Title: After Mandy: Bobby

Author: Pattie

Rated: PG-13.

Category: K, Hybrid Kid, Post-Truth, (Fought Future and Won), AU,
          Mulder Angst.

Spoiler(s): Myth Arc episodes, Pattie's After The Future,
and Beyond The Future Stories.
Summary: Now that Mandy is a part of the Mulder-Scully clan,
everything seems whole. What about the discovery of a lone
hybrid? Special guest appearance by another human relative.

Feedback: patfiler@hotmail.com

Archive: Gossamer, Ephemeral. I'll take care of the others,
and post it at Pattie's Pocketful Of X-Fics soon.

Disclaimer: Mine? No. Horrible rumour. Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen
Productions and Fox Studios still own the copyright to the
original X-Files characters and the title. Why, they even own
the characters' genes! I intend no copyright infringement.
Anyone I make up is mine, mine, MINE!

Author's Note: Another Stolen Ova: Another Child Nursery Files
Challenge fic.


WEST TISBURY, MASS.
AUGUST 11, 2005
10:35 AM

One Dana Katherine Scully-Mulder never had it so good until now.
With William, Meg, Samantha Ann and now Mandy, she was up to her
ears in mother love and enjoying every minute.  She applied for a
couple of days off from the office to add some furnishings and
linens to Mulder's late father's house, and the children were
thrilled to be away from the city, running around the yard and
entertaining Grandma. Thank goodness Margaret Scully could help
out with them. As much as her daughter loved her work, she loved
her family and the home front was always bustling with things
that needed attention.

Yes, the children needed the fresh air and lazy summer days, and
Bill Mulder's home was their summer retreat. During the final two
weeks that month, the whole family would be there to take in
every ounce of summer before the nights became chilly. Maybe
Uncle Jeffrey would be able to get away for a while as well.

Scully was airing out some throw rugs when her mother shouted,
"Dana! Come sit down here and have a root beer! You've been
working since sun up!"

Scully sat down on the lawn with her mother. "You're right. I'm
thirsty. Well, now we have Mandy's bed set up in the girls' room,
and I'm thinking about painting it a nice shade of... "

"You're not going to let Fox in on any of the fun?"

"Well, I suppose I would be depriving him of a few trips up the
ladder, wouldn't I?"

"It's nice to see you smiling, Honey. You seemed so tired when
you drove us all out here yesterday. You know, no one would blame
you for falling short of perfection." She patted her daughter on
the shoulder.

Scully smiled sheepishly, and owned up to her streak of approval
seeking. "I know, Mom. You make so much sense now that I'm a
mother."

"Well, I did have a wild brood to raise... "


J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC
OFFICE OF THE X-FILES
10:35 AM

At the same time, Mulder was leafing through correspondence half-
heartedly, perhaps a tad lazily, and his half-brother, Jeffrey
Spender, was reading email. Spender decided to bring his brother
back to earth.

"You miss them, don't you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well, in a couple of days they'll be home, and
then the week after that, we're all out in West Tisbury for two
straight weeks of family, fun and Daddy's continuing barbecue
experiments. You can bring the fire extinguisher."

"Well, I think you learn very quickly, so we can forget that. In
the meantime, it's work. There's nothing in the email except a
generated postcard from Peterson in Bombay, a reminder for the
fitness seminar in September, and... well, your wife's greetings
and private mail.  You read and I'll get us some fresh coffee."

"Thanks. I could use it. Since when can't coroners spell? Some
people could use a serious refresher course in English. Anything
from Samantha yet?"

"No, but she did say she was going to write from Madrid this
week."

"Well, it's good to know she's happy." Yes, it had been quite a
shock to find her alive, discover that she had escaped her
tormentors at the age of 14, and made her way back to her
brother. She deserved the freedom they had all fought so hard
for.

As Jeffrey left the office, Mulder closed the coroner's report he
had been reading, and he moved on to an envelope. Later, he would
realize he would have been better off reading Scully's 'I love
you, the kids all caught fish yesterday and we'll be back
tomorrow with bells on.'  That, he would see later. The letter
that had him tied up was so far removed from everyday life that
he was taken back to the time when everything was odd, strange,
weird and hidden in dark rooms and cold, extraterrestrial
laboratories.

"Agent Mulder:

"I am writing to you in the hope you will know what I should do.
As I did not accept the offer to go to Jeremiah Smith's home
world, I seem to be about the only hybrid remaining... "

Mulder found it hard to read the rest of the letter. He pinched
the bridge of his nose and continued:

"I am pleading with you to help me find some viable way of living
without becoming a public spectacle or enemy. All I want to do is
live out my relatively healthy life and stop running. Even though
I am 10 years of age, I know there is no normal life for me in
foster homes and adoptions. I have scrapped and fought rats for
food, protected myself from the scientists and the people from
the other worlds since I was 7, when you all eradicated the
enemies... "

The letter included a contact number and a suggestion that he and
the hybrid meet somewhere in private. It also mentioned he would
not look like the average child of 10. What did that mean?"

Mulder dropped the letter and held his head in his hands. "The
fun just never ends." He punched the desk. "Why is there a snake
in my paradise every couple of years?"  No, he didn't mean that.
The question of parentage came to mind. The writer had been a
male who signed 'Bobby Jones' as his name. Questions continued
to flood Mulder's mind. *Is this some kind of a sick joke? How
did this guy get the education to write? How human is he? How
alien is he? Will he live a long life? Will he die just as we
find him? How did he manage to remain? Is he related to Scully,
Samantha, Jeffrey, Cassandra Spender, me? Maybe it's some
schizophrenic who found some information about these things
accidentally. Maybe this IS a prank. For a kid, this one writes
rather well.* That went into his Journal.

For the sake of everyone concerned, Mulder decided to keep this
little bombshell to himself. Scully and the kids would be home
the next day, and he would think up some excuse to leave the
office for a while to meet this hybrid, 'Bobby Jones', or whoever
he was. It was most certainly troubling. Maybe he could ferret
out the joker and get on with business.

"I just handed you your coffee and... you don't know I'm back."

"Sorry, Jeffrey. Um, my mind was somewhere else."

"Well, I know it was with your family. Maybe you should have gone
with them." Spender could see the man was tired and worried.

"Two weeks at the end of the month, and I want you out there
too!" Mulder tried to sound like an enthusiastic salesman, but
came off as a poor actor whispering, "Yay team... "

"Well, I know I came off as dull and humorless years ago, but
you have all the enthusiasm of a stone. What's going on? You
can tell me." Jeffrey was concerned for his brother, and he had
a right to be. With the discovery they had the same biological
father came a sense of duty.

"Let's just say someone baited a line and I'm deciding whether to
bite or ignore it."


                                 ***

MULDER RESIDENCE
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
AUGUST 12, 2005
4:30 PM


Mulder had logged off of work early to greet his family, carrying
the conflicting thoughts of 'Bobby Jones' and his letter along
with him. He still hadn't contacted the child to arrange a
meeting.

William, Meg, Samantha Ann and Mandy ran into the house with
their overnight bags and toys, greeting Daddy and smothering him
with hugs.

"Dad, you missed a great fishing trip," Will shouted. "You should
have seen him!"

"Well, we'll be out there all together in a week." The kids
smelled of fresh air and sunshine and that lightened his mood a
bit.

"Guess I got a little too much sun," Mandy moaned. "Sure hurts."

"I'll remember that when I hug you tonight. So, Sammy Ann, did
you pick those flowers for me?"

"For you," the two-year-old admitted. "Forgot water."

"You can press them," Scully cheerfully remarked. "Hey, you."

She kissed Mulder and gave him a long hug. "Missed you. Are you
okay?"

"Yeah. Things are caught up at the office, and no new cases yet.
You look great."

"And you look tired... Okay, everybody. Dirty clothes in the
laundry room, and cuddly toys, too. Then, you can play outside.
Not before."

"Aw... " four voices groaned in unison.

"Now." As the children sorted their belongings and Scully took
the wilted flowers her youngest had saved, she took another look
at Mulder. "Spill it."

"Nothing to tell yet. There's a letter from Bill and Tara on the
coffee table for you, and I really missed you."

"What is bothering you?" She asked sternly. "You have that look."

"Let's just say I'll be out of the office for a while tomorrow.
Someone has a story for me, and I hope it's legit. Can't tell
what kind of case it might be. Let me start the washer... "

"Mulderrr... " She had read enough Mulder to know the whole
language by now.

"It's only a source. Look, I'll run the first load of washing,
and you pick out what you want for dinner. My treat."

There was a certain point where she knew he would tell about
his tip or lead when he was good and ready. "Okay. I see you
made breakfast for yourself... "

"About that... I really meant to load the dishwasher... "

Scully smacked his arm. "Get on with the laundry and I'll chisel
the egg off of the plates. How about we order in lasagna?"

"Will do. I want my wife well fed and rested for once. Anything
need some serious soaking?"

"William's shorts and Samantha Ann's blue overalls. No bleach.
Let's see what Bill and Tara are up to... " As she reached for
the envelope, she couldn't help feeling that Mulder was keeping
something from her. He'd tell her when he was ready, she
reasoned.

J.EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC
OFFICE OF THE X-FILES
AUGUST 13, 2005
9:10 AM

Scully had the morning off and was due in the office at 1:00. She
noticed Mulder hadn't slept much that night, and he was well
aware he had some explaining to do. Well, perhaps confiding
was a better term to use, but Mulder knew his wife would demand
answers. She didn't like being kept in the dark 'for
protection'.

As Mulder contemplated calling this person, Jeffrey Spender
returned from Kersh's office. "DEA for at least four days. All
expense paid trip to New York." He'd gone unheard. "Mulder?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't forget, two weeks of paradise out in West
Tisbury coming up."

"Are you sure you're all right? I mean, did you and your wife
have an argument or something? Are the kids okay?"

"Oh, everything's great at home. Scully's bringing take-out for
lunch. Don't worry about me. I got this piece of information a
few days ago and I don't know whether to investigate it or
forget about it."

"Well, I've got a plane to catch in about two hours. Let me know
how it goes." Spender closed his laptop and took it with his
briefcase.

"Funny how things change, isn't it?" Mulder mused. "One day you
were here to help close down this office, and then we find out
you're my brother. Now, you're an uncle and one of my partners."

Spender sat down. "Okay. What is it? Do we have another brother
or sister? Heaven help anybody who had that a** h*** as a
father."

Mulder laughed. "Hell no! Just get going. I do some of my best
thinking when I look like this. You sound like me a few years
ago. So damn serious. Trust me, Jeffrey: Loosen your tie and
smile a little more."

"All right. You're sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sure. Go on. Enjoy the Big Apple, wiretaps and neon lights
included."

As soon as his half-brother had left, Mulder took the letter and
dialed the contact number. If anyone had been there, the look on
his face would have been one of shock, disbelief and
bewilderment. "Where? Okay. What time? All right. No, I promise.
No one else but me. Sure." Click.

Scully was going to wonder where Mulder was going just before
4:00 that afternoon. Now, the question was: "Do I tell her now,
and how much SHOULD I say?" There was no sense belaboring the
thought as he did have a case note to complete before noon, so
he tried to busy himself with that. Still, he found it painfully
difficult to put Bobby Jones and his incredible beginnings in
the back of his mind.  He would have to tell Scully he had to run
an errand later that afternoon. She would be told of this person
after the little ones went to bed.

3:35 PM

As Scully sat researching catecholamines and adding comments
to an autopsy summary, Mulder closed a folder and stood to get
his briefcase.

"Okay. I don't know how long I'll be, so I'll call it a day."
He bent over and kissed Scully. "See you at home."

She looked up from her monitor. "I'm still curious about this
'errand', you know."

"Well, you don't need to investigate it, so I'll fill you in
later tonight. I should be home by supper time."

"I will try to fill your shoes here. You keep to your side of
the bargain. See you at home."


                                  ***

OLD ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
3:53 PM

Mulder parked his car and climbed several flights of stairs to
a not too shabby looking loft this Bobby Jones had taken as
refuge. "Bobby? It's me!"

A young man, red hair, five foot nine and for all intents and
purposes clearly an adult in his twenties answered the door.
"I'm Bobby Jones. I know you're Fox Mulder. Come in."

Mulder took in the place. There was relatively nice furniture
and lighting, the odd pipe visible, but it appeared safe, warm
and cozy. "You've done well for yourself, considering." *Great
bachelor pad,* he was thinking.

"I did what was necessary. People throw out perfectly good
things; I know where to look. Please sit down. This is going to
take time to explain, and I'm certain you don't want to be seen
here."

"I'm all ears. Shoot."

"First of all, I really am 10 and everything, including my
education and that of many others, was accelerated. We were kept
in holding tanks until the doctors were ordered to activate us.
That meant a lot of scientific procedures I'm sure even Agent
Scully would never have imagined. When you fought with the
antiviral agent and the innoculations, plus the magnetite
sprayings, we were all offered amnesty with Jeremiah Smith. I
was unfortunate enough to have a run in with an individual you
would refer to as a 'shape shifter' or 'bounty hunter'. I
managed to be quick enough to lose him, hiding and scrounging
for months on end. When the bounty hunters left this world, I
eventually found this place, fixed it up a bit, and read a few
records I had managed to take from the lab in which I was
created. I also think you should see this." Bobby produced
a tag that had at one time been attached to an I.V. bag in
which he had spent part of his gestation.

Mulder swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. The tag read:
"Scully, Dana K.", and many other things Mulder found a bit
difficult to decipher. "Would you mind if I took those records
with me?"

"Sure," the young man said. "Would you like a coffee? You look
like you could use one." He had Scully features, and felt
slightly uncomfortable that this would remind Mulder of all the
wrong experiments and eugenic programs that had created his
wife's son. A son engineered from an ova no one had a right to
take.

"We will want to run some tests... Under any other circumstances
I'd be welcoming my step-son into the family... Then there's your
mother and... "

"I know it's a shock. When I found out about normal human
conception and gestation, I was horrified. A lot of us were."

"Yeah. I spoke to some men just like you several years ago.
They were trying to stop the project to protect their mothers.
Look, I need to talk to... I still don't know what to say or
believe. Let me go home, speak with my wife, and arrange for
some testing. You do understand why."

The man shrugged. "Yes. Isn't that what she would suggest? She's
the scientist in the family. Hey, don't wonder where I got
the information. It was all over the news a few years ago."

Mulder stood. "Okay. We have a lot to do. Whether you could be
in any danger I'm not sure, so stay put."

"I'm ten times stronger than the average man my build," Bobby
stated. "I should be protecting you."

"Yes... I'm going to arrange for testing starting tomorrow. We
all have a lot to think about, and Scully will be... I have no
idea how she'll be after I tell her this, but I think the direct
approach is best. Here's my card. Call me any time. Actually,
make sure to call me tomorrow morning, and I will take you
to the lab. Have a good night, Bobby."

"You, too. Don't worry about me. Break it to her gently."

"Yeah."

                                 ***

MULDER RESIDENCE
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
5:51 PM

Mulder arrived home to find William searching for animal pictures
on the computer, Meg and Amanda playing with Meg's Brat Girls
dolls, and Samantha Ann watching her mother intently as she
checked dinner.

When the kids realized Daddy was home, the girls ran to hug their
Dad and William, an ever serious student, glanced at his father,
said "Hey, Dad", and continued his research.

"Everybody have a good day?"

"Passable," Amanda admitted. "Too hot out."

Meg looked at her father with wonder and asked, "Is it true fish
are breathing when they're under all that water?"

"Why, yes. They get their oxygen through their gills," Mulder
replied.

"I thought so," Meg giggled.

"Samantha Ann. How's my girl?"

Samantha Ann got a little upset and grumbled, "I'm not a girl.
I'm a chef. Humph!"

Mandy held a day camp trip permission form. "A trip to the
museum to look at old things and Mom says it isn't boring."

"Well, you think it would be boring? Hmm... 'To complement
our study of ancient China'. I heard that display was on next
week. It sounds great to me."  There was Bobby in the back of
his mind again, but he tried not to look worried.

"We already learned they used to bind up girls' feet really
tightly. Ouch!"

"Yeah, I guess it was horrible for them." He placed his briefcase
on that old desk he had saved from his Hegal Place apartment. He
had locked it to ensure the children would not read the file he
was starting about the young mystery hybrid. He had to admit, he
didn't want Scully seeing it, either.

He joined his wife in the kitchen. "Something smells fantastic."

Scully hugged him and smiled. "Well, it's your dinner. So, care
to tell me about that errand?"

"Uhh... hold on. I'll be right back." He hurried out to the
car and handed his wife a bouquet of pink roses. *That should
do as my alibi,* he told himself. *A trip to the florist.*

"They're beautiful. Thank you, Mulder. That was sweet. I guess
I should know better than to be so suspicious about where you
go off to these days. It's nice to know you didn't ditch me."
She reached into the cupboard for a vase.

As Scully was arranging the roses, Mulder was thinking, *But I
did ditch you.* "My source was interesting, but enough about
work."

He couldn't hide that frazzled look from Scully. She had noticed
it the moment he walked into the house. "Mulder? What's wrong?"

He decided to be blunt. "I need to tell you something, but not
until after the kids are asleep," he whispered. "It's... I'll
tell you later. Let's get going on dinner, okay?"

Scully stirred a pot of cauliflower. "All right. I'm not sure
why, but I have a feeling this must be something big."

                                 ***

10:05 PM

The time had come. Mulder had signed a couple of checks for the
utility companies and read his email. Scully had thrown a load
of laundry into the washing machine after Mandy's permission
form had been completed.

"Okay, I'm ready. Whatever it is, just tell me, Mulder." She
put two mugs of coffee on the coffee table and Mulder sat beside
her.

"There's a hybrid still around."

Scully frowned. "How did THAT happen?"

"Well, the bounty hunters didn't find him, and he didn't want to
go to the other world. He hid out. I have something to show you."
He opened his briefcase and produced the label, various
scientific documents on the child created from her ovum, and
watched as she took everything in and tried to stay calm. A half
hour passed as she read all the information, and Scully appeared
in shock. "Mine? How?"

"It's... I mean, he's living in Washington. Alone."

"Alone? Mulder, he's only 10 years old!" Now she showed mother
worry along with confusion, and a feeling of personal violation.

Mulder took his wife's hands and looked her straight in the face.
"His growth was accelerated, and he appears to be in his
twenties. He has your shade of red in his hair, and whatever part
of him is alien, I can't see or imagine. He's one tall 10-year-
old."

"I suppose you want me to help with the tests." Scully tried to
be stoic and professional about this particular boy, man, son...
whatever he was to her. "I know it sounds so cold, but I'm not
sure how to feel or act right now." She placed the notes on the
table and began to cry.

Mulder drew her into his arms and let her have the cry.

"When can I ever forget all that's happened? When are we going
to be free from the reminders of what they did to me? You? Us?
William? I mean... I love William and Mandy because they're mine.
My ova were stolen, experimented with, produced I don't know how
many disastrous results or successful... Well, we were almost
a hundred per cent certain everything was taken care of!"

"I know." He smoothed her hair over and over. "If you want to
helpout, you can. But nobody's going to force you into studying
your own son. I thought it best to start tomorrow. We can keep
you out of this, Scully."

She sipped her coffee. "I need to pull myself together before I
make any decisions. I don't know how Mom's going to take this.

"Let's wait, Scully."

"I know. After Emily, I don't want to get her hopes up just to
have her attending another funeral for someone who may not have
been meant to be. Then, we have Bill and Tara... Bill will go
ballistic, and there's no one left to fight but you. Should Bobby
know about the kids? Should they be told?"

"You're upset, and I know you're confused. Let's just go to bed.
We're both tired, and I need to see Kersh in the morning about
this. Just... consider meeting Bobby Jones, okay?"

Scully nodded. "I'll be in the tub."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired and shocked. Your coffee's getting cold. I
won't be long."

Mulder couldn't help but wonder if had given her too much to
handle too soon. After all, the ova were removed invasively, and
she hadn't conceived or carried that child. He was no regular
human boy.

                                 ***
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
AUGUST 14, 2005
10:43 AM

Convincing Kersh to allow them to use FBI facilities to run
tests on the young man was not easy feat, but Mulder managed to
do that. The most difficult part was convincing Scully to go
with him to pick up her... son. A young man who had been who had
been engineered. Not born to her. Yet... he had many of her
genetic traits. Would she be strong enough to handle the meeting?

Mulder stopped the car. "This is it. Bobby has quite the bachelor
pad."

"That's not even cute, under the circumstances. Well, lead the
way."

When Bobby answered the door, Scully couldn't believe her eyes.
"It's true, then. So, Mulder's told you about the testing we
need to do?" They remained in the hall.

"Yes. I don't really know what to call you." It was clear that
even Bobby found the situation awkward.

"Well, I don't really know either. I guess Ma'am will have to do.
Or, whatever you're comfortable with."

"Why don't we play it by ear," Mulder suggested. "We have the go
ahead to start running tests. Then there's always the lab at
Quantico."

"Let's get started," Bobby suggested. "I didn't ask to be
created, yet I searched for my mother. Let's not stop
now." He grabbed a sheepskin jacket and locked the door.

                                   ***
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC.
4:31 PM

In every case such as this, Scully studied the D.N.A. A swab was
taken and she and a lab technician were doing a genetic profile.
There were also several physical examinations and other samples
to study

Mulder dropped by the lab at about 4:30. "So, how are we doing?"

"Well, so far we have a lot of samples, some data on brain
activity, and the D.N.A. profile should be in shortly. As for
blood disorders... Mulder, can I talk to you in private?"

He nodded and followed Scully into the hallway. "What's wrong?"

"Bobby Jones has many human organ systems, but I'm afraid he and
Emily have something in common." Tears threatened to fall. "He
has been supplementing himself with a substance that keeps his
blood stable, but we can't determine what it is, he has no idea
as to any information about the supplemental substance, and the
outcome does not look good. According to Bobby, he has very
little of his supplement left. He has no idea how to synthesise
it. All these years of hoarding the stuff, trying to find a
life and looking for me."

"So, he sought me out to meet you, but also to say, 'Good bye'?
I can't believe there isn't something we can do."

"Apparently, he can't live on only human blood, so there's...
there's no chance any transfusion could help him."

Mulder needed a hug as much as Scully did. "I feel useless. I
wish I could do something. Scully, I shouldn't have taken this
on, but I couldn't walk away from him."

"Don't feel bad. I would have wanted to know. We can make him
comfortable, but as for telling the kids about Bobby... "

"Let's put that off until we're absolutely sure about his
future."

"The best thing for him right now is most certainly not a public
hospital. He has no Social Security or health coverage, no birth
certificate, and quite frankly, the best place for him is his
own home." Scully pulled away from the hug. "Speaking of... it's
time to go home anyway."

Actually, nothing much could surprise Mulder after the past
twenty years. "Does Bobby know about this?"

"Yes. And if I can, I'd like to care for him when he reaches
critical condition. He has about three weeks' supply of his
medicine left, and we cannot duplicate it. Maybe I should tell
him tomorrow. He's pretty tired from the tests, and the genetic
profile won't be complete until tomorrow."

"I'll wait in the car." Mulder had to tell Kersh about this. Son
of a gun; Son of Scully; terminally ill son of Scully. *How can
she deal with this?* he wondered. It seemed as though every time
Paradise arrived, something happened to make it hell. Especially
for Scully. Now, another family secret to be kept from the
children until they were old enough to understand how to make
lemonade when life hands them lemons.

As Mulder watched his wife re-enter the lab, he called Jeffrey
Spender on his cell phone and tried to explain the situation.
He didn't know how to tell the children the two week vacation
in West Tisbury was off, so he decided to let his brother and
Margaret Scully take them out there, allowing himself to be
there to support Scully and her son.

                               ***

AUGUST 29, 2005
2:16 AM

Mulder had fallen asleep in a chair in Bobby Jones' livingroom.
Scully mopped Bobby's brow. His temperature had risen to 104
degrees in the past three days. Most of his bodily systems were
failing rapidly, and Mulder often had to take over for his wife
to let her rest. Bobby had lost consciousness two days ago.

As Scully turned to rinse out the washcloth, Bobby awoke and
tried to speak.

"No. Just rest. Easy does it. I still have the lab... "

"No time. Sorry."

"Don't be. Just relax." Scully tried to keep the tears at bay.
"We're doing everything possible... "

"Please... " Bobby reached for Scully's hand and she willingly
held it tightly. "Mother. Good bye," he whispered.

As Bobby's eyes closed, Scully said a prayer for her son. She
also asked God for the strength to understand how and why he had
existed, and to help her through the coming days. The word
'Mother', coming from this young man of 10 years, meant so
much to her that she had a pang of guilt for not wanting to
accept the fact of herself being a part of him from the
beginning.

She didn't wake Mulder. He had been through as much pain as she
had. She sat on the sofa until dawn, then gently explained what
had happened while Mulder held her. Together, they would go
on with their family as always. Their lives had been forever
altered for the better.


                                 END

Written in response to this challenge - Stolen Ova: Another Child http://www.geocities.com/mulderscreek/tnf/challenge19.html