face. "We've always loved you, William. Always! It was never a question of love. It was a question of safety because as long as you were with us, you were a target. We didn't want that for you. We wanted you to have a normal life without being afraid... without the darkness haunting you." 

"Really?" 

"Really." 

Relieved, he fell into her arms, letting down his guard and freeing the emotions of all that he'd been through. 

Scully held him. She embraced him tenderly, whispering words of peace and reassurance. Her lips found his head, kissing him just as she had done when he was a baby. At last, their son was safe and in their lives where he was always meant to be. At last, the darkness was gone. At last, there was peace.