Title: In the Secret

Author: Gallina (my wonderful pen name)

Summary: Mulder comes home and has to deal with what’s happened in his absence.

Rating: PG-15 tee hee

Spoilers: Hm…S9 is all there taken into account. 
Notes: Here Petey…I finally entered your contest! Feel proud!

More Notes: You know what? I actually got this title from a church song…so now I feel strange…never mind. I am taking into account that she did give Will away.

Disclaimer: Does any one really own any one else? NO! Well, in this case…Chris owns them…ah whatever. You already knew that. 

 

 

            She had been on her feet all day long and wanted to go home. There were no students could bother her and ask her annoying questions. There she could be alone in the stillness of it all. It’s been different without the baby around. Dana Scully loved her child but was fearful to admit that she had a burden lifted off of her. She thought of how Mulder would react to what she had done. A burden? Their son was a burden? She got out of the car and sulked over to her apartment. 

 

            Scully booted up her dinosaur of computer and a window came up. “You have mail,” it chimed. She ran her frail hands through her copper hair and went over to her computer. Her mailbox contained one message, one from Mulder. Her eyes widened with happiness; she hadn’t heard from him since January and that was four months ago. She didn’t want to admit what she thought after the train incident; that he was dead. She moved her mouse to loom over the message sent from mrpotatohead@hotmail.com. After turning over in her mind what it might say, she opened it. 

 

                        Dana,

After months of being battered and beaten, we have finally won the war. I’m coming home. 

 

            Love, 

                        Mulder
 

Her watery eyes starred at the screen for a little longer and she finally produced a glowing smile when she finally realized that it was all over: he was coming home. She turned off the computer and thought to herself that they could be a family again. They could take William to the park and just have the normal, idyllic family life they have wanted together for so long. Then it hit her. Mulder wouldn’t have a son to come home to. The son he most desperately wanted with the woman he loved. She hung her head in shame and remorse and went to bed and lied there for quite sometime not even being able to cry. What would she tell him?

 

            It hadn’t even been 2 days after she had received the email from Mulder when she was lying on the couch watching Mulder’s fish dart from place to place in their little aquarium. The light outside was on and she caught a shadow in the corner of her eye. She heard footsteps. Working on the X Files has made her slightly paranoid about any moving figure at night so she got up abruptly to fetch her gun. She quickly stood in the position she had learned to stand in way back from her days in the academy. The door creaked open and she brought her gun up to eye level and was about to blast the hell out of whoever or whatever was at her door until she saw his nose. His cute little nose was peeking out of the door. Scully saw that nose and dropped her gun on the wooden floor and jerked the door open. 

Her breath caught in her throat as if she had just finished running. Mulder gave her a feebly smile as he fell into her arms. 

 

            “Mother of God, Mulder…” she murmured into his ears. She pushed him back a little so she could take in his appearance. He had lost a lot of weight…almost an unhealthy amount. His hair was much thicker and he had just about the worst 5 o’clock shadows she had ever seen. “Hey Scully…” He never thought he would be at a loss for words when he was reunited with her. For once in his life, he was. He couldn’t speak. All he could do is smile and swim in her irises and think of how many lonely nights he waited for the time to come when he would be with her again. He wanted to see her so badly he would not think of anything else other than her touch and how he felt against her. He couldn’t wait any longer and gave her a full hug. It was one of those crushing yet loving hug that told people that they were loved more than any other earthly thing and she loved him for it. 

She held his hand as they went over to the couch and sat next to each other. She pulled her knees up to her chest and he stretched out his arm to draw her close. She snuggled into his nape and whispered, “So much has happened Mulder...the Gunmen…they’re dead.” As happy as she was to have Mulder back, she missed those boys. She regretted harshly all the time she referred to them as the stooges. He tensed up and with that a solitary tear dropped. He shook his head slightly as if to say “More people die because of the truth…” He rubbed her back soothingly and told her that it’ll be all right. She stifled another cry and moaned “Mulder, William’s gone.” He stopped petting her and nearly stopped breathing. 

“What?” he asked, for once in his life not wanting to believe. 

“I had to give him up for adoption, Mulder. I’m so sorry…I was so alone and lost. I couldn’t protect. He’s better off knowing that he’s a normal boy…” she stated sadly with her eyes glazing over. With that, Scully let open the floodgates while Mulder sat there with her in his arms and pleaded to her to stop. “Scully…it’s not your fault…we can get him back somehow…we can even adopt if we have too…” he hummed into her ear. The tears didn’t let up till about an hour later that left them deep in the dead of night. 

 

            “Mulder?” she queried with her blue eyes looking up into his. 

            “I’m here,” Mulder answered back. “Are you ok now?” She gave him a little nod just to show that she had stopped crying. “I still can’t believe that you’re truly here. For good.” He smiled and said, “Believe it…this is me.” He gave her a sweet kiss to the lips that nearly made her cry. After it was over she inhaled deeply and said, “I thought of you all the time Mulder. It was maddening. Some nights I could feel you touch me. I could even hear you say my name…”she said intimately. “I felt the same way about you…life was so unbearable without knowing that I wouldn’t be sharing a bed with you every night.” She laughed at the flattery quietly and asked the question she had long wanted to know. “Mulder, how were you able to come back?” He smiled. “All it took was a lot of liquid iron and determination to get back to you. Scully, it’s all over. Never mention it again.”

 

They went of to bed together knowing that they were once again safe, in the secret and quiet place.