Little House in the Woods 
by Vickie Moseley
  
Summary:  Flick spoiler fic -- with a slight twist. 
Rating:  E for everyone
Category:  V, MSR, H (I hope)
Archive:  yes
Authors notes:  This is dedicated to Aloysia Virgata, with deep
abiding not dark and stormy 
love.  See, it's easy to fix the mistakes!


"So you see, I just can't hunt for monsters with you anymore,
Mulder.  That's not my life."

He scuffed his foot a little.  "OK, Scully.  I understand."

"I'm going back to the hospital, to my life.  I can't be here with
you, Mulder."

"I know, Scully.  I understand."

"Goodbye, Mulder."

He watched her walk out the door and down the steps, headed
toward her car.  He followed her out on the porch, watching her
go.  At the last minute she turned and ran back, threw her arms
around him and kissed him -- hard.  He didn't fight her, but when
she pulled away, he didn't try to follow.  She gave him a sad
smile before she got in her car and left.

Once inside the house, he looked out the window to ensure she
was gone.  "All clear," he shouted.

There were footsteps on the stairs to the attic.  When he turned to
face his partner, her arms were 
crossed.

"What did that thing want this time?" she growled.

Mulder closed his eyes, wishing his life had taken an easier path. 
"She came by to tell me she wasn't going to help me hunt
monsters," he said wearily.

The woman standing by the stairs was a perfect replica of the one
who had just left by car but with a subtle difference.  There was
steel in her ice blue eyes.

"Big surprise, there," she barked out, scowling.  "I should have
come down -- that would have freaked it out."

"Scully, you know why you can't.  Do we have to go through this
again?"

"Mulder, might I point out that I'm the one who always has to
hide whenever -- it -- decides to stop by?  That I'm the one who
can't go out in public -- "

"Hey, I'm a hermit here, too -- don't forget that!"

"Mulder, the point is that you COULD go out if you wanted to.  I,
on the other hand, can't be seen in town while that -- that -- "

"Clone, Scully.  Just say it, just once, OK?  Clone.  C-L-O-N-- 

"I know how to spell it, Mulder!  I just can't figure out why we're
still allowing it to walk around 
impersonating me!"

"Well, as I remember it, you were abducted when I was abducted,
replaced with the clone and I didn't find any of this out until I left
for New Mexico to be with Gibson.  He and I broke you out of
the facility in the desert where they were holding you in stasis
and got you away just before we blew the hell out of the place. 
And then, the consortium and the supersoldiers were certain you
were dead and everyone else had accepted the clone as you."

"It even had you fooled," she growled, glaring at him.

"Scully, when I was unearthed, she, er, 'it' had been around for
six months!  And it was supposedly pregnant!  How was I to
know it wasn't you?"

She snorted.  "Oh, maybe the fact that it was PREGNANT!"

He rolled his eyes -- it was an old argument and a nasty one. 
They revisited it at least once a month.

"The fact that she acted nothing like me," the real Dana Scully
ticked off on her fingers.  "The fact that she didn't lift a pinky to
find you, she handed over our files to some stranger, put you in a
coffin for three months until Skinner finally got you out --
Mulder, when I think of all they did to us . . . "

"I know, I know, Scully.  But in my defense, I did think
something about her was kinda hinky.  She cried all the time. 
Must have been a glitch in the programming."  He came up
behind her and squeezed her shoulders in both his long-fingered
hands.  "Now, unless we want to give them another shot at you --
"

Scully sighed and allowed the curtain she was holding to fall to
its natural position.  "I get it.  If they find me, I'm dead.  Doesn't
mean I have to like it.  I mean, it's been 6 years and we're no
closer."

"You can't think like that Scully.  We are closer than we've ever
been!  As a matter of fact, I think I have a plan for solving this
case I stumbled on AND getting rid of our little interloper at the
same time and getting the both of us back in the Bureau as an
added bonus!"

She looked dubious, but tilted her head to listen.  "OK, hit me
with this brilliant plan."

He grinned wickedly.  "We wait until the monster grabs her and
after he eats her, I 'rescue' you, slay the monster and all is back to
where it was before I left for that stupid wild goose chase in
Oregon years ago."

"That's your plan?" she winced.

"You have a better one?" he shot back.

She stared at him a full minute before turning back to the
window.  "OK, but if there's any slaying to be done -- I'm doing
it!  I feel the great need to blast the crap out of something."

Note:  Sorry, I just can't stand the spoilers I've heard about so far
and I really am not over my bitterness at Season 8 and 9 Scully.  I
know it's not the usual brand of insanity you're used to from me,
but it's all I got at the moment.  Hopefully the movie will be
better than the spoilers would indicate.