Summary: Pre-XF. Mulder gets a taste of his future via the dreamworld.

Author's notes: I sat down one night with a completely different story that I was going to write, but this is the one that came out instead. It had been floating around my head for some time, and it finally had to be put to paper. Just so you know, this is set before Unusual Suspects, or pre-paranoid Mulder. I had been getting numerous requests (thanks!) to do a couple of sequels, and this was a result of writer's block on those two. But Christmas break, they're being written, I promise! This is a 'shipper piece, but hey, what episode isn't nowadays?

This is dedicated to Lindsey and Kristi, yes, you two are included in this piece, again! Thanks for telling me I don't suck!

January, 1989

I had this dream. I don't know, maybe I should be able to decipher my own dreams from all of my training, but somehow, I just can't. It started off innocently enough, but lately, every night it develops more layers.

The first night, I was in an interrogation room, with a suspect. I don't remember what the charge was--something idiotic--something like kidnapping his high school sweetheart or something--it doesn't matter. Anyway, I begin to question him, and he interrupts me.

"Agent Mulder, are you seeing anyone right now?"

What the hell, I think. "No, what does that matter?"

"Just curious. Are you planning on ever getting married?"

"No, why?"

Then I wake up, before I hear his answer. The next night, it picked up right from where it left off.

"Agent Mulder, would you believe me if I told you I had special 'talents'?"

"What, you can eat spaghetti through your nose?"

"No," he laughs, "I can see 10 years into anyone's future."

"That's pretty hard for all the people who'll be dead by then."

"Well, then I get blanks, which means 10 years from this day, they will have died."

"Really," I skeptically reply. "So, by all means, tell me my future."

"What's today's date, January 16, 1989? Okay, January 16, 1999. I see it...do you know a woman named Dana Scully?"

Then I woke up.

The next morning, that name just sticks in my head. Dana Scully. No, I didn't know one, so did I just make it up? I checked the NCIC, and there are two. One was 75 and living in western Wyoming, so I ruled her out. The other I found more interesting. She was 24, and in med. school at the University of Maryland. I never pictured myself dating a doctor, but stranger things have happened. Now what? Call her up and say what? "Hi, my name's Fox Mulder, you don't know me, but 10 years from now, we'll be together?" Okay, I may not be the most normal guy in the world, but I wouldn't stoop down that far. Or would I? I jotted her address down and went back to work.

I'm insane. I think I am. Whatever possessed me to cut out early and head up to Maryland, I don't know, but I am. Using some connections (hell, I work for the FBI), I found that she worked nights at an all-night coffee shop just off campus. I found a parking place and went inside.

It was just after 7:30 p.m. by the time I walked in. I found an empty booth and waited. My waitress, a Kristi by her nametag, took my order, but before she left, I had to ask.

"Hey, um, is Dana working tonight?" I stammered out.

"I think she comes in later, 'bout 8."

"Oh, thanks."

Twenty minutes later, I received my food, and was in the process of eating when the door jingled, announcing someone's arrival.

Dana Scully is never late. Do you hear me? Never! Well, except tonight, of course. Monday's are always the worst. I have lab 'til 7:15, then I have to go find my car and blaze through traffic and barely make it to work by eight. Tonight was no different. I scooted in at 7:58 by my watch, and was welcomed with a full house, and I get to tackle it. Goody.

"Dana, glad to see you could join us tonight."

"Thanks, Kristi, looks like I'm going to have fun tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Hey, some guy was asking for you earlier."

"Really? Who?"

"That guy sitting in the booth. Kinda cute, if you ask me. A lot better looking than most of the guys you bring in."

"Thanks!" I responded while looking at the person in question.

He looked late '20's, a lawyer or an accountant from the looks of it. He was tall, cute in a smart kinda way. Actually, to describe him in a word, fuckable. Did I just say that? Oh, yes, you did Dana. Admit it, behind those glasses, he looks like he'd be great in bed. But what are you going to do, just walk up to him and say, "Hi, my name's Dana Scully and I'd like to fuck you?" No. Go to work, Dana. Time to get your head out of the clouds.

"Here's your receipt, sir."

"Oh, thanks."

"By the way, sir, Dana's here now, if you wanted to talk to her."

"Oh, yeah, sure, fine, whatever."

So that was her. I saw her flutter in, obviously late and was someone who was not used to it. She was a beautiful redhead. There you go, Mulder. A short, redheaded doctor. That's the antithesis of your type. So why are you staring at her like you'd never see her again? Because you probably never will. It was just a figment of your imagination, her name was, and you should be lucky that by some freak accident, she exists. Oh, does she ever exist. I'd love for her to do house calls. Watch out, Mulder, you could be creating a new fantasy there. Was she just staring at me? Only wishing, Mulder. Now that you've seen her, get the hell out of here before you make an idiot out of yourself.

As luck, or fate would have it, as I was leaving, Dana was coming out of the kitchen, and had to whirl her little, perfect body past me, narrowly avoiding catastrophe. Then she paused.

"Sorry about that. Whoever did the design to this building didn't account for the door there," Dana hurriedly said.

"Not a problem. You should be getting that out before it gets cold," Not only was I staring, I was saying the most idiotic things.

"Oh, yeah, yes, I should. Have a nice night, then." Dana couldn't help but stare at him, his hazel eyes were haunting.

"I will now," I said as I backed out of the restaurant.

Yeah, Mulder, you'll definitely be having fantasies about a blue-eyed redhead for quite a while now.

You'd think with my rash of dreams I'd been having, sleep would come easily. Ha. When it came though, it just kept going.

"So, how does Dana Scully figure into my life 10 years from now?"

"You know a woman's beautiful when you can call her beautiful when she's pregnant."

"Dana's pregnant?" Somehow, I couldn't picture the woman I met today ever pregnant.

"Yes, you all are at home. It's a small town, but it's the biggest house in town. It's morning, she's about seven months pregnant. There's a little girl, about 5, running around."

"We have two kids?"

"The older one is Dana's, but you've adopted her."

"How did Dana and I meet?"

"I can't tell you, I can only tell you what's going on that day, or what I see there."

"Okay, please continue."

"It's funny, your wife only calls you Mulder, never your first name. The little girl, she's adorable. After breakfast, she cons you into playing a game on the computer before you leave for work, even though, it's a Saturday. The girl's name is Emily, but you always call her Emmer. Dana normally goes to work on Saturdays as well, and she's explaining to you that since this baby wasn't conceived the natural way, that Emily and the baby would have to come first, not work. You relent, I have a feeling she's right more often than you are about a lot of things."

"How was the baby conceived?"

"I don't know. I don't know everything."

"Am I still with the Bureau?"

"Yes, you're down in the basement, jeez, it's a mess. You have some weird cases, though. Monsters and stuff. Really weird."

"Oh, please answer me this: do I know what happened to my sister, Samantha?"

"Who? Samantha? Lemme check. Yes, yes, you do. She's married, you have a picture of her and her family on your desk. Right next to a picture of your family. The Mulder clan must be a happy bunch, judging from the pictures."

"Ha. We Mulders aren't exactly the Bradys."

Then I woke up. After that, I never had the dream. But I did have a recurring fantasy about a blue-eyes, redheaded doctor saving my ass from various monsters and demons, though.

March 6, 1992

"Agent Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh," the junior agent seemed uncomfortable, to put it mildly, to be down in Spooky's office. "This is from AD Skinner."

"Leave it on my desk," I was down buried in a bunch of files on the floor, and didn't want to deal with it now.

When I finally go to the file, I kicked myself for not looking at it sooner. Spooky was getting a partner. Oh, shit. It wasn't. Oh fucking God. Dana Scully. Back from the great unknown. Guess I should be pissed off about the assignment, and I surmised I would be if it was anyone else but Dana.

Then came the knock at the door.

January 16, 1999 8:00 A.M.

The alarm awoke me with its natural annoyance. A soft body snuggled next to me. I smiled as I turned and gave her a stream of kisses from her neck to her eyes. Dana smiles back, and finds my mouth and claims it with hers. It's a morning ritual we have, teasing each other until one of us either gets up or decides to take the actions further. Suddenly, and much to her chagrin, I sit up.

"Mulder, what is it?" Dana suddenly turns on the worrying. I think it's an unconscious reflex with her by now.

"What's today's date?"

"Um, the 16th, I think, why?"

A smile creeps across my face, and Dana's stiffened body relaxes. "Do you know the importance of this date?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"On this day, 10 years ago, we first met."

"What? Mulder, you're crazy."

"Only about you," I kiss her and continue. "Anyway, yes, it was 10 years ago. I had this dream, and I was told that I would be with a woman named Dana Scully. So, I did some checking. And I found out where you lived, and where you worked. I went there--nice diner, by the way. On my way out, we almost ran into each other, and we had a nice, but brief, chat. Ever since that day, I'd been having fantasies about having a particular redheaded doctor doing house calls," I finished with a grin.

"That was you! I don' believe it! When Kristi told me you had been asking about me, I just thought she was delusional. I mean, nobody that, that--do you know what my one-word description of you was?"

"Insane?"

"No, that wasn't 'til much later. It was fuckable."

"That I am, Dana. One fuckable Fox William Mulder at your, and your service."

FERTIG

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