Title: In It For The Mini-Van
Author: Deenalynn
Author's E-Mail: [email protected]
Category: SAR
Keywords: MSR
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Archive: Yes, please!
Feedback: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Chris Carter,
Ten Thirteen Productions, and Fox Broadcasting.  I am none of the
above.

This and the rest of my stories may be found at: 
Deenalynn's Fanfic Corner
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/5783/index.html

Summary: Sometimes it's the simplest thing.

In It For The Mini-Van 

Scully slammed the car door.  Her partner watched her tense form,
waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.  She took a few deep,
cleansing breaths and forced herself to relax, finally allowing
her head to fall back against the seat.  "I just can't understand
it, Mulder.  It's beyond me," she said, her voice soft and broken.

Mulder reached for her hand.  "I know, Scully.  Fortunately, it's
beyond most people."  He watched her for another moment or two,
taking in the pale, drawn features.  "Unfortunately, it *wasn't*
beyond the Davidsons."

Scully nodded slightly.  "It always seems somewhat unreal to me
that anyone could intentionally hurt their own child, or *any*
child for that matter.  No matter how many times I see it, I am
*still* shocked and horrified by it."

"Good!" Mulder said emphatically.  "That's a *good* thing, Scully. 
God help us if we *ever* get used to seeing children hurt."

"You know what made me the angriest, Mulder?  Sharon Davidson just
kept trying to justify her. . . her. . . actions, by talking about
how much more difficult Megan had made her life.  How hard it was
to have a deaf child and how much easier her life had been before
she had Megan."  Scully had to stop to take a calming breath. 
"All I could think about was how there are people out there who
would give *anything* to have a baby.  I kept going back to when
Bill and Tara were trying so hard to get pregnant.  They were
seriously considering adoption if the last IVF didn't work.  They
were thinking about a special needs or hard to place child,
because they knew how much love and happiness they had to give." 
She stopped and turned to meet his steady gaze.  "Can
you imagine if a couple like Bill and Tara had adopted Megan,
instead of . . . staying with her *real* family?" she whispered.

~@~@~@~

Later that evening Mulder sat in his hotel room, alone.  When he
had dropped Scully at her door she had insisted she was going to
take a nice long bath and go to bed.  She had smiled indulgently
at his worried expression and said thanks, but no thanks to his
invite to join him for dinner.  He knew that cases involving
children were every cop's nightmare.  Personally, he always wanted
to break something after interviewing a child abuser.  He could
also see there was something in particular about this case that
was getting to his partner.  She had always been very sensitive to
children, and openly hostile to their abusers.  But he had been
worried she was going to physically harm Sharon and Brian Davidson
when he found the half-starved three year old in the crawl space
under their garden shed.

The soft knock on his door interrupted his musings.  He opened it
to find his freshly scrubbed partner.  "Can I come in?" Scully
asked, her expression serious, but peaceful.

"Of course."  Mulder stepped aside and closed the door behind her.

She wandered the room for a bit touching his things, seeming to
need to reconnect to him.  After a couple of minutes of silence
she sat on the bed, patting the space beside her.  He sat next to
her, their shoulders just touching.  Scully took a deep breath. 
"I know you've been worried about me today."  He just nodded. 
"I'm sorry for that."  She cut him off before he could speak.  "I
know, but I don't like to worry you."  He nodded again.  "These
people really got to me.  They had it all.  Everything most people
dream about.  It made me realise how much I would give to have
what they have.  How much we have given so that some day we might. 

Mulder shook his head, not comprehending.

"What it looked like they had, is why I'm still here.  And I think
it's why you're here, too."

Mulder was still slightly confused.  "I'm not sure what you mean,
Scully."

She smiled.  "That didn't make much sense did it?"  He smiled
back.  "Think about it, Mulder.  Why do we do what we do?  It
certainly isn't for the respect and accolades of our peers."  This
earned her another grin.  "When we do manage to save the world we
are unlikely to get credit for it.  Hell, most of the world
probably won't even know they've been saved.  So why do we do it?
Your sister?  Found.  Personal gain?  Not so's you'd notice.  So
why do we keep plugging along, getting up, no matter how many
times they slap us down?" 

Mulder shrugged still not sure where she was going with this. 
"Why do you think we do it, Scully?"

"It's for the mini-van, Mulder."  

"The mini-van."

Scully smiled again, this time it was a bit brighter.  "We want
that perfect life.  I think it's what we've always wanted.  The
ultimate prize.  So we keep fighting these men who would take
it away.  If we don't stop them, that life has no meaning.  How
can we even try for a perfect life knowing it would all be taken
away from us?   How can you have happiness when you know for a
fact it is temporary?  So we fight.  And when we win, I want the
house and the picket fence and a fully stocked mini-van," she said
firmly.

"You mean a fully equipped mini-van."  Mulder was still a bit
confused.  It wasn't like his partner to be so open about what she
wanted.

"No.  I meant stocked.  I don't care if it has a CD player, as
long as it comes with the children, basketballs, bats, hockey
skates, camping equipment and a large dog drooling on the back
seat."

Mulder grinned broadly and took her hand.  "I think I like this
mini-van of yours."

"Ours"

"Ours.  But . . . ?"

"There are a lot of options available to sterile couples, Mulder."

He smiled again.  "So the next time someone asks you why the hell
you are *still* working with 'Spooky Mulder'. . ."

"I tell them I'm in it for the mini-van.  Let them figure it out."

The End