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Scully and Skinner disappeared after dessert, back to the nightmarish remains of building and worker.
Two days later, she finally trudged home for good, her allotment of victims taken care of, investigated, tagged, identified and tucked away for near-future funerals, which she blocked from her mind, already near collapse at the weight of responsibility towards them. She’d been the last to see them in their original state, macabre in extremis, with each name burned permanently into her soul.
If she didn’t hug someone soon, there was a very good chance she’d turn atheist and curl up under the covers forever.
Pulling up to the house, she found the yard full of family, travelers returned, children ecstatic. Glad she hadn’t missed anything, she joined in, quietly ignoring the one question Charlie asked about how she was. He took the hint and hugged her tight, “I’m sorry for everything.”
She skirted over this as well, immediately asking how the trip was and if he saw any icebergs.
They stayed another hour or so, a darkly toned jovial atmosphere hovering over the group, the adults listening carefully to the littles descriptions, hearing fear but not terror, Mulder telling the parents to call him if they stopped eating or got too quiet or anything out of the ordinary started.
The goodbyes when they finally departed were tearful for everyone, Mulder included, who had to take a good long deep breath once everyone packed themselves in cars and vans. Dave returned, hand out for a final shake, then, hands in pockets, looked Mulder square in the eye, “you kept my kids safe and I owe you the world for that. Dana told me you feel guilty because you took them in the first place but know that none of us, I promise you, blame you in the least. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time but you got them home.”
Scully reached for Mulder’s hand as Dave turned to go, yelling over his shoulder they’d all be back for Sunday dinner the next day. Bringing her cool fingers to his lips, he whispered to her as the vehicles drove away, “I’m going to miss them.”
“We’ll see them tomorrow.”
Shaking his head against her knuckles, “not the same.”
Wrapping her other hand around their joined ones, she brought them all to her level, hugging them to her chest, “I know.”
Mulder twirled her lightly around, capturing rotating Scully in stationary arms, enveloping her in comfort she’d craved for the last week. Once he’d touched her long enough he pulled back, keeping her in the circle of his arms, asking quietly, “have they found out anything?”
He immediately felt at least 675 of her muscles tighten and tense, a sign he really should have kept his damn mouth shut but without anger, she answered him softly, “can you ask again tomorrow?”
“How about I just let you tell me when you’re ready?”
Forehead dropping to his chest, he felt her nod and it was enough.
&&&&&&&&&
Maggie, per Mulder’s request and her agreeable compliance, rolled herself down to Betty’s house soon after the group reduced to three. Scully looked at her mother, “um, where are you going?”
“Saturday night card party at Betty’s then an adult sleepover. We haven’t done a Thursday one in a few weeks and we are all feeling the need for some gossip and punch.”
Wondering at the collusion between Mulder and mother, “and we are not invited because …”
Mulder fielded this one, “because I wanted a night for us. Don’t question me and my tactics, woman. Your mother is finally out of our hair for an evening and I’m taking advantage of it.” Winking at Maggie, “I adore you, Maggie but go away.”
Maggie laughed, “yes, Fox.”
They watched her go before Scully turned to her partner, “I wish you’d asked me though … I really just want to sleep for the next two days after the longest bath in existence.”
Slight smile in her direction, easy demeanor telling her volumes, “I don’t have any plans for tonight. I just wanted to get everybody out to give you some peace. We can sleep or eat or swing in the hammock or make popcorn and watch terrible movies or … oh … you have no idea what the kids and I have been doing the last two days.” Pulling Scully into the house, he left her standing there while he retrieved a photo album, then presented it to her, “we developed all the pictures from our vacation and we organized them and magicked them and used pens to write down where we were and when we were and how much Vicodin I’d had that day. It was a treat for all parties concerned.”
Not sure how that would couple with crying her eyes out, she took the book, then tucked it under her arm, “come upstairs with me and once I finish my bath, we’ll see if have the strength to turn pages.”
Truly understanding her, he put his hand on her hip as she led them upstairs, deep bathtub waiting, “just a suggestion. No rush, although I have to warn you, there’s an entire section dedicated to candids of you drooling on things.”
&&&&&&&&&&
‘I’ changed to ‘we’ when Mulder went in to give her some clean towels and found her staring at the bathtub, full and steamy, completely clothed, eyes glassy. Shutting the door behind him, he reached for her shoulder, tugging lightly on the hem of her shirt, “need some company?”
Voice tired and cracky, her ‘yes, please’ came out low, prompting Mulder to gently pull her shirt over her head, remove her bra and drop her pants, concern outweighing desire. Shedding his own items quickly, he held her hand as she sunk into the water, then climbed in across from her, water dangerously close to overflow. Reaching behind him, he reduced the water level to safe amounts, then, in silence, washed her head to toe, gentle glides and soapy slides, never pushing, never stepping over bounds set by exhaustion and circumstance. Finishing her, he did his own quick cleanup, then, rinsing both one handful of water at a time, he wrapped warm palm around wet knee, “ready for bed?”
He expected her eyes to be half-shut, muscles like butter but instead he saw anxiety still floating, tightness still pulling, “I don’t know.”
Pulling the plug, he stood, palming water from himself, then helping her stand, doing the same to her, “how about we go find pajamas, then I’ll make you dinner and then we’ll go from there? No plans past mac and cheese.”
This much she could handle and sooner than later, she was ensconced in threadbare cutoff sweats and a yellow Bert and Ernie shirt, Mulder having had the privilege of helping her dress, one effortless piece of cotton at a time. Once dressed, she looked at him, life behind her eyes, at least a glimmer of it, “what was that about Mac and Cheese?”
&&&&&&&&
They ate on the bed, side by side, twin mattress forcing them close, which, in boths opinion, was perfectly fine. There wasn’t much talking, chewing taking precedence before Scully accidently slipped into a life-returning coma with a mouthful of noodles. Clearing the dishes, Mulder returned upstairs to find her curled on her side of the bed, if you could call a foot and a half ‘her side’, staring at the door, waiting for him.
He loved that.
Turning off the light, drawing the curtains against the late evening setting sun, he carefully slid in beside her, covers at their feet, sharing the space of two pillows squished to one and a half, “it’s too quiet.”
“Missing the littles?”
“More than I imagined I would.”
Shutting her eyes, she drifted her hand to his cheek, back against jawline, fingers lightly splayed across his ear, “I think we should steal them for a weekend, take them to the beach.”
“Really?”
“Sure. We know a great spot with a small but perfect little cottage.”
And he smiled to himself as they both drifted off.