Title - Doors and Walls
Author - Katrinka
Authors Email: Katrinka@flash.net
Rating - G
Classification - SA - Story/Angst
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati
Timing: Takes place while Mulder is in the Hospital after being rescued from the lab. 
Keywords - A/U what if
Archiving Gossamer, Ephemeral, and LEGACY only. Any other archiving must have authors express permission first. I will probably give it!
Summary - After his rescue from the lab, Mulder finds out he has a new talent. 


"Fifty doses of Penicillin" one nurse read. For the past several hours, Mulder had been stuck in his room, overhearing the nurses at the hospital's nurse's station. The banter at the station was about to drive Mulder insane.

"One hundred pills of darvocet." This one was a man, in his early thirties.

"Hey, you got a date tonight?" the first nurse asked.

"No, and I don't want to go out with you." the second nurse countered.

"Don't you like me?" The woman had a lilt to her voice.

"I like you, but my wife'll find out."

"Not if you don't tell her." 

There was a loud buzzing sound. "Seems 309 needs something. Your turn."

"Why don't you call a CNA to do it?"

"It's your turn!"

"You could always give me some *personal* exercise" the woman flirted.

*Why don't the both of you shut up? * Mulder thought. He was in the hospital, bandages around his head. He had been rescued from the people that had operated on his brain. The ones that had given him the vivid dreams of a safe life with Diana.

*Diana ended years ago. * He reminded himself. *Marriage to her was hell on earth. Why would I want to do that again? *

He touched the chain around his neck, his fingers tracing the ring. Scully had brought it back to him. Mulder had once told her that it was a family heirloom. It was a constant reminder that he would never be able to become involved with Scully. *I wish that she had never brought it back. *

*Would it have been so bad to loose it forever? *

Mulder thought briefly of his partner. She was at work, filing endless reports of what happened to him. Mulder knew they wouldn't be believed. Nothing in the X-Files was believed. Event the scars on his head would be explained away. 

Mulder could hear the thoughts of the woman in the room next to his. She was reading yet another romance novel. Every book seemed to be the same, with only a few differences.  The person in the room across the hall from him sang mentally along with sixties bubble gum music. 

*IF I hear 'Yummy, Yummy, Yummy' one more time, I'm going to scream. *

Then the conversation at the nurse's station began again. Flirt, flirt, and flirt. Why couldn't the two of them just get on with it? *Oh yeah, he's married. *

*Just like me. *

********************
"Hey Mulder, how's it going?" Langly said as the lone gunmen came into Mulder's hospital room. Mulder rolled over in bed. *Finally get to sleep, and I get woken up! *

"Fine, I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning." Frohike told him.

Mulder prepared himself for the thoughts that always bombarded him. He found none from his friends. "What's wrong? You guys don't think." 

"Why would you say that?" Byers asked, as he walked to Mulder. 

Mulder realized he had revealed way too much. "Never mind." 

"Are you feeling people's thoughts?" Langly asked.

"Of course not." 

Byers reached out, and grabbed Mulder's hand. Mulder could feel a lightening bolt, that resembled electricity pass through them. Then he could feel Byers' mind touch his. He could feel Byers tell him. "It's all right. Your not alone."

"I'm going insane again, aren't I?"

"Of course not."

"Not unless we're all insane." Langly smiled.

Mulder looked into Byers eyes. "How can you do that?"

"I'm like you, a telepath." His friend told him.

"I'm not telepathic."

"Wanna bet?" Frohike asked. "You've been transmitting your thoughts to everyone in the radius of ten meters."

"So, it's started again." Mulder looked away from them. "The effects of the alien artifact. I don't think I can go through that again."

"Why do you think it's the artifact?" Langly looked puzzled.

"It has to be."

"The artifact might have opened your mind to telepathy. How did you feel under the influence of the artifact?" Byers asked.

"A million voices tried to talk to me in my mind."

"Now?" 

"The farthest I can hear is the nurse's station."

"Then it's different." Langly said firmly.

"How can it be different?" Mulder asked confused.

"Your mind is opened from the artifact. It doesn't mean that you're insane."

"You could learn to control it." Byers said.

"How could I?"

"We could teach you."

"How do you know what to do?"

"It's simple, we're telepathic."

Mulder could feel the woman before he saw her standing in the door. Layer upon layer of self-centered smugness. She was standing outside, probably trying to figure out what the Lone Gunmen wanted. *Cool it. Diana's here. *

*Do you want us to leave? * Frohike asked.

*Wait outside. *

A few moments after the Lone Gunmen left, Diana Fowley came into the room. "How are you feeling Fox?"

"I've been better."

"What did they want?" She came close to the bed. She was dressed to go to work. Mulder could feel her latest boyfriend outside of the room, hovering. He was jealous. So he was the latest victim of Diana Fowley.

"To visit."

"Why?"

"They're my friends."

"I'm surprised Dana's not here."

"Her name's Scully." Mulder corrected.

"Why won't you call her by her first name?"

Mulder looked at her, trying to telepath his feelings of loathing towards her. "Dana sounds too much like Diana." 

"Don't want to get your partner confused with your wife?"

"My ex-wife." Mulder corrected. 

"We're still friends." she reminded him.

"If you say so."

"When you where ill, you read my mind. You know I love you. Why can't we start again?"

"Perhaps it's because I'm not that innocent thing that married you." he looked her over. "I've changed."

"I wish you could forgive me for working with the smoking man." Diana looked into his eyes. "You read me, you know my reasons."

"You where trying to save yourself from the alien invasion."

"I was trying to save the earth, not just myself." 

*Liar*

Diana looked startled. She walked to Mulder, kissing him gently on the lips. "Think about our relationship. Don't just turn down my offer. Give it some time."

"I don't need any time." 

"I'll be back later." Diana went into the hallway. 

The boyfriend rushed up to her. "What did he say?"

"He's getting better." Diana looked towards Mulder, for an instant their eyes met. 

"Did you tell him about us?"

"Not yet," Diana smiled evilly. 

*Bitch* Mulder telepathed. Fowley winced, and let her be led away from Mulder's room.

***************************

"See the door Mulder?" Byers asked. 

Mulder was lying on his hospital bed. His eyes where shut. He could see a wall, with an open door in his mind. "Yes, I can see the door."

"Now see yourself shutting the door. You must shut and lock the door."

Mulder envisioned himself walking to the door, shutting it. Then he fastened what seemed like endless amounts of locks. "The door's locked."

"Open your eyes Mulder, what do you hear in your mind?"

Mulder did as he was told. He opened his eyes. He could see Byers in the room; he could hear the television across the hall. He could no longer hear the thoughts of people around him. "Nothing, I don't hear anything. Am I cured?"

"There's no cure for telepathy." His friend said flatly.

Doubt started nagging Mulder's mind. "What if it starts again?"

"If it does, shut and lock the door."

"What if I want to talk to you telepathically?"

"Think of me in your mind. When you see me, talk."

Mulder closed his eyes. He envisioned Byers. *You mean like this? *

*Perfect! You're a fast learner. *

*I've got a good teacher." Something crossed his mind, like a shadow. "Scully's coming."

"How do you know?" 

"I can feel her." Mulder gasped. "I thought you said that the wall would keep out thoughts."

"There's a difference, you're in love with Scully."

"No!" Mulder almost shouted. "I don't love her!'

"Of course you do. I can feel it."

"It's not love! I've been in love before. This isn't it!" Mulder picked a glass off of the bedside table and threw it. It smashed against the wall. "What I have with Scully is real! Not that fake love that I shared with Diana."

"I didn't realize you still hurt that much over Diana." Byers said quietly. 

"Scully is a friend, that's all!" Mulder looked away from Byers, trying to control his raging thoughts. "That's all she can be. Please John, try and understand."

"I think I do." Byers said quietly. "If you're very closed to someone, then sometimes you can feel them."

"You mean, I can read her thoughts?"

"Probably not. But you can feel her presence. It's not really the same thing." Byers paused. "You need to tell her."

"No! Scully won't understand."

"Why do you think that?"

"Scully never believes me." Mulder shrugged.

"You owe it to her to at least try."

"Perhaps, perhaps when I learn more about this I will, but not now." He looked up; Scully was standing in the doorway. *Come back later*

"I've got to work on the Paper. See you tomorrow Mulder." Byers walked towards the door. *Tell her! *

"Later!" 

"How are you doing?" Scully asked, coming into the room.

"I've been better." 

Scully walked to the bed, she reached out, smoothing the hair from his bandage. As her fingers touched his forehead, for an instant he felt as if he knew her fully. Her feelings for him as deep as his for hers. "Have you been hearing voices lately?"

"Of course not," He lied. *She won't understand. *

"Our superiors are have told me that I've become more like you. Running off all over the world without telling them." 

Mulder couldn't help but smile. "Oh really?"

 Scully smiled back. "I've brought you something from Africa." 

"Why didn't you give it to me when you gave me my chain?"

"I was wearing your chain. This was packed." 

"Oh, I see." That shook Mulder to the core. Scully wore his chain, the way that he had worn her cross. 

Scully took a small package from behind her back. She put it in his hand. "I found this at a flea market. It made me think of you."

Mulder unwrapped the package. Inside was a golden ring, an emerald that was so clear that it seemed to reflect Scully's soul. Mulder touched the gray stone. "Times like this, I wish I wasn't color blind."

"Do you like it?" Her eyes seemed hesitating.

"I love it." Mulder slipped the ring on his right ring finger. It fit perfectly. He could feel Scully's essence in this ring. For a brief flash, he could see her wearing it on a chain. 

"I'm sorry if it's not real."

"It doesn't matter," Mulder interrupted. "It's wonderful."

Scully smiled her secret smile. "So why was Byers here."

Mulder looked at his partner. For the first time, he thought he could tell her the complete truth. "The artifact left me telepathic. Byers is teaching me to control my new skills."

Scully rolled her eyes. "You can't be telling me that you can read minds!"

"It's the truth!" He insisted. "I'm telepathic."

"Whoa boy. Mulder, you need sleep." Scully's soft lips touched his. "Close your eyes. I'll see you in the morning."