Chapter Text
Changed 2 Home is
by Cathey Scully
He was gone. She always ached when he wasn't there. Her entire body ached for him. Her mind missed him as much as her body did. She wished he would hurry back.
Akila missed him too. She didn't cry or fuss, she just wouldn't perk up until she heard his voice. Mulder called every day. Instead of the regular phone Mulder called on the videophone. Scully would sit with Akila on her lap and she and Mulder would talk for hours. Not only did Akila love being able to see her father, Scully enjoyed being face to face with Mulder.
He said it still wasn't safe for her and Akila, and had asked Reyes to stay with them until the okay was given. Mulder was too damn protective for his own good sometimes. It was one of the things that endeared him to Scully and also infuriated her. It was also one of the things that made her love him all the more.
"Things are almost ready Scully. Skinner told me a few more days and things will have settled enough for you and Kila to come back into the real world." Mulder spoke into the videophone. He noted that Scully wasn't paying attention to him in order to change their squirming daughter's diaper.
"I'm listening Mulder." Scully spoke, as if reading his thoughts. "A few more days and then Akila and I can join society again."
"How much stuff are you going to pack?"
"That depends on if my apartment is still there."
"I've already looked into that. The guys told me that miraculously, our apartments and your mom's place were left unharmed." Mulder told her. Scully stopped and looked up at him.
"Well, in that case, I'll only bring the necessary things for Akila. After all, if she keeps taking your shirts, you're going to be topless eventually. Not that I'd mind." Scully grinned as she finished with
Akila and lifted her back into her arms. The baby squirmed around in Scully's arms, searching for her father. Scully turned the baby to see Mulder's image and Akila squirmed before reaching out a hand to Mulder. Mulder lifted a hand to touch the screen where Kila was reaching.
"Hey Baby. Are you ready to go home with me and mommy?"
"Tell Daddy yes Akila, tell Daddy yes." Scully cooed. Akila yawned in response. Mulder chuckled and Scully shifted the sleepy child. "It's bedtime for baby. Call me back in an hour Mulder?"
"Sure Scully." Mulder kissed his fingertips and pressed them to the screen over Scully and Akila's images. "Night, night Kila. Daddy loves you."
"Night, night Daddy." Scully echoed. "Love you too."
Later that night, Scully and Mulder completed the ritual that they'd established when he'd had to go back. They talked on the regular phone while lying in bed with their eyes closed, imagining the other was with them. They would slowly lull each other to sleep and would end their conversations with "I love you, talk to you tomorrow."
The next morning Scully woke expecting to hear the phone ring and Mulder's amused voice when he teased her about sleeping later than him. Instead she heard Reyes outside her door on the phone with some one. Scully slipped her robe on over he pajamas and walked into Akila's bedroom. She found the baby giggling to herself; something that she must have started after Scully turned the baby monitor off when she left the room. Akila squealed and Scully lifted her out of the crib and cuddled her close.
"You only act this way after talking to Daddy." Scully accused smiling. "Is Aunt Monica talking to Daddy?" She laughed as Akila squealed and buried her face in her neck. "You're a little ham...yes you are. But you're mommy's little ham so it's okay."
Scully carried her happy baby into the kitchen and questioned Monica about who she was talking to. Scully's suspicions were confirmed when Reyes answered that it was Mulder and that she'd already let Akila talk to him. As soon as Reyes handed the phone to Scully, Akila started whimpering to be fed. Scully took the phone and balanced it between her ear and shoulder while she nursed Akila. She and Mulder talked for an hour. He told her that he'd booked a ticket for her and Akila on a flight the next day to Indiana.
When Scully asked why he wanted her there so soon, especially after telling her the night before that it would be almost another week, Mulder replied that the president wanted to meet the people who had, in most definitions, saved the world. They discussed what would be involved with the president's visit, including a dinner and a ceremony of some kind. President Bush mainly wanted to honor Scully and Mulder for their services, but Mulder said that he was going to request recognition for everyone who had been involved in the fight. Once that had all been cleared up, sleeping arrangements were mentioned. Mulder was taken aback when Scully asked where she and Akila would be staying; he'd assumed that they would stay with him. He quickly voiced this.
"That's okay isn't it Scully? Cause if it's not, there are extra rooms and beds around here."
"I do want to stay with you Mulder. I'm just worried about how others will react. Like Doggett, and Skinner."
"Skinner knows about us. He knows that we were together before I was taken, he knows Akila's mine. He also knows that I love you with all my heart and I'm not going to let you go. As for Doggett, he knows when to back off."
"That sounded rather territorial Mulder. I should probably hit you for that."
"You'll have to catch me first. I gotta go Scully. Bring Akila's bassinette okay?"
"Okay, talk to you later."
"Bye Scully." Mulder hung up the phone.
Scully smiled and shifted her hungry daughter. They were one great leap closer to being together again. The more she thought about it, the happier Scully became. Within minutes, Scully felt the now-familiar ache in her chest lessen. From Indiana, they would make their way home to D.C. It was the beginning of a new life.
End of part one.
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