The rest of the morning and through the afternoon consisted of packing.
Mulder reluctantly helped. Nikolas watched, and grabbed things out of
boxes that he wanted to play with. It was a slow process but they finally
finished just in time for dinner.
"Why don't we just order something?" Mulder suggested.
"We're not even out of the house yet and you've already reverted back to your old ways. I'm disappointed, Mulder."
"Whatever...Nik, you want pizza?"
"Yeah!" he replied happily.
Mulder ordered the pizza and went back to his bedroom to see what Alex was doing. He found him sitting on the bed with his back to the door.
"You okay?" Mulder asked.
"Fine," he replied but didn't turn around.
"Your a great liar, you know that?" Mulder walked over and sat next to him. "Come on, tell me."
"Just thinking...about everything Nikolas said...and stuff like that."
"Stuff?"
"This is going to sound really stupid, but, I haven't had to be on my own with him yet. I mean, not more than a day when your working or something like that. Even you took care of him those few days I was in Russia on your own. I guess...I guess I'm just a little nervous."
"You'll be fine. You've had him a month now and everything's been working out great. It won't be that big of a change," Mulder stated.
"I hope not. You know, Nikolas is gonna miss you a lot."
"I'll miss him too. I got used to having a kid around here...and, uh...I'll miss you, too."
Alex smiled and looked up at Mulder. "Me too. But this is for the best. We need to learn to be on our own together. Well, I guess I need to learn to be on my own with him...anyway, this will be good. And of course you can come over whenever you want. Oh god.."
"What?"
"A month ago I would never have said that to you, even if my life depended on it." Alex laughed.
"Yeah, well we've come a long way," Mulder said seriously.
A knock sounded from the apartment door so Mulder rose and walked towards it. It was the pizza guy. Mulder paid him and brought the pizza to the table, Nikolas trailing close behind him impatient for a slice.
"When's the last time we fed you?" Mulder asked playfully as Nikolas climbed on a chair and reached his hand into the half opened box. "It's not going anywhere," Mulder added with a smile. Alex walked in laughing at Mulder's comments.
They ate their pizza, aware that this would be thier last meal while living together. When they all finished, Alex helped Mulder clean up.
"So, I guess we should get going. Are you going to help me bring the boxes over? Or are you too tired from all the effort you put into that one box you packed," Alex asked.
"Hey, when you see that *one* box your going to be very happy that that's the only one I packed. In fact, you'll be thanking me."
"How hard is it for you?" Alex asked laughing.
"Extremely. Sometimes when I'm out of town on a case with Scully, I make up some reason to stay behind and 'ask a question' while she goes back to the motel and gets our stuff. It's a finely tuned system that I've worked out."
"Your pathetic."
"Lazy," Mulder corrected.
"Anyway," Alex said, changing the subject, "Let's grab some boxes." They both started towards the door, where the boxes were neatly stacked to the side. Alex called for Nikolas.
"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything? You have your blanket? Everything?" Nikolas nodded. "Okay, here," Alex placed a box on the floor next to Nikolas, "sit down right there for a second. We're going to bring some boxes down to the car and we'll be right back. Don't move, okay?" He nodded again.
Mulder and Alex carried a couple boxes each down to their respective cars and took the elevator up to Mulder's floor, went down the hall and back inside. Nikolas remained in the same spot, sitting on the box.
"Okay buddy, I've got to take that box now," Mulder said as Alex picked up the only other remaining box. Nikolas stood up and the three of them walked toward the elevator, Nikolas in front. The last of the boxes were placed in the cars and Alex buckled Nikolas into his.
"See you in a bit then?" Mulder called from his car.
"Yeah, meet you there."
Mulder drove away and minutes later Alex pulled into the street . They were going to *his* house. The fact was just now beginning to seem real. He had a house, a son, and a life that no longer involved dirty motel rooms, murder, and lies. As he looked in his rearview mirror into the face of his son, he realized that life could be good.
"Why don't we just order something?" Mulder suggested.
"We're not even out of the house yet and you've already reverted back to your old ways. I'm disappointed, Mulder."
"Whatever...Nik, you want pizza?"
"Yeah!" he replied happily.
Mulder ordered the pizza and went back to his bedroom to see what Alex was doing. He found him sitting on the bed with his back to the door.
"You okay?" Mulder asked.
"Fine," he replied but didn't turn around.
"Your a great liar, you know that?" Mulder walked over and sat next to him. "Come on, tell me."
"Just thinking...about everything Nikolas said...and stuff like that."
"Stuff?"
"This is going to sound really stupid, but, I haven't had to be on my own with him yet. I mean, not more than a day when your working or something like that. Even you took care of him those few days I was in Russia on your own. I guess...I guess I'm just a little nervous."
"You'll be fine. You've had him a month now and everything's been working out great. It won't be that big of a change," Mulder stated.
"I hope not. You know, Nikolas is gonna miss you a lot."
"I'll miss him too. I got used to having a kid around here...and, uh...I'll miss you, too."
Alex smiled and looked up at Mulder. "Me too. But this is for the best. We need to learn to be on our own together. Well, I guess I need to learn to be on my own with him...anyway, this will be good. And of course you can come over whenever you want. Oh god.."
"What?"
"A month ago I would never have said that to you, even if my life depended on it." Alex laughed.
"Yeah, well we've come a long way," Mulder said seriously.
A knock sounded from the apartment door so Mulder rose and walked towards it. It was the pizza guy. Mulder paid him and brought the pizza to the table, Nikolas trailing close behind him impatient for a slice.
"When's the last time we fed you?" Mulder asked playfully as Nikolas climbed on a chair and reached his hand into the half opened box. "It's not going anywhere," Mulder added with a smile. Alex walked in laughing at Mulder's comments.
They ate their pizza, aware that this would be thier last meal while living together. When they all finished, Alex helped Mulder clean up.
"So, I guess we should get going. Are you going to help me bring the boxes over? Or are you too tired from all the effort you put into that one box you packed," Alex asked.
"Hey, when you see that *one* box your going to be very happy that that's the only one I packed. In fact, you'll be thanking me."
"How hard is it for you?" Alex asked laughing.
"Extremely. Sometimes when I'm out of town on a case with Scully, I make up some reason to stay behind and 'ask a question' while she goes back to the motel and gets our stuff. It's a finely tuned system that I've worked out."
"Your pathetic."
"Lazy," Mulder corrected.
"Anyway," Alex said, changing the subject, "Let's grab some boxes." They both started towards the door, where the boxes were neatly stacked to the side. Alex called for Nikolas.
"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything? You have your blanket? Everything?" Nikolas nodded. "Okay, here," Alex placed a box on the floor next to Nikolas, "sit down right there for a second. We're going to bring some boxes down to the car and we'll be right back. Don't move, okay?" He nodded again.
Mulder and Alex carried a couple boxes each down to their respective cars and took the elevator up to Mulder's floor, went down the hall and back inside. Nikolas remained in the same spot, sitting on the box.
"Okay buddy, I've got to take that box now," Mulder said as Alex picked up the only other remaining box. Nikolas stood up and the three of them walked toward the elevator, Nikolas in front. The last of the boxes were placed in the cars and Alex buckled Nikolas into his.
"See you in a bit then?" Mulder called from his car.
"Yeah, meet you there."
Mulder drove away and minutes later Alex pulled into the street . They were going to *his* house. The fact was just now beginning to seem real. He had a house, a son, and a life that no longer involved dirty motel rooms, murder, and lies. As he looked in his rearview mirror into the face of his son, he realized that life could be good.