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Scully kissed her sister-in-law after her nephew and then watched as everyone else who had been in the room filed out. They said nothing, knowing there was nothing to say to make her feel better. Silence, for once, offered more support.
Then, finally, Scully stood alone, looking
sadly at the casket of the daughter she had known for a few short weeks. She couldn't
believe that Emily was gone. She wanted to mourn for her daughter, but at the same time,
rip out the throats of the men who were responsible for it all. The result of the
conflicting emotions running through Scully was numbness. A numbness so intense that
Scully was almost certain that she had died as well.
Mulder had entered the chapel so quietly
that Scully did not see him until he had was right behind her. She turned to look whose
footsteps she heard, and he put his hand on her arm before passing her with a bouquet of
yellow flowers. He gently placed them on Emily's casket before turning back to Scully.
Still staring ahead at the casket, Scully
asked sadly, "Who are the men who would create a life whose only hope is to
die?"
Mulder wasn't sure if she actually wanted
an answer, but took a chance. He looked at her, and said, "I don't know, but that you
found her, and that you had a chance to love her, maybe she was meant for that too."
"She found *me*," Scully
responded quietly.
"So you could save her."
"Save her? From what? Dying? I
couldn't even do that, Mulder. I couldn't save my own baby!" Scully finally looked at
Mulder, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.
"But you did. You saved her from
dying without knowing her mother's love. You were the only one who could give her that. In
the short time you knew her, I'm positive that she knew how much you loved her,"
Mulder replied.
Scully seemed adamant on somehow blaming
herself for Emily's death. She continued, "Was she really any better off? Before I
got involved, she had two parents who loved her, not just a woman who she had never
met..." She returned her gaze to the front of the chapel, fighting tears.
Mulder was not sure what to say. He
doubted it really mattered what he said, Scully barely seemed to be comprehending what he
was telling her. "I'm sure she understood, Scully. She must have. She was your
daughter."
Scully said nothing in response, and
Mulder stayed quiet as well. Eventually, Scully asked him how detective Kresge was.
"He-He's doing better. He's out of
the ICU."
"And the men who did this to
him?" Scully asked, anger tainting her words.
Mulder took a breath before replying. As hard as it was, he answered while looking at her.
He could see in her face that she knew what the answer would be, and he did not want to
confirm her suspicions, but knew he had to. "They already cleaned out the nursing
home. All the women have been placed in new homes. There's no evidence that there's anyone
else at Transgen Corporation who knew about Calderon's work."
Scully took a moment before responding.
"There *is* evidence of what they did."
She walked up to the casket. For several
seconds she just stared at it, unsure. Mulder turned away, for he knew he could not bear
to see the expression on her face when she found out what was actually in the small, white
casket. He was not exactly sure, himself, though he assumed it was not Emily. After some
deliberation, Scully took the bouquet and lifted the lid. Shock and confusion crossed her
face. She shook her head slightly. Her daughter was supposed to be in the casket, not
burlap bags of sand. Mulder was right; the men who were in charge of whatever operation
Emily had been a part of had made sure there was absolutely no evidence to incriminate
them.
The dim light reflected off something in
the sand, catching Scully's eye. She reached down to see what it was. To her surprise, she
pulled out her crucifix necklace. She had given to Emily the day she left with the social
worker. Scully held it up and stared at it, unsure of where it had come from and why it
was still there, even though her daughter was not. With shaking hands, she lowered the lid
and clasped the necklace in a fist and held it to her chest. It begins where it ends...
Mulder had faced the casket in time to see
Scully pull the necklace from it. He didn't need to ask to be sure of the contents of the
casket. It was written across Scully's face. She pressed her lips together and looked
heavenward, still trying to prevent her tears from falling. Mulder closed the distance
between them in a few small steps and embraced Scully. Scully just stood, unmoving for a
moment, before wrapping her own arms around Mulder's waist.
Scully buried her face in Mulder's chest
and finally let her tears fall, knowing that she was protected from harm, if for only a
few minutes.
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I'd love to know what you thought of this. Send me your comments. Please? My addy's BlueEyedXPhile@hotmail.com.
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