Title: To Build a Home
Rating: R
Disclaimer: X-files belong not to me, but to the all powerful C-man. Please don't sue!
Summary: Mulder and Scully are on the run, trying to evade the government after "The Truth". New adventures await them, but maybe more than X-Files are in store?
Spoilers: Any and all X-Files episodes, FTF, IWTB
Dana Scully woke up and shook her drying hair out of her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she had been lying next to her ex-FBI partner, Fox Mulder, in the motel room, sleeping off the terrors of the past week or so. She found her mind struggling to believe everything that had happened. Slowly sitting up, trying to move Mulder too much, she rubbed her eyes and took stock. The robe she was wearing was too big, but the terry cloth was soft against her dry skin. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine where her son was. No - their son now. Now that Mulder was back, she could finally call William theirs. But now William was gone. A great sense of sadness and guilt welled in the pit of her stomach; William was her one chance at being a mother, and she loved him with all her heart. But that was why she gave him up, wasn't it? Still, the look on Mulder's face told her he would desperately miss the chance to be a father, if only for the few months Scully had been a mother. She tried not to blame herself, but it was hard.
Scully reclined against the headboard, and looked down at the sleeping Mulder. It was probably the most comfortably he'd slept in a long time. She wasn't sure how long he had been running, it had been so extended a period of time, she had stopped marking the days and weeks and months. Recalling the day when she held a young William and watched Mulder shower in her bathroom she felt that had been the closest they had ever gotten to being a family. The fact that he had seen his son gave her little consolation. But there was some.
Mulder's hands were tucked between his thighs, his knees bent towards his chest, like she had found him so many times in that jail cell. She bit her lower lip before shaking him. "Mulder? Mulder, wake up." He groaned and smacked her hand. She did feel bad, doing this. She thought it a near crime to wake an insomniac from sleep. But she had too. It was 1 in the morning, so they had to get moving soon. "Come on Mulder, get up." She pecked his arm, it was muscular - most likely from all the running he had done. He rolled to face away from her. "Let me be."
"Mulder, you need to get up," she told him, before rising from the bed to walk over to the bag Monica had packed for her. She pulled a pair of blue cotton underwear with a matching bra, a grey t-shirt and some jeans. It wasn't FBI standard, but then again, neither was she. She shucked the robe and pulled on her underwear, then as she was clipping the bra in the front, about to turn it around, Mulder cleared his throat. "An early morning picture? Scully, you should have told me to throw away my tapes!"
She giggled as she finished putting it on, "You mean those ones you don't own."
He frowned as he sat up in bed, biting his lips, "I don't think we own anything anymore."
She nodded her head then walked over to sit next to him. "You need to take a shower. I don't want to be driving for hours through the night with a guy who smells terrible." He nodded at her before rising off the bed. He looked back at her, "You want an early morning show too, Scully?" He teased her, starting to undo his jeans.
"No thank you, Mulder. I like my men clean. Maybe tonight." She winked at him before he walked into the bathroom. She pulled on her jeans, wriggling to pull them past her hips. They fit alright, but since William, most things had been a squeeze over the hips. She froze. She really had to stop thinking about him, it broke her heart every single time she did it. She buttoned the jeans and started to dig through the bag for deodorant. Nothing. Maybe Doggett had packed some in Mulder's bag. She walked over to the dresser where he had stashed his black duffle bag and started digging through it. Boxers, jeans, t-shirts, toothpaste, deodorant. "Yes!" She pulled it out triumphantly and pulled the cap off. She sniffed it. "Maybe he won't notice that we smell the same." She put it on, then capped it and threw it back in the bag. Then she walked back to her bag, on the table and tugged her shirt on before pulling out some socks. After a while, Mulder emerged from the bathroom, much cleaner than he had been upon his entrance.
He had one of the small, white towel hung low on his hips. It barely covered all of him, and every time his took a step, he flashed a little thigh. He was digging through his bag while Scully sat on the bed, staring at her nails. "Doggett has shitty taste, Scully."
"It's not so bad."
"And you would know...how?"
"Uh...I...I see what he wears all the time, don't I!"
"I guess so." Mulder smirked and started getting dressed. After he had pulled on a pair of plaid boxers he held the towel in front of him. "These should win the award for world's smallest towels," he grinned sheepishly at her. Scully grinned back at him, before going back to her nails. "You about ready to go, Mulder?" She spoke to her thumb.
He walked over and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him, then he kissed her gently on the lips, "Will be as soon as I get my shoes on."
"Do you know where we're going?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah, lucky for you, I know where I'm taking you. We're going to drive north and into Canada. From there, we're going to the Caribbean, or somewhere like that. Somewhere nice."
"Money?" She liked the idea of living in a warm place, but it would be costly.
"Doggett and Rayez are slowly draining our bank accounts. They'll send both of us the money via one day express every time I call them with an address."
"When did you sort all this stuff out?"
"I did it behind your back."
Still secretive. She thought, a little angry. She didn't like that he was keeping stuff from her. It wasn't fair. She heard him zipping up his bag.
"Well, now, Agent Scully, it looks like you're holding me back." He grabbed her bag and tossed it over the other shoulder then picked the key up off the night stand. "Can you grab my razor? I forgot it." She nodded and ran into the bathroom then followed him out and watched him lock the door. He dropped the bags into the car on the way there. Before they went in, he stopped her by touching her shoulder lightly, "We'll stop today around 10, and switch out the car, we're paying with Doggett's credit card. Then we'll stop for the day. Ok?" She nodded before they continued in to pay the guy at the counter.
"Getting a head start, huh?" The greasy man behind the counter smiled smugly at Scully.
"Yeah," Mulder put the money and the key on the counter and left it at that. They walked back to the car and he smiled at Scully. "Let's get outta here."
She climbed into the white vehicle and buckled her seat belt on the passenger side. She didn't really know where they were going, or what the hell they were doing. All that mattered was that she was going there with Mulder and she was doing it with Mulder. That, above all things, gave her hope.
********M&S********
The road was dark and looked a little foreboding. It was a skinny back road, Mulder refused to take any actual highways, he was paranoid that the government would be after them. The dirt followed behind them in brown tendrils, rocks flying up every now and then. Scully leaned her head against the cool glass and watched herself in the side view mirror for a moment. She traced her lower lip with her finger. She crossed and uncrossed her legs then looked at the clock.
"We've been driving for almost 3 hours, Mulder."
"I know," he yawned and flicked on the radio. It was staticy and not one station came in. "Fuck."
"I have to pee, Mulder."
"What? We left just a bit ago..."
"That doesn't change the fact that I have to pee."
"You kill me Scully. Alright, but do it quick."
"I can't do it as quick as you. For me, there's squatting involved."
"Uh huh." He pulled onto the side of the road and she hopped out and ran a ways before unzipping her denim jeans and sitting down. She could feel the heat radiating from the earth. She couldn't help but be a little bothered by the possibility that a scorpion could be drowned in her pee. She finished quickly and stood, wiping her hands on her jeans. She had some hand sanitizer in her bag; Monica knew her too well. She ran back to the car, where Mulder was sitting, looking out the opposite window. He was biting his nail, "All set?"
"Yup," she shut her door and grinned at him as the vehicle accelerated back onto the road.
"So, Scully, tell me what happened while I was gone."
"What do you want to know?" She asked honestly, because there was so much to tell, she wasn't sure where to start.
"Tell me about...our son." He looked at her for a moment to gauge her reaction. She looked shocked before regaining her composure. She put a hand on her stomach as though he were still in there.
"I don't know where to start...I guess in the beginning. Well, after you left, William was mostly what I lived for. He and I spent a lot of time together. He was a brilliant child. I used to sing to him a lot. Do you remember that song that I used to hum?"
Mulder looked at her, "That Three Dog's Night song?"
"Yeah. Well, I'd sing it to him. And uh, when I had to run into work for something, my mom would watch him. He was a star Mulder. He looked like you."
"How did we know? How did we know he was mine?"
"Well, at first I figured he was yours because...well," she looked out the window as she blushed, "you were the first guy I'd had sex with in a while. But, then, that was more than 9 months before William was born, wasn't it?"
"More like a couple years before."
She nodded and returned to looking at him. "So I got him tested. It was your DNA, Mulder. Somehow, I had your baby. I don't know how. But I'm not complaining. He was the most beautiful boy I've seen, and a special gift from God. He was...my only chance." She choked back a sob and Mulder slowed the car. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would make you...shit, I'm sorry Scully."
She looked at him and smiled through the tears. "No, it's ok. It's good to talk about him. Besides, he was your son, you have a right to know about him," she stopped talking and leaned her head against the window again. The drive was long, but not unbearable. Scully slept for part of it, then Mulder tapped her on the shoulder and woke her so they could eat something and switch out the cars. They drank some coffee and had breakfast in a cheap diner before going to rent a black little car: something that would blend in. Mulder agreed to check it in the next day at one of the northern locations. Then he took Scully and they checked in to a motel. He smiled at the confused cashier. Most people checked into the motel for a quicky, but Scully looked far too tired to be doing anything, and Mulder's feet were dragging too. They went into the room and Scully collapsed on the bed, not even waiting to get undressed before doing so. She struggled to get her jeans off while lying down.
"Here, let me help you with that," Mulder grinned and walked over to her. He sat next to her on the bed and started to pull down her jeans. "Ah, what sexy lingerie you have." He winked at the underwear she had on.
"Hey! I don't do anything for anyone. Don't like it, I'll undress myself." He could tell from her face she was teasing. She yawned and closed her eyes. "I slept so much, how can I be so tired, Mulder?"
"Travelling makes people tired," he answered as he tugged off the denim pants. He folded them and tucked them neatly into her bag then pulled off his own jeans and t-shirt and laid next to her, shoving the blanket down, snuggling into her neck.
"I still wanna give you that show," he whispered into her ear.
"Another night," she smiled, rolling over to press her face into his chest, trying to fight sleep. He cupped her bum and pulled her close to him.
"Sweet dreams, Scully."
She yawned, "You too, Mulder."
Mulder didn't have sweet dreams. He didn't have any dreams at all. After trying to sleep for about two hours, he finally admitted defeat. He knew watching the TV would probably wake Scully - besides with only 4 channels there was bound to be nothing but crap on. He got off the bed and she groaned a little at the loss of body heat. As compensation for his absence, he shoved his pillow, which smelled a little like his sweat and was warm from his lying on it, against her stomach. Scully immediately wrapped her arms around it. He decided a bath might relax his muscles, sore from hours at the wheel – he still hadn't let Scully do any of the driving. The warm water gushed into the tub and Mulder shut the bathroom door most of the way, in hopes that the noise wouldn't wake her. He stripped off his boxers and climbed into the steaming water.
Mulder always loved the way the water cut around his body. It felt not as though he were being enveloped, but like his body was a knife in the water. He turned his head to the side, and leaned his forehead against the cool, yellow tile. His eyes slowly closed and his thoughts drifted to Scully and William. Mulder never knew why, but thinking of Scully as a mother (of his child, no less) turned him on immensely. He only wished they could have one more chance to be a family. He knew he and Scully could get married, and adopt a baby, maybe. But there were no pregnancies, no late night cravings, nothing of that sort in store for them. And that caused them both pain.
He turned his head back to look away from the old tiles and saw Scully standing in the door.
"Did I wake you, Scully?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep. I can never sleep during the day."
"You've got me beat," he joked tiredly, "I can never sleep."
She smiled sadly at him, "When I first had William, I was almost positive he was yours because he never, ever slept. I was awake at all hours of the night taking care of him." She walked over to the tub slowly, her bare feet padding on the floor. "Mind if I join you?" She nodded at him in the tub.
He nodded back and she started to take off her shirt, dropping it onto the floor before peeling off her underwear and climbing in. She lay down gently on top of him and ran her fingertips over his arms, leaning her face into the crook between his shoulder and his neck. "I'm so tired, I'm tired of everything." She could feel him nodding. "I hate this running all the time. And I don't even know where my son is." Again, he was nodding, making her feel a little aggravated. "Can you only nod?"
"No," he apologized, "I just wasn't sure what I should say." His voice sounded husky and thick, full of sleep, in her ear. She didn't reply, but her agitation melted away, and he felt her body relax on top of his. His hands danced over her back, pushing water over the pale skin, massaging her tight muscles.
After a while, when the water started to lose its heat, she pushed away from him, and smiled lightly."I have to go back to bed, now, Mulder."
"Ah, so I did wake you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." She smiled when she left the bathroom, and, as always, left him wanting more.
The sun seeped from the room and Mulder peered through the window quietly, thoughts drifting from CSM to aliens to sleep. It was around 6:00 AM when he climbed into bed with Scully and pulled her close to him. Sleep still wasn't coming easily, but she was soft, cuddled up in the blue sheet, and she sleepily wrapped her arms around him. He nuzzled into her neck and breathed her in. He was glad to smell a Scully free of any chemical scents. She was a little earthy, a little musky, and the smell made him want to keep her with him always. He fell asleep after about half an hour, still holding her close.
She woke him 4 hours later, rubbing his back. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is it. Scully? I just got to sleep."
"Nothing." She kept rubbing his back, "Go back to sleep."
"Is something wrong?" Her voice had sounded a little different. He felt bad for snapping at her.
"I don't know. I've just been thinking, is all. I told you already. I hate this...running. I know we have to do it, I know we don't have a choice, I just keep thinking about all the things I'm leaving behind."
He rolled over to face her, and cupped her jaw with both hands. He rubbed just below her ears with his thumbs and she closed her eyes. "We're almost out of the states. Only...about three more days."
She visibly rolled her eyes. "I want to get out now. Why don't we just stay in Canada?"
"We have to get off the continent!"
She shook her head, "You're just paranoid, Mulder."
"Maybe." He rolled back over and put her hand on his back, signalling that she should continue the massage. Her slender fingers took up the studious task again and she kissed the nape of his neck.
"I guess...I've never been much for traveling."
Mulder smiled, even though she couldn't see, "I have."
********M&S********
They had been driving for four days before they finally crossed the border at a back road. Scully felt like an illegal immigrant, but the US couldn't know that they were staying in Canada. Mulder had some connections that could get them false Canadian citizenships, and they would go to meet them that afternoon after resting a bit and getting some food in their stomachs. Mulder had gotten a fancy room for in a nice hotel for their last stay on the run. After this, he promised Scully, they could live in a house or an apartment.
He paid with one of Frohike's credit cards, and forged an almost perfect signature. He nodded at the desk clerk before ushering Scully up to their room, carrying both of their bags. She collapsed on the bed. "Mulder, sometimes I wonder if I could ever have a baby again."
He sighed and sat next to her on the bed after shutting the door. "What do you mean Scully? That's not even possible, you of all people should know that."
She shook her head, "I know it's not. I know, as a medical doctor, that women are born with all their eggs, and they lose them. We don't make anymore. I know this, Mulder. But I still have dreams about it."
He petted her forehead, brushing light, auburn hair out of her face. "What color would you have your hair if you could pick any color?"
She looked at him inquisitively, "What do you mean?"
"Any color." He smiled a half smile.
"I don't know." She ran a shaking hand through her hair. "Black? Maybe."
"Black? I don't know Scully, I could maybe see you as a brunette, but not black hair."
"Why do you ask, Mulder?"
"Just…wondering."
Suddenly, she shot up, off the bed. She stood over him, and put her hands on her hips. "Fox Mulder, you want me to dye my hair, don't you?"
He bowed his head, shamed appropriately. "Scully, I just thought, since we're different people now, and all…"
She stopped him suddenly. "I need to call my mom. I need to. You aren't going to stop me this time Mulder."
"But Scully," he pleaded, "Her phones might be bugged."
"I won't tell her where we are, just that we're safe. I need to talk to her."
He sighed again and shook his head. "Swear to me. Not a clue about where we are. Or what we're doing."
He received a peck on his cheek as a binding contract. "I promise." Mulder nodded his satisfaction, then headed to the bathroom to take a well deserved hot shower.
"Hello?"
"Mom, it's me. Dana."
"Dana! Oh thank goodness. I've been so worried about you. Are you alright? Is Fox with you? Where are you?"
"Mom, I can't tell you where we are. I promised Mulder I wouldn't. Yes, he's with me. And other than being exhausted and in great need of a shower, I'm fine."
"That's so good to hear. I was so worried about you, dear."
"I'm fine. Not much news other than that."
"You can't tell me anything, can you?"
"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry mom."
"It's alright honey. It's just great to know you're well."
"I should go, then."
"Yes, I suppose so. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom."
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
Scully hung up the phone and wiped a stray tear off her face. She walked into the bathroom, Mulder had left the door open as an obvious invitation. She climbed into the shower, not bothering to take her clothes off. He looked at her, a bar of soap in his hand, half unwrapped. Her eyes had red rings around them.
"Scully, what happened?" He pulled her to him, dropping the bar of soap on the ground.
"Nothing, I just…I miss my mom. I miss what she and I had. I'll never get to see her face again."
"Of course you will. She can fly out and see us. In a little while, of course. Right now she's being watched. But when the chase for us dies down, when the case gets cold…"
Scully shook her head, "It already fells like it's been too long since I've seen her." She put her back on the shower wall and slinked down it, so that she was just squatting against the bleached tile. "And then I miss Melissa, too. When I think of everything I've lost in the past while…Melissa, my mom, William. You too," she looked up at him, bleary eyed, "until you got back."
Mulder knelt down next to Scully. "Of course I came back to you, Scully. You knew I would, didn't you?" He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Didn't you?" She nodded sadly, looked away. "I just didn't know if they'd let you."
Scully's hair was matted against her forehead, Mulder smoothed it back out of the way. "I would fight to the death to get back to you, Scully."
"Ditto."
He laughed at her uncharacteristic response and she looked at him. "Oh Mulder." She reached her hands out and he lowered himself further so she could wrap them around his neck. He stood, and she came with him, her feet dangling. He kissed her tenderly at first, then with more drove her tongue into his mouth, it tasted of peppermint. He must have brushed his teeth. She was automatically aware that she had not brushed her teeth and would probably taste of salad. Oh, to Hell with it. He loved her after she had thrown up on him, she was sure he would love her if she tasted like fresh lettuce.
He put her on her feet and tugged at the bottom of her shirt. She put her arms over her head so he could pull it off. He dropped it on the floor and let her undo her bra. He put one hand on her chest and kneaded her breast softly, while leaning in for another kiss. His free hand wrapped around the back of her neck, both her hands on his shoulders. He quickly reached his hands down and unzipped her pants, pushing them and her panties off together. She jumped up and he grabbed her ass, she wrapped her legs around his back and he walked toward the wall for better support. All the while, they never stopped kissing.
He stopped for a breath and nibbled on her neck, licking the space between that, and her clavicle. She leaned her head back to give him better access, and moaned. He kept holding her bum as he entered her, making her jump."I'd forgotten how good that felt," she shivered as she spoke. It wasn't like Scully was a Catholic goody who locked herself in a chastity belt until her wedding night, but it had been quite some time since she had had sex.
He nodded and rubbed his face on hers, stubble scratching her cheek. She bit lightly on his ear, then ran her hand through his hair, before stationing it back on his shoulder. She knew if anyone were to come in right now, they'd look like a couple teenagers, fucking the sense out of each other. But this was the first time they'd had the energy (at the same time, no less) to have sex.
When he felt her get tight, and had to come when he heard her cry his name. So, in the Mulder and Scully way of doing things together, they came together. The Mulder set Scully down and sat next to her, both of them slumped against the wall, letting the now lukewarm water splash over their limp bodies.
"I think it's bed time," Scully panted.
"I agree." He stood and picked up her clothes, hanging them over the glass shower door. Then he held out his hand for her, and she stood, thanking him silently for helping her up. She turned off the shower and they walked to the bed and snuggled into the down pillows next to each other.
"It's weird to sleep at night," she whispered to him, before yawning. Mulder followed suit, the put a hand on the side of her face.
"Do you feel better now?"
"A bit. Yeah." He could feel her smile.
Mulder woke up and stretched before noting that Scully was not next to him, where she had been when they fell asleep. In fact, he couldn't see her anywhere in the room. "Scully?"
He opened the door to the bathroom, but she wasn't there. For a moment, he was scared she had run away from him, but then he remembered that wasn't like Scully. She had never run from anything, and now with their relationship being what it was, she definitely wouldn't go anywhere. He pulled on some shorts and then rummaged through his bag for a pair of pants. Suddenly, Scully came in, dressed in a white terry robe, carrying a tray with breakfast on it.
"I thought you could use some food?"
He nodded, and smiled. Just happy she hadn't run away, or worse, been taken away. He picked up a muffin off the tray, and watched Scully stir cream into her coffee. "You were already getting dressed, Mulder?"
He glanced at his half done up pants, and grinned. "Yeah," he blushed, afraid she might discover what he had feared.
"We need to go shopping for some clothes," she paused to blow on her coffee and take a sip, "but first I need a real shower."
He smiled at her and nodded to the bathroom, giving her consent to leave him. She put her steaming coffee down and walked into the bathroom.
********M&S********
The man giving them their fake ID's was a little greasy. He leered at Scully and shook Mulder's hand with a wet grip. Scully's name was changed to Jane Hitchcock, and Mulder was Daniel Johnston. They had considered taking the same "last name", but that would have required a forged marriage certificate, and that would have cost more. Mulder had told Scully when they left, after a couple of hours in the stuffy "office", that he would still call her Scully. He always would. She would always call him Mulder. They went to get a coffee.
"Scully, we never really talked about any kids but William." He sipped the coffee, and stared at her over the wispy steam the escaped from the mug.
She nodded, and stirred her coffee. "But you know, Mulder. You know how much I want kids." He smiled at her as a way of acknowledging her comment.
"Did you want something to eat?" Unintentionally, he changed the subject, only trying to be sure she was cared for. She shook her head and continued to stir her coffee.
"Do you want kids?" She had never been positive how he felt about kids. William had seemed to make him so proud, but he was an accident…after all.
"I want the dream. I want the kids, and the house," Mulder put his hand on hers, rubbing it with his thumb, "and the wife."
Scully looked out the window and swiped a thumb under her eyes, drying away the tears. "Me, too. Me, too."
The waitress brought them both some waffles. While she was cutting hers, she looked up, "Won't it be weird though, we've been together without being together for so long." Her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated her own question.
He shook his head vehemently. "Look at us. We've been living together the past week. I'd never live with anyone else for the rest of my life. After living with Phoebe, I know you're much better."
"What's that mean?"
He looked to the side and shifted, obviously uncomfortable talking about his ex-wife. "You're much nicer to me."
"What?" Scully was concerned now. When talking about someone who was definitely nowhere near caused someone this much distress, there were obvious problems.
"You're cleaner too."
"What was that first thing, you said?" She asked quietly, reaching across the table to touch him softly, letting him know she was there for him no matter what. He frowned, and pursed his lips.
"She was…she was into S and M."
Scully's jaw dropped momentarily. After the shock wore off she rubbed her chin. "And you weren't?"
"No! Never!" He was defensive now. Scully had never thought Mulder would be a man who could be forced into something. Hell, he was practically raped. But if he wouldn't say so, she couldn't.
"I didn't think so, I just wanted to make sure."
"You take care of me Scully. You make me whole. You keep me normal, and keep me sane. Phoebe's half the reason I went insane. I'd never pick another woman to live with. Never."
She nodded and stroked his hand once more before moving her hand and finishing the dicing of her waffle. He cut his piece by piece as he ate it. His waffle was dripping with syrup, hers barely glistening from it. If someone walked by, they might think them strangers for the silence they sat in, and the extreme opposites of them. But the silence was amicable, and the differences were defeated by the things that were similar.
They rented an apartment to move into two weeks later. Mulder and Scully had conflicting design interests, but in the end she won. The apartment had an extra room, because she still had hopes that it might be filled one day.
***3 Months Later***
Scully patted dry her rounding belly, before walking into the bedroom. It was small and it smelt like smoke, but she knew the accommodations were temporary. Mulder was sleeping on his side, legs spread out in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable way. Even though he worked and she did not, Scully still habitually woke earlier than her partner. She sat on the edge of their bed, next to him, and shook him, loosely holding her towel with one hand.
He breathed in quickly before blinking and staring at her. "Good morning, Scully."
She smiled down at him in response. Mulder patted her belly and gently rested his head on it, "Good morning, baby."
Scully smiled again. "Mulder, you had better get up and get a shower. You work in an hour and a half."
He shook his head, but rose none-the-less. When he had lived on his own, he got up only half an hour before work. Scully watched him lumber off to the washroom then she pulled out some clothes and began dressing. Then she made the bed (adorned in a handmade quilt sent to them as a wedding gift from Margaret Scully) and left their room. Scully turned on the coffee pot before turning her attention to some food.
Her husband humoured her during her pregnancy and ate whatever she was in the mood for, as long as he didn't have to make it. Scully watched the batter ooze as she pressed down on the waffle iron. While with cooked, she grabbed a knife and sliced off the burnt dribbles.
Mulder had a cold shower every morning. First to save money and second to remind himself that this was real. It was hard to believe that Scully was his wife, happily carrying his child (for the second time) and at that very moment, she was in their tiny kitchen making him breakfast. He made sure the last of his shampoo was rinsed before stepping out of the shower.
Scully had put his uniform on their bed, but was leaving him to get his socks and underwear. Mulder had taken on a career as a police officer, desperately missing the adrenaline that came with being on the field. Unlike all the other wives Scully had met at the bi-monthly barbeque, Mulder's wife never worried too much. He had been in much more dangerous situations. Though, with a baby on the way, her mind was never entirely at ease.
"Mm…Waffles," Mulder smiled as he pulled out his chair, grateful for a normal breakfast. Scully put a mug of coffee in front of him and sat down opposite his spot. The table was small enough for his socked feet to rub her swollen ones.
"My mom wants to come visit us." She glanced up nervously from her waffle.
"Mm…what!"
"Oh, Mulder. It's been five months. If anyone asks, she's visiting some friends."
"I don't know. Where would she sleep?"
"In the office. It'll be the nursery soon anyways. Please?"
"I'll think about."
Before Mulder and Scully lived together, Scully would have never let Mulder make decisions for her. But now that he was really her significant other, she felt he had some say. "What's going on at work?"
"I got lucky, Scully." Mulder was ecstatic now.
"What do you mean?" she asked, popping the last chunk of waffle into her mouth.
"Well, we've got a case that could be an X-File. I'm not sure. But I got on it!" He downed his coffee and glanced at Scully, who was frowning. "What?"
"Just be careful, Mulder. Ok?"
He nodded and stood. "I should get going." He buttoned the top snap on his shirt and glanced at her. She had a faint glow about her and had both hands on her stomach. She was smiling lightly. "I'll see you tonight." He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek before leaving. Scully got to the studious task of cleaning the dishes off the table.
Scully sat on the bed next to him, her chest heaving with her deep anticipatory breaths. Mulder ran a hand over her thigh, he was probably looking forward to this more than she was. His thumb played with the lace on the edge of her panties, he stared at the yellow matching bra. It really clashed pitifully with her skin tone, but she looked gorgeous none-the-less. Her milky skin glistened with sweat in the filtered moonlight. Mulder was laying on the motel bed, in boxers, knowing this moment could never have been planned. The room was hot and the AC broken. Both of them had ended up stripping down to escape the heat, and Mulder had been having a nightmare when Scully came in to save him, forgetting how exposed she was.
She ran a hand over his burning temple and he felt his lower abdomen twist at her loving touch. He moved his hips a little, sub-consciously trying to get his groin closer to hers. He bit his lower lip and burrowed into her eyes. She had come in and he was quietly moaning, grasping at the sheets. He whispered for them not to take her, but him instead. Scully wasn't sure what the nightmare had been about, she never asked. But she thought she knew. Mulder had always had guilt over his sister being taken and not him, instead. She gently shook him, and his eyes fluttered open. It took him to moment to focus on her.
That was when he realized she was in her underwear, and so was he. "You ok?" she asked, almost silent. He nodded. She was about to rise when he touched the back of her thigh, "Don't." So she didn't. She sat back down. Her flat stomach moved back and forth, she was slightly nervous. He ran his hand over her back until it got to the elastic of her underwear. He ran is index finger along it, sending a shiver down her spine and groan up her throat. He slowly sat up and kissed her chastely. When he leaned back she licked her lips as though to gather all of him that she could. He kissed her again, driving his tongue gently into her mouth, she let him in, their tongues wrapping around each other, twisting in each other's mouths.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, the room still hot, skin sliding against skin. She scooted onto his lap and could feel his excitement against her skin. He rubbed her side, feeling her ribs and strong abdominal muscles. Then he slid his hand along smooth skin to the back of her bra and un-clipped it. It fell off when she pushed her arms forward and he nudged it. He stared, indulgingly, for a moment at the perfect mounds of her breasts before lowering his torso so he could nuzzle her neck. His naked chest against her naked chest. He didn't think the night could be any better until she reached down and grabbed him.
Mulder sucked in a deep breath and looked at her. She was smiling and her eyes were too. That, he could never mistrust. He pulled her into a tighter hug and then she pushed him away. He was shocked momentarily before she hooked her thumbs into his boxers and pulled them down. He grinned and ran his palms over her face, fingers detailing her eyes. Eventually he lost all sanity, after she had grasped his member and started sliding her hand up and down. He had to be in her. Now.
He pulled off her lingerie and laid back. She clambered clumsily on top of him, slipping on his slick body. She lowered herself on top of him and whimpered contentedly after doing so. He lightly grabbed her hips and they started to rock together. She rose off him slowly, putting him through pure, wonderful agony. Then she fell back down. She did this until he thought he would explode. He begged her to go faster. He pleaded with her. She nodded, and he knew she needed release too.
They sped up, crying together for what should have been long ago, and what finally was. He moaned her name, and she moaned his. During their climaxes which came one after another, Mulder came to the realization that he had never had sex this good. Not only was Scully amazing, but she was the one woman he knew he could spend the rest of his life with without wanting to die. She screamed his name and fell over next to him. He gently pulled out of her and stretched out. He was extremely hot now.
She asked him if he thought they had woken their neighbours. He chuckled and nodded before rising and heading for the shower. He looked at her questioningly and she too rose, joining him for the ritual cleansing that always comes after a dirty deed. They never spoke of it, but both of them always knew it was there, just lurking under the surface. It would happen again one day, and when it did, nobody would be ready.
Mulder came in, his arm swinging loosely, barely held in place by the black sling a doctor had given him. Scully was sleeping quietly on the couch and he tried not to wake her, but it was difficult to move with only one arm. His pistol dropped to the ground with a clatter and she bolted up. "Mulder? Where have you been?"
There was no accusation of cheating in her voice, just a fearful curiosity. "We found a suspect, who was tied to an X-File, Scully! He was Robert Modell's son! He convinced one of my partners to dislocate my shoulder before I finally shot him. That's the only way to stop those guys, you know? They can convince anyone of anything. Anyways, it took a while for that idiot doctor to set my arm. I kept telling them they should call you, but they said there was no point, I'd be out of there in half an hour. I wasn't." He sat on the couch next to her, and she started pulling his jacket off for him, being gentle when she came to his shoulder.
"When do they want you back on the field?"
"The boss made me take a week's leave. Then he said I'll come back in and he'll decide. He sounds like Skinner, huh?" he hissed a little as the blue garment slipped over his sore spot.
"Yeah, just a little." She agreed, and dropped the jacket on the floor. "Mulder, you've got to be careful, got it?"
"Scully, come on. I mean, I lived through nine years of us working on cases like this."
"Yeah, but you knew more, you had access to more information. And you had me. I try not to worry too much, but I can't lose you. Not again."
He nodded at her before rising. "Come with me. We both need some sleep."
He climbed under the quilt and rolled over on his good shoulder. She wrapped an arm around him, their unborn baby wedged between them. Their fingers interlaced and she sighed. "Could this get any better?"
He nodded into her hair. "Soon, in six months, moments like this will be interrupted by the cry of a baby."
She cocked her head confused, but then laughed at him. "You speak in tongues sometimes, Mulder." He pushed his face into her chest, his breathing slowed and she knew he was drifting off to sleep. She too closed her eyes and relaxed in his grasp. She knew that the baby and her were safe in his arms, but her eyes popped open for a moment, wondering who was watching out for him.
Mulder woke to Scully bent over the toilet, moaning as if someone had just beat her. He sat up so he could see more of her. She was in her usual night attire, a silky set of pajamas. Whenever he went anywhere…business trips, mostly, he would arrive home to her in one of his old t-shirts, asleep. If she was awake, she normally had one of his shirts on anyways. It was a luxury she told him she had always wanted – to be able to wear his shirts without worrying about anyone seeing.
She had told him that after he was abducted, she went back to his apartment to feed his fish and just collapsed on his bed sobbing. After she had cried for about an hour, she stripped out of her work clothes and tugged on one of his work-out t-shirts. She was mildly scared that Skinner might pop in, but she ignored it. She went around his apartment, making herself something to eat (though there was barely anything in the fridge) and sitting on his couch to watch some TV. Then she started to cry again, because she knew that he should have been there.
He liked to come home and find her in his clothes. It made him feel even better about himself. Scully never made him feel as though she didn't want him, but it was always nice to feel wanted just a little more. He got out of bed, and walked over to the washroom. She glanced at him from the toilet and wiped her mouth off, sadly smiling. He returned the gesture before wetting a face cloth and squatting next to her. She grinned and sighed contentedly as he wiped off her sweating face.
"Can you believe I ever looked forward to this?"
"You look forward to a lot of weird things, Scully…like, finding out what the Fiji Mermaid was."
"If I recall," she retorted, quietly, "It was you, Mr. Mulder, who wanted to find the alluring mermaid."
He shook his head. "So, what are we doing today?"
Her eyes widened, "I forgot you were on leave today. You should get some more sleep and I'll go pick up your pain killers."
"I'm not going to get anymore sleep."
She nodded. Once Mulder woke up there was no getting him back to sleep unless you had anaesthetics. "Well, I need a shower and you do, too." She ran her hand through his hair, catching it on some dirt, or blood. She wasn't sure which.
He frowned as she flicked it off her nail, "Sorry."
"It's ok." She started to shimmy out of her pyjamas and Mulder pulled out his toothbrush. They still took showers together, but they got excited and today, Mulder just couldn't be doing that. So there was a silent agreement that the showers would be single. He went into the linen closet and pulled out a towel for her, and one for himself before walking into the kitchen to get something to eat.
She came to get him about half an hour later and let him know the shower was his, but he should stay and chat with her for a while if he wanted any hot water. "Why do you take so long?"
She put her leg on his and he ran his fingers up to her thigh, where her pink towel stopped. They were smooth. "I shaved my legs. It takes a while." He nodded and put his hand on the inside of her thigh. He dropped his spoon into his bowl and milk splashed everywhere, Cheerios with it. Her mouth opened a little. "Mulder…the kitchen?"
He smiled at her. He pushed his hand up a little further and she breathed in.
********M&S********
They picked up Mulder's painkillers then did a little grocery shopping. They bickered the entire time over what food they should be eating, but Scully always ended up winning, giving in once to buy Mulder a couple packages of sunflower seeds. When they got to the counter a teenage boy was ringing their items through. Mulder had his arms wrapped around Scully when he spoke, "It just doesn't make sense to me," he said to the young man, "I make the money, but I'm not allowed to spend it how I want." Scully playfully slapped his arm.
After the grocery shopping, she took him to a gated community. It was townhouses, but it was a brand new development. She told him she had seen it one day and fallen in love with it. "If we were to get one, it wouldn't be much more then we're paying now. Please? I want to raise my baby somewhere beautiful. Not in an old crack house."
"Scully! We don't live in a crack house." He jested, then bit his lip. "Have you gone inside?"
She blushed and nodded. "It's great, Mulder! Two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a basement. I'd get a garden and there would be a back yard for our baby."
"Then I guess we're buying it."
She stared at him a moment. He glanced at her and put a finger under her chin to close her mouth.
"Scully, I've always trusted your judgment. If you say it's great, then it must be great."
"Then we're moving?"
"We're moving."
********M&S********
They moved in a week after buying the place, Margaret Scully flew up to help. She said she didn't encounter anyone at the airport, but Mulder picked her up, himself, just in case. The nursery was yellow; they decided they didn't want to know the sex of the baby. Margaret told Scully, over a cup of tea one night while Mulder was at work, that Bill had another child, whom he named Sissie. She also said she had known since the day she met Fox, the he and Scully were meant to be, but she had to let them find out in their own time.
Scully nodded and stirred her cooling tea quietly, "Mom?" Her mother nodded. "What do you think of Mulder?" Margaret stared at the ring on her daughter's finger for a moment before replying. "I loved Fox as soon as I met him because I could tell how good he was for you. No matter how much trouble he gets you in, I could never dislike him because he makes you so happy.'
Scully nodded and tapped her hand on her mug, the ring that Mulder had given her clinking against it. She glanced at the clock and, seeing this, her mother put a hand on hers.
"I remember when I used to watch the clock, waiting for you father to return home. There was always the fear that the time would pass and he wouldn't be there. It's ironic that he died with me."
Scully shook thoughts of Mulder dying out of her head. "I've got to fold some laundry, I'll go grab it and be right back." Her mother grinned and watched her rise before picking up the empty tea cups and placing them in the dishwasher. As Scully was climbing back up the stairs, hidden behind a basket of whites, Mulder came in. He smiled at Margaret, locked the door, then walked to Scully. He took the basket from her hands and kissed her quickly. In response, she smiled while he put the laundry on their couch.
"There's dinner in the oven," she told him. He kissed her again, then ran up the stairs to change.
"No wonder he makes you so happy…" Margaret smiled at Scully before sitting to help her fold the laundry. Mulder jumped the stairs, in jeans and a grey t-shirt and pulled his dinner out of the oven. He sniffed it and breathed out in a long sigh.
"How was work?" Margaret asked, quietly.
"Alright," he replied, pulling a fork out of drawer. He sidled over and sat next to Scully's mom. "Anything happen while I was gone?" and they shook their heads.
"You have the day off tomorrow?" Scully inquired. Mulder nodded. "Do you want to go see a play?" Margaret turned to her daughter. "What plays are out?"
"Victoria School is running the Crucible. It's supposed to be a great production, and since it's easily construed as a statement about political conspiracies, I thought you might enjoy."
Mulder assented through a mouth full of Sheppard's pie. Margaret nodded, "Sounds good."
"Oh!" Scully dropped the towel she was holding and put her hand on her belly. Mulder remembered when he had brought Scully a gift during her pregnancy with William, and he panicked. He stood quickly, his plate clattering to the floor. Scully saw the fear in his eyes. " Mulder, it's alright. The baby just kicked. That's all." Margaret, shocked by Mulder's violent reactions, had pushed her body back into the couch. Once he had calmed, he blushed and bent to pick up the spilled food. His mother-in-law shooed him away.
"It's alright, Fox, I'll get it." He tried to help for a moment, but finally gave when he realized that the effort was fruitless and let her sweep up the beef and shards of plate. He walked over and sat next to Scully and put a hand on her belly. He jumped after the baby kicked. "Whatever you are," he spoke to his wife's belly, "You'll be a soccer player."
"Or a ballerina." Scully reprimanded him. Margaret laughed at them as she went to the kitchen to get a broom and dustpan. Dana yawned, "Well, I'm off to bed. I'm so tired."
Mulder rose as she stood and glanced at Margaret, "You two have a good night," she said, giving him unspoken consent to go with Dana and tuck her in, perhaps join her.
"Goodnight, Mom," Scully said, already scaling the stairs.
"'Night, Mrs. Scully."
Margaret sighed, making her disdain about how Mulder addressed her obvious.
********M&S********
A red-haired father-to-be shot his head up after he heard a scream. Was that his wife? He glanced at the seat across the waiting room, where a jacket was. A man had rushed in and sat there only moments ago, along with a steaming cup of coffee, and then he hurried out of the room.
Nurse Higgins, just a beginning nurse, walked by and stared intently at the man for a moment. A pity his wife's religion wouldn't allow him in the birthing room, but she realized that was what gave the world flavour. She brought him a cup of coffee and told him to watch out, it was hot. Then she headed off to get the ice chips she had been asked to retrieve. The plastic cup in front of her, she walked to room 112, where the head nurse of the shift was consoling a woman only beginning to know what labour pains were.
Anna, the head nurse, took the green cup from her assistant and smiled as a speedy way of thanks. She glimpsed into the cup and frowned at how few ice chips there were. After handing them to the expectant father, she pulled Higgins to the side and told her, "Next time, bring more."
Mulder gratefully took the ice and sat down next to his wife. She was sweating an awful lot and every time she looked at her large belly or shifted her swollen feet, she grimaced. But, unlike all the deliveries Mulder had seen on TV, she never once blamed him. She never told him that "You're never coming near me with that thing again!" She just let him pamper her.
He ran a cool cloth over her forehead, wiping away the sweat. Her mom sat in a chair, at the edge of the room, not quite sure what to do, now, since Dana had a husband. There was no frightening, lonesome (albeit, crowded) birth on a farm. Mulder was there to save her the whole time. He squeezed her hand gently. "The doctor told us it would be any time now. You'll be just fine."
She nodded at him and sucked on the ice he popped into her mouth. She licked her lips, and his finger in the process. He smiled provocatively at her, but she just frowned. He was scared the lecture was coming, but there was nothing. Scully, was, as usual, quiet.
She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back to the day she found out she was pregnant. She knew she would have this day, the most painful and happy day of her life, and her heart was pounding.
Mulder came home from work, exhausted, as usual. He sat on the couch and started to take off his shoes. He glanced around himself a couple times, the called out her name, "Scully!" She came running down the stairs, wearing one of his t-shirts. She had been lying in bed, waiting for him, like a child waits for Santa Claus.
"Mulder!" She threw her arms around him from behind the couch and kissed the top of his head, "Guess what?
He shook his head, surprised at her demeanour, this was most unlike the woman he was married. Though, he did know her to act quite young when she was excited. "What?"
She danced around to the front of the couch and sat in front of him, "I'm pregnant! We're pregnant! We're having a baby!"
He smiled and pulled his wife into a bear hug. "Scully, that's amazing...but, how?"
"I don't know," her smile faltered a little, but came back anew. "I don't know how it happened, Mulder, but it did. I'm having your baby. I would say it's too good to be true, but I just took a third pregnancy test."
"This is incredible! We have to celebrate." He kissed her full on the mouth, before rising and grabbing two champagne glasses from the cupboard. He un-capped some juice, filled the glasses, and handed hers to her. She sat next to him, her head on his shoulder sipping at it. This was their sad, but perfect version of celebrating. Every now and then she would look sheepishly at him and smile.
That flashback had saved her from dealing with another painful contraction, but the second one pulled her from it like a rubber band snapping back. Her nurse told her they would get the doctor. She was ready. Her eyes widened, but her husband grabbed her hand. "It's ok. You've done this before. You'll be fine."
A male doctor in green scrubs came in, his hands held in front of him and gloved in blue. He sat on a stool that Nurse Higgins pushed under him and smiled at Scully as he scooted towards where her legs were, spread wide open. He lifted up the blue cloth concealing her and smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Mulder, you're all ready to have this baby!"
She pushed when they told her and breathed when she could. Mulder's hand was cramped after 10 minutes because she was squeezing it so hard. He smiled at her, though, as he massaged it. "One last push," the nurses encouraged a panting Scully. She gritted her teeth and screamed out. Finally, her daughter was born.