Title: Nova

Author: Angel

Feedback: Please!

Archive: Please!

Classification: MSR, Colonization fic.

Rating: NC-17 (for some parts-very mild but to be safe!) Others are probably PG-13 or so.

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. Some poems 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!

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

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

Day 93

"Is that rain?" Scully asked sleepily at the soft pounding echoing off the rocks.

"Think so." Mulder mumbled as he rubbed his nose under Scully’s ear, inhaling the musk of spent arousal. Scully had finally begun to feel better, and there was only one thing she wanted to do. Mulder wasn’t complaining.

Scully turned in his arms, so that she faced his chest. She traced her fingers over the muscles of his upper body which had become thick and firm with hard labor… He was healthy. She suddenly felt incredibly small next to him. She pushed her herself away slightly, taking in the sight of his heavy body partly covered by sheets.

"What?" Mulder asked pulled her back against him.

Scully pressed her smiling face into the junction of his neck. "Nothing."

Shifting lethargically Mulder settled into the bed. "I don’t believe you." He mumbled pouting.

She let out a breathy laugh as sleep started to overtake her. The heat of Mulder’s body, the distance sounds of rain, and Mulder’s heartbeat beneath her ear lulled her into a restful sleep.

Mulder felt Scully’s breathing slow and even out. Her grip around his waist loosened slightly and Mulder gently laid her from her side onto her back. Scully leaned into his hand unconsciously as he brushed hair from her face. He watched as she slipped deeper and deeper into to sleep. She looked relaxed and peaceful. Mulder knew it was only a matter of time before the dream came, it always did.

With a soft sigh Mulder settled deeper into the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Pushing his thoughts from his mind he forced himself to sleep, knowing that at any moment he would have to wake Scully and stay up with her the rest of the night.

Day 94

"Hey, Scully." Mulder greeted as he stepped into the room. The door shut and Mulder stood frozen by Scully’s angry gaze. "What’d I do?"

Scully stood up, arms crossed over her chest with tears in her eyes. "You know what you did."

Mulder thought for a moment in silence. Trying to find a way to fix this. "I… I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

She took a step towards him, a small tentative step. "You told Benjamin I can’t have children." Her words were nothing more then a whisper, trying to hide the secret from the fictitious ears of their room.

"Shit!" Mulder hissed out clenching his eyes shut. With a deep breath, preparing for the battle this would cause he turned fully to Scully. "I’m so sorry Scully. I didn’t mean to tell him that. He pissed me off and it just slipped out."

Scully looked down at the ground, unable—unwilling to look at him. It hurt too much. "What’s going to slip out next?" Her whisper did not hide the anger. "That I was abducted-"

"We said we wouldn’t tell anyone that."

Scully’s eyes- filled with tears- shot up to his. "I thought you understood that my infertility is just as personal as my abduction, guess I was wrong." She made a move to go to the door but Mulder grabbed her arm firmly.

"Scully, please listen to me." He said desperately.

Scully look at where he was holding her arm tightly. "Mulder, let go of me."

Mulder immediately loosed his grip letting his hand slide down so he held her wrist loosely. "I want to talk about this."

"There’s nothing to talk about. Your ego got in the way of you being respectful of me. That’s it." She tugged her hand away from him.

"Please don’t walk away from me." He begged softly as she opened that door.

Scully paused in the doorway, but didn’t turn around. "I just need time to think. I won’t leave Nova." With that she shut the door firmly behind her.

"Fuck." Mulder spat at the empty room as he sat on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands.

Scully stepped in the empty church room, dimly lit by two lanterns. She didn’t bother to light anymore; she wanted to hide in the darkness. Sitting on a heavy wooden bench she let out a long sad sigh. She was tired, physically and mentally. The tears resting in her eyes wouldn’t fall. That would take too much energy. Pillowing her head on a folded arm she laid on her side on the bench, pulling her legs up close to her body.

"Scully?"

Scully jolted awake, taking a moment to figure out where she was. She let out a soft sigh when she recognized the church and sat up to face Skinner.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded and cleared the sleep from her throat. "Yes. How are you feeling?" She asked to change the subject. Skinner left the Medical Room two days ago, even though he wasn’t allowed to work for another few weeks.

Nodding he sat gingerly beside her. "Not bad. Sore and stiff but better then lying still all day long… Is everything ok?"

She fought as hard as she could, but the tears still came. Softly and silently other then her humorless laugh, but they came none the least. "Not really, no."

Skinner tentatively placed his hand on her back. "What happened?"

She shook her head quickly.

He pulled his hand away and sat back on the bench. "You have that look you get when Mulder does something to piss you off and you’re trying your damnedest to hate him for it because you know you should. But you love him too much to stay mad as long as you think you should."

Scully smiled despite herself. "That obvious?"

Skinner returned her smile. "Only to me, I’ve seen it enough to pick it out now." He paused and looked at her carefully. "What did he do? Do I need to go kick his ass for it?"

Again Scully smiled. "No… Well… maybe. Can I think about it?"

Skinner chuckled and nodded. Then watched her expectantly.

Knowing she wasn’t going to get away with not telling Skinner easily she gave him a short response. "He said some things to another person that he shouldn’t have. Basic Mulder mistakes I guess."

Skinner was silent for a moment. "Did this have anything to do with Benjamin?" When she didn’t answer, didn’t even look at him, he went on. "There’s something you need to try and understand about Mulder. He’ll do anything for you, you know that. He wants to protect you, and I know you don’t necessarily like that. But it’s instinctive. Neither of us wants anything bad to happen to you. And we both see Benjamin as a threat, so…. He is angry and defensive around him. I know that isn’t an excuse, but it’s a reason."

Scully slowly took in all this information. She wasn’t sure what to say, about Mulder or about Skinner. Against her best instincts Scully had begun to look toward Skinner for guidance, protection, and plain old friendship-something new for the two of them. And Mulder… She loved Mulder more then she ever thought possible. And like Skinner had said, she couldn’t stay mad at him. It’s hard…impossible to stay mad at your other half.

So she sat on the church bench with Skinner for a bit, in silence, looking forward at the paintings in the front of the room. Suddenly Scully quickly looked over at Skinner. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Skinner blushed. To Scully’s amazement Skinner blushed. "Almost dying… a few times over the course of a few months really makes a person rethink life I guess."

"I didn’t know you were religious."

Skinner shrugged slightly. "I haven’t gone to church in years. But... I think I will start again."

Scully smiled softly. "I’d love for you to come with me on Sundays if you’d like?"

Skinner looked over at her and nodded appreciatively. "I’d live that." He smiled then gestured with his head towards the door. "Get out of here. Go let Mulder know he isn’t a dead man."

With a slight laughed Scully left, but not after a lingering look into the church and one of the men that never stopped amazing her.

Day 96

"Can I help you?" Benjamin asked coolly to the three men that walked up to him as he left the Medical Room.

"We are friends of Scully." Langly said.

Benjamin nodding giving them a look that said ‘so what?’

"I take it you were just visiting her. How is she feeling today?" Byers said trying to make up for Langly’s bluntness.

"Good." Benjamin made a move to step around them, but all five foot three inches of Frohike stepped in his way.

"It’s good to know we have one more person to watch over her." He said with a face that passed off as wanting to punch Benjamin in the gut. "We worry." He gestured to the other two men. "Skinner does also, he is very close to her. And of course Mulder. But you already know that." Frohike soberly scowled at him.

Benjamin nodded. "She’s a wonderful woman, doesn’t surprise me that people care."

"People-we really care." Langly said.

Benjamin looked at them all in turn. "Is there a point to this?"

"Yeah. The point is that we don’t like you hanging around her-" Byers cut Frohike off with a look.

Benjamin smiled slyly. "Well… this is my place. You don’t like it you are welcome to leave."

The Gunmen were all silent, sending none too happy messages with their eyes.

Frohike spoke slowly, and with the knowledge of knowing Mulder for many years. "You just might want to be careful. Mulder is a protective man, and he tends to have a short fuse when it comes to Scully."

Benjamin raised his eyebrows, not losing his smile. "For some reason I’m not frightened."

All the men turned as Scully opened the door. She smiled at the Gunmen. "I thought I heard people talking out here. What are you going here, guys?"

Langly shrugged. "We are on a break and came to say hello."

Scully continued to smile and opened the door wide for them. "Come on in then, I’m all alone at the moment." They filed in and Scully looked over at Benjamin who had a strange look in his eyes. One she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But one she felt she had seen before. Many times. She gave him a slight, uncomfortable smile and a curt nod as a goodbye then stepped into the privacy of the Medical Room.

Note: Gunmen are hard to write!! Let me know how I can make that better. Thanks for reading!!