TITLE: What A Dream

AUTHOR: S. Sara Lynn

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: DO NOT archive at Gossamer. As for other archives, ask me first for permission. Just so I can link you to my site.

SPOILER WARNING: Dreamland

RATING: I am rebelling again MPAA ratings (for no real reason), so this is Not Rated. There’s no nudity and no fowl language, so anyone can read it.

CLASSIFICATION/CONTENT STATEMENT: MSR Vignette

SUMMARY: Mulder’s new life as Morris Fletcher isn’t so bad . . .

DISCLAIMER: I own the X-Files. . . . tapes. Hehe.

Mulder looked across the desk at Jeff. He was not going to get any pity there.

"You always forget. This time, don’t forget the milk." The phone clicked off and Mulder hung up his end. This was what Scully had been talking about?!? A family, a loving spouse . . . Oh yeah, this was much better than driving with Scully sitting beside him in a cramped car talking about nothing and everything.

"The wife huh?" Jeff asked. Mulder nodded. "Whhhhhschhh!"

That took Mulder by surprise. He had never thought he’d live to see the day someone referred to his wife as the old ball and chain. He had done it to a few guys as a joke, but to have it done to him, he realized how close to home it hit.

Mulder thought for a second. He did want to try to call Scully again . . . but he had no clue where he lived and Jeff just said they could trace outgoing calls. Might as well get home and face the "old ball and chain."

* * *

"Time to face the music." Mulder muttered to himself as he unlocked the front door to let himself in.

As he walked around the house that wasn’t his, he wondered what other surprised awaited him. The only light on seemed to come from the kitchen. Venturing into the light he noticed no one was in the kitchen. It looked like a model home. A place for everything and everything in it’s place. The only indication someone lived there was the large note attached to the front of the refrigerator. Assuming it was for him, Mulder pulled the paper off the door and unfolded it.

Two big pieces to the puzzle. His wife’s name was Joanne and he had a baby. Mulder thought for a second about not ever trying to sneak a peek at his wife and risk waking the child, but curiosity was Mulder’s middle name.

The master bedroom seemed just behind the large double doors at the end of the hallway at the top of the stairs. Opening it just a crack, Mulder peered into the shadowed room to see the woman lying in the bed. She looked tense and was clutching a pillow under her head. Not wanting to disturb her, he backed out slowly and bumped into something about his legs. "Daddy?"

Daddy? Mulder looked down to see the young child looking up at him. A little girl no older than 5 was staring at him with wide eyes. He knelt down to look her in the face. Two light brown ponytails framed her round face and she wore a tiny white and pink nightgown. "What is it, Sweetie?"

"That was me. I’m sorry I woke you." The little child held out her arms indicating she wanted to be picked up and carried. Mulder wrapped his arms around the girl’s waist and lifted her up into the air. Looking down the hall he saw one door was wide open and assumed it belonged to the child he was holding. Walking into the dark room, he turned on the lamp by the door. The pink tiffany cast light over the small girl’s room showing him the way to her bed. As he placed the child clinging around his neck under the rumpled sheets, he noticed a tiny plaque over her bed. Beautiful calligraphy spelling of ‘Samantha’ surrounded by a pink border. "Ok, Sammy, Time to go to sleep."

"Ok daddy." She tightened her hold around his neck in a hug and kissed him on the cheek before crawling under the covers.

"Night" He said as he backed out of the room and clicked off the lamp.

That was too weird for Mulder and he had to know what the other two looked like. He opened the door to his immediate right and saw this was another daughter’s room. Directly opposite the door was the brass daybed of the teenage girl sleeping in it. He closed the door quickly and tried the one to the other side of Sam’s. As soon as he opened the door, he knew it was the baby’s room. The rocker sat directly in front of the window and a baby comforter hung over the back of it. The little wooden crib was right by the door and Mulder looked over the side to see the child inside was fast asleep. He noticed quickly the hair on top of it’s head was red and so fine. He wanted to touch it when he felt the hand touch his shoulder. "Morris?"

Mulder spun around to come face to face with Joanne. He jumped back as he finally saw what she looked like. She was nothing like what he had pictured. Her body, despite mothering 3 children was not dumpy and her face was not round but rather oval. He noticed with amazement that her eyes were sparkling blue and her hair was a rich auburn hue. On reflex, he asked "Scully?"

He almost had to do a double take. This woman standing in front of him looked exactly like Scully. But it wasn’t, this was Morris’s wife. The teenager and baby were Morris’s. The little girl Samantha that had kissed and hugged him was Morris’s, not Mulder’s.

"Yea, I woke Sam up and I had to put her back to sleep."

Joanne nodded and peeked around Morris to see the baby in the crib fast asleep. "Well, I’m glad you didn’t wake up Maddy. Now go onto bed, Morris."

This was way too weird . . . he thought as he undressed. After removing his shirt and pants, Mulder looked up in the mirror. Unlike earlier when he had been confronted with the face of Morris Fletcher, he saw his own face. This was too bizarre, especially when Morris’s wife popped up behind him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Joanne?"

"No, don’t call me that. What was that you called me earlier?" She reached through his arms to run her fingers over his chest as she gazed seductively at him in the mirror.

* * *

"Scully . . ." He mumbled as he rolled on the barca lounger. This was nice. Very nice. Perhaps being a family man . . .

Mulder was abruptly woken from his wonderful dream when the chair suddenly bucked upright. He was back to reality. Joanne was not a red haired angel, but the middle-aged biddy she was before. The children he dreamed of were two obnoxious teenagers in the height of full rebellion.

Did this woman just use the word ‘farce’ in normal conversation? "Huh?" Joanne was hysteric and for some reason believed her ‘husband’ was impotent. As she hugged him, he wanted to cry. Why was this happening to him? "The doorbell . . ."

"We can make this work." She smiled and laughed to get the door. Mulder watched her leave. He wanted to scream. Silently he yelled for whatever omnipotent being was listening to return his Scully to him. NOW!

THE END