TITLE: Absolution AUTHOR: Elanor G RATING: PG CATEGORY: 155 Words SPOILERS: Existence. Orison. SUMMARY: Yet again I say, it would be longer than the story. DISCLAIMER: Don't own these characters. Doing this for fun, not money. "So how do you go on?" Skinner asks her quietly. He feels like an awkward uninvited guest. Strange to be here having this conversation while a newborn sleeps in the other room. Strange to think that last year this safe warm place was violated, stained with Pfaster's dark blood. Strange to think of himself shooting an unarmed man in a garage, and later that night watching Krycek's body sink into the dark water of the Anacostia. Just another way he's betrayed himself. Scully curls up on the couch, her eyes distant. Her answer is important. Skinner has watched her struggle with herself and with the unknown for years, and to him she is a light leading the way into dark unfamiliar land. "You just do," she says. "You just forgive yourself and move on. Because everyone else forgives you. Everyone." And he looks at his hands and wonders if it can really be that simple. End Thanks Kim - I've had this conversation in my head for a while, now I get an excuse to write it! ElanorG@yahoo.com http://www.geocities.com/ElanorG