Title - The Girl With My Sister's Face 
Author - Henle Girl (Henle_Girl@hotmail.com)
Rating - PG
Classification - SR/slight Scully-Angst
Spoilers - Closure, all things, Requiem
Keywords - Mulder/Scully romance
Summary - Mulder is found and Scully has a couple of surprises
for him.  Starting with a girl named Kailey.

Disclaimer - Most of these characters aren't mine.  You know
that.  And I know that. They're property of someone else and used
without permission strictly for entertainment purposes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The lobby doors fly open, bringing in a gust of air that disrupts
the papers on the desk.  The irritated admissions nurse looks
over her glasses at the pair running towards her.  An older man
with glasses accompanied by a teenage girl with long, light brown
hair.  The sad, forlorn look in the girl's eyes breaks the
nurse's heart and for a moment her mood changes to sympathetic.
Her irritation returns, however, when a badge is shoved in her
face.

"Walter Skinner, FBI," the man says sternly.  But she could tell
that he was trying use his authority to cover the panic
threatening to rise in his voice.  "I'm looking for Dana Scully."

"Sir, when was she admitted?" the nurse asks him.

"I'm not sure," he says, his voice beginning to quiver a bit.
"We got a call about an hour ago that . . . "

"There she is," the girl squeaks with a surprisingly high pitched
voice.  "Down the hall going into that room."

Skinner and the girl run down the hall to the room they saw
Scully entering, leaving the nurse still irritated at her
interruption.  They reach to room and burst in, anxiously
searching it for Scully.

"Mom!" the girl yells, throwing herself into Scully's arms.
"What happened?  Are you okay? We were so scared when you told us
you were here at the hospital."

"I'm fine, Sweetie," Scully says, comforting the girl.  "I'm here
visiting a friend."  She looks over to the bed to reveal a badly
beaten, but otherwise fine Mulder smirking from the bed.

"Mulder?" Skinner gasps.  "What are you . . . How did you . . .
Where . . ."

"All questions I've asked myself, Sir.  But I don't know the
answers."

"I found him outside his apartment tonight after I left you two,"
Scully tells him.  "I went there to think about some things.
Maybe feed those sad fish," she smiles.  "I heard something at
the door and when I opened it, there he was."  She looked at the
shocked girl still gripping her tightly, despite the bulge of her
abdomen between them.  The girl was peeking at the man laying in
the bed and Scully could tell that she was a little unsure of
what was going on.

"Is that him?" the girl whispers to Scully, afraid to speak any
louder.

Skinner notices that he should probably excuse himself to let
Mulder, Scully and the girl have a moment.  There was a lot of
explaining to be done and he didn't need to be there for it.  He
slipped out unnoticed.

Scully takes the girl's hand and leads her over to the bed.

"Mulder, there's someone I think you should meet," she says with
a smile.

Mulder looks from Scully to the girl with a death grip on her
hand.  A girl who called Scully 'Mom'.  Where had Scully gotten a
teenage daughter, he wonders.  But then he looks closer at the
girl and almost loses his ability to breath.  It was like looking
at a ghost.  He stands up on his sore legs and walks to the girl,
tears coming to his eyes.  When reaches out to her and pulls her
into his arms, hugging her tightly and stroking her long  hair.
He pulls back to get a closer look at her smiling, tear streaked
face.  A face he's seen in his dreams everynight for the past 25
years.

"Sam?" he cries.  "Is it really you?"

A look that can only be described as sheer horror comes across
the girl's face.  Her tears of joy turn into painful sobs as she
turns and runs from the room.

"Kailey, wait," Scully calls after her.  She looks at Mulder and
silently apologizes before turning to run after the girl.

The girl was just outside in the hallway, being comforted by
Margaret Scully.

"Mom," Scully says.  "What are you doing here?"

"Kailey called me right after you called her.  I rushed over,
thinking it was the baby.  But Walter told me that Fox is back.
Is it really true, Honey?  Is he here?  Alive?  If so, why did
Kailey rush of there in tears?"

"He thought she was Samantha," Scully says simply, moving next to
her mother and the crying teenage girl.  She grabs her in her
arms and starts to comfort the girl.  "Mom, could you go in and
check on Mulder?  I'm sure he's pretty confused right about now."

"Of course," Mrs. Scully says with a smile.  She gives Kailey a
kiss on the cheek before going into the room.

"You want to tell me what this is about?" Scully looks at the
girl and waits for an explanation.

"He looked at me," she says with a sniffle. "He smiled at me.
Then he hugged me and I could feel that he actually loved me.  I
was so happy.  It's like he knew who I was.  But then he called
me 'Sam'.  He doesn't know me at all."  Another tear adds to the
collection already on her cheek.

"Sweetie, you surprised him.  To him, you look a lot like his
sister.  I told you about her, remember?  He loved her very much
and searched his whole life for her," Scully explains.  She
gently strokes the girl's back a few more minutes, giving her a
little time to think about what she said.  "Are you ready to go
back in there?  We can't avoid him."

"I know," Kailey sighs.  "Can we just wait a few more minutes,
though?"

"We'll wait until you're ready," Scully promises.

Inside the room . . .

"How are you really, Fox?" Mrs. Scully asks, smiling at the man
and making a fuss over him.  She fluffs and refluffs his pillows
and then moves to tuck his covers tightly around him.

"A little sore.  But happy to be here.  Happy to be home," he
smiles back.  But soon his smile falls when he thinks of how he
made that poor girl cry.  "Who was that girl, Mrs. Scully?  She
looked so much like Samantha."

"Her name is Kailey," Mrs. Scully replies.  "She's been living
with Dana for a few months.  They've gotten rather close.  She's
been good for Dana while you were gone.  Dana was beside herself
with grief, Fox.  I don't think she would have made it if it
weren't for Kailey and the b . . ."  She's able to stop herself
before she tells him about Scully's pregnancy.

"If it weren't for Kailey and the what, Mrs. Scully?" Mulder
curiously asks.  But his question isn't answered because Scully
and Kailey return at that moment.  He looks up at the girl and
smiles shyly.

"I'm sorry for before," he apologizes.  "It's Kailey, right?"

She just nods, keeping her head down and trying to avoid looking
at him.  Scully nudges her a little towards the bed and she shyly
sits on the edge.

"That's okay," she whispers.  "Mom was telling me about your
sister.  That I look a lot like her."

"Exactly like her," he says, his voice catching in his throat as
he tries to stifle a sob.  "But that's no excuse."  He slowly
moves his hand to where hers is resting on the bed and gently
takes ahold of it.  "It's nice to meet you, Kailey."

Mrs. Scully clears her throat and decides to excuse herself.
"Dana, I'll be out in the hall if you need me.  Fox, it's good to
see you," she smiles before leaving the room.

"She can call you 'Fox'?" Kailey asks with an amused smirk.  "Mom
said that you don't let anyone call you Fox."

"She's the only one," he admits with the same smirk.

"Could I call you Fox?" she tests him.  She sees a pained look
come over his face and wonders if she should have said what she
just said.

"I don't think I'd mind that at all, Kailey," he says, his voice
starting to quiver a little at the emotion of it all overcoming
him.  The little girl sitting next to him, holding his hand,
looking exactly like his little sister and calling him Fox was
almost too much for him to bear.

"Thanks," she smiles, his gesture obviously meaning something to
her.  "But, I think I'd rather call you Dad."

"Oh, Kailey.  Scully and I aren't married, if that's what you
think.  Just because she's your mom - or whatever - doesn't mean
you have to call me . . ."

"Mulder, that's not what she meant," Scully says interrupting
him.  She moves over to the other side of the bed and grabs his
other hand. "You know, you're such a smart guy, but you can be
kind of slow sometimes."

"I don't get it," he says.

"Well, that's obvious," she says with a giggle that makes him
smile.  He's always loved to hear her laugh.  She did it so
rarely.  "Why don't I start at the beginning?"

5 months ago . . .

Scully was walking around Mulder's apartment, much like she's
been doing since he's been gone.  She told herself she was there
looking for clues.  Or to feed the fish.  Or to bring in the
mail.  But really, she was searching for something else.  Ties
from the past.  Evidence of their life together.  Something to
bring her comfort.

She's interrupted by a knock at the door.  Looking through the
peephole, she sees a girl about 14 or 15 years old.  She had
long, light brown hair and blue eyes and was kind of tall for her
age.  Tall and lean.  There was a dark, haunted look deep in her
eyes.  Such a troubled soul in one so young.

"Can I help you?" Scully asks the girl.

"I'm looking for Fox Mulder."

"He isn't here right now," Scully says, trying to cover the
sadness in her voice.

"Are you expecting him soon?  I really need to talk to him," the
girl insists.

"I'm not sure when he'll be in.  Maybe you can leave a name and .
. ."

"That's okay. Thanks," she mumbles, taking off down the hallway.

The next day at work on her way out to lunch, Scully gets a phone
call from security.  They told her that there was a visitor for
Agent Mulder - a young girl - and wanted to know what to do with
her.  Scully decides to go up and meet with the girl.

"You again?" the girl asks.  "I was looking for Agent Mulder."

"Like I said last night, he's not here.  And I don't know when to
expect him."

"I'm out of here," the girl says angrily and storms off.

"Do you want us to detain her, Agent Scully?" the security guard
asks.

"No.  I'll handle this myself."  She follows the girl out to the
street and sees her waiting at the bus stop on the corner.
Seeing the bus number, Scully realizes where the girl is going.
She heads to the parking garage and gets the car.

An hour later, the girl arrives at Mulder's apartment, just as
Scully had expected.  Five minutes after that, the girl had
jimmied the lock open, also just as Scully expected.  She lets
the girl step into the apartment and close the door before making
her presence known.

"Do you want to tell me now why you're here?" Scully demands.
She moves between the girl and the door to prevent her from
running.

"I told you before.  I'm looking for Fox Mulder.  Who are you?
His wife or something?"

"Something like that.  Why are you looking for him?"

"I need to talk to him.  Where is he?"

"He's not here," Scully says, trying hard to hold back her tears.
Mulder's absence was still a sore subject for her.  The emptiness
she felt was so overwhelming sometimes that she didn't know how
she was still alive.  So many times she thought of killing
herself, her miracle baby the only thing stopping her.  She
closes her eyes and demands her tears to stop.  Rubbing her back
with one hand and her neck with the other, she goes to sit on the
couch, unconsciously resting her hand on her flat stomach and
sighing.

"What?  Did he knock you up and ditch you or something?"

"I shouldn't even dignify that with a response, but I will.
Because Mulder's not like that.  He wouldn't do something like
that."

"Yeah, right," the girl snorted.  "What makes you think he
wouldn't do that?  He did it to my mom."  Silence engulfs the
room.  And Scully tries to wrap her mind around what the girl
just revealed.  But the girl breaks the silence before Scully can
make her mouth work.  "Fox Mulder is my father."

"What?" Scully finally manages to say.  At first she's shocked.
Then comes her innate desire for an explanation.  "What's really
going on here?  Who sent you?  What do you really want?"

"I don't want anything from him," she yells.  "He's never done
anything for me before.  Why should he start now.  I just wanted
to know why.  Why he didn't want me."  She looks like she's about
to cry, but like Scully, she willfully holds the tears at bay.
For a brief moment, Scully can see a scared, hurt little girl.
But that doesn't stop her suspicious nature.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?  How did you find him?  This
address?  Can you prove any of what you're claiming?"

"You don't exactly have to be a rocket scientist to find things
on the internet these days," she says sarcastically.  And it
almost brings a smile to Scully's face.  The little girl
certainly had Mulder's attitude, that's for sure.  That twisted
sense of humor.  But that wasn't any kind of proof.

"What about proof? Irrefutable scientific evidence. Blood tests?
DNA?  Birth certificate?  Or am I just supposed to believe you?"
Scully looks at the girl a little harder and is slightly taken
aback by the resemblance.  The poor thing got Mulder's nose.  But
she also got his lips.  The same little pout that almost melted
Scully's heart.  But that wasn't any kind of proof, either.  Her
mind was making her see things.  But the really strange thing is
that if she looked hard enough, she could also see a pretty
strong resemblance to that little girl in the picture Mulder kept
on his desk.  A few years older, but she could be a dead ringer
for Samantha.  Scully has to push that out of her mind and
continue trying to get to the bottom of this whole thing.

"Whatever.  I don't have to put up with third degree from you.
If you won't tell me where Agent Mulder is, then I'll find him
myself."  The girl turns to leave just as the phone rings.

"Wait," Scully calls after her.  What if what this girl was
saying was true?  Everything in Scully flashed that it couldn't
be.  But then again, she carried living proof in her that
anything was possible.  How many times was she told she'd never
have children.  But there she was - pregnant.  She had to get to
the bottom of this.  Find out the truth.  She hoped this was the
phone call she was waiting for to help her with those answers.

The girl stops in her tracks and impatiently listens to Scully's
end of the phone conversation, watching as she jots some stuff on
a notepad nearby.

"Scully . . . uh huh . . . uh huh . . . at Mulder's . . . is that
all? . . . Okay, thanks."  She hangs up the phone and glares at
the girl.

"So are you going to tell me where he is or what?" she asks.

"Why don't we start with you . . . Kailey Shepherd.  Born July
10, 1986. Busted for shoplifting at age 12.  Reported missing by
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Shepherd a week ago," Scully spouts off.  "I
had them run the prints you left at headquarters."

"The old 'glass of water' trick, huh?  I was wondering why they
were being so cordial and offering me refreshments.  But like I
said, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to find out
information these days.  Besides, I've been gone for 2 months.
They reported me gone only last week?  Figures." She gives a dry
little joyless laugh.  "I guess it was time for another home
visit from my social worker and they had to explain why I wasn't
there.  They don't care about me.  They just care about the check
they get each month for being my foster parents."

"I'm supposed to belief the word of a shoplifting runaway?"
Scully laughs, but instantly feels guilty when a flash of hurt
veils Kailey's eyes.  "I'm sorry," she instantly apologizes.
"I'm just finding this hard to believe.  Why don't you come with
me, and I'll see about getting us both the answers we're looking
for."

"You mean it?" Kailey asks in a hopeful voice and a little pout.
And this time, the pout works on Scully, instantly getting her
maternal hormones flowing.

"I'll do what I can," Scully says, smiling sweetly at the girl.
"Let's go."  She grabs her keys and they walk out the door.

They go to Lone Gunmen's and get tests done.  Blood tests.  DNA
tests.  But the results will take a few hours.

"Call me when they're done.  We've got one more stop to make,"
Scully says before leaving the three men to their assigned tasks.

Two hours later, they pull up outside of the Shepherds' home.

"Agent Scully, they're not going to care.  I don't know why
you're wasting your time.  I'll just run away again," Kailey
threatens.

"Kailey, I'm sure you know it's against the law for me to harbor
a runaway.  It's my duty to return you to where you belong,"
Scully explains.  She looks over at Kailey, but the girl just
gives her that patented Mulder scowl.  At that look alone she was
almost ready to forget the DNA tests believe without any proof
that this was Mulder's child.  "Well, if you feel that strongly
about it, why don't you stay here in the car.  I'll go speak to
them alone."

Kailey watches as Scully makes her way up the sidewalk and knocks
on the door.  She ducks down in the seat when her foster mother
opens the door and let her in.  Ten minutes later, she's not
surprised to see Scully being shown not so nicely to the front
door, dragging a big trash bag filled with Kailey's things behind
her.  The door slams in her face and Scully jumps at the sound.
She stands there looking confused and repulsed all that the same
time before finally dragging the big bag to the car and putting
it in the trunk.

"Let's go," is all she says to the girl.  She can't look her way
because of the tears she knows will be in her eyes.

"Told you," Kailey whispers.  She manages to hold her own tears
back, but a small part of her still ached.  She could never get
used to the rejection.  "I didn't even get a suitcase for my
stuff this time."

The rest of the trip back to DC was quiet.  Only the sounds of
Scully's sniffles and sighs echoing through the car.  It was
almost dark when they pulled up to a different apartment building
than Mulder's.

"Where are we?  Another foster home?" Kailey asks, panicking.

"This is my place," Scully says, finally looking at the girl.
Scully's eyes were red from crying the whole trip.  "I'm sorry
about what happened back there.  But, you can stay with me."

"Thanks."

They go inside and Scully shows Kailey to the guest room where
she'll be staying.  Kailey unpacks some of her stuff while Scully
goes to call the gunmen.  The results are in.  And after running
all the tests they could think of three times each, it is
conclusive that Mulder is Kailey's father.  100 percent. Without
a doubt.  She asks them one more favor - to do whatever they have
to do to get her custody of Kailey.

Back to present . . .

"She's been living with me ever since," Scully finishes.  She
looks at Mulder and sees a confused, shocked expression on his
face.  Hoping, but also afraid.  Loving, but cautious.  He was
afraid to put his heart on the line.

"It's true, Mulder," she assures him.  "She's your daughter."

"My daughter?"  He raises a shaky hand to stroke Kailey's hair,
still unsure of what to think or feel.  "You're my daughter?
Who?  When?  How?  I don't understand."

"Come on," Kailey laughs.  "I may just be 14, but even I know the
how."

"I know how," he stammers, blushing slightly.  "But . . . I just
don't understand."

"Well, Mulder.  What were you doing 15 years ago?  I guess around
October, since Kailey's birthday is in July."

"My mother's name was Karen Leigh Mitchell.  She worked at a
diner outside of Toledo," Kailey explains to him.  "I never knew
her.  She died when I was just a baby.  I grew up in an orphanage
and then foster care when I got older.  All I knew about my past
was what my mother left in a shoebox.  A couple of pictures.
Birth certificate.  And one of your business cards."

"Were you in Toledo that fall Mulder?" Scully asks.

"I went there to a conference," he starts, finally remembering.
"I was a little upset at having to spend my birthday alone.  I
ended up at a diner.  Karen was there.  She didn't think I should
be lonely that night.  She came back to my hotel with me and . .
.I think you can figure out the rest.  Anyway, she was gone the
next morning.  I had a flight out that next afternoon.  We never
saw each other again."  He looks again at Kailey, almost
apologetically.  Ashamed of his one night stand.  Ashamed that he
had a child and didn't even know about her.  "Kailey, I swear I
didn't know she was pregnant.  I didn't even know her last name.
I'm sorry.  I'm so very sorry."  He pulls her into his arms just
as both of their tears start to fall.

Scully wipes away her own tears and tips quietly from the room.
This was time Mulder needed to spend with his daughter.  She
steps into the hall out side of the room and falls down in the
chair next to her mother.

"Is everything alright, Dana?"

"Yeah, Mom.  Everything's fine.   I just thought I'd give Mulder
some time to get to know Kailey," she sighs, rubbing her stomach.
"Maybe this baby won't be so much of a shock to him after this
whole thing."

"He doesn't know yet?" her mother asks.

"I guess he hasn't noticed," Scully says.  "He was in and out of
consciousness when I found him.  And by the time the doctors got
done with him, Kailey showed up.  I haven't really had a moment
alone with him."  She watches as a nurse walks into the Mulder's
room with a new IV bag.  A few seconds later, Kailey walks out, a
big grin plastered on her face.

"Mom, he's so cool," she says excitedly.  "He wanted to know all
about me and he told me I was beautiful and he said he was proud
of me of being the on the varsity basketball team even though I'm
new at that school and just a freshman and . . . "

"Slow down, Kailey," Scully laughs.  She's never seen the girl
quite so excited.  "You must have tired him out if you told him
all of that in the few minutes you were in there with him."

The nurse walks out of the room with the empty IV bag, jotting
down a few notes in Mulder's chart.

"Visiting hours are just about over.  You all need to wrap things
up," she says sternly.

"Oh, I'll be staying the night with Agent Mulder," Scully informs
the nurse.

"Dana . . .  Mom," Mrs. Scully and Kailey protest simultaneously.

"Dana, you can't stay here all night in your condition," Mrs.
Scully insists.

"Mom, what are you talking about?  I don't have a 'condition'.
I'm just pregnant.  I'll be fine.  Besides, Mulder and I have
been here so much with each other that they know to bring in the
extra bed when one of us shows up."  She goes over to her mother
and hugs her tightly, letting her know that it really would be
alright.  She then goes and does the same to Kailey.

"Fine," Mrs. Scully sighs.  "But I'm going to let her stay up all
night eating pizza and listening to her Backside Boys or
whatever."

"It's Backstreet Boys, Grandma," Kailey giggles.  She gives
Scully one last hug before she and Mrs. Scully finally leave.
Scully smiles as they disappear through the front doors before
turning her attention to her swollen belly.

"Well, little guy.  It's just you, me, and Daddy.  I hope he can
handle some more news," she says, biting her lip in worry.  She
steps quietly into the room when she notices that Mulder has
drifted off to sleep.  "I guess he'll have to meet you in the
morning," she whispers to her unborn chid, smiling a little at
the slight snore coming from Mulder.  She leans over and kisses
his forehead before snuggling into the little space on the bed
next to him.  Instinctively, he moves his arm across her to pull
her closer to his body.  Sighing contently, she molds to him and
drifts off into the same blissful sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


A few hours later, Mulder awakens and wonders why the bed seems
unusually tiny.  The bed is normally a tight squeeze, but his
petite partner seemed to have mysteriously expanded since the
last time they shared sleeping quarters.  He slowly moves his
arms from around her, trying not to wake her up, but he sees that
waking her would be next to impossible.  She was sleeping like
the dead.  Another change from the normal light sleeper he knew
her to be.  He settles into the chair next to the bed and flips
on the TV.  With the rest of the bed free, Scully rolls over on
her back and stretches across the whole bed.  Mulder's eyes
almost pop out of his head when he notices the lump under the
thin sheet.

"Scully," he gasps.  His hand shakily makes it's way to her
stomach.  He had to make sure he was seeing what he thought he
was seeing.  Feeling the solid bulge, he realizes that it's not a
pillow or her clothes bunched up.  Scully was pregnant.  His
Scully was going to have a baby.  Someone else's baby, he
assumes.  His brow scrunches up as a sad little scowl comes
across his face.  How could HIS Scully be having someone else's
baby?

His scowl turns to a puzzled look when a little flutter tickles
the underside of his hand where it was resting on her stomach.
It must be the baby kicking he guesses.

"Stop that," he whispers to Scully's stomach.  "You're going to
wake up your mommy."  He smiles when the fluttering continues.
Stubborn.  Just like her.

"Oh, so you want to talk, huh?  Okay, let's talk, Little Baby."
He smiles again and gently rubs her stomach, still amazed that a
child was growing in there.  And even more amazed to realize that
he couldn't help but love this piece of Scully.  He never could
picture himself as the father type, but meeting Kailey changed
all of that.  Seeing how much Scully could love his child, he
doesn't see why he can't do the same for her child.

He sits there rubbing her stomach for what seems like hours until
she begins to stir.  Slowly she blinks her eyes, looking around
trying to figure out where she is.

"Mulder," she says, surprised to see him with his hand on her
belly.

"Morning, Scully."  He gives her a little knowing grin, seeing
that she was at a lost for words.  "I think we might need to talk
about some things."  He looks down at his hand and then back up
to see her reaction.  She begins squirming uncomfortably on the
bed under his scrutiny, he assumes.  But when she leaps off the
bed and races to the bathroom without a word, he understands the
real reason.

"Sorry," she says minutes later after relieving her
overstimulated bladder.  "I think the baby uses my bladder as a
trampoline," she reveals, realizing it's no longer necessary to
conceal her pregnancy.  "I'm surprised I slept as long as I did
without having to get up."

"Baby," he simply says, grabbing onto both sides of her round
belly with his hands.  "Why didn't you tell me, Scully?"

"I was going to," she swears.  "The right time just never came
up.  Kailey has been waiting to meet you and . . . "

"You don't have to explain.  I'm not mad," he interrupts.  "Just
surprised.  A lot of changes since I've been gone.  By the way,
thanks for taking care of Kailey all this time.  You're a great
mom, Scully.  I can tell.  Kailey's crazy about you."

"Mulder, I love her.  She's your child.  Part of you.  I couldn't
leave her out on the streets.  It wasn't easy at first, but she
grew to love me too.  I could tell that was trying to keep her
distance from me for some reason.  But she wasn't completely shut
off.  She instantly bonded with my mother, calling her 'Grandma'
from their first meeting.  I guess it was good she felt
comfortable with her."

"You mother has that way about her," he says with a fond smile.
"But she calls you 'Mom' now.  When did all of that change?"

"She takes so much after you, Mulder," she says with a laugh.
"It amazed me every day how many of her little personality traits
came from you.  Including the one about waiting until it's almost
too late to let someone know how you feel about them." She pokes
him playfully in his chest before getting comfortable on the bed
again.  She leans back on the pillow and they both put a hand on
her stomach.  "I guess it was that thing at her school a few
months ago."

2 months ago . . .

"Dana, don't forget the parent's meeting this afternoon at my
school.  My teacher says you have to show up or else it'll be
points off of my grade." Kailey pokes her head into Scully's
bedroom to make sure she heard her.  She has to try hard to keep
the smile off her her face at the sight before her.  A red faced
Scully was attempting to put on a pair of pantyhose, a task
proving pretty difficult for her 5 month pregnant body.

"I may be a little late," she huffs, finally getting the
offending garment halfway up her legs.  "I have a lunch meeting
with Skinner.  And you know how the traffic gets on Wisconsin
Avenue that time of the day.  But I'll be there."

"Cool," Kailey smiles.  "I gotta go.  Tony and Shay are
downstairs waiting for me.  See you later."

Scully smiles as the teenager races out of the house.  The front
door slams shut and she knows the girl is gone.  Things have been
so different around the apartment the past few months that
Kailey's been with her.  A lot louder, but definitely a welcome
change.  That first month Mulder was gone was torture for her.
She sat in silence mostly, wondering how to go on without him.
True, there had never been any verbal declarations of love
between them, but somehow they just knew.  And the baby she
carried was evidence of that love.

But after Kailey, things changed.  She couldn't feel sorry for
herself anymore.  She had to live.  To take care of herself and
Mulder's children until he returned.  And even if he never did.
That wasn't a thought she liked to have, but it was a possibility
that she had to learn to live with.  Kailey was easy to get along
with, but was sometimes distant.  Many nights Scully cried
herself to sleep wondering if she was failing the girl as a
mother.  Until it dawned on her that the girl might not want a
mother.  So she settled on being her friend.

Scully finishes dressing herself and grabs the breakfast Kailey
left for her before rushing out the door to work.  She barely
makes it on time that morning.  But it's earlier than she had
been getting there lately.  A mixture of avoiding the place where
she spent so much time with Mulder and avoiding her new partner
and trying to lug that huge stomach around made her late on most
mornings.  She wasn't really that big.  Most people couldn't even
tell she was pregnant.  But for someone so tiny, her growing
stomach made her feel enormous and awkward.

After a few hours of finishing up some paperwork, she manages to
make her way to Skinner's office, plopping down in one of the
seats to wait for him.  His secretary gives her a sympathetic
smile and asks her to wait a few minutes.  A few minutes turns
into a half hour and Scully grows restless.  Her stomach was
growling and if she didn't leave soon, she'd be late for her
appointment at Kailey's school.  She was about to get up to leave
when the phone rings.  After listening to the other end,
Skinner's secretary puts the phone down and turns to Scully.

"Agent Scully, that was AD Skinner.  He's going to have to
postpone your meeting.  Something came up," she explains.

Scully wonders why she's unable to look her in the eye.
Something else was going on.  But she didn't question it.  As
quickly as she could, she got up and left, pleased that she might
actually beat the lunch traffic to the school.

Turning from M street onto Wisconsin Avenue, she soon learned how
wrong she was.  Traffic was backed up to the corner and it wasn't
moving. She makes a quick turn onto N Street and drives towards
Georgetown University.  The streets were usually crowded with the
college kids, but not too much car traffic goes through there.
She drives down 35th Street until she reaches Reservoir Road and
makes her way back to Wisconsin Avenue just across from the
Safeway.  Traffic's still backed up, but at this corner, she can
see the reason why.  A police roadblock was set up.   Scully
pulls her car over in the parking lot and walks to the barricade,
flashing her badge.

"What's going on here?" she asks the cop stationed there.

"Hostage situation," he explains.  "At the school right up the
street."

"What school?"  Her stomach instantly knots and she feels her
knees go weak.  There are tons of private catholic schools in the
Georgetown area.  It could be any one of those.  But for some
reason she knew exactly which school he was going to say.

"Sidwell Friends," the officer tells her, concern glazing his
face when he notices the look of terror on Scully's face.  "Are
you alright, ma'am?"

"I'm fine," she gasps.  "But you have to get me up there."

The officer complies and gets a police unit to drive her up to
the school.  It was still a good ways down Wisconsin Avenue, but
she would have walked if she had to.  But the fact that the road
was closed so far from the school worried her.  It could only
mean one thing - a bomb.  Whoever was holding the school hostage
must have enough explosives to level from here to Bethesda.

When they finally get to the school, it looks like a warzone.
Police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, helicopters were all on
standby.  Scully scans the area and is less than surprised to see
who's in charge.

"Sir," she says walking up to him.  "I guess this is why you
cancelled our meeting."

Skinner turns around with a shocked look on his face at seeing
her.

"What are you doing here, Scully?  You shouldn't be here," he
says.

"What do you mean?" she yells.  "That's my dau . . .  Kailey's in
there," she corrects herself after almost referring to the girl
as her daughter, even though she felt like her mother.  "Why
didn't you tell me?"

"For this very reason, Agent Scully.  You shouldn't be here," he
repeats.

"I'm here.  And I'm not leaving," she insists.  "Now tell me
what's going on."

"Apparently it's some kind of parent's day here at the school.
This terrorist group figure this was the best time to target
several key political figures," Skinner explains.

"But I sent her here for that very reason.  Because of all the
affluent parents.  I figured safety would be a priority around
here.  I mean, the President's daughter went to this school.  I
didn't think security would be an issue.  Kailey was supposed to
be safe here.  How could something like this happen?" she cries.

"We have a waiting area for the parents," he says quietly,
pointing her in the direction of a makeshift tent across the
street.

"I'm not . . . " she begins to protest.

"Scully, please!  Let us get Kailey out of there.  You're too
personally involved."  He motions for two of the officers to
escort her to the waiting area.  Too stunned to do anything else,
she complies and goes with them.

After about an hour, Mrs. Scully  arrives to wait with her
daughter.  And somehow she managed to convince Scully to get some
much needed rest.  Skinner had arranged for her to get a gurney
from one of the ambulances and soon she had drifted off to a
fitful sleep.  A sleep filled with terrible dreams of her losing
all those around her.

Mrs. Scully tries to wake her an hour later when some  hostages
are released - Kailey being among them.

"Dana," she calls, gently shaking her daughter.  "Wake up.  It's
all over."  Her tears are running down her face as the young girl
runs to them, throwing herself into Mrs. Scully's arms.

"Grandma," Kailey cries, burying her head in the woman's neck.

"Thank God," Mrs. Scully whispers.  "Thank God you're alright.
We were worried.  Poor Dana worried herself to death almost.  I
finally convinced her to rest, but she keeps on crying out yours
and Fox's names."

"Dana, I'm alright," Kailey whispers in her ear.  Scully doesn't
wake up.  "Dana . . . Dana . . . "  Still no response.  Kailey
smiles and gets an idea to try.

"Mom," she says a little louder.   Scully's eyes begin to flutter
and she when she realizes where she is, she bolts upright on the
narrow gurney.

"Kailey?"

"I'm right here, Mom.  And I'm fine.  Those wackos let us go,"
she assures her.

Scully can't help but pull the girl into her arms, even though
Kailey has resisted that much affection in the past.  Today,
Scully didn't care.  She needed to hold her and let her know how
much she felt.  And today, Kailey didn't resist.  She openly
received the love Scully offered.

Back to present . . .

"I couldn't love her anymore, Mulder.  Even if I gave birth to
her.  That's because she's a part of you," Scully confesses.  She
blushes a little and looks down.

"I feel the same way.  About this baby here," he whispers.  "How
is it even possible for me to grow to love her in just a few
short hours?"

"Her?  How do you know it's a girl?" Scully giggles.

"She told me," Mulder smiles when she gives him that look.
"Don't look at me like that, Scully.  We chatted all night.  I'm
surprised all that kicking didn't wake you up.  It's like she was
dancing to the sound of my voice.  Like she loved me as much I
loved her.  I guess that sounds kind of silly," he laughs
nervously.

"That doesn't sound silly at all.  I'm sure she does love you,
Mulder," Scully says, gently cupping his cheek with her hand.
"And she'll love you forever."

"You mean that?" he asks with tears on the verge of breaking
free.  "I'll be able to be a part of her life?"

"Of course, Mulder.  I wouldn't dream of keeping you from her.
You're . . "

"No, let me say this," he interrupts her.  "Because this baby is
a part of you, Scully, I already love her.  But she's also a part
of someone else.  Her . . . . father.  And I can understand if he
wouldn't want me around so much."

"Mulder . . . "

"I'm not done yet," he interrupts her again.  "I know I may not
be the most reliable or dependable person.  And I'm a danger to
all around me.  But I feel like my heart will literally break if
I don't get to know this little person inside of you, Scully.
Please don't keep her from me." He finally lets the tears fall.
Not really understanding why he's crying. Not knowing why he
feels such a bond with the baby.

"Come here," Scully says gently as she pulls Mulder into her
arms.  She pulls away slightly to look into his eyes, wiping the
tears away with her thumbs.  "You can have as much or as little
to do with this baby as you'd like.  That's a promise."

"Her father won't mind?"

"I can assure you that he won't," she says with a cryptic smile.

Just then, the door opens, revealing Scully's new partner.

"Sorry," he says looking kind of flustered at catching them in
each other's arms.  He turns to quickly walk out of the room
again.

"John, wait," she calls after him, not noticing the grimace
crossing Mulder's face.  "I'll be out there in a second."

"Is that the guy, Scully?" Mulder mumbles, refusing to look at
her.  "Is that the baby's father?"

"No, Mulder," she laughs.  "That's my new partner, John Doggett.
Besides, he's not exactly my type."

"Oh?  Then who is your type?"

"Someone tall," she places her hands on his shoulders.

"Dark," she whispers as she pulls him closer to her.

"Handsome."  Her breath dances across his face as her lips graze
his.

"And a little spooky," she mutters, fully claiming his mouth with
her own in a long kiss.  She pulls away, leaving him breathless
and dazed, a wicked little grin on her face promising more where
that came from.  "I'll be right back."

Still dazed, he barely registers the sound of his door opening
and closing before he finally falls onto the bed in utter shock.
Dana Scully, what's on your mind, he wonders.  Those kisses
certainly weren't very - partnerly.  But then again, there have
been other things they started doing before he was gone that
broke a few FBI rules of partnership.

He's cajoled out of his reverie by the sound of the door again.
Looking up, he see's Scully waddling towards him and can't resist
letting out a laugh at the sight of her.  Her small body looks as
if she swallowed a basketball.  Her face was fuller, but other
than that and the lump at her waist, she didn't even look
pregnant.  That pregnant waddle gave her away, though and again
he was amazed at the idea of a life growing inside of her.

"What's with the goofy grin, Mulder?" she asks just a slight
grimace comes across her face.  Her hand shoots to the place on
her side receiving a little jab from inside.

"Are you okay?" Mulder panics.  He's up off the bed and to her
side in a flash.

"You're so sweet," she says with a light laugh, rubbing her hand
over the hand he has protectively placed in her stomach.   "I'm
fine.  The baby gets a little impatient this time of morning if I
don't eat."

"Play nice, Ari," Mulder gently scolds her stomach, earning him a
strange look from Scully.  "What?" he asks puzzled.  "Why are you
looking at me like that?"

"Ari?  Why are you calling this child Ari?"

"It's short for Ariel.  That's her name," Mulder replies with a
sheepish grin.  "Or at least that's what she told me last night."

"Ariel?  Like the Little Mermaid?"  She laughs when she see's he
serious.  "Mulder, this is getting weird.  You're trying to tell
me that you were really speaking to this child last night and she
- or he - even went so far as to tell yoou it's name?" Scully asks
incredulously.  "You're too much.  Even I've got to admit it's
one of your more far out theories."

"I swear, Scully.  Her name's Ariel.  But she let me call her Ari
for short."  A grin spreads across his face and for a moment,
Scully's not sure if he's really telling her the truth.  But she
decides to play along anyway.

"Okay Mulder.  If you insist that you were talking to this child,
tell me this.  In the course of your conversation with her, did
she happen to tell you something else?  Something very important
to who she really is?" she pauses and braces herself for his
reaction.  "Did she tell you that you were her Daddy?"

"What do you mean?" he gasps, a little shocked at her question at
first, but sudden realization begins to dawn on him.  "Are you
saying she's mine?  Scully, you don't look more than five months
along.  But you told me I was gone for six.  How is it possible?
And while we're on the subject of possibilities, what exactly
happened here?  I mean, how did this happen?"

"Mulder, I just entered my last trimester.  So I'm actually a
little more than seven months along.  And this baby is very much
a part of you and me.  Made the old fashioned way," she says with
a huge smile on her face.  The smile gets even bigger when she
realizes that she's rendered him speechless.  "You okay, Mulder?"

"Huh?  Yeah.  I just . . . I mean, I'm . . . Wow," he manages to
stutter.  "I don't . . . "

"You don't know what to say?" she asks with a laugh.  "You.
Speechless for once.  That's okay, Mulder.  I had pretty much the
same reaction.  But I have plenty of tests to prove it."  She
reaches over and grabs his hand, placing it gently over her
heart.  "But no matter how many tests they did, I had all the
proof I needed right here," she whispers, her eyes suddenly
starting to tear up.  "In my heart.  The memories of that night
convinced me that she was ours."

"Ours," he repeats, as if saying it would make it even more real.
He pulls her close to his body and wraps his arms around her,
holding her as tightly as her belly would allow.  His hand gently
strokes up and down her arm and he flutters light kisses all over
her face, coming closer and closer to her mouth with each one.

"Alright, break it up,"  a voice says suddenly, startling them
from their cuddling.  They look up and see Kailey standing in the
doorway.  "She's already pregnant, Dad.  I think your work is
done.  Haven't you two done enough of that already?"

"Not nearly enough, Kailey," Mulder says with a huge grin on his
face.  "We got a lot of catching up to do."  He eases up on his
grasp on Scully, but doesn't completely let her go.

"Seven years of catching up," Scully agrees, raising up on her
tip toes to kiss his lips.  "And I don't want to waste another
second."  She captures his lips again, this time in a deeper
kiss.

"Oh Brother!" Kailey exclaims, rolling her eyes.  "I'm going to
join Grandma in the cafeteria before this turns into a biology
lesson that I'd rather not have my parents demonstrate."

"No, wait Kailey," Scully says as she reluctantly pulls away from
the kiss.  "I'm going to go eat.  You stay here with your Dad.
You two have got a lot of catching up to do yourselves."

Scully stands at the door long enough to watch the two move
slowly into an awkward hug.  Mulder pulls back for a second and
looks deep into his daughter's eyes, smiling at the reflection of
himself he saw in them.  No longer did he mistake the girl for
his lost sister.  True, she looked remarkably like Samantha.  And
in a way, he was going to have the chance to finally see her grow
up.  But she was in the form of a little girl who needed him to
be her father.  And that was an opportunity he didn't want to
throw away.  With a little smile, he brings her fully into his
embrace as tears of joy start to run down both of their faces.

Scully manages to hold in her own tears as she quietly closes the
door and leaves the room.  That little girl in there might have
the face of a ghost, but she now has her own special place in
Mulder's heart.  A place that had been left empty for too long.
But a place that will never be vacant ever again.

The end.

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