Splitting them apart wouldn't result in the sudden appearance of a suitable partner for Mulder. Skinner just wished Scully would have this baby before any more tough cases came along. The only other person he trusted to back Mulder up was himself because it was becoming obvious that whoever had it out for Mulder would take every opportunity to get him killed in the line of duty and they didn't care who they took with him. They had made a mistake with Heather, though.

Her uncle had been furious when he learned about her altered file and that the backup Skinner had ordered had been mysteriously pulled. They had made a powerful enemy there and her uncle was still investigating what had happened. Walter knew he couldn't keep backing up Fox, that would get him in trouble with his superiors if he did so on a regular basis.

Seven fifteen? That wasn't like Mulder. Mulder was normally prompt unless there was a problem. Skinner hoped that there wasn't any trouble but since he knew his agent had been waiting all day to have it out with him it didn't bode well that Mulder was late. He would give him another fifteen minutes before he tried to track him down.

Late. I'm going to be late. Damn it. Screw it. fuck it.

Great time to pick, Mulder, he thought to himself. He'd just spent the last hour and a half working out trying to cool off and control his temper. He'd run, then swam and finally spent twenty minutes punching a punching bag and pretending that it was Skinner. It hadn't helped.

Yeah, he was exhausted, every muscle in his body hurt but he was still mad as hell at his boss. How the hell could he do that to her... to me? He debated skipping the shower but he didn't want to show up in Skinner's office sweaty and stinky. Calling was also an option but he couldn't handle talking to the bastard right now. He sighed. I'll just have to hurry and hope I'm not more that fifteen minutes late. At seven twenty Skinner broke down and called the gym knowing that Fox often worked out after work. Dana had moved into a hotel so he doubted that Mulder had gone home. He didn't like that at all. She had however asked him not to tell her mother. He hated keeping secrets from Meg, especially when he could see that Scully was obviously sick.

She'd thrown up twice in the hour he had been there, claiming it was simply the flu. The flu was going around but it was hitting her hard.

Home and in bed being taken care of was where she needed to be not in some hotel under stress crying about her husband but she refused to come back to the apartment with him. Damn it but she was stubborn.

Well stubborn or no if she and Mulder hadn't worked it out by the weekend I'm going to get her and bring her back to Meg's and my apartment even if I have to pick her up and carry her. "Gym"

"This is Director Skinner. Is Agent Mulder there?"

"You just missed him, Sir. He left about fifteen minutes ago."

"I see."

"Something sure was bothering him."

"Hummm? Why do you say that?"

"Well he showed up here right after work, proceeded to run like the devil himself was after him, then swam the same way for half and hour and then finished with twenty minutes on the punching bag. That's not like him at all. I can't remember ever seeing him have a go at the punching bag before but he beat the shit out of it tonight. Don't know who he's mad at but I hope he doesn't run into them anytime soon. He didn't look like any of it had helped when he blew out of here twenty minutes ago."

"Thanks, Ron. See you later."

"Yeah, you been slacking off a bit, Sir. Really ought to come and work out. Good for what ails you. Bye."

Great. Just great. Walter Skinner didn't know whether to be grateful that Mulder was trying to work out his anger or afraid that he was just practicing for his shot at Skinner. He heard the outer door to his office open and shut. Mulder didn't call out or make a sound just came strait in. The AD took a good long look at him as he came into the room and stood before him. Walter rose from behind his desk, walked around to the front and leaned against it. Mulder looked like shit. His hair was still damp and wasn't laying right, there were bags under his eyes, and his expression was one of barely suppressed rage.

Well at least he is trying to control himself. Skinner waited for Fox to speak.

Mulder for his part was not in the mood to notice anything about his boss. A blinding haze of anger covered his vision. As a consequence he didn't notice the dark circles under Walter's eyes or the sad weary look of acceptance on his face. Mulder took several deep breaths. He was determined to get to the end of this interview without resulting to physical violence. He wasn't a violent man but what this man had helped Dana do... the risks they had taken...

"What in god's name were you thinking to let my wife out on field work in her condition. It's bad enough when she is at peak efficiency but my god man she's almost seven months pregnant." He shouted at his boss. "It was a dangerous assignment. She could have been hurt. Our baby could have been hurt. Damn it you fucking bastard we've already lost one child how dare you risk another one." Fox grabbed a paper weight from his boss' desk and threw it at the wall. He watched it shatter into a million pieces. It was the paper weight that he and Dana had given their boss last Christmas as a joke gift. It contained a flying saucer suspended in the middle of the glass. Both of them had been surprised when Skinner actually used it on his desk.

As Walter Skinner saw the glass shatter part of him shattered as well. His only thought was, God this hurts. He doubted that he stood a chance of ever getting through to Fox. Still he had to try, if not for himself, then for Dana.

"I didn't have a choice, Agent Mulder." Try and keep this on a professional level. Maybe it won't be as bad. "She would have gone with or without my permission. Hell, she went on her own anyway. She wasn't supposed to even leave the hotel. I ordered other back up but you can take a guess why that was mysteriously canceled."

"I can handle myself. Besides you shouldn't have let her know what you found out about Heather."

"She's the one that got the damned lead in the first place and stood and listened while I tried to confirm what she found out."

"Then you should have sent someone else and not got her a ticket."

"I was going myself, with her, to make sure that she stayed out of trouble. That damn meeting..."

Fox wasn't listening. "You shouldn't have let Scully come, had her stopped at the airport when you found she had gone. You should have trusted me to handle it. You don't respect my abilities."

"Damn it, Fox, I do trust you and your abilities, but everyone needs backup they can count on at sometime or another. If you'd been killed it would have been my fault for letting you go out with a partner who couldn't give you that backup. Mine! I should have screened her better, there were hints in the damn file I just was too damn happy for a change to notice them. You think I wanted to live with that. And since I was going... damn it man you know how hard it is to sit and wait. I thought it would be easier on Scully if she was closer."

"I'll never forgive you for risking Dana. Never." Fox was right in his face now they were standing eye to eye. His control broke and he finally took a swing at Skinner.

Skinner dodged easily, he'd been expecting this all day. He grabbed Mulder by the shoulders and shook him, finally losing his control and shouting back, "What the hell was I supposed to do let you die? Well I couldn't... I just couldn't stop her at the airport because she was the only one I could trust to cover your back." His voice got cold and hard, he sucked in his breath and turned his back to Fox. Go ahead beat the shit out of me. I don't give a damn anymore. He heard the office door open and turned back towards Mulder.

"Fox, wait."

Mulder stopped but didn't turn.

"Look whatever you do or feel about me..." He took a deep breath before he could continue. "You're tearing Dana apart." He saw his son's shoulders stiffen but went on. "You're going to go back to her... going to forgive her... we both know it. You can't live without her, but she's sick. She says it's just the flu but... it can't be good for her and the baby to be alone in a hotel, crying..."

"She's the one that chose to leave."

"Fox, your anger is frightening and it's hurting her... let it go before it's too late, before something happens... Please."

Mulder never turned around, never said a word, just walked slowly out the door.

Walter Skinner gathered up his things and left to check on his step daughter, hoping that Meg would be back from Melissa's baby shower when he got home. Tonight he desperately needed her to be with him, although he had no idea what he was going to tell her about all of this.

Meg Skinner had gotten home from her daughter's baby shower around eight to find that her husband was not yet home. The message from him on the answering machine informed her that he had a meeting and would be home late. She sat down to rest and to watch her favorite murder mystery show. It had been on a long time and this was going to be it's last year. She would miss it.

Walter walked through the door half an hour later, looking like hell. Not saying anything he had come over to her, taken her in his arms and just held her. She watched the rest of the hour long show sitting on the couch in his arms. Not a word was said.

At the end she turned off the TV and asked. "Are you ready to talk now, dear?"

"There isn't anything to say, Meg. I had a meeting with Mulder tonight. He's furious that I let Dana go out to Arizona to back him up on that last case."

Margaret nodded. She hadn't been too happy about that either but she had to trust her daughter and her husband to know what was best.

From the sound of it it was a good thing that Dana had gone but Margaret still hated the risks that her daughter had run. "You know he's very protective of her. You didn't really expect him to take this calmly did you?"

Walter sighed and wouldn't meet her eyes. "I knew when I saw what had happened out there that Mulder would more than likely never trust me again. But he's alive and that's worth it." He couldn't say it aloud but silently he thought to himself, I'm going to miss him. "Come to bed, dear."

"It's a little early for me to go to sleep but you go ahead and turn in if you're tired."

"Walter, I didn't say a thing about sleep. Come to bed, dear."

He smiled and nodded yes. Tonight he needed to lose himself in her arms.

Chapter 6

Dana wanted to go home... just go home. She looked around the small hotel room and wondered whatever had possessed her to move out in the first place. Even her husband's stony silence was better than being cooped up here, and the fact that she had picked up a case of the flu hadn't made it any better. The truth was that at the time, she hadn't thought he would let her leave. She hadn't been able to stand the silence in their beautiful house, the house that was no longer filled with their love and laughter, the wonderful anniversary present her husband had bought her and surprised her with on Halloween after weeks and weeks of telling her that there was no way he would ever become a homeowner. She hadn't thought he'd let her leave, and then she had thought he would ask her to come back, but now she realized that he never would. Fox was Fox, and she had angered and hurt him.

No, she should not have left.

Since when had she become such a wimp that she would walk away from trouble and not fight for what she wanted most in life? This felt too much like being a victim and she didn't like that. Jack had made her a victim once. She had been wrong to let it happen again. Fox may have been right, but she had been so upset at the thought of losing him to a murderer she had not been able to see anything else at the time.

His failure to even try to understand cut her deeply. Now she wanted to go home and apologize and try to make things right, to try to talk to him about it. It was the only way. She had to try and attempt to make him see that she too was a human being, his wife, and he couldn't always simply cast her aside or walk out or talk about divorce every time they had a disagreement. She had to give in and ask for forgiveness, but not to beg. Dana knew she had to be stronger than that. She put her clothes in the suitcase, and thought about Skinner's words. God, how he had reamed her out for messing up that autopsy, and he had been right. He had called her into the office a nd let her have it good and hard for screwing up the forensic evidence on an awful serial killer that Mulder had done the profile for. Thanks to her, a criminal could have walked... thanks to the fact that her mind had been on other things and she had been throwing up. She had grown defensive, but she had known he was acting properly in calling her in and right to give her such a harsh verbal reprimand. He really hadn't had a choice. She had messed up badly.

Then, when he had finished lecturing her, finished giving her his ex-Marine version of hell, he had come and visited her at this hotel and asked her to come and stay with him and her mom until things could be worked out. He had been genuinely concerned, told her that he loved her and held her tenderly while she cried her eyes out. Dana still ached for Ahab's loving presence but being held in her stepfather's arms she had felt comforted as she hadn't since her father had died.

She had turned him down of course. She didn't want her mom to know about the problems she and Fox were having, not now, not at her mother's age and expecting a baby, and not without trying to work things out herself.

Dana walked in the door and set down the suitcase. Thing was there and went crazy when he saw her. She picked him up with difficulty and looked around... empty beer bottles everywhere... pizza boxes... sunflower seeds... clothes tossed carelessly on the floor and across furniture. Thing had messed on the floor and Fox hadn't even bothered to clean it up. What a nightmare. It was incredible what he could do in just a few short days by himself, and the fact that he hadn't cared for the dog was a testament to what his mental state must be. Krycek started shrieking in the corner, and Dana realized he had no water. Krycek, her husband's beloved parrot, whose presence was the fulfillment of a childhood wish he had harbored all his life. She wondered where Aunt Sophia was. The woman would have been appalled, for she loved these creatures, but she had probably had to go out of town. Aunt Sophia did that now and then, never saying where she was going or what she was doing. Setting Thing down Dana began to clean up automatically, slowly putting things right in the house. The an imals were cared for and the clothes gathered. She ran a load of wash.

The beer bottles went into the recycling bin, the seed husks in the trash. There were some videos scattered around... oh, God, those sorts of videos. He had never bothered with them the entire time they had been married, and now he had brought them out. She quickly put them back where she had hidden them in the top of one of the cabinets in the dining room which they had ended up making into a family room since they didn't now have the option of expanding downstairs. She went into the kitchen and started a pot of stew cooking, wondering if he would even come home and want to eat. Finally, sick at heart, she took a blanket and curled up on front of the fire staring at the flames miserably. She couldn't seem to shake the chill in her bones. She hoped this flu would pass quickly. It was difficult to cope when your body rebelled against living. It was difficult to fight when all you wanted... needed... to do was sleep.

Fox was really angry. Skinner had had no right to talk to him the way he had about his private life. It was none of his goddamn business. A good part of it was his fault to begin with. How the hell had he managed to get himself in the mess he was in anyway? Jeez... he had a wife he couldn't stand to be around, a boss who was his father-in-law, a goddamned house that he had never wanted to begin with, pets, and an aunt living downstairs who had reamed him out accusing him of acting just like his father. That conversation still infuriated him too. She had stood there looking up at him dressed in some sort of nutty gypsy fortune telling outfit.

"Let me tell you something, Fox Mulder, there are only two things in this world that Dana Scully is afraid of. The first is losing you. The second of losing her babies."

"Well, I'm a big boy and the baby isn't," he had snapped. "She sure screwed up her priorities."

"She knew you before she knew those babies, Fox. Maybe she was wrong, but you can't go on this way. She loves you like no one else ever has. Was what she really did that unforgivable? She saved your life."

"Yes I can. I can do whatever I damn well want, Aunt Sophia. It isn't your business." Jeez, first this shit from Skinner and then from his aunt.

"No, no it isn't. But let me tell you something else Fox Mulder, you are acting exactly like your father and his father before him. You are treating Dana the same way that Bill treated poor Teena, like dirt, withdrawing your love, doling it out only when she is in compliance with your wishes. You are being spiteful and manipulative here, and worse, I think a part of you is enjoying it. That's the scariest of all, Fox, the fact that you have that side to you and seem to be wallowing in it. She'd be better off if you would just hit her. Then she could kick you in the nuts and maybe you'd start talking. Dana, thank God, is made of sterner stuff than Teena, and one day you're going to wake up, but what you'll find is that she has gotten over it and you. She isn't going to go the way your poor mom did. Dana is a fighter."

"Yeah, right. I'm having loads of fun being a bastard cause she put my kid's life at risk, and if she does get over me, so what?" he had demanded turning around to leave the apartment. "And don't bother to ask me if I know what I'm doing to my kid, because I almost didn't have one thanks to her."

"So you aren't perfect yourself. From what I hear you treated her like dirt on Martha's Vineyard, and she didn't stop loving you because of it," Aunt Sophia had called after him, "And don't you dare walk out of here without taking Thing and Krycek because I'm going to be away..."

Sophia's words had really hurt. In his heart he knew she had a point. Still, he had been glad that she had had to go out of town even if he had gotten stuck with the animals. He hadn't been ready to acknowledge her wisdom yet, or her truth, that he was once again lapsing into old familial patterns, and that a part of him liked it, liked it because he could back away and not be too close to anyone...

liked it so he didn't have to be afraid of losing anyone.

He walked in the door and immediately the smell of something cooking assailed his nostrils. It was his favorite stew. Thing ran to him and jumped up and down looking to be picked up. Jeez, he hadn't even remembered to change the dog's paper or feed or water the bird.

Normally, Thing annoyed him when he jumped up and down and barked, but he felt a little guilty so he picked the animal up and looking into the living room saw Dana sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket. He was once again aware of how small she was, how vulnerable at this time in her life, but he hardened his heart.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I... I live here..." she said but it hadn't come out as firmly as she had hoped, looking at him for some sign that they might begin to communicate.

"Fine... just stay out of my way..." he stormed upstairs leaving her to cry alone. She never came out of the living room. He went about his business, watching TV in the family room, doing whatever he wanted. For spite, he even got down one of his videos. If she could risk his kid's life, who cared what she thought. It was his baby...

his and he had no control over what happened...

Dana couldn't sleep. Hearing the sounds of that video had made her ill, knowing that he was doing it to spite her. It wasn't that the sofa bed was terribly uncomfortable. In fact, it felt rather good against her back which had become sore from lying in the damp dirt in Arizona. It was just that she had hoped that they could start to work things out, and he hadn't allowed it. His actions seemed so out of character for him, and so like what Teena had described William's. It was frightening. With a sigh she got up and put Thing down. She knew she would have to keep trying to make things right. In fact, she was determined not to give up. Either they would work out their problems, or she was going to have to find an apartment and leave him. That would be her last resort. That wouldn't be good for either of them...

It wouldn't be good for their daughter. Despite what he thought, she did consider her baby, and shuddered at the thought of her daughter being raised by a woman who couldn't stand on her own two feet. Also, they had to communicate somehow. They had the child in common. They would now never be totally free of one another.

"Stay here, boy," she said softly knowing that the dog wouldn't listen anyway. It occurred to her that there was no reason for Thing to be different than any other "man" she had had in her life. Quietly she crept up the stairs to their bedroom. Fox was lying on his back, moonglow and the light from the open door cast across his face, the five o'clock shadow making him look ever so handsome. How she loved him, she thought, dark, troubled, sarcastic and manipulative as he could be at times. The baby kicked inside her. She remembered that night in Ireland when they had created this new life... the love...

the laughter... the sense of awe... Quietly she sat down on the bed and gently ran her fingers through his hair. She knew he was only pretending to be asleep.

"I'm sorry, Spook," she said ever so softly. "You were right and I was wrong. I should have thought of the baby first. I did think of the baby, but then I couldn't think of her growing up without you...

growing up without her daddy, and now she won't have to. Maybe...

sometimes... I guess... there is something inside me sometimes that is cold and hard and... bad... and selfish... and I'm really trying to understand how powerless you must feel now, how helpless you must have felt to protect our daughter." She swallowed. "I should have thought of the baby first. I should have gotten backup. I wasn't wrong for going but I was very wrong for going alone." He ignored her. "I'll never forget the day that you asked me to marry you. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, that there were going to be disagreements, but I never thought... never thought... I thought you would always love me and forgive me... that we would always love and forgive each other.."

Her touch was driving him crazy. He wanted to. Oh, God, how he wanted to... but the scene of the murderer rising, charging across the short distance between him and Scully aiming that knife for her belly before she had shot him, Heather frozen in terror, him tied and helpless... He couldn't. If that knife had pierced her... She began to stroke his cheek. "I want this baby more than anything else in the world, Fox, but I'm more than an incubator. I'm human, and I'm a woman... and not perfect. I've been fighting all my life to be thought of as equal and I was so busy fighting that I didn't realize that this was different that I should have accepted help. How can I make you understand?" Finally he heard her sigh. "Okay. I guess you aren't ready to forgive me yet. I guess I'll have to give you more time..."

She went to the door and got Thing who was scratching frantically and whining, then quietly slipped into bed next to Fox. "But at least my baby is going to have a mommy and a daddy even if they aren't speaking." She turned her back to him. "I'll give you time, Fox... I promise, but if I ever feel as though I have to leave again, I won't come back. I won't live like your mother did." She pulled the covers up over herself a little tighter and shivered. "I've forgiven you for a lot of angst, Fox Mulder, and I've never ever withdrawn my love from you." She slipped into silence and pretended to fall asleep. Finally, she did doze off, the dog curled up against her back snoring and dreaming his doggie dreams. Fox knew exactly when she had finally, silently cried herself to sleep. Her words had hit home... but that vision of the knife coming at her... so close... the blood on her clothes...

Fox had wanted to reach out to her, to pull her into his arms, to tell her that it was okay, but it wasn't okay. He was still angry and hurting, and couldn't seem to let it go. Finally he did sleep albeit fitfully.

She wasn't in bed with him the next morning, but he smelled coffee brewing and remembered happier times... so many happy mornings. Oh, God. It was Saturday and they didn't have to go to work. He'd have to go anyway, just to get away from her. He went into the bathroom and showered and shaved, then slipped into some casual clothes. She was in the kitchen making banana pancakes. This woman really knew how to hurt. They were his favorite. She didn't say a word to him, but set a plate down in front of him and left the room. He realized that he was very hungry. He had taken the stew she had made the night before and dumped it, just so she would know what he thought. She hadn't said a word. He ate in silence and thought about Skinner's words, about how she had been throwing up, sick. He already knew about the botched autopsy. She had never done that before... ever. It would be just like Dana to work through everything... never once thinking that maybe she should stay home and rest for the baby's sake, but of course, she hadn't been home. She'd insisted on one of them leaving and since he had bought the house, it wasn't about to be him... like he'd really wanted the damned thing... but no, it had been her choice to leave. He hadn't made her. He put the plate in the dishwasher and went to work for several hours.

Dana lay down again for awhile wishing she could sleep forever.

Physically she was starting to feel a little better, and the dog curled up next to her kept her body warm. How was she supposed to get him to forgive her? Why was he being so damned stubborn? She supposed from his perspective it must have looked pretty awful... the crazed man coming at her with the knife, but she had known she would get him, and she had. It had been a little close yes, but she had been in control.

It's a good thing she had gotten there. With the FBI backup having been mysteriously pulled, the small town sheriff's office had been ill equipped to handle the situation. Even she had almost missed the killer, so stealthy had he been. And that Heather... jeez... how she had frozen with her weapon in her hand... Dana felt weepy again suddenly. She wanted her wedding ring back. She still had her mom's, but she wanted her beautiful ring with its Celtic symbols and little emeralds, the one that Heather had lost. She wanted the love that it had represented.

Well, moping wasn't go to do any good. She'd have to wear him down, and if she couldn't... well... she'd have to make other arrangements... arrangements that allowed for a baby. The house her mom and Skinner had bought would have a small rental unit. Sooner or later, she would have to tell her mom and maybe she could move in there. She went to the kitchen and prepared a pot of soup. Fox loved her soups served with salad and crusty bread. Then she popped in a batch of brownies and went and fooled with the VCR. The brownies never tasted quite as good as her mother's, but he never seemed to notice.

He was like a little kid with those stupid brownies. Sometimes he would whine and beg until she made him some. He would tease and cajole and reward her with kisses when she finally gave in, then devour them like a 12 year old even though it meant extra jogging the next day.

She wanted her wonderful, sweet "Wolf" back... not his evil older brother Liam... the man that Gran had loved so much from the moment she had walked into the room at her birthday party that time, not the reflection of the man who had destroyed the family.

The first thing he smelled when he came home was the soup, and then brownies. Aw, jeez, she was bringing out the big guns... his favorite brownies, the ones she so seldom had time to make. He hardened his heart. It wasn't going to work. He was going to have to talk to her, talk to her about making some other living arrangements, because they couldn't go on like this. None the less, he found himself hanging out in the kitchen. She didn't say anything, but got out a bowl and filling it with the thick pea soup, set it on the table with bread and salad, and butter... real... butter... yes, definitely big guns. Then she removed the pan of brownies.

They would still be warm when she cut them. He loved them that way, and she looked so beautiful moving around, so pretty in the maternity jeans and the casual shirt he had bought her. He focused his mind on the killer charging toward her with the knife. Taking a cup of soup for herself, she left the room leaving him quietly alone. He ate the soup, but didn't touch the brownies. That would show her that it wasn't going to work. No way was he going to give in.

Dana sat in the living room reading over some reports all alone.

She heard Fox in the family room. That was where the TV was. She had given up her dream of a formal dining room because the kitchen was so big she had known that that was where everyone would gather anyway, and because she had wanted Aunt Sophia downstairs. The strange woman was going to be a wonderful child care provider. Dana had been so happy thinking that she might really be able to have it all, unlike so many women who were forced to work and who had to settle for less than perfect childcare arrangements. Then this had had to happen and ruin everything. She heard him reach in the cabinet and smiled. He was going to plug in one of those dirty videos for spite, but what he was going to get was the video of their wedding in Ireland. lot's of them.

Dubbing capability was wonderful. She had switched the boxes, lot's of them. She really was trying to find ways back into his heart... Maybe she should give him hell for being spiteful and childish... but no, she would wait give him a little more time. She would.

Maybe hell wasn't what he needed. Maybe it was just love and the sight of that beautiful ceremony in Ireland. She heard him curse, but the VCR didn't go off.

This went on for a week, seven agonizing days of being in the same house but not living together, of Dana hoping against hope that he would open up to her. The flu like illness passed and she began to get her strength back. When she did, she began to grow angry. She had returned home from the hotel to try and get Fox to talk, to let her in, but he wouldn't budge and she was tired of "groveling." It hadn't been all her fault. Yes, she was partly to blame. She should have accepted help, but he WAS alive because of her. She had been right about the entire situation out in Arizona. She had cooked for him, cleaned for him, even slept in the same bed with him, and he hadn't budged an inch.

She sighed and decided that she didn't want to live like this anymore.

If he couldn't learn to accept happiness, then she wasn't going to live in his dark depressed world with him. He had to want to change and apparently he didn't... not really. She was also tired of him not being able to accept her humanity, the fact that she did make mistakes, and that not everything was black and white for a woman. She had been caught between a rock and a hard place and had had a very difficult decision to make. Last night, before he had fallen asleep, she had whispered to him that his time was running out. He had ignored her.

So, while he sat in the family room with the sports section, she sat in the living room with the real estate section of the Sunday paper, looking at ads for apartments. She had decided that moving into her mom's downstairs apartment would be the absolute last resort.

Hopefully, she would be able to find a two bedroom and near work...

work! Quantico or Hoover building? Better plan to be near Quantico for the first year, maybe after that she could think about relocating nearer the Hoover Building if she went into field work with VCS... On the other hand, she kind of hoped that Aunt Sophia still might watch the baby... oh, hell...

When the doorbell rang, Thing started to bark and run around.

Dana picked him up. That was something that was getting difficult to do, very difficult. She and Fox arrived simultaneously to open it.

Heather Schmidt stood there, her arm in a sling.

"I'm... I'm sorry to bother you," she said softly. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Of course," said Fox. He escorted her in and asked her to sit.

"No... thank you." She sat for a moment. "My fiance is outside in the car. It's a lovely house."

"Thank you," said Dana politely. She held tightly to the dog who growled.

"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am, Agent Mulder. The first time... well, the first time I froze up in the field I had just gotten out of the academy. Everyone blamed it on inexperience. I swore it wouldn't happen again, but then it did. When they transferred me to DC, it was supposed to be as a computer techie. I... well...

when they assigned me to work with you Agent Mulder, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I absolutely promised myself I wouldn't freeze, no matter what... and I did... I almost got us both killed. Thank you Agent Scully, for saving my life."

Fox Mulder suddenly experienced a revelation. It hadn't only been his life that Scully had saved but Heather's as well and who knew how many others before the killer would have been stopped. It was an uncomfortable thought.

"All part of working on the X-files," said Dana managing a slight smile, although technically they had been working for VC on that case thanks to her husband's big mouth with Skinner. Heather suddenly seemed so young and vulnerable. She realized that she had misread the younger woman entirely. She hadn't had a crush on Mulder. She had been in awe of his work, his intellect. She hadn't wanted him sexually, but rather had wanted to become his apprentice following him around like a puppy learning whatever he had to teach, which was a lot.

Once again, her jealousy had gotten the better of her in that regard.

"Mr. Skinner said someone doctored my records to make it look as though I was an experienced agent with a perfect record... if I find out it was my Uncle... he's a Presidential advisor you know..." she stopped, a fundamentally decent young woman, uncomfortable in the world of nepotism and hard boiled politics, and got to her feet. "I... I don't really think it was though. He's okay... for a politician...

I... I have to go." She reached in her pocket. "I... I found your wedding ring... in the pocket of my jeans... when I did the wash... I'm sorry one of the stones is missing..." She looked at Dana as she handed the ring to Fox. The dog in Scully's arms looked menacing for all its small size. "I've decided to go back to school and get my graduate degree. I wasn't meant to pack a pistol."

"Good luck to you, Heather," said Dana quietly and graciously.

She meant it. The younger woman truly hadn't meant to cause any harm and was obviously devastated by what had happened.

"That goes for me too," said Fox. They both watched as Heather left, then Fox quietly closed the door. He still had the ring in his hand, but didn't know what to do.

They looked at each other for a moment, started toward one another, and then suddenly Dana came to a decision and walked away.

She didn't look at her husband or her beautiful wedding ring. She returned to the living room and went back to the apartment ads.

Chapter 7

Maybe I should consider a house or a townhouse? No, I doubt I could afford that just now... Or I could see about buying Skinner's co-op... he'd probably finance me... of course that would mean I'd have to find a temporary place. No, I'm not moving back with my mother, not even in the rental unit in their new house...

Fox was surprised by Dana's attitude, that she appeared to be resigned to his behavior. Fine. That's fine with me. As he walked toward the family room, he glanced in and saw her going through the paper with a highlighter in her hand. What the hell? "What are you doing?" His voice was still cold and harsh. For a moment, just and instant, he had considered hugging her, but she had turned and walked away from him.

Dana didn't look. She had become suddenly numb, the part of her heart that was still hurting locked deep within.

"I'm going through apartment ads. I plan to go looking for a place to move this afternoon and tomorrow."

Mulder stopped dead in his tracks Apartments? That was permanent. Not like the hotel. He abruptly remembered her whispered warning of the night before. He suddenly didn't know what to say or how he felt. His voice was dead quiet as he asked, "Why?"

For a long time, she didn't look up. She just studied those damn ads. Finally, she acknowledged his presence.

"Come here," she said. "Sit down."

He sensed that he had better comply, that it was important that he do so. She took his hand in hers, quietly and firmly and looked at him.

"Understand this," she said finding composure deep within herself, and a strength that came from she knew not where, "I love you and I always will, but I won't live like this anymore. I won't feel guilty for being happy. I won't apologize for protecting you, and I'm not going to bloody myself anymore pounding on those walls you've erected around yourself.

"Dana..."

"Shut up and let me finish... If a person really loves another person, he doesn't shut that person out and withdraw his love because he isn't getting his own way. That isn't Fox and Dana, that's William and Teena, and I'm not going to tolerate it.

"Oh, come on..."

"No, Fox... you come on... I was wrong not to take... not to look harder for backup, and you have every right to be angry about that.

I've learned my lesson, and I won't do that again, but I'm not going to stop living, stop backing you up because I'm pregnant, I'm not going to be cocooned. One of the reasons I loved you was that you always treated me as an equal, not some inferior creature because I was a woman, well I won't go back to being treated like some weak and helpless thing."

Loved. She used the past tense. Oh, God, have I killed what we had? Fox found himself suddenly very afraid.

"Dana..."

"No... listen to me Fox... I have something to say... and I'm going to say it." Her eyes met his and held. He nodded imperceptibly.

"I won't live feeling guilty about being happy or anything else for that matter. I'm tired of being the one who always comes crawling back... and most of all I'm tired of being manipulated by your withdrawal every time you don't get your way. I am not going to permit my daughter to be raised by a woman who can't stand on her own two feet. I am not going to let myself bow to a man who is a control freak. I was caught between a rock and a hard place, and I made a decision. I chose to fight for the man I loved. And although I appreciate your feelings of helplessness to protect me, and I admire more than I can tell you your commitment and willingness to give your life for our child, I am not going to wallow in guilt about what I did, and I am not going to become your mother. I want to be married to Wolf, not Liam, and if I can't have my Wolf back, then I am not going to be married at all. Liam isn't going to break me, and this cycle of pain is going to end here and now before it affects our daughter. The stress you've put me through these past two weeks has already taken too much of a toll on me, and therefore the baby, a little thing I'm sure you didn't bother to consider in your single minded need to blame me.

I sometimes think that you don't realize that no one will ever love you more than I have... but I'm asking myself, Fox Mulder, if anyone can ever really love you enough to satisfy you or make you happy."

Dana released his hand and picked up the highlighter. "I'm going to find a place and move out, and you can live here behind all those walls you've built for yourself. We both know that you really don't need me... a part of you only views me as an impediment to your work, your search for Sam, and now that I can't keep up, you would really rather not have to deal with me." Her voice faded off, and she highlighted an ad. Dana didn't cry. She would not permit herself to do so.

Fox Mulder found it heart breaking and terrifying... he knew she wanted to cry... but wouldn't. Impediment to my work? Why... Then he realized the reason that she had fought so hard to stay in the field, why she had taken the stupid foolish risks that she had. She loved him and was afraid that if she couldn't keep up, that he wouldn't feel the same way about her. She loved him as much as Teena had loved William...

no, she loved him more, loved him too much to let him destroy her the way his father had destroyed his mother. Doesn't she know she's more important than anything to me? Then a voice at the back of his brain asked, Is she?

He stood and thought, wondered what to say. He realized that if he let her walk, she wasn't coming back. There would be no more Christmases like last year, and no more incidents like the one on Martha's Vineyard. Maybe I should just let her go? A voice deep down inside him answered that without her, life was not worth living.

He had a sudden flashback to his childhood... his dad standing over his mom glaring down at her for some transgression, some stupid little thing Teena hadn't done... yes... Teena had failed to make him pick up his toys before he had come home from work... Teena cowering, afraid of the coldness, of not being loved, looking up at her husband, her lips trembling, almost relieved when Bill had taken off his belt and turned his attention to the boy, the boy that had been him. Well, Dana wasn't cowering. She just kept on circling those damn ads never once looking up. He sat back down again and was silent for a long time. A tear ran down his cheek. Finally he reached out and took the highlighter from her hand. He was able to speak, but his voice was forced out over the pain in his chest and throat.

"Dana," he whispered, "you are more important to me than anything, my search for my sister... I'll give all that up if you need me too.

It doesn't matter if you can help me in the search or not... I... I'm so sorry for what I put your through... The next time you have a bad feeling about someone I promise to listen to you. If I start to break that promise... you can hit me over the head with one of Aunt Sophie's crystal balls. Just please don't leave me." He felt another tear trickle down his cheek and was a little ashamed of it.

Dana sighed and wiped it away gently. "Do you think I want to leave you, Fox?"

"I... I... don't know what to think... I guess I don't blame you... and... Gran... she always warned me to watch my darker side...

and I haven't been listening very well these past few days..." He wanted to lay his head in her lap and weep, only she didn't have a lap, so he rested his head against the baby, exhausted. Gently she began to stroke his head.

"Is my Wolf back?" she asked softly.

She felt him nod. God, had she hit home when she said that she wanted her Wolf and not William. And, she had been right. He was a psychologist, and he should have realized what he was doing. No, that wasn't right... a part of him had... He had made the conscious decision to ignore it."

"Don't go, Dana... please don't go..."

"Alright, I'll stay," she replied quietly. She felt a shudder run through his body and realized suddenly that he had fallen asleep. How like him to get himself so worked up mentally, physically and emotionally that when the crisis was over he collapsed in exhaustion.

She sat like that awhile longer and decided that she was awfully damned tired herself. She shook him until he was semi-awake. "Come on, Fox, I'm tired too."

He was really out of it. Wonder if he's had any sleep this week? She shook him again. "I can't make it upstairs, love," was his only reply. She smiled at him, "Then roll out of the way and let me pull the sofa bed out, okay?"

He didn't say anything but complied with her request almost literally asleep on his feet, the first real sleep he had had in days.

When she was done, he dropped to the bed dragging her with him, cuddled up with her in his arms and was out. She followed him to sleep in seconds.

He awoke hours later Dana still clutched in his arms. He knew it was his turn to grovel or at least to concentrate on her. He brushed the hair out of her face and began to kiss her. He slowly undid the buttons on her blouse and then unhooked her bra. He needed to show her how much he loved her, to love her with all his heart. Somewhere along the line he became aware that she had begun to respond to him. He smiled, this would be for her. Fox knew his wife very well and he was determined to please her, to send her into ecstasy. And he did.

When he was done Dana lay back panting. That was incredible.

Her body had felt like it was on fire. She had never before lain so passively back and accepted his ministrations. He had been totally devoted to giving her pleasure and hadn't allowed her to do one thing to please him.

"Now it's your turn, Fox."

He looked up blushing. "A... um... that really isn't necessary."

"Of course it is. I want to. Impossible man that you are, I love you." She smiled wickedly at him. He got an even brighter red and she hadn't thought that was possible, What was with him anyway? "Well, I sorta... I mean... Ah gee look, Scully, I... um... sorta lost it..."

Lost what? She thought to herself. And then she began to understand and started to giggle. "That's alright, Fox, we can wait a while." She grinned at him.

"Ah shit, Dana. I suddenly feel sixteen again but when you yelled my name like that..."

She hugged him... pleased...

"Dana," he said very softly. He had something to say, and it was difficult to say it. "There's something... I mean... I've done some pretty mean things... Oh, Jeez... throughout all of this, the thing I think I'm most sorry for is when..."

Dana waited patiently as he searched for the right words to say what he needed to say...

"When I made fun of... well, you... asking me... to make you pregnant... when we were making love... that was awful, Dana... really awful and abusive... I took something so beautiful between us... and I twisted it and I made it dirty and nasty and ugly just because I was angry... and sometimes... sometimes I don't know... I'm sorry...

okay..."

Dana sighed with a combination of relief and happiness because in truth, it was that that had in some ways bothered her more than anything. She knew how hard it had been for him to speak of it, and she knew then finally that her wonderful "Wolf" really was back and that everything was going to be okay.

She just grinned at him as she got up, the smile lighting her face with joy.

"I don't know about you, Wolfenstein, but I'm hungry." At his nod of agreement she continued. "Let's replenish your fuel stores for later." She winked at him as she dressed and headed toward the kitchen. There was a sudden knock on the door and Aunt Sophia stood there dressed in a wild caftan and a red wig with the bird cage in one hand and the dog in the other.

"I have to go away again," she said looking them both over and knowing immediately that they had made up and everything would be okay.

"Here is your creature collection. Have fun you two."

Dana took the dog and Fox the bird cage which he set in the family room in its usual corner. Dana put the dog down and it started sniffing around Fox's reeboks.

"Don't you even think about it..." he snapped as he saw a little hind leg start to go up. Thing ran to the easy chair and cowered.

"Squawk... open you legs, Scully... Up and at 'er, Mulder...

Open your legs, Scully..."

Dana looked down at her protruding belly which had suddenly seemed to grow even bigger these past few days... "It wouldn't do him any good if I did, stupid," she laughed. Fox put his arm around her and headed to the kitchen... I wouldn't be too sure about that, Scully," he informed her, "Once my fuels are restocked, you might find I can be pretty darn creative with kitchen tables, particularly since Aunt Sophia is gone..."

Chapter 8

Six weeks. Six long stubborn weeks. Meg and Dana had tried a few times to get their husbands to reconcile. Christmas had come. It had been the only time that the men had seen each other. They hadn't spoken. Dana had watched her stepfather's face light up when he opened the gag gift that Fox had gotten him before this mess had started. Walter had looked up and seen the angry look Mulder had shot Dana for going ahead and giving him the gift and realized that he wasn't forgiven. Skinner had barely said two words the rest of the day. It hadn't helped that her brothers had been so amused by the gift. It was a pen that had an alien on it and when you flipped it over the alien stripped down to a naked lady. Bill had had to work hard to keep the pen away from Michael, his fourteen-year-old son.

After all the teasing and playing with the pen Dana had seen Walter carefully collect it and put it away for safe keeping. Why does Fox have to be so damn stubborn?

It was just after New Years that she realized that her husband was suffering as well. Her mother had sent over copies of the pictures she had taken the day Walter and Fox had watched the four babies. The film had languished in the camera until her mom had finished the roll at Christmas. Dana had looked at them and laughed, then sighed sadly and put the pictures on the kitchen table planning to put them up after she changed out of her work clothes. She had come in to find Fox staring at them a bleak look in his eyes. When he noticed her he sat them down and walked away and nothing had been said. She had given up trying to talk to him.

She and Fox had made up eventually over the case with Heather but the rift with Skinner had widened. Damn she was tired of it. So was her mother. Any in person reports or case assignments for the last six weeks had had to go through her. Fox's paper work had been exemplary.

He wasn't about to give Skinner any excuse to discipline him. Family dinner's had become unheard of. The few times that she or her mother had tried to arrange something one or the other or both of them would turn up missing.

For his part, except for that one brief crack in the facade at Christmas, Skinner seemed to take the situation in stride. The only person who suspected anything was wrong at the Bureau was Angela, Skinner's assistant. Over the last year or so Mulder would often stop by Skinner's office to talk and sometimes to report unofficially on cases that he was working on. It had suddenly stopped and her boss had become withdrawn. She suspected the reason why but she too was at a loss with how to deal with it.

Men were so damn stubborn. Dana and Meg begun to suspect that both Walter and Fox were satisfied with the situation because they were more comfortable with the distance between them than the friendship that had arisen over the last year. Then came Meg's illness.

Fox was flying home from an out of town consult and Dana thought that she would stop by and see how her mother was doing. It was late January and she was thirty-two weeks pregnant, her mom thirty-five.

When her mom had come to the door Dana noticed that she was paler than normal.

"You don't look too good, Mom. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little tired, dear. But that's only to be expected at this time." Her mother had assured her. Dana had watched her mom for awhile and felt uneasy.

"Mom, I'm going to get my bag. I want to check on you." Margaret had started to protest but one look at her daughter's face had quieted her. She'd seen that stubborn look in the mirror often enough to recognize that there was no way she was talking Dana out of it.

Dana had come back in and run a blood pressure check and then listened to her heart. This procedure had taken several minutes and Meg was beginning to get worried. "Mom, I'm calling Amy. I don't like the sound of your heart. It seems to be beating irregularly and your blood pressure is up."

The sound of her daughter's voice as she had told Amy's service that it was an emergency and the fact that Dana had identified herself as Doctor Dana Scully frightened Margaret. The phone rang within minutes and she listened as Dana and her doctor discussed her condition. "No, Amy, I don't think we need an ambulance I'll drive mom straight to the hospital. Yes. That's right. Okay. See you there."

Dana had hung up, turned to her and said, "Do you have your bag packed, Mom?" Margaret nodded yes. "Good. I'll get it. Do you want to call Walter or should I?"

"Dana, I'd really prefer not to worry him..."

Her daughter interrupted her. "Mom, you are going to be admitted and at the very least spend the night for observation. With your BP up where it is, it is my guess that you'll be there for several days. I do think you're going to have to tell him." Dana smiled at her mom for the first time since she had started her examination. Mom hasn't changed a bit. She absolutely hates having a fuss made over her. "You go get my bag. It's in the bedroom closet and I'll call Walter." Dana nodded and went to get the suitcase.

Meg sighed and dialed the phone to Walter's private line. I really hate all this fuss.

"Skinner."

"Hello, dear, how are you?" Walter Skinner pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it.

What's going on with Meg. The very tone of her voice and the way she started the conversation was a dead give away that she was up to something. Damn, I hope it isn't another reconciliation attempt with Mulder. Those had gotten old fast. Not to mention painful. "Meg, if this is another attempt to get Fox..."

She interrupted him before he could continue. Dana was standing impatiently beside her. "No. We learned our lesson with the last one.

My blood pressure is up a little and Dana insists on taking me to the hospital. She wanted me to call and let you know."

Walter felt like someone had kicked him in the gut. He couldn't get his breath, couldn't think straight. "Let me talk to Scully."

He gets very bossy when he gets worried. Meg thought. "He want's to talk to you." Margaret handed the phone over to her daughter with a warning look that said don't worry him.

Dana ignored the look, her stepfather deserved the truth.

"Hello, Walter."

"How bad is it, Scully?" Dana smiled at the name, Fox did the same thing, falling into professional mode to distance himself from the pain he was feeling. They had a lot in common. Especially their stubbornness. She thought ruefully to herself.

"Mom's BP is elevated significantly and she is having irregular heart beats. Amy wants her in the hospital for observation. I'm taking her there now and Amy will meet us there in an hour."

Walter fought to shut his emotions down. He had to be strong, couldn't allow himself to panic and worry Meg, couldn't allow himself to dwell on what had happened to Annie. I've got to be there. "I'm leaving now for the hospital now. I'll meet you there," he said hanging up the phone and leaving his desk just as it was. Screw the mess.

Five hours later Fox Mulder arrived home to find the house quite and no sign of Dana's car. He figured that she was probably over at her mom's since she knew that he wasn't going to be home till late.

Still he was a little irritated. She shouldn't stay out so late, she needs her rest. The light on the answering machine was flashing. He hit the play button.

"Fox, I'm at the hospital with Mom. She is having irregular heart beats and her BP is way too high. They have her on medication and are running tests. I've got to go now and call the rest of the family. Love you."

He dropped into the nearest chair to catch his breath. The machine informed him that the message had been left at seven thirty, he checked his watch three hours ago. Dana still wasn't home. That didn't bode well. He sent up a prayer that mom and the baby would be alright. Grabbing his car keys and coat he headed out the door.

Walter Skinner was numb. Long hours they had waited for the results of the tests and to see if the medications would work.

Margaret's BP had stabilized but hadn't come down and her heart although better was still showing arrhythmia. The ultrasound showed a well developed fetus of approximately five to six pounds and the lungs appeared to be developed enough to be functional. Dr. Amy Chan had suggest a cesarean section but Margaret had refused. She was doing fine and she wanted to carry this baby as long as possible. He had argued with her, as much as you could argue with someone whose BP was elevated and you didn't want to upset them, but she had refused. She wasn't being reasonable and he couldn't get over his own fears of losing her or the baby enough to think clearly to reason with her. She was also refusing to see any of her children. He really couldn't blame her. They both knew that her kids would try to convince her to have the C-section. She wasn't up to the struggle. Interesting thing was that she kept asking for Fox. Mulder and women... Sheesh! He suspected that she might be attempting a reconciliation. Fat chance.

Fox wasn't about to forgive him. Well that was just fine with him. It made keeping a professional distance easier. Like you have a professional distance, a little voice in the back of his mind accused.

Meg's children and most of their spouses were at the hospital worried and waiting. He had just broken the news that she refused the C-section to them. That had been bad enough but when he had informed them that they couldn't see her they had hit the ceiling. He took the blame, he wasn't going to tell them that she refused to see them.

Didn't want to cause estrangement between them and their mom. He'd actually tried really hard to get her to let Dana come and talk to her but Meg had refused, absolutely. She wasn't in the mood to be badgered by her children, Walter was enough. Suddenly he was barraged on all sides by their voices. "It's your fault... didn't you explain to her how important it is... why did you have to do this to her... you just had to have a child of your own..."

He could hear Dana's voice in with the rest, "I'm a doctor, for heavens sake, I know better than to upset her."

Voices strident and accusing penetrated his brain. He didn't have the strength to fight, he was going to lose both Meg and the baby and it was all his fault. He should have insisted she have the abortion, not risk her life for his stupid desire for a child. He turned his back to the voices and let them wash over him as he stared out the window into the falling snow. They were right he was a selfish bastard and it was all his fault... His fault that he couldn't get through to Meg to have the C-section. He felt exhausted and defeated.

Suddenly a loud voice rose above all the rest. "Out! All of you out now. Go, take a walk, get a cup of coffee, something to eat, I don't care but get out now. And don't come back if you can't be rational and reasonable. Walter's not to blame and he doesn't need this kind of shit now. It's not helping him and it definitely isn't helping Mom. If you can't be supportive find some place else to wait." As the voice spoke it's owner moved until he stood right behind Skinner, covering his back like any good field team when being attacked.

Skinner heard some of the voices protest. Melissa's had been particularly strident but in the end none of the Scullys, even Dana, had wanted to tangle with an angry Fox Mulder. Especially because most of them realized that he was right. They had all quietly left to the sound of Fox admonishing them not to return for at least fifteen minutes. Skinner didn't know what to say. He felt so drained but he was suddenly very glad that Fox had shown up. He didn't feel so alone now. Maybe Meg will listen to him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder guiding him to the couch. "Come on, Walt. Sit down and tell me what the doctor said. I caught some of it from the Scully tirade but I'd rather hear it from you." His son-in-law sat close beside him on the couch. Walter found himself drawing strength and hope from his presence. He sat on the edge of the couch resting his elbows on his knees hands clasped in between.

"Meg's blood pressure is too high. She's been on magnesium sulfate for the last five hours to try and bring it down and to prevent seizures. Her heart's still throwing irregular beats although not as bad as when she was first admitted. All the tests indicate that the baby is fine and can survive on his own. Did I tell you I have a son, Fox? We're going to have a boy."

Walter looked up from his hands into his son-in-law's eyes. Fox saw unshed tears glistening there. He clasped his father-in-law's shoulder again. "Amy says that she has eclampsia and that she needs a caesarean section but she won't listen, absolutely refuses. What can I do? They all think that I should be able to talk her into it or failing that that they can talk her into it. They all want to see her but she is absolutely refusing. She doesn't want to be badgered by all of the kids to have a C-section." He broke off as he saw a smile briefly cross Fox's face.

Fox explained, "They are all stubborn as mules and function under the delusion that they are the only one in the family with this trait."

Fox saw Walter smile at this. "I don't know whether it's learned or genetic but either way I'll bet both of ours are going to be high on the hard headed scale. They are going to get it from both mothers and fathers."

"Fox, I sorry about..." Skinner interrupted.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I know you were in a no win situation. I just couldn't accept the fact that you had to risk Dana to save me. Just don't like being protected, I guess."

"None of us do. But I'm finding that we all need back up at one time or another. Help me convince Meg. She seems to listen to you when she ignores everyone else."

"I thought she didn't want to see any of us?"

Walter looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, a chagrinned look on his face. "You, she wants to see." At his son-in-laws surprised look he shrugged, "I figure she's just trying to get us to make up but it'll still give you a chance to convince her. If anyone can, you can."

He nodded his assent and stood up. As Walter rose slowly, exhaustion in every move, Fox decided that he was tired of pretending.

Before they turned to go he gave his father-in-law a long hug. As they stepped apart he grasped his shoulders and said, "Let's go talk to Amy and see what our options are, then we go talk to Mom."

"I thought that Walter and Mulder were fighting, Dana. What was that all about?" Bill Scully asked his younger sister.

"Fox being Fox. We were being awfully hard on Walter and while they won't admit it they are very close. So attacking Walter brought out all of Fox's protective instincts. He'd sooner not breath than not protect someone that he loves."

"I hadn't realized that they were that close." Bill sat down at a table in the snack lounge to drink his coffee. "They weren't speaking at Christmas."

"You noticed? And I thought they were being so subtle." Dana smiled at her brother.

"It was kind of hard to miss that they kept to separate rooms and never once addressed the other. What I can't figure out is if they were fighting why did Mulder get him that silly pen?"

"He bought it for him before the fight started. I wrapped it up and hid it in the packages hoping that it might break the ice. Fat chance with those two mules."

"So what was it all about and when did they settle their differences?"

"Well hopefully they are settling their differences right now and the fight was because the AD let me go out to back Mulder up on a case.

It was pretty dangerous and Mulder was furious but Skinner didn't have much of a choice." Bill smiled as Dana fell back into Bureau names.

"As for them being close. Hell, I don't know. So far neither one has ever admitted to anything more than the ability to tolerate the other.

"However, a couple of times I've heard Fox slip and call him dad and once I heard Walter slip and call him son. Fox's own father was cold and distant, not much of a father at all. As for his feelings for Walter..."

Dana shrugged. "He can't keep a secret from him and values his good opinion above just about anybody else's. As for how our step-father feels about Fox. Well Fox can get through to him when no one else can and he gives Mulder twice the freedom that he would allow any other agent. He's also risked his life on both our parts more times than I like to think about. I only hope that together they can convince Mom to have the c-section.

They make a hell of a team when they decide to work together."

Bill Scully nodded his head in agreement.

Margaret Skinner felt awful. Much worse than when she had entered the hospital. The drugs she had been given caused a headache, made her face feel like it was on fire and her eyes unable to focus. I should never have let Dana talk me into this. I was fine at home. Oh god, I don't want to lose this baby. Her tears began to fall under her closed eyes. She felt someone take her hand in the darkened room and gently brush the hair back from her face.

"Don't cry, sweetheart, please don't cry. It's going to be all right."

"No it isn't. I'm going to lose this baby."

"Mom. You're not going to lose the baby." She felt someone else take her other hand. "Amy says that all the tests say he is going to be fine, as long as you go ahead and deliver now."

"Fox? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom, it's me."

She turned first to her husband on one side and then to her adopted son on the other. She wished that she could focus to read their faces. Well, she would just have to rely on their voices. "Does this mean that you two have made up?"

Fox Mulder nodded. "It was a stupid fight, Mom, and I was an idiot for letting it go on as long as I did. I'm really sorry but sometime I'm too stubborn for my own good. Think you can understand that?"

"I'm not so doped up that I don't know when something is directed at me, young man."

"I never thought you were."

"I want to give this baby more time..."

"He doesn't need more time, Mom. I've listened to what Amy had to say and compared it with my reading. Babies survive the vast majority of the time at this stage of development. It's probably more risky, not just for you but the baby as well, to delay delivery. Trust me on this."

Margaret heard the pleading note in his voice. "Are you sure?"

she asked. "You're the only one I can trust to be objective, to distance yourself from the situation and give me the truth."

So that's why she wanted Fox. She's right to. If there is one thing you can count on Mulder for it's an honest analysis of the situation. Walter Skinner suddenly understood why Meg wanted Fox's opinion. He then also understood why his son-in-law had insisted on talking to Amy instead of getting the information second hand from him.

Fox had known what Meg wanted and was going to give her the truth.

Walter Skinner shivered at the realization that if it had been better for the baby to wait Fox would have told her that, as well. He would have had a hard time forgiving Fox for that, he began to understand a little of how Fox had felt when he let Dana go after him and Heather.

He was glad that it hadn't come down to it.

"Mom, I won't lie to you. I never have and believe me I wouldn't start now. I've looked at all the data and the options and a C-section is the best thing for you and the baby. There is some risk but the greater risk would be to wait."

She looked over at her husband, even without being able to focus she could sense the tenseness in his muscles, the fear in his heart.

"All right, if both of you think it's for the best tell Amy that I'll have the C-section. How soon can we get it done?"

"She's finishing up with a delivery now and has scheduled an operating room for midnight." Walter informed her.

"Will you be there?" She looked questioningly at her husband.

"Of course. You think I endured all those weeks in class with Mulder here to miss the baby's arrival now. He's even promised not to start a pillow fight until after the baby is born." He winked at Fox.

"Scout's honor, Mom, no pillow fight."

Margaret laughed remembering the silly behavior during Lamaze classes of the two men in the room with her now. "Good. You both better be on your best behavior. I don't want my son to get the wrong idea."

"Don't worry. I promise not to let Wally give him the football that he bought him until he's at least six months old."

"Football? What football?"

"Oh he didn't tell you? Guess he forgot about it when he left it at our house just before Thanksgiving."

"Mulder." Walter found himself blushing.

Meg laughed at him. "How many other toys have you hidden around, dear."

"Not too many." He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"We could already open our own toy store with what you have at our house. I thought we agreed not to buy too many things."

Fox smiled watching his boss squirm. He could sympathize. Dana had been giving him all kinds of grief about the clothes he had been buying for his daughter. He couldn't seem to help himself they were so cute.

"Should I believe him, Fox."

"Guess so, Mom. He only had a couple of toys stashed in his office the last time I was there." Fox grinned.

"I might find that a bit more comforting if I didn't know that that was at least seven weeks ago." Meg joked. She liked to watch her husband squirm and so did Fox. Besides she was enjoying teasing Walt.

Walter for his part hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks. Seven to be exact. His estrangement from his son-in-law had bothered him a lot more than he had been willing to admit, especially to himself.

The anesthesiologist came in to do the spinal block and asked them to leave. This wouldn't take long and they could come back when he was done.

"Bye, Mom, see you in a few hours."

"We'll be right back, Meg." He leaned over and kissed her before turning to leave.

Mulder had noticed that Skinner had contradicted him. I wonder what's up?

"Fox, would you go tell the rest of the family what's going on. I really don't feel up to facing them now." Walter seemed to want to say more but was at a loss for words.

Fox waited patently for him to finish.

"They said that if it wasn't an emergency that they would let family members attend the birth. I've already talked to Amy and she says that if I want you can attend. Would you... I mean if you don't mind?"

"I'll be there. Let me go tell the Scullys what's going on and then I'll come back. Dana might want to be there. Would that be okay?"

"It's all right with me but you'll have to check with the doctor."

Fox nodded. "Will do. See you in ten. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"I think I'll skip the food until after the birth if you don't mind."

His son-in-law grinned from ear to ear. "I see your point."

Chapter 9

Fox took several deep breaths. Going in and facing Dana's family after he had just bawled them out was not something that he was looking forward to. Here goes.

"I see most of you made it back." Best to be on the offensive. Mulder thought to himself.

Bill started to talk but Melissa interrupted. "Why do you get to go in and see Mom? And what right do you have kicking us out? She isn't your mother."

Dana looked ready to spit nails at her sister and Walter who was listening behind the door in case Fox needed backup raised his hand to enter the lounge.

Mulder looked coolly at Melissa. "I love her more than my own mother and I know she loves me. Mom and Walter wanted me back there so it's not any of your business. As for kicking you out... Walter is my friend and I won't stand by and let you take all your worry and frustrations out on him. Clear. I'd hate to have to throw you out Melissa but if you don't quit acting like a spoiled brat that's exactly what I'll do."

Melissa was about to argue when Bill interrupted. "Enough, Missy. If you don't behave I'll help Mulder." He turned to his brother-in-law. "Please tell, Walter, how sorry we are for taking our fear out on him. We're just so worried about Mom and we know how stubborn she is when it comes to protecting one of us. How's she doing?"

Walter left the door. Fox can handle it from here. He went back to join Meg.

"They're giving her a spinal block and preparing her for a C-section now." At his announcement a collective sigh of relief was heard in the room. "If everything goes okay with the delivery Dr. Chan is doing now, the C-section will start in about forty-five minutes.

You all should have a new baby brother within the hour. I'll come and tell you when he's here." With that he turned and left the lounge.

Dana ran to catch up with him.

"Where are you going, Spook?"

"Walter, wants me to be in the delivery room with him." Dana looked startled. "He said you could come too if it's okay with Amy.

You need to talk with her."

Dana nodded, "I'll catch her when she comes out. I'd like to be there."

"You sure, shorts? After all you might be facing this yourself in a few weeks."

"I have seen a baby delivered. In fact, I've delivered a few myself."

"Okay. I'm going to go back Walter up. See you later." He gave her a quick kiss and headed off down the hall.

Dana smiled to herself. That was one of the things she loved about Fox. He couldn't stand by and watch someone suffer and not help.

Especially those he loved.

Doctors Amy Chan and Dana Scully entered the delivery room chatting. They were both relieved that Margaret Skinner had decided to have the cesarean section. It would be much less hard on her body than attempting to carry the baby longer or inducing labor would be.

Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner accompanied the gurney carrying Margaret Skinner into the room. Both looked a little green around the gills. While they could examine a corpse several days old with sang froid the thought of watching surgery on a woman that they both loved had them feeling a trifle ill.

Mulder was hoping that he didn't throw up, while Skinner was wondering if he would faint. Once the decision had been made Margaret seemed to have relaxed and accepted the situation. The sooner they stopped pumping this awful drug into her system the better. Walter and Fox stood off to the side feeling a bit like fifth wheels. Dana was assisting Amy so that she had plenty to do. As Amy raised the scalpel to make the incision Fox though that a little conversation would be in order to distract both himself and Walter.

"So, Walt, have you two decided on a name?"

Skinner looked up from the cut the doctor was making trying to collect his thoughts. What had Fox asked?

Before he could answer Meg replied. "We decided a couple of weeks ago to name him Walter Fox."

"That's great, Mom but aren't you going to give him a middle name?" Fox asked.

Meg and Walter smiled at each other. Walter answered. "His middle name is going to be Fox." At his son-in-laws stunned face he continued. "Keep asking and I'm going to feel like we're doing that old Abbot and Costello routine 'Who's on First.'"

Mulder looked up and saw the smile in his wife's eyes over her mask. He felt at a loss for words. Before he could think of something to say Amy brought the baby up to the light and everything else was forgotten. She turned to Skinner and asked, "Would you like to cut the cord?"

At the green tinge that Walter's face took on Fox smiled. His father-in-law finally answered, "Thank you, but I'll let you do it."

Dana and Amy shared a grin and Mulder could have sworn that he heard Dana whisper to Amy, "Told you. You owe me dinner."

Amy cut the cord and handed the baby over to the nurse and the pediatrician. Walter's head kept swiveling between his wife and his new son.

"You go check out the little one, Dad. I'll stay here and keep Mom company. That okay with you, Mom?"

"Fine, Fox. Go keep an eye on our baby, dear." Walter hurried over to watch them clean up and attend to his new baby.

"He looks really good. Put down an initial Apgar of 7. Weight five pounds nine ounces." The Doctor's voice droned on. "Length nineteen and a half."

Walter found himself wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He never really believed until this minute that he would be a father.

What little hands and feet. He crept closer not wanting to disturb the professionals as they worked but wanting to get a better look, none the less. The baby was so skinny. His arms, legs and butt had absolutely no fat on them. Walter peaked over a nurse's shoulder to look closer at his hands. God he's got the tiniest little finger nails I've ever seen. As the nurse rolled the baby onto his stomach Walter noticed a red mark on his butt. He leaned in closer and smiled to himself. He's got a birth mark on his butt. Looks a bit like a heart. Wonder if he'll keep it or grow out of it? If he keeps it he'll get a lot of kidding. He watched as the nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and put a hat on him. She then turned to Walter and asked, "Would you like to hold him?"

Fox was talking softly to Margaret and watching Walter. He saw the look of wonder and awe on his father-in-law's face. He looks like a kid at Christmas that just got every present he ever wanted. When the nurse asked if Walter would like to hold Walt Junior Mulder watched the expressions cross his face. They wouldn't call him Stone Face now. First fear, then awe, followed by joy and curiosity. Skinner held the baby as if he thought it might break. As he reached up to adjust the blanket so that he could see the baby's face better Walter Fox grabbed his finger and held on tight. When Walter Senior removed it the baby let out a loud cry and began to wail. Walter gave him the finger back. He moved carefully over to Meg and held the baby close so that she could see it.

"He's fine, Meg. Wonderful."

"Don't you think that's for the doctors to say, Walter?"

"Your husband is quite right, Mrs. Skinner. He's in excellent health for being premature and should be able to go home in three or four days when you do," the pediatrician informed her. "Now I see on your chart that you aren't going to breast feed. Is that correct?"

Margaret and Walter exchanged looks. This had been a point of contention for them. She wanted to but both Amy and Walter had thought it would be too hard on her already taxed system. She nodded yes but looked none to happy about the decision.

Fox caught the look on her face and bent over and whispered in her ear. "It'll give Walter more opportunity to share when he feeds him. Let him enjoy it."

Margaret looked at her son-in-law and wondered if he wished that Dana's baby would be bottle fed so that he could share in the experience. Well I really shouldn't begrudge Walter the fun. Besides a few midnight feedings and I might come to appreciate his taking turns. She smiled and nodded at Fox.

Skinner watched the interaction between his wife and son and wondered what Fox had said to make her smile. Damn, what is it with Mulder and women, anyway?

The nurse had come up to his side as he played with his new son.

He was becoming much more comfortable with him and wanted to enjoy him.

"We need to take him to the nursery, get him cleaned up and run a few tests. We'll bring him back to your wife's room over in recovery in about an hour."

"In a minute." He told the nurse. "Fox, you want to hold him?"

Fox looked up from Margaret. "Is it okay?" he asked Amy. At her nod of yes he moved over to Walter's side and took the baby from his arms. "Hey little guy. How you doing? Welcome to one great family."

Dana walked over to her mother's side and took her hand as she watched her husband and stepfather play with the baby. They both were enraptured. Suddenly Fox started laughing. He couldn't seem to stop.

Everyone looked on puzzled until he gasped out, "You put him up to that, didn't you, Walt?" At Skinner's questioning look Mulder held the baby slightly away from himself to show a wet spot covering his front.

Walter broke out laughing as well. "Honest, Fox, it was all his own idea. Guess he wanted to give you a warm feeling all over."

Skinner took the baby from Fox and then reluctantly handed him over to the nurse. "See you later, Little Squirt."

"We'll leave you and Mom alone for a little while while we go tell the family about the new addition. Amy they are all going to want to see Mom, what's the word?" Fox asked.

"She'll be in recovery for another half an hour and then moved over to postpartum. They can all see her there, but I want all of them together at once and they are to stay no longer than ten minutes. Then home and let her rest for at least twelve hours." She looked over at Meg and Walter. "If you want one person to stay with you that's okay.

Sometimes with the drugs it's hard for the new mom to sleep and it helps to have someone to keep her company while her husband gets some rest. Dana, you don't qualify. I want you home getting some rest. A full eight hours so call in sick to work. You're not to budge till noon." At Dana's nod of acceptance Amy said, "Great. Congratulations everyone. I'll see you tomorrow."

Margaret contemplated who to ask to stay the night. All of her kids would be happy to but considering both of her daughter's conditions, Melissa having just given birth and Dana due shortly, neither one of them would qualify. Then she looked at her husband and knew who he would want. "Fox, would you mind staying. You can take Dana home and then come back while Walter gets a few hours sleep."

"There's no need for that, Meg. Fox should be home with Dana."

Fox and Dana exchanged looks. Dana nodded slightly. "I'll be glad to stay. Shorts and I will tell the family, I'll take her home and then I'll be back in an hour. From the look on her face she'll sleep like a log. If there's any problem my Aunt Sophia can call."

Walter thought about arguing but decided against it. He was too wired to sleep right now and he could stand the company. He nodded his acceptance.

"Great see you in an hour." Fox said as he and Dana went out the door.

Chapter 10

As Fox Mulder walked down the hospital corridor he heard laughing and talking coming from Margaret's room. The nurses at the station were looking put out. He went up to the chief nurse and asked. "How long have they been there?"

"Well, they spent half an hour looking through the nursery glass as we gave the Skinner baby a bath. When Nurse Johnson proceeded to tell them that only close family members could remain after hours they got hysterical and took great delight in informing her that that was their little brother. I don't think Nurse Johnson believed them."

He laughed at her look of suspicion. "Honestly, it's true. Their mom just remarried last year and this was a surprise gift. They've been so worried about her that I guess it's a big relief for it all to have worked out so well. How long have they been in with Mrs. Skinner?"

"Somewhere between fifteen and twenty minutes."

"Well Dr. Chan said only ten so I'll run them out." He held out his hand to her and said, "By the way I'm Fox Mulder and I'll be keeping the Skinners company tonight. Dr. Chan already okayed it." He headed off down the hall.

"Okay guys time to call it a night. Amy said no more than ten minutes and the nurse out there has informed me that you've been here twice that long." Fox entered the room. "Hey nice room, Walt, big bed too. How'd you swing that?"

Skinner blushed. Mulder could put more innuendo into a simple comment than any man he knew. "You know very well that the hospital keeps a couple of these rooms for people willing to pay a little extra.

With the size of Meg's family we figured that it was a necessity. And I'll lay you odds that you sign up for it too if it's available when Dana has her's."

Mulder only grinned and nodded as the Scullys all said their goodbyes and headed out the door. "Remember Amy said to leave Mom alone for twelve hours so we'll see you tomorrow night. Bill I promised Michael and Eileen that they could come tomorrow and see their new uncle. If you get tied up at work let me know and I'll come over and pick them up. Great, see you all later." Fox smiled as he heard Melissa complain as she headed down the hall as to why Fox got to stay when the rest didn't. Ditz brain.

Fox handed Walter a bag. "What's this, Fox?"

"Well I figured you hadn't had anything to eat so I stopped by that all night deli and got you a corn beef on rye with spicy mustard.

I went for the mild mustard, didn't think your stomach would handle that fire engine stuff you normally eat. There's also some apple juice and orange juice in the bag."

"No coffee?"

"You don't need any. Gotta get your rest now 'cause in a few days you're going to be doing late night duty."

"Did you get yourself anything?"

"Yeah. I ate it on the way over. I was starved." Fox turned to tell Meg that he was sorry he couldn't get her anything but that doctors orders said nothing for another several hours only to notice that she had fallen asleep. He looked at Walter and nodded his head in her direction and then towards the door. Walter got up and they moved a couple of chairs into the hall right outside of her door to let her sleep. "I took a look at Little Squirt on my way in. He's got your hairline, Wally."

"Very funny, Mulder."

Fox watched his boss eat for awhile in silence. Walter could tell that he had something on his mind but decided to wait until Fox was ready to talk. It didn't take long. As he finished his sandwich and drink his son-in-law started to speak.

"I've got something for you." He held out a small box that he had removed from his coat pocket.

Skinner raised his eyebrows in a question as he took the box and opened it. Inside was a paper weight almost identical to the one Fox had broken so many weeks before. Where in the world had Fox managed to pick this up at this time of night?

At the puzzlement in his father-in-laws eyes he explained. "I didn't buy it tonight. I bought it earlier today on my trip out of town. I saw it and I couldn't... well I was going to have Angela put it on your desk to see if you would forgive... but now I thought I'd give it to you in person." He couldn't meet his father-in-laws eyes.

Walter looked at him startled. Fox continued, "I was tired of fighting. It hurt too much." A smile touched his lips as his father-in-law gave him a hug.

Walter Skinner woke up late the next morning after very few hours sleep. He supposed he was lucky to have gotten any at all as he had been so wound up about Margaret and the birth of his first and only child. Fox had been a life saver last night, and he wasn't even thinking about him talking Meg into the C-section. He'd stayed with them all night, talking to Walt through the first part of it and then to Meg while Walt slept on the couch in the hospital room. The special room designed for families was a life saver. Morning had come and once all the change of shift stuff had been taken care of and Meg had given the baby a bottle, she had announced that she was feeling sleepy again and her son and husband were to go home and get some rest. They had both opened their mouths to protest but one look at her face told them not to bother, so home they went.

He'd even actually managed to get some sleep. One of the vestiges of the Viet Nam war was that he could sleep anywhere under any circumstances, so he'd caught a few brief hours. A son... he had a son... Suddenly in a few moments time, his entire life had changed.

He had become "immortal." Maybe, just maybe this was why he had not slipped away so many years ago in the jungle. Maybe fate had deemed he return so he could bring forth this new life with Margaret so many years later. He didn't it question it too closely, but he was very very glad that he had come back. He showered and dressed quickly eager to get to the hospital for some nice private time with his wife and new baby. It was his turn to feed Little Fox. He'd been generous and let Meg take the first time but now it was his turn. He didn't even bother with coffee, choosing to stop at a nearby 7-11 and pick up some of their gourmet brew, a cup for him and another for Margaret who loved her coffee and who would definitely not like what they would have served in the hospital for breakfast.

When he arrived, Squirt was asleep in his bassinet, but Meg was awake looking pale and tired. He bent over and kissed her.

"Hi, mommy," he smiled at her. "Brought you some real coffee."

"Hi, Walter," she said. She tried to smile, but instead tears ran down her cheeks. He looked at her alarmed.

"Something wrong with the baby?" he asked her.

"No... he's perfect... but... but I can drink coffee..."

"So? This is a bad thing being able to drink coffee?" He didn't get it.

"Well, if I could nurse him, they would be telling me not to..."

"Look, Squirt will do fine on the bottle... Now let me help you sit up and enjoy the coffee." He squeezed her hand and she took a kleenex from him and dried her eyes. How could you explain to a guy like Walt that you didn't need a reason to cry. You just cried because you cried. At that moment, the nurse came in with a supply of four ounce disposable bottles and Squirt woke up demanding to be fed.

"Sure," said Meg.

No sooner had he settled down with the baby in his lap than Melissa and Chuck entered the room with their little one strapped to Melissa's chest. On, joy. They tied a big bunch of balloons to Meg's bed, took the baby from Walter and oohed and ahed over him.

Chuck went in search of chairs. Uh oh...they are going to stay. He finally managed to get Little Fox back and put him on his shoulder to burp him. Meg saw the balloons, announced that they were lovely and started to cry. Lis passed her a tissue. For a moment it looked like she might cry too.

Walter put the nipple back in the Squirt's mouth, when who should come walking in but Bill, Maureen, Michael, Eileen and baby Emily.

Chuck went in search of more chairs. They passed Uncle Squirt around and oohed and ahed some more over him. They, too, placed a huge bunch of flowers beside Meg whose face was dripping again.

"Can I hold Uncle Squirt?" asked Eileen.

"No," said Skinner more harshly than he had intended causing the little girl's lip to pop out.

"Yes," said Margaret having raised enough kids to know that they didn't die from being held by other kids as long as you supervised.

"I'm sorry, Eileen," said Walter as his step children glared at him. "You can hold him after we bring him home for the hospital.

That's a promise. Okay?"

"Wally being tight assed again?" In came his sister Lisa with her three kids. Her husband was out of town. "You just ignore your Grandpa Wally honey. He's just a nervous first time dad.

Dad, the key word is dad, dammit. Don't I get any say in what happens here. Jeez, I guess I don't. There went the baby again. Why can't they just let me feed him in peace. Sheesh... I'm the dad...

doesn't mean a thing obviously...

"I'll get some more chairs," said Chuck. Walt watched his son work the room. At this rate he's going to starve. Doesn't Meg know the baby needs to eat... Of course she does. Calm down Walter... In walked Chris with Jen and Dani. To his horror, Walter realized that Jen was pregnant again. Oh, God, does it never end... Chuck went for more chairs while more balloons were tied to the bed.

Then Kevin showed up with of all the doggone things, a humongous box of chocolates. Meg burst into tears yet again, a fact that they all seemed to take for granted was normal. Well, he didn't think so, and she still hadn't drank the damn coffee. Lisa had the baby and the bottle, Damn, it's supposed to be my turn! And Little Fox was guzzling in a way that he sure hadn't for his dad. Takes after his namesake with women. The kids were already in the chocolate. Well, at least Kevin had left his wife and kid... so who walked in but Anita and the baby... Oh, God, was that bulge in her belly he saw... not her too... Oh, God... another one? Didn't the Scullys ever stop reproducing?

"Congratulations, Jen, Anita..." said Chuck, "I'll go get some more chairs." Little Squirt let out a burp that fairly exploded the room. Everyone laughed. Talented kid...

Well, at least Mulder and Scully hadn't shown up yet. Maybe they would just stay home. Talk about feeling like a fifth wheel. Did this kid need his dad at all?

By this time the din was getting so loud that he didn't think things could get much worse, and then all of a sudden in came Dana, Fox and Aunt Sophia. In his hand, Mulder carried a balloon in the shape of a flying saucer that took up half the air space in the place. The kids immediately started fighting over who was going to get to take it home.

'None of you," announced Mulder with great finality. "The flying saucer is for little Wally. That's final." There were a lot of moans of protest.

Maybe the nurse will come and throw everyone out. Yeah, this had to be against the rules. Oh, jeez... Little Wally... damn... Mulder had the Squirt now... and Scully was fussing over him... Was that bottle empty yet..? Quite suddenly he made a sound as though he might explode. All of a sudden he became Walter's son again.

"There are diapers under the bassinet," Meg informed him. He wondered if he was always going to end up as head of the shit brigade... ah jeez, they were cloth diapers...In the end Dana took pity and changed the baby. "Look, it's just baby poop, nothing worse than what landed on me that time the fertilizer factory blew up in Millers Landing." she informed him. Oh, Lord, it was soft and yellow and messy... just baby poop... what is this just... when did it turn into regular poop? This was worse than the stuff last July. Suddenly, nurses began to appear out of nowhere. Meg's temperature was taken twice. Someone came in and asked if she needed water. Another had to check the chart. A black woman came in, looked Mulder up and down and made a strange noise before leaving. She was followed by a young Irish looking nurse who took Meg's temperature...

again. The nurses kept looking at him, too. Do they expect me to get all these people out of here? The room had gotten so damned crowded that it was like sitting in Grand Central Station during rush hour.

Isn't there a soap opera about something like this? "All My Children?" But they aren't all my children... only Squirt... jeez... Mulder had gotten Little Walter back from Dana and was playing and fussing with him while the rest of the family talked and kidded with Meg. He watched the tears roll down her cheeks and thought, Looks like she's a crier. Damn, bet that meant that Dana would be too.

Shit, I hate to see her cry. Even if it is just hormones. He glanced over at Walter. Shit. That look would scare most of the agents in the bureau. Fox had known it to send agents scattering in any direction away from the AD when his boss walked down the hall with it on his face. Skinner's cold and distant look meant trouble. Mulder smiled to himself realizing what the trouble was as Walter kept glancing at the baby. He slipped to the back of the crowd and over towards the door, carrying the baby and a half full bottle. He waited for Skinner to find Little Walt. He knew that he would, his eyes had been following the baby around the room longingly since Fox had gotten there. He saw Walter look to the last place they'd been and then quickly scan the room almost in panic.

First he saw the baby then looked up and saw Mulder nod towards the door. Quickly he followed him out. "Mulder, where the hell are you going?" Skinner went after his son-in-law and baby.

Mulder snuck into a little lounge area at the end of the hall.

The chairs were out of sight of the door of Meg's room. He waited for Walter to catch up with him, then motioned for him to sit down. Once he was seated he handed him the baby and the bottle. "I don't think you're going to get any time alone with Mom for awhile but maybe you can stay hidden back here long enough to get him to finish his bottle."

Walter saw understanding in Fox's eyes. He nodded then found that his eyes were itching and had to wipe them with his shoulder, his arms being otherwise occupied. Fox smiled at him and continued. "Want me to keep you company or would you prefer it if I go back and run interference."

"Run interference. But before you go, do you know what's wrong with Meg?"

"You mean the tears?" At Walter's nod of yes he explained. "Well from what I've read it's a combination of the hormones readjusting, the body's exhaustion and the let down from having the baby gone from her body. It shouldn't be this bad for more than a day or so but after that you'll probably find it doesn't take too much to make her cry for at least the next couple of months, until her body readjusts. If it seems to take longer than that you'll want her to get checked out.

Okay I'll try to give you twenty to thirty minutes."

Walter Skinner smiled his thanks and sat back to quietly feed his new son.

: Too Close For Comfort by Macspooky and Eowyn 11/11

Written: 1 Mar 1996 15:23:11 GMT

Finally. Takes a while to post this many parts and I don't even want to think about how many servers are likely to lose what. Sheesh.

Thanks for readins and let us know what you think.

"Too Close for Comfort"

by Eowyn and Macspooky

Chapter 11

Leah Rosenblum stood by the nurses station and took a sip of the ice cold coffee. As usual, it was awful. One day she just might actually manage to drink a cup hot while she was on shift. She heard the noise coming from room 208 and told herself that as head nurse, it was her job to go in and break up the party, but the shift had been busy and she really needed to recaffeinate herself. Besides, Mrs. Skinner was a wonderful patient and it was all family. Kathleen O'Malley, RN, the map of Ireland on her face came up also with some coffee in her hand. She was quickly followed by Tenisha Jackson of African descent, and Cynthia Downing, RN, all American wasp.

"God, he's so good looking..."

"Who?" inquired Leah.

"The tall guy with the gorgeous hazel eyes in room 208. If there was a bed left on this floor..."

"You'd change the sheets and behave yourself..." laughed Tenisha.

"No, you'd be fighting me for it...and him..." said Kathleen.

"Looks like white meat to me," shrugged Tenisha. "Give me an African man any day."

"His name's Fox," announced Cynthia, "and I bet he's well hung..."

Dana had been walking, or waddling by escorting Eileen to the soda machine and heard the conversation. Unable to resist the temptation, she stopped. "He is..." she announced, "I'm his wife I should know..." With a chuckle she took Eileen down the corridor.

"Good ones are always taken... She looks familiar..."

"Melissa McNeely's sister.." Leah informed them. "And she is an MD."

"Oh, Lordy," said Tenisha, "please tell me she isn't going to deliver here. That sister of hers... came in talking about natural childbirth and auras... and one bad pain and she was screaming so loud for an epidural I thought the walls would collapse..."

"She's going to deliver here," Leah informed them.

"Thought I asked you not to tell me that... and Mrs. Skinner, her mother... what the heck did she need a baby for at her age?"

"She remarried. These things happen..." laughed Cynthia. "That husband of hers is kind of sexy... Looks like he'd be nicely hung, too. And a very tight ass..." The sounds that followed indicated that the nurses truly appreciated this characteristic.

"Okay, ladies... mind out of gutter... back to work," ordered Leah. She really should go break up the party.

Walter Skinner, who was finishing up feeding Walter Fox in the little alcove, had heard everything. He was glad the nurses had all gone off in other directions, the first comments had brought tears to his eyes from laughing and the last a blush to his face. First time being called a tight ass had made him blush. He hugged his son one last time before heading back into Meg's room.

Dana made her way back to the room with what seemed like every soda in the machine. Eileen immediately made a beeline for Fox and handed him his soda which he took. He popped the tab and took a long slug. She looked up at him with serious blue eyes.

"Uncle Wolf, the nurses all said that you were well hung, and Aunt Dana said it was true. What does well hung mean?"

"That means he has a big penis dumb ass," said Michael as Mulder snarfed and spit soda across the room not missing anyone. He turned bright red. Bill walloped Michael across the back of the head just as Eileen asked Uncle Wolf if it was true. Margaret burst out laughing, a bad mistake after a c-section and let out a cry of pain at which time Skinner got to his feet somehow managing not to drop the baby who he had kept hold of.

"Okay, that's it. Everyone out. All of you. You can come and see Margaret after she has been home from the hospital for about 10 years. Bye..."

"But Uncle Wolf is it true?" demanded Eileen once again.

"OUT.." roared Skinner in his best Marine voice as Margaret started to laugh again and decided that it was just too painful.

Everyone ignored him, slowly kissing their mom good-bye and sauntering out the door at their own pace. Poor Fox from the looks on the faces of Meg's family he wasn't ever going to live this down. Dana and Fox were the last to leave. Walter handed the baby over to Meg to hold and went over to talk to Fox at the door while daughter and mom said good-bye. "Don't worry about it, Fox."

"Easy for you to say, Walt."

"Hey, if the Scully boys give you any grief just tell 'em it's because they're jealous. The nurses weren't making any such comments about _them_."

Mulder met his father-in-law's eyes and grinned remembering the location of the lounge relative to the nurses station, the gleam in Walt's eyes told him all he needed to know.

By the time Leah Rosenblum worked her way into the room, it was empty except for Mrs. Skinner, her husband and the baby. Poor man. He looked very confused.

"Hello, Leah," smiled Meg, "Do you think I could have my pain killer now?"

"Sure, Margaret," she said. In a little while Margaret was sound asleep and so was Uncle Squirt. Quietly, finally, Walter began removing baby clothes and counting little fingers and toes. He took the little boy's hat off, and chuckled silently to himself. He was very much afraid Mulder was right. Uncle Squirt did have his father's hairline.

Having gotten up early, from what could prove to be the last good night's sleep he might ever get, Walter Skinner fumbled his way to the kitchen and brewed coffee. It was amazing how fast he had gotten used to having a wife to do it for him, and Meg was a very traditional woman. She had spoiled him... definitely. Half a cup of the bitter brew later he could more or less think straight. He found himself looking around. Things were okay... Yeah, things were pretty clean.

Well, they looked pretty clean. He'd been in the military and thought he knew clean when he saw it. Hopefully his wife would agree when she got home. He, Mulder, Bill and Chuck had put the together the night before. There had been a lot of laughter and comraderie as well as some language that could make even an ex-Marine blush.

There had also been prodigious amounts of beer. Chuck had been there and after three beers had taken out a joint, but upon brief consideration had decided that this was not exactly the most intelligent thing to do in front of the Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not to mention the fact he now had an example to set and most of all, that Melissa who had not been in the best of moods lately would kill him if she found out. He went into the bathroom and flushed it complaining that it had been damned good stuff, too. While this was going on, Bill had spread out crib pieces, nuts, bolts and screws of various shapes and sizes and the instruction book.

He had billed himself as the expert crib "putter togetherer", however, when faced with the chore, he had just kept muttering that it never got any easier no matter how often you did it, and why the hell had he bothered to have a vasectomy if he was going to have to do it again anyway? It was like Christmas tree lights... always a pain. Every damn time you did it, the parts seem to be tied in a knot.

"How the hell come your crib came all put together?" he had asked Mulder sucking on his finger where he had stabbed himself with a screw driver and had made it bleed.

"Hey Bill, I just wrote a check to an expert like you and had them deliver it," had been Mulder's reply. Eventually it had gotten done properly he thought. Hopefully they had scrubbed the spilled beer off the mattress, or at the very least Meg wouldn't smell it if they hadn't. Now it waited in the small second bedroom of his co-op for him to go and get the baby. Walter smiled. Mulder had made the bed up with a sheet and a baby bumper with blankets nearby. He had been reading from instructions that Dana had provided when the four of them had insisted that they could handle this baby business all by themselves.

Bill had taped a sign slightly askew on the end of the crib, handmade by his daughter Eileen.

"Welcome home Uncle Squirt." Skinner supposed that things were about as ready as they were ever going to be. The changing table was stocked. The bassinet was in the bedroom. He had laid in a supply of formula and bought Meg a case of disposable diapers even though she had insisted she wanted to do cloth. Mulder had, unfortunately reminded him that he would need to buy a great big box of maxi pads.

Leave it to Mulder to think of something like that. Hell, that was something he thought he'd never have to deal with. Meg was too old. As much as he had loved Annie, he had always drawn the line at going to the supermarket and buying Kotex. It was totally undignified for an ex-Marine FBI agent to be seen buying sanitary napkins. He had tried to explain to Mulder that it was simply not something that the Assistant Director could do and that was why he had agents. His job was to delegate... delegate... delegate. Mulder could get his ass out to the all night grocery store and buy the damn things himself since he seemed to be henpecked in that regard. In the end they had drawn straws, but Mulder had cheated and Skinner had caught him. Grabbing him by the ear as though he were a ten-year-old, they had taken off for the Stop and Shop. He had grabbed the first box he had seen and started to run, but Mulder had explained to him that those were not suitable. They were chemically treated with deodorant and perfume and would not be healthy after childbirth.

"How the hell do you know all this shit, Mulder?" he muttered.

"Reading in the doctor's office," he replied, "which is something that you have obviously not been doing."

"I think I liked you better when we weren't speaking. There... is this plain enough for you?"

"Not me that's going to use them, Wally. Up to you if you want your wife itching and burning..."

"Oh, hell..." They had made there way to the counter to find a long line and the automatic scanner broken. Well, it really hadn't been Mulder's fault that he had grabbed the only package without a price stamped on. The 16 year old guy behind the register held them up and in his loudest voice screamed, "Price check on Kotex Maxi Pads...

mega size..." Everyone in the store seemed to be looking at them.

Skinner had wanted to melt.

Then, to his horror, he heard someone say..."Hey, isn't that the guy on the cover of the Enquirer, the one they based that TV series UFO Chasers on?"

In horror Skinner and Mulder had looked down at the magazine rack.

Sure enough, there on page one of the newest addition was a shot of Mulder and Scully with her belly seeming to stretch to California..."Oh, God..." Skinner had thrown a 20 on the counter, grabbed the box and they had run for cover as people approached Mulder for an autograph.

"We are going to have a long talk about this," muttered Skinner as they ducked into Mulder's car and stepped on the gas. "In my office... as soon as I get back to work..."

"Hey, it's not my fault..."

Then, when they had returned and ordered a pizza, Chuck had announced that there was one more thing that they had to do, sterilize bottles.

"Margaret didn't say anything about that and there is nothing on the instructions that Dana sent," Skinner told his musician son-in-law.

The kind hearted Chuck was determined however that Missy's mother's baby was not going to be exposed to any germs.

"Listen, my mom says that you have to boil bottles. She's really pissed cause Lis won't do it, says the kid's gonna get diarrhea or something. Do you want to take any chances?"

"Why don't we look it up in the baby book?" Mulder had asked.

Hmm... Mulder being reasonable... logical... even through the beery haze the thought had scared Skinner just a little. The problem was that Margaret had announced that as the mother of five and the grandmother of 6 and one on the way, no one was to waste money on baby books because if she didn't know what she was doing by this time, it was too late. The only baby book in the house was an original Dr. Spock that she had been given over 30 years ago when Bill was born that she had kept for sentimental reasons. Chuck got out the book and sure enough it said that you were supposed to boil bottles. The trouble was that it was difficult to read after drinking all that beer. Now there were two ways to do it, boil the empty bottles and equipment for five minutes, or the bottles with the formula in it for 20 minutes.

Well, he missed that part, so the three stooges plus one had tossed everything into a pot, covered it with a bit of water and boiled away happily content that they were protecting Walter Fox against any sort of nastiness microscopic critters.

The old bachelor pad was never going to be the same he thought.

He and Meg had decided to stay in the apartment for now. Meg had said she wanted to be a city mom this time around. The house in the suburbs was for sale and they had a contract on a place two blocks from where Dana and Fox lived, but they couldn't finalize the deal until the other owner had found a place to live in the city where they were being transferred. That was okay. Meg wasn't ready for a big move anyway.

For a time the apartment was fine. Once they were in the house, they would sell or rent out the coop provided that they could get the smell of burnt rubber out of it that is. There was nothing like the smell of nipples melted onto the bottom of Meg's favorite pot to add ambiance to a home. Meanwhile, the small place had become a miniature version of a baby superstore. He had insisted that she decorate the den as a nursery. Dana had offered to give back the old rocking chair, but Meg had refused saying that although she loved it dearly, that had been for Bill's babies and grandbabies. Walter had taken her out immediately insisted that she pick out any nursery furniture she wanted including a rocker. For a moment Skinner's mind wandered to Annie. How happy she would have been if this had been her. Of course, knowing Annie, she would be happy for him now. She and Margaret were very different in many ways, and yet he realized how fortunate he was to have been so well loved by two good women.

Skinner took the blue diaper bag that Melissa had packed with all the essentials for baby pick up, grabbed the car seat and headed out the door. He wondered what she had put in it. A New Age pacifier maybe. Did they make those kind of things? A few packs of unmelted nipples would have been nice, but his luck didn't run that way. He had been a little surprised when Chuck had given the gift to him from Missy so he wouldn't have anything to worry about packing. He suspected the gesture was really for her mother and not an act of kindness toward him. He had still been unable to reach Melissa. By comparison, even Scully at her worst was the voice of reason. It was still early but he decided that it was okay. He would spend the day with Meg and the baby, even the hospital part of the day. Aunt Sophia was coming the next day when he had to go back to work, but he wanted as much play time as possible. Now there was a weird one that Aunt Sophia, but Meg, Fox and Dana all adored her. Yeah, sometimes retirement sounded good. Then he could spoil his child all the time. Hmm... his wife probably wouldn't appreciate it though.

Locking the apartment, he headed out for Meg's old station wagon. It had 100,000 miles on it, but she had refused to trade it in.

She had informed him, arms crossed across her chest, that the little sports car he had brought home one day simply was not going to cut it with a baby on the way... muttered about men going through mid-life crisis and about how foolish she had been to let him go to an auto showroom with Fox, and offered up a very audible prayer of thanksgiving that the damned thing hadn't been fire engine red.

Walter stepped in the door of the hospital room and stood stock still, a plethora of emotions going through him. Meg was sitting up in the bed with her infant in her arms stroking his tiny head with one hand and cooing at him as nursed hungrily. The sight was beautiful, his wife, his child nursing at her breast, but then he was assailed by a fit of anger. She had agreed to bottle feed for health reasons. She had promised. Hadn't he had enough worry? He inhaled and made an effort to control his temper.

Entering the room, Walter sat in the chair by her. She looked up at him and realizing who it was, she gave him a beautiful smile. It lit her entire face. She looked tired, but her color was much improved.

"Hello, Walter..." She smiled at him, the kind that lit her face.

"What the hell are you doing Margaret?" he burst out. Jeez... he hadn't meant it to come out sounding like that.

"I'm nursing the baby," she replied defensively grateful that she had gotten over the crying phase the day before. His tone had been unpleasant.

"But you weren't supposed to do that... what about your health?

What about what we agreed..." This time he tempered his words with gentleness seeing the hurt on her face.

The infant had stopped nursing so she detached him and covered herself. Handing him to his father, she said quietly, "He wants to be burped."

"Okay..." he replied putting the baby on his shoulder and patting his tiny back. "Meg... you promised..."

"Walter," she said quietly, "last night after you left, my milk came in with such force I couldn't stand the pain and I... well... I'm feeling okay..."

"But still..." He didn't want her to suffer but he was unconvinced. Besides, he had wanted to help with the feeding. "Uncle Squirt" had been a long time in coming, and he wanted to be a part of his son's life, a real part.

Margaret reached out and put a hand on his knee gently. She knew he hadn't meant to snap at her. He was genuinely worried. The child let out an incredible burp and started fussing to be fed again. This time she put him to her other breast. He latched on and began to suck greedily.

"It's like driving a car..." she chuckled..."You never forget how..."

He found himself smiling in spite of his annoyance. "He's a greedy little bugger isn't he?"

"The boys usually are..." she laughed. "It's the girls that are a finicky nuisance."

They were silent for a long moment.

"Walt, trust my instincts on this... okay? If there are any problems, I'll switch to bottle feeding as quickly as we can comfortably do so. We'll make sure that YOU give him one bottle of formula every night just so he's used to it... okay... but this is better for the baby."

He was still worried and didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I let you and that crazy son of mine talk me into the c-section," she reminded him.

"Okay," said Walter quietly finally giving in. He had to trust her judgment. The squirt stopped nursing and started to fuss just as the nurse came in and announced that Margaret had been officially released and could go home. Suddenly, Uncle Squirt let out a terrible noise. Margaret handed him to her husband with a wicked grin.

"He's all yours, Daddy. Clean him up and get him dressed. I'm going to find my shoes and enjoy myself while you figure out how to get him into that car seat because between you me and the wall, I may never bend over again..."

End

Tha... tha... that's all for now folks.

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