Home Is Where The Heart Is (3/8)
by Amanda Hawthorn

Feedback: amanda_shepherd@live.co.uk 
Rating: R
Spoilers: Home Again (10 x 4)
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully do not belong to me unfortunately.

Author's Notes:  Thank you so much for all of your reviews,
favourite story adds and follows. I am incredibly humbled. To
answer a couple of PM's, Mulder and Scully will always be my first
love. X Files was my rock through an incredibly difficult time in my
life and even though I used to write stories, I only wrote them for
myself and no one else. I've lost all of those scraps of paper over
the years but I am so pleased to be able to share my ramblings now
with fellow MSR shippers

Huge thanks to my wonderful friends Purdy's Pal, Jedi Skysinger
and DaisyDay for their total support with my writing for the X Files
fandom


Chapter 3

Mulder regarded his partner curiously and held her into his side.
She seemed lighter somehow... as if some part of her sadness had
lifted from her a little. He couldn't quite figure out what it was but
the darkness seemed to have lifted from around her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. "What-"

Dana smiled up at him with love filled eyes. Talking to her family
had filled in a few mysteries that her mother had kept from her...
explanations to why she had changed her will and her final wishes...
and even though she had been kept in the dark, she was much
more at peace with knowing the answers... and it made saying
goodbye that little bit easier.

"When everyone has gone," she promised, her soft voice breaking
through his words. "Can we talk about it then?"

He found himself nodding without even thinking. He trusted her
more than anyone else in his life and he knew he would give her
anything she asked of him. Holding onto her a little more tightly he
felt her melt into his side, just like she always had. Smiling down at
her adoringly he lowered his head to press a soft kiss into her hair,
his lips lingering over her soft strands.

"Anything you want," he whispered into her hair as he kept her
closely by his side, all the while ignoring the glances from certain
members of Scully's family... none of his apprehensions mattered
anymore. He would be here for however long she needed him to
be... that was all that was important now.

"Dana, Fox..."

Both of them broke out of their emotion-filled haze, greeting
Scully's favourite aunt who had returned to them with a plateful of
food, holding it out to them.

"We're fine," Scully insisted, unable to stop the warm smile from
spreading across her lips. "Honestly, we've eaten enough."

"Maybe you have dear but look at poor Fox," Lucy chuckled as
she held the plate towards him. "I haven't seen him eat anything
since you both got here."

"I..." Mulder was ready to decline, an excuse already on his lips
when the old woman held her finger up to shush him.

"Now, I know you haven't eaten."

Mulder's mouth opened to object but when Dana's aunt reached
down to take his hand he couldn't seem to find his voice. Scully
could feel his discomfort and in any other circumstances she might
have found it somewhat endearing, but not today... not now.
Reaching out a hand she laid her palm flat against Mulder's jacket
over his chest and smiled warmly at her favourite aunt.

"Maybe you could save it for a little later," she offered kindly,
catching her aunt's eyes as she spoke. "We'll be heading home soon
anyway."

Lucy released Mulder's hand and looked at her niece sadly.
"You're not staying here tonight?"

Scully shook her head in confusion; when was that arranged for
her? Taking a breath she was about to tell the older woman no,
when she felt Mulder's hand close around hers on his chest.

"We hadn't planned on it," he told her gently when he saw the
disappointment in her eyes. "But..."

"I only asked because Bill had planned to stay over tonight... but
Tara isn't feeling well so it means I'll be staying here on my own...
and I-"

"Hey."

Mulder's voice caused her to quieten, and she turned back to look
up towards the couple who were watching her with such adoration.
In that one moment she finally understood why her beloved sister
had loved this young man so much.

"We can stay," he offered before he looked down at the woman by
his side for confirmation.

"We'll stay," Scully agreed albeit a little reluctantly, but when
Mulder squeezed her hand in reassurance she nodded slightly and
offered her aunt a small smile. "We can stay tonight."

"Thank you," Lucy sighed, relief filtering through her voice as she
gestured towards the plate of food in her hand. "I'll just go and
cover this."

"Okay," Scully smiled, even though she could already feel the cold
grip of sorrow encompass her heart.

Mulder waited until the older woman had started to walk away
before he inclined his head down to his petite partner. She who was
still standing close by his side, holding onto him like some kind of
lifeline.

"Are you okay with this, Scully?" he asked. "I..."

"Yeah," she spoke, her voice quivering slightly. "It's only for one
night... right?"

Mulder moved away from her slightly but kept a hold of her hand
as he regarded her worriedly. "Scully, if you're not ready, I can
take you home and I'll come back here-"

"No," she told him sharply, that single word slicing through his voice
before she let out the breath she'd been holding. "No... we'll both
stay."

"You're sure?"

Lifting her eyes to his, Scully found her fears dissipate when she
saw the concern for her in his gaze. She loved this man with every
fibre of her being, and even though they had in effect separated, she
knew there would never be any other man in her life. He was it for
her... her one and only... and in her heart she knew that these
months apart had only effectively made those feelings of love and
devotion stronger.

"Yes," she told him with a genuine smile. "I'm sure."

000

It was late evening by the time most of the mourners began to
leave...The only people besides Mulder and Scully remaining were
Bill and Lucy, and even now, Bill was trying to persuade the older
woman to go back to the hotel he was staying in with his family..

"You know Bill, you seem to think I'm not capable of looking after
myself," Lucy scolded lightly as she continued to help Scully clear
away the leftover food from the table. "If you're so concerned
about me, why don't you stay here with me instead of Dana and
Fox?."

Scully stopped in mid movement and smiled warmly at her aunt
before she shot an annoyed look towards her brother. "She'll be
fine here, Bill. Mulder is with us."

"Phht," Bill groused, not even trying to hide his distaste. "I don't
know what you see in that loser!"

His comments caused a sudden wave of anger to course through
Scully's veins and she slammed the plate back down onto the table
before turning around to face him, her temper flaring as she stalked
towards him.

"The only loser in this house is you," she hissed. "What is it that
irritates you so much Bill? Is it because he's the most important man
in my life? Is it because I don't need you to bully your way around
defending your poor defenceless sister?"

Her voice rose with every step she took towards him. Her usually
deep blue eyes were specked with fury as she descended upon him
like a tiger stalking its prey.

"He-"

"He was by my side when mom was in the hospital. He held her
hand and spoke to her when she took her last breath... so don't you
dare call him a loser."

Mulder raced back into the room from where he had been cleaning
the dishes in the kitchen. His overcoat and suit jacket had been
discarded onto the back of one of the dining chairs and his shirt
sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had heard the heated
exchange from the kitchen and instantly torn off the yellow rubber
gloves he'd been wearing to toss them next to the sink.

Coming to a halt in the doorway he took a slow step forward when
he saw his partner, the woman he loved, stalking up to her brother
with barely contained fury seeping from every pore.

Bill caught his eye and whatever defeat he was going to submit to
flittered away the second he saw the object of his contempt.

"He left you. Not just once, but twice!"

"Bill-"

Mulder stepped forward but Bill Scully was refusing to hear him,
instead turning his glare back towards his sister.

"You stand by him through all the grief he caused this family... our
sister, Dana," Bill spat. "Melissa... our sister, remember her?"

The mention of their sister sent Scully reeling, and all of the rage
that had possessed her only moments previously suddenly
diminished, causing her to shrink away from her brother, the force
of his words almost breaking her apart.

Surging forward, Mulder placed himself in between Scully and her
brother, his eyes matching Bill's ferocious glare.

"You have a problem with me Bill then you say what you have to
say to me, right here, right now. But you leave Dana out of this..."

"You're a sorry son of a bitch," Bill raged. "Nothing's changed.
You're still here playing happy families. Oh wait, no you're not,
YOU gave your kid away! You-"

The sound of the hard crack of Mulder's fist hitting Bill's jaw
echoed throughout the room, the force of it sending him reeling
backwards. Mulder's fists clenched by his side, his deep raking
breaths surging through his chest as he tried to control his anger.
This was the last thing that Mulder had wanted for Scully, even
though this fierce encounter had been brewing for years. Bill had
honed in and focused on the one thing that he knew would break
his sister, just to get back at him, and he would be held
accountable... for all of it.

"OUR son was loved," Mulder growled, his anger spurring him
forward. His vision blurred and his only focus was the arrogant man
before him. He took a step closer but stopped when he felt a
smaller hand wrap around his arm.

"BILL SCULLY JR," a voice bellowed from behind them, causing
the oldest Scully to turn his attention to his elderly aunt who was
walking towards the three of them, shaking her head in
disappointment. "This is still your mother's house and you are being
disrespectful towards your sister and her husband."

"They're not-"

"They may not have the ring and the piece of paper to prove it, but
they are married in every sense of the word." Stepping closer, Lucy
continued to pierce her nephew with disapproving eyes as she
stared him down, much like his mother would have done if she
were here. "Your mother would not allow this behaviour in her
home, so I think you should make your apologies and leave."

Bill stood stock still and gaped at her in disbelief. He was the one
who was just punched in the face yet he was being told to leave?
He opened his mouth to protest, but the words died on his lips
when he watched the man he had chosen to hate, crumble before
his very eyes. It was then he realised just how much his outburst
had hurt... not only his sister, but Mulder too.

"I shouldn't have lost my temper," Mulder shook his head
apologetically, his gaze dropping down to the petite woman by his
side. "I've tried, Scully... I've really tried."

"This is not your fault," Scully told him softly, concern at his obvious
distress breaking her heart.

"William... I..." those words crept through his lips, their impact
causing his whole body to shudder as he pulled her into him and
buried his head into her shoulder. "I miss him..."

Scully felt her own emotions faltering as she held him as tightly as
she could. Over the years they had developed this strange embrace
that had her standing on her toes in order to hold him... She knew
the difference between his need for comfort and his inconsolable
grief. He was breaking apart, finally allowing the loss of their son to
manifest into the only release he could, and it had taken her brother,
of all people, to fracture his walls.

Tears flooded her eyes as she kissed his ear, her lips pressing
against every piece of skin she could find.

"I know," she whispered through her own swell of loss as she held
onto him as tightly as she could. "I miss him too... shhh... it's
okay..."

Bill stepped backwards, his words of apologies falling on deaf ears
as shame coursed through his body. His aunt ushered him away
from the couple who were lost in their own grief, listening as he said
how sorry he was, over and over again.

When he stepped over the threshold and out into the the night air,
he turned once more to apologise but couldn't seem to make his
mouth work. He had allowed his grief to fuel a hatred for which he
had no grounds anymore. He'd possibly damaged his already fragile
relationship with his sister forever...

"Tell them, I'm sorry," he gasped out, his hand reaching out to grasp
his aunt's fingers. "I shouldn't-"

"No you shouldn't have," Lucy scolded softly even though she
couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. "Give them some time,
okay. Your sister has always been very forgiving."

Bill tried to look over her shoulder to see if he could see the two
people he had managed to wound, but Lucy blocked his view. He
knew she was protecting them from him, and right at this moment
he couldn't blame her. So, taking a deep breath he nodded in
defeat and took a step back. Dropping her hand he slowly turned
around to walk away from his mother's house and the memories it
left behind.

Lucy watched until he was out of sight before she pushed the door
closed, the soft click echoing throughout the hall. Sighing sadly she
thought about leaving the house herself to give the couple time on
their own to grieve, but she knew there was something she needed
to do first.

Taking a breath, she turned around and felt her heart clench when
she saw how her niece and her partner were still in the same place
she'd left them only moments ago, rocking each other back and
forth to a rhythm that only they could hear.

"Dana, Fox," she spoke their names so softly, hoping that what she
had to show them would ease some of their pain. "When you're
ready, come into the study. I have something to give you... it's a gift
from your mother, Dana. A gift for both of you..."

Turning away from them, she made her way towards the study,
hoping that they wouldn't be too far behind her.

Lifting his head, Mulder stayed close to her and rested his forehead
against hers. He was emotionally exhausted and a little embarrassed
that he allowed someone other than Scully to see his weakness.
She had already seen him at some of the lowest points of his life.
She had been there to hold him up when he didn't have the strength
to stand...she was his... everything.

"Are you okay?" she asked him in a whisper, her breath fanning his
face.

"Yeah," he nodded slightly as he lifted his hands to frame her face.
Rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks he smiled down at her as he
placed his lips onto the centre of her forehead. When he pulled
away he melted into her gaze for a few more moments before he
slowly released her to slip his arm around her shoulders, leading her
towards the study where her aunt was waiting


Continued in Chapter 4