He
opened the door for her and followed her in. He
immediately felt the heat of Bill’s gaze, but ignored it. He already knew all of the things Bill blamed on
him. He couldn’t dispute any of them and
even if he could, now wasn’t the time. Scully
had straightened up, stiffening her spine as they entered the house, so he had not
attempted to touch her.
Maggie
seated Scully on the couch, then returned to Mulder to make introductions. He spoke politely to the people that had come to
pay their respects, accepted a cup of coffee and found a quiet place to stand near the
stairs. It wasn’t long before he
realized that in order to see him, Scully had to turn around from her place on the couch. He immediately moved to the other side of the room
in order to be in her line of sight. That
side of the room was more crowded, but he knew they would leave him alone. He had no doubt that Bill’s friends were well
aware of Spooky Mulder.
Maggie
noticed this byplay and found herself struggling against tears again. She didn’t know if these two would ever be
happy together, but at least they had each other.
After
what felt like an eternity to Scully, Bill followed Tara into the kitchen to refresh some
drinks. Scully immediately caught
Mulder’s eye, then looked upstairs.
He
nodded and headed up to get her bags. Everything
was ready, right inside of her bedroom door. He
grabbed her things up, and hurried back to the first floor.
He almost made it.
Bill
returned to the room carrying two glasses and spotted Mulder reaching for the doorknob. “What the hell do you think you’re
doing?”
Maggie
winced and Scully closed her eyes for a moment, but Mulder merely placed the suitcases
down and turned to look at Bill.
“I
asked you a question. What the hell do you
think you’re doing?”
“Scully
wants to go home. I’m taking her things
out to the car.”
“I’m
not letting you take her out of here now. She
needs her family, not to be in some apartment all alone in DC.”
“Bill,”
Maggie placed her hand on her son’s arm. “Don’t. Dana is perfectly capable of deciding what she
needs.”
“He’s
influencing her.” Bill hissed.
“No
Bill, he’s not. He’s supporting
me. I need to be home, with familiar
things.”
“You
need the support of your family now.”
Dana
just looked at him for a long moment, not saying anything with words. He finally dropped his gaze and stepped back. At that Mulder picked up the suitcase and carry-on
and headed outside. When he returned, he came
only to the door and waited.
He
watched Scully hug Tara and touch her infant nephew’s face. Mulder had to look away then. He looked back when Maggie touched his shoulder.
“Look
after her Fox.”
He
nodded, “Always.”
She
gave him a sad smile, then a quick hug. Scully
was beside them then and the two women hugged before Mulder took her arm and escorted her
to the car.
He
opened her door and seated her, then got in himself and looked over at her. Her eyes were closed and she was deathly pale, as
thought she had used the last of her reserves. He
reached across her and buckled her in. She
made no comment.
He
pulled quickly away from the house. He should
have gotten her out of there sooner, but it was her family. He glanced over at her
again. She was on the verge of collapse, in
no shape to take a cross-country flight.
He
made his decision and turned out of the base.
It
was at least twenty minutes before she opened her eyes.
Her pallor was still pronounced but he didn’t think she was going to
faint any longer.
“This
isn’t the way to the airport.”
“I
know. I wanted to make a stop first.”
“Mulder,
please. I want to go home.”
“Just
trust me Scully.”
At
those words she nodded wearily and closed her eyes again.
She
didn’t open them until the car came to a halt. “Mulder?” She looked out at the breaking waves of the
Pacific.
“Scully,
you need some time. How can I put you on a
plane now? You’re ready to fall
apart.” He put his hand up to stop her
protest. To his amazement, she closed her
mouth, then opened the car door and turned toward the beach.
Mulder
let his shoulders slump in relief, then followed her toward the surf.
He
said nothing, he wasn’t entirely sure what she needed, but whatever it was he would
get it for her. He nearly walked into her
when she stopped abruptly and whirled toward him.
“Why!” She was shaking now and he knew she was finally
losing control. “Why would anyone do
that to a child, to a little girl. She was
innocent and they - And why me! What
did I ever do to them to make them want to hurt me like this? Why!”
He
had the answer to that last part. Him. She had taken his side against them in the
conspiracy. They had hurt her because she
wouldn’t help them destroy him.
Whatever
she saw in his eyes enraged her and she came at him then, pounding on his chest, hitting
him wherever her hands fell. Her words became
incoherent, but he could hear the pain. He
made no move to defend himself, allowing the assault.
His only moves were those to keep her from injuring herself.
He
had no idea how long this had gone on when he realized she was collapsing against him. Her breathing grew steadier as her tears took on a
more hopeless air.
She
seemed to lose her footing in the sand and his arms tightened around her, then he slid one
arm under her knees and lifted her into his arms, walking quickly to what was left of a
stonewall that jutted toward the water.
He
sat with her in his lap as she continued to cry, seemingly unaware of anything except his
chest, which she clutched at now with trembling hands.
He
let her cry herself out, making no attempt to hurry the process. He was willing to sit there and hold her all night
if that was what it took.
Finally,
when even the hitching in her breath had evened out, she looked up at him. “I want to go home.”
“It’s
late Scully. Why don’t we get a couple
of rooms and go in the morning?”
She
shook her head; “I can sleep on the plane, if you’re there.”
“I’ll
be there.”
She
lay her head back against his chest at that and sighed.
She hadn’t expected this, but it was exactly what she had needed - time
to cry out her rage with only him to witness it and keep her safe. No one knew her as he did - spooky.
He
wondered at the slight smile on her face, then lifted her from his lap and put her on her
feet. He didn't let go of her, supporting her
back to the car.
She
was quiet on the way to the airport and once there he led her to the ladies room. "Go splash some water on your face and I'll
get the tickets."
She
nodded, allowing him to handle everything. He
met her back at the ladies room and led her to the gate.
"We should have plenty of room. Not
many people want the red eye."
"Thanks."
"Not
a problem."
When
the flight was called, he led her to their seats and pulled out a blanket and pillow.
"Am
I going to need the pillow?"
He
grinned, "I hope not."
She
gave him a tired smile and allowed him to pull her against him, where it was safe.
-
Fin
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