Title: Nova

Author: Angel

Feedback: Please! I love every but of it!

Classification: MSR, Colonization fic. (If I say anymore I’d give it all away!)

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

(47/48)

Day 249

Scully woke slowly, her body drained and sore. But her heart was light and eager for her to open her eyes. Her mind however, was content to rest longer so her eyes didn’t open. Instead she leaned back into Mulder’s warmth as he held her behind. His face rested against her neck, his breath moist and warm just below the base of her skull. Under the pillow they shared Scully could feel Mulder’s arm folded, lifting her head even more. His other arm, purely out of habit rested over her body, his hand over her now vacant womb.

With a deep sigh Scully finally opened her eyes. Immediately she focused across the dim room to the crib. She could see slight movements through the bars and smiled. Scully watched her baby from a distance as Mulder slowly woke beside her. It had been a long night for the both of them. Late night feedings, new parent jitters, long moments spent just staring at the miracle in their arms. She felt as rested as she expected to.

"Morning." Mulder whispered in her ear and pressed a long kiss to her neck. "She’s awake." He noted as he followed Scully’s eye line to the wondrous movement in the crib.

"Yeah." Scully said softly, trying, unsuccessfully, to hold in a groan as Mulder moved from behind her.

Mulder placed his hand over the pouch of her belly. "Sorry." He said, gently rubbing his hand over the soft flesh.

"It’s ok." She whispered.

He brushed the hair away from her face before pressing his lips to her forehead. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah." Scully smiled brightly. "The baby."

Returning her smile, Mulder leaned down and kissed slowly and deeply. He finally pulled away and slide out of bed, shivering as the cool air of the room hit his bare chest and legs. He stooped by the fireplace to add more wood, while Scully slowly stacked pillows up on the headboard so she could sit with some comfort. Mulder washed his hand before stepping across the room and leaning over the edge of the crib. "Morning, Sunshine." He said softly, staring down at Aeryn’s big blue eyes. Carefully he scooped her up in his arms. Instinctively the baby cuddled up to the bare skin of Mulder’s chest.

"Can I have her?" Scully asked as Mulder sat beside her in bed.

As Mulder eased Aeryn away from his chest she began to cry from lose of contact. Scully immediately cooed to try to quiet her. In a moment she was silent as she nursed. Pressing a kiss to Scully’s shoulder, Mulder set his head down and closed his eyes. "I should go get breakfast." He muttered. "You feel like eating?"

Scully nodded but didn’t take her eyes off the baby in her arms. "I think I could eat a little."

Mulder eased a pillow beneath Scully’s arm to take off some of the weight from the baby. Leaning over he kissed Aeryn’s head, the slight dusting of pale hair tickling his nose. Sitting up he kissed Scully’s bright hair before once again getting out of bed. He glanced up at Scully as he dressed, and couldn’t help but smile at the way she stared at the baby in complete amazement. "Do you want me to tell everyone?"

Finally she looked up him with a smile. "Yeah. They should know."

Mulder’s heart was full with pride at being able to announce the arrival of their baby. With one last smile he left the room.

Day 251

"You look beat." Skinner said glancing at Mulder then back to Amanda and Scully where were talking next to the crib, now decorated in handmade blankets. Wooden toys and plush animals where piled in the corner, all gifts from the people of Nova.

Mulder shrugged as well as he could from his slouched position against the wall. It had been a long few days. It seemed every time Aeryn would be sleeping and they finally found some quiet time someone would stop by to visit. The random people would only stay for a moment, but some for an hour. The Gunmen came by and it was nearly impossible to get them away from the baby.

Mulder had always been used to functioning on little sleep, but usually it was by his choice. Now all he wanted to do was sleep for a few uninterrupted hours.

"Scully looks good." Skinner commented.

Mulder’s head spun around to look at him sharply.

"I mean she looks like she is doing well after the birth. Jesus Mulder, relax." Skinner said with a chuckle.

"Sorry." He muttered under his breath, looking over at Scully. She did look well. Her body was still full from pregnancy, but he could see her naturally slender figure hidden beneath the light cushion. Mulder preferred her with a little more weight then she normally kept on anyway. He smiled as he watched Scully pass Aeryn into Amanda’s arms.

Skinner looked over at Mulder with raised brows at his yawn. "Maybe we should get going." Not waiting for him to answer he stepped up towards Amanda. "We should go."

Amanda looked up at Skinner then down at Aeryn, disappointed, but knew he was right.

"Come by tomorrow." Scully said quickly. "I’ll be glad for the company."

Mulder stepped up and took Aeryn from Amanda just as the baby yawned. "I think it’s everyone’s bedtime." He slowly eased the baby into her crib as everyone bid their good byes and left the room.

"Beautiful baby." Amanda said softly as they walked down the hallway.

Skinner made an agreeable sound in the back of his throat.

Reaching over she squeezed his forearm. "Don’t worry Walter, I’m in no rush to have kids."

There was a moment of silent. "Who said I’m not?" He said without looking at her.

Amanda looked sharply over at him until, finally he turned his head and met her eyes. He looked nervous and uncertain, and even a little scared. She held his gaze for a moment, then smiled. "Come on." Amanda said softly, taking his hand in hers and tugging him down the hall to her room.

Day 253

Mulder ignored, for the first time at Nova, whoever was knocking at his door. He flat out refused to open his eyes even as the knocking got louder and more often. He ignored it as Scully buried her head against his arm to block out the noise as she too chose to pay no attention to it. He ignored it through the calls of his name. He ignored it up until the point when Aeryn woke up and began to cry.

"Damn it." He mumbled, finally dragging himself out as Scully muttered out something along the same lines and went to the baby. "Yeah?" He said as he swung open the door, not hiding the fact that he was not happy to have been woken up.

"I’m really sorry to wake you." Alex said before Mulder had even finished stepping out the door. "But Collin never came back for watch last night."

Mulder stared at him for a moment as his sleep clogged mind focused on the situation. "Collin should have been back at midnight."

"I know." Alex said softly.

Running his hand through his hair, Mulder pondered his options. "Ok, I’m going to get dressed and we’ll get a few people together and go looking. Have you told Skinner?"

Alex nodded quickly. "I’ll get him."

"No. He hasn’t recovered enough to do this. Just tell him we are going and will check back by midnight tonight or assume there is a problem. I’ll meet you in the Main Room in about ten minutes." Mulder stepped back into his room and Scully looked up expectantly as she rocked Aeryn in her arms. "I have to go."

"What? Outside?" Scully said nervously. It just seemed to get colder and colder lately. Watchers were only out for two hours before shifting off because it was too brutal out.

"Yeah." Mulder pulled off his sweatpants and stepped into a pair of jeans. "Collin never came back from watch."

Scully frowned as she walked over to the dresser, balancing the baby on one arm she pulled clothes for Mulder out with her free hand. "It’s too cold out there if anything happened to him… He wouldn’t make it." She handed him his shirts.

"We’ll find him." He said simply before pulling a sweater on over his head.

"This one too." Scully said, forcefully placing another sweater in his hands.

Even though Mulder was already feeling suffocated in his layers of clothes he put the offered sweater on to ease her mind. After tying his boots Mulder stood upright and looked at Scully were she stood with Aeryn held tightly to her, her lips pressed to the baby’s forehead, and a distant look in her eyes. Mulder walked over and pressed his lips to her temple, his arms enfolding the two carefully. "I’ll be ok."

Scully nodded. "Just be careful, Mulder."

Mulder raised her chin gently with his hand and pressed his lips to hers. Leaning down he kissed Aeryn, once again sleeping. He left the room quickly, unable to look Scully in the eye. Walking out the door was by far the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Part of him, in the back of his mind, screamed that this was nature. Being the first time he was going to leave his wife and new baby and go outside of Nova. But the rest of him, the majority of him just didn’t want to leave. It didn’t matter why, he just wanted to stay there with his family like he felt he should. To take care of them, to love them, to live.

***

Mulder could only remember being this cold one other time in his life, laying in the Antarctic, wrapped in Scully’s arms, only able to think of the ship he had just seen fly over head, and how close he had come to losing her again. Now all he could think about was getting back to Scully, preferably wrapped in her arms, in bed, warm and comfortable with his child sleeping safely across the room.

But he couldn’t. At least not yet, he had to remind himself. Him and three other men had been walking for hours until they finally split up to cover more ground. It wasn’t looking good. As Scully said; if something had happened to Collin to keep him from returning to Nova, he wouldn’t have been able to spend the night in this cold and live. But Mulder was unable to except that and not be able to bring home the body for his family. They deserved to bury him in the graveyard, with a head stone, with closure. Such a seemingly simple thing made the biggest difference. It filled that hole in a person’s heart.

Mulder cursed under his breath as it started to snow big fat flakes. This wasn’t going to help. He could barely see through the heavy fall.

Leaning back against a tree, Mulder stretched his arms over his head. He leaned his head back, then side to side. Easing the tension of his tired and cold muscles. His opened his eyes, head his facing the sky. And his heart stopped.

Three ships hovered over head. Motionless.

Mulder dropped his arms and stepped out from under the tree, moving around to get a better look.

A roar filled his ears, one he had heard before. The earth shook beneath him. The sky lit with the bright colors of an explosion as Mulder tumbled to the ground.

To be continued…

Notes: That’s right folks, one more part and Nova is done.