TITLE: Almost Home (18/?)
AUTHOR: Shoshana
EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Gossamer, Spookys site, Xemplary,
etc.
SPOILER WARNING: Seventh season episodes through Requiem.
RATING: NC-17 (Most of the story is rated R, NC-17 parts will be
clearly marked)
CONTENT STATEMENT: MSR
CLASSIFICATION: SRA
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully Romance
SUMMARY: Post ep for Requiem. Mulder comes back... but he's
missing something.
DISCLAIMER: These characters do not belong to me.
NOTE: Thanks to my great beta readers Keleka, Lisa and Sallie!

Almost Home (18/?)
By Shoshana

February 25nd, 2001
Sunday
9:00 p.m.
Scully family home, Maryland

"Scully? Scully?"

She opened her eyes slowly, disoriented for a few seconds. She
could feel Mulder's calloused hand stroking her cheek, but couldn't
see very far in the dim light of the car's back seat.

"What?" she mumbled, attempting to sit up with difficulty.

"We're at your mom's house, Scully. We're here. You slept the
whole way."

"Oh, boy. Help me up and out of here, Mulder."

Scully allowed him to lift her to a sitting position, too groggy to
protest his gentle efforts.

"She wants us to stay overnight, but I know you have an early
doctor's appointment. What do you want to do?" he asked, helping her
out of the car.

"Gotta drive home," she said, leaning against him until the tingling
in her feet subsided.

"I'll drive," Mulder said glibly.

"You shouldn't," she cautioned.

 "I'll be careful, Scully. It's only an hour or so. I slept all
day. Come on, we're supposed to come in for a few minutes."

They made their way up the porch steps and walked straight to the
kitchen where Bill and Maggie were bringing Tara up to speed on the
day's events. Tara rushed to Scully, taking her hand solicitously
and leading her to a chair.

"Wow, look at you, Dana. You're as big as I was in my seventh
month," she said with wonder.

"I know. The baby will be in the NBA by the time he's a teenager at
this rate." She smiled at Mulder, who was leaning casually against
the kitchen counter. He was already slugging down some coffee Maggie
had shoved into his hand the minute he'd entered the room.

"My spotless genetics," he quipped, drawing curious looks from the
rest of the family and a hearty laugh from Scully. "Sorry, private
joke," he added, as he noticed the blank expressions around them.

"It's a long story, too long for now, Mom. We better get going, I
have an early appointment. Bill, did you ever find out how long
you'll be stationed here?" she addressed her brother.

"About three more months. Perfect timing, uh?" he said, walking
behind her chair, then leaning down to give her a brotherly kiss on
the cheek.

He patted her shoulders, then extended his hand to Mulder, who
juggled his mug to receive it. "Take care on the road, buddy. Hope
to see you pretty soon."

"I'm sorry you have to leave, but this means you *are* coming over
next Sunday, doesn't it?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mom. I'll try to keep Mulder out of the ER on Sunday, just
for you."

Scully tried to get up by herself, but Tara was at her side in half
a second. She grinned at her sister-in-law, truly grateful she could
share her pregnancy with her. They would have to have a long talk
next Sunday after dinner. Scully hadn't been able to wholeheartedly
participate in the birth of Matthew in January 1998. No one had
faulted her for that; they'd all understood what's she'd gone through
with Emily.

She'd tried to make up for it by being a good aunt over the years,
but her schedule was so hectic sometimes--she'd often missed Bill and
Tara's visits to her mother. Now was the time to remedy that
situation. It also served to take her mind off more sinister
subjects, ones she'd never reveal to her family unless their lives
depended on it.

Maggie shoved a care package into Mulder's arms, kissed both agents
goodbye and the family stood on the house steps in the brisk February
night to wave as they pulled out of the driveway.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, Mulder?" Scully asked, brushing her
hand against his as he steered toward the freeway.

"Bill didn't kick my butt. Your mom likes me. What's not to love?"
he answered.

Scully chuckled, moving her hand to the back of his neck to massage
his stiff muscles.

"My mom has liked you for a long time. She's always defended you,
especially when you were missing. I don't know how I would have made
it without her," she responded wistfully.

"So, you going to call the minister she suggested?" Mulder tossed
out daringly.
     
"Mulder! Weren't you sound asleep during our conversation? It's
not polite to eavesdrop!" she teased him, moving her hand to his
shoulder and working the muscle there.

"Whoa, Scully. You've got quite a grip, there," he said, shrugging
her away gently. "I would *never* listen in on your private
conversations, would I?"

Scully looked at him dubiously, then ordered, "Drive, Mulder.
Drive."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded. Thirty seconds later, he added, "It was
only a rhetorical question--"

"I know, they're your specialty," she retorted.

She traced her finger down his cheek, stopping at the corner of his
generous lower lip. He turned his head slightly, kissing her
fingertip.

"You're distracting me, woman," he joked, willfully keeping his
hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road.

"I can't imagine how," she said coyly, lowering her hand to her
stomach. "Oooff!"

"Baby kicking?" he asked, glancing over at her quickly.

"Just a little," she replied, fondly rubbing her belly.

"Our first OB appointment togeth--"

Mulder stopped midsentence, spooked by the bright lights flashing
into the rear window of the car. The highway was otherwise deserted
this late on a Sunday night and a single vehicle had been following
them for several miles. He'd ignored the sedan thus far--now it was
too close for comfort and undeniably tailing them closely.

"Mulder?" Scully asked as he accelerated the car, rapidly
approaching eighty-five m.p.h.

"Hold on, Scully. Hold on tight!" he exclaimed.

Mulder's white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel didn't slacken as
he attempted to outrun their pursuer. He finally spotted an exit to
his right, swinging unhesitatingly off the road and navigating two
sharp curves at high speed. They were in an affluent neighborhood
close to DC, one with lots of winding streets and cul-de-sacs.

Scully had clung to the seat cushions on their wild ride from
expressway to city streets. She felt like the breath had been
knocked out of her temporarily; she inhaled deeply, taking in
precious air. She unclenched her hands, moving them to cradle her
belly protectively.

Mulder hadn't slowed down much, zipping down unfamiliar roads,
purposefully getting them lost in the maze of upper middle class
homes. He finally tore his gaze away from the rear view mirror to
check on Scully, decelerating the car gradually through the quiet
well-kept streets.

"Are you okay?" he asked roughly, slightly winded by his frantic
efforts to elude their chaser.

"Fine. I'm fine, Mulder," she replied in a reedy voice.

He uncurled his right hand from the wheel, reaching over to cover
her smaller ones as they sheltered their child from harm.

"I'm sorry... sorry, Scully. I didn't have much warning. I'd
noticed him before but didn't perceive him as a threat. Are you sure
you're okay?" he asked again, his heart rate decreasing with every
minute they cruised the silent streets of suburbia.

She shook her head from side to side, and moved one of her hands to
grip his own. "I'm okay. Just a little out of breath for a minute,
but I'm fine now. Do you know where we are?"

Mulder peered out the window at a nearby street sign. "I don't know
and I don't feel too comfortable about approaching one of these homes
at night. Let's drive around and see if we hit something
commercial."

They seemed to be out of imminent danger, so Scully tried to relax
in her seat. Her pulse was still racing, much to her dismay. Mulder
had removed his hand from her stomach and gone back to driving two-
handed, leaning forward against the wheel and reading every street
sign they approached.

Her hands started to tremble, a delayed reaction to the terror she'd
felt as they'd eluded the mystery car. She wove the fingers of one
hand into the other, steadying them, concentrating on slowing her
respirations and getting complete control of her shuddering body.
Mulder hadn't noticed how shaken she was by the experience and that's
how she wanted it to remain.

"Here we go, we're in Greenbelt, Maryland. There's a sign back to
295. Do you want to stop at a gas station first, Scully?" he asked,
pulling over to a curb away from traffic.

"Sure. Fine," she answered, a little uncertainly.

Mulder heard the quaver in her voice, so he twisted the ignition
key, killing the engine. Scully wouldn't look at him; her eyes
stared at the dashboard indifferently. She was bottling up all her
emotions so she wouldn't have to deal with them right away.

His newly recovered memories, plus what he knew of her from their
week together thus far had heightened his senses, made her easier to
read. He unbuckled his seatbelt, then leaned over and did the same
for her. She remained motionless, the digits of her hands tightly
interwoven.

"I'm sorry," she cried, as he moved closer to her, enveloping her in
his arms.

"Don't be sorry, Scully. I was really scared, too. My hand is
shaking... see?"

He placed one hand against her cheek and she could feel his
fingertips quiver, as hers had when she descended from her adrenalin
high. She unhooked her hands from one another, bringing one to her
face to still the tremor coursing through his fingers.

"Do you think it was Them?" she asked softly, pressing his palm
against her own.

"I don't know how they found us... it couldn't be anyone else.
Maybe someone has an eye on your mom's house."

Mulder was profoundly disturbed by the thought; surveillance of Mrs.
Scully by the Consortium was certainly unwelcome at this point. They
expected peril to themselves, especially when they returned to DC--
but not anticipating risk to other family members was foolish, almost
unforgivable.

He didn't want to upset Scully further, but he knew she'd want him
to be straight with her. He dropped their hands between them and
leaned back a little so he could address her directly, "We have to
ask Skinner for protection for your family, Scully. We can take
precautions for ourselves, that's part of our job. I know you don't
trust Skinner completely, but I don't think we have any secrets to
conceal from him now."

Scully brushed moisture away from her eyes--tears she'd resisted,
but couldn't halt entirely. She blinked her eyes several times, then
answered, "I'm sure we can tell him what Krycek told us. In fact, he
probably knows already. He's waiting for us to come to him. He's a
good man, but Krycek still has him cornered."

Mulder threaded his hand through her hair, tidying errant strands
their high speed chase had liberated. "I agree. He's still in a
vulnerable position. But we don't have to lie to him about the
amnesia anymore. That's a plus. I think we should go see him after
your appointment tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be surprised to see us
back so soon... but then again, maybe he won't if Krycek filled him
in on the Consortium threat."

"Mulder?" she asked, reaching for his hand once again.

"Yes?" he responded, leaning over to kiss her forehead. He moved
his hips closer to hers and wound one arm around her shoulder.

Scully leaned her head against his chest and spoke softly, "You're
different, Mulder. You didn't only retrieve memories yesterday; you
got part of yourself back. You seem so much more confident, with me,
with my family. Can you feel it?"

Mulder rubbed his cheek against her hair gently, then leaned over to
caress her lips with one soft, slow kiss. He drew back so he could
speak to her, "I do feel better. I'm relieved to remember last year,
but not anxious to land in the hospital every time my body decides
it's time for more reminiscing. We'll have to stop by a neurologist
and get some medication, like you said."

Scully grinned at him, and his expression changed from serious to
curious.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in query.

"I never told you about the neurologist. You must be reading my
mind," she said lightly.

"Oh, you think I'm telepathic, Ms. Scully? Well, I'm pretty damn
sure what you're thinking about now--"

"How much I'd like to go home?" she answered wearily.

"Bingo! The lady wins a prize!" he said enthusiastically.

He carefully moved away from her, placing her hand back on the
gentle slope of her stomach. Once he was behind the wheel again, he
reached over and stroked his thumb over her lips one more time. She
caught his hand before he could reach for the ignition and brought it
back to her mouth, placing kisses on each of his fingers.

"It's so good to have you home, Mulder."

He nodded in assent, reluctantly pulling his hand away. "It's good
to be home, Scully."

*********************************************************************
******
February 26nd, 2001
Monday
2:00 a.m.

"No. No, no. Don't. Don't. Not now."

Mulder woke to Scully's muffled whimpering beside him, shifting from
his back to his side so he could rouse her as gently as possible. He
wound his right arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his
chest. His left hand sought out her smaller one, enveloping it
protectively, bracing for any sudden move on her part.

He spoke softly in her ear, "Scully, wake up. It's only a dream.
Scully, please wake up."

She continued to sob in her sleep, repeating the same few words in
anguished supplication. Her body felt too cold to Mulder--whatever
she was dreaming was affecting her physiology as well as her mind.
He continued to plead with her but she was wholly unresponsive.

"Scully? Scully? Come on, honey. Wake up!" he begged, louder than
before.

Frustrated with his unsuccessful efforts to bring her around, he sat
up beside her, then pulled her to an upright position between his
legs. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to stimulate
blood circulation as he entreated, "Dana, you have to wake up.
Please, please, wake up!"

Mulder shifted her again, positioning her across his lap. Her eyes
fluttered rapidly under their lids, then opened wide, finally
beginning to respond to his pleas. He was relieved for half a second
until he realized she was disoriented and upset, still caught in her
nightmare.

"Go away! Take your hands off me!" she shouted, struggling against
the firm grip on her arms.

"Scully! It's me! It's Mulder!" he yelled back, desperately trying
to restrain her.

Whatever was gripping her consciousness like a vise released her
suddenly--her eyes focused on her surroundings for the first time
since she'd opened them.

"Mulder?" she said, scanning his troubled expression for answers.

His concern diminished rapidly, and a relieved smile spread across
his face. Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead and his hands
trembled slightly as he encircled her waist, pulling her against his
chest. She was too shocked to resist--her mind processing the
situation as coherently as possible.

"Oh, God, Scully. You wouldn't wake up. You wouldn't wake up," he
murmured against her shoulder.

He inhaled deeply and tried to relax; he was finally free from
distress now she was fully awake. He breathed in her distinctive
scent--she smelled heavenly--the light dusting of baby powder after
her shower was still in evidence.

Scully was quiet, evaluating her shaky limbs and rapid heartbeat
with an alert, practiced eye. She must have really scared him--his
body was quivering against hers, echoing her own unsteadiness. She
leaned heavily against him, allowing herself the time to regain full
consciousness and full composure.

"It's never happened like this before, Scully. I mean, I don't
know... I'm still missing all our time before last year, before we
became lovers. But I remember last year, and I don't remember you
having nightmares this bad. Not that I can't wake you from," he
stammered. "God, I must sound like a blithering idiot, Scully."

"No, no. You don't," she replied solemnly. "I had some really bad
dreams while you were gone. I'm surprised it took almost a week for
one to recur. I should have warned you but I guess I was too
embarrassed to mention it."

"Have people tried to wake you before?" He moved her gently as he
spoke, seeking out her watery eyes.

A blush was hidden beneath her flushed, tear-streaked face. "Yes.
My mom, twice. The guys, once. I fell asleep at their place and I
really scared them one night. I should have warned you," she
repeated needlessly.

Mulder leaned over and kissed Scully's mouth gently, then allowed
her to shift her body weight between his legs again. She reclined
there; her back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her and
he nuzzled her cold, clammy neck, hoping to warm her up by raising
their body temperatures the old-fashioned way. She seemed to agree,
caressing his bare thighs with long strokes of her slender hands.
Well-manicured nails caught against his skin at random moments,
raising his blood pressure in a much more pleasant way than a scant
five minutes ago.

"Getting fresh with me already, G-Woman?" he teased.

She chuckled softly, then leaned her head back against his chest so
their mouths could meet again--with more heat and longevity, than
their previous kiss. Another one followed, and soon both of them
were breathless, parting only to replenish oxygen in their lungs.
Scully ran her hand over Mulder's cheek before reluctantly scooting
toward the side of the bed.

"Nature calls, Mulder. I'm *such* a pregnant lady," she said,
imitating the New York accent of an old lady she'd met in a deli just
a few weeks ago.

Like most older women she'd come in contact with for over five
minutes time the last few months, the sweet and kind matron had
inquired when she was due, and then told her about her grandchildren.
She hadn't patted her tummy--to Scully's great relief. By the end of
their conversation though, Scully realized she wouldn't have minded--
the woman reminded her of her Irish grandmother.

She wished her grandparents were still alive at the time of that
conversation but now knew she'd been granted a much greater gift from
whoever was doling out wishes these days--Mulder was back--to share
these last few months of pregnancy with her, to make love to her, to
care for her. The bad dreams might continue, might even worsen
before she gave birth, but she knew in her heart everything would
turn out well.

Scully leaned over to kiss his smiling face. He was clearly amused
by her impersonation, but seemed more than willing to wait for an
explanation.

"I'll hurry back," she promised, returning his smile.

"Not going anywhere," he responded in a velvet tone, sliding
seductively against the pillows at the head of the bed.

She licked her lips once, then hurried off to the bathroom, eager to
return as soon as possible to those sultry bedroom eyes.
 
fin

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