Intermission
by Namarie

Spoilers: IWTB
Keywords: MSR, post-IWTB
Category: CRA
Summary: Doctor Who/XF crossover. Another chance meeting, this time
on a tropical island. This is a sequel of sorts to my other
crossover, "Time Flies." Spoilers for DW season 4 up to Journey's
End.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or X-Files, or their associated
characters.
Archive: Sure, but please ask permission first.
Feedback: Would be fantastic! Write me at pomme_noire@hotmail.com
Author's Note: Since some of you asked for a sequel, and I couldn't
stop mulling over what could happen if the Doctor met up with Mulder
and Scully again, here it is. Thanks for wanting more!
Also, I owe many thanks to both Dasha and belsum for their beta-ing!


~~~~~~~
Scully came awake slowly. It was still early, judging by the
faintness of the light coming from the window. She attempted to start
getting up, but smiled as Mulder's arm tightened around her
reflexively, keeping her in place even as he remained asleep. She
tugged on his arm gently. "Mulder," she said.

He groaned and muttered something unintelligible, but loosened his
grip enough for her to pull away. She shivered slightly as she came
in contact with the cooler morning air, and found her light robe.
Then she crossed the short distance to the window seat and looked
out. The view, as always, was breathtaking.

The sun was just beginning to rise, making the clear tropical waters
sparkle with its rays. The beach was empty of all signs of human
life. Scully thought she could see a few shore birds at the edge of
the surf. They were out on a small peninsula that contained the only
other beach house on this tiny island. That house was unoccupied at
the moment - a fact that she and Mulder had been sure to verify
before they had chosen this specific destination for their tropical
getaway.

Scully smiled again, reveling in the luxury of this time they had to
simply relax and be with each other. So far, their vacation had been
as close to perfect as she had ever imagined. She glanced back at the
bed, and saw that Mulder's eyes were now open, looking at her.
"Morning," he greeted her sleepily. "Enjoying the view?"

"Mmhmm," Scully replied, leaning on the window seat.

Mulder yawned, and then grinned. "Me, too."

Chuckling lightly, Scully turned back to the window as he began to
stir from the bed. He moved to stand behind her at the window,
resettling his arms around her. "What do you want to do today,
Scully?" he asked softly, bending to her ear and causing her to
shiver again.

"I don't know yet," Scully answered. She leaned back and returned his
leisurely kisses, again thinking with pleasure that there was no need
to rush, that they could decide the day's itinerary (or lack of one)
at whatever speed they chose.

Mulder barely moved his lips away from her skin as he continued, "I
can think of one activity in particular that sounds good to me right
now."

"Mulder," Scully scolded, without much force, "you don't want to
leave the house at all? We have this whole island to ourselves, and
we've barely done more than take a few walks."

He made a noncommittal sound, continuing to focus on his task.

After a moment, Scully turned her face away slightly to look outside
again, and gasped. It couldn't be... "Mulder, look at that!"

"What is it?" He pulled his focus away from her to look where she was
pointing.

In the near-silence of the morning, an oddly familiar, very
distinctive sound could be heard in the distance. As the two of the
stared in shock, a small blue box gradually appeared on the shore of
the peninsula, directly under one of the palm trees next to the empty
beach house. After a second, a tall, skinny figure emerged, shoulders
slumped and hands in the pockets of a long coat.

"Mulder, that can't be... it isn't..." Scully looked away from the
incredible sight to meet Mulder's eyes.

He was just as shocked, but he merely said, "There's only one way to
find out, Scully."

In minutes, the two of them had thrown on slightly more presentable
clothes and exited the beach house. They hurried as fast as they
could safely go down the stairs to the beach -- and Scully was sure
she wasn't the only one remembering dashing down the stairs of the
Washington Monument, years ago when they had first met this man... if
it really could be him.

Mulder had made it onto the sand first of course, but then he
stopped. He turned to Scully, an expression of concern on his face.
"Scully, he doesn't look... well, I mean, I don't think we should
just run up to him."

Scully took another look. The man was walking slowly along the edge
of the tide, shoulders still slumped, seeming blind to the beauty
around him. And he was alone. No one else had emerged from the wooden
box. She remembered he had called it his TARDIS.

"You're right, Mulder," she said, wondering with a flash of worry
where Martha was. "But maybe seeing some old friends would be good
for him."

Mulder nodded, and the two continued toward him at a less hurried
pace. When they were within earshot, Scully called out, "Well, you're
a long way from D.C., Doctor!"

The man looked up. By now the sun had risen and they were close
enough that there could be no doubt: it was definitely the Doctor.
But Scully was shocked at his appearance. Physically, he didn't seem
to have aged a day since they had last met, which was striking
enough. His expression, however, was completely different than any
she had ever seen him wear: his eyes were dull, and there was no
trace of the usual energy that accompanied him.

For a second, he just stared at them. Then his eyes brightened with
recognition. "Agents Mulder and Scully! Fancy running into you here!"
He strode forward, with enough real enthusiasm that Scully was sure
that her instinct to not leave him alone with his thoughts had been
a good one.

Mulder put out a hand for a handshake, but the Doctor seemed not to
notice it, instead giving them each a quick hug and then stepping 
back to look them over more carefully. "Well, you two look great! I
take it you're not here on official business? No mysterious
teleportations or bizarre creature sightings to investigate?"

Mulder shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. "No, uh... actually,
we haven't been with the FBI for quite some time."

"Really?" The Doctor paused, surprised. Scully could see his gaze
flicker to the healing scars on Mulder's arm. "So you're just taking
a holiday, then, eh?"

"That's right," Scully answered. She didn't realize she had leaned
into Mulder during the course of the conversation until he casually
put an arm around her shoulders. Clearing her throat, she met the
Doctor's eyes again. He had not missed the gesture. Scully was
faintly surprised that she didn't feel embarrassed by the Doctor
observing it.

"Ah," the Doctor remarked. He looked away for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, it's certainly a beautiful spot for a holiday."

"Yeah, it is," Mulder agreed. He gestured with his other arm toward
the TARDIS behind them. "Is that why you're here, too, Doctor --
vacation? Because that TARDIS thing still seems pretty small. The
beach house there is vacant; you could relax and spread out if you
wanted. We wouldn't tell on you to the travel agency."

Scully could tell that he was disguising the reluctance he felt at
sharing this secluded haven with anyone else, even a friend. But he
needn't have worried. The Doctor smiled again, though it didn't reach
his eyes, and shook his head. "No, thank you, Agent Mulder -- or I
guess Mr. Mulder now?" He looked at the other man for clarification.

"Just Mulder is fine."

"Mulder." The Doctor took a deep breath, and then sighed heavily,
staring at the waves lapping against the shore next to them. "I just
came here to... to think, for a little while. Someplace sunny. I
won't bother you two for long."

"It's not a bother," Scully told him. Mulder and she could spare a
few hours out of their time to catch up with a friend... especially
when he so obviously needed someone to talk to. "There's a little
picnic table over this way -- why don't we sit down?"

The three of them started to walk in the direction Scully indicated.
"So, is Martha still traveling with you?" she asked, hoping she
wouldn't increase the Doctor's melancholy by the query.

The Doctor blinked. "Oh, no, not recently. She's working as a doctor
now, and she's engaged." This time his smile was genuine. "She's
doing well, I think."

"That's great," Scully said, returning the smile. She had no doubt
that the young woman was a very capable, compassionate physician.
"If you see her, tell her we said hello."

"I will," the Doctor replied. He was silent as they approached the
table and sat down. Then, as if determined to be something other than
gloomy, he took another deep breath and asked, "So, what have you two
been up to lately? Investigating X-Files on your own time?"

Scully would have laughed at the keenness of his guess if her fears
for Mulder's safety hadn't still been so fresh in her memory. Instead
she just looked at Mulder, one eyebrow raised. He caught her eye
briefly before turning back to the Doctor. "Well, uh, you could say
that."

"Oh?" He sounded intrigued.

"Despite the fact that the FBI didn't part with either of us on the
best of terms," Scully explained, allowing irony to color her tone,
"they wanted Mulder's help with a case a few weeks ago."

"Just your help?" the Doctor said to Mulder, seeming a bit confused.
"Not your partner's as well?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Yeah, I don't know." He turned to
Scully, honestly as confused as the Doctor. "Maybe they assumed you
would be too busy with your work."

This time, Scully did laugh a little bit. "I doubt they thought that
far about it. Mulder, it was always you that people thought of when
they thought of the X-Files," she said without rancor. "I guess that
hasn't changed even now."

Mulder blinked, and then nodded, taking her point silently. Together
they gave the Doctor a brief summary of the case and how it had gone.
Scully refrained from commenting on the validity of Father Joe's
claims of psychic connections, and Mulder did not bring up Scully's
plea for him to stop trying to find the missing agent.

"Was the missing agent rescued?" the Doctor asked after they had
finished.

Mulder swallowed and looked down. "No."

"I'm sorry." The Doctor looked like he wished he hadn't asked the
question.

"But Mulder did locate the other kidnapping victim," Scully put in.
"We saved her life. The kidnappers were..." She paused, vividly
remembering the disturbing sight that had greeted her when she had
entered their facility. "They were modern-day Dr. Frankensteins. They
were trying to perform full-body transplants."

The Doctor shuddered. "Ooh. I've come across the type before." He
frowned. "They always seem to be after my head."

It was Scully's turn to shudder at that. She reached out for Mulder's
hand under the table, and he took it and held it tightly as he wryly
remarked, "Mine, too."

"Ah," the Doctor said with a sympathetic grimace. "I was wondering
where you'd gotten those scars. It doesn't look like this island is
dangerous enough for that kind of injury."

"If it were," Scully said in a dry tone, "Mulder would have
discovered that fact by now."

With a mock wounded expression but a wicked gleam in his eyes, Mulder
objected, "Scully, that's hardly fair! You know as well as I do that
I've been spending most of my time indoors."

Scully glared at him warningly, but the Doctor seemed to have missed
the implication of Mulder's statement. "It's quite a small island,"
he remarked blandly, "so I doubt there are any undiscovered mysteries
lurking."

There was a short pause. "But enough about us," Mulder said finally
and much more seriously. "How have you been, Doctor?"

"Me?" the Doctor said, not meeting Mulder or Scully's eyes and
shrugging in a would-be casual manner. "Oh, I've been... I've been
traveling around, as usual. Always something new to see."

"Alone?" asked Scully gently.

At that, the Doctor's face took on the same closed-off, spiritless
expression that he had been wearing when they had first met him on
the beach. "Not... not until recently."

The two of them remained quiet after this, waiting. Though he would
not meet their eyes, the Doctor could clearly tell that they expected
more of an answer. He sighed. "Last time we met, I was traveling with
Martha. She... decided she wanted to stay with her family, after I
managed to put them all through a lot of pain. Then I ran into a
friend I'd met before, who was actually looking for me and wanted to
travel with me. Donna." He looked up briefly. "Donna Noble. And she
was just brilliant." Pride, love, and fond memories crept into his
voice. "We saw so much, and went to so many places, and-- and then it
was all taken away from her."

"What?"

The Doctor glanced at Mulder, who had spoken. "She doesn't remember
any of what we did. She can't."

"What happened?" This time it was Scully who spoke. She couldn't
imagine that a man of the Doctor's talents could not find a way to
cure his friend's amnesia.

As if he knew what she was thinking, the Doctor gave a humorless
smile and shook his head. "No, it isn't amnesia, Dr. Scully. I mean
she literally *must not* remember any of it. If she does... she'll
die."

Scully frowned. "You mean, she's being prevented from remembering,
for her own safety." Her voice was flat. Mulder tightened his grip
on her hand. She continued on in the same tone. "Are you preventing
her?"

Shaken out of his despondency somewhat by this change, the Doctor
stared at her. "Yes. I-- I had to wipe her memory, of everything that
had happened since she met me. There had been a transference of
information, of knowledge. It was too much for her mind. It was
killing her." He swallowed.

At this, Scully shot a look at Mulder. His eyes widened before he
carefully resumed a neutral expression. There was still a faint scar
on the back of his skull from the time that his own mind had been too
active for his body to withstand.

The Doctor still seemed too absorbed in his own private grief to
notice their exchange. He merely continued, in a hollow voice. "She
doesn't remember me now." Then he straightened slightly, looking
resolute. "But I won't forget her. And she's with her family- she's
safe."

Both of them had questions, Scully knew, but she also knew they
would hold off on prying into the Doctor's story for now. "I'm
sorry, Doctor."

He nodded. "Yeah. Well... it's done now. And I don't want to
interrupt your holiday mood by being gloomy." After a moment's pause,
he turned his gaze on Scully. "Agent Scully, how have you been? Any
further problems caused by your chip?"

Scully blinked. It had been years since she had even thought about
the chip for more than a second, which was a very good thing. "No, no
problems," she told him, and smiled. "Thank you again for what you
did."

He returned the smile. "I'm so glad it worked."

"So are we."

Scully suddenly found it hard to swallow around the lump in her
throat that Mulder's quiet, heartfelt words had produced. She took a
moment to compose herself before looking up again.

The Doctor's smile had broadened, and then he looked almost
embarrassed. "It was the least I could do."

There was a pause. Then Scully spoke up. "Well, I think it's about
time for breakfast. Do you want anything to eat or drink, Doctor?"

"Oh, well," the Doctor answered, looking hopeful, "if it's not too
much trouble..."

"None at all." Scully stood, and Mulder looked up, inquiring
wordlessly if she wanted him to come along. She shook her head
faintly. "What would you like: fruit, toast, coffee, juice?"

"Toast and coffee would be wonderful, thanks," the man replied.

"I'll be right back."

~~~~~~
The Doctor and Mulder watched in silence as Scully walked to the
beach house. After a moment, the Doctor turned to Mulder. "So what's
next for you two, after this? Not working with the FBI again, I'm
guessing?"

Mulder exhaled slowly. "No... certainly not regularly." He frowned.
"We haven't-- neither of us have really been allowing ourselves to
think about the future much."

"Why not?" The Doctor observed his companion's tension increase, and
added hastily, "If you don't mind my asking."

"No, it's a good question," Mulder said. He glanced behind them at
the beach house, and when he turned back, he seemed to collect his
thoughts for a moment before starting again. "Several years ago, I
found out about something that's coming -- something big, that
almost got me killed in the process of finding it. I don't know how
many people other than Scully and me know about it..." He sighed
again. "And after all this time, I still don't know if we can stop
it."

The Doctor nodded seriously. He thought he might have an idea of what
Mulder was alluding to, and the thought of just these two attempting
to fight something of this scope by themselves made something inside
him ache -- even as he was struck by their bravery. Especially since
what they were facing could only seem insurmountable, from their
limited human perspective. "Mulder," he began, but was interrupted by
the sound of footsteps coming down the beach house stairs.

Scully came out, one hand holding an open carton of milk and the
other hand on her hip. "Mulder, how long has this been out of the
fridge?"

He shrugged, looking sheepish. "Uh... I'm not exactly sure, but I
think I took it out last night."

The Doctor smiled as he watched Scully remind her partner in detail
of the risks involved in not paying the proper amount of attention
to food safety, especially in the tropics. Mulder merely sat and took
it, his eyes betraying his own amusement even as he nodded and kept
his expression grave.

She reminded him so much of... He swallowed. With her red hair,
strong will, and her unhesitating drive to correct faults she saw,
Scully was more than a bit like Donna. Hugely different in many ways,
too, of course, even in just life experiences, but there were enough
similarities that he had to look away from her for a few seconds.

These two would've liked to meet Donna, the Doctor thought, staring
at a spot of peeling paint on the picnic table. She would have liked
them, too... especially Mulder. At that, he couldn't suppress a grin,
though it faded quickly enough.

After Scully finished her admonitions, and Mulder had dutifully
declared that he would remember not to leave food out overnight, he
volunteered to go back inside the house and get more suitable
provisions.

"No, you stay here," Scully told him. She kept a straight face. "It's
clear that I can't trust you in the kitchen, after all."

Mulder's protests went unheeded as the woman headed back inside.
Finally, he gave up and fell silent, watching her until she was out
of sight.

"She's still the brains of the operation?" the Doctor asked,
grinning.

"Definitely," Mulder replied.

There was another brief period of silence, and then the Doctor
resumed from where he had left off. "Mulder, I know that-- that it
feels like it's you and Scully against the world, but you do have
allies... and it's not as hopeless as it may seem."

Looking at him steadily, Mulder replied, "How can you know that?"

The Doctor smiled faintly. He wondered if the complete truth would
stretch even Mulder's ability to believe. "I've seen a lot of things
in my travels, and I'm older than I look," he said at last. "The
invasion you're talking about, well, it isn't going to be the end of
Earth, even if it seems like it might be."

Mulder was clearly not satisfied with this answer, but the Doctor 
was saved from having to elaborate by the arrival of Scully and
breakfast. The three of them ate in companionable near silence for
several minutes, broken only by the Doctor's appreciative comments to
Scully about the meal. She answered, but somewhat distractedly; he
could tell she hadn't missed the seriousness of the conversation her
return had interrupted.

Finally, she spoke up. "So what were you two talking about before I
came back?"

"The Doctor asked what our future plans were," Mulder told her. He
glanced at the Doctor, swallowed a mouthful of coffee, and continued,
"I told him a little bit about why we haven't done much thinking that
far ahead."

"Oh." Scully's reply was quiet. She looked down at her own mug, then
met the Doctor's eyes. "And what did you have to say?"

"I told Mulder that even if it feels like you two are facing this
alone, you don't have to be, and you're not." He noted the surprise
in her expression then -- she had probably not expected him to either
know or believe about the coming battle. "And I also said that
there's still hope."

"In other words, don't give up," Scully said, even quieter than
before. She shot a glance at Mulder, who nodded after a beat.

"Yeah," the Doctor answered, wondering at the significance those
words seemed to have for his friends. He decided to let that question
pass.

"Are you offering your help?" asked Mulder.

The Doctor flicked a crumb off his coat before he replied. "I can't
promise that you'll see much of me," he said finally, "but I will be
working to stop it. That I can promise."

"With your psychic paper and your-- what was it? Sonic screwdriver,
no doubt," Mulder put in with a smile, but the Doctor could read the
gratitude and relief in the man's eyes.

Grinning back, the Doctor nodded. "I'm sure they'll come in handy."

"And until then, are you going to be traveling by yourself?"

The concern in Scully's voice caught the Doctor by surprise. He
cleared his throat. "I dunno, really. Maybe." He tried to sound
dismissive, but the question was one that had been on his mind. It
would certainly be safer for everyone involved if he remained alone,
he thought with a bitter surge of grief.

Scully hesitated before continuing. "It... well, it seems like
something even you might want some help with, Doctor."

The Doctor sighed, and nodded once. Then he stood up. "Well, it's
been brilliant catching up with you two, but I should be off. You
need your holiday, and I've got places to go -- and times, I
suppose."

Mulder and Scully stood as well. "We wouldn't want to keep you from
that," Mulder remarked, with an expression that said clearly that he
would love nothing more than to find out exactly what the Doctor 
meant by his offhand statement.

The three of them walked back toward where the TARDIS was waiting. By
now the sun had risen fully, and the light reflecting off the sand
and the water was dazzling. The Doctor paused and raised a hand to
shade his face from the glare.

"I'm glad we ran into each other again, Doctor," Scully said, turning
to him with another smile. Mulder voiced his agreement.

"Oh, yes, me too!" the Doctor replied, beaming.

This time, both Mulder and Scully knew to expect a hug rather than a
handshake. When they drew apart, the Doctor looked at each of them in
turn. "Don't cut yourselves off from people who can help you fight
what's coming. The future's not set in stone."

"Only if you don't try to face it without someone to help, either,"
Scully said. She looked over at Mulder, who nodded and took her hand
again.

"In my experience, it doesn't work very well if you try to go it
alone."

The Doctor swallowed, remembering what Donna had said to him when
they had parted for the first time, after her disastrous would-be
wedding day. *Promise me one thing, though, Doctor... that you'll
find somebody.*

To dismiss his friends' advice now would be ignoring what Donna had
said -- and it was still true. He could function by himself for a
while, but he couldn't fool himself into thinking he was better off
without anyone else in the TARDIS: to challenge him, and remind him
why he kept traveling and exploring.

"You know, I think you're right," he told them. "I can't very well
save the planet by myself, can I? Doesn't really work. The past few
times, especially, I've needed plenty of help."

"The past few times?" Mulder repeated incredulously.

Grinning, the Doctor didn't answer. Instead, he turned and began to
almost run the remaining distance between him and the TARDIS. "Come
on," he called back over his shoulder, "before I go, I think you'll
both want to have a chance to see this.

He could hear Mulder grumbling something about how there couldn't be
that much to see inside such a small box, which just made his grin
all the wider. He opened the TARDIS door, entered, and stood to one
side. "Come on in, then!"

The two slowed their pace as they approached the doorway. Almost as
one, their jaws dropped and their eyes widened. "Oh, my God," Scully
exclaimed. She put her hand on the edge of the door, looked in, and
then looked at the outside again. "But this is... impossible!"

Mulder had said nothing. He was simply staring in wonder. With a
glance at the Doctor for permission, he stepped inside. Scully was
not far behind him. Finally, as he continued to stare around him,
Mulder said faintly, "I hate to state the obvious, but... it's a lot
bigger than it looks."

The Doctor nodded, putting his hand on the wall of his ship fondly.
"She's full of surprises." Then he reached for the door, stopping
before he closed it. In his excitement, he had almost forgotten to
ask his friends before he just took off with them inside. It wouldn't
have been the first time -- but he'd been trying to get out of that
habit. "I could take you on a quick trip, if you wanted," he offered.
"There's something else I think you should see."

Mulder looked at Scully. His eyes were alight with excitement, and
the Doctor could tell that it was largely this that led the woman to
nod her acceptance. She smiled at her partner before asking, "Can I
ask where you're planning to take us, Doctor?"

The Doctor shut the door and ran up to the console. He began busily
pushing buttons and setting in the coordinates. "Somewhere where you
can get a good look at the big picture."

Scully raised her eyebrow. "And what is that supposed to mean,
exactly?"

"Hold on." The Doctor pushed down a lever, and the TARDIS started to
fly.

His two guests quickly grabbed onto the railing as the ship entered
the vortex. Mulder caught his breath and said, "Well, this is already
different than my last experience with space travel."

Disappointed, the Doctor frowned. "You mean this isn't the first time
you've traveled in space?"

Mulder looked over at Scully, who suddenly did not look at all
happy. "No," he explained, "but this is the first time that I've
been able to enjoy the experience at all." He was still looking at
Scully. "There's a big difference between a sightseeing trip and an
abduction."

"Oh." The Doctor was now even gladder that he had asked them before
taking off on this trip. By the high level of lingering pain that
this topic had brought up in Scully, he could guess that whatever
had happened to Mulder during his abduction had scarred both of them
deeply. "I-- I'm sorry."

Mulder shook his head. "Don't worry about it. How long until we get--
wherever we're going?"

Almost as the words had left his mouth, the TARDIS came to a stop
with another jolt. "We're here," the Doctor announced.

As Scully and Mulder pulled themselves upright and started to follow
him, the Doctor opened the door with a flourish. He heard two gasps
behind him, and quickly moved aside to let them have the best view.

Stretched out below them was Earth, in all its beauty. They were in a
high enough orbit that the whole of the planet was visible, though it
would soon be partially in shadow. As many times as the Doctor had
seen it, he still was uplifted to think about this planet's unique
features, distinct in all the universe. And to be able to share a
wider view with these two of its inhabitants, who were both so
occupied with worry for its future -- well, this was one of the
reasons he kept on in his journeys.

Mulder and Scully stood just inside the doorway, gazing out.
Wordlessly, Mulder put his arm around her shoulders, and she reached
hers around his back. The Doctor had withdrawn to the console, giving
them some moments of relative privacy. Out of the corner of his eye,
he watched them stand like that, together, for some time.

Finally, they turned away from the stunning vista of their home. Both
of them had eyes that were suspiciously bright.

"Thank you, Doctor," Scully said softly. She sniffed once.

Mulder cleared his throat. "It's more beautiful than I imagined."

"You're welcome," the Doctor replied. He stepped away from the
console. "It is. Do you want to look some more, or shall I take you
back?"

The two of them hastily turned to look again, and the Doctor smiled
in pleased understanding.

"Is there some sort of field that's keeping the air from escaping?"
Mulder asked, after a moment.

The Doctor replied in the affirmative. "We're safe to stay out here
for as long as you want."

It was probably another five minutes before they reluctantly decided
to start the return trip. All three of them were quiet on the way
back.

As the sounds of the TARDIS in flight faded, the Doctor opened the
door for his friends. They stepped out onto the sand, squinting in
the bright light of day.

"Well, I'll let you get back to your holiday now," the Doctor said,
leaning on the doorframe.

"Thank you, again," Mulder said. "For everything."

The Doctor nodded. "I think we'll meet again," he told them, "but
until then, goodbye and good luck."

The two of them waved, and the Doctor waved back, before closing the
TARDIS door. He walked slowly over to the console and looked at the
viewscreen. Mulder and Scully were standing in the sand, waiting. Go
on, do what you have to do, he thought, smiling as he remembered the
last time he had said these words. Save the world.

He set the coordinates and started the trip. He had no specific time
or destination in mind, only someplace and time that he hadn't yet
been to. The TARDIS would no doubt land him in an interesting enough
situation.

~~~~~~
They watched as the strange and wonderful blue box dematerialized in
front of them. It was hard to believe, Scully thought to herself,
what they had seen inside that unlikely-looking ship, under the
guidance of their mysterious friend.

"Mulder," she said then, as she looked around, "how long do you think
we were aboard that ship?"

"I don't know -- maybe half an hour," Mulder answered. "Why do you
ask?"

Scully frowned in confusion. "It's just-- I could swear it's...
earlier than when we left. The sun's not as high as it was, is it?"

Mulder laughed. "Scully, you know time travel isn't possible.
Besides, if it were earlier than when we left, we'd see ourselves
coming out here. I doubt the Doctor would risk that kind of paradox."

"I guess so," Scully muttered. It had been a silly thought. She shook
her head briefly, then laced her fingers through his. "I believe we
had been discussing our plans for the day. Where were we?"

"As I recall," Mulder answered, looking at her sidelong, "there was
not much actual discussion going on."

"You're right, Mulder," Scully told him. She smiled slowly. "So what
do you think about picking up where we left off?"

He quickened his pace. He was still holding her hand, and so she was
forced to almost run to keep up with him. "I think that's a fantastic
idea, Scully."

~~~