Home Is Where The Heart Is (8/8)
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 all so much for sticking with this story
and for all of your support, I am extremely humbled by all of your
comments. Thank you all so much for your reviews, favourite
story/author/follows. I will try and reply to as many of you as
possible in the next few weeks when I get a little free time.

Thank you to Kelly for the beta and read through's. Without her
encouragement I wouldn't have written this story


Chapter 8

Bill Scully hovered in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the
other, obviously uncomfortable with the situation he had found
himself in after his outburst the night before. In any other
circumstances Mulder may have felt just a little bit of sympathy for
him, but not today...

Behind him he could feel Scully move a little closer to him and felt
himself relax a little when she laid the palm of her hand flat against
the small of his back. Her touch sent calming waves throughout his
body and for a moment he almost allowed his anger towards the
older Scully slip away...but when he caught Bill Scully's custom
glare, that anger came flooding right back.

"If you've come here to insult me some more then go ahead,"
Mulder told him, irritability slipping through his words. "I think you
made your feelings for me very clear last night!"

Bill lowered his eyes in shame and shook his head as he fought to
find the right words to say. After he'd got back to his hotel last night
he'd received not one, but two lectures from his wife about holding
onto his temper...and he knew that if he didn't fix things here today
that there would be more trouble waiting for him when he returned
to his hotel. Opening his mouth to speak, he felt the words die on
his lips when he caught sight of his baby sister stepping forward to
stand beside her partner looking lighter and younger than he'd ever
seen her.

"What do you want Bill?" She asked him in a tone that reminded
him of their mother. "If you've come to pick up the things mom left
you they're in the office."

"Dana..."

Scully eyed her brother coolly, her unforgiving glare causing him to
shrink back a little as he shifted his gaze onto the man standing by
her side. For the first time since they had met, Bill actually allowed
himself to look at Fox Mulder. He'd always chosen to hate this
man, ignoring everything that he hadn't allowed himself to see. The
man before him wasn't even looking in his direction anymore.
Instead his gaze was focussed solely on the woman by his side, his
face showing so many emotions that Bill began to question why he
hadn't seen their love before now...he just hoped that his past
actions hadn't damaged his relationship with his sister.

Scully's focus remained unwavered as she eyed her brother,
unprepared to offer him any opportunity to hurt either her or
Mulder again. Snapping her eyes from his, she lifted her gaze onto
the man she loved and offered him what she hoped was a
reassuring smile.

"Can you give us a minute?" She asked him softly as she lifted her
fingers to his cheek.

"Scu-"

"It's okay," she promised with a soft smile, her words hoping to
ease the worry from his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Mulder kept his gaze locked with hers for a few more moments
before her reached up to wrap his fingers around hers on his face to
place a kiss into the centre of her palm. Nodding slightly he
squeezed her hand before he released her to take a step back, only
then turning his eyes onto her oldest brother who was still standing
in the same spot. Unable to keep the anger from his glare, he
stepped a little closer to Bill until they were practically toe to toe.

"If you *hurt* her," he seethed lowly, the anger in his words
fuelling his emotions. "I promise you there is *nowhere* you can
hide."

Without waiting for a reply, Mulder turned away from to focus on
his partner who was watching him with watery eyes. Reaching out
for her hand, he squeezed her fingers one more time before he
turned from the two of them and followed Lucy into the kitchen.

Scully watched him until he was out of sight. His touch and his love
was all she needed to get through anything, including this impending
confrontation with her brother. Without their mother's presence,
Scully had to wonder whether the fragile relationship with her older
sibling could be maintained...but right at this moment she wasn't
sure she wanted to even try.

"Dana-"

"Mom left some things for you in boxes.," she started, eager to get
this meeting over and done with as quickly as possible. "There's
three, but don't ask me what's in them because they were already
sealed."

"Look, Dana," Bill tried again, taking a step towards her. "I..."

"Save it Bill," Scully groused. "I don't want to hear it."

Turning away from him she started towards the office, motioning for
him to follow her. Anger coursed through her, the strong residue
from the night before still burning a path throughout her heart. What
he had said to her and Mulder had stung at the time, but the impact
of his tirade had cut deeply, far deeper than she thought he even
realised. His inability to accept the man she had chosen didn't
matter to her anymore and she had to wonder why she had sought
his approval in the first place...all that mattered now was her life
with Mulder and nothing her brother or anyone else had to say
bothered her now.

Bill followed on behind her, his attempted apologies falling on deaf
ears when she refused to hear him. He'd come here to at least try
and offer some kind of penance for his behaviour, even if she didn't
want to accept any of it. He knew he'd made a fatal mistake the
second the spiteful tirade had surged from his lips and he wished he
could take it all back...he wished that he could have just accepted
that his mother had been right all along about Fox Mulder...he
wished...but it was all too late now. He'd allowed his grief to spill
out of him like molten lava and he didn't know if he would ever be
able to repair the damage he had caused.

When he followed her into the office he was struck by how empty it
all felt. As a child he'd spent many hours in here with their father,
eager to please the man he had modeled himself upon. He'd
followed a career path that was expected of him rather than what
he'd really wanted, and maybe deep down that was why he
resented his baby sister. She had defied their father's desired career
choice for her and gone off on her own, building a life and a career
that had molded her into the confident woman she was today...and
he had to admire her for that.

"Dana..." he started, hoping to halt her in her tracks as she seemed
to be darting backwards and forwards in order to avoid him. "What
I said last night-"

"Oh, I think you said enough!"

Scully stopped in her tracks, her eyes lifting to his with a burning
anger that caused him to shrink back slightly. Leaning against the
desk, she balled her fists, the whites of her knuckles touching the
mahogany desk top.....fury seeping through every pore.

"You not *only* insulted me, you insulted the man *I* love," she
spat. "Yes I said *LOVE*...and if you have a problem with that
then the door is right there."

"Dana, I was insensitive," he tried, hoping she would hear him this
time. "What I said to you-"

"NOT just to me," she told him, her words dripping with anger.

"No, not just to you," he nodded slowly. "I was wrong-"

"Damn right you were wrong!"

"I can see clearly how much he loves you, and I was wrong to say
what I did last night...I was upset..."

"Really?" She chuckled mirthlessly. "YOU were upset? Well how
do you think *WE* felt after you implied we threw our baby away
like trash?"

"I didn't..."

"YES you did," she spat. "You made it clear that you thought we
didn't love our son. Not once have you asked me why. Not once."

"I..."

"We loved...we *LOVE* him. We will always love him even
though he isn't with us because we know that he is safe and he is
alive." Standing up straighter, Scully walked out from behind the
desk, stalking towards him. "I couldn't keep him safe...and *I*
made the decision to send him away, not Mulder, not anyone
else...*ME*...I did it."

Bill shook his head in confusion. After all this time he believed that it
was Fox Mulder's abandonment that had prompted the adoption,
and every time he'd tried to ask their mother she had become upset
so he'd always changed the subject.

"I didn't know.."

"No, you didn't," she snapped. "How could you? You were too
busy playing the important big brother who thought he could bully
his way through my life. You had no intention of listening to anything
I had to say, all you wanted to do was control me."

"That's not true," Bill blurted, hating the way she saw him. "I was
just trying to keep you safe."

"From what?" She asked haughtily. "If your idea of keeping me safe
is to belittle the father of my child then you have a funny way of
showing it!"

"I'm sorry..."

"You know what Bill," she sighed, the fight in her voice slowly
beginning to drain away. "I'm not sure I want to hear your apologies
anymore...you set out to purposely hurt us last night. You might try
and pretend that you said those things because of mom but I don't
buy any of it. You hated Mulder even before you'd met him...you
went out of your way to be difficult, well you know what...I just
don't care anymore."

Bill shifted on his feet, shame flowing through every part of his
body. He couldn't deny some of the things she'd just told him
because there were some truths in her words. He *had* chosen to
hate a man he'd never met. He *had* set out to belittle and
diminish whatever credibility Mulder had in her life...and he still
wasn't entirely sure he knew the reasons why.

"Look, Dana I was wrong," he kept his voice low as he spoke,
hoping to reach her. "I have been wrong about a lot of things and I
will apologise to him too."

"Bill," she sighed sadly as she looked around the room, her eyes
focusing on anything but him. "I think 
you're too late."

"No, I don't believe that Dana," he implored. "I said some things
that I shouldn't have and I've done some things to make you hate
me but you have to believe me when I say, I never meant to hurt
you."

Shaking her head, Scully sighed heavily and looked back towards
the boxes on the desk. She felt emotionally drained and so far away
from the highs of love that she'd been feeling just a few hours ago.
She knew she owed it to her mother to at least try to keep her
relationship with her brother alive, even if it was only just barely.

"She's left the house to me," she told him then, already waiting for
the inevitable backlash, but to her surprise it never came. Turning
her gaze onto him, she looked for any indication that he hadn't
heard her. "Did you hear what I said? Mom left the house to me."

"I know," Bill nodded, taking a step closer towards her. "She told
me a few months ago when she came to visit."

"That's *it?*" Scully asked, surprise mixing with resentment when
his words sank in. "You've known all this time and all you can say is
I know?"

"Dana..."

"Unbelievable," she groused as she threw her arms in the air in
defeat. "I have wasted hours worrying about your reaction and
*you* already knew!"

Lowering his eyes. Bill released a heavy sigh when he realised how
he had inadvertently hurt her once again. Seeing her like this,
emotional and angry, brought forth every single one of the bad
things he'd either done or said to her in the past. She was right, he
was a piece of work and he was an arrogant bully...and for that he
was truly sorry...he really was. Raising his eyes back onto her
pacing form he took a deep breath and stepped forward to lay a
hand onto her shoulder to still her movements.

"Look, Dana..." he started, as he fought to find the right words to
say. "I didn't know mom hadn't told you...and I'm sorry you thought
I'd be mad about it..."

"Well why *wouldn't* I think you'd be mad Bill?" she hissed
angrily, shrugging his hand away from her shoulder. "You have
always been an asshole for as long as I can remember. Why would
this time be any different?"

"I'm-"

"You're sorry?" Scully asked mirthlessly, shaking her head in
disbelief as she turned away from him. "*I'm* sorry Bill, but I don't
believe you."

Bill's heart sank with her words. Had he really been so awful to live
with all those years ago? He watched her for a few more moments
before he moved a little closer towards her to lay a tentative hand
on her arm.

"I know I was difficult before," he admitted softly. "But I can't take
any of it back. I can't change the past...but for everything I've said
to hurt you...I really am sorry."

"And what about Mulder?" she asked as she slowly turned around
to face him, anger still present in her eyes. "You owe him more than
an apology for all the crap you've said to him over the years, too."

"I know," Bill nodded. "And I will apologise to him too."

"Yes you will," Scully told him as she released a long sigh. "But not
today."

"Wha-"

"We're going home today," Scully started, her voice level and
measured as she spoke. "We need time to process...and I need
time to forgive you."

Her words caused Bill's heart to beat a little faster as hope coursed
through him. Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he
looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"And can you?" he asked softly, "forgive me?"

Scully met his gaze and felt a little of the anger fade away from her
when she saw the desperation in his eyes. She needed time to
process...time to think...nodding slightly she took a deep breath
before releasing it slowly. He looked so much like their father right
now...something that she hadn't allowed herself to notice over the
years...but, now, open and vulnerable, she couldn't help the clench
of her heart as she thought of him and what he would make of all of
this.

"I hope so," she all but whispered, knowing that their father would
want her to try.

Bill released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding; her
compassion had always been what had set the two of them
apart...but he wanted to change...it was time he did.

"I hope so too," he told her sadly when he saw her eyes pooling
with unshed tears. "Maybe I could 
call?"

"Yes," she nodded. "In a week or two."

Bill swallowed the ball of emotion that had refused to budge and
offered her a small smile. She was giving him a lifeline, and he knew
it was more than he deserved after everything he had done...but
before he could reply she moved again, walking towards the desk
and the boxes their mother had left him.

"I'll help you take these to your car," she told him as she picked one
of the larger boxes up and handed it to him. "I'll bring the other
two."

Bill looked down at the box in his arms and knew that he was
effectively being dismissed. He couldn't help the disappointment
that flooded through him, but he also knew that he had to do what
she asked if he wanted to keep her in his life.

"Okay," he nodded, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. "I'll
get the door."

000

Later that evening, Lucy stood in the hallway and held out her arms
to hold her niece in a warm embrace. She held her tight, both of
them crying softly before she released her hold and stepped back
to grasp onto Dana's hands.

"I am so proud of you sweetheart," Lucy told her with a watery
smile. "And you mother will be too."

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with us?" Scully asked
as she squeezed her aunt's hands a little tighter. "Just for a few
days?"

Lucy smiled warmly at the young woman standing before her and
shook her head.

"I have a bridge weekend planned with the girls," she told her with
a wide grin. "Mary is bringing her chocolate brownies."

Despite her sadness, Scully couldn't help but chuckle at the thought
of four elderly ladies enjoying a weekend of nothing but, gossip,
cards and snacks.

"Well," she laughed. "I can't compete with that!"

"But I'll come and visit you and Fox in a few weeks, okay?"

Before Scully could reply, the front door swung open to reveal a
breathless Mulder, who was pulling his unbuttoned overcoat a little
closer together.

"Your bags are in the taxi, Lucy," he beamed as he accepted a
strong hug from the older woman who had wrapped her arms
around him.

"Thank you, dear," she told him brightly as she stepped back and
lifted her hand to his face to frame his cheek. "You take care of
yourself and my niece...and I'll see you both soon."

"Okay," Mulder smiled when he took her hand from his cheek to
place a kiss onto her knuckles. "And I will."

Lucy stepped back when Mulder released her hand and offered the
two of them a watery smile before she moved towards the door.

"Goodbye my loves," she beamed as she stepped out into the cold
night air. "See you soon."

Scully joined Mulder on the step, her arm instantly winding around
his waist. They both watched as the woman they had both come to
adore climbed into the waiting taxi. She gave one final parting wave
before she slammed the door closed behind her. They watched until
the taxi was out of sight...its lights fading into the night before
Mulder maneuvered Scully back inside the house, closing the door
behind them.

They stood, wrapped around each other for a long moment, neither
wanting to pull away. Mulder pressed his lips into her hair, kissing
the soft strands until she slowly started to pull away so that she
could look up into his eyes.

"Thank you for being here," Scully whispered softly as she lost
herself in his gaze. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Always," he told her with a smile. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Scully's eyes dropped to focus on his lips...she utterly adored this
man. Inching closer she leaned forward, standing on her tiptoes so
that she could capture his lips in a soft, brief kiss.

When their lips parted they stayed close together, even now
unprepared to be without each other. Mulder lifted his hand to
capture a stray strand of hair from her forehead and tucked it
behind her ear.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked with a bright smile as he
kept his eyes locked with hers.

"Yes," she beamed. "I'm ready..."

"Okay," he smiled, his eyes leaving her to scan around the empty
house around them. "Do you want to take anything with you?"

Scully stepped away from him and followed his gaze. Her eyes
flittered around the hallway as she fought to keep the emptiness and
sadness at bay. This house had been a hive of love once, and one
day it would be a home again...but not for her...not anymore.
Reaching for his hand, she wrapped her fingers around his and
shook her head. Everything she wanted to take he'd already put in
the car, including the precious photos of their son. All she needed
now was to turn off the lights and lock the doors...but it all seemed
so final.

Sensing her turmoil, Mulder squeezed her hand briefly before
releasing their joined fingers and ushered her towards the door.

"Why don't you wait for me in the car," he told her softly. "I'll lock
up here."

Scully nodded slightly and took one last look behind her before she
stepped over the threshold and hurried towards their car. Mulder
watched her until she had opened the door and got inside, only then
reaching up towards the light switch. Glancing around the eerily
quiet house he smiled before he clicked off the switch.

"Thank you for everything Mrs. Scully," he spoke into the darkness,
hoping that wherever she was right now that she could hear him. "I
promise I will look after her..."

With his parting words he stepped out into the night, turning only
once to lock the door behind him before he moved towards the car
and his new life with the woman he loved...


End

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