Part II: Excursion

I know she thought I was crazy to do this, but what was new about that? As long as it kept her and the baby safe I'd do what I had to no matter what that was. This certainly wasn't the greatest plan since it was no plan at all, but at least I'd gotten her away from those who were determined to hurt her, steal her baby, or stop her from delivering.

"Mulder, I really need to stop," she said in a warning tone of voice. "I'm not going to last another five miles. If you don't take the next exit we'll be pulling off to the side of the freeway and giving everyone a free show—unless you'd rather have me pee all over your car seat."

"Okay, okay, I get it," I said, putting on my turn-blinker and heading down the next ramp. I watched carefully as I made a right turn onto the road at the bottom, but I saw no one following unless they were either invisible or in a black helicopter and I couldn't do anything about either of those. No, I was pretty sure we'd gotten away clean; no one or nothing had followed us from Scully's street and I suspected that whomever was in the black car I'd seen in front of her building had gotten in the way of whomever had chased us, or at least I hoped that. It might have been Doggett or Skinner but I couldn't know for sure, and I dared not contact them.

I spotted a familiar blue and white sign in the distance and asked, "Can you wait until we get to the Wal-Mart? We can pick up some supplies while we're there too."

"Yeah, I should be able to. Supplies?"

"I think our best bet for right now is to hole up somewhere in the middle of BFE and figure out what we're going to do," I told her. "Contacting the Gunmen is a thought, maybe they can get you a set of ID. In the meantime, I want to be prepared just in case you go into labor early."

"Early?" she said in a disbelieving tone, folding her hands over her round stomach almost protectively. "Mulder, my due date is day after tomorrow. Up to two weeks before or after is perfectly normal."

"Really? I thought you had more time." I did the math swiftly and realized that something that had been nagging at me was going to be confirmed if she had this baby in the next few days.

Once in the store she arrowed straight to the restrooms and I stood in the hallway just inside the main doors and watched her go; I'd never ever tell her but I loved to watch her late-pregnancy waddle. It was so different from the way I'd watched her walk during all our years together as partners and yet still the same that it tickled my heart. Hell, just about everything about her touched my heart in one way or another and I was just about done with fighting it. I knew I'd hurt her with my distancing myself from her and her pregnancy when I came back from the dead, but the last few days had begun to make me realize my priorities. And my fear of becoming a father was the worst one, the one I'd have to come to terms with very soon. No matter how many jokes or smart remarks I made, I was pretty damn sure I knew who the father of Scully's baby was—and it wasn't the pizza guy or even Skinner. It was me. And whether I liked it or not I was about to become just as responsible for this new life as she was and I had to face up to that no matter how her pregnancy had happened.

She returned a lot slower than she went and when she reached me, she grabbed the collar of my leather jacket and pulled me down to her level and all but whispered in my ear, "Mulder, I don't have any cash on me and we don't dare use our credit cards, you know."

"I know," I said, inhaling the soft citrus and soapy smell of her hair which brushed against my face. She must have showered when she got back from the hospital earlier as she smelled very fresh and clean. "I've got it covered, don't worry. Just get what you need, okay?"

She eyed me uncertainly as I stood up straight, but I just smiled reassuringly—or so I hoped—and went to get us a basket. I wished she could use one of those electric cart thingies to ride in as I was worried about her being on her feet for so long, but I didn't even suggest it—I knew she wouldn't without bringing it up.

I had never been in a Wal-Mart before and had more fun than I'd realized by making snarky observations to Scully, many of which she returned. Even at ten o'clock at night the hicks were out in force and I was seeing first-hand a side of Americana I had only imagined. Fat women in stained muumuus with dirty-faced shrieking children and baskets full of two-liters of Mountain Dew and black velvet Elvis paintings wandered the aisles, while tall skinny men with beards wearing coveralls haunted the automotive and home improvement departments. It was like being plunked into the middle of an episode of "Roseanne". I may have been exaggerating, but not by much.

After a lot of discussion and urging on my part, she picked out two changes of clothes, several nightgowns that she said would be easy to nurse in, and we bought enough towels in different sizes and shapes that the cashier probably thought we were opening a motel. She also picked out a selection of baby blankets and newborn outfits in yellow and green, insisting on not knowing the baby's sex until it was born. We agreed to get diapers and a car seat and a collapsible umbrella stroller, having no idea what we might or might not need and trying to be prepared for any contingency. Then I insisted on getting some childbirth and baby care books, especially one on Lamaze though Scully told me that it was far too late for that since we'd only gone to one class.

Although I was hesitant to let her know, I had withdrawn all of my savings in cash not long after 'returning' and had been carrying much of it on me for the last few days as well as having some stashed in my car, which the Gunmen had equipped with a kill switch long ago so I had little worry about it being stolen. So money-wise we were fine. I also had my usual last-minute travel bag in the trunk along with a basic emergency kit and case of bottled water, so with the Wal-Mart purchases I felt we were pretty well set for almost any contingency that I could think of. Although, of course, it was the ones we couldn't think of that would be the ones that came up.

And although I hadn't told her yet because I knew she'd stop me, I did have a plan for a safe way for Scully to have her baby.