From: "Kristine Gonzalez" Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 19:44:05 -0500 Subject: "A Thousand Miles by Kristy Gonzalez" Source: direct Title: A Thousand Miles Author: Kristy Gonzalez Feedback: krisann1013@velocity.net Distribution: Gossamer and Ephemeral Keyword: MSR Spoiler: Season 9 Subject: Mulder returns home to Scully and William. Disclaimer: The characters of Mulder, Scully, and William do not belong to me. I know this because my therapist tells me that at the end of every session. They belong to Mr. Carter and everyone at 1013 Productions. Whatever... I'm not making money off of this. And if I did, I'd share! Promise! A Thousand Miles The rain was pounding down on his bare head as he walked down the city streets. He watched the faces as they passed. No one noticed him, no one gave him a second glance. He marveled at that because he always felt that someone was watching him, personally or professionally. Watching him, or watching out for him. Now he wondered if he was truly alone on this street surrounded by people. He'd been circling the city for hours, not sure of his next step and where it would lead him. He followed his heart on this one. He'd followed his head for too many years, trying to figure out the world and the people in it. He decided that that was enough. He decided that he had too much to live for to keep chasing these demons. It was time to go home. Mulder looked up and down the street, seeing his past behind him, and as he looked up at Scully's building, he saw the future in front of him. She had no idea that he was on his way to her. He had no idea what to say to her when they met. He just knew he had to see her. Slowly he climbed up the stairs in her building, shaking the rain off his jacket as he went. He couldn't believe that he was about to see Scully, the mother of his child, the woman that he adored, his partner in work and in life. He stopped in the hallway, suddenly worried that this might not go as he had planned, that she would not be ready to see him, or worse yet, that she might not be alone in her apartment. What if Scully had moved on? What if she no longer wanted him? Mulder shook his head, believing that could never be true. He continued to her door, pausing outside and unconciously running a hand through his hair. He wanted to look good when he saw her, but his current condition would have to do. Cautiously he raised his hand and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again and still nothing. Mulder chided himself for forgetting to see if her car was outside. He took out his worn keyring and found the key marked "Scully." Turning the key over in his hand, the word "Home" scrawled on the other side. He had written that months ago on a particularly lonely night. He slid the key into the lock and opened the door as it unlatched. "Scully?" He called out to her, but there was no answer. He closed the door and locked it, turning to look around the apartment where he had spent so much time. A light by the window cast an orangey glow on the room. Everything was as he remembered it to be. He walked further into the room and ran his hand lovingly over the back of her couch. He walked back to the bedroom and opened her closet, smelling her clothes, recalling her scent. He noticed shirts of his hanging next to hers, and he was grateful that he could change out of his wet things. He grabbed a shirt and jeans and headed into the bathroom. He needed to shower and shave, and he hoped Scully wouldn't mind if he sacrificed her razor. He turned on the hot water and hopped in, aware of the fact that Scully could return at any second. He relished the water, having not felt anything but cold rain for the last week. He had done a lot of walking, and all he wanted to do now was rest. He shaved in the shower and quickly jumped out, toweling off and getting dressed. He combed through his hair and threw his wet clothes into the hamper. He nearly tossed them away, but they would take up too much space. He left the bathroom gingerly, calling to Scully as he walked out, but she appeared to still be out. The night was young, and she was probably at her mother's house with William. He thought nothing of it. William. In the living room, Mulder picked up the pictures of his son one by one, tracing his fingers over his son's face. He missed him so much. He had seen him so briefly before he left. Mulder walked into the nursery, and stood by his William's crib. He picked up a blanket laying inside and brought it to his nose, inhaling the smell. It was faint, but it was there. Mulder picked up a teddy bear from inside the crib and held it to his chest, tears ready to fall. He held them back though. He had come home. There was no reason to cry now. He returned to the living room and fell back on the couch, still clutching the teddy bear in his hands. He was exhausted. He had been walking for what seemed to be a thousand miles, and he needed to rest. He wanted to wait for Scully. He wanted to see her face when she saw him for the first time, but his eyelids were heavy, and soon they drooped into sleep. Mulder woke up to sunlight streaming through the window. He shielded his eyes and quickly sat up, looking around the room. He jumped off the couch, calling Scully's name. "Scully? Where are you? Hey Scully?" There was no answer, and he ran back to her bedroom, but there was no sign of her. Her bed was still made, left untouched. He checked the bathroom but no one was there either. Where was she, he wondered. Had she never come home last night? The light by the window was still on, and Scully was nowhere to be found. Now Mulder was really starting to worry. He decided to take a cab to Maggie Scully's house to see if she went to visit her mother. First though he wanted to get cleaned up. He went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, combed through his hair, and brushed his teeth. He strode through the living room and grabbed his dried-out jacket off the back of the couch and threw it around his body. As he opened the door to Scully's apartment, he stopped short. A look of shock was registering on the face of the woman standing in front of him with her key in hand. She took a step back and was ready to pull her gun when she realized who he was. Mulder couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Time seemed to stop around them, and gradually, he got his voice back, but only to a whisper. "Hey Scully." **************************** Author's Note: This story has been sitting on my computer for a few years, and I just decided to go ahead and put it up on Gossamer. I'm not sure if it is done though. Should it be a series, even a short one? Let me know what you think! Write me at krisann1013@velocity.net Thanks!