Part X: Endings
The Gunmen arrived just a short time after Scully's mom, all bearing wrapped gifts that it was unlikely she could take with her though I assured them we'd get them to her no matter where she ended up. Skinner had been on the phone a good half hour before finally hanging up and turning to all of us, who were clustered around Scully and the baby on the wide black leather couch.
"Okay, Agent Scully, you are all set. I'm not going to say where you're going since the walls may very well have ears, but I think we should accompany you. I'm driving."
There was a tearful farewell in the parking garage between Scully and her mother while I stood nearby with William, the rest of us looking around nervously. But finally Margaret moved away, sniffling, and the rest of us continued on to Skinner's car, which was a large black SUV.
"So where are we going?" Scully asked as I strapped William into his car seat.
"Washington Executive Airport in Clinton, Maryland, about half an hour from here," Skinner leaned over and said low, just loud enough for us to hear. "My friend Larry is heading out now to get the plane ready and should be prepared to go when we get there. Do you have everything?"
I had come down here earlier and transferred everything for Scully and the baby from my car to his although I left the stroller behind due to its size. "Pretty much," I said, helping Scully in and climbing in after her. Frohike got in the front seat, ignoring Skinner's startled look as he pulled on his seat belt. I saw Byers and Langley trotting across the garage to the Westphalia which was parked not far away.
Our little caravan pulled away and I saw Scully's mom sitting in a small compact not far from the exit, watching us with tears streaming down her face. I vowed then and there to do everything I could to bring them back as fast as possible; Margaret Scully was a wonderful woman and I knew this was tearing her apart.
The ride passed in tense silence. Scully sat in the middle seat between William's carseat and I, and we held hands tightly the whole time. In the front neither Frohike nor Skinner spoke, though I saw both of them looking around frequently. The Westphalia trailed us at a good distance, switching lanes every so often and sometimes disappearing but always coming back in sight. It was nearly midnight and once we left the greater D.C. area the freeway was mostly deserted, though the surrounding hilly countryside was dotted with the lights of civilization.
The airport was small and dark and came up out of nowhere. Skinner had to key in a code to get us through the gate which stayed open long enough for Byers and Langley to follow; sloppy security, I thought. But I doubted that this little airfield saw much intrigue and skullduggery so it was probably more to deter casual thieves than a real security measure.
Skinner drove between a series of dark and quiet single-engine-plane hangars, which looked like small square warehouses with large folding doors. As we passed the last ones I saw dim lights further up and soon made out a small office building sitting on the edge of the taxiway with a blue and white two-engine low-wing airplane sitting silently out front on a long cement apron. Several other, smaller planes were parked a few yards beyond it but I saw no other people or lights.
As we pulled up beside the plane the office door opened and a tall, thin man stepped out carrying a large flight bag in one hand, flicking the lights off with the other. It was dark but there was just enough ambient light to see well enough to move around safely.
While everyone was getting out of the vehicles I leaned over and kissed Scully almost desperately, wanting us to have this goodbye in private. "Come with us, Mulder," she whispered against my lips as we slowly parted. "I want us to be a family just like you do."
"I wish I could," I said, then kissed her again briefly. A glance out the windshield showed Skinner, the pilot, and the guys standing by the plane talking and glancing frequently at us. "But I can do more to bring you back by staying here and helping Reyes and Doggett get rid of the danger to you and William."
She heaved a sigh but didn't argue. In the darkness I saw one crystal tear spill over her lower lid, then she whisked it away with her fingertips and squared her shoulders, moving away from me. "We'd better get going, then," she said in a carefully neutral voice. I squeezed her hand one more time and forced myself to reach for the door handle and get out—it was one of the single most difficult things I had ever done in my life.
Langley came over to help me carry the bags and Frohike got the car seat after Scully took William out of it. We loaded her few bags—mostly from that damn Wal-Mart!—into the belly of the plane, then I made sure that the car seat was correctly secured in the back seat. The pilot, Bill, had wax earplugs for the baby which he gave to Scully, explaining that he would need them to mute the loudness of the engines.
Still carrying William Scully went around saying goodbye to everyone, hugging them with one arm around their necks and whispering something in each of their ears, even Skinner. Finally she moved to the side of the plane, its passenger door open, and turned to look at me. Although I couldn't see her expression from where I stood by the tail due to the darkness, I knew what it was and it about broke my heart to know what I was doing to her.
I walked over and she handed William to me as the others moved away. Feeling his warm, soft, trusting weight in my arms for what I knew was to be the last time in God only knew how long almost had me in tears but I held it back—I didn't want to make it any tougher on Scully than I had to. I held him close for a moment, breathing in his warm baby scent, nuzzling his fuzzy hair with my nose and kissing his soft cheek gently. "I'll miss you, buddy," I whispered to him then handed him reluctantly back to her.
Without looking at me she carefully climbed into the plane with him and I watched through the rear windows as she strapped him into the carseat and carefully worked the earplugs over his little ears, covering him warmly with a blanket. She backed out and once she was on the ground, uncaring of who was looking—and they all were—I grabbed her and pulled her against me and kissed her long and hard, feeling her soft yet firm body press against mine in return, her arms around my waist holding me close. I didn't want to hurt her and yet I needed to show her how I felt, how much I needed her, how desperately I would miss her. A throat clearing nearby made me break the kiss and I leaned my forehead against hers whispering, "I love you, Scully. I'll get you both back here as soon as I can."
"For once, Mulder, I'm not going to argue with you," she said, letting go of me and moving away slowly. The pilot was already in the plane and I saw him adjusting instruments on the dash; he'd probably done his preflight while we were saying goodbye. I helped her into the front seat of the plane and as I was about the close the door, she leaned over and said, "I love you too, Mulder. And don't you forget it."
I tried to smile as the door closed and she pulled the seat belt over her shoulder, but simply couldn't do it. Instead I just stepped back as the engines roared to life one at a time, stirring up a powerful wind that I ducked away from. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Skinner standing next to me, shaking his head. He was the only one of us whose hair wasn't being buffeted all over the place. "What?" I yelled over the engine noise.
"I didn't think you'd let them go without you," Skinner hollered back.
"Neither did I," Frohike yelled. "Why are you staying here, you jerk? She needs you!"
The others nodded and I turned to look back at the blue and white plane still sitting in the same place as the engines warmed to their task, getting louder by the moment. The thought hit me: Frohike was right; what in the hell was I doing, letting Scully and William leave without me? I was nothing without her; I'd known that for a long time even if I didn't want to face it.
Without even thinking about it I broke free of Skinner's hand and ran back to the plane fighting the wind from the engines, banging my hand on the end of the wing. I heard the guys' voices calling from behind me but ignored them. Scully's startled face with a green aviator headset on over her rich auburn hair peered at me from the window, then she turned and said something to the pilot. The engines died and I strode to the door, yanking it open. "Get in the back, Scully, I'm going too," I said as she took the headphones off. "I may be many things, but I am not crazy enough to stay here when my place is with you and William."
Her smile would have put the sun to shame had it been up. "Larry—can the plane take all of us?" she asked, turning to the pilot who had also taken his headset off.
"This puppy can carry six full-sized adults and three hundred pounds of luggage and still make it to Toronto without refueling from here," he said proudly. "The more the merrier. Come on, Mr. Mulder, hop on in."
I helped Scully into the back in the seat across from William who, thankfully, was still sound asleep; the earplugs obviously worked. The pilot passed another set of headphones back to her as I settled in, putting on the headset she'd taken off and buckling in. The engines started again and I glanced back at Scully, who was smiling at me, one hand on the car seat. I smiled back, then turned and looked out the window as the plane began to roll, the clear blue runway lights out in the field coming on as the pilot keyed them with his mike button. In their faint gleam I saw Skinner and the guys waving, Frohike jumping up and down like a deranged elf and Langley pounding Byers on the back. I waved to them, then turned forward with a clear mind and light heart, ready to start the next phase of our lives together.