TITLE: Almost Home (27/?)
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 (27/?)
By Shoshana

Saturday
March 3rd, 2001
8:00 a.m.
Scully's apartment

Mulder woke to find Scully's side of the bed empty, sun streaming
through a tiny crack between the still drawn drapes. He could hear
his beloved's voice from the other room, gradually escalating in
volume and aggravation.

"How could you, mother?!? I thought we already agreed--you even
promised!... uh, huh... uh, huh... Yeah... I guess so... Oh, for
pete's sake, all right!... No, Mom, I'm not mad... No, I don't
think he'll be mad either... You want to what?... Are you sure I need
that? You're positive?... Oh, all right... Okay... I'll be ready by
noon, Mom."

Scully slammed the phone down into its cradle, still fuming at her
mother's presumptuousness. Maggie Scully had taken the liberty of
moving their wedding from the living room of her home in Maryland to
the chapel of a local Unitarian church.

Every Scully cousin in existence had shown interest in the nuptials
after Tara got the word out in one fateful E-mail announcement. The
capacity crisis had arisen while Mulder and Scully were in Bellefleur
earlier in the week--Maggie didn't want to disappoint their extended
family by not having a large enough venue for either the ceremony or
the reception.

When her daughter had returned from her investigation in Oregon,
she'd called her mother to tell her about the OPR hearing on Friday.
Mrs. Scully knew better than to broach the subject until her daughter
and future son-in-law were done with that ordeal. She'd had no idea
what the outcome of the hearing would be, but being ever optimistic,
she'd made the reservations anyway.

Maggie had waited until the last minute to notify her--Saturday
morning was a week away from the actual event. She knew she could
sweet talk her daughter into the change in plans, including a trip to
the mall for a suitable dress to go with the new location. It had
been surprisingly easy to convince Dana to go along with her plan,
even with some token, half-hearted resistance.

Mulder moseyed into the dining room after going to the bathroom and
splashing some water on his face. He mentally prepared himself for
whatever debacle her mother had planned for them.

Scully looked suitably glum, but not devastated. She was sitting at
the table, thoughtfully playing with the salt and pepper shakers.
Mulder approached her from behind, wrapping both arms around her
shoulders and kissing the crown of her head.

Curbing his apprehension, he asked right away, "What's your mom got
up her sleeve for us, Scully?"

His light tone conveyed a nonchalant attitude concerning the
impending occasion. Scully relaxed visibly, enjoying the impromptu
massage Mulder was giving her stiff neck and back.

"Oh, oh that's good," she moaned. "Hmmm, I needed this, Mulder."

Mulder sank to his knees, continuing his ministrations from behind.

"Tell me, Scully. What's up?"

"I'm sorry about this, Mulder. My mother has assumed control of all
our wedding plans--not that I didn't encourage her in the first
place. I'm too pregnant and too busy to plan something like this--
and she's done it twice, once for Bill, once for Charlie. To make a
long story short, my aunts, uncles, cousins and distant relatives all
wanted to attend. So Mom rented a chapel at a Georgetown Unitarian
church."

"That sounds nice," he responded blithely.

Scully turned around in her chair, meeting his eyes for the first
time that morning. "I thought you'd hate that." She reached over,
stroking his cheek with one finger. "You don't hate that?" she asked
tentatively.

Mulder's eyes matched his smile as he replied, "Why would I object
to getting married anywhere you'll have me, Scully?"

Her cheeks felt warm with mild embarrassment. She'd thought it
would be more of an issue for him than her. Obviously, getting
married in a church wasn't as big a deal as she'd thought it might
be.

"You don't mind the chapel?" she asked softly.

"Why would I mind? Because it's more formal than your mom's living
room? Or because it's a religious setting? Scully, I was willing to
get married in the Catholic church."

"I thought it would be easier for us to go Unitarian. Or at least
my mom did. She suggested it."

"I know. I was half asleep when you discussed it on the way from
Rhode Island." Mulder took a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh.
"You can still change your mind--we can wait if you like."

"No, no. I don't want to upset my mom's intricate plans." She
stroked his hair away from his forehead and leaned over to kiss him
lightly. "I have to go shopping with mom this afternoon. She wants
me to buy a dress, a real wedding dress."

"Can you, uh, do that?" he asked, gently rubbing her pregnant
belly.

"My mother thinks of everything, Mulder. She's located a maternity
shop that has everything the well dressed and knocked up bride will
need."

She giggled at the absurdity of their conversation and he answered
her with a broad smile and a satisfied chuckle.

"Scully, I'm sure glad Bill and I made our peace right away. I sure
as hell don't need the shit beat out of me--are your other relatives
going to be okay with this?"

"I don't think they'll tar and feather you, Mulder--if that's what
you mean--" she chortled. "And they are coming to the wedding of
their own free will. Stop worrying so much," she assured him.

Mulder reached over to frame her face in his hands and replied,
"Okay, boss. But you know, Scully... we're both so new at this
family thing... I just want to make a good impression on your
relatives."

Scully covered his hands with her own, caressing his knuckles
gently. "You'll do fine. And we have a whole week more to adjust to
the idea. I wish my mom had left well enough alone, but that's never
going to happen, I'm afraid."

Mulder lowered his hands to Scully's hips, smiling fondly as he
caressed her soft curves. She put her hands on his shoulders as he
kneeled before her, kneading his muscles with care. Mulder gave her
a sly smile and gathered her closer, lying his head on the side of
her stomach.

"When's your mom coming, Scully?" he muttered into her robe.

"Noon. What's it to ya?" she responded lightly.

She thought they might be on the same wavelength this morning--she
wanted to ignore reality for a few more hours with a warm Mulder in
her bed.

He turned his head so she could see him grinning against her side.
"Plenty of time for some bedrest, Scully--"

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll get plenty of rest," she quipped, smoothing her
hands through his thick dark hair. Her hands stilled at the back of
his neck so that her thumbs teased the thickest part of his earlobes
playfully. "Help a poor pregnant lady back to her bed, mister?"

Mulder chuckled, then rose slowly from his knees onto somewhat shaky
legs. Both knees made an ominous cracking sound as he used the
kitchen chair to boost him to a standing position.

"Argh! Are you sure you want a decrepit old man for your husband,
Scully?" he queried. He regained his equilibrium, then offered her
his hands.

"Are you sure you want a cranky old woman for your wife?" she
returned.

Mulder laughed, "Scully, you are a lot of things, but old you're
not. You'll never look old to me."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pressed his face against
the softness of her neck. Scully was tongue-tied for several
minutes, touched by his sweet, sincere statement. They weren't the
first words of endearment he'd ever said to her; yet they seemed to
hit her like a ton of bricks at that moment.

She buried her cheek against his chest, concealing the rosy glow of
her face. She felt silly and hormonal, adolescent and womanly all at
once. Mulder was even more demonstrative with his affection than
he'd been before his abduction.

Perhaps losing a whole chunk of his memories from the last eight
years had changed him, made him even less inhibited, if that were at
all possible. He'd always outpaced her in his ability to show his
feelings; she made a silent vow to meet or exceed the flood of
devotion he directed toward her.

Mulder eased up on his secure but soothing grip around her upper
torso. He grazed his fingers beneath her breasts with a tantalizing
playfulness and met her eyes with an unspoken question. She answered
by extending him her hand, soliciting some assistance out of her
chair. A satisfying shudder of happiness shot through him as he led
Scully back to their bedroom.

*********************************************************************
2:00 p.m.
Maternal Instinct clothing store
A mall in suburban Maryland

"It's one of these two, Mom. I don't like any of the rest of them,"
Scully said decisively.

"Okay, honey... It's so hard to choose between them... but I prefer
the lilac one," Margaret Scully responded.

The three-quarters length dress had the faintest hint of lavender in
its silky fabric. Lace adorned the full-length sleeves and scoop
neck. It covered Scully's stomach in a simple straightforward
manner--the design didn't seek to disguise her shape, nor did it
cling with undue emphasis on her girth.

"Yeah, you're right, Mom. You always were good at picking out
formals for me in high school and even college." Scully smiled
pensively. "Although I didn't have much time for those kind of
events in medical school, did I?"

"I think you may have gone out two or three times, honey. It's
getting to be a little vague now. Honey?"

"Yeah, Mom?" Scully began to fold the sleeves of the special dress
neatly against its back.

"I have something to ask you... I've been reluctant to do so... I
hope you don't think me an interfering grandmother--" Margaret asked,
lowering her eyes at the end of her sentence.

Scully stopped fondling the hand of the fabric and tried to catch
her mother's gaze.

"What, Mom? You know you can ask me anything--at least I hope you
do now. I know we haven't always been completely frank with one
another."

Maggie Scully took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly, then spoke
with groping hesitance, "Well, I've been wondering... Dana... aren't
there people out there who might not be too pleased to see your baby
survive?"

Scully grimaced in an expression of extreme anguish. It was
horrific enough for her and Mulder to entertain these thoughts from
time to time--why should her mother have to be subjected to this
misery also?

"Mom, I don't know if I can talk about this--"

"You don't have to, honey. I just wanted you to know how worried I
am sometimes. If, if it would help matters--I was going to suggest
to you... don't consider my feelings if you and Mulder have to
disappear--"

Scully's chest tightened with anxiety, her legs felt like they would
give out beneath her. She used the wall of the dressing room to
guide her toward the other straightback chair provided for customers.
Maggie jumped up to help her, reluctantly sitting back down when her
daughter shooed her away.

"Mother! I don't want to have this conversation! No matter what
you say, it would kill you if we left now. I can't do that to you,
Mom. I can't take your grandchild away from you because of some
nebulous threat from an organization which may not even exist."

Mrs. Scully threw her hands in the air in a gesture of acquiescence.
"Okay, honey. I shouldn't have brought this up. But you know I'd do
anything for you and Fox. That includes losing you for awhile to
protect you."

Scully's head sunk to her chest, eyes closing in exasperation. She
would never convince her mother they were safe for now. Even she
knew that was an unreasonable expectation. Only after she and Mulder
could study the abductees, including Mulder himself, could they know
for certain why he had been abducted and whether their child was at
risk also.

"Please, Mom. If there's anything you can do, we'll ask you to help
us. Right now, I just want to concentrate on this happy occasion
you've done such a great job planning for us. I don't want you to
worry about me, or Mulder. Or the baby."

Scully stretched her arms out to her mother, beckoning her from
across the room. Mrs. Scully rushed to her side, embracing her
tightly against her side. She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss
on her forehead, then framed Scully's face in her hands.

"Okay, sweetheart. I promise not to worry. I just wanted you to
know--anything you need or want--don't hesitate to ask."

"You've already done everything you possibly can for us, Mom. The
wedding is going to be beautiful, and it's all your doing. Come on,
let's get going. Maybe we can catch some of those biscotti you like
down at the coffee shop."

Scully allowed her mother to help her up, then grabbed the barely
purple dress from the corner of the room. Maggie grabbed her
daughter's purse from the floor and followed her out to the register.
The transaction took about ten minutes, then they were out in the
shopping mall once again, headed for a shoe store.

"Did you decide how long you're going to take maternity leave?"
Maggie finally asked while her daughter slipped on the seventh pair
of shoes that day.

"Oh, I'm not sure, Mom. Mulder says he'd like to take care of the
baby--but you know... he has the best intentions... but I'm not sure
if he'll be happy staying home all the time. I'll see what happens
after he returns to work. If his body cooperates, he might be back
in the field sooner than you think. He'll need a new partner, I
suppose. That will be the hardest thing for both of us."

"You had a temporary partner, didn't you?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, but that felt different. Mulder wasn't around to observe the
dynamics of our partnership. I'm sure it will be difficult for me to
see someone new go out in the field with him, but there's no
alternative. I don't see anything wrong with you or the Lone Gunmen
babysitting once in awhile, but we really want to be hands on
parents. After all, we both waited so long to have children--"

"Honey, I'm all for either you or Mulder staying home with the baby.
Just keep in mind how loved this child will be. I bet you'll even be
able to enlist Mr. Skinner's help with him."

Scully laughed at the prospect of her boss changing her son's
diapers. "Yeah, I'm sure he'd really be comfortable with that, Mom.
Of course, they may resemble one another for a few months if our
little one looks like Bill did as a baby!"

Mrs. Scully smiled at the memory of Bill, Jr. with little or no hair
for the first six weeks of his life. "He still hates those photos.
Dana, those look fine. Why don't you take them and we'll stop at the
coffee shop. I promised Tara and Bill I'd be home by six and it's
already three p.m. I don't mean to rush you--"

"No problem, Mom. I knew you couldn't stay all day. I don't like
you driving home in the dark by yourself anyway."

"Aren't they providing extra protection for you and Mulder?"

"Not anymore. We asked Skinner to drop it yesterday. I guess it
may sound foolish, but I'm not as worried as I was a week ago. I
still carry my weapon on me, if that's what you're wondering about,
Mom."

"I was just curious, honey. I'm not trying to pry or make a
judgment call. Well, let's get going. I can almost taste the coffee
now."

Scully and Margaret paid for her shoes, then stopped at the mall
coffee shop. A half hour later, they were at Mrs. Scully's vehicle
loading the dress and shoes into the back seat. The parking garage
was practically empty that day; it was too early for the Easter rush
and long past Valentine's day.

Once the items were loaded in the car, Maggie started to help her
daughter into the passenger's seat. Scully adjusted her seat belt
and smiled up at her mother when she was done. Before Mrs. Scully
could step away and shut the door securely on her unsuspecting
daughter, a van pulled up beside them.

Scully knew what was happening and struggled to reach her weapon,
but the ambush was too well planned and executed. Within minutes
both women were subdued by their captors, then immobilized by stun
guns. A quarter hour later, Margaret Scully emerged from a temporary
haze to find herself seated in the front seat of her car, without her
daughter beside her.

fin

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