Title: Nova

Author: Angel

Feedback: Please!

Archive: Please!

Rating: NC-17, very mild but to be safe!

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. Don’t sue me; I don’t have much, just a computer and a horse, not even a good car, believe me!

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

A huge, gigantic, monstrous thanks to Evie! I never would have gotten part 3 or 4 out without her help! I have so many idea for the rest of this fanfic! Thank you so much!

(4/?)

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

Day 45

Scully sat straight up with a gasp. Her head spinning, turning her stomach violently. Scanning the surrounding trees she was only met with orange tinted darkness.

"Scully?" Mulder, awoken by her sudden movement, touched her arm lightly.

She couldn’t speak. The visions in her head where still too fresh. Her head pounded, her eyes were still teary and her heartbeats echoed insanely loud in the silence of the night.

"You’re trembling." Gently he pulled against him. He held her silently for a few moments, letting her catch her breath, catch her mind. "A dream."

Scully nodded against his chest even though it was a statement, not a question.

"Want to talk about it?"

She pinched her eyes closed. The dream replayed in her mind. The trees bursting into flames around them. The eyeless men coming straight to them, ready to kill them. Maybe if they had eyes they would see. Would see that she and Mulder where people, with hopes, who felt love, people who didn’t want to die just yet. Or maybe their eyes wouldn’t be like normal eyes. Maybe that would be black and hollow. Like the eyes of a shark. No feelings. Just a job nature, or whoever, gave them. Scully felt her body shake more at the remembrance of watching Mulder burn beside her. Reaching his hand out in a desperate plea for help. But she couldn’t move to him. Her body was frozen, wishing to wrap her arms around his body and burn with him. His last words a choked confession of undying love.

Mulder hugged her closer to him, feeling a shudder run through her.

"No." Her answer was delayed and barely audible.

Mulder didn’t ask again. Slowly he lowered her back down onto the blankets. He held her for a long time before he felt her finally relax and fall back into sleep. He lay awake a while longer. Watching over her, just in case the dream returned once her consciousness relaxed. Nightmares are tricky like that, he learned. They can sneak up on you when you least expect it and when you least need it. Why have a nightmare when you are living one in slow motion?

Day 47

"You ok, Mulder?"

He glanced at her from her side. "Yeah, why?"

"You’ve just been so quiet today."

With a shrug he leaned down and picked up a small gray stone off the road. He tossed it in the air a few times. "Just thinking."

"What about?" Scully reached over and took the stone Mulder was offering her.

He gave another shrug and watched Scully finger to smooth rock. "It’s amazing how everything in our lives, how important or unimportant led to this." He paused and shook his head. "It’s just odd. That no matter what we did, I’m not saying what we did was pointless mind you, but everything we did… didn’t change a thing."

Scully thought for a moment. "I suppose its possible. But if that’s true then its also possible that everything we did do, no matter how small, did make a difference. Maybe if lets say we didn’t go on a certain case or speak with a certain contact that this would have happened sooner. Or later, anything is possible. "

"Gosh Scully, I wasn’t talking about that kind of stuff, I was just thinking that I wouldn’t have paid taxes this year if I knew."

"Taxes aren’t important?" She asked playing along with his sudden change in mood. They barely stayed on depressing topics for too long. That seemed pointless, there was nothing they could do about it so there was no reason to dwell.

Mulder paused a step to kick at a break in the pavement. "Well our government is doing a shitty job of taking care of the roads."

"I’ll write a letter to our council man immediately." She said deadpan.

Day 48

Scully cradled Mulder’s head on her chest as he dozed lightly. There was something soothing about his breath between her breasts, his arm around her waist and his weight grounding her. Perhaps it was her unused reserve of maternal instinct that enjoyed, even needed this. Keeping him safe and comfortable made her feel that same way. Her body was relaxed and felt light, his hair tickled her chin, his heartbeat pressed up against hers.

Scully fought sleep.

She really didn’t know why. Maybe she was too content with this quiet moment. The sun had set not long ago, leaving the sky a hazy red. The air was still warm from the afternoons rays. Everything was quiet.

Scully’s motion stopped on Mulder’s body, causing him to drift away from his slumber slightly, as she listened.

"Mulder?" She questioned softly as she slid the hand from his hair down to cup his jaw, turning his head up to her. "Why is it so quiet?"

"It’s night time Scully." He mumbled before buring his face back in the front of her shirt.

She wiggled out from under him, ignoring his groan of disappointment. "I’m serious Mulder, I don’t hear anything. No wind, no birds, nothing."

Mulder rubbed his eyes to rid himself of the last reminisce of sleep. "Ok I’ll admit it. It is early calm but that doesn’t mean anything."

Starring up at the sky she drew her knees up to her chest. "No, it does mean something. Last time there were bombings, when you were unconscious, it was like this before."

Mulder took a deep breath, he had nothing to say to that. There was nothing they could do but wait it out. He was about to reach for Scully when an indescribable noise filled the air, the ground shook, the sky turned black with upturned earth and the air turned heavy and thick with dust.

The noise ended just as soon as it came.

The fire was snuffed out by the useless air. They both choked on that same air. A ringing filled their ears, their eyes stung, their throats burned.

For a long time all they could do was sputter and wait for the air to clear enough to see.

Finally the thick brown settled into a dim haze.

"Are you ok?" Mulder asked hoarsely as he slid closer to Scully.

Still coughing dryly she nodded. "That was really close."

Mulder pulled the front of his t-shirt up and wiped away the dirt from his face. He quickly added wood to the fire, catching on the burning embers. He then collected their bags which had tumbled away slightly from the shaking. He brushed the dirt from the blankets and pulled Scully back down with him.

"What were they bombing?" She asked after many moments of tense silence.

"I don’t know." He whispered placing a kiss on her forehead. "It’s ok, just get some sleep."

She tried to let the day’s exhaustion take her over as she burrowed into Mulder’s warmth. But they both lay awake ready for another explosion. Ready for it all to be over in a moment.

The Big Bang theory started the world, a whole other bang could take them out.

Day 49

Mulder absentmindedly glanced up at the sky as they walked. It had barely cleared enough for the sun to be more then a brighter area in the haze. With a sigh he looked over at Scully beside him. His stomach immediately twisted sickly, his throat closed up. "Scully!"

She quickly spun to look at him. "What?"

"You… you’re bleeding."

Without breaking from his panicked eyes she placed a hand over her top lip, under her nose. A thin line of crimson marred her index finger when she pulled her hand away. "Oh…" She wiped at her face a few more times and shook her head. "It’s just from the dry air. It-it’s not anything other then that."

"Scully." He said softly, taking a step toward her.

"No!" She stepped back and held up her bloody hand. Causing them both to cringe. She quickly wiped away the blood onto her dirty jeans. "It’s nothing Mulder. I’m fine." She wiped her face a few more times and walked ahead of him not daring to look into his eyes. She didn’t want to see the same fear she was feeling.