Title: Fences, Chains, And Roses
Authors: Kristi
Summary: Mysterious clouds on The Other side get the gang lost...
Spoilers: None.
Author's Note: This is my first after life story that was written before the season 3 finale! January 12, 2001! I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Mulder, Krycek, Skinner, Marita, or Scully. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 productions and 20th Century FOX. I own nothing!

---

FADE IN:

EXT. CLOUDS... OR WOULD IT BE INSIDE THE CLOUDS...

Mulder, Krycek, Scully, Marita and Skinner are walking through the fog of the clouds.

SCULLY
This just keeps getting
weirder and weirder...

MULDER
What did you expect?
(beat) We're dead.

MARITA
Yeah because of you.

MULDER
It's not entirely my
fault... it's Skinner's and-

KRYCEK
(cheerful/dumb grin on face)
Ahh... sure is peaceful here.

They all stop walking, save for Krycek.

SKINNER
Have you forgotten that
we are dead?

Krycek turns around.

KRYCEK
No... I haven't.

He turns and starts walking again. The rest slowly follow.

TIME CUT:

Krycek has stopped walking and the rest are catching up behind him. He is looking confused at something.

KRYCEK
Guys?!...

They finally reach where he is standing.

MARITA
What?

KRYCEK
Why is there a
fence here?

Marita looks to where he was looking.

MARITA
Alex?... there is no fence.

Skinner steps forward.

SKINNER
Yes there is.

Mulder, Marita, and Scully look at him oddly.

MULDER
(starts walking to the fence)
No there isn't.

He walks back and forth through the fence. Skinner and Krycek look stunned.

MULDER
Come on.

Marita and Scully follow Mulder. Krycek and Skinner approach the fence... they look at each other... and walk forward. They bump into the fence... the others walk on.

KRYCEK
(trying to figure it out)
Maybe we can crawl over...

Skinner nods his head in agreement. They begin to crawl over... but are KNOCKED down!

SKINNER
What is going on?

KRYCEK
(yelling to the others)
HEY! Get back here!

SKINNER
(joining Krycek)
Hey!

CUT TO:

Mulder, Scully and Marita are still walking... it appears they have been walking a long time. Marita checks behind her shoulder. She stops walking.

MARITA
(very worried)
Hey... where'd they go?

Mulder and Scully stop walking and turn around. They see only the white dense fog... no Krycek and Skinner.

SCULLY
Where are they?

MULDER
This place is so strange...

They all stand looking back where Krycek and Skinner should be.

SCULLY
I don't get it.

MARITA
Maybe they are lost in
the fog. (beat) I'll look for 'em.

MULDER
What if we loose you?

Marita gives him a reassuring look and walks off.

SCULLY
Don't get lost.

Marita gets swallowed up by the fog. Scully looks to Mulder. He just shrugs.

SCULLY
I'm gonna go with her.

MULDER
I'll stay right here.

Scully nods her head and heads off through the fog.

CUT TO:

Marita is still walking through the clouds. Ahead of her is a reddish glow with a mix of blue... possibly from the sky...? She looks at it curiously and moves on.

SCULLY (O.S.)
Marita!

Marita turns around, Scully is running towards her.

MARITA
Where's Mulder?

SCULLY
He stayed behind.

MARITA
I think I'm heading the
wrong way. (beat) I don't
remember any of this.

Scully looks around.

SCULLY
It's all clouds.

MARITA
Yeah... but I think it's
clearing up over there.

She points to the light.

SCULLY
Let's see.

They head to the light.

CUT TO:

Mulder has now taken a seat on a bundle of clouds. He looks extremely bored. He looks towards the clouds that Scully and Marita walked into. He stands and begins to walk in to them.

SMACK! Mulder falls to the ground.

MULDER
Ow!

He looks up to see a steal door... a very tall door. He stands back up and examines it.

MULDER
(to himself)
No doorknob... how'd
they get through it...

There is a small laugh behind him. Mulder turns around, a bit startled. He sees no one.

MULDER
Huh?

There is another little laugh... down near his foot. My foot is laughing? Mulder looks down.

MULDER
Who are you?

Down by his feet is a very small man.

SMALL MAN
I'm a very small man.

MULDER
Yes... I see that. (beat)
How do I get past this door?

SMALL MAN
You can't.

Mulder looks dumbfounded.

CUT TO:

Krycek is now sitting down. Skinner is still trying to figure out how to get past the fence.

KRYCEK
Give up, man!

Skinner kicks the fence in frustration.

SKINNER
(mad)
I hate this!

Krycek doesn't say anything. Skinner sits down next to him.

SKINNER
I'm tired of this crap.

Krycek nods in agreement.

SKINNER
You know, this is all your fault.

KRYCEK
(appalled)
On what do you base that?

SKINNER
If you wouldn't have driven
into the tornado... none of
this would have happened.

Krycek shakes his head.

KRYCEK
You are so full of it.
(beat) If you weren't
on top of Marita-

SKINNER
Yeah well... Marita-

KRYCEK
Don't you dare
blame this on her!

They sit there in silence... pissed.

MARITA (O.S.)
Do you think we'll find them?

SCULLY (O.S.)
I hope so.

Krycek stands up quicker than a rabbit in trouble!

KRYCEK
MARITA! Over here!

Skinner pops up, overjoyed.

SKINNER
HEY!

Marita and Scully don't hear them... they are only a few yards away.

KRYCEK
(realizing)
They don't hear us...

Skinner stops yelling like a mad man. Marita and Scully continue to walk away.

CUT TO:

CLOSE ANGLE ON MULDER

MULDER
(pathetic)
Help!

His voice echos. As we pan back we see Mulder is on a steel wall... chained there helplessly.

MULDER
SOMEBODY!

He echos again. As we continue to pan back we see that Mulder is very high up. He has chains all over him keeping him there.

CUT TO:

Scully and Marita are now surrounded by red roses.

SCULLY
This is pretty.

MARITA
I still don't remember seeing this.

Scully thinks for a moment.

SCULLY
We're in clouds, Marita. (beat)
They can shift and change shape,
size, they can even move.

Marita stops walking.

MARITA
Oh God...

SCULLY
(eager to know)
What? Where?

MARITA
That would mean we
could loose Mulder too.
(beat) And never find
Krycek or Walter...

Scully realizes she is right.

MARITA
I suggest we head back
before it's too late.

Scully nods in agreement.

TIME CUT TO:

Marita and Scully are still walking in the roses.

SCULLY
We should be out
of this by now.

Marita stays quiet... looking around.

MARITA
(after a beat)
You know how some medians
talk about being lost on
the other side...

Scully shakes her head.

MARITA
Well... I can see how
that can happen now.

SCULLY
You think we'll never
find our way out?

MARITA
Or find Mulder again, or
Skinner or Alex...

She sits down accepting defeat.

CUT TO:

Mulder is still on the wall chained up.

MULDER
To anyone who is listening...
I need help so I can find my
buddies. (beat) They need me now...

There is no answer... just a gentle breeze that blows red rose petals past Mulder. He looks at them curiously with a slight tilt of is head.

CUT TO:

Krycek and Skinner look pissed at each other. Krycek is in Skinner's face... they are arguing.

KRYCEK
And you have no right to!-

SKINNER
Oh really? You've always
been trying to kill me!-

KRYCEK
Oh please!-

SKINNER
You planned this you little rat!-

KRYCEK
What?!

Suddenly the breeze comes carrying the rose petals. They stop fighting. The petals fall next to them and slowly sink under the clouds. Krycek looks down to where they fell.

SKINNER
(irritated)
What are you doing?

Krycek holds up a hand.

KRYCEK
Just hold on.

He starts to part a hole into the cloud. A warm red light shines in.

KRYCEK
Holy heck!

SKINNER
(coming beside him)
What? What is it?

Krycek starts to poke his head through.

KRYCEK
(muffled)
There's a whole new
world down here!

He pops his head back out of the cloud.

KRYCEK
It's cool!

Skinner shakes his head.

SKINNER
Don't go down there. (beat)
They might come looking for us.

KRYCEK
They won't find us.

With that, he goes in head first.

SKINNER
KRYCEK! (beat) That's probably Hell.

Krycek's feet go down and the hole seals up. Skinner starts to part the cloud. He sees Krycek signaling him to come down. Doesn't look like Hell... Skinner shrugs and goes through... feet first.

CUT TO:

Skinner falls through. They are surrounded by red roses and red petals are falling from the over head clouds... just like rain...

KRYCEK
Told you it's cool!

SKINNER
And now they won't
be able to find us.

KRYCEK
Yeah they will. (beat)
They're right over there!

Skinner looks to where Krycek is pointing. Sure enough, Marita and Scully are there. Krycek begins to run towards them.

KRYCEK
(jumping while running)
Hey!

Marita and Scully look over and see Krycek running, followed by Skinner.

MARITA
Alex?!

SCULLY
He probably thinks of this
as his dream of running to
you in a field of flowers.
(beat) Like in a corny movie.

Marita laughs. Krycek and Skinner finally reach them. Krycek hugs Marita.

KRYCEK
(hugging her/eyes shut)
I found you!

Marita looks at Scully realizing she was right.

CUT TO:

Mulder is still hanging.

MULDER
-and Humpty Dumpty
had a great fall-

And with that, Mulder begins to fall fast!

MULDER
AHHH!

CUT TO:

Mulder falls through the clouds and lands on his back in the middle of roses.

MULDER
AHH! THORNS!!

He sits up and sees Krycek, Marita, Skinner, and Scully.

MULDER
Oh hey guys! I found you!

Krycek goes over and helps Mulder off the ground.

KRYCEK
Where were ya?

Mulder looks up through the clouds.

MULDER
Hangin' on a wall.

They all share a laugh at Mulder's stupidity, enjoying themselves once again.

FADE OUT:

THE END