From: eblair@sonic.net   
      
   TITLE: You Can't Change History   
   AUTHOR: Erin M. Blair   
   E-MAIL: eblair@sonic.net   
   CLASSIFICATION: SRA -- Story, Romance, Angst.   
   CONTENT: Mulder/Scully Romance.   
   RATING: PG   
   DISTRIBUTION: OK to Gossamer, Ephemeral, After the   
   Fact, MSR Cheerleaders Archive.   
   SPOILERS: One Breath, Ascension, Duane Barry, Little   
   Green Men, Conduit, and Pilot.   
   SETTING: Season Six.   
   DISCLAIMER: Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter.   
   FEEDBACK: Yes. please.   
   ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to Jen for beta   
   reading my story.   
   NOTES:  This story was written for MSRPreservationSociety's   
   Gift Exchange. Liva wanted a Bill Scully fic. Additional notes   
   at the end of the story.   
   SUMMARY: Mulder finds out from Scully that Bill wants   
   to visit during the time of Mulder's birthday.   
      
   ------------------------------------------   
   You Can't Change History   
   Written by: Erin M. Blair   
   ------------------------------------------   
      
   "Bill, it's nice to hear from you. It's been months..."   
      
   Bill.   
      
   Scully's talking to her brother.   
      
   The man hates me. I know Bill always thought that I   
   caused her too much pain over the years.   
      
   The trouble is: he is right.   
      
   I understand his position; I understand what he must be   
   going through. He is Scully's older brother, after all. I   
   have a younger sister, who I still miss every single day of   
   my life. If Samantha were still here and in love with some   
   man, I would have been acting the same way. I always   
   wanted what was best for her.   
      
   I still want what's best for her, wherever she is.   
      
   I would have been doing exactly what Bill's trying to do to   
   me. He's sizing me up before getting the chance to know me.   
   I know it's not fair, but I can understand him. There are   
   so many things he doesn't understand - yet.   
      
   Bill doesn't know the devotion that I have for her. He   
   doesn't know about the sleepless nights when I screamed   
   for her. He doesn't know about how my heart was crumbling   
   over his sister. I love Scully with all my heart and soul.   
      
   I remember the night Scully was taken from me. It keeps   
   playing in my mind repeatedly. I know that I have   
   nightmares where I call out her name. I wish Scully had   
   never been abducted that night; I wish she had never   
   suffered from the consequences of what happened to her. Her   
   cancer tore me up in ways that no lay person would ever   
   understand, especially not her brother.   
      
   Over the years, I have racked my brain thinking of ways to   
   go back in time to the very night she was taken. If only I   
   had arrived two or three minutes earlier, I know I could   
   have prevented her abduction from happening. Duane Barry   
   would never send her to them. I know that I shouldn't beat   
   myself up over it thinking of 'what ifs,' but that's what   
   I've been doing ever since she was taken.   
      
   I wish I could have stopped her abduction from taking   
   place. I wish that I had never gone to the bar that   
   night. If I had heard her call, I would have gone over   
   there to save her. I would have gladly gone in her place. I   
   would have given my life to be with her.   
      
   I think she knows that.   
      
   That was when I realized the sad truth: you can't change   
   history, no matter how much you want to.   
      
   I know that I couldn't have prevented her abduction from   
   happening. I wish I could have. I wish I could go back in   
   time to save her. Ever since that day, I vowed that I would   
   save her from all the evil in the world.   
      
   I was walking towards Scully when I saw her put the   
   phone down, sighing. "I bet I know who that was -- Bill."   
      
   Scully nodded. "Yes, it was Bill." She paused, frowning.   
   "He wanted to visit me on the same weekend as your   
   birthday."   
      
   "My birthday is months from now, Scully."   
      
   "I know, Mulder. It's just that... I don't think it's a good   
   idea. I want your birthday to be special, not a complete   
   disaster. It would be if Bill's there, causing trouble for   
   you. I love my brother, but sometimes... he doesn't approve   
   of my choices."   
      
   "Thanks...for thinking of me, Scully. I didn't realize that I   
   was important to you."   
      
   "You deserve a wonderful birthday. I don't want my brother   
   to think of ways to hurt you. I told him that you're the   
   one I love. I would never fall in love with someone else.   
   Deep down, he knows that."   
      
   "I wish I could have prevented your abduction, Scully."   
      
   "Mulder, please stop blaming yourself. I never blamed you   
   for what happened. We always took risks whenever we had a   
   case." She paused. "Blame the men who did this instead."   
      
   I nodded. "I've been blaming them, Scully. However, I just   
   wish we could have changed history."   
      
   Scully looked squarely into my eyes. "You can't change   
   history, Mulder. We just have to deal with what we have in   
   life." She paused. "I trust you with my life. You have been   
   there for me at every step of the way. We will deal with   
   Bill when the time comes. Maybe he'll have a change of   
   heart?"   
      
   "Yeah, maybe." I smiled at her words. It gave me hope. I   
   once told her that she has the strength of her beliefs,   
   but I now summoned mine. I needed all the strength, the   
   wisdom, that could get me through the troubled times   
   ahead. "You gave me the courage to face him, Scully."   
      
   She nodded. "Don't worry about Bill, Mulder. All he wants   
   is what's best for me."   
      
   "I understand, Scully. If Samantha was here, I would   
   probably size up any guy who wanted her."   
      
   She smiled. "I just bet you would."   
      
   When Bill gets here, I'm going to try to be civil with him.   
   I'm hoping to work out some kind of truce between the two   
   of us.   
      
   And I'm hoping for a miracle to happen. After all, you   
   can't change what happened in the past. You just have to   
   hope the future will bring joy for everyone.   
      
   ** The End **   
      
   Author's Notes:   
      
   This story was the hardest story that I had ever written. It   
   was for MSRPreservationSociety's Gift Exchange for Liva.   
   And it was truly a challenge to write when you're suffering from   
   health problems.   
      
   She wanted this:   
      
   "An asshole Bill Scully story, with the story centered around   
   Mulder's Birthday. No poor simpering "maybe he's right" crap   
   from Mulder. Would like to see Mulder (maybe Scully too) stand   
   up for himself and talk about the reasons he's good for her. Bill   
   doesn't have to be convinced in the end (he is an asshole after all)   
   but he needs to have no doubt where they stand on the matter."   
      
   I don't know if I succeeded, but I find Bill very hard to write for. I   
      
   don't think his character is totally black and white -- I find a lot   
   of middle ground. I don't think he's an a$$hole at all. All he wants   
   is the best for his sister. I have an older brother, but I have been   
   blessed with the nicest brother ever. I guess that's where I'm coming   
   from. :)   
      
   I hope you'll enjoy the story, Liva. And I hope everyone who's reading   
   this will enjoy it.   
      
   ~Erin M. Blair   
   January 1, 2005   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
   ---------------------   
   Erin Blair   
   eblair@sonic.net   
      
      
      
      
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