John Fitzgerald Byers/Imaginations

Byers once reported experiencing a recurring dream that he described as "beautiful". In the dream, his namesake, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was never assassinated and his country was hopeful and innocent, young in spirit again. His fellow citizens trusted their elect officials, never once having been betrayed by them, and the government was truly "of the people, by the people, for the people". All the hopes Byers had for his country and himself were fulfilled. He had a large, picturesque suburban home, a family automobile, a golden retriever and a loving family comprised of twin daughters and his lover, who looked completely identical to Susanne Modeski. Even though he believed he had all a person might want and everything that he thought counted in life, the dream would end the same way every time - with Byers left standing alone in a desert, the only reminder of his former life being a gold ring he held in one hand. 
In 1999, a giant fungal organism trapped Agents Mulder and Scully underground and caused them to hallucinate without them realizing. Scully imagined finding Mulder's skeleton and visiting his apartment to attend a wake held in his honor. Byers was among the many present at Mulder's wake and walked up to Scully with the other Lone Gunmen. He naturally seemed concerned for her emotional state, asking how she was "holding up" and claiming that he hoped she would not be offended by news that he and his partners had acquired a report she had given to the illusory Assistant Director Skinner.
Byers soon began echoing sentiments that Scully had recently heard, however, such as the imaginary Skinner's comment that her report was impressively thorough and common opinions of Mulder's cause of death. When Scully showed signs of experiencing a sudden excruciating headache and her vision became clouded with a yellow haze (signs that she was becoming aware of her true reality), the illusory Byers' attention returned to her wellbeing and he rhetorically asked if she was all right. He and the other imaginary attendees of the wake soon completely disappeared from the illusion. 
After the "real" Lone Gunmen died, Mulder encountered more illusory manifestations of Byers and his associates while risking his life by heading to see the in New Mexico, instead of continuing a journey to the relative safety of Canada. The illusory Byers claimed that he and his companions were extremely worried about Mulder, later wondering why he would risk perfect happiness and the lives of both himself and Scully. After Mulder replied that he was heading to New Mexico because he needed to know the truth, Byers assured him that he already knew the truth but Mulder nevertheless soon continued traveling towards New Mexico. 
===Background Information===
The script of , the episode in which Byers and the other Lone Gunmen first appear, describes Byers as "clean-cut in a white shirt and thin striped tie" and the script of describes the character as "courtly". Similarly, a scene featuring a young version of Byers - in "Like Water for Octane", the fourth episode of The Lone Gunmen - also features a caption that describes Byers as an "idealist".
In all of the character's appearances, Byers was played by Bruce Harwood, who only had to audition for the role once, after which he initially didn't think much of it although he was subsequently called back, numerous times, for occasional days of playing the character. The young version of Byers in "Like Water for Octane" was played by child actor Matthew Munn.
Category:John Byers