Scully woke to the sound of a rooster crowing. It was odd to be waking up in this manner. At first, she did not know where she was. She was sleeping in a small uncomfortable bed. Mulder was there, but she knew it wasn't their bed because of how cramped it was.
She'd never been a big fan of cuddling while sleeping and Mulder usually respected that. She suspected that he did not mind the small bed as much as she did considering how he was curled around her.
Despite her disinclination toward cuddling, she enjoyed waking up surrounded by his warmth that protected her from the morning chill. She could feel his breath on her neck and could feel his heartbeat on her back.
She snuggled in closer to him and his arms tightened reflexively. It still took her a few moments to figure out where they were. The memories from the day before came back to her and she wished that she could go back to sleep.
"Morning," Mulder mumbled in her ear and gave a soft kiss to her neck.
Scully turned around in his arms to face him, "Good morning."
The smell of eggs cooking greeted Skinner when he woke up. It had been years since he'd woken up to a hot breakfast and he began to feel slightly better about his living conditions if it meant waking up like this every day.
When he opened his eyes, he was unsurprised to see Scully standing over the wood-burning stove. She was in pajamas with a robe hanging from her shoulders. Mulder stood next to her, speaking to her in a low voice with a smile on his face. Skinner realized that he'd never really had the opportunity to see them like this and he found it interesting. He knew that he should be getting up to do his share of what he was sure was going to be a long day, but it was chilly in the poorly insulated shack and his blanket was warm.
The cot he'd slept on, however, was not comfortable. There was a spring that was sticking up right on his shoulder blade and he knew he'd be feeling that all day. He made a mental note to get another blanket for some extra padding.
He finally sat up and rubbed his eyes. He reached for the small table that was next to his bed and got his glasses. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he already began to feel the beginning of a headache.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. How'd you sleep?" His eyes didn't need to be open to recognize Mulder's voice.
"Mulder, the kids are still sleeping," Scully scolded him softly.
"I slept as good as can be expected. You?" Skinner began to get up. When his feet touched the cold floor, they flinched up and he reached for his bag to find a pair of socks.
"Fine, I guess. The bed was not great, but what can you expect in this internment camp?" Mulder sounded as bitter as Skinner felt.
Scully did not seem to like that characterization, "Mulder, you need to adjust yourself to the fact that this is our new life, at least for now. It's not great, but we can at least try to keep things positive for the kids." She said it softly to keep said children from hearing her words, even though they all knew that if the kids were awake, they were hearing everything.
"I agree. We just need to make the best of it until we figure out what the hell is going on."
"I'll tell you what the hell is going on," Mulder's stage whisper went up a notch. "What's going on is a story as old as time. A group is living on their own land and then another group that is more prepared with better technology arrives and decimates the population. After the genocide, the more powerful group splits up the remaining population into small, controlled, groups. Except this time, instead of two groups of humans fighting for the land rights of a country or continent, it is a highly intelligent alien race against humanity for the whole world!"
"Mulder! Take this outside. Now." Scully said as she turned to see if William was still asleep.
He appeared to be still in the throws of deep sleep and once she realized it, she calmed a bit.
Mulder made eye contact with Skinner and nodded toward the door. The two men left their new little home and stood out in the morning sun.
It was a beautiful area.
The grass was covered with dew and a small layer of fog was settled over it as the moisture from the grass met the sun. Birds could be heard in the trees and the river that was not too far from them could be heard.
Skinner had visited the park when it was still a National Forest. He and Sharon went on a camping trip there at the beginning of their marriage. Skinner banished that thought from his mind, before he could begin to wonder again what'd happened to his ex wife.
"I don't like that they want to see the kids. I don't trust them and I am not sure how much I trust Gibson, honestly," Mulder said as he looked at his feet.
Skinner squinted at the sky. "Mulder, Gibson was the one who contacted me and the Gunmen and gave us vital information that led us to Scully. I'm not saying that he is telling us everything, but I think he genuinely cares for the kids. I don't think he would let them be hurt."
"What just cause led you to Scully? How do we know that was not just apart of his plan to get the kids to the colonists?"
"Do you think you and the kids were better off with the new syndicate?" Skinner asked roughly.
Mulder just shook his head as he looked at his feet, "It was awful, Skinner. Torture. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell Scully about how they kept me from fighting back. I can't even imagine- I don't want to imagine- what they were doing to the kids. But I doubt that the colonists are somehow more altruistic than Diana and her colleagues."
"I'm sure that their intentions are less than pure, but both Gibson and Shelly will be there to ensure the children are okay."
"That's another thing, though. We don't even really know Shelly except that she helped us escape."
"William and Gabby seem to trust her and they can read minds."
"But can they read her mind? They can't read Gibson's."
"I think they can. Will was saying that it was odd not hearing Gibson, it was almost like a blind spot, he said finds it confusing. He didn't mention Shelly when he was talking about it, so I assume that Gibson is the only person he's come across that he can't hear," Skinner shrugged.
"Remember that night Will was born?" Mulder ducked his head up to glance at Skinner and sadness was written on his face. "I knew he wouldn't be normal. I mean, I guess we all knew it, but when Scully gave him up I began to hope we'd be able to keep him away from all this."
Skinner put a hand on Mulder's shoulder. "Mulder… everyone is involved in this mess now. If he wasn't with the two of you when this happened, they would have found him anyways. Diana would have found him at the very least and I'm sure the Colonists would have too. At least this way, he has you and Scully to protect him."
Mulder didn't respond.
"Mulder, you need to focus on the fact that you have a family right now. I know you're not used to it, but you've been talking for years like you wanted it. Well now it is here, so it's not the time to go running off and trying to be a hero. Now is the time for you to ignore your instinct to do that. Your son is here, Scully is here, not to mention that little girl in there who has never had a family."
Mulder gave a small smile, "Yeah, Scully is already head over heels for her." He sighed as he looked ahead and squinted, "You're right. Scully said as much to me before the Syndicate came after us."
The barking of a dog interrupted them and they turned to see Dagoo running out of the shack followed by Gabby who was giggling and chasing the dog in her pajamas and bare feet.
The dog crouched down and jumped as she tried to take the toy he was holding hostage. William ran out a second later and charged the dog.
The men had been standing far enough away that they felt pretty confident the kids had not heard their conversation and they were not showing any signs that they had.
Mulder and Skinner walked back to the shack as they watched the children and the dog play.
"Gabby, you should put some shoes on. Aren't you cold?" Mulder asked. She stopped and looked down at her feet as if noticing it for the first time. A small shiver ran through her and Mulder shrugged off the zip up hoodie he was wearing and wrapped it around her.
She looked up at him with gleaming eyes and Mulder for a moment remembered all of the generated visions where he always had a daughter. His heart broke a little bit for the family that was never meant to be, but he also grew hopeful for the new family that was forming.
"Okay guys, so you and Skinner and I don't have anything to do today, so we are going to get some things done. Scully is going to be doing her doctor thing and I want us to be productive," Mulder said as he shoved some slightly burnt scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Gibson left us some fishing equipment that I want to take for a spin."
Skinner moved the food around on his plate like a little boy, "I'm going to chop some wood. We only have enough for another day or so right now."
Mulder nodded at him, "Then it will be the three of us." He gestured toward the kids.
William had an odd look on his face, but Gabby was so excited she looked like she was about to jump out of her chair and leave now.
"Have you guys been fishing before?" Mulder asked.
Will nodded silently, not looking up from his plate.
"I didn't get to go outside, but I have watched movies with fishing and read books about it!" Gabby relayed this information so casually that the sadness of the statement nearly went over the heads of the adults.
Scully watched her son carefully with concern. William looked up at her as he heard her concern. He made eye contact with her and Scully could see tears gathering in his eyes. He gave a slight shake of his head to indicate that he did not want her to reach for him or make his sadness known. Scully sat stiffly in her seat, but nodded. She felt like she would need to sit on her hands to prevent herself from trying to hold him.
Mulder and Gabby had picked up the conversation about fishing as the little girl asked him a multitude of questions.
"What kinds of fish could we catch?" Gabby asked practically bouncing in her seat.
Mulder smiled at her. "Probably some bass, pike, blue gill. I'm sure we won't catch anything very big. I'm not a very accomplished fisherman, but who knows."
"I'll go get dressed." William said as he got up from the table to go to his bunk.
Scully got up and followed him and hovered while he gathered his clothes to then go find a private place to change.
"My dad and I used to go fishing every year," William said quietly as he stared into his duffel bag.
Scully stood away from him and just let him talk.
"That weekend that we came to find you. That was the time every year that he would take me. My mom wanted to cheer me up."
He looked up at Scully, "Do you think she'd be alive if I wouldn't have pushed to go to D.C.?"
His eyes were clear and Scully knew the question shouldn't hurt, but it did and she hated that he could feel the hurt that raked through her. She saw it on his face a moment after she felt it.
She moved to sit on his cot and opened her mind to him completely.
'I don't know, Will.' She was looking right into his eyes as hers filled with tears.
He looked down, "I'm sure I'll have fun with Mulder and Gabby, but I just-I miss my dad. It's been a little while now but…" He picked up on her own thoughts that were of her own father who'd died over twenty years before.
Scully still mourned him often. "It never fully goes away but it gets better." She took both his hands, held them in her own, and placed them on her lap.
'I'll always miss my parents.' She felt a tear make its way down her face.
William moved quickly and soon his arms were wrapped around her shoulders. "Thank you."
Scully was not sure exactly what he was thanking her for, but she accepted the hug gratefully and never wanted to let go.
"Will!" Mulder shouted from across the room, "Get dressed, we're missing prime fishing hours!"
Both of them gave a small laugh and parted. Scully took his face between her hands and looked at him for a moment. She saw Mulder in him and it hurt for just a moment, as she considered all that they'd missed. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and went to get ready for the day ahead.