Title: Home is

Author: Cathey Scully

Category: MSR, Sequel to Changed, S, some A

Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Seasons one through Alone, and my version of the end of the
8th season, a.k.a. my fic, Changed.

Archive: Yes please, just tell me so Mulder and I can bring the kids and
visit.

Feedback: Please, CatheyScully@t... or
scully@g...

Summary: It's time to go home

Notes and Dedications: Thanks to everyone who encouraged me with the
first story "Changed" and who told me they wanted a sequel. And of
course, To Rotem, who's my best friend in the world and the big sister I
never had.

* * *

He was gone. She always ached when he wasn't there. Her entire body
ached for him. Her mind missed him as much as her body did. She wished
he would hurry back.

Akila missed him too. She didn't cry or fuss, she just wouldn't perk up
until she heard his voice. Mulder called every day. Instead of the
regular phone Mulder called on the videophone. Scully would sit with
Akila on her lap and she and Mulder would talk for hours. Not only did
Akila love being able to see her father, Scully enjoyed being face to
face with Mulder.

He said it still wasn't safe for her and Akila, and had asked Reyes to
stay with them until the okay was given. Mulder was too damn protective
for his own good sometimes. It was one of the things that endeared him
to Scully and also infuriated her. It was also one of the things that
made her love him all the more.

"Things are almost ready Scully. Skinner told me a few more days and
things will have settled enough for you and Kila to come back into the
real world." Mulder spoke into the videophone. He noted that Scully
wasn't paying attention to him in order to change their squirming
daughter's diaper.

"I'm listening Mulder." Scully spoke, as if reading his thoughts. "A
few more days and then Akila and I can join society again."

"How much stuff are you going to pack?"

"That depends on if my apartment is still there."

"I've already looked into that. The guys told me that miraculously, our
apartments and your mom's place were left unharmed." Mulder told her.
Scully stopped and looked up at him.

"Well, in that case, I'll only bring the necessary things for Akila.
After all, if she keeps taking your shirts, you're going to be topless
eventually. Not that I'd mind." Scully grinned as she finished with
Akila and lifted her back into her arms. The baby squirmed around in
Scully's arms, searching for her father. Scully turned the baby to see
Mulder's image and Akila squirmed before reaching out a hand to Mulder.
Mulder lifted a hand to touch the screen where Kila was reaching.

"Hey Baby. Are you ready to go home with me and mommy?"

"Tell Daddy yes Akila, tell Daddy yes." Scully cooed. Akila yawned in
response. Mulder chuckled and Scully shifted the sleepy child. "It's
bedtime for baby. Call me back in an hour Mulder?"

"Sure Scully." Mulder kissed his fingertips and pressed them to the
screen over Scully and Akila's images. "Night, night Kila. Daddy loves
you."

"Night, night Daddy." Scully echoed. "Love you too."

Later that night, Scully and Mulder completed the ritual that they'd
established when he'd had to go back. They talked on the regular phone
while lying in bed with their eyes closed, imagining the other was with
them. They would slowly lull each other to sleep and would end their
conversations with "I love you, talk to you tomorrow."

The next morning Scully woke expecting to hear the phone ring and
Mulder's amused voice when he teased her about sleeping later than him.
Instead she heard Reyes outside her door on the phone with some one.
Scully slipped her robe on over he pajamas and walked into Akila's
bedroom. She found the baby giggling to herself; something that she
must have started after Scully turned the baby monitor off when she left
the room. Akila squealed and Scully lifted her out of the crib and
cuddled her close.

"You only act this way after talking to Daddy." Scully accused smiling.
"Is Aunt Monica talking to Daddy?" She laughed as Akila squealed and
buried her face in her neck. "You're a little ham...yes you are. But
you're mommy's little ham so it's okay."

Scully carried her happy baby into the kitchen and questioned Monica
about who she was talking to. Scully's suspicions were confirmed when
Reyes answered that it was Mulder and that she'd already let Akila talk
to him. As soon as Reyes handed the phone to Scully, Akila started
whimpering to be fed. Scully took the phone and balanced it between her
ear and shoulder while she nursed Akila. She and Mulder talked for an
hour. He told her that he'd booked a ticket for her and Akila on a
flight the next day to Indiana.

When Scully asked why he wanted her there so soon, especially after
telling her the night before that it would be almost another week,
Mulder replied that the president wanted to meet the people who had, in
most definitions, saved the world. They discussed what would be
involved with the president's visit, including a dinner and a ceremony
of some kind. President Bush mainly wanted to honor Scully and Mulder
for their services, but Mulder said that he was going to request
recognition for everyone who had been involved in the fight. Once that
had all been cleared up, sleeping arrangements were mentioned. Mulder
was taken aback when Scully asked where she and Akila would be staying;
he'd assumed that they would stay with him. He quickly voiced this.

"That's okay isn't it Scully? Cause if it's not, there are extra rooms
and beds around here."

"I do want to stay with you Mulder. I'm just worried about how others
will react. Like Doggett, and Skinner."

"Skinner knows about us. He knows that we were together before I was
taken, he knows Akila's mine. He also knows that I love you with all my
heart and I'm not going to let you go. As for Doggett, he knows when to
back off."

"That sounded rather territorial Mulder. I should probably hit you for
that."

"You'll have to catch me first. I gotta go Scully. Bring Akila's
bassinette okay?"

"Okay, talk to you later."

"Bye Scully." Mulder hung up the phone.

Scully smiled and shifted her hungry daughter. They were one great leap
closer to being together again. The more she thought about it, the
happier Scully became. Within minutes, Scully felt the now-familiar
ache in her chest lessen. From Indiana, they would make their way home
to D.C. It was the beginning of a new life.

End of part one.
Remember... Feedback for more fic. :-)

Part two

Scully was nervous. She wasn't very fond of flying, and the fact that
they had been delayed for an hour while a missing part was replaced
hadn't helped Scully's anxiety. One consolation was that the person who
had the seat next to her didn't show up and Scully was able to set
Akila's carrier down. That allowed the baby to sleep until they'd
gotten into the air and the pressure changes began to affect Akila's
ears.

She comforted her daughter as best she could, even going so far as to
digging out Mulder's shirt and slipping it over her head. She hoped
that the combination of Mulder's familiar smell and her heartbeat would
calm Akila. Slowly the baby's cries hushed to small whimpers and Scully
gave Akila her hand, knowing that Akila liked to gnaw on fingers after
crying.

When Akila finally relaxed, she decided to nap against Scully. Scully
sang a soft lullaby to her daughter and held the child softly. Scully
didn't mind that her fingers were gooey and that she was wearing a shirt
that was two times her size. Her daughter was happy, and Scully was
content. She was on a plane that would lead her to Mulder. Everything
was right, and Akila was still asleep when they landed.

Mulder was waiting for her at the gate. His hands were stuffed into the
pockets of his jeans and he was talking to an elderly woman. When
Scully came into sight, shifting Akila against her shoulder and the
baby's diaper bag in the carrier, the woman pointed her out to Mulder.
He looked up and a bright smile immediately adorned his face. He
crossed over to her and took the handle of the carrier. Mulder pulled
the diaper bag out of the seat and took Akila from Scully to set the
baby down. After Akila was back in her carrier, and her carrier was
grasped tightly in his hand Mulder wrapped his arms around Scully and
pulled her close to his body. After murmuring a soft hello, Mulder
dragged Scully into a long, slow kiss.

When they finished with their non-verbal greetings, Mulder released
Scully and set the baby carrier on the floor to look at Akila. His
daughter opened and closed her mouth in her sleep. Mulder grinned and
looked up at Scully. She smiled down at him and nodded. Mulder brushed
his lips over Akila's forehead before standing up and kissing Scully
again. After some rearrangement, everything was gathered and Scully
wrapped her arms around Mulder's waist.

Mulder turned to the woman he'd been chatting with. "Goodbye Mrs.
Wimsey. It was nice meeting you."

"Goodbye young man. You take care of those two." She indicated Scully.

"Oh, I plan to." Mulder smiled down at his family. "Scully, how much
luggage do you have?"

"Two suit cases."

"Okay. To Baggage Claim it is. I missed you."

"I missed you too Mulder." Scully kissed Mulder's cheek. Mulder turned
and captured her lips again. Scully smiled into his kiss. "Come on
Mulder, Akila's due for a feeding soon, and I don't really want to do it
in the airport."

"Yes ma'am." Mulder kissed the top of Scully's head and walked them
towards Baggage Claim.

Mulder drove one handed. His other hand was held in Scully's tight
grip. Mulder gave her fingers a squeeze. Scully smiled at him and
turned around to check on the other joy in her life. Akila was still
asleep, which surprised Scully. She was overdue for her afternoon
feeding and that worried Scully. Mulder told her not to worry and he
was right. Ten minutes later they got stuck in a traffic jam and the
honking of horns woke Akila. She whimpered and reached for Scully who
unbuckled her from the carrier and held her in the front seat. Akila
chortled her glee at seeing Mulder until her tummy began to rumble and
the infant reached for her food supply.

After feeding Akila, Scully rocked her but the baby wouldn't be lulled
back to sleep. Scully set her back in her car seat as traffic began to
move. Akila giggled and squealed in the back seat. Scully smiled and
rested her head on Mulder's shoulder.

"Everyone's really anxious to see you and Akila, Scully."

"Really? Interesting."

"Yes. I had to bribe Skinner to keep Doggett occupied while I came to
get you." Scully laughed and turned to face Akila.

"Daddy's so silly Akila. Tell daddy that he's silly. Why is he silly?
He's silly because he still hasn't gathered that mommy loves him and
nobody but him." Scully smiled at Akila and reached back to stroke her
hair. "Isn't he silly for being jealous of Doggett? We all know that
Doggett and Aunt Monica have a thing going. Isn't that right Akila?"
Scully cooed and Akila squealed. Smiling triumphantly, Scully leaned
over and gave Mulder a long kiss.

* * *

"Agent Scully, it's good to see you. How was your trip?" Skinner smiled
and greeted Scully with a loose hug. Scully smiled and hugged her
superior back, knowing that Mulder was behind her with Akila. Scully
backed away from Skinner and took Akila from Mulder.

"The trip was okay, but I'd rather drive back to D.C. instead of
flying. The pressure changes made Akila's ears hurt." Scully smiled
slightly as she rested her head on Akila's. She felt Mulder encircle
her waist with his arms and he kissed Akila's hair.

"I put your stuff in my room." He murmured. "You can put Akila down for
a nap if you want."

"We're okay, aren't we Kila?" Scully asked, resting her head on Mulder's
shoulder. Mulder smiled knowingly.

"Okay, let me show you around. I'll return her in a while sir."

"Take your time Mulder. In fact, get some rest yourself."

"Yes Sir!" Mulder saluted playfully and led Scully away.

~ ~ ~

Mulder was wide-awake. After walking Scully around the compound, both
she and Akila were loosing steam fast, and Mulder gently steered them to
his quarters and settled Akila in her bassinette and Scully in his bed.
After assuring himself that his daughter was okay, he laid down with
Scully. Her arms immediately wrapped around him and she tucked herself
under his chin.

"Mulder," Scully whispered. Mulder smiled down at her. She was sleepy,
probably still asleep.

"Yeah Scully?"

"Love you."

"Love you too."

"Is Akila okay?"

"She's fine. Go back to sleep, you're exhausted."

"Okay Mulder." Scully snuggled in deeper in his arms and Mulder smiled,
kissing her head gently. Scully was snoring less than a minute later
and Mulder soon followed.

The next thing Scully was aware of was waking up without Mulder. He
wasn't in his quarters, and when she looked over at Akila's bassinette,
she found that the baby was missing too. That was when she heard the
delighted shriek from the hallway and when she opened the door, there
stood Mulder with Akila, talking to Agent Doggett. When Akila saw her,
she squealed and reached for her mother. Scully smiled widely and
walked up next to Mulder, taking Akila from his arms.

Mulder smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Sleep well Scully?"
He asked dropping a light kiss on her mouth.

"Very well. Nice to see you again Agent Doggett." Scully spoke to her
fellow agent, who was looking around and shifting his feet
uncomfortably. At the sound of her greeting, he snapped his gaze back
to hers and smiled.

"Agent Scully. That's a fine looking kid you got there." Doggett spoke
nervously.

"Thank you. Did Mulder already introduce you to Akila?"

"He did. He did. Even let me hold her for a few seconds."

"You did?" Scully asked, looking not at Mulder, but at her daughter. "I
bet you fussed the entire time. Am I right?"

"Actually, Kila was quite well behaved for Doggett." Mulder answered.

"Now there's my girl." Scully cooed and bounced Akila on her hip.
Scully kissed Akila's head.

"You still look tired Scully." Mulder whispered.

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yea."

"Good. I already took Akila to see Skinner."

"Okay. So what else is there to do?"

Mulder leered at Scully. "We could go back into my quarters."

Doggett cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. Mulder
backed away from Scully a bit.

"What do you do all day around here?"

"Well, before negotiations were completed, we would go out on missions
and help people. Most of the time, Moldah would tell us stories about
you and your cases." Doggett answered. Scully turned to Mulder and
raised her eyebrow at him.

"Just talk about random things like Eddie the Monkey Man and that giant
mushroom we were in." Mulder shrugged.

"Okay." Scully rested he head on Akila's. The baby had fallen asleep
again without nursing, which meant that she would be cranky later.
Mulder noticed this and put his arm around Scully.

"Come on, it's back to bed for the sleepy ones." He spoke, nodding to
Doggett. He got no argument from Scully, who really was sleepier than
she let on. Mulder took Scully back inside and she fell right to sleep.

End of Part two

Part three

Over the next few days, rest was very limited. They not only had their
banquet with the president, but they also began packing for their move
back to DC. Scully was both eager and nervous to see her mother again.
She knew her mother would have wanted to be in the loop about Akila's
birth and the first months of her life.

Scully's thoughts were interrupted by Mulder pushing open the door to
their room. He was dressed in his usual suit, only it was covered by
Akila's burp cloth and Akila was squirming crankily in his arms. He had
a full bottle in one hand and glanced over at her in her dress. He
smiled apologetically at her.

"She doesn't want her bottle. Sorry."

"It's okay. Come here Akila." Scully beckoned for Mulder to bring their
daughter over. He handed Akila to her and unzipped her dress for her.
He turned away to give her a little privacy and heard Akila's fussing
stop at the same time that Scully breathed a soft sigh of relief.
"Hopefully this will last you for the ceremony." Scully whispered to
Akila, running her hand over the baby's cheeks.

They made it halfway through the ceremony without interruption, but then
as the President was about to introduce Skinner to present awards, Akila
began to fuss. The room chuckled and Scully lifted the baby up,
shushing her gently. Mulder reached over and ran his fingers over
Akila's tiny hand. Akila quieted slightly and squirmed around in
Scully's arms. Mulder smiled and leaned in, whispering something into
Scully ear, making her smile. He took Akila from her arms and excused
himself as he grabbed her diaper bag.

He with Akila returned once all the speakers had finished. The baby was
sleeping peacefully in his arms. Mulder sat down next to Scully who was
eating and leaned over, placing Akila back in her carrier that was
beside Scully.

"Congratulations Mulder." Scully told him smiling. "You successfully
missed out on the entire speech."

"I did? Oh damn." Mulder grinned and leaned over brushing his lips
across her cheek. She playfully pushed him away and continued to eat
her salad.

~ ~ ~

The day that they were to go back home was steadily approaching.
Despite her apprehension, Scully found herself more excited than she
ever remembered being. Much to Mulder's worry, she wouldn't sleep for
even the few hours she could snag in between Akila's feedings and
changing. She assured him that she was simply excited.

"I'm just eager to be going home. To see my mother again." Scully
reasoned. "I'm eager to sleep at our apartments again."

"Speaking of our apartments, what about us?" Mulder asked stroking her
hair gently. They were in the entertainment room, Akila resting on a
blanket in front of the TV as her parents tried to lull her to sleep
with cartoons. Scully's head was on Mulder's shoulder and his arm was
around her shoulders.

"What about us?" She asked.

"I mean, what about living arrangements? I for one don't want Akila to
spend any more time than necessary at my place."

"What? You don't want her to see the pig sty bachelor pad that she was
conceived in?" Scully teased, grinning up at Mulder who leaned down and
kissed her gently, finding a welcome distraction in her kiss.

When they broke apart, Scully gave Akila a quick glance, but the baby
was mesmerized by the bright colors and sounds of the television.

"What did you really mean?" Scully asked, toying with Mulder's gray
t-shirt.

"I already answered that."

"No you didn't."

"What do you need Scully? An engraved invitation? I just practically
begged you to let me move in with you!" Mulder spoke agitatedly. Scully
was reminded of a time years before when he'd asked what it would take
for her to see the truth, it biting her in the ass.

When Scully was silent, Mulder disengaged himself from her and bent over
to give Akila a soft kiss on the forehead.

"I'm going to find Skinner and see if there's anything I can do to
help."

"Okay." Scully's voice was so low he barely heard. "Will you be back
before I put her down for the night?"

"Depends on what Skinner gives me to do."

"Right, okay." After he'd left, Scully turned away from the door and
gently tousled Akila's hair, causing the baby to look up at her. "I
don't know what's wrong with Daddy. I think he's just scared about
going home. Maybe he's scared that I'll change my mind about being with
him when we get there." Scully spoke in low tones to her daughter. "You
know, I've been away for so long I don't even remember what my apartment
looks like. And I haven't seen you grandma since before you were born.
I've missed her a lot."

"Hey Scully." Doggett's voice broke through her soft mumblings to
Akila. Scully looked up.

"Hello Agent- John." She smiled at her bumble over formalities.

"I saw Moldah go by and he told me you were in here."

"Yeah, we thought that cartoons might be enough to coax Akila into
sleep. So far she's as stubborn as her father."

"Luke used to be like that. Christine used to have me walk the floor
with him at all hours of the day and night. Have you tried that?"

"Only the distance from our room to here. I should probably try that."
Scully picked Akila up and settled her against her shoulder. Akila
gripped Scully's shirt and protested being drawn away from her
cartoons. Scully smiled and bounced her lightly. Scully said goodbye
to Doggett and left him standing in the middle of the room, looking like
he wanted to say something else.

Scully walked down the hall, as she walked she was greeted by familiar
faces. Some greeted her and asked about Akila while others simply
nodded to her and moved on. She rounded a corner and found Mulder
sitting with Skinner on a set of steps. They each had cans of pop in
their hands and they didn't look up as Scully stepped forward, rubbing
Akila's back gently.

"Working hard, or hardly working?" She asked with a smile as the two of
them looked up. Akila shifted in her arms to try to get a view of whom
Scully was talking to and Scully held her tighter.

"Just taking a break." Mulder defended, extending a hand to Scully to
help her sit between him and Skinner. "Not asleep yet?" Mulder asked,
rubbing his finger over Akila's soft cheek.

"Not yet, she's getting there though. Maybe you can try." Scully handed
the baby to Mulder. Within minutes, Akila was asleep and being handed
back to Scully. Instead of getting up and leaving, the three adults
continued to talk when Skinner dropped a bombshell.

"Kersh resigned from the FBI." Skinner told them. Scully lifted her
head from Mulder's shoulder in surprise. "That means, if you want it, I
can request your reinstatement into the bureau. I don't guarantee
immediate placement back on the X-Files, but in time you might be able
to transfer back to the division." He continued. "This is, of course
only if you want your position back."

"Wow." Mulder began. "Thank you sir, that sounds like a wonderful
offer, but I think Scully and I should have some time to talk about it
and get settled in at home before we make any decisions like that."
Mulder looked at Scully for approval, which she gave by nodding and
settling her head back on Mulder's shoulder. Mulder pressed his lips
quickly to her forehead.

"That's fine. I don't need to know immediately. Well, I should be
getting back to work. Mulder, Scully."

"Goodbye Sir, see you later." Scully spoke softly. Once they were
alone, Scully freed one hand from under Akila and twined her fingers
with Mulder's. They sat like that for a while before Mulder spoke.

"Scully, I'm sorry for getting angry back there."

"You're forgiven, Mulder." Scully kissed his cheek. "So. Should we look
for a new place, or will my apartment suffice for now?" She whispered.
Mulder turned to face her in surprise. "If we're going to live
together, we're going to need to know where we'll be living." She
explained playfully. Mulder grinned and leaned over, finding her lips
with his. She kissed him back before pulling away and kissing his nose.

"Seriously?" He asked.

Scully nodded, "uh huh."

"Come on, let's walk." Mulder stood and pulled her up by the waist.
"Want me to hold her for a while?"

"Nope, I've got her for now. Where should we stay when we first get
home?"

"Your place."

"Shouldn't we stay at your place, since you need to pack and all?"

"I can drive over there and do it."

"Mulder, why are you so eager to get out of there?"

"Why are you so insistent for me to stay?" Mulder shot back.

"I don't know. I guess I just have a soft spot for the place. After
all, it is the place where we first made love, where Akila was
conceived. Where, while you were gone, I went when I needed to pretend
that you were nearby and safe. It's the place where I felt Akila kick
for the first time. Should I go on?"

"Sure." Mulder grinned, bringing Scully's hand to his lips.

"It's the place where for the first time after your return, you kissed
me. It's the place where I told you I love you for the first time. And
I know that you're thinking of all the misfortunes, but don't the good
memories outweigh the bad ones?"

"So, what are you saying?"

"Don't give up your apartment. Not yet anyway. We could use it as a
little getaway spot."

"Jeez you don't get out much, Scully. Getaway spots are usually places
like Key West, or Maui. Not my hole of an apartment."

Scully laughed and bumped Mulder gently with her hip. "I don't know, I
guess I just want to be able to hold onto the memories of us being
simply 'Mulder and Scully', instead of everything else."

"Scully, we don't need my apartment for that. If you have the memories,
and I have the memories, that's all we need." Mulder whispered, stopping
and looking down at her. She shifted Akila and stood on tiptoes,
pressing her lips to his soft, full ones. He wrapped an arm around her
waist and pulled her closer. When they broke apart, Mulder kissed her
cheeks softly.

"Home is where you are Scully. Not anyplace or anything else. Just
you."

END!


--
Cathey

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