Time for a bit of escapism...
They dressed quickly; Mulder grabbed a few things and they both ran to the car.
As they reached the BMW Mulder raised his eyebrows, "Nice ride, Scully!"
Scully smiled over the hood before getting in, "It belonged to the people who flew back on the plane I hitched a lift on."
"The pilot just left you here?" Mulder asked angrily as he jumped into the passenger seat.
"I begged him, Mulder, he knew I was making this journey either way…he didn't even accept payment and he knew I had money." She opened her bag and showed Mulder her stash of cash, cards and jewellery.
"Where did you get all that?" Mulder asked as he stared at her hoard.
"My mom, my brothers…my family," Scully said as she turned and pulled into reverse.
"They just gave you all that and let you leave?" Mulder asked in wonder.
"They helped me get to you, Mulder…they love me enough to understand that I had no other choice."
"Even Bill?" Mulder asked with genuine surprise.
"My mom helped them to understand that I would be leaving to find you, that they could either help or hinder me but they couldn't stop me."
Mulder nodded speechlessly and reached for her hand before suddenly noticing a figure out of the corner of his eyes. "STOP!" He shouted as Dan rushed towards them struggling with a box and a large can of gas.
Scully pulled to a stop and Mulder jumped out and jogged towards his temporarily forgotten friend, "Dan, I…"
Dan physically turned him towards the vehicle and opened the back door; he slid the gas can in and slipped the back seat belt around it. "Be careful with that," he said with a smirk as he turned back to Mulder, "…don't you be setting fire to yourselves."
Mulder smiled, "Come with us…we still have time."
Dan shook his head, "You know people need me here, I'm the only one left with medical training."
Mulder shook his head with frustration, "Skinner only agreed to leave because I…damn…"
"You need to go now, Mulder. She came for you, into the path of a goddamn meteor…that's quite something," Dan smiled warmly.
Mulder glanced over at Scully and then looked back at Dan, "She loves me…" He said, sounding disbelieving even to his own ears.
Dan laughed, "Yes, I'd say she does."
"I'm sorry…" Mulder said sadly.
"Don't be sorry, Mulder. Just make sure you both put your foot down and survive this thing…" Dan smiled at Scully through the windscreen and she smiled back sadly. "You look after her, you've got a special one there."
Mulder nodded, "I already knew she was special, I was just too blind to realise she was…"
"Yours?"
Mulder smiled and nodded tearfully, "Yeah, I guess."
"Well, then I suspect you've both been foolin' yourselves and each other for a long time…" he said with a smirk. "You guys need to go," Dan handed him the box, "I've got you some food supplies, enough for at least three days…some water, some water purifying tablets…and a medical bag…just in case. I remembered you said that Agent Scully is a doctor…"
"Thank you…I don't know what to say…" Mulder said awkwardly.
Dan smiled and hugged Mulder quickly, "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mulder, truly."
"Yeah…" Mulder replied sadly and then watched his friend run back to his work.
"What was all that about?" Scully asked as she watched Mulder load their haul into the back and then jump in next to her. She pulled away and then glanced over to see Mulder sitting silently. "You okay?"
"It's just hard, you know? Leaving…knowing those people are probably willingly giving up their lives. Most people won't even know their names…"
Scully's eyes welled up and she reached over to take his hand, lifting it up she brushed his fingers with her lips and then held his hand to her chest as she drove. "We will, Mulder, we'll remember him…I promise."
Mulder nodded, slipped his hand from hers and turned in his seat to find a chocolate bar in the box Dan had given him. He opened one and gently slipped a small piece into Scully's mouth as she pulled onto a road heading south.
"South?" Mulder asked.
"I was thinking about this when I was driving to Georgetown. The roads will be busy, but maybe we'll have the most luck heading through Tennessee. They're slower roads, but the population is lower so there'll probably be less congestion…"
Mulder smiled and nodded, "Yeah, good thinking partner."
"I feel better you know, now we're together. I tried to be positive but until I found you I'm not sure I wasn't just trying to convince myself."
"You thought…?" Mulder started to ask.
"I knew I'd find you…not finding you wasn't an option…but I guess I'd convinced myself that would be enough. I told my mum, well...if I didn't make it that I needed her to know that I was with you."
"Scully, I…"
"No, Mulder, it's okay now. We're together and I know that this won't be enough...a few short hours to tell each other how we feel. I want a life with you, Mulder, and I think we've earned that." Scully smiled over at Mulder and found him staring at her in shock. "I mean, if that's what you want," she continued awkwardly looking back at the road, "…I didn't mean to assume."
Mulder smiled and leaned over to run his lips down her neck and behind her ear, he grinned against her skin when Scully giggled and reached over to brace her hand on his thigh.
"Scully, a couple of hours ago I thought I was going to die. I thought I would never see you again...and then the woman I've been in love with for years runs back into my life like something out of an action movie. She tells me that she loves me, lets me make love to her in a storeroom and then nonchalantly tells me that she wants to spend the rest of her life with me. I'm not unsure…I'm almost certain that I must be dreaming…"
Scully was speechless for a few seconds and then grinned over at him, her hand still on his leg. "Mulder, I do love you…but please don't talk to me like that…" he looked concerned for a second and Scully rushed to explain; "We're trying to escape a meteor, we have half a tank and one can of gas, we don't know what the roads will be like, or what trouble we might meet on our way…" she paused and Mulder raised his eyebrows, still looking a little nervous but also intrigued, "...but if you keep talking to me like that I'll throw caution to the wind, pull over, and waste many minutes of our precious time finding out what it feels like to try and take your cock down my throat."
The groan that came from Mulder side of the car vibrated so loudly for a brief second Scully was slightly concerned she had driven off the road.
She glanced over and watched him breathing deeply, his eyes scrunched closed and his lip bleeding slightly from biting it so hard. Her eyes skimmed down to his crotch and then back to the road, she smirked and reached to snap off another piece of chocolate as she pulled onto the highway.
"Mind that lip, Mulder, I have plans for those lips and I won't have you damaging the merchandise…"
Less than an hour later and it was already getting dark; Scully pulled onto a busy road and looked over at Mulder, whose profile was already outlined by the lights of other cars.
He sat turned slightly towards her his eyes sleepily watching her drive.
"You don't want to sleep?" Scully asked and let her hand leave the steering wheel and trail across the seat towards him.
Mulder met her halfway and laced his fingers loosely with hers. "Too hyped up," he explained succinctly as he seemed satisfied by the physical link and turned a little to look out of the front windscreen. "It's getting busier," he observed with a hint of concern.
Scully nodded, her foot already resting on the brake as the build-up of traffic naturally slowed them down. She looked at the time on the dashboard and them glanced at a road sign.
"How far do you think?" Scully asked. "What were the official guidelines?"
Mulder sighed, "Officially...as far west as possible...unofficially the experts were suggesting we need to get as far as Indiana and Kentucky."
"We're still in Virginia," Scully pointed out unnecessarily as the traffic continued to slow and she dropped below 40.
"Gas?" Mulder asked, turning to look through the rear window and watch the vehicles start to bank up.
"Low...but we still have the can in the back," Scully said tightly and bit her lip as she looked in the side mirror.
"What do you think?" Mulder asked and watched his partner slowing further.
Scully took a deep breath and glanced back along the lefthand side, she moved forcefully into the far lane and smiled over at Mulder when the car behind them beeped in irritation. She squeezed his hand and met his eyes in the growing darkness. "It is a 4x4..."
"You think we should get off the road?" Mulder confirmed.
"That tree line looks thin," Scully nodded over at the side of the highway and then sighed, "it's a gamble, but if we get blocked in on the road we're going to be out of options."
Mulder nodded, "We've always been good at clearing our own path," he said with a warm smile.
"If we don't make it I don't want it to be because we get stuck in traffic..." Scully added.
"Let's go!" Mulder said firmly and gripped her hand.
Scully nodded, squeezed his hand once and then let go to take the wheel firmly. She looked back over her shoulder, glanced at Mulder and then pulled off the road, through the barrier and up the bank.
Horns sounded loudly as part of the barrier fell back into the road but Scully looked back and could see that no one had been hurt. They moved at a near 60º angle up towards the trees and both bent forward towards the windscreen as the engine shifted down.
"You okay?" Scully called out as she pulled to the left towards a gap in the trees.
Mulder laughed, "You're the one driving!" He gripped the front dashboard as the vehicle bounced.
Scully glanced over at him and smiled, "Wouldnt want you to get travel sick!" She shouted over the growling engine.
Reaching over to help her pull over to the left Mulder smiled at her and rolled his eyes, "I get seasick, Scully, the plan is to remain on dry land."
Mulder's words hit them both suddenly and they fell silent, no words were exchanged as Scully pulled into the forest and they started to level out.
"I didn't mean to sound flippant," Mulder said after a few seconds as Scully carefully navigated through the trees in the dark.
She smiled tightly over at him and shook her head, "I know...it's just...you know..."
"Yeah, I know..." Mulder nodded and then looked at the light on the dashboard. "It's been on a while, shall we stop and fill up?"
Scully nodded and pulled up to a stop, they both got out and Mulder pulled the can out of the back while Scully opened the tank. They looked at each other in the glow of the rear lights as Mulder stood and let the can drain. After a minute or so he pulled back the empty can and held it up.
"Leave it?" Scully asked.
"If we find a gas station we might be able to fill it up?" Mulder suggested and Scully nodded quickly.
"Yes...of course..." She agreed and Mulder quickly rushed to strap the can into the back seat again.
He turned and found Scully leaning against the door next to him, her eyes closed.
"You okay?" Mulder said softly.
"Hmm..." Scully said and then looked around the dark forest. She bit her lip and looked over at him tensely, "We suddenly seem a long way from safety, you know? We're out here in the middle of nowhere, but I feel strangely claustrophobic..."
Mulder nodded and moved to stand with one leg either side of her, then he brought his fingers to tip her chin up and meet her eyes. "You okay?" He asked again and then leaned to brush his lips lightly against hers.
Scully smiled softly against his lips and returned his kiss for a few seconds, her hand resting on his hip and pulling him close. "I'm okay," she replied more confidently.
"Let me drive a while?" Mulder suggested. "I'm not going to sleep anyway."
She nodded, "If you'd rather."
"You navigate...we have a compass in the box Dan gave us, we need to make sure that we keep moving West. The last thing we need is to get disorientated now we're off road," Mulder pointed out and Scully nodded.
Regretfully moving away Mulder climbed into the driver's side and Scully quickly walked around, dug out the compass and then climbed up next to her partner.
"How full?" She asked looking over at the panel.
"Three quarter," Mulder said as he started up.
"We'll just have to look out for more," Scully observed needlessly as Mulder pulled off on the uneven terrain.
As they bumped down onto a small dark and surprisingly quiet back road a little over an hour later they rocked forward and Mulder automatically shot his hand out in front of Scully.
"I'm fine, Mulder," Scully smiled patiently and rolled her eyes a little.
"Well, excuse me if I don't want to lose the woman if my dreams through a windscreen a few hours after I finally get into her pants," Mulder joked and then smiled at her sideways.
"Oh I see, it's like that...and if you hadn't recently been laid? If I was still just your partner? You would have watched me fly I suppose?" Scully asked with mock annoyance.
Mulder smiled, "You've never been just anything to me, Scully..." he said quietly and then glanced over at her to find that her eyes were moist, "...put your belt on," Mulder directed awkwardly suddenly concerned that he was laying it on a little thick.
After a few minutes, Scully broke the silence, "Are you okay? You're a little quiet."
He sighed, "I guess I'm just used to thinking those things, but not saying them out loud. I know we're together now, but I don't want to..."
"Go too fast?" Scully asked nervously.
"Freak you out," Mulder admitted with a nervous laugh.
Scully laughed now and reached over to slide her hand into his, "And when I suggested that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you? You think I'm going to 'freak out' that easily?"
Mulder laughed softly and shrugged, "I guess I haven't 100% got my head around this yet. You coming here for me...not many hours ago I was trying to adjust to the fact I was probably never going to see you again."
"I understand that," Scully said thoughtfully and then smiled, "you don't have to worry about me though, I'm in. I remember that feeling I had in my stomach when I was watching the reports from San Diego...it was like I'd become disconnected from a part of myself...a blind panic that I knew would never go away for the rest of my life."
Mulder took a few seconds and then nodded, "I don't think it's about how we got togather...there is no alternative."
"So you're going to save me from becoming an old maid?" Scully teased in an attempt to bring up the mood.
"Only if you save me from becoming an old..." he paused and chuckled, "what's the male alternative?"
"Batchelor?" Scully laughed.
Mulder rolled his eyes, "Not quite the same is it? But the sentiment is the same for me, Scully, it's you or no one...without you, I know I would have led a solitary and lonely life."
Scully gripped Mulder's hand and pointed towards a dark building in the distance, "Is that a gas station?"
As they drew closer Mulder slowed steadily and nodded, "It's pretty dark though."
"It's a quiet road, the owners could have driven west and it could still have gas..." Scully observed.
"I'm going to pull up slowly but I don't like this...get out and cover me?" Mulder suggested.
"Of course," Scully pulled out her weapon and slipped the safety off.
They both got out and Mulder walked back to check the pump, "It has gas!" He reported happily as Scully walked around the back of the vehicle. He quickly opened the cap and started filling up. "Once this is full I'll get the can out and fill that..." he said with a smile as Scully let the gun fall to her side.
Suddenly a large arm wrapped around Mulder's neck and in what seemed like a second Mulder found himself being pulled up in front of a man at least half a foot taller than him and twice his size. The nozzle pulled out of the tank and washed the ground with fuel.
Scully's weapon rose up in that same second, but it was too late as she saw the glint of a knife begin held firmly against Mulder's throat.
"Mulder..." She hissed, her eyes fleeting between her partner and their assailant.
"Nice vehicle you have here," the man said with a calm smile.
Scully looked at Mulder and then back at the man, "So take it...just get your knife away from his neck!" She gasped out, her grip shaking briefly on the before she took a deep breath and steadied her aim.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," Mulder growled breathlessly as his captor briefly pulled him up off his feet, "...you can't just leave us out here with nothing!"
The man laughed, "Why? You gonna tell the cops?"
"Just..." Mulder started pointlessly and then winced at Scully as he felt the knife dig a little into his skin.
Scully watched a trickle of blood slide down Mulder's throat and her eyes widen. "Look...listen...look..." she stuttered and the man smiled at her coldly. "I can see you want to get out of here, we all do, but surely you must have some humanity? You're going to take our vehicle, our food...leave us with no means of survival, right?"
The man smiled and nodded.
"So you can let him go! Just let us go! I don't know what I'm doing here, I don't even know if the safety on my boyfriends gun is off..." Scully watched Mulder tense and had to hold in a smile, nice ad-lib. "Just leave us here...let me have these last few hours with the man I love and just drive away. Have a little mercy..."
Scully had smiled genuinely at Mulder when she had said the words 'man I love' - that part needed no acting and Mulder was surprised when he felt his captor's grip on him loosen.
"Haven't you ever been in love?" Scully asked pleadingly.
Mulder glanced down from Scully's wide eyes to see her grip shaking on the gun again, only this time something made him certain that she was faking.
"Please, let him go..." Scully begged and two genuine tears slid down her face.
The man laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard and then kicked out the back of Mulder's legs and let him fall to the ground, "I guess I could use some good karma..." The man said sarcastically milliseconds before a bullet went through his brain and he fell back to the ground like a felled tree.
"Mulder!" Scully ran forward and helped him turn over. He had cuts on his face from the gravel and a small thin slice in his neck. Her hand naturally moved to cover the cut. "Are you okay?" She asked urgently and scanned his face.
He coughed and winced, "Thanks to you..." Mulder smiled weakly.
"I should have been keeping watch, I should have seen him coming..." Scully reprimanded herself angrily.
"It's dark, he must have been behind the pump..." Mulder argued as she helped him to his feet.
"How are your legs?" She asked with concern.
"Bruised. Sore. Nothings broken..." Mulder reported with a gentle smile.
Scully leaned back against the 4x4 and let out a long breath.
"We should fill up and get out of here," Mulder said with a sigh as he glanced down at the body on the ground and then winced and kicked the feet to one side. He bent to pick up the pump and slid it back into the tank.
Rushing around the back Scully pulled out the can and brought it to place on the floor and then undid the cap. After filling it up she strapped it into the back and then climbed around the body and started to get into the driver's side.
"You're sure you're okay to drive?" Mulder asked over the hood.
Scully stopped, glanced down at the body and then looked back at Mulder, "That man was going to kill you...and even if he hadn't he would have left us both here to die. I don't feel guilty.."
Mulder nodded and climbed in. Once inside he looked over at Scully, "You're sure?"
"I'm sure that getting us to safety is my only priority," Scully said firmly and then smiled over at him as they pulled out of the gas station and back onto the road.
An hour later Mulder looked over at Scully, "It's gone 1 am, want me to drive a while?"
Scully shook her head, "I slept on the plane, Mulder, and you haven't slept for almost two days. I'd rather you got some rest."
Mulder sighed, "I feel like if I sleep I might wake up and find that this really has been a dream."
"Lay your head down in my lap…" Scully said softly. "It's a big car, there's more than enough space."
Carefully rolling onto his side Mulder lay down and rested his head in Scully's lap, he turned to face her belly and took a long deep breath of her scent. She took one hand off the wheel and gently combed her fingers through his hair. "Sleep…"
Mulder closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "I love you, Scully."
Scully smiled down at his peaceful face and brushed her thumb gently around his ear, "I love you too, Mulder."