Not As Planned

By SisSpooky

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, unless you don't recognize the name from the X-Files series, in which case there is a good chance I made them up. Otherwise, Scully, Mulder, Skinner, etc. belong to Chris Carter and the mighty all owning 1013 Productions.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." The justice of the peace announced as he closed his book and looked on at the couple before him. The groom kissed his bride quickly, took her hand, and they walked toward the front door. The newlyweds stopped, waved their thanks and quickly left the building. "They sure were in a hurry."

"Yeah," a middle-aged woman agreed as she stepped up beside him. "Probably one of those 'have to' cases."

"Maybe, but I don't think so." The man looked to be in his forties, maybe early fifties. He had a graying beard and mustache, neatly trimmed hair and olive skin. His clothing – khaki pants, a crisp white shirt, and a burgundy sweater vest – brought out the intensity of his blue eyes. "I'd like to think they are really and truly in love. That they got married this way because they just couldn't wait any longer."

"Then that's what we'll think. How about we celebrate their nuptials with a glass of wine?"

"Sure," the man wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and they walked together, happily, to the kitchen.

XX

"Mulder?" She asked sleepily, long after they had arrived at their hotel room.

"Hmm?"

"What were their names? The man who married us, and his wife?"

The names didn't really matter, they had been forgotten the moment the ceremony began, and would be forgotten again no doubt. He thought for a moment, "I don't remember. Want me to dig the marriage license out of the truck?"

"No, I was just curious." She laid her arm over his chest and lazily drew circles on his side with her index finger. "Where to now?"

"Canada, I guess. We sure as hell can't stay here. How much money do we have left?"

"A few hundred . . .four, maybe five."

She tried to sound cheerful about their financial status, but wasn't sure she had achieved her goal. As former federal employees, they weren't used to having a great deal of money in the bank, but they were certainly used to having enough for a luxury item or two. There had been no time to pack a bag when they left. All of his clothes were still in New Mexico and Scully's closet. The bulk of her clothing remained alongside his at her apartment in Georgetown. The first chunk of their limited funds went to the basics of a wardrobe. They lived out of the same suitcase, shared the same razor and deodorant, even the same cheap bar of soap. Another large portion of their money went for one cheap hotel room after another as they traveled north from state to state, nameless town to nameless town. "I'll find a job as soon as we get to Canada. I promise."

"I'm not worried. I'll do the same. Maybe we can find teaching jobs or something."

"And if we can't?"

He was concerned for their future. There had never been a question of Scully's going with him, or of her being with him for life. But now, now she was his wife of almost twelve hours. Though that didn't really change things between them as far as either of them were concerned, it did make him wonder what in the hell he had been thinking when he insisted they marry before crossing the border. They were a family, a family with a child out in the world somewhere, and he felt it his job to provide for them. A child, their son, William. How perfect their wedding day would have been if their son had been there to share in their joy. Maybe it's a good thing William isn't here now thought Mulder. How in the hell would I care for a child? I can't even guarantee Scully and I will live until next year. This is certainly no life for anyone, much less a baby. My baby, her child, our son.

"I did a little waitressing in college. I'll do it again if I have to."

"For God's sake, you're a medical doctor. It isn't right, you shouldn't have to take a job waiting tables in some dive."

"All right, if I have to waitress, I'll find a job in a five star restaurant. And what about you? You are a psychologist, a brilliant criminal profiler, what will you do if we can't find jobs that are within our areas of expertise?"

"Elkins, Mr. And Mrs. Elkins." Mulder said out of the blue, answering her previous question. "And I don't know. I'm not above waiting a table or washing a dish for that matter. But you, you are above that. I didn't plan it this way, Dana. All the times I thought of us as a family, I never would have dreamed it this way."

"What way?"

"On the run. In one shit hole after another, on a budget so tight we have to share a package of socks just to be sure we can eat a month from now and have a roof over our heads. Having you so far away from your family and no way of contacting them until who knows when. Living our lives looking over our shoulders and in constant fear that we'll be caught and dragged back for another trial in a kangaroo court." He kissed the top of her head and brought his arm around to rest on her hip. "If that ever happens, you tell them I made you come with me. That I took you as a hostage so I could make it out of the country, then you should be okay. I'm sorry, Dana."

"I'm not." She stared at the gold band on her left hand and rubbed her thumb over its smooth surface. "I'm not sorry at all. I've known for a good long while now that the truth would come at a price. That seeing the things we've seen would have consequences, but I didn't run. I could have told you to go to hell years ago and to take the X-files with you, but I stayed. Do you know why I stayed?"

"Because you were still serving your ten to twenty and parole wasn't anywhere in sight?"

"No, because I cared. Because I cared what happened to the X-files, I cared if you found your sister or not, I cared what happened to you, if you found your truth. Because I cared, still care, about you. You're a part of me, Mulder, a huge part of me. I can't deny that and by staying behind that is exactly what I would have been doing. We are in this together, Fox Mulder, so you just get used to having me around."

"I don't deserve you, Mrs. Mulder."

"Maybe I'm the one that doesn't deserve you."

A day didn't go by that she didn't feel the unrelenting guilt of giving their son, their miracle up for adoption. She tried telling herself that it was all for William's own good and that she had done the right thing. She told herself daily that together she and Mulder would find William and his adoptive parents, sometime in the future, and let him know that he was loved and that the love his biological parents had for him was the reason he was sent to live with someone else. It was important to Dana Scully-Mulder that her son know how loved he was.

He knew exactly what she was referring to. He ran his fingers through her hair, "you did what you had to do. You saved him. Isn't the guilt of letting him go better than the possible guilt of watching him die because we couldn't protect him as well as we thought we could?"

"I've never allowed myself to think of it that way."

"And?"

"And, you're right. He's safe now and if it's meant to be, we will find him again."

"Exactly. There could always be another. Not that anyone could replace William, but we may have another child some day. Miracles aren't limited to one per person, you know."

His statements were intended for comfort, and she realized that. The truth was, she didn't want another child. Not until they could stop running and be guaranteed some sort of security in the future. "Maybe, but this isn't any sort of life to bring a baby into. Not any time soon."

"Agreed. Let's get some sleep. We need to leave early in the morning."

"Goodnight, Mr. Mulder." She stretched up to place a quick kiss on his lips before snuggling into his embraces.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Mulder. I love you, Dana." He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his other arm around her.

"I love you, too, Mulder." She listened in the darkness to the quiet the night had brought. Listened to his breathing and realizing he wasn't asleep yet, she said, "Mulder, sometimes the greatest moments of life are those that aren't planned."

"So this is a good moment?"

"Yes. And there will be others." Dana laced her fingers through his and brushed the band of gold that matched her own. "Lots of others, I promise."

To Be Continued