Date: 31 May 1998 19:58:52 GMT From: JenR13 Subject: *NEW* "Hope is Belief" (1/1) by Jen TITLE: "Hope is Belief" AUTHOR: Jen EMAIL: JenR13@aol.com SPOILERS: None RATING: PG CLASSIFICATION: SR KEYWORDS: MSR ARCHIVE: Go ahead and archive, just keep my name and email address on it. SUMMARY: A pen and a couple of hours in a janitor's closet teach Mulder and Scully something about themselves. Disclaimer: Everyone knows the drill by now. Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and company were never mine and will never be mine. They belong to Chris Carter and Fox. Writer's Notes: I got this idea at 12:30 in the morning and just had to write it before I forgot it. Hope you like what resulted. :-) "Hope is Belief" By Jen Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. Dana Scully sighed as she paced the small area she was enclosed. That small area just happened to be a janitor's closet, and she just happened to be stuck there with her partner, Fox Mulder. she thought, glancing around the place she had spent the last two hours in. "How did we get here again, Mulder?" Scully asked, making her thought vocal. "Want to try and explain that to me again?" Mulder looked up guiltily. "I wish I could really pinpoint how exactly we ended up here, but I can't." "Can't Mulder? Wow, Fox Mulder can't explain how he and his very annoyed partner ended up in the janitor's closet in the basement. This is one for your files, Mulder," Scully said sarcastically. She sighed and leaned against the floor. Mulder looked up at her from his position on the floor. Both of their thoughts wandered back to the events that landed them here. Wednesday, 4:45 p.m. Scully smiled as she glanced over at her latest field report. It was done and in the process of being printed. And all before 5 o'clock. Plus, there was no new case to worry about either. she thought as she picked up the report from the printer tray. All she had left to do was drop this report off at Skinner's office and then she was home free. She was just about to walk out the door when Mulder rushed in. "Nice of you to show up after ditching me in the office about 3 hours ago," Scully commented as he walked past her and straight to his desk. "What?" Mulder asked, not even looking up from his desk and the papers he was glancing at. "Earth to Mulder. I said thanks for ditching me again," Scully said, wondering why Mulder wasn't so quick to come back with a comment of his own. "Oh, sorry," Mulder said, still not looking up. "Mulder, what has you so preoccupied that you don't even have the time to come up with one of your usual original 'Mulder' comments?" Scully asked, curious. This time Mulder looked up. "It's nothing, Scully. I just...well," Mulder paused for a second. "Just what?" Scully asked, growing both concerned and confused. Those were both the typical feeling she had when she tried to understand Fox Mulder. Mulder looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. Finally he spoke again. "I, well...I lost my...I lost my..." "Your what?" Scully asked, growing more curious with every growing moment. "My pen," Mulder said and started looking on the floor. "Your pen? You have been gone for 3 hours because of a pen?" Scully asked in disbelief. Mulder looked up to see Scully with an expression on her face that clearly said "why the hell are you looking for a pen." "It wasn't just any pen, Scully. I've had it since 6th grade. It was given to me by a friend," Mulder replied, hoping his answer would encourage Scully to help him look. Scully sighed and gave him a knowing glance. "I guess it has emotional attachment. I'll help search down here." Mulder smiled showing how grateful he was. For the next half hour he and Scully searched the entire office for a sign of the pen. It never showed up. "Mulder, I don't think it's here. It just may be lost," Scully said with a not of disappointment in her voice. Mulder sighed. If only she knew the real story of the pen. It was too late now, though. The pen was lost, along with the emotions it always seemed to carry with him. Mulder got up. "Maybe you are right, Scully. Let's go." He grabbed his coat. "It could still turn up," Scully said, trying to give Mulder some hope, but it didn't work. "I have to take this report up to Skinner's." She pointed to the folder in her hands. Mulder nodded. Scully got an idea. "How about I take this folder upstairs and then we go get something to eat," she suggested, hoping to get his mind off of that pen. Mulder looked up, as if debating the question. Finally he said, "Ok, but you're buying." Scully smiled. "Ok, but I pick the place." "Hey, I don't care. You're buying," Mulder said, seeming to cheer up a little. Scully smiled and walked out of the room. Mulder followed. They walked past the janitor's closet, when Mulder suddenly stopped. "What is it?" Scully asked, when she realized he had stopped. "I just remembered that I forgot to check the janitor's closet." "The janitor's closet?" 'Yeah, I was in there doing my, uh.., business. I think I had the pen with me then. But I never thought to check there." Scully thought. "Ok, then check it before we leave." "Ok." Mulder walked to the door and opened it. The small dark room seemed to hold a million places a pen could hide in. Mulder walked in. "Scully, could you get the light?" he asked. "Sure." Scully stepped into the tiny room and pulled the chain that hung from the ceiling. A bright light filled the room; lighting up all of the corners and giving Mulder and Scully the view of the whole room, including a view of door shutting. "Open that door, again," Mulder said as his eyes scanned all of the corners. Scully went to open the door. It wouldn't budge. "Mulder, we have a problem," Scully said, hoping it was just temporary. "What is it?" Mulder asked, his eyes still checking the room. "The door won't open." Mulder turned around. "That can't be." He walked over to the door and tried to open it. It still won't budge. He tried again and again. In fact, he and Scully both tried for the next ten minutes, but found no luck. They were stuck. And it was 5:45. No one was around. Their only hope was for the janitor to open the door for them. So they would be there for awhile. Perhaps a long while. Wednesday, 7:52 p.m. "A pen was what got us here," Scully said softly, her mind returning from the flashback. She felt bad for being so rough with Mulder a few minutes ago. "But not just any pen," Mulder put in. "What made it so special, Mulder?" Scully asked, curiosity getting the better of her again. Mulder sighed. "I might as well tell you," he began. "As I said, that pen was a gift from a friend of mine from 6th grade. His name was Jeff Anderson. It was a pen with the words, "Hope is Belief" written on it. He gave it to me about 6 months after Samantha was taken. Jeff and I had always been friends, but we were never really close. After Samantha was gone, and after I woke up from that 'coma' I was in, I kind of withdrew from my friends, not knowing what happened to Sam and if she was coming back. At first all of my friends understood. Then after about 3 months they lost interest with me, because of how I kept thinking about Sam. They said I should move on. A lot of people said that. But Jeff, he was different. One day, out of the blue, he comes up to me with this pen in his hand. He puts it in my hand and says 'Don't give up the hope you have, because hope is belief' then he walked away. I wanted to thank him, but that day, after school, Jeff was...was hit by a car. A hit-and-run. The driver was never found. And since then, this pen has had such a impact on my life, both the search for Samantha and the X-Files in general. I would hate to lose that one thing that helped me hope." Mulder finished and looked toward the corners of the closet again. "Oh, Mulder, I had no idea..." Scully said, shaking her head, "I understand why it was so important." She walked over to him and sat next to him in the cramped area. She looked at him, her eyes full of sympathy and something more. Mulder noticed it. It was almost like a true understanding. He looked back at her, their faces were only inches apart. These last five years seemed to come into focus all because of one little pen. The fogginess they had shaded both their eyes when it came to their feelings for each other seemed to become clear. They both inched closer and closer and closer.........until it happened. They kissed, but their moment, the moment that had taken five years for them to reach was interrupted when the door opened and AD Skinner stood in the doorway with a shocked, yet almost pleased look on his face. "When I didn't get Agent Scully's field report, I figured I'd come down and get it, since I was still here anyway. There was no one there and I saw the light coming from the bottom of this door, so I..." Skinner trailed off, embarrassed. "Actually, Agent Mulder and I managed to get ourselves locked in her for the past two and a half hours. Thank you for getting us out." Scully got up and straightened her jacket. She walked into the office. Mulder still remained on the floor, first glancing at Skinner then at the door. He was racking his brain about what he should say. Luckily, Scully returned at that moment with the report folder in hand. "Here, sir. I'm sorry it didn't get up earlier. I believe Agent Mulder and I have dinner to get to, so good evening, sir." Scully reached out her hand to Mulder and helped him up. As he got up he saw something shiny peeking out from a dark corner of the room. He bent down and picked it up. It was his pen. He smiled and put it in his pocket. "Hope was never lost," he whispered. "And it never will be again," Scully whispered back, taking Mulder's hand. And without another word they walked down the hallway, hand in hand, smiling, and leaving behind a very confused Skinner. "The End" ----Well, that's all folks. What did you think? All feedback can be sent to JenR13@aol.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jen Jen's Fanfic Archive http://members.aol.com/JenR13/index.html The XF Short Story Archive http://members.aol.com/Jen2815/index.html