Work Text:
Nine years. That was how long Dana Katherine Scully had followed Fox William Mulder.
Much to the chagrin of the higher-ups, her task of debunking her new partner’s work so his unit could eventually be shut down didn’t work… especially after her abduction. But both she and Mulder prevailed. Through everything.
Not until many more years later, on the first night they’d made love and Mulder was yet deep inside her, did Scully first admit aloud to her half that she had been taken with him from the start. Just how did he respond to this? By unintentionally but theatrically ejecting what remained of his post-coital emissions in to her. But Scully rode it all out, thanked Mulder, hugged him. She cherished every moment with him that she could get. Always.
That moment in time had been extremely special.
Just as this current… era was. But there happened to be an unfortunate theme about it. Grief. While their enemy had been toppled, there was all they’d left behind in their wake after choosing to go on the run together. But most of all… Mulder and Scully had to grapple with all the pure emotion that was knowing they’d never see their son again. It hurt like hell.
But they had to keep on. Which they did.
However, it had not escaped Scully’s notice that her life had been so perfectly normal before meeting Mulder. The family had even been intact. Scully herself would have been a full-fledged practicing medical doctor. She would also be married to doctor with whom she would have had lots of kids, they’d have a perfect house in a perfect neighborhood, even a dog or two. Her sister would be alive.
All the same… things would have been so very normal. Scully did miss her loved ones that were gone. But she also knew that none of them would have wished for her to remain even remotely mired in the ‘what-ifs’ of it all. So she kept on.
And she followed Mulder, even still. They had a life together. And in more ways than one. She loved things exactly as they were. Everything had paid off. The losses and the sacrifices, the time apart. All of it.
Now? They were together again. So long as they kept each other company in this madness, this flux, everything would be… this. And that was as good as it would get. Scully chose to take it. Her life with Mulder was about taking joy in the little things. Even when all else was absurd.
But… speaking of which...
Today found Mulder and Scully at a motel about ten miles outside of Tombstone, Arizona. Days of hitchhiking via varying modes of mass transportation had gotten them there. The last leg of that journey had even seen them on a Greyhound bus. Moving constantly right now had come to be an accepted fact.
However…
The couple was just experiencing some cosmically bad luck today.
“A rainstorm?” lamented Mulder as he closed the door to their motel room behind them. “But we’re in Arizona! Come on. Just when was the last time that The Grand Canyon State had such a major… ‘event’?”
Scully gave a prompt answer. “1978.”
Mulder stared. “How’d you pull that number out of the air?!”
“Well… barring the events where the government really did mess with my memory, everything else up there?” Scully pointed to one temple. “My memory is a steel trap. All of my siblings even banned me from playing Memory against any of them in any fashion. Our cousins did the same at family gatherings. Me? I learned to play Solitaire, quick. But I also learned card tricks I can still perform.”
Now Mulder blurted, “What? How has this never come up before?”
Scully shrugged. “I guess I like to have some fun, every now and then.”
“Wait a second.” Mulder staggered as an old memory came back. “Then what was all that in southern California, concerning the magicians and you were just ‘not impressed’ by the continual magic tricks around you? But then you still saved that ‘arm twisting’ maneuver for last?!”
“More of the same. Just plain ol’ fun.” Scully winked. “After Kroner, I fell down an almanac-related hole. And for some time. While I’m no ‘whiz kid’ like the young upstart of walking encyclopedia with multiple doctorates at the academy who has his eye on the Behavioral Analysis Unit, a secret to being a young genius was that I can remember everything I read.”
Arching an eyebrow, Mulder challenged, “What is the name of that ‘young upstart’?”
“Spencer something.” Scully shrugged. “But… some of that information I found in the almanacs after Kroner does include mention of a record Arizonan rainfall.”
Mulder shook his in wonder. “But from 1978.”
Scully nodded. “Mhm. That is correct.”
“How utterly wild.” Mulder then began to concern himself with his next actions. “Reality check, though.”
“Uh-huh.” Scully agreed. “And sometimes it bites.”
Mulder knew that she wasn’t wrong. In the short distance between the motel office and their own room at the end of the row, the heavens had opened up to give them an illustrious gift of the rainstorm that they were currently experiencing. But the trek had still resulted in Mulder and Scully becoming thoroughly soaked. Now there was the matter of drying off. And getting warm.
So Scully went about with peeling her clothes off and sitting down on the first of the room’s two beds, Mulder closed windows. But he had a job of closing the blinds, as they were long, heavy, and thick. Mulder still felt pleased that they were genuine light-blockers. It meant more privacy. But he would prop one of the chairs, from the room’s dining set, under the door handle for emphasis. Later. When they turned in for the night.
Scully sighed in content as she watched Mulder. As they were… on the lam together, both had gone so far as to change their physical appearances now. Scully? She bore blonde locks. Mulder, in his case, had a fabulous ‘mountain man’ type of beard. Scully liked it. Rather a lot.
Just the same as one more thing she’d missed…
Mulder said when he noticed Scully’s lusty expression, “Yes?”
“You know,” Scully threw the last of her wet clothes to the next bed and beckoned to him. “I’ve missed so many things from our eternity apart. And as odd as it sounds? I definitely missed your manifestations of everyday paranoia, Mulder. Yes. Really.”
Mulder joined Scully. “Wow. I’m flattered.”
“Most excellent.” Scully held her hands out to Mulder. “Can you please help me up?”
Mulder did as he said, “Hey. Is everything okay?”
“Mhm.” Scully confirmed as she then gathered up dry clothes from her knapsack. “But my hair just ways about a million pounds right now. I also need to shower. The guy sitting in front of my on the bus had the audacity to eat seaweed in dried form that had seen its day.”
“Wait a second.” Mulder protested while Scully made tracks for the bathroom. “But didn’t you tell me, just last week, that you lived in Japan as a kid because of your dad’s Navy postings? Was that before England? Or after Germany?”
Now Scully called back, “Before both. And I am from the states, but I really did not grow up here. Did you ever live anywhere else besides the states or Oxford?”
“No!” Mulder called to her.
“Then some day,” Scully shed her under-things and turned the shower on. “I will show you exactly what kinds of snacks from overseas would not be a good idea to open in a contained space like a bus because of an unwanted smell. And after that?”
Mulder perked up. “Yes?”
“You and I’ll get away to a tropical island somewhere.” Scully decided. “I’ll be wearing a fabulous black bikini. You’ll have red trunks. Okay? But…”
Clearing his throat and blatantly adjusting his jeans when things began to stir, Mulder said as confidently as he could. “Yes?”
Now Scully smirked as she climbed in to the shower when the water temperature had reached her satisfaction and then closed the door before her answer came back in a singsong manner. “You’ll be the one rowing the boat over to the island.”
Scully then went on with showering. Mulder? He could only groan in defeat. She had thrown the proverbial cold water. And in a way most theatrical.
But Mulder did have himself under control by the time Scully had finished showering. He reigned himself in even faster when he heard the blowdryer going. That meant he was to be treated to the sight of a very dressed-down Scully. Such a vision was an event that only he ever saw. And instances like that? He really didn’t mind. So Mulder would cherish what was about to come. Anything was possible.
True enough...
Scully was now feeling relaxed. But she was looking less put-together than she had, even that morning. Did she mind? No. And that was because Mulder had always loved her for exactly who she was. And how she looked. Because of Mulder’s confidence in her, Scully would oftentimes find herself daydreaming about life in the Virginian countryside, some time when everything was good. And they were older. How truly wonderful would that be?
Mulder lit up at the sight of Scully when she did join him. The woman had now dressed all the way down in only an oversized sleeping shirt and boxer shorts. It even became plain that she was not wearing a bra. But what was more? Scully’s now-blonde locks were vastly untamed. And so very frizzy. Mulder loved seeing her this way. And knowing that she loved him enough to quite literally be herself around him felt amazing.
Perhaps she would even one day entertain the notion of living in a countryside paradise back home. When the worst was over. How truly amazing would be that be?
After sitting cross-legged on the bed, Scully was shivering. And quite visibly. While their motel room was up-to-date and shockingly clean, it was not by any means cold. Scully had a deep thought on her mind.
“Okay.” Mulder sat opposite her after draping a spare blanket around her shoulders. “What are you thinking about?”
“Minus half a year in San Diego,” Scully began. “My siblings and were educated at international schools on or near the bases where Ahab found himself stationed. It was always a wonderful experience. However… that era of my life did come with unique challenges. More than what one would expect at a first look.”
Mulder asked, “How’s that?”
“Having red hair in England is a one-way ticket for being made fun of. Why? Research the Middle Ages. I’m sure Google has a thought or two on the matter.” Scully cleared her throat now. “But anyway… it also gets wickedly hot in England over the course of the warm-weather months. And humid. I’m sure you remember that from your years at Oxford?”
“Uh-huh.” said Mulder. “I definitely do. But I wasn’t ever delegated to stodgy school uniforms. Were you?”
“Yeah.” Scully gave a soft laugh. “Melissa would always make sure that my cardigan was buttoned properly and that my tie was never crooked. Stuff like that.”
Feeling deeply impressed, Mulder offered a thoughtful remark. “So Melissa always took care of you?”
“Uh-huh.” Scully confirmed. “My big brother has always been independent. Junior had has been built so. Unfortunately… Charlie was a holy terror about school in every way. And for years. My mother had to spend her mornings fussing at him. Then Charlie’d argue against whatever she said. Babe… it was a stupidly vicious hamster wheel of a cycle.”
“Hey.” Mulder encouraged. “Keep going. I love hearing about your life as a kid. Where was your old man during the morning school routines? At work?”
“Yeah. Or Ahab was deployed. So it really was just Melissa and me for years, the middle children.” Scully had her own moment of even further thoughtful recollection. “I also remember what our brand of shoe polish smelled like.”
Now Mulder said, “Pardon?”
“My sister, my brothers, and I all wore the kinds of shoes for school that had to be polished.” Scully clarified for him. “At that, we were made to polish them. Every Saturday. It’d be the last of our chores before anyone could go play anywhere. My mother instilled the rule on her own. We didn’t have a lot of money back then, so she would at least make sure we didn’t go out in to the world looking shabby and whatnot. Did you know she’s the youngest amongst her siblings?”
Mulder experienced a turn of surprise as he said, “No.”
“Well, my mother was born in ’44, a year before World War Two ended. Her old man was a Navy captain. Just as mine was.” elated that Mulder found her family history so interesting, Scully was happy to tell him what she knew. “But each of my mother’s other siblings lived through The Depression.”
Quite unsure of how to respond, Mulder said in continued surprise, “Oh.”
Scully gave another nod. “Bingo. My mother still knows how to scare the fear of God into anyone, but when we were children? She made sure we understood the importance of a clean appearance. To that end…”
Mulder’s tone was full of curiosity now. “Yes?”
“I was all thumbs with my lion’s mane.” Scully ran her fingers through the ends of her blown-out golden locks. “My sister was not. She would comb out my hair, do it in twin plaits, and then secure them with hair clips. They had bows on them in the color scheme of our uniforms. And that was a must for any and all hair accessories.”
Now Mulder felt extremely appreciative of having attended non-uniformed schools in his younger years. “Can you still remember the color scheme?”
“Navy blue, canary-type yellow, stark white. I also wore so much tartan because it was part of the skirt design.” Scully shuddered. “But you know, Mulder? We were in England for a very long time. Germany was not until high school. Yes. Really.”
Quick to wipe the surprised expression from his features, Mulder said, “Hang on. Are you saying that except for the stint in California, you didn’t go to school in the states until college and everything that came after that?”
Scully nodded. “What do you think?”
Mulder pressed a kiss to Scully’s brow. “I think it’s all totally amazing. And I cherish everything you tell me about what’s made you, you. Did Melissa like looking after you in the mornings? At all?”
“Missy loved it. She never complained. Ever.” Scully then had a smirk. “But once we got in to field hockey…”
“The two of you did what?” Mulder said blankly.
“I know that you heard what I said.” Scully kissed Mulder on the cheek. “After we got in to field hockey, my frizzy hair only worse. And so did the teasing.”
Mulder asked, “When did it end?”
“After Claire Thompson, the bully, moved with her family to California. I swear there's a dash of irony in there." now Scully fell back on to the bed when she was beset by a different memory now. “Claire’s older brother, Alfie, was rather a lackwit back then. One time? He thought I was mocking him. But that idiot really forgot that lisps are a thing…”
Now continuing to hold on to every word, Mulder asked Scully, “Just how long did you have a lisp?!”
Scully admitted, “Until grade eight. And yes. I also had a very strong accent because of how long we lived in The United Kingdom. None of my siblings had either issue. Only me. Innumerable outsiders were convinced I was English."
Now Mulder laid on his front. Very lovingly, he positioned himself in between Scully’s legs and lifted back her shirt. From there? Mulder began to gently pepper kisses along his other half's middle. Scully sighed in true content, even lifted her shirt back to just below her breasts after a few moments. Gentle touches like these ones delivered by her soulmate always made her feel incredibly loved.
Once Mulder felt sure that Scully was relaxed again, he said, “Hey. What occurred on the day that the Thompson boy got his wires crossed? Mega drama?”
Scully nodded. “Mhm. It goes like this…”
By the Scully had finished her old recollections, the rain increased outside. Travel was highly inadvisable. But what snacks and what drinks they’d purchased at the last stop during their bus ride were stowed safely in their backpacks. Or the room’s mini-fridge. That was that. Especially because to Mulder’s inherent dismay, the television reception was pitiful. So that left one remaining option. A deep chat. However… the deep aspect was happening rather literally. Not the Scully minded.
While she was usually the member of the duo that could be defined as ‘a very sexual being,’ so too did Mulder have his moments from time to time. He was very hands-on because he grabbed life by both hands.
That said… upon Scully first showing Mulder that physical touch could happen because of genuine affection and love, Mulder also greatly cherished whenever they connected in a biblical sense. And Scully indulged him. While Mulder did enjoy full-blown sex, even moments like this one with Scully now made both of their hearts flutter with love.
Each undressed from the waist on down, Scully sat astraddle Mulder. He was comfortably inside her. The rest of their clothes would come off. But later. Now? They were just enjoying this.
“Babe,” Scully pulled herself together when she felt some of Mulder’s pre-emission leak in to her. “I was thinking."
Mulder sat up straighter against the headboard and helped Scully get a little more comfortable before asking, “What about?”
Scully kissed Mulder deeply, as means to settle her nerves. “I love you so much. And with all I have. There will never be another. I’ll follow you anywhere, for as long as it takes.”
Mulder’s heart immediately exploded with love towards the incredible woman in his hold. “Scully? Do you mean that?”
Sighing lustily when her other half began kissing her lips and throat, Scully nodded. “Yes. I fought like hell for all those months to get back to you. Now… Here we are…”
Mulder nodded but let out a pure guttural groan when Scully unintentionally sank a tad more on to him. Still, he relaxed when she kissed him. She was doing what she could to make sure he didn’t promptly fall in to a well of oblivion.
But Mulder soon agreed, “Here we are. But it’s been weeks now. You’re the respectable one, here. Not me. I’ve even been disowned by the UFO panelists. Let me tell you: that was a terrific low.”
Scully would’ve rolled her eyes if she’d gone to bed with any other man and he’d mentioned that particular acronym while in bed. Now Scully just laughed softly because she had been part of that saga, concerning the panelists. And it had already been so long ago. Now that era was just another chapter to look back on in their Book Of Them.
So Scully said, “I think anything about me being respectable went out the window on the first-ever day I decided to follow you because I already knew that I loved you.”
Mulder’s heart bloomed. “Just when was that?”
“After we arrived to that big letter x on the side of the road,” Scully kissed Mulder once more. “When we were on the side of the road in the pouring rain.”
“But,” Mulder said in astonishment. “That was during the first Oregon trip!”
Scully nodded. “I fell in love with you at first sight. No question. And… even though I was quite thoroughly exasperated at the time, I still knew that you are someone who is worth getting to know. I decided then and there that I’d follow you on this quest. All angles of it. Every path. No matter what.”
Unguarded, more of Mulder’s pre-emissions leaked in to Scully as he spoke. “Here we are. You stayed. Thank you. I love you.”
Scully hugged him again while beginning a gentle rhythm with her hips. “I am with you for all of it. God only knows just what’ll be waiting for us whenever we finally do get home, but I still choose to follow you now because never in my life have I ever been so sure of anything. Ever. Just as I’m completely sure that I would not be able to handle it if I lost you. Again. So I’m with you until the end of the road that you and I have been paving, all these years. Mulder? What do you think?”
He said, “I’m overjoyed that you’ve said what you said and that you’re helping me to shine a light in the darkness. Why? Because I wouldn’t have it any other way, not after everything we’ve been through together. Here we are now. Together until the end of the road.”
Scully lovingly kissed Mulder for the umpteenth time before echoing, “Until the end of the road.”
And the couple grew lost in the moment for a few beats more. They kissed, embraced, even said kind words to each other when Scully increased the rhythm she’d begun. All that mattered was the other person. The rest of the world? It could wait.
Scully soon rid herself of her layers. Then Mulder’s own. But she pressed herself against him as she whispered in to his ear.
“Fox,” came Scully’s quiet voice now. “I would also rather be with you anywhere if it means we can be together. You are my family and you always will be. I just had to grow up to realize that things have always been so.”
Mulder held Scully close. “And you’ve been my family since that first day because you’ve always shown me love. Even when I didn’t think I deserved it. But you’ve been so patient. Even in the storms. I don’t want to live a life without you, Dana. Not again.”
She gave a nod. “Our separations have always been hell. But this most recent one…”
Mulder sighed as he remembered the heaviness of that time. “It was horrific.”
“Mhm. One hundred percent.” Scully murmured to him. “But you and I are going to keep going.”
Mulder understood what Scully meant in correlation to the immediate situation. But he also fell in love with her even more. She was the first woman he’d ever been intimate with who was gentle and even wanted a future with him because she considered him completely worthy. Despite what she’d sacrificed to follow him, still. Just what had he done to deserve her?
Staying the course, Mulder said, “Mhm. You and I are going to keep going.”
They then grew fully lost in each other. At last. They were together now. For life.
When they finally fell asleep together, after giving themselves to each other, while tremendous headboard-banging underscored their activities, they dreamt. And what of? A semi-quiet life in the Virginian countryside.
It would happen. Eventually. One day. But not yet.