Words
by Susan

Email: touchstone98@tx.rr.com
Classification: vignette
Episode: Home Again
Archive: No archive without permission.
Disclaimer:  Though these characters don't belong 
to me, I will continue to be fascinated by them 
no matter how many years go by.

Summary: What happened after Scully's mom died 
and she pleaded with Mulder to go back to work?
Maybe something like this...

********************************************************


She drove in silence.

It wasn't the comfortable silence they often shared,
but a silence that had him on edge.

Earlier she'd begged him, literally begged him to 
go back to work, and he'd just stood there, too
stunned to say anything.

And then she was in her rental car, already putting
it in reverse by the time he caught up to her and 
banged on her window.

She looked up at him then, her expression a mixture 
of grief and determination, and for a moment, he
was certain she was going to change gears and leave 
him behind.

But she didn't, biting her lip, then slowly reaching
over to the gear and shifting it back into park.

She didn't say anything when he got in and neither
did he.

~~~~

After a quick stop to retrieve their luggage, she
drove to the airport in record time, expertly 
weaving in and out of traffic, yet somehow managing 
to maintain the speed limit.

He wanted to reach over, touch her arm, stroke her
hair, say something to comfort her, but he knew 
that right now it would only serve to shut her down
even more.

And so he said nothing, and neither did she.

~~~~

Sitting beside her now on the plane, waiting for
takeoff, he watched as the other passengers got 
comfortable in their seats, excitedly talked about 
their plans once they got to Philadelphia, and 
discussed what the weather was like there.

And that's when he saw him.

A little boy with copper hair gently held by his 
mother, his wide eyes peeking over her shoulder 
as she sat down in the aisle seat about three rows 
in front of him.

His right hand gripped the armrest as he sat 
there watching the baby's curious eyes take in 
the surroundings and try to make sense of it all.

And he couldn't help but wonder if that's what 
William would've been like on his first airplane 
flight, his big blue eyes filled with wonder as 
he tried to figure everything out while they 
quietly explained it all to him. 

He knew it wasn't right to think of such things 
now, but Margaret's last words had stirred up 
emotions he'd tried to keep buried, and before 
he knew it, his left hand was reaching over.

Gently threading his fingers through hers, he 
looked into her watery eyes, then leaned back 
in his seat as she let her head rest against his 
shoulder.

And still, neither of them said a word.

~~~~

Once the flight was over, they quickly picked up 
their luggage and headed to the rental car agency. 
The agent had given him the keys, but he knew she 
needed to be the one driving, the one in control
of where they were going so he handed them to her
and walked over to the passenger side.

He buckled himself in first, then watched as she 
pulled on her own seatbelt, struggling to find the
bottom part to attach it to.

Digging down into the seat, he pulled it up out 
of the cushion and snapped the metal into place, 
then took hold of her hand before she could put 
the key in the ignition.

"Whatever you need, I'm here, Scully," he said 
softly, squeezing her fingers.

She looked into his eyes, her lips briefly curving 
into a slight smile as she squeezed his hand back, 
then let go. "I know," she whispered, turning away 
from him and starting the car.

Pulling out of the parking lot, she merged onto the
highway and said nothing else the rest of the way.

He didn't need her to.


~end~


Thanks for reading.


possibilities
http://possibilities98.wordpress.com/


Originally posted February 2016.