TITLE: Choices AUTHOR: Erin M. Blair E-MAIL: eblair@sonic.net / erinmblair@gmail.com FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: OK to Gossamer, Ephemeral, MiJ, MSR Fanfic Cheerleaders. RATING: PG CATEGORIES: VRA -- Vignette, Romance, Angst. KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully UST. SPOILERS: Redux II. DISCLAIMER: Mulder and Scully belongs to Chris Carter. SUMMARY: Mulder reflects about the deal at Scully's bedside. NOTES: I would like to thank Devin, Lisa, and Jen for beta reading this story and it wouldn't have been completed without them. I am grateful for their support. :) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + I sat down quietly beside a sleeping Scully. It was well past visiting hours, but I needed to see her. She was in her hospital bed - and all I wanted was to gaze at her and savor the precious time that I had left with her. The last several days had been an emotionally draining experience for the both of us, to say the least. All I could think about was the deal that the Smoking Man had given me earlier that day. He presented me with the intriguing prospect of joining him. He'd had given me almost everything that I desired throughout my life: my long-lost sister, the cure for Scully's cancer, and information about extraterrestrial life. I had two choices, both good and bad, which could give me varying results. One path could lead me astray and the other could bring me love and happiness. I knew that if I accepted the Smoking Man's offer I would go against everything Scully and I had stood for the past 5 years. The very thought brought tears to my eyes; I knew that I would never forgive myself if anything happened to Scully if I entered the dark realm of the Smoking Man's treachery. I couldn't do his dirty work; Scully would never listen to me - or forgive me. As the tears slipped down my cheeks, I made my choice. I knew this felt right. I wasn't taking any deal. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing for the both of us. ~~~~ The End ~~~~