Title: Nova

Author: Angel

Feedback: Please! I love every but of it!

Classification: MSR, Colonization fic.

Spoilers: All the way up to 7^th season finale but NOT including.

Rating: NC-17 (for some parts-very mild consensual sex- but to be safe!) Others are probably PG-13 or so for naughty words and implied naughty stuff =).

Summery: The inevitable happens. Mulder has planned ahead and now does everything in his power to keep Scully safe.

You MUST read all parts to understand! Available at Ephemeral and my home page.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Characters are property of Fox, 1013, ect. No money is being made. No infringement is intended. A few poems and songs are used without permission, names of authors are given. Prayers which I did not write, and I don’t know who wrote are included in some areas.

Homepage: (to find missing parts and sooner or later the completed version, also posted at Ephemeral)

A HUGE thanks to Evie my beta reader! Nova would never be doing this well, or going as fast, without her help! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Umm… one more! Thank you!

Note: Want Nova updates in the mail? Just let me know!

"Baby don’t look up, the sky is falling." Tori Amos

(29/?)

Day 176

"No, dad."

"Amanda you don’t have a choice." Benjamin slammed his fist down on his table, Amanda startled. "I am telling you this is what you have to do, and you will do it."

She couldn’t look at him. As much as she wanted to, as much as she knew it would help her stand up against him she couldn’t. She was too afraid.

"You will respect me, Amanda." He said firmly. "You will do as I ask."

Day 179

"Dana, how are you feeling?"

Scully smiled politely at Mary as she waited to pick up the morning rations. "Fine, thank you."

The elderly woman glanced from Scully’s face to her belly. "Bigger everyday." Scully nodded in agreement. "How far along are you now?"

"About five months."

"I barely showed with my first child, but my second-my poor husband had to roll me everywhere after seven months. I have a feeling you are going to have the same problem, being as petite as you are." Scully laughed softly as Mary reminisced. "Are you and Mulder planning on having any more children?"

Scully froze, the question being a complete surprise. After a moment of thought she spoke. "I hope so." She picked up her bag. "Have a good day, Mary."

"You too, Dana." Mary called after her.

The moment Scully stepped into her room she handed the bag of food over to Mulder and sat at the table. He insisted on making breakfast for her every morning.

"What are you thinking about?" Mulder asked after long moments in silence.

Scully glanced at him, his back to her as he cooked. Fiddling with the edge of a book sitting on the table she spoke softly. "The baby-do you want this baby?" She blurted out, her voice fun of fear and worry.

He turned to her slowly, looking her straight in the eye. "Yes, of course I do."

Scully began to speak again-looking at the floor-before he even finished. "We weren’t planning on this. I know you didn’t think it would happen. And its not like I asked you if it is something you wanted."

Mulder stooped down in front of Scully’s lap, taking her face in his hands. "I want this baby more then anything right now."

She still wouldn’t focus on his eyes. "I know you aren’t going to walk away from me. I know you will, you already are taking responsibility-"

Scully was cut off by Mulder’s soft laugh. "Oh, Scully." He looked up at her with an amused smile. "You are the most intelligent woman I have ever met, but sometimes you are pretty dense." He stopped smiling, though, when he saw her desperate need for reassurance. Moving close to her, he turned her face, looking directly into her eyes. "I want this baby. There’s no simpler way to say it. You and this child are the only reasons I am still at Nova. You know me, this place isn’t working for me. But you are making it bearable. You are keeping me sane… like you always do. And I want this baby. I’ll say it over and over for the rest of my life if you need me to." He was silent for a moment. "I’ll be honest with you, since you can always see through me when I try to bullshit. I am scared. Scared shitless actually. The idea of being responsible for the upbringing of a person is… I don’t even know how to describe it. But I swear to you Scully, and to our baby, that I will do a better job then my father did."

Leaning forward Scully kissed a tear that ran down Mulder’s cheek. "I know." She whispered, her forehead against his. "I know that. You are a good man-the best I have even known. Better then my father." She admitted softly. "And those aren’t easy footsteps to follow. I know you’ll be a wonderful father because he was."

Mulder let out a sigh and burrowed his face into the crook of her neck.

Day 181

"All right, spill it."

Amanda looked up at Skinner from where she was aimlessly stirring a bowl of rice. "What?"

Skinner sat beside her giving his best interrogation expression. "These past few days you have been acting strange."

"Strange?" She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

He nodded, not changing his train of questions despite her defensive posture. "Yes, strange." Skinner counted the mannerisms on his fingers. "You’ve been quiet, jumpy, preoccupied, I can go on if you’d like?"

Amanda stood from the table, pushing the chair violently. "I don’t need this."

Skinner stood and took her arm in his hand quickly. "Mandy, wait."

"What?" She asked not looking at him. "So you can act like my father some more, no thank you."

"I wasn’t acting like your father."

"Yes you were." Pulling her arm out of his grasp she spun around. "Telling me how I am acting and what I am doing wrong."

"Amanda, I was not telling you what you were doing wrong." Skinner spoke softly, calmly. "I was just trying to figure out what is wrong."

"No." She said sharply. "You are trying to tell me what to do."

Skinner watched her for a moment. She was close to tears and trembling. He lowered his voice even more. "That’s not true. I just want to know if something is bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me, nothing is wrong. All is right with the world." Amanda’s voice was still sharp and defensive. "I’m going now."

"Mandy?" He called after her.

"No, Walter. Leave me alone." The slamming door emphasized the end of their conversation.

Day 184

Scully rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "I’m tired." She stated simply.

"Then you should go to bed." Mulder said just as simply.

She looked over at the bed with distaste, one hand over her protruding belly. "It’s not easy getting into bed, I hope you realize this."

Mulder smiled as he nodded. "I know. I’ve seen you try to get in and out of bed." He couldn’t help but chuckle at the visual.

Scully sat on the edge of the bed with a pout. "Not funny."

"I know. I know." Mulder said walking over to her feet. Taking her legs in his hands he swung them up and onto the bed.

Scully relaxed back against the pillows. "I hope you come back before I need to get up again."

"Would you rather I stay?"

She waved him away lightly. "No, go play with your little friends."

Mulder sat on the side of the bed. After placing a light kiss on her lips he pressed his forehead against hers. "You sure?"

"Yeah." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I’ll be fine. I’m just going to go to sleep."

"Ok." Mulder pressed his lips to her forehead. "I’ll try not to wake you when I come back."

Scully nodded as she closed her eyes.

"’Night, Scully." He whispered before standing to leave the room, turning off the lamps to leave the room in almost complete darkness.

***

Amanda sat in the silence of her room. The book she held in her hands had been on the same page for over an hour.

For over a week Amanda had been waiting in a stage of readiness. Waiting for the sign that time had run out. That time had caught up with her and she couldn’t pretend any longer.

The creak of the door opening next door to her snapped her wandering mind back to the task at hand. With a deep steadying breath Amanda stood from her chair.

***

Scully jerked awake. The only sound in the room were the quick puffs of her breath, the only light the hot timbers left in the fireplace.

She gave herself a moment to recover from her all too familiar nightmare.

It was cold in her room. But getting out of bed to put more wood in the fire just to get back in bed a moment later did not seem logical. She pulled the blankets up under her chin and settled back into the bed, putting the dream out of her mind. Mulder would be back soon she knew. He could get the fire going again, hopefully she wouldn’t have the dream again before he returned.

***

"Hands above the table, Frohike." Langly said with a suspicious glare.

Frohike returned the look. "Why? What do you think I am doing under here?"

"Frohike… the possibilities are frightening." Mulder supplied with a smirk.

"Very funny." He mumbled.

"I’ve got nothing." Skinner’s cards slid across the table before colliding with pile of small rocks.

Byers looked up from his cards with raised brows. Langly leaned over. "What’s up his ass?" Byers just shrugged.

"I don’t even want to talk about it." Skinner said sternly, hearing them despite their pathetic attempts to whisper. "I’m not going to think about it either."

"Trouble in paradise?" Mulder asked ignoring Skinner’s request not to talk about it.

Skinner groaned.

Mulder nodded to Skinner’s wordless response. "I know how you feel. Just when you think everything is going well, something happens."

***

Benjamin leaned his head against the wall. The sounds of muffled men’s voices came through the thick wood.

With a self satisfied nod he turned and made his way down the hallway.

***

Scully was roused, only slightly, by the near silent sounds of movement in the room. She shifted a little. As soon as she met the resistance of the still unaccustomed weight of her belly she stilled. It was just easier. And the scenario was always the same. She had just woken up from one dream it seemed and yet she was having another.

The feelings where there. Someone was in the room, but not Mulder. She couldn’t move easily, because of the baby. And it was dark, without even opening her eyes she knew it was.

Scully stiffened suddenly. Briefly a small part of her mind fought the rest, this was not her dream. But it was. She forced her eyes open to see the shadowy figure of Benjamin standing over her. Just like usual. But something was different this time. As he reached his hand out to touch her she could hear his low raspy breathing. That had never happened before.

Before she could move, or even yell out, before she had time to think a gunshot echoed off the stone walls of Nova. A thick moist warmth spread over Scully’s body as crushing weight pinned her down.

Notes: Please don’t yell at me too much. =)