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 even though nothing much is really mentioned.

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

(31/?)

Day 185 (continued)

***

The cool air hit the heated skin of Mulder’s chest as soon as he opened the door out into the hallway. He shivered, but that was better then walking around in a blood coated shirt.

"Mulder, is everything ok?" Byers said jumping up from his spot on the ground with Langly. No one had seen Mulder or Scully since last night.

"Yeah, we’re all right." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he looked out into the Main Room. "What about everything out here?"

Langly shrugged. "Everyone is pretty much going about their business. There are a lot of questions as what to do now though."

Mulder snorted with a slight laugh. "Like I know…"

Byers looked at Langly for a moment before speaking. "Everyone wants you to take over."

In response Mulder let out a sharp laugh then rubbed his face. "Oh God." He groaned.

"They trust you. You have done a lot since the attack so everyone looks up to you now. We need someone to-"

"Why me?" He interrupted. Then quickly held up a hand. "Right now I just want to go get some clean clothes for Scully and I."

Langly gestured for Mulder to follow him while Byers stayed behind. "We moved all your things into a new room."

Mulder followed in a daze. Too many thought were swimming around his mind for him to focus on anything but walking behind Langly. He barely registered the friendly yet sympathetic smiles of the people he passed. He murmured indifferent responses to those who greeted him.

Langly opened the door to his new room in the East Hallway and left him to change.

Mulder wandered in with interest. The room wasn’t any larger the one before, though it was long in shape. Immediately in front of him was the fireplace, with the table in front of that. To the left the bed was pushed in the corner with the dresser across from it at the foot of the bed. Atop the dresser were the pictures of Scully’s family and Samantha. He walked to the dresser, unbuttoning his jeans and toeing off his shoes as he went. After pulling on his fresh clothes he gathered the same for Scully. He turned, to the leave the room, but stopped with a soft smile. In the corner opposite the bed a crib was pushed up against the wall. Placing the armful of clothes on the table next to their rations he walked over to the crib. It was dark oak, obviously old, but sturdy, and strong. Mulder ran his hand along the smooth edges. He finally felt like things were falling into place for them.

Day 186

It was silent. Uncomfortable, tense, waiting silence.

"Just ask, Walter." Amanda spat out.

Skinner glanced up at her from his set at the table, she starred stony faced back at him as she leaned against the far wall. "I just would like to know how you knew this was going to happen?"

Amanda shrugged slightly, she was stalling, she had been stalling for the last few days. "I told you. I’ve seen it before. He lusts after a woman, she doesn’t respond how he thinks he should, so he takes her."

"And he had done this before?"

She dragged the toe of her shoe on the stone floor, avoiding his eyes. "A few times."

"No one else knew about this?" Skinner urged her on gently.

"They knew. But ever since he started Nova no one had bothered to stand up to him, they didn’t think they could without being kicked out."

"What exactly did he do with the women he took?"

Amanda looked up at him sharply, then away again. "I don’t know." She murmured. "But no one would see them for a few days and then… they just weren’t the same."

Skinner nodded slowly. "You didn’t want it to happen to Scully?"

"Of course not!" She began to pace the long wall of the room. "She’s always been so nice to me, to everyone. She is so happy with Mulder. I couldn’t bear to watch my father take that away from her…. I was afraid he would hurt her baby. He didn’t want her to have it. He didn’t want her to have anything with Mulder." She trailed off.

Skinner remained silent for many minutes. "So you took my gun."

She nodded. "I had to."

Slowly Skinner stood from the table, leaning his weight on the edge as he watched her continue to pace. "You stole it from me."

Amanda stopped and looked at him in awe. "This isn’t about you, Walter." She said firmly before shaking her head in disgust, continuing to pace.

"It is when MY gun is used to kill someone." Skinner immediately regretted his harsh tone.

"You think I don’t feel badly?" She asked facing him with an icy stare. "I know you have killed before, Walter. You know the feeling of killing a stranger, or even someone you had spoken to before. But you have never killed a parent-your only parent. Do you think I don’t regret stealing from you? That I don’t think about the fact that I shot my father in the back of his head without him knowing I was there? I think about it every second of the day." She finished in a barely audible hiss.

Skinner met her hard gaze with a softer one. An understanding one. "Believe it or not Amanda, but I can imagine how you feel."

Slumping against the wall in defeat, Amanda didn’t look at Skinner. "I don’t think that’s possible." She whispered.

Day 188

Scully fiddled and shifted the contents of the dresser around. The shirts, once in the top drawer, she moved to the middle drawer. It wasn’t right. She moved them back to the top. But she didn’t like having the pants on the bottom, she moved those higher. She had no clue were to put the spare sheets for the bed, they took up too much room. With a defeated sigh as sat on the end of the bed with an arm load of clothes, looking with question at the offending furniture.

Mulder, who had been watching Scully for the last hour at the table, walked over and took the unorganized clothes from her and shoved them into a random drawer, holding up a hand to stop her from getting up to move them. He sat down next to her.

Scully was sitting, her hands turning restlessly in her lap. The moment Mulder sat by her she unconsciously leaned into him.

"What’s going on?" He asked gently, placing an arm around her waist.

"Nothing." With a soft smile she looked up at Mulder. He leaned down and met her for a gentle kiss. Scully broke away with a slight laugh, placing her hands over her belly.

Mulder smiled, placing a hand next to hers. Leaning over he kissed her temple, then leaned over more and kissed her belly before standing.

"Where are you going?" Scully asked quickly.

"I told you yesterday, some people want to meet me in the Main Room. Do you want to come? It’s basically going to be about me running Nova." Mulder shook his head is astonishment.

Scully thought for a moment before shaking her head and sliding up further on the bed. "No, I’ll wait for you here."

Mulder pulled another shirt over his head before stepping out into the cool hallways of Nova. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… Will you be back soon?"

With a few long strides Mulder kissed her again. "I’ll do my best."

Scully caught his face in her hands, pressing another kiss on his lips before letting him go. "Hurry."

Mulder gave her a small smile and a nod before leaving the room.

"Hey." Mulder greeted discreetly to Skinner as he walked up to his side. It was no secret that Mulder wasn’t comfortable with the responsibility that people wanted to place on him.

"We were beginning to wonder if you were going to show." Alex called, with a pleased smile, from across the room.

Mulder let out an uncomfortable laugh. The meeting was small, only a dozen people. Mulder knew them all, they were the ones who were always working. Always looking out for others.

"Well let’s get right to the point so you can get back to Dana." Alex continued. "You already know, we want you-and Walter to take over Nova." He held up a hand to stop Mulder’s immediate protests. "I know, and we all understand it’s a lot of work and responsibility and we know you have a lot to deal with having a baby on the way. But someone has to do it, and everyone feels that you and Walter are the best bet. And Walter has already agreed."

With a slow nod Mulder leaned back against the wall, hands deep in his pockets.

"We need people, more then one so we won’t have the problems we did with Benjamin." Matt started up after Mulder said nothing for many tense minutes. "You and Walter have experience working together." Mulder let out a soft private laugh as he remembered the many times he and Skinner locked horns in the old days. Matt ignored his strange response. "We need you two to take care of any problems, you have before. As well as possible with Benjamin around."

"I understand what you are saying." Mulder finally spoke up. "I am flattered that you thought of me, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily a good idea."

"Why not?" Alex asked quickly.

Laughing at himself, Mulder shook his head. "I don’t know… I would just hate for it not to work out. Maybe we should just hang in there for a while. Finish the clean up and just see what happens."

"I saw three ships yesterday." Linda said from the back of the group. She was a small frail woman, but she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions or thoughts at any time.

Mumbling a curse Mulder rubbed his face.

"You handled it well last time, Mulder. If something like that happens again it would make us all feel better to have you in charge."

Mulder looked up at Linda nodding. "I’ll think about it." He said after a few moments. "That’s all I can promise." He turned to Skinner. "I’ll get in touch with you, Skinner, we can talk about this."

"Whenever you have the time." Skinner said with a nod.

Mulder said curt good byes and left to go back to his room.

Notes: So very sorry that took so long! Muse ran away… horse problems… stupid summer course… muse ran away… =). Well this may be slightly dull but we aren’t done so just wait and see!