Title: All I Had to Give
Author: Starrlyte 
Category: MSR
Rating: G
Spoilers: The Truth and William
Disclaimer: All things X still belong to Chris Carter
and 1013 productions...thank you for an amazing
9 years!!!

Summary: Scully gets a letter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She stared at the envelope, her fingers trembling. Tears 
stung at her eyes and her lip quivered. It had been months
since she had done what she thought was best. It felt like
years. Standing for a moment to compose herself, she began
to open it. Her tiny fingers slipping though the slits in the
paper and tugging gently until the seal gave way. She slowly 
pulled the contents out into view and her breath caught in
her throat. The photograph sent a shock to her soul and she
staggered backward into the wall. 

"He's so beautiful." She breathed as the tears 
rolled down her cheeks. 

She read the tiny note with blurred vision and a
pounding heart. William's 1st birthday. Scully crumbled to 
the floor in a heap of desperate sobs, clutching the 
little photograph against her chest. She held the 
envelope to her nose, hoping for any trace of him
and cursed herself for ever dreaming of love. She 
had lost so much of herself and she wasn't sure 
if she could hunt down all of the peices. 

She could feel him behind her, his worried stare 
burrowing into the back of her neck. His strong
arms wrapping around her. 

"You don't have to do this to yourself." He 
whispered gently, running his fingers along her 
collar bone. 

She forced a smile as she picked up the box she
had been packing and laid the photograph in it. 
All of the tiny clothes and blankets had been
folded with care and many tears. 

"I will do this Scully." Mulder added softly
as he took the box from her arms. 

"I feel broken, Mulder." 

"I know."

The two went around the apartment, collecting
the rest of their things. Dawn was breaking 
and they had precious little time. 

"Are you ready?" He asked her, reaching for her
hand. 

She gazed around the apartment before switching 
off the lights. "Yes."

Was she ready to leave everything she had ever
known behind? No. But she had no choice. They 
slipped out of the apartment and hurried to the 
car just as the sun was rising behind them. Mulder
tossed the box in the trunk and jumped into
the drivers seat, starting the engine. 

"You did the right thing, Scully, to protect him. 
You gave him a good life." Mulder crept his 
fingers across the seat to grasp onto her own. 

"It was all I had to give." She closed her eyes 
as a single tear traced lines down her cheek.

The car made its way down several backstreets
before finally turning North onto the Interstate.

              The End


Author's notes: I cannot imagine how I could
ever give up my son. But I have to say, being 
a mother, if I was faced with the fact that my son
would be killed if he stayed with me...I would have
to do what was best for my child, even if that meant
breaking my own heart. I feel for Scully, she has
lost so much...but she has Mulder and they have
each other. 


http://mulderscreek.com/nurseryfiles.html