Title: Pod #113
Author: Gwen Purcell
e-mail address: gwen.purcell@v...
Rating: PG
Spoilers: The Truth, small one for Red Museum, Duane Barry,
all things
Keywords: MSR
Summary: Will Mulder and Scully ever be at home again?
Feedback: Sure
Archive: If you want. *blush*
Beta: Thanks so much to Shoshana for the very prompt and
thorough beta.

Scully squinted her eyes as the late afternoon sun flooded the
car. Where were they today? Colorado, they were somewhere
in Colorado. After so many days on the road, it was getting
hard to remember. At first it had been exciting. She had
Mulder back with her. He was not just a dream, a fantasy; he
was real. It was just the two of them against the world, on the
run. Every night they made love, making up for so much lost
time. Then they snuggled together in sleep. Truth be told, that
was Scully's favorite part. She loved having him so close that
she didn't even need to reach out to touch him. At any time she
could breathe in his scent and it would calm her. She could
open her eyes and see his dear face, placid in sleep. That part
was still good. She loved being with Mulder, but this aimless
wandering around the country, never knowing where they were
or where they were going, was wearying.

As much as Scully had told herself that this was the right thing
to do, that she could not live without Mulder, she couldn't help
thinking of what she had given up to be where she was now.
Would she ever see her mother again? Or William? Even Bill
and Tara were lost to her, and little Matthew. Tara had written
to her just two weeks ago, saying that Matthew was looking
forward to starting kindergarten in the fall. As her mind started
to drift to Melissa and her father, Scully shook her head to clear
her mind. It did no good to dwell on the past. This was her life
now. She had chosen it.

Scully looked over at Mulder. He kept his eyes on the road, but
he seemed a little different today. In recent days, she had
noticed that he seemed tired too, bored with the routine of
driving all day. But today, he seemed to have a tiny bit of a
smile on his face and he looked like he was hiding something
from her. Right on cue, he reached over and squeezed her
hand. Then he quickly withdrew his hand to turn north onto
Route 13. He grinned at her. "Ready for a treat, Scully?"

"Always," she replied, looking at him quizzically. "Are we
stopping soon?"

"Pretty soon. There's a place to eat coming up, and then we
will stop for a while."

"Good. You've been here before, Mulder?" He was beginning
to look like the cat that swallowed the canary, and she could tell
he was enjoying her confusion. Before he had a chance to
respond, he pulled into the parking lot of the Big K Barbeque
pit. A quick vision of a previous barbeque meal with Mulder
flitted through Scully's mind, and she smiled as she got out of
the car.

The service was good and the food was excellent for a place out
in the middle of nowhere. Mulder continued to refuse to
divulge his 'treat', and Scully indulged him. It had been so long
since she had had something good to anticipate, that she felt
herself being drawn in by his excitement. Once back in the car,
they both were in a good mood. Mulder drove further up Route
13 until he finally came to a storage facility in a remote area.
Grinning, he pulled into the lot and announced, "Here we are!"

"This is it?" Scully asked, trying to keep her disappointment
from the obviously delighted Mulder.

"Be right back," he called, as he ducked into the small office.
He returned seconds later, with a facility employee. Mulder
placed his hand at Scully's back and steered her towards pod
#113. The sandy-haired employee, Tony according to the name
on his shirt, unlocked the door and said, "There you go, Mr.
Carson. You let me know when you're done."

"We may be a little while," Mulder muttered.

"Okay, then," Tony replied, and strode off towards his office,
leaving Scully all the more curious about what she would find
in the pod.

Mulder grabbed her hand, and mumbled into her ear, "Your
name is Denise Carson, if anyone asks. I'm Rick."

"You're getting better with these undercover names," Scully
smiled. "Now show me what is in here."

Mulder opened the door and turned on the light. He stood back
to let Scully see inside. He was not surprised at her audible
gasp. "Mulder, oh my God, look at this. It's home. Oh, my
God." She turned back to him and buried her tear-streaked face
in his t-shirt. "I needed this so much, but how…"

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "You didn't
really think that I could just get rid of my couch when I moved
in with you, did you? It held too many memories. I had it sent
here, along with some other things that I wanted to keep and
some things for you. I was fairly sure that we would eventually
come to this." Scully pulled back to look at his face. He
smiled gently, "Sit down, and make yourself comfy."

Scully eased down onto the familiar black leather couch. It still
smelled like Mulder. She closed her eyes and smiled. This
couch was full of memories. "I feel like I need popcorn," she
murmured.

Mulder chuckled and sat down beside her. He slipped his arm
around her shoulder and she laid her head against his chest. "I
don't have popcorn, but there may be some things in these
boxes that will interest you." For the first time, Scully noticed
the boxes piled in the shadows around the sofa. On top of one
sat the small statue of Buddha. Mulder moved the statue and
took down the top box. Placing it on his lap, he opened it, and
drew out a framed photo of himself, Scully and little William.

"Oh, Mulder, I thought that photo was lost forever when I had
to leave so quickly! I'm so glad you still had your copy."

"I didn't dare keep it with me, Scully, even though I so wanted
to have you both close to me. This place was far enough away
from New Mexico that I didn't think any one would know it
was ours." Mulder placed a kiss on the top of Scully's head and
pulled her closer to him. "I came here only twice while I was
away. It was as often as I dared. I was here on your birthday,
and on William's."

"Oh, Mulder," Scully began, and then tears began to fall.

"Don't cry, Scully. Look, there's more. I had hoped that this
would make you happy."

"It does, Mulder. More than you can know."

Mulder reached into the box and brought out his photo of
Samantha, one of Melissa and one of William and Maggie
Scully.

Now Scully was curious. "Mulder, where did you get those
photos?"

"From your mother," he replied, settling back into the couch.
"After you were abducted, she offered me a photo of you.
Umm, this one." Mulder pulled out a smiling photo of a young
Dana Scully. "She said it was taken shortly after your
graduation from med school."

"It was," Scully grinned. "It was at a picnic at a lake near
Charlie's house. His little boy was just a baby then. It's been a
long time since I've seen his family."

"After my mother died, I had some things from her home that I
wanted to keep and my apartment seemed too vulnerable for
storage. I had explained to your mother that there was a
possibility that we would have to disappear some day and
wouldn't be able to contact her. She asked me if I could keep
some things in a safe place for you. I talked to the guys and
they suggested a storage pod in the middle of nowhere, so I had
things sent here for safekeeping." Mulder set the photo of
Scully's parents up on the stack of boxes where she could see it.
Then he stood up and went to another pile of boxes. He
removed one and handed it to Scully. "This is yours. I haven't
looked at it. It's all from your mom."

Scully's hands trembled as she opened the lid. The first thing
she removed was a letter from her mother. She scanned it
quickly and then said, "Mulder, listen to this-"

Dearest Dana,

If you are reading this, then it means that you and Fox have had
to go undercover somewhere. I understand that you have done
this for your own safety, and for that I applaud your decision.
It does not mean that I will miss you any less. Fox has
explained to me that this could happen. I want you to know
that I trust him to take good care of you, better than anyone else
could at this time. He loves you, Dana, I know you love him,
too. Please take care of each other. In this box, you will find
some small remembrances of your own life and your family. I
hope they will bring you comfort. I will pray for you
constantly and I hope that one day you will return home.

All my love,

Mom

"When did she write this, Mulder?"

"She gave it to me shortly after you were returned from your
abduction," Mulder marveled. "She knew even then."

"She knew before we did," Scully replied, as she pulled items
from the box. It contained copies of her diplomas, a family
photo album and a picture of her and Mulder looking at one
another. "I don't remember this picture being taken, do you?"

"No, I guess that proves her point! We didn't even know
anyone else was there." Mulder smiled. " I guess she would be
happy to see us now."

Scully planted a quick kiss on his lips and pulled a small
stuffed dog from the box. "Look, it's Shep! We had a dog like
this when I was in grade school. We had to give him away
when Dad was transferred, and I was so sad that he bought me
this little stuffed dog that looked like him. Mulder, I can't tell
you what all this means to me."

"I'm glad you like it." Mulder squeezed Scully's shoulder and
got up from the couch. "I really wanted to look for some things
while we we're here," he said, pulling out another box.

Outside, the early evening dusk turned to dark, and still the pair
inside the pod was enthralled, rediscovering their memories and
sharing them with each other. Mulder pulled a small Yankees
cap from a box. "Here it is, Scully! This is what I've been
looking for. My dad took me to a game when I was about
seven and he bought me this cap. I want William to have it."

"Mulder," Scully replied gently, "We may never see William
again."

"Yes, we will. I'm going to take it with me when we go. We'll
find him, Scully, we have to." He looked into her eyes. "We
will find him together."

Scully nodded. She had her doubts, but when Mulder set his
mind on something as precious as William, she didn't want to
discourage him. Imagine, being a real family!

While visions of family meals and PTA meetings filled Scully's
head. Mulder continued to dig through the boxes. He emerged
with a small leather-covered box with a latch. "Here it is," he
murmured.

Scully watched while Mulder opened the jewelry box. He
moved a few items, until he came to the one he was looking for.
"Scully," he said quietly.

She froze, waiting for Mulder to say what she hoped he would.
A shiver ran through her and she answered, "Yes, Mulder."

"I love you, and please don't say 'Oh, brother!'"

Scully relaxed and smiled. "Not a chance this time. I love you,
too, Mulder."

"Good, because I want us to be together always. I don't have a
real engagement ring for you, but I want you to have this
sapphire ring that belonged to my grandmother. She and my
granddad had a long, happy marriage, and that's what I want for
us. Marry me, Scully?"

A lump formed in Scully's throat, almost preventing her from
responding. Finally, she squeaked out. "It's-it's beautiful,
Mulder. Thank you. And yes."

Taking her left hand in his, he slipped it on her ring finger, and
kissed it. "Someday I will get you a real engagement ring, and a
wedding ring, too, but I wanted to ask you now." He drew her
into his arms and kissed her soundly.

"This ring is perfect. I don't want any other. This moment is
perfect, and believe me, it's not how I'd pictured it." Scully
raised up to capture his lips with hers and kissed him gently.
Mulder smiled.

"Do you think Tony will be back, asking us to leave?" Scully
asked, as they moved to a reclining position on the couch.
Before Mulder could answer, there was a knock on the door.
Mulder rose from the couch and said a few words to the young
man.

When he turned back to the couch, he stopped to open one
more box. Scully looked at him, vainly trying to cover a yawn.
"Don't worry, we're done unpacking for today. I just needed
one more thing." Mulder pulled the warm Indian print blanket
from the box. He spread it carefully over Scully, and then
slipped under it himself. She nestled into his arms.

"This is the best treat I've ever had, Mulder."

"I'm glad you liked it," he whispered, pulling her tighter against
him.

Moments later they were both asleep, and the happy faces of
Maggie and William Scully smiled down on them from atop the
pile of memories in the corner.