TITLE: Karma Epilogue: In Truth We Found Forever
AUTHOR: Ladyhawk and Amatia
EMAIL ADDRESSES: funger1@hofstra.edu, violinst@pitnet.net
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Anywhere, just tell us
SPOILER WARNING: season 6
RATING: PG
CLASSIFICATION: V, A, R 
Content warning: Slash, Mulder/Skinner
SUMMARY: The wedding!
DISCLAIMER: You think we own them? Yeah right, we can't even afford one of Mulder's ties. CC 
owns them all.

Note: This story is part of the Karma Series series, and the titles are as follows: Conviction, 
On a Sunday Afternoon, Devotion, There's Always Calm After the Storm, and Commitment. You kind 
of need to read those to get this one. 
Author's notes at the end.

Karma Epilogue: In Truth We Found Forever
by Ladyhawk and Amatia

It's a sunny day when I open my eyes to the sound of the alarm in my, soon
to be *our* house. I stretch out and get up quickly. I rush through my
shower and dress in a T-shirt and jeans as I hear the doorbell ring.

I find Mulder's three friends, the Lone Gunmen, and Scully's mother,
standing at the door. "Hello everyone, are we ready?"

"You just leave getting the house ready to me, Walter." Mrs. Scully smiles
at me.

"I'll help you. We have time. I have all of the food in the fridge. The
flowers are being delivered in about fifteen minutes. I just have to have
time to get dressed."

I turn toward the three men. "You can set up the video equipment near the
couch for now. That should keep us from colliding with each other."

"Ok." Byers nods as they go back to their van and get their stuff. I take
the drycleaner's bag from Mrs. Scully as we enter the house.

I lay the bag on the coffee table and head with Mrs. Scully to the
kitchen. We grab the decorations and head back into the living room.

The florists arrive as we are covering the floor with a red carpet. The
coffee table and fireplace mantle are already draped in red.

We take the the white carnations and spread them around in a circle on the
carpet and over the mantle behind us. When we are all finished, I wipe my
hands.

"Guys, time to get dressed." I shoo the Gunmen upstairs with me, leaving
Mrs. Scully free to use the downstairs bathroom.

I put on the black suit carefully, as if it was made of delicate fabric. I
look in the mirror to smooth it out and pin a white carnation to my lapel. I want to look perfect for him.

As I'm doing so, the doorbell rings.

------------------------------------------------------

"Mulder." A finger pokes me.

"Hummm?" I wiggle under the blankets. Then I realize that the voice wasn't
Walter's, that it was Scully's, and that I'm getting married today. I sit
straight up in the bed, and Scully bursts out laughing. I do my best
impression of her raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Your hair is sticking straight up." She snickers some more.

I frown at her, then start laughing myself. My stomach is jittery. "What
time is it?"

"You have plenty of time, Mulder. Come on, I made breakfast."

Scully makes me eat the pancakes she made, saying that if I don't, I'm
increasing my chances of fainting during the ceremony. I give her a "get
real" look, but she just crosses her arms, Dr. Scully all the way. When I'm
finished, she sends me back into the bedroom to get dressed. Half an hour
later, she has picked every speck of lint off of my navy blue suit, and
fastened the white flower to my buttonhole. I see tears shining in her
eyes. "Scully, what is it?"

"I'm just so happy for you and Walter," she replies.

I smile at her. "Thank you. You look beautiful." She's wearing a simple
light blue dress with a floral print, and the sun has given her skin a
little color.

She squeezes my hand. "Let's get you to Walter's, okay?"
------------------------------------------------------

When I get to the door, I open it to a very frightened looking Mrs.
Mulder. I move aside to let her in, but she shakes her head.

"Mr. Skinner, could you please tell Fox. . .Tell him that I love him, but
I can't watch this."

As I watch her turn away, the memory of the night I told her I was
marrying her son comes back to me. . .

It started with me fighting with Mulder about it. "Fox, she's your mother.
I don't care that you don't care if your own mother comes to your wedding. We're going to invite her."

"She probably will mess it up anyway. She never respected my decisions.
And this is one decision I won't let her mock."

"Would it help if I called her and talked to her?"

Mulder nodded into my shoulder as I held him on the couch in the living
room. I picked up the phone with my free arm and dialed her number. . .

"Mrs. Mulder, this is Walter Skinner."

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"Mrs. Mulder...I'm not exactly sure what the best way to put this is, so
I'll just come right out and say it. Fox and I have developed a very
special relationship over the past few months, a relationship that most
people would see as strange. You see, I've fallen in love with your son,
and he's fallen in love with me."

"I can't approve of this Mr. Skinner. I raised my son to be. . ."

"Straight? He's not, Mrs. Mulder. But he's a strong man with much to give.
He's given me so much."

"I won't be party to this."

"I can't believe you'd do that to your son. Not give him the support he
has needed all his life from you." I got really angry at this point. "He
told me not to even tell you about the wedding. He was afraid you'd spoil
it. Now I can see why!"

Mulder looked up at me with a horrified expression. I shook my head at
him, indicating it was ok.

I turn back to Mrs. Mulder, a little calmer. "I am going to give you the
address and the time and date. Think about what you're doing to your son by
refusing to acknowledge this event."

I did just that before I hung up and clutched Mulder tight. . .

I shake my head and close the door. I survey the living room carefully as
the Gunmen move the camera into it's designated spot.

And this time when the doorbell rings, I see Scully's smiling face next to
Mulder's loving one.

------------------------------------------------------

On the ride there, Scully tells me that I look like I'd taken a vitamin
made of pure sunshine. I laugh, feeling almost like I have. "Mulder,"
she says seriously, "I'm so happy for you I know I'm going to cry
throughout the entire ceremony, and at the reception, and probably for the
entire day."

I just look at her, and smile, remembering the day I told her and the
Gunmen that Walter and I were getting married. I'd called them earlier in
the day and invited them all over for pizza and a Mystery Science Theater
3000 repeat of "The Puma Man". Scully was a little apprehensive of spending
an evening with the Gunmen, but I promised her Frohike would leave her
alone, on fear of not getting my now-rarely-used porn video collection.

Once they were all assembled, with even Scully eating some pizza, I decided
it was time to make my announcement. "Hey, guys?"

"Huh?" Frohike, Langly, and Byers said simultaneously, all rather entranced
by Donald Pleasance in a muumuu.

"Yes, Mulder?" That was Scully, looking glad to get away from the movie.

"I want to tell you something."

They all looked at me now. "What is it?" Scully asked.

"Well...I'll just say it. Walter asked me to marry him." I couldn't control
the grin I felt spreading across my face.

Scully's eyebrows shot up. "When?"

"Three days ago."

I caught the pillow she hurled at me. "You didn't tell me right away? And
you said yes, right?"

"Yes. And I wanted to tell everyone at the same time, so stop throwing
pillows at me, Scully." I couldn't get the grin off of my face.

The Gunmen were all staring at me, expressions ranging from semi-shock on
Langly's face, to a gentle smile on Byers'. Frohike was somewhere in
between. "What do you guys think about this?" I asked.

"I think it's great," Frohike said.

"Yeah," Langly added.

"Congratulations," Byers said.

I caught another pillow from Scully, whose eyes were brimming with tears.
"What is it, Scully?"

She wiped at the tears and smiled self-consciously. "I'm just so glad to
hear it, Mulder."

Byers passed her the box of tissues, and she pressed one to her eyes, then
leaned over and hugged me. "So when's the wedding?"

I smile fondly as I remember that night, and hand Scully a tissue. She
wipes her eyes and turns onto Walter's street.

"Nervous?" she asks as she parks, and we exit the car.

"In a way," I admit. "It's a big commitment...but I believe that it's the
right thing."

Walter opens the door to his - our - new house, and I know, without a
doubt, that this is the right thing.

------------------------------------------------------

I let Mulder and Scully in and give each a hug.

"You look stunning, both of you." I kiss Mulder softly as I usher them
toward Mrs. Scully. "I have to finish getting set up here."

"Is Krycek here yet?" Mulder ask as he wanders toward the kitchen.

"Not yet." I turn to help Langly adjust some of the lamps in the room to
focus on the spot in front of the fireplace.

We get everything set, and I look around. Everything's ready, but still no
Krycek. I glance at the wall clock. He's twenty minutes late.

A glance toward the kitchen tells me Mulder is worried. He's leaning on the
doorjam with an anxious expression.

The doorbell finally rings five minutes later. I answer it and find Krycek
out of breath. "Sorry, I got caught up with something. I came as soon as
I could."

"Just as long as you made it. That's what matters. Come in, we're ready."
I let him walk past me.

"Hi, everyone. I'm sorry."  Krycek looks to me for direction. I wave him
onto the other side of the circle of carnations I made.

Then I watch as he introduces us to the rest of our lives. . .

"I thank Mulder and Walter for the fine honor of helping them express
their love for each other in a way that they consider binding. They have
shown all of us the true endurance of love. Their belief in each other has
given me hope for the future.

"But let them tell you and each other what they truly feel. Walter?"

I step into the circle of flowers and take a deep breath.

--------------------------------------------

Walter opens the door smiling, and he hugs Scully first, then wraps his
arms around me for a moment. "You look stunning, both of you," he says as
he releases me, and kisses my cheek. Then he waves us towards Scully's mom.
"I have to finish setting up here."

I ambled towards the kitchen, then pause and frown. "Is Krycek here yet?"

"Not yet," Walter replies.

Trust Krycek to be late, I thought, then mentally smacked myself. Krycek
had done a lot to bring me back to Walter and Scully, and I was grateful to
him for putting his life on the line for us. I still didn't have a clear
picture of exactly why he had aided us, except that I knew he felt guilty
for his part in Scully's abduction.

I watch Walter and the Gunmen set up as I lean against the doorjamb. My
lover is wearing a black suit with the precision of a military uniform, and
he looks...well, he makes me want to drag him upstairs right now. I
continue to glance repeatedly at my watch, and out the window, getting
agitated more and more with each minute that ticks by. Finally, I see
Krycek running up the walk, and the doorbell rings. "Sorry, I got caught up
with something," he pants as Walter opens the door. "I came as soon as I
could.

"Just as long as you made it," Walter replies. "That's what matters. Come
in, we're ready."

Krycek steps into the room, with an embarassed smile. "Hi everyone, I'm
sorry." His eyes catch mine briefly, and I smile at him. Then he looks at
Walter, who waves him onto the other side of the carnation circle, and I
watch as he takes a deep breath. "I thank Mulder and Walter for the fine
honor of helping them express their love for each other in a way that they
consider binding. They have shown all of us the true endurance of love.
Their belief in each other has given me hope for the future." He pauses,
and smiles at us. "But let them tell you and each other what they truly
feel. Walter?"

I watch my lover step into the circle, and focus his gaze on me.

---------------------------------------

I look at my lover, standing in front of me, with wondering eyes. After
all we've been through, after all we fought, we are finally here. And I
want to tell him how so very glad I am to be standing where I am right now.

"Mulder, when I met you for the first time, I admired you. You were
unique. You made everyone around you sit up and pay attention. I know I
payed attention since that first day. But it wasn't just the liver eating
mutant you talked about that caught my attention.

"It was your determination, your belief in what you were doing. That was
why I admired you.

"Your ideals were unique, in this day and age. You believed in the truth,
above all else. You gave the truth, as well as sought it out. And you
cared. For everyone you took under your wing and into your confidence. You
cared so much, you'd give your life for any one of us. When you took me
into your confidence, I started to care.

"But it didn't stop there. I began to like you. The Post-It notes
included in your reports when you thought I needed information you wouldn't
make official endeared me. Your trust in me, even when I believed less of
your stories than Scully did, uplifted me. Even when I had fallen into that
ugly trap the Smoking Man used against me. I saw respect in your eyes even
then. And then I could call you friend.

I never dreamed that love could come out of it, though. Until I almost
died. Until I saw my world differently. When I entrusted my life to you, to
your relentless determination, I gave you my heart as well. My heart cried
out to yours as my life faded from me that day. It cried out in regret, for
all the things I would never show you, never tell you. I wanted to share
with you, even if we were nothing more than friends. But we had barely
begun at that point.

"I was falling hard for you the first time I asked you out, but I figured
it was a one-time thing. Fox Mulder could never want what I want, I told
myself. Over the next couple months, I found out I was wrong. Although you took months to tell me that you loved me,
you showed me it in so many different ways. In the trust you gave me when you
told me about your father. In the joy you took in being with me. In the
ways you took care of me, whether I wanted you to or not. For all this and
more, I love you.

"And I will always love you. No action by you or by anyone else will
ever change that. And I want you to be reminded of this always."

I reach into my pocket and grab Mulder's hand, pulling him into the
circle. I stare into his eyes, which are shining with unshed tears. "This
ring is a symbol of my heart, which is yours. Keep it near yours so it may
protect you and comfort you when I'm not physically present, because my
thoughts and my spirit always walk with yours. I love you. I am yours."

I slip the ring on his finger as we both watch. I look back up at him, not
bothering to hide my tears of joy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I smile back at Walter, squeezing his hand, and swallowing my own tears
which were threatening to rise. I love this man more than I've loved anyone
before, and finally, I can make it as official as possible. I took a deep
breath, felt him squeeze my hand, and began to speak.

"There was a time, when I was so deep into Hell that I couldn't see the
light for the darkness. I couldn't remember things that were true, but I
could remember things that were, in truth, false. I was walking in the
wrong direction, and it was the Devil himself that stood before me and
beckoned me deeper into that darkness. I couldn't decide if I should follow
him, or turn around. It seemed to me that the path behind was just as dark
as the path ahead, and I was afraid."

"As I struggled to understand the difference between truth and falsehood, I
faltered in my steps, and in faltering I saw flashes of light. The light
illuminated the river of souls, and I saw the flatness of a boat that
floated there, it's edges curved like a demon's smile. And in that boat
stood someone who was only pretending to be the Devil's minion. He
offered me his hand, and told me that he could row be back out to the
light, and out of Hell. All I had to do was tell him what I knew to be
truth, and what I knew to be falsehood."

"And as I told him what I knew, I saw that the things I thought were true
were lies, and what I had once thought were lies were really truths. As he
rowed me back out of Hell, he told me that the light still loved me, that
the light would welcome me back with open arms, and that the light knew
that I had been decieved by the Devil." I smile at Walter, and his smile in
return is brilliant.

I take another breath, trying to slow my wild pulse, and continue. "It was
Walter who was the light, and it was Walter who'd taught me that I was not
the man of darkness that I had once thought I was. And it was Walter who
taught me about love - how to love, how to make love, how to express love.
How to love myself, and in doing that, he showed me that I loved him. It
was my journey through Hell that finally taught me how deep that love was,
and that like an ocean, it was endless, for all oceans are connected, just
as Walter and I are connected, constantly mingling with each other. And
just like those oceans can't ever be separated, neither can Walter and I."

I take the ring from my pocket, and slide it onto his hand. "Walter, with
this circle of gold, I promise you that my ocean will never willfully part
from yours, and that my love for you is as true as love can be. I belong to
you, and may this bond between us never be broken."

--------------------------------------------------------

I lean my forehead against that of the man my heart now calls husband. My
tears fall onto his cheek, mingling with his. We hold each other as
Krycek's words drift to my ears.

"As officiator, I declare us all witnesses to the declarations of
commitment we just heard. May we all aid them in their journey together, as
friends should. And may we hope for all of us to find a love as strong as
theirs. In our eyes, Fox William Mulder and Walter Sergei Skinner are now
married."

At those words, I move to kiss Mulder lightly. We separate and look toward
the others together. With hands linked, we step out of our circle and to
our friends.

Krycek steps up to shake my hand as I hand Mulder over to Scully.
"Congratulations on this. I think you've done Mulder a lot of good. And I
know you'll take good care of him."  Krycek pats my arm. "And thanks for
letting me help both of you."

I nod then notice Frohike sniffling on the sofa. "Are you ok?"

The little man nods. "I didn't expect you guys to be so damned. . .poetic!"

I smile at him. I didn't expect the man with more porn videos than Mulder
to be moved by words of love. Byers quietly gives me his congratulations as
Langly nods respectfully at me.

As I straighten up, Scully grabs me and kisses me on the cheek. "Take care
of him, Walter. He's my best friend."

"I will, Scully. He's got my heart, remember?"

Mulder hugs me from behind. "And I'm never giving it back."

"Good for you."

Mrs. Scully approaches us. "Lunch is ready, everyone. Let's toast to the
happy couple."

Everyone filters into the kitchen ahead of us. I hold Mulder back for a
minute. "You are everything to me, you know."

He kisses me lightly. "And you are my truth."

-------------------------------------------------------

Walter wraps his arms around me as Krycek speaks the words that proclaim us
to be married, and I feel his tears fall onto my face. I feel as if my
heart is going to burst from happiness, and I hug him tightly as he kisses
me. Then we release each other, and step out of the circle, holding hands.

Krycek moves over to Walter as he lets go of my hand. Scully, with tears
shining on her face, hugs me close. "Mulder, I'm so happy for you. You and
Walter. That was so beautiful, what you said to each other." A sad note
touches her voice for a moment. "I can only hope that I'll find that."

I hug her tightly in return. "You will, Scully. I know you will."

She releases me, and pulls Walter down so she can kiss his cheek. "Take
care of him, Walter. He's my best friend."

I watch my husband as he replies, "I will, Scully. He's got my heart,
remember?"

I wrapped my arms around him from behind, and grin at her. "And I'm never
giving it back."

She answers my smile. "Good for you."

Mrs. Scully exits the kitchen, announcing that lunch is ready, and everyone
follows her back into the kitchen. Walter hold me back, and I move into his
arms. "You are everything to me, you know," he says softly, resting his
forehead against mine.

I kissed him gently on the lips. "And you are my truth."

Walter pulls a handkerchief from his pocket, and wipes away his tears, and
mine. "I love you," he says quietly, and I can see it shining in his eyes.

I hope that it's shining in mine as well. "I love you, too."

He lets me go, and we follow our friends into the kitchen of our home.
Together.

Forever.

END

Ladyhawk's notes: This is my first time at a true collaborative effort. I thank Amatia for her 
patience through this whole process, and for doing such a good job!

Amatia's notes: Big thanks to LH for waiting for me while I struggled with a night of writer's 
block. I had a wonderful time working on this, and I hope she and I can do it again sometime.

:-) 

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