Part 9/9 ***** Doggett knew it was no use, but he continued to struggle against his captors as they dragged him toward the wall of flame in front of him. They had caught him only seconds after he realized Scully wasn't behind him; though he had tried to convince himself not to worry, that she could take care of herself, he had turned to search for her nonetheless. The replicants had been waiting. He had managed to fire his shotgun once, but the three guards left had ignored the destruction of their comrade and continued on toward Doggett. Now, they seemed intent on literally throwing him into the fire. He could feel the intense heat on his face and could swear he felt his nose hairs burning when the replicant on his right suddenly let go of him with a scream. The other two guards turned on their attackers, a man and a woman, shotguns braced against their shoulders, eyes glowing as they faced the fire. Doggett barely heard the weapons as they both let loose with another round. The last two replicants fell at his feet. He rushed toward his rescuers, not at all surprised, and yet greatly relieved, to see Monica standing weaponless behind them. "What took you guys so long?" he asked with a smirk. Mulder raised his shotgun again. "Watch it, buddy." Doggett raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just kidding." "Are you okay?" Monica asked him. "Sure," he responded. "A little warm, but hell, we are in the desert." "Speaking of desert," Dana replied. "Let's do our best to get to it." The four of them, with Mulder leading the way, headed away from the fire. The hall seemed to cool a bit and Doggett was about to shout his relief, when the floor beneath them began to crumble. "Mulder, when you said you wanted to destroy this base, couldn't you have been a little more thorough?" He couldn't stop the sarcasm; it hid his fear. Mulder didn't even stop to respond...until the very floor in front of him disappeared. About six feet of floor was gone. "Damn," he said softly. Doggett saw Dana look at him, and the former agent looked back at her. Though their lips never moved and he never heard their voices, Doggett knew they were talking to each other. Mulder gave a sharp nod and jumped, landing heavily on the other side of the gap in the floor. He turned to face them just as Dana took a leap of her own. "Come on!" he shouted at them, reaching out to catch Dana as she landed. "It's not gonna get any smaller!" They were nuts! But Mulder was also right. He took a deep breath and looked over at Monica. She responded by grabbing his hand in her own, then nodding. "On three," he told her softly. "One." "Two," Monica said softly. Three was never uttered as they took the impossible leap together. They hit the floor running, Mulder and Dana right in front of them. Mulder took a sharp right, and they followed him down three shallow steps. A long dark hall stood in front of them, but the pale light of the hangar bay sat at the end. Without letting go of Monica's hand, Doggett ran like he had never run before, the roar of the collapsing building echoing behind him. ***** William sat in the circle of Uncle Walter's arms, watching as the building in front of him burned and collapsed in on itself. There were still people inside, he could feel them dying, but there was nothing he could do for them. Their fate had been sealed when the Grays had brought them here. He sensed no replicants, and the few Grays he felt were far away, their fear and anger palpable. The attack had been successful; the virus had been destroyed. But at what cost? He looked over at Wesley, the oldest of their little army of babies. He stood staring at the inferno, tears running down his face. His mother was dead and they had all felt her go. Now, like all but Rebecca and himself, Wes was an orphan. William looked back at the building. Where were his parents? He knew they were okay. Like Wes, he would have felt it if something had happened to them. Wouldn't he? Or would they, in an attempt to spare him any pain, somehow block him from the suffering they had felt? William looked up at the pale blue sky above him, devoid of any clouds. *You can't let them die,* he said, not caring if the other children heard his plea to God. *We need them. We all need them.* "Look!" Marita's voice broke through his thoughts and he turned his head toward the west side of the burning base. Four weary figures were walking toward them, covered in soot and sand and sweat. William pulled himself out of Walter's arms and ran toward them, his heart pounding wildly, his little legs carrying him over the hard packed sand as fast as he could go. He didn't stop until he was in his parent's arms. ***** Here I am - this is me There's no where else on earth I'd rather be Here I am - it's just me and you And tonight we make our dream come true It's a new world - it's a new start It's alive with the beating of young hearts It's a new day - it's a new plan I've been waiting for you Here I am Here we are - we've just begun And after all this time our time had come Yeah here we are - still goin' strong Right here in the place where we belong It's a new world - it's a new start It's alive with the beating of young hearts It's a new day - it's a new plan I've been waiting for you Here I am Here I am - next to you And suddenly the world is all brand new Here I am - where I'm gonna stay Now there's nothin standing in our way Here I am - this is me It's a new world - it's a new start It's alive with the beating of young hearts It's a new day - it's a new plan I've been waiting for you Here I am ***** Mulder Residence - Two Weeks Later Scully said goodnight to Skinner, replaced the receiver of the phone, and took a deep breath. That was it. It was over. For now. A combined task force made up of military personnel, FBI, CIA and local agencies had finished their investigation of the destruction of El Creyente, a base most of them had not even known about. They had determined that the ultra-secret testing going on in the underground labs had gone awry, causing a dramatic chain reaction that had destroyed the entire base and had killed approximately twenty of its enlisted personnel. Many of the surviving soldiers had claimed that there were many more people, people who had not officially been assigned to the base, that were unaccounted for, but due to the intensity of the fire, no bodies were recovered. Nothing lived in the ashes of El Creyente. There had been survivors, though. Scully knew this. Grays and a handful of replicants; the unofficial personnel. Their work may have been destroyed, but they wouldn't quit. They would build anew. Of that she was certain. With a little luck, it would be years before they had anything to fear. A little luck, and a lot of praying. The military and government personnel that had known what El Creyente really was were keeping quiet. Some in fear, others in anger. There had been a handful of lightly publicized suicides in D.C. in the last few days; many were blaming bad dealings with the Stock Market. It had taken the last two weeks, and several phone calls to people in high places that owed Skinner a debt or two, to find safe homes for the children, all in or about the D.C. area. These foster homes had not been easy to find, but thanks to some extra work on Mulder's part, all the children were placed with families who understood the 'gifts' they had been born with; Mulder and Scully's years with the X-Files had led them to several people who accepted psychic ability as fact. Little Rebecca had settled with her mother in an apartment not far from here, and the newly orphaned Wesley was staying with them. All the children were still mentally connected to Mulder and each other, their close proximity a comfort. All would still meet more than once a week for training with Mulder. Though they may have just helped save the world they were still just babies and a long way from becoming independent. Scully looked at the clock on her desk. It was a little after 10 PM. Mulder had taken the boys away for a bath and bed over an hour ago while Scully finished her calls, ensuring all the children were safe and settled. Knowing none of her 'commando' group would ever be connected to the destruction of El Creyente was icing on the cake. Mulder's second 'resurrection' was already making waves at the Bureau, but both John and Monica were handling the rumors with a small smile and a shrug. The busiest rumor was that Mulder had had a contract put out on him by a large gang of South American drug runners and he had faked his own death to protect his family; the DEA had caught the gang when they arrived in the U.S. last month, so Mulder was able to come back home. Scully kind of liked that one. The sound of running water coming from the bathroom snagged Scully's attention. She stood, flicking lights off as she moved across the room, eyeballing the door to make sure it was locked, then moved toward her - scratch that - their bedroom. The lights were off, but the light in the bathroom was on. Barefoot, Scully moved across the room to the bathroom door and looked inside. Mulder stood at the sink, his bare back to her, wearing nothing but a worn pair of jeans that he had not been able to wear since he 'died' all those months ago. She smiled softly when she recognized her cross, reflected in the mirror, still hanging from his neck. She wondered if she would ever get it back. "The boys asleep?" she asked him, leaning on the frame of the door. She frowned when she realized she could see his ribs far too easily, but relaxed when his bright hazel eyes met hers in the mirror, the darkness that had haunted them during his reign at El Creyente gone. "Yeah," he told her softly. "Wes seems to fall asleep easier since we got that night light in there." Will had never needed a night light, but Wesley had been prone to nightmares since his arrival over a week ago, and Scully had suggested the tiny blue light, it's glow casting a comforting warmth on the boys. Scully had had one just like it when she was a child. She found it hard to believe she had ever been afraid of the dark. She stood watching her husband as he opened the drug cabinet behind the mirror, then straightened as she realized what he was getting out. "What are you doing?" "Getting rid of this thing," he mumbled, his hand running over the hair on his chin. With the activity and excitement of the past several days, he had not bothered to shave at all, and the growth that had appeared on his cheeks was almost as heavy as the goatee he had worn for the last year. "I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow, too," he told her. "I don't think I'm all that fond of this style." He ran his fingers through the thick waves that were almost long enough to pull back into a ponytail. Scully smiled slightly. The rogue that had been living inside Mulder's body was ready to leave, and she couldn't say that she was sorry to see him go. Though he looked damn good with the earring, the longish hair and the goatee, it wasn't Mulder. However... "Do you have to shave it off tonight?" she asked as he prepared to squirt shaving cream into his palm. "I mean, can't you do it in the morning?" His eyes grew suspicious as they met hers once more in the mirror. "Why?" he asked, drawing out the word. Scully shrugged and moved toward him. "I don't know. I guess I'm still a bit curious." She reached him and placed her hands on his shoulders, slowly sliding them down his bare back. "It's not that I don't want Mulder back," she told him. "It's just that I've always had a fantasy of being ravished by a pirate." Peeking around his shoulder, she saw him quirk an eyebrow at her. "Ravished?" She nodded. Setting the can of shaving cream down, Mulder looked toward the closed door that lead to the hallway, and to the bedroom beyond where Will and Wes were sleeping. "We can lock the doors," Scully told him, knowing what he was thinking just by the look in his eye. "We'll know if they need us." Her mental connection to her son worked far better than any baby monitor. "Yeah, but can you block Wes as well as you block Will?" Silly question, she thought. "Better." He spun around suddenly and swept her up into his arms. Scully let out a sharp shriek in surprise, then laughed as he stumbled on his way out of the bathroom. "Damn," he said as he made his way toward the bed. "You're a lot lighter when we're dreaming." She smacked him lightly on the shoulder just before he dropped her on the bed with a groan, falling across her legs as if exhausted. Grinning, she used both hands to push him off of her and drew her legs up under her. "Come on, Blackbeard," she whispered, pulling her t-shirt up over her head and throwing it across the room. "You're tougher than that." With a matching grin, Mulder pulled himself onto the bed and lay on his side watching her, propping himself up with his elbow. "Why don't you just keep doing what you're doing while I rest up?" he told her. "By the time you're naked, I should be ready to ravish." "Oh, I think it'll be sooner than that," she purred, reaching behind her to undo her bra. She smiled in triumph as his eyes were drawn to her bared breasts, his pupils dilating despite the light coming in from the bathroom. Scully continued with her strip tease, undoing her jeans and shimmying out of them and her panties without leaving the bed. Kneeling, she reached up and pulled out the hair band which had been holding her hair up in a ponytail. She shook her head and felt the silky strands brush her shoulders and upper back. Placing her hands on her thighs, she sat still. "Well?" Even with the tight jeans, Mulder's erection was obvious, but he didn't move. He just stared at her intently, his eyes roving up and down her body, pausing every once in a while, then moving on. "Mulder?" Scully whispered. His eyes met hers, and Scully was shocked to see that his were wet. "Mulder?" she asked again, her voice sharper. Worried. "Do you realize that this is the first time we'll make love as husband and wife?" His voice was steady, but Scully heard the emotion behind the words. "My God," she whispered. "You're right." Their dream interlude had been just that... a dream. This was real. Biting her lip, Scully managed to keep her own eyes from flooding at this simple realization. Taking a deep breath, she rose from her kneeling position and moved to lay on her back, stretching her legs out toward him, her toes touching his taut belly. "So let's do it, partner." He lay still for a moment longer, his eyes fused with hers, his breathing quickening. Almost casually, he undid the snaps of his jeans and slithered out of them. Then he pulled his lithe body up on his hands and knees and crawled over to her. She stretched her arms up toward the headboard, expecting him to crawl up her body and kiss her, but he never made it that far. Instead, he placed his hands between her legs and gently pressed her thighs apart. She spread her legs willingly, her whole body suddenly tight with anticipation as he sank down to his elbows, wrapped his arms under her thighs and pulled her legs up onto his shoulders. He stopped with his mouth directly over her center and she shuddered as she felt his hot breath on her aroused flesh. His eyes had never once left hers. "Still curious?" Swallowing excitedly, Scully nodded. With a wicked smile, Mulder began to gently rub his face against the tender skin of her inner thighs. Scully was familiar with the feel of one or two days growth of beard, had, in fact, 'suffered' from beard burn more than once since she and Mulder had become lovers, but this was different. It wasn't rough and prickly. It was soft and - "Oh!" - ticklish. Mulder began to blow warm air onto her clit, which she knew must be exposed to his sight as aroused as she was, and he continued to gently and insistently brush his beard against her thighs. She started giggling, the combined tortures leaving her no other option. "Mulder!" "What?" he asked, his voice casual. "Stop!" "Really?" "No!" She felt him laugh, and the breath he exhaled against her caused her to moan. "Oh, God, Mulder!" "I may have some power, Scully," Mulder said with a smile in his voice. "But I'm far from being God." Scully was saved from replying as she felt his tongue, hot, wet and demanding, sweep upwards from her anus to her clit. She came. Hard. When she was able to breathe again, she loosened her death-grip on the headboard and lifted her head to look at him. He lay quietly between her legs, watching her, his dark eyes filled with awe. "Though you make me feel like one," he said softly. Still trembling in reaction, Scully let go of the headboard and reached down for him. He eased out from underneath her thighs and rose onto his knees. He grasped her hands in his own, then pulled her toward him, at the same time shuffling forward on his knees. When her shoulders were off the bed and his knees were pressed against her inner thighs, he let go of one of her hands and leaned forward to wrap that arm around her waist, pulling her toward him. Before she really knew what he was doing, she found herself straddling his thighs, her belly and chest pressed against his. He spread his legs slightly, balancing them both better, then he grasped her under her arms and lifted. She grabbed his shoulders and helped lift herself up, understanding now what he was doing. Slowly, he lowered her back down, easing himself into her, impaling her. She gasped as she felt him slide inside. She was ready for him - oh, was she ready for him - but it had been months since she had felt anything other than her own fingers inside her warm depths. It was a tight fit, and a tad uncomfortable. "Scully?" Mulder whispered harshly, holding both of them still. "It's okay," she told him, taking a deep breath. "Keep going." He continued to slowly lower her, his arms starting to shake with the effort, until he was completely sheathed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck, absorbing the feeling of completeness that had always accompanied sex with this man. The discomfort subsided, leaving behind only a pleasant fullness, and she began to rock her hips against him. He banded his arms around her when he felt her move, knowing she was no longer in any pain, and began to rock his own body to her rhythm. "Scully?" She pulled back slightly to look at his face. "Hmmmm?" He kissed her, softly at first, then with more force. His tongue began a thrusting that his body began to imitate, and soon they were moaning into each others mouths. He pulled away. "Scully?" "Yeah?" she responded, her breathing coming in gulps, her sweaty arms slipping slightly on his shoulders. *I love you.* She smiled, 'hearing' his words in her head and in her heart. *I love you,* she responded, and she felt the answering leap from his own heart. Closing her eyes, she reached for his mouth once again, intent on the feelings suddenly swamping her. The feel of his cock, smooth and hard, gliding in and out of her. The feel of her breasts pressed up against his chest, the wiry hair rubbing erotically against her nipples as they rocked together. The hot, wet warmth of her vagina as it surrounded-- "Oh, God," she whispered huskily. "There you go again," Mulder murmured, a smile in his voice. "Mulder," she said against his mouth. "Do you...?" "Feel what you feel?" Mulder finished. "Yeah." Unlike the first time this had happened, neither were startled by the shared feelings. This didn't reduce the powerful effect it had on either of them, however. "Mulder! Oh, dear God!" Scully couldn't believe the pleasure soaring through her. The intensity of making love to Mulder was doubled by her sharing in his pleasure. She began to thrust harder, absorbed in the incredible feelings he created in her and the astounding pleasure she created in him. When her climax erupted, his scream echoed hers, and her tremors were far from over when his own explosion caused another climax, this one only a little less powerful than her first, to consume them both. When she came to her senses, Mulder was lying on his back with her sprawled on his chest. Scully recalled having ending up in this same position the night they had discovered this unusual connection. She started giggling. "If it's gonna be like this all the time," Mulder said in a rough voice beneath her. "We're gonna kill each other." "Oh, I don't know," Scully said. "I think I could get used to it." Mulder snorted. "Women were made to have multiple orgasms. Men weren't. We can't take it. It's why men don't have babies. Too much damn oxytocin." Scully started laughing outright now, lifting her head to look at him. He was staring at the ceiling, the corner of his mouth curled up in a smile he was trying to hide. "Mulder?" He lifted his head to look at her, his eyebrows raised in question. "Welcome home." THE END ***** Author's Note: Well, if you made it this far, then you can keep going. This isn't the longest fic I've ever written, but it was by far the hardest. Time has been my enemy, and because of that, this may be the last fanfic I ever write. I'm not going to put that in stone, because I sure as heck have plenty more stories in my head. It is simply going to be hard to find the time to put those ideas down where everyone can see them. If I have a few hours to myself, or a day off here or there, maybe I'll get one written again. Just don't hold your breath waiting for one. Since this may by my last, I thought I better thank a few people: First of all, God bless Tex! My official beta, she was the first to get every new chapter of this story, and despite the 'stresses' of her first year of college, managed to find the time to read them and send back her edits, opinions, and encouragement. Thanks, babe! Special thanks to Shads, who became a back-up beta, and all the other readers at Chatterbox and the XF Forum, as well as KissMe and Yoda: Your support means more to me than you will ever know. Thank you Mortis, for continuing to make the Fanfic Corner such a wonderful place to visit... and for showing off my stories with her wonderful collages! Go see them at: http://www.geocities.com/fanficcorner/ This story is dedicated to the authors of fanfiction who have supported my work AND whose work I love to read: Abracadabra, Storm, Spooky's Girl, Mortis, Lovesfox, Foxie Meg, Donnilee, Laura Means, SASpooky, and many, many others. Those of you that are still writing, have no fear that I will ever quit reading. Viva la fanfic! And one last bit of thanks to the Lushes. Though our connection has decreased since the end of the series, I still consider you all friends and think of you each and every day. I met you all through fanfic, which means that this unique and special form of 'entertainment' is so much more than just a way to pass the time. Al, Nik, Lady, Meg, Pravda, Yoda, Ashley, XP, KMM, O&M, and SAS (the originals), as well as Storm, Ship, Tex, and A2X: I lurve you guys! Time to shut up before I start crying. Now give me that feedback, and I might consider trying to write another one! Virtues and Vices December 4, 2002 How do you define normal?