Disclaimer: I don't own the X Files
Note: Huge thank you to Kyouryoku Senshi for being my beta!
There's No Place Like Home
The reservation was on the land of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. The car ride was around four hours. The roads were abandoned and silent.
Before they had been abducted by Diana and her ilk, there had been rioting and shootings. Things had been uncertain, but they had remained; now it looked almost like they were on a set for The Walking Dead.
Not as many abandoned cars, but there were houses with doors wide open and belongings scattered all along the yard. There were bodies as well. When they drove by, Dana covered Gabby's eyes even though she knew the girl could see it in their minds. Gibson was driving her large SUV with Mulder riding shotgun. Scully sat in the back with William and Gabby and Skinner and Shelly drove in a small car behind them. Dagoo sat in the trunk with his bed, his cage, and some toys. They had filled the car with anything they thought useful. Gibson had said the camps would be pretty basic, so they packed things like plastic plates and cups and bedding.
In the time between his mother's death and being abducted, William had printed out some pictures from home that had been online. As he packed them in his own backpack, he was happy that he had thought of it. He wondered if he would ever be home again. These thoughts led him to wondering about his friends and he got a sick feeling.
He was now staring out the window of the car, wondering about them again and knowing that he would most likely never see them again. His eyes filled with tears and he glanced next to him. His birth mother had taken a seat between him and currently, Gabby's head was resting on Dana's lap as she slept and Dana was looking straight ahead.
William thought that she looked like some classic work of art whenever he looked her way. She was always so strong, but graceful. She was dangerous, but made those around her feel safe.
He moved closer to her and she started, then softened and smiled at him. She put her arm around him and he rested his head on her shoulder.
Most of the time, William could block out people's thoughts, but it always took some effort. As he sat in the car, he let it slip away and the thoughts of his parents became clear. Gibson was a closed book unless he opened his own mind and Gabby was asleep.
He hated hearing people's thoughts, but he was so tired. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep despite the background noise. Their thoughts matched each other's for the most part. They were just echo's of worry for each other and him. Dana had carved out a special part of her mind for Gabby, who she now fretted over as well.
Mulder turned around to check on how they were. William didn't open his eyes, but he saw Mulder through Scully's eyes and vice versa. They smiled at each other with a weary look in their eyes. Mulder reached out for Scully's hand that had been laying on Gabby's shoulder. He squeezed it and William could hear words of love that he would have said out loud if they were alone.
William squirmed slightly as he tried to build the mental wall back up. He felt like he was invading their private spaces when he saw their thoughts of each other. He had only been able to read their minds this clearly for a few hours and he already wished he could go back.
He had not learned anything surprising, but the depth of love for each other and for him made him uncomfortable. It made him recall how short a time he had actually been apart of their lives. He didn't like to see the pain that had been their companion for so long and it seemed to accompany almost every thought.
Meanwhile, Gibson could hear everyone. He had learned to filter them out but he felt guarded. He trusted Scully and Mulder, but he also knew that they, Mulder especially, could be tricky. He knew Mulder was mad about this new development and he did not want to take any chances with him.
Gibson had become used to the thoughts of others so long ago and it wasn't strange for him. Listening to Mulder and Scully's thoughts to him was like listening to a new song by an old band. One that he had listened to years ago and had forgotten about.
He heard Scully's voice ring out in his head as she directed a thought directly at him, "How much longer?"
"Only another hour."
She didn't respond directly, but he could feel her trepidation as she looked down at the children.
Gibson hoped that they would not be taken away, but he also knew that it was possible.
If they tried to take those children, he knew that Scully and Mulder would fight and if they fought, the colonists would not hesitate to kill them. They had been given latitude because of Gibson's relationship with them, but indolence would not be tolerated. To the aliens, they were just animals.
A type of shantytown had been erected in an area near a stream. Gibson told them that there were a few others like it spread throughout the land. There were cabins that were being used as holding facilities, dry storage, and hospitals. They came to a section that looked like it had been saved specifically for them.
And it had. The coordinators of the camps tried to prepare for each group before they came.
Their new homes were two and a half small box shaped shelters. They were connected with awkward doorways. The only doorway that had something like a door was leading to a small addition that was big enough only for a double bed which is what was in there.
In the other two, held two single beds each. The first was bigger and held a table and chairs with a wood-burning stove that had a chimney that went out of the tin roof. The floors were plywood covered with a few rugs. There was a counter type space with cabinets underneath that already had some basic dry food needs sitting ready to be eaten. The second larger room held the other two beds and a couple of more comfortable chairs for sitting. In one corner was a table with a basin that was filled with water and had a mirror in front of it. There was a bookcase that looked too large for the shack and other surfaces to put things.
It was not very big for six people and a dog, but there was enough storage space.
Gibson led them in as if he were taking them on a tour, "This little room is for Mulder and Scully." He gestured into the small sub-room with the bed.
Mulder stuck his head inside and turned back to look at Scully.
He wiggled his eyebrows at her, "Cozy."
She gave him a tight smirk in response.
"There are two beds in this room and two in the next. You guys can decide how to split it up. If you want to move the other two beds so they are all in the same room, it will probably fit. I know there is not a lot of privacy, but as time goes on, you can build onto it and make more rooms or something." Gibson seemed nervous as he explained their new life.
He paused suddenly and stared into space for a moment, "I am needed elsewhere. If you need help call out for me, I'll hear you."
He left quickly leaving the small group confused.
They decided that Gabby and Shelly could take the slightly smaller room that held the basin and bookcase as it offered a little more privacy while Skinner and William could have the middle room.
Skinner commented that he would figure out how to build two small shacks next to this one for he and Shelly as soon as he got the chance.
Gabby grabbed her tiny bag that held only some toiletries and a blanket that she found particularly soft and wanted. She quickly claimed a bed and seemed content to try to make her own little space.
Shelly had nothing except for what Dana had provided her. Shelly was quite a bit taller than Scully and so the sweatpants that she had been given looked nearly comical. Scully had given her one of her longer shirts but it still showed her midriff when she moved and she felt uncomfortable. Gibson had assured her that there would be clothing here for her. As soon as they got their bearings, he promised to show them where the 'stores' were.
Skinner showed the precision of a solider as he set about his work and did not seem to notice their new surroundings.
William set about creating his own space in silence as he took some scotch tape and hung his pictures around his bunk.
Scully looked at him worriedly for a moment and wondered what to do to help him. Mulder came behind her and the familiar feeling of his hand on the small of her back calmed her.
"Let him have some time. We can christen our new bedroom." He gave her a smile that showed that he was trying to cheer her.
She smiled at him and put her hand to his cheek, "I missed you." Her voice was soft and Mulder absorbed it, because Scully was not one for many words of affection. She leaned in and gave him a soft lingering kiss.
His response was low, "I missed you, too."
She could see in his eyes exactly what that statement meant to him at that moment and leaned in closer laying her hand on his chest, "Later, Mulder."
They went into the small shelter that was to be their room. There was not much walking space, but there were some poorly hung shelves on the walls.
"Maybe I'll add a little more space later, so we can actually fit our stuff in here." Mulder said as he surveyed the place.
"We should just be grateful that we have a space of our own, Mulder," Scully said as she began to arrange her side of the bed. She was grateful for a tall skinny nightstand that held a gas lamp.
Mulder threw himself down on the bed in frustration, "Should we, Scully? This is not right! They could have at least put people in a city or some kind of gated community to keep track. Instead they want to make it as unsafe as possible."
"I don't know if that is the point. They may just want to observe humanity trying to start over."
Mulder's brain jumped tracks quickly as it often did, "What do you know about the little girl who is with us?" He asked it lowly even though the plywood 'door' was 'closed' and the girls were a room away.
Scully looked at him, "I know that she is a little girl who was orphaned and has no family. I know that William trusts her and begged us to save her. She is all alone in the world, Mulder." She turned back to her unpacking at the last part because she didn't want Mulder to examine her face as she said it.
It was too late, he was now turning on his side his gaze burning holes into her back, "You want to keep her, to be her mother." It was not an accusatory tone just a statement.
Scully paused her movements and was silent for a few moments, "She needs a mother, Fox. And a father."
He knew she was serious whenever she used his first name. It meant that whatever she was saying, she wanted him to understand its importance.
He let out a sigh, "Well, at this point, Scully, she is stuck with us anyway."
"If you don't want that, Mulder, that's fine but I-I can't give her away."
He noticed a slight tremor in her voice and he quickly moved forward to sit next to her, "Hey, no one is asking you to. I was just curious. She can stay if she wants to and be our daughter."
She turned her face to him and with wet blue eyes that still tended to take his breath away on occasion, "Thank you."
She rested her hand on his thigh and kissed him.
His brain shut down the moment her lips touched his and he forgot everything else and the only thing that existed was the two of them.
To him, the real X file was how she could still do this to him after twenty-three years. The kiss got deeper until there was a knock at the door and both of them remembered that they were in a shack with very little privacy.
Scully sighed, "Later, somewhere private."
The only thing that Mulder wanted to do was take Scully somewhere private with a nice bed and not leave for three days. He knew, however, that this was currently impossible, so he would settle for the hope of sex in the woods sometime later.
"Can I come in?" Skinner's voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Yeah." Mulder said and walked over to what now seemed to be his side of the bed.
Skinner opened the plywood door, "I want to go look around. Shelly and Gabby said they want to go, we are going to walk around and look for supplies and find out more about what is going on. Do you want to come?"
Scully looked over at Mulder and Skinner watched as they communicated in their odd silent way, "No, I think we will unpack. Where is Will?"
"He's getting his bed set up." Skinner glanced around and lowered his voice, "I think he is having a hard time."
Scully nodded at him, "Thanks."
Skinner looked slightly uncomfortable in the small doorway. He nodded their way and closed the door on his way out.
Scully turned to look at Mulder, "I'm going to go talk to him."
Mulder nodded. She squeezed his hand and went to talk to William.
After William declined Skinner's offer to look around, he lay on the small uncomfortable cot and stared at a picture of him with his parents a year before his dad died.
They were standing in front of the big Christmas tree that their town put up every Christmas.
William was a lot smaller and had on a silly hat with elf ears. His parents were bundled up with their arms around him.
He felt tears welling up as he looked at the smile on his mother's face.
He would never see that smile again. There would never be another Christmas tree in the center of town. No more hot chocolates and Santa. No, now all that was left was a collection of shacks in the middle of nowhere and a few printed out pictures.
There was a dip in the cot as Dana sat down next to him.
He felt her hand on his shoulder but he didn't turn to look at her. He didn't want her to see his tears.
"Will, you can talk to us if you need to." She paused for a beat, "There is no way for us to understand fully what you are going through, but both of us have lost a lot. We won't be hurt that you miss your parents. I wish every day that we had been able to save your mom."
Her fingers brushed lightly through his hair and he turned around and buried his head in her side.
She hugged his head and sat there with him for a few minutes. They said nothing but he could tell that she was crying.
"It wasn't your fault, you know?" He said it quietly and Scully almost didn't hear him.
"I suppose. It will never stop me from feeling responsible." She kissed his head, "Do you want something to eat? We have some snacks with us."
He shook his head, "Can I go walk around?"
"By yourself?"
He nodded.
Scully felt conflicted about it. She didn't want him to go alone, but she wanted him to have the space he needed.
Gibson's voice rippled through her mind, I'll keep an eye on him.
She questioned for a moment if she could trust him to do that, but he'd saved them before, so she decided to let him go.
"You can walk around, but I want you to stay close. Don't go outside the camp. And take the dog with you."
He nodded silently and she kissed his head again, "Tell me when you get back."
Scully watched him go and went back to her little room with Mulder to have their own alone time.
The camp covered around ten miles of territory most of which was covered in small shacks. It was woodsy, but the strip of land they were planted on had been mostly cleared. It rested near a riving and a small lake. In another life, this area had been a recreational camping area for visitors to the park. William could hear everyone's thoughts swirling around his head and he just wanted to curl up and go to sleep. He'd needed to get away from Dana's sad thoughts and the anxious constant ticking of Mulder's brain.
William tried to block out the noise, but he was just getting a headache. He wondered if he would feel better if he found Gabby and Shelly. During part of the drive, he and Gabby had been able to block out the world for a little while to stave off the thoughts of those around. It kept until she fell asleep. He wished he could sleep.
He heard her melodic thoughts from his place near the river and decided to join the group of three that had gone in search of provisions. He pulled Dagoo along by his leash and went to find them.
Skinner was attempting to strike a bargain with a man that stood at what used to be a snack bar, but now appeared to hold food supplies.
The man who was at the stand had been instructed on how much food to give them, but was trying to talk Skinner up.
William could read the man well. He was an opportunist who was not supposed to be gaining anything from his position.
He walked up next to Skinner and stared at the man who seemed spooked by his presence.
"He can't be making deals like that with the food," William informed Skinner not looking away from the man who had begun to gather up the supplies that Skinner had asked for.
Skinner just looked at William with a look that he had seen since he was small. He looked at him and wondered what he was.
Will hung his head and walked over to Gabby who was sitting on a bench humming to herself. Her feet did not reach the ground so her skinny legs were swinging back and forth.
She was still in her hospital ware and he could see that she had spotted a place to get clothing and was now waiting patiently for the adults who were currently loading up a wheelbarrow with groceries.
"I can take you to get the clothes." William said and she smiled at him.
Gabby yelled their plans over to Skinner who looked up for a moment, before telling them to not go anywhere other than the clothing shop.
The place Gabby had heard of was down a small path a little ways. They walked in a comfortable silence and watched the camp around them.
Gibson had not told them how long the camp had been set up, but the people looked well established. This seemed like home to them now. Children ran around everywhere and seemed free. They had moved past the initial fear of their new surroundings and now were happy again in their new lives.
To the young children, this seemed like a vacation. They were out in the woods with a lot of other people and there was no school.
The adults were not so carefree. Most still held on to some fear as they went about their business.
It looked like there was a garden for every few homes that was big enough to feed a few families. People tended the gardens and cooked over open fires.
There were animals everywhere. The area they were in seemed to be an agricultural area. He watched as a young mother milked a cow while keeping tabs on her children. Her husband was on his hands and knees next to a tilled patch of earth.
They were farmers. They got closer to the small clothing shop and the homes were less and less farm like. Now he noticed people working different crafts in front of their makeshift homes. There were signs advertising construction, cooking and sewing classes, and a post office.
The last one caught his attention and he noticed a small line leading into the shack that held the sign. He tucked this information away for later as he remembered his friends.
Finally, they came to a small shop that was a real building. It looked like what used to be a gift shop. William tied Dagoo'd leash to a tree and gave him plenty of slack.
Inside there was a mix of homemade clothing and clothing that had been taken from places in the area. It was all practical and most of the clothes were sitting folded in large unlabeled piles.
A middle-aged woman walked toward them as they examined the place.
"Well, you two look new to the settlement. What can I get for you?" She asked them with a pleasant smile.
Will glanced at Gabby, who he noticed was on edge around so many people.
"Yeah, we are new we just got here today. I have some clothing but she doesn't have any." William answered the woman who he assumed ran the shop.
She nodded at them, "Follow me."
Gabby stood still and he took her hand as they went deeper into the crowded place.
The woman went behind a counter and took out a binder.
She ran her finger down the first page and asked, "William and Gabby Scully?"
William was thrown by the last name for a moment and realized that they must have been grouped with Dana in the records. He'd heard his parents talking about taking in Gabby as their own. He glanced at the wide eyed girl and wondered if she'd heard them as well. She looked at him and he knew that she had.
It was a conversation for later.
Will nodded.
"I'm expecting more from your group as well. Are they with you?" The woman asked.
"They will be coming soon."
"Alright, well Gabby why don't you come with me and I will help you find some nice clothes. My name is Barbra by the way." She had bent down on Gabby's level and took her hand.
William did a quick scan of her mind and could see that she was a genuine person but he also decided to follow them as they went to a section that held children's clothes.
She showed Gabby a section of clothes that would fit her and told her to pick out three outfits for now and two pairs of shoes.
Until now Gabby had been wearing a pair of hard soled slippers that Dana had slipped on her before they left. They hung off her feet in a comical way and were now covered in dirt.
Gabby nodded silently and began to look around.
By the time Shelly and Skinner entered the store, Gabby was trying on clothes. She was smiling at herself in the mirror as she wore a shirt that pictured the Disney Princess and the Frog, jeans, and pink gym shoes. She'd pulled back her braids into a thick ponytail with a ponytail holder that Barbra had provided.
Gabby had never had clothes besides a few pairs of pajamas and she was so excited to be getting her own clothes.
Besides her current outfit, she had also picked a pair of jean overalls with a plain blue tee shirt and a red sundress that was homemade from strong material.
She had the shoes she was wearing, a pair of hiking boots, and sturdy sandals.
Barbra told Gabby to pick out two jackets while she went to help Shelly find more clothes.
Gabby gladly went to the indicated pile and began to look for a light jacket.
Skinner came next to William, "Do you need any clothes?"
"No, I have enough for now."
"Do we need to trade anything for these clothes?"
"The lady said that until we are settled all our supplies will be free. Did you take the food back to the…" He struggled for a word, "House?"
Skinner gave a small laugh, "No, not yet we have the supplies waiting outside. We got some bags to carry the clothes."
Will nodded and watched Gabby settle on a blue jacket for lighter weather and a black one for cooler days.
She went to a section that held hair accessories and picked some out for herself.
"Where did she come from?" Skinner asked quietly.
"She is like me, except they killed her parents and raised her. She grew up in places like where you found me."
Skinner shook his head and William could hear his angry thoughts, "How many others were there?"
"Too many."
"What do you think happened to them?" Skinner asked this more to himself than to Will. William didn't answer and just looked at the ground. He had been wondering the same thing himself.