Flight into Egypt 7:  Going Home

by Vickie Moseley

Chapter 1 ARRIVAL

Hale Residence Backyard

Memorial Day, 2005

 Ten-month-old Missy was squealing as Megan pushed the infant swing a little higher.  Sammi was content to sit on a blanket on the lawn, helping the youngest Hawthorne, Stephen, build an intricate castle out of Duplo blocks.  Off to the side, away from small children and windows, Josh Hawthorne was teaching William how to throw a curve ball, with the middle Hawthorne, Patrick acting as catcher and giving advice.  The men were busy with the grill, a new one that Mulder had just purchased.  Scully and M.C. were in the house, putting the finishing touches on the Memorial Day barbeque that was fast becoming a tradition between the two families. 

"So you're going to be gone two months," M.C. stated again, for the sixth or seventh time that morning. 

Dana smiled indulgently and touched her friend's hand.  "Just two months," she reiterated.  "We haven't seen my family since Mom came out last year.  My brothers really want to meet the kids.  Bill and Charlie have never even met William and he's four years old now." 

"But two months?" M.C. repeated.  "I mean, when we go to visit my family in Chicago, I'm lucky if I can tolerate them for two weeks!  And don't get me started on Joe's side." 

"I know, it seems like a long time, but we have a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up.  We have to meet with lawyers, settle with insurance companies, basically get our identities straightened out.  And then there's the wedding." 

"Ah, yes, the wedding.  So Ellery is the best man and you're the matron of honor, right?" M.C. asked as she picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes and onions for the burgers on the grill.  "It's so romantic, you know -- your boss marrying his secretary." 

"Well, Walter and Kim didn't start seeing each other until he wasn't her boss anymore," Scully reminded M.C.  "And even then, I don't know that Kim thought he'd ever pop the question." 

"Of course, I've met Walter, but what's Kim like?  I mean, he seems pretty set in his ways.  I'd hate to have to train him to be a husband!" 

Dana laughed.  "She already trained him to be a boss, what more could she need to do?  Kim is really sweet; she was a good friend to us when we were at the Bureau.  Besides, they deserve each other.  Kim is very easy going, quick to smile.  Walter needs that in his life.  I'm very happy for them both." 

"So let me get this straight -- you, Ellery and the three kids, your brother Charles and his wife with their two, your brother Bill and his wife with their two kids and Maggie all in one house.  Dana, even our house wouldn't hold all those people!" 

"We'll all only be at Mom's for a couple of days, MC.  Tara's father lives in Prince George's County, Maryland, so they'll stay with him most of the time.  As for us, we have a place set up, too.  Walter and Kim closed on their house last week.  Since Walter's lease isn't up until the end of August, we're going to sublet his apartment in Crystal City and he'll move into the new house." 

"Great idea!" MC said with a grin.  "When dealing with extended family, it's always best to have a nice 'fortress of solitude' to hide in." 

Outside, the topic of conversation was similar. 

"Two months.  Your mother-in-law seemed like a real sweetheart, but two months?  Are you sure you want to do this, Hale?" Joe asked, flipping a burger and almost landing William's hot dog in the dust as a result.  He caught it with the spatula just in time. 

"Maggie's not the problem.  Dana's brothers will be there for a couple of weeks, too." 

"Even that Bill character you've mentioned?"  

Mulder nodded.  "And his wife and their two kids.  Geez, we didn't even know Tara was expecting.  She found out just after we, uh . . ." 

"Took off like Bonnie and Clyde?" Joe provided.  Mulder shot him a sour look and tilted his head toward the kids.  "Sorry, Hale, couldn't resist," Joe chuckled.  "So what about the other brother, the one you say you never met.  How could you two be married twelve years and never meet her brother?" 

Mulder licked his lips at that one.  "Charlie and his wife lived over seas all this time," he finally said with a shrug.  "When he did come home, we were usually on a case." 

"Well, it sounds like a hell of a vacation to me," Joe said dubiously.  "Sure you don't want to stay here and let me teach you how to fly fish?" 

"Actually, Joe, I'm looking forward to going back.  I may not want to spend a lot of time with Bill, but I would like to meet Charlie and his family.  Besides, I know Maggie misses the kids.  It's going to be different.  A lot has changed since the last time we were there.  I think I can go back now, at least for a while.  But don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll be ready to come home when it's time."

Dulles International Airport

May 31, 2005

"Tell me again why we decided to take a flight on the day after Memorial Day weekend, Scully." 

She frowned at him.  It had been a long, tiring flight.  Helena's airport was calm and relaxing compared to Denver, where they had to switch planes.  William had relished time on the airplane, demanding to sit in the window seat so he could look out at the clouds.  Sammi had slept most of the time, but Missy was not at all pleased and had whimpered and sucked her thumb, refusing her father's offers to play.  

Scully's lap was numb from holding the baby and waiting for the high-pitched screams she was certain they would be forced to endure.  But Missy never screamed, she just refused to take her nap and now she was even crankier than she'd been on the plane. 

"Mulder, I'm still trying to figure out what possessed us to try and take a pre-schooler and two infants on an airplane without the Fifth Armored Division as back up," she growled.  

"Well, I can see where Melissa inherited her 'grouchy' genes," he muttered under his breath as he switched the finally sleeping infant to his other shoulder. 

"I heard that," Scully replied as she stormed off in the direction of the baggage claim area, Sammi on one hip, William clinging to her free hand.  "You're not getting out of this one, buddy," she shot back. 

"Wait a minute.  I remember an adult discussion where we weighed the pros and cons of driving just over 2200 miles with three kids, which even if we drove straight through would take just shy of a day and a half against dragging everyone through a couple of airports for a period of about 10 hours." 

"I remember someone interrupting my bubble bath by joining me and somewhere in the extremely short introductory conversation, that person told me he'd booked flights already and we were flying into Dulles, my least favorite airport in the entire continental United States!" 

"I got a good deal on the tickets," he countered with a gleam in his eye. 

"You got a good deal, all right.  And it's the last good deal you can expect until we have a bedroom all to ourselves at Walter's condo," she replied with a sweet smile. 

Mulder drew in a deep breath and plastered a matching smile on his face.  "At least we'll have some place to hide out when Big Brother Bill arrives." 

They had just passed the various construction barricades (because Dulles Airport would never truly be finished) and rounded the corner to the baggage claim when William pulled free of Scully's hand and ran shouting down the concourse.  "Gramma!  Gramma!  We're here!" 

Maggie, beaming, swept the little boy up into her arms.  "William!  Look at you!  You've grown two inches since your last picture!" she exclaimed as she accepted the numerous kisses from her youngest grandson. 

William wiggled himself free and latched onto Maggie's hand.  "Gramma, the girls are big, too.  Look, Sammi can walk!"  He pulled at his mother's hand to let the baby down.  Sammi looked at her grandmother with wide blue eyes and immediately nestled into the crook of her mother's neck. 

"She's a little shy around people she's not familiar with," Scully explained contritely.  "By the end of the week, she'll be glued to your hip." 

"Oh, I remember.  You never were fond of strangers, either," Maggie said with a fond expression.  "Not sure what to make of all this, are you, sweetheart," she cooed to the tiny girl who intermittently snuck a peek at the woman trying to get her attention. 

"Ma-ma-mama!" cried Missy, awake from her too short nap.  Mulder jiggled her and stroked her hair but the young lady was not to be dissuaded.  "Ma-ma-mama!"  A quick pass of the twins and soon Missy was settling down and Sammi was content in her father's arms. 

"You two are pros," Maggie said, hugging her daughter and then Mulder.  "They've grown so much since the pictures from Easter.  Oh, I finally found a frame for that family portrait you sent.  I just love it." 

Mulder had been keeping an eye on the baggage carousel while they were talking and spotted the first of their luggage.  "Um, Maggie, could you . . ."  Sammi eyed her suspiciously as her father handed her over, but didn't bat an eye when she was finally in her grandmother's arms. 

Mulder pulled a cart off the long line and started tossing bags onto it.  "I hope I have enough room in the car," Maggie commented as she watched the luggage pile up.  "Oh, I remembered to bring the car seats, Dana." 

"Thanks, Mom," Scully said, relieved.  "That saved us a lot of trouble.  Three car seats are just not that easy to lug around." 

"Don't worry about space, Maggie," Mulder chimed in.  "We reserved a minivan for the duration.  We'll just have to go over to the Lariat counter.  You and Dana can take the twins in your car and Will can ride with me in the rental." 

Maggie nodded and then stopped.  "So, what do I call you now?" she asked.  Her perplexed look caused Mulder to tamp down on any smart remark that comment might have generated.  

"Joe calls me Hale, MC calls me Ellery.  But that's how they know me.  I don't expect you to change, Maggie.  You've always called me Fox." 

"But when I visited last summer -- " 

Mulder blushed and focused on the tile floor.  "It was still . . . we were still getting used to the idea that we weren't being hunted.  But how can I walk into the Bureau to pick up Walt for lunch or maybe just to say 'hi' and expect all those people who know me as Fox Mulder to start calling me Ellery Hale?  It just wouldn't work." 

Maggie smiled at him.  "OK, Fox," she said with a quick nod.  "We need to get home.  I have hamburgers and hot dogs waiting for you to put on the grill." 

"Daddy likes to burn meat, Gramma," William told her solemnly. 

"I remember that, Will.  Let's go to my house and he can burn some meat there."

I-95 heading to Baltimore, Maryland

4:15 pm

"Where did you and Mommy live?" William asked breathlessly as he watched the tall trees and the set back houses along the I-95 roll past. 

"Mommy and I lived in different parts of the city of Washington.  Grandma lives in Baltimore, which is a city all by itself," Mulder explained. 

"Did you live by Uncle Walter?" 

Mulder shook his head and stifled a chuckle.  William's curiosity was probably the most telling factor in his genetic background.  "You know, we'll go visit Washington tomorrow and I'll show you where Mommy lived and where Daddy lived and then where Mommy and Daddy worked -- how does that sound?" 

"And the zoo?" the little boy pressed excitedly.  "And the baseball game . . ." 

"We may save some of that for another day so the whole family can go.  Tomorrow it can be just you and me -- just the guys.  Mommy and the girls can get some rest after all the excitement of the plane ride." 

Maggie Scully's residence

Baltimore Maryland

The place hadn't changed much in four years, at least as far as Mulder could tell.  Four years.  It seemed like a lifetime.  He smiled down at his son as the little boy expertly unhooked the clasp on the car seat and climbed out of the Ford Freestar to stand next to him.  It was a lifetime, to William. 

"Wow, Gramma's yard is about as big as ours," the child exclaimed as he eyed the rolling lawn and big maple and oak trees. 

"She has a swing in the backyard, too, buddy.  I'll show it to you later.  Right now can you give your old man a hand and grab your duffle bag on the top there?" 

Between the two of them, William and Mulder got the luggage in from the car.  "Where?" Mulder asked Maggie, who was holding the screen door for him.  

"You and Dana have Charlie's old room and the kids are right across the hall," she said, following him upstairs.  He got to the first door on the left and dumped the luggage on the floor for sorting later.  

"So Charlie had a queen sized bed, huh?  Funny, I don't remember that," he teased Maggie when he looked over and saw a new bedroom suite that replaced the twin bed he remembered being in that room. 

Maggie grinned and lightly smacked his arm.  "Fox, you know better," she replied.  "I don't think you and Dana would have been very comfortable on that little twin bed.  One of you would have landed up on the floor and I know for a fact that my daughter is a bed hog!" 

"You got that right," Mulder shot back with a repressed chuckle. 

"Got what right?" Scully asked from the doorway, carrying Sammi in her arms.  "Where are the diapers, she's soaked.  Oh, Mom, new bedroom suite?  Looks great." 

"I'll take her," Mulder offered.  "You go help your mom get the meat ready and I'll be down to fire up the grill." 

Maggie and Dana checked on William and Missy before heading into the kitchen.  Maggie had a playpen set up in the family room and William had climbed in it to entertain his sister.  They were in the middle of engineering an intricate structure from plastic blocks. 

"He's so good with the babies," Maggie commented with an awed smile.  "He must get that from the Mulder side.  You four fought like cats and dogs." 

"Oh, don't worry, Mom.  He has his moments.  Just a few weeks ago I overheard him talking with Stevie Hawthorne about the best places to sell baby sisters on the internet," Dana said smugly. 

"Dana!" Maggie replied in shock. 

"I don't think he would ever actually put them up for sale, Mom.  I think he was just checking out his options." 

"Maybe you and Fox shouldn't let him play on the computer quite as much," Maggie advised firmly. 

In the kitchen, Maggie opened the refrigerator and pulled out the makings for salad, handing them to Dana.  They quickly went to work. 

"How are the Hawthornes?" Maggie asked. 

"Oh, they're fine.  Daniel is home from Iraq now.  He's still at LeJeune, but he had a month's leave.  Meggie is looking at colleges.  I don't know what I'm going to do if she goes off to school very far away.  We really depend on her for babysitting.  MC and Joe are fine.  The whole family was over Monday night for a barbeque.  They're going to keep an eye on the house for us.  Which reminds me, I have to call and tell them I have Millie holding our mail so they don't have to pick it up." 

Maggie smiled.  "Be sure to tell them I said hello when you talk to them." 

Mulder joined them, carrying a much happier Sammi.  "I'm putting the little mermaid here in the playpen so I can start up the grill." 

"Good idea."  From her place at the island counter, Dana had a perfect view of her three children playing somewhat contentedly in the family room.  "I'll keep an eye on them." 

The two women were quiet for a moment, until Maggie looked over at her daughter.  "So, Mr. Skinner and Kim are getting married the 25th?" 

Dana smiled.  "Yes.  Kim said she really didn't want to get married in June, but it was the only weekend available at her church.  Something about a cancellation with another couple's wedding." 

"Oh, dear.  Did a couple break up?" Maggie asked. 

"No, a couple eloped," Dana grinned in reply.  "I guess the bride's father suggested it as a joke and the bride and groom called his bluff.  They ran off to Vegas and got married in a wedding chapel.  Kim said it's been the talk of the congregation for weeks." 

"That poor mother," Maggie sighed. 

"Mother?  Why 'that poor mother'?  Those kids just saved that family a ton of cash, Mom," Dana answered without thinking. 

"That mother was cheated  --  Never mind," Maggie said tersely and turned to rummage in the refrigerator again. 

"Cheated how, Mom?" 

Maggie leaned against the counter and shook her head.  "I promised myself I wasn't going to go in to this," she muttered.  

Dana didn't think she was supposed to hear her mother's comment, but decided that she wasn't going to let it drop.  "Mom.  How do you feel cheated?" she asked, trying hard to keep the 'investigator' out of her voice. 

Maggie looked up at Dana with tears on her lashes.  "When you girls were little, your father and I used to joke about how much you were going to cost us.  We always dreamed we'd have to pay for lavish weddings with hundreds of guests.  Of course, as Missy got older and more . . . well, one time your father even said we might have to shell out for a wedding in Hawaii, on a beach somewhere.  But after she died -- "  The words caught in the older woman's throat and Dana ached to hold her in her arms. 

"Mom," she said, stepping closer, but Maggie held her hands out, stopping her. 

"No, listen to me.  I know it's foolish, I know it's selfish, but I thought with you, at least, I'd have a chance to see one of my daughter's married.  But you went ahead and did it behind my back.  Now, you can tell me all about your problems and how you had to run away, I understand all that, but Dana -- " 

"Mom!" Dana all but shouted to be heard over her mother's diatribe.  "We aren't married!" 

Suddenly the only noise in the kitchen was the ice machine in the refrigerator.  

Maggie recovered first.  "But the rings -- you're both wearing rings." 

Dana looked down at the gold band on her left hand; smiling as she remembered the day Mulder had placed it on her finger.  Finally, she looked up and met her mother's stare.  "It was for our cover.  When we moved to Montana, we wanted to appear as normal as possible to raise the least amount of suspicion.  Mom, at that point, we had no idea if there were bulletins out on us, our pictures on the 10 Most Wanted.  We didn't know if we'd find some never heard of actors portraying us on that FOX show one Saturday night, with John Walsh telling everyone to call if they'd seen us!" 

Maggie's legs were just barely holding her up so Dana took her mother's arm and steered her to one of the chairs at the breakfast table.  "Mom.  It's not what you think.  We just never got around to -- what I mean to say is -- " 

Maggie looked at Dana with tears streaking down her cheeks.  "Why wouldn't Fox want to marry you?" she asked in a small voice.  "I don't understand.  Is he afraid of the commitment?  After all these years -- " 

"Mom, it isn't Mulder," Dana said with a sigh.  "Please don't blame him." 

Maggie's frown deepened.  "What are you saying?  That it's you?  You don't want to get married?  Dana, you have children, you brought three children into this world and you don't want to marry their father?!"  The older woman started to rise in an effort to put as much distance as possible between her and her daughter.  Dana caught her hand before she got very far. 

"Mom, please, listen to me.  Please," Dana pleaded.  Maggie looked down at their hands and bit her lip.  Finally she sat back down.  

"So, I'm listening.  Explain to me why you'd ignore everything your father and I tried to teach you," she said, her voice steel, her expression hard though the tears still continued down her face. 

Dana swallowed.  In the back of her mind she remembered Mulder's words.  'It's time,' he'd said.  But it had seemed too late and she didn't want to risk what they had, what they still had.  How could she make her mother understand that? 

"Mom, Mulder and I are fully committed to each other.  We love each other completely.  There is never going to be a day when I don't want him next to me.  That's marriage, isn't it?  That's what it's really all about.  Why do a few words and a piece of paper make that more than it already is?  We have a life in Montana.  People there treat us as a married couple -- " 

"But you aren't married, Dana," Maggie said with a desperate sigh.  "You aren't legally married.  And you know what that means for those babies in there," she said, just barely getting out the words before her tears choked off her voice. 

"I just don't see what the difference is," Dana said, her own tears flowing freely. 

"You have lived on the edge of society, Dana.  You and Fox  were in horrible trouble.  Mr. Skinner told me all about it when Agent Doggett and Reyes returned from New Mexico.  He told me there were orders to execute Fox.  I understood why you went off with him without a word.  I can understand why you hid as you did, why you had to, just to keep William safe.  I know all that," Maggie's words, low but effective, poured out of her.  "But Dana, all that is in the past.  And you have a beautiful son and two beautiful daughters.  Don't you think they deserve better?  What will they say, when they're old enough to understand?  Because right now, Dana, I'm looking at you and I don't understand.  I don't understand at all." 

"Mommy, I'm hungry!  Hey, why are you and Gramma crying?"  William stood in the doorway to the kitchen, concern written clearly on his four year old face.  

Hurriedly both women wiped their eyes, but not before Maggie had a chance to catch Dana's gaze one more time.  "This isn't finished," she whispered.  "Hey, William!" she said, happily turning her attention to her grandson.  "Let's see if your dad has the grill going and we can carry out the hot dogs and hamburgers to him.  How does that sound?" 

"Goodie!" the small boy exclaimed, clapping his hands.  But as Maggie turned to get the food out of the refrigerator, William walked over to where Dana was busily slicing tomatoes and laid his hand on her arm.  "Mommy?" he asked worriedly. 

She wiped at her eyes again.  "Onions, William.  You know how slicing onions always makes Mommy cry," she said with a forced smile. 

The small boy could just peer over the countertop where she was pointing to a plate of sliced onions.  When he looked up at her again, she knew he didn't believe her. 

"It's OK, sweetie.  We were just talking," Dana said, reaching down to hug her son.  "Nothing's the matter.  It's all right." 

He nodded solemnly as he melted into her embrace.  His grandmother's voice pulled him away. 

"Ready, William?  Let's go watch your dad burn some meat," Maggie suggested.  As the two left the kitchen, Dana sagged against the counter in relief.  How much had he heard, she couldn't help but wonder.

continued in part 2