Title: Seeds of Doubt 
Author: Pam
Rated: NC-17 (kiddies, protect your virgin eyes)
Category: MSR, AU, bit of angst (well, maybe more than a 
bit)
Spoilers: Everything from seasons 1-8 are fair game. 

Summary: How will the return of Phoebe Greene affect the 
seemingly perfect family-life that Mulder and Scully have 
finally made for themselves? 

Author's Notes: Ok, well like most X-Files fans, the final 
season of the show left a bad taste in my mouth. It 
absolutely made no sense to me why Mulder had to leave. I 
found it stupid and an insult to the Scully character that 
William was put up for adoption. I hated that they killed 
off the Lone Gunmen, and finally, I hated the fact that 
they left our heroes as broke fugitives hopping from cheap 
motel to cheap motel with nothing but the end of the world 
to look forward to. So in my universe, none of that 
happened. So everything up to 'Existence' happened, but 
after that, it's all my doing. So here's the gist: Mulder 
and Scully soon married after the birth of William, Mulder 
got his job back at the FBI, but not with the X-Files, 
instead with the VCS. He's once again the VCS' wonder boy 
and quickly moving up.

Feedback: phermano@sfu.ca I love feedback and they always 
encourage me to write more!

On with the story. . .

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Scully's POV

" . . . And it was all due to his brilliant mind and 
uncanny profiling skills that we were able to catch Jeffrey 
Gordon, better known to us all as the elusive West End 
serial killer . . ." 

As Deputy Director Russell continues to praise Mulder on 
his latest case, I sneak a glance towards Mulder sitting to 
my right. And what I see is the most adorable thing . . . 
he's blushing! I know he's not used to such positive 
attention, but I'm certainly glad he's getting it. He 
deserves it. I reach for his hand and squeeze it, showing 
him how proud I am of him. He gives me a shy smile in 
return.

" . . . It was the profile he made of the killer that led 
us to his hideout. As a result, the suspect was 
apprehended, and 3 lives were saved including that of the 
Governor's daughter. The FBI has never had a finer Agent. 
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor and a privilege to 
present this award to Special Agent Fox William Mulder."

The room bursts into applaud and the redness in Mulder's 
cheeks put my hair color to shame. But despite Mulder's 
sudden shyness and slight embarrassment, he had no 
apprehension in acknowledging me before anyone else. 
Before he stood up to walk to the stage he turned to me and 
gave me a kiss, not really caring that the entire room was 
watching. For a few seconds he seemed to forget that he 
had to accept his award, I had to whisper, "Get up there" 
before he started making his way to the stage. 

Mulder starts his acceptance speech a little slowly, a 
little unsure. I told him to write something before hand, 
but as usual he didn't listen. "Umm . . . I'm not quite 
sure what to say to something like this. It's not everyday 
that something like this happens to me. I would just like 
to say that it's an honor to be recognized by my peers in 
this manner, but that also I don't think one should be 
given an award for doing his job." Mulder pauses and 
shuffles his feet a little bit, then he looks at me and 
says, "But I'd just like to say that my wife deserves just 
as much if not more credit for this than me." This 
surprises me and I give Mulder a questioning look. He 
continues, "I don't think anyone really knows just how 
emotionally draining behavioral profiling is. I was forced 
to get inside the mind of a serial killer, in many ways I 
was forced to become the killer. I had to know in detail 
the brutal and inhumane things that he did to many innocent 
women." At this point, Mulder sounded very sure of what he 
was saying. It doesn't sound rehearsed, but full of 
conviction. "There were times when I was so immersed in 
the case that I wasn't sure which thoughts were mine and 
which were the killer's. My wife kept me grounded, and she 
kept me sane." Mulder raises his award and looks me in the 
eyes, "This is dedicated to you Scully. Thank you . . . 
for everything."

I had tears in my eyes and the first thing Mulder does 
after he gets off the stage is to pull me in a warm 
embrace. He wipes the tears from my eyes and I whisper to 
him, "I love you." This earns me a thousand watt grin and 
he whispers in return, "Why don't we blow this joint and 
you can show me just how much you love me." I roll my eyes 
at him, trying my best to hide just how turned on I 
suddenly am. So after accepting some more congratulations 
and engaging in a little more polite small talk, we quietly 
said our goodnights.

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

1 hour later

"Thanks so much mom for watching William. I always have 
peace of mind when he's with you." I say as Mulder takes a 
sleeping Will from my mother's arms.

"Oh honey, you know I'm here for you anytime. And anyway, 
I do wish you'd let me have him more often. He is a year 
old now, maybe you could even let him spend the night, I'm 
sure you and that husband of yours can come up with ways to 
spend the time?" My mother waggles her eyebrows at me, and 
I blush slightly. It's a good thing Mulder's already in 
the car buckling William in his seat. He loves to tease me 
when I blush. 

"Thanks mom, we'll keep that in mind. Take care, bye!"

I get into the passenger seat and take a look at Will 
through the rearview mirror. He looks so peaceful when 
he's asleep, just like his dad. His cheeks and nose are 
slightly red from the cold weather, but I'm not too 
worried, he's bundled up pretty well. He's wearing the new 
Care Bears jacket that Mulder bought for him. He looks so 
adorable I wish I had a camera. 

The ride home was uneventful. We just sat in comfortable 
silence. Mulder was probably replaying the day in his mind 
much like I was. Mulder actually didn't want to attend the 
banquet this evening. He told me he would rather spend the 
evening playing with William and making a nice home-cooked 
dinner for us. Then after all that, he planned on making 
sweet love to me all night long. Hmmm. . . well that part 
we can still do. In fact, I'm looking forward to it.

We finally reached home, which is my apartment. Mulder and 
I are still house hunting. We've narrowed our choices to 3 
potential houses, but I'm still undecided. Mulder doesn't 
really care which house we buy just as long as it has a 
tree in the backyard so he can build a tree house for Will. 
Mulder's certainly enjoying fatherhood. 

Upon entering the apartment Mulder heads straight for the 
nursery making sure William's comfortable so he won't wake 
up. I don't follow, leaving father and son some time 
alone. I do however stand by the nursery door and listen 
as Mulder sings William a lullaby. I do this almost every 
night. And every night I'm reminded just how great life is 
for us now. I have the man I love with me, and we have our 
miracle baby. Things are so perfect right now that I can't 
help but fear that this might all be a dream. If it is I 
hope I never wake up.

Mulder steps out of the nursery and I waste no time, I pull 
him down and kiss him hard. He seems a little surprised at 
first, but quickly regains his composure and kisses me 
back. Our tongues duel and I ache for him more and more as 
each second passes by. I've been wanting to make love to 
him all day. And by the way he's got his hand cupping my 
ass and his hardness pressed to my belly, I doubt I was the 
only one wanting to do a little lovin'. "Mmmm . . . 
bedroom" I whisper. And with that he carries me over to 
our bed and gently lays me on my back.

He's on top of me but he's careful not to put too much 
weight on me. I always tell him that I love the feel of 
his weight on me. But it's always been his biggest fear 
that he might hurt me. 

I quickly begin to unbutton his dress shirt, I fumble a bit 
with the third button down and Mulder begins to chuckle. 
"Scully, what's the hurry?" I raise my eyebrow to him as 
if to say, 'you're kidding right?' But he just smiles and 
says, "take it easy, let me do the work, besides I got an 
reward this evening, and I think it's only fair that you 
get one too." 

"Mulder, it was an 'award'."

"Potato, Po tah to."

And with that, he begins kissing me, nice and slow up and 
down my neck, his soft lips brushing against my collarbone, 
his hot breath making me shudder with anticipation. He's 
turned me into a puddle without taking off a single item of 
clothing. He's the only one who's ever been able to do 
that to me. And he does it time and time again. 

His hands land on my waist and he gently tugs at my dress. 
I lift my back off the bed so he can lift the dress up and 
over my head. I sit up slightly and unhook my bra, then 
discarding it along with my dress on the floor. My nipples 
quickly harden from being exposed to the air in the room. 
After pulling my panties off, Mulder instantly resumes 
exploring my body with his lips. He reaches my right 
breast and I gasp at the sensation of his tongue laving my 
nipple. At the same time, he's cupping my other breast, 
squeezing it and playing with the nub between his fingers. 
I feel a gush between my legs and all I can do is moan, 
"Mmmmmm". 

He leaves my breasts and I immediately miss the contact. I 
groan in frustration, but quickly forgive him when the next 
thing I feel is his tongue parting my swollen, slick folds. 

"God Scully, you're so wet . . . you taste so good."

"Mmmm . . . feel what you do to me Mulder."

He takes two finger and plunges them inside me. His tongue 
darts out and flicks my clit. My hips buck involuntarily 
and I moan from the pleasure of it all. He seems to like 
the reaction he's getting because he stops and gives me one 
of those smug grins. "God Scully, I love you like this." 

He spreads my legs farther apart and he lowers his head 
between my legs. I can feel his hot breath at the juncture 
between my thighs and I can't help myself, I pull his face 
down even more. He takes the hint and I feel his tongue 
harden and lave at my clit.

"Oh God! Mulder, Mulder Ohhhh, that feels so good, yeah 
right there"

I'm so wet now, my juice is dripping from me making a wet 
spot on the bed. This seems to encourage Mulder even more 
and he speeds up his ministrations on my clit. I feel my 
womb tightening, the feel of his mouth on me is electric. 
I'm so close to the edge. He knows it too, but he doesn't 
let me come just yet. 

"Ohhh . . . Mmmmm . . . Mulderrrr, please I'm so close"

"Tell me, darling. Tell me what you want."

"I want to come. Please Mulder, make me come!"

He sucks and teases my clit with renewed vigor. Then I 
feel his fingers finding my G-spot. The feeling is 
indescribable! I clutch at the bed sheets. My stomach 
muscles contract and I feel the first signs of an impending 
orgasm. 

I am incoherent, "Mmmm . . . AHHHH . . . Oh God, Mulder! 
Oh yeah! MMMMM, YES! Christ Mulder! I'm close, God I'm 
coming! Ahhhhhhhhhh!" His tongue presses down on my clit 
and that did it! A mighty orgasm rips through me! My back 
arches off the bed and my head thrashes on the mattress. I 
scream, completely forgetting I have a sleeping son in the 
other room. The spasms are intense and the orgasm lasts 
for quite some time. As I settle down from my high, I can 
still feel my vaginal walls contracting. I look down 
between my legs and see my wetness dripping from my 
husband's chin. He sports a proud look, he usually does 
whenever he makes me lose control like he just did. 

He inches up towards me and kisses me on the mouth. I can 
taste myself on him, and I find it very erotic. It's just 
then I realize that he's still fully dressed. "Mulder, 
don't you think you're a little overdressed for the 
occasion?"

"I guess I am. What are you gonna do about it?" What am I 
gonna do about it? Ha! Is that a challenge Agent Mulder? 
I take his shirt off, this time not having any problem with 
that troublesome third button. I throw his shirt on the 
floor and I move on to his pants. I unbuckle his belt and 
slide it from his waist. I look down and see his cock 
tenting the front of his dress pants. I take pity on 
little Mulder and ease the pants down. I then discard of 
his boxers. I look at his throbbing cock, as erect as can 
be and I know he's been ready for some time now. But 
knowing Mulder, my pleasure to him is more important than 
his own.

I bend down, about to take the length of him in my mouth 
when he gently stops me, "No Scully, tonight is all about 
you."

"Mulder . . . " I wanted to protest, after all, turnabout 
is fair play.

"I'll take a rain a check on it Scully, really, I want to 
make love to you . . . Let me in sweetheart." 

And all I was able to do was moan as he lays me on my back. 
I close my eyes as he kisses me passionately on the mouth. 
I feel his cock teasing my entrance, waiting for my 
permission. All I manage to get out is, "Now." His mouth 
doesn't leave mine as he slowly sinks into me. The feeling 
is exquisite. I've always been tight down there and the 
length of him stretches me to the max. And each time we 
make love, he stops to ask me, "I'm not hurting you am I?"

I shake my head, no, "Move love, I want to feel you."

Mulder moves slowly at first. He buries himself in me, all 
the way. I feel the end of his penis poking at my cervix. 
I grind my pubic bone with his. His penis rubs at my 
oversensitive clit and the friction it causes feels 
fantastic. He moves in and out at a steady pace.

My vaginal walls quickly adjust to his size and I tell him, 
"Mmmm, yeah faster, Mulder, harder, yeah, like that!" And 
he does, he picks up speed and strength, and I bounce 
slightly off the bed with each thrust. I feel his balls 
make contact with my ass each time he sinks into me. I've 
let him do most of the work up to this point, but I decided 
to participate more. I begin to meet his thrusts with my 
own. I feel another orgasm creeping up on me, however the 
missionary position isn't the best way to achieve orgasm. 
It was never a favorite position of mine . . . until Mulder 
came along. I just love it because I can look him in the 
eyes and see all the love he has for me. It's a position 
that allows him to hold me close to him while we make love. 
I feel surrounded by him and the feeling is amazing. But I 
think Mulder suspects that I'm close to another orgasm, so 
he takes my legs and puts it over his shoulder changing the 
angle of penetration. And with this change, he's able to 
hit my G-spot and put more pressure on my clit. The 
feeling is exquisite and I feel my womb begin to contract 
in anticipation of another orgasm.

Both our breathing has quickened and I can tell he's as 
close to climaxing as I am. All I'm capable of doing at 
this point is moan and whimper as I give all control to my 
husband. "Mmmmulderrr, I'm so close, I'm coming . . . 
again. God! Mmmmm . . . Ahhhh"

"Go ahead Scully, let go for me! I want to see you come! 
C'mon, baby! Agghhh, yeah, come for me!"

I couldn't hold it in anymore, my body violently shudders 
as another orgasm takes over me! A loud scream escapes me 
and Mulder quickly covers my mouth in a kiss which 
thankfully muffles some of the sound. The last thing we 
want to do is wake up our baby boy with the sounds of our 
lovemaking. Well, it would be more my doing, Mulder's 
never been very vocal in bed. I never used to be vocal 
either, but Mulder's turned me into a screamer.

My vaginal walls contract on his penis and this surely 
triggers his own orgasm and his head snaps back and he 
groans, "Aaagh, Christ Scully!!!" And I feel his warm 
semen shoot inside of me coating my insides. He keeps 
thrusting for a few moments, then he collapses on top of 
me. "God Scully, I love you."

"I love you too, Mulder." We're both exhausted, yet very 
content. He rolls to his side and takes me with him. We 
spoon for the rest of the night telling each other sweet 
nothings. The sweet comfort of his naked body wrapped 
around me quickly lulls me to sleep.

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

Mulder POV

6 hours later

"Hold still Mulder!" Scully says, in between giggles as I 
tickle her relentlessly. I'm due for work in a half an 
hour. Even now as I'm fully dressed and ready to go, I'm 
still contemplating whether or not to take the day off. 
I'm in a very playful mood this morning. Not the ideal 
mood to be tracking killers.

"So, what are you and Will gonna do today while I'm at 
work?" I ask, making small talk, trying to put off leaving. 

"I'm probably going to do a bit of cleaning, run some 
errands, take Will to the park. You know, the usual."

Scully and I tried our best to make our schedule 
accommodate the demands of raising a child. We always try 
to have Will with either one of us at any time of the day, 
but Wednesdays to Fridays, we have to leave him with his 
grandma for a few hours in the morning as Scully teaches 
over at Quantico. Scully doesn't plan on returning to work 
full-time until at least Will starts pre-school. I on the 
other hand, am a full time federal agent.

My cell phone rings and I'm startled out of my thoughts. 
"Mulder . . . yes sir . . . yes sir . . . may I ask what 
it's about? Ok . . . I'm on my way sir."

"Sweetie, what was that about?" Scully asks.

"Deputy Director Russell said I've got a new assignment and 
that he wants me in his office first thing when I get 
there. He said I was specifically requested for the 
assignment and that I will be assigned to work with someone 
on the case."

"Really? Who?"

"He didn't tell me, I guess I'll find out when I get 
there." I head out to the door, but I turn around and 
remind Scully, "By the way, I don't think I'll be coming 
home for lunch. I'll probably just grab a bite to eat at 
the deli across the street, you don't have to fix me up 
anything. But I'll be home in time for dinner. Did you 
want me to bring home anything?" Scully's usually tired by 
the end of the day, Will can be a handful. I don't expect 
her to cook dinner or anything.

"No, don't worry, I've got dinner covered. Besides, with a 
new assignment, I'm betting your day's going to be pretty 
busy." That's my Scully, always putting others before 
herself.

"You sure?" I ask tentatively.

"Yeah, I mean when was the last time I cooked dinner for 
us? Really, I want to. I bought groceries last week that 
I've been meaning to put to use, but I just haven't had the 
opportunity."

"Ok then, but later on, if you feel like you're not up to 
it, just give me a call and I can take home some Italian or 
Chinese or whatever."

"Mulder, don't worry. Now get to work!" And Scully 
playfully pushes me out the door.

"No kiss goodbye?" I yell back.

"Something to look forward to when you get back home!"

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

20 minutes later

"Agent Mulder, this case that I'm about to assign you is 
not a Bureau matter. However, it is very important to the 
Scotland Yard."

"Sir, I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure I follow." I hate 
these long introductions that Russell usually gives. I 
wish he'd just get to the gist of it.

"Agent, have you heard of the string of murders that have 
taken place in the U.K. all involving people with ties to 
important members of Parliament?"

"No sir, I'm not quite up to date with my British 
newspapers." I say rather sarcastically.

"Well, the Scotland Yard believes their main suspect for 
those murders was able to leave the country and they 
believe he's now here in the D.C. area. Anyway, they can't 
send over a huge team to help capture this guy. It would 
draw too much attention to them and it would be a huge 
embarrassment to them that they allowed the killer to leave 
the country. So they've asked for the Bureau's help. As 
you know, we can't exactly turn our backs on them. You're 
well aware of the political reasons for that."

"Yes, of course"

"Anyway, the Scotland Yard agent in charge of this case has 
specifically asked for your help on this case."

"So who is this agent sir?"

"Her name is Phoebe Greene. She's a veteran with the Yard. 
In fact, I believe she graduated from Oxford, you might 
have even seen her around there and not have known it." 
How wrong you are sir. My god, Phoebe?! I can't believe 
it. I don't want to work with her. She likes to fuck with 
people's heads. She does it for kicks, and it doesn't hurt 
either when it furthers her interests. But I can't tell 
that to my boss. In fact, I don't have a decent excuse not 
to take on this case, seeing as how I just wrapped up my 
last case and have absolutely nothing pending. 

"Yes sir . . . I've ummm . . . seen her around."

"Excellent then, she's waiting for you in your office. 
She'll fill you in on the rest. You're dismissed."

I'm walking to my office now and I've never felt my feet 
this heavy. I am NOT looking forward to this. At all. 
However, a part of me can't help but be anxious. I'm 
curious; what does she look like now? I mean it has been 
nearly 10 years since I've seen her last. Maybe she's 
changed, maybe she really does genuinely need my help, and 
she's not taking this as just another opportunity to mess 
with my head again. I suppose I should give her the 
benefit of the doubt.

I reach my office and tentatively open the door. And I see 
that my old friend Phoebe has made herself quite 
comfortable at my desk. She's sitting in MY chair, cross-
legged, revealing those long, shapely legs. And in her 
sultry British accent greets me, "Fox, I see the years have 
been kind to you."

"As with you I see." I respond, nonchalantly. I can be 
cool and detached as well. Besides, it wasn't a lie. She 
is gorgeous. Actually, the only difference I notice is 
that she decided to grow her hair out. Stunning. But 
before I let that thought go any further, I remember that I 
have a far more stunning woman at home who Phoebe doesn't 
even come close to comparing to. And I leave it at that.

"I'm flattered, Fox." She stands up and walks towards me. 
She presses her lips to mine. She's a lot taller than 
Scully and doesn't have to stand on her toes to kiss me. I 
didn't see it coming and I was a little taken aback. From 
my surprise I forgot to do anything when the door to my 
office opens and we're suddenly interrupted by Kimberly, 
Skinner's secretary. And that's when it occurs to me to 
back away from Phoebe. I would've pushed her away, but 
that wouldn't have been very gentleman-like of me. Anyway, 
I'm not quite sure if Kimberly saw anything. I don't think 
she did, and if she did, she's certainly not letting it on. 
So I assume the former and act as if nothing happened.

"Hi Kimberly, what brings you up here?"

"A.D. Skinner just wanted me to bring these files up to 
you. He said he really appreciates you taking the time to 
look over them." Oh right, I promised Skinner I'd take a 
look at a missing persons case for him. Just as a favor.

"No problem, tell him I'm glad to help." And with that 
Kimberly walks out. I turn my attention to Phoebe.

"Phoebe, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't take such 
liberties." 

"Did I embarrass you Fox?"

"What do you think?" I couldn't keep the irritation from 
my voice.

"You didn't exactly pull away until we had an audience . . 
. "

"You surprised me. That's all." I make sure to look her 
in the eyes. Let her know I'm not playing hard to get. 
I'm playing no get. Wanting to ease the tension in the 
room, I quickly change the subject, "So about this case, I 
wasn't really given the details, I was hoping you'd fill me 
in on it." 

"Of course. But you know what, it's already 11 and I 
haven't even had breakfast yet. How about you let me fill 
you in over brunch?" Well, I suppose I could get a bite to 
eat. After all I myself haven't had anything to eat today.

"Yeah, we can go to Joe's deli across the street."

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

Later that evening

I can't believe it's nearly 8pm now. No wonder I'm so 
hungry. I forgot to call Scully to let her know I'd be a 
little late. But she knows that I was given a new case 
today, and she knows that I usually come home a little late 
on these kind of nights. 

But what's really surprising is that the day did not turn 
out to be as bad as I had anticipated after finding out I'd 
be working with Phoebe. In fact, it was actually . . . 
pleasant. We did some catching up over lunch. I found out 
she never married, not that I was surprised, she was never 
the type to settle down with one person. I know that first 
hand. But I also found out that her career has really 
taken off after I helped her with that X-File case nearly 
10 years ago. She told me that she's been wanting to thank 
me for some time now. But she figured since I didn't get 
back to her after she left me that cassette tape, that I 
was angry with her. I was honest and admitted I didn't 
even listen to the tape. She jokingly told me that as a 
punishment she's not going to tell me what was on it. She 
said I'd forever have to wonder. I guess that's fair.

Actually, now that I think back on today, she and I just 
talked mostly about what she's been doing. Then we just 
talked about old times at Oxford. I don't think I even 
mentioned to her that I'm married. But I suppose she'd 
come to that conclusion upon seeing my wedding ring.

I finally arrive home and find Scully setting the table. 
"Hey Scully, sorry I'm late, there were a lot of things I 
had to go over with the new case. I hope I didn't keep you 
waiting too long." I say as I lean over to give her a 
kiss.

"Don't worry about it, I had a bit of a snack a couple of 
hours ago. I figured you'd probably be late tonight. 
That's why I started dinner late." She motions towards the 
pots on the stove. "I made your favorite, roast lamb with 
seasoned rice and potatoes and pita bread on the side." 
Yup, that's my favorite alright. I have a thing for Greek 
dishes.

"Yeah I know, I could smell it from down the hallway."

"So how was work?"

"It was fine, we'll talk more about it after dinner. I 
want to know about your day. Was Will a handful?" I ask, 
knowing the answer to it already.

"Like father like son." She teases playfully.

"Hey! That is sooo . . . " Scully raises her eyebrows at 
me, daring me to finish my statement. " . . . true." And 
she and I both burst out laughing. "So Will's asleep?" 

"He fell asleep about 20 minutes ago. He's pretty tired 
from our trip to the park today. We met a mother and her 
daughter who's about Will's age. Anyway he seemed to enjoy 
having a playmate . . . " I know Scully wants very much to 
give William a baby brother or sister. We've been trying 
for a couple of months now, but so far, no luck. Anyway, I 
change the subject.

"So you must be pooped too, having to run after Will all 
day."

"No more than when I used to have to run after you while we 
worked on the X-Files."

"Yeah, the good ol' days."

"Hehehehe, yeah well I don't really have the energy to run 
after two Mulders, so I think it's just as well we're no 
longer working on the X-Files. Anyway, wash up, dinner's 
ready." 

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

After dinner

Scully's POV

"So Mulder, about this new case . . . " I've been curious 
about it all day. This time, after dinner when Will's in 
bed, is sort of our quiet time together. We talk about 
work, plans, watch a little TV together, and if we're not 
too tired usually make a little love.

"Actually Scully, the case is a British matter. The Bureau 
is just doing them a favor. My job is pretty much to 
assist in apprehending a British fugitive. Nothing 
extraordinary really."

"Mulder, you're the Bureau's best profiler, why would they 
waste your time with a case that's usually given to rookie 
agents?" Pro bono work is not something they assign their 
top agents.

"I was requested, specifically by the British agent in 
charge. She and I will be working the case together. Ummm 
. . . do you remember Phoebe Greene?"

"Phoebe Greene?" Remember? How could I forget? All of a 
sudden I have the image of the two of them kissing as they 
danced in that hotel lobby nearly 10 years ago. Is it my 
imagination or do I suddenly have a bad taste in my mouth? 
"Yes Mulder I remember, she took advantage of the fact that 
you would help her based on your past association with her, 
used your fear of fire against you, for what? Kicks? And 
she almost got you killed. Believe me, I haven't 
forgotten." I couldn't hide the anger, nor the sarcasm in 
my voice. I immediately regret my tone, knowing it's not 
Mulder's fault. That, and he gives me that sad puppy look 
that never fails to melt my heart. "I'm sorry, I didn't 
mean to snap at you. I guess when you told me this morning 
you were going to be assigned someone to work with, I never 
expected it to be Phoebe." I say, giving a half-hearted 
smile. 

"Don't worry, Scully. I honestly believe that this time 
she really does need my help, and nothing more. I don't 
think there's an ulterior motive."

"I don't trust her."

"Since when have you ever trusted anyone from my past?" I 
know Mulder's referring to Diana. 

"Was I wrong to mistrust her?" He shrugs, knowing exactly 
who we're talking about. But I can tell he doesn't want to 
get into it. Not that I blame him, in many ways she still 
remains a sore spot between us.

"In all fairness Scully, your suspicion of Diana didn't 
stem from any solid evidence. You disliked her 
immediately, and you needed to find something bad about 
her. It just turned out that you did find something."

"I'll admit that I felt threatened, I was always sure about 
my place in your life, until she came along. I guess 
that's what made me hate her. I suppose my animosity 
towards her was what made me notice that she was 
suspicious. Not to be trusted. But whatever caused me to 
doubt her I don't think is relevant, the bottom line is 
that it turned out I had reason to."

"Ok, I'll give you that, Scully. But I don't see what this 
has to do with Phoebe."

"I don't believe her intentions are honorable. I believe 
that she's going to take this opportunity to mess with your 
head. Again." I make sure to stress that last word.

"Scully, look at me." He pulls me closer to him. He takes 
my hands in his. "I know back then I made poor decisions. 
I allowed her to play me for a fool and I have no one to 
blame but myself. But now, the only woman who has any 
influence on me at all . . . is you. I need you to 
remember that." I don't doubt the sincerity in his voice, 
but it's her I don't trust.

"Mulder, do you know what I hate the most about not working 
on the X-Files anymore? It's that I'm no longer your 
partner." I sigh, not quite sure where I'm heading with 
this. "Do you know that I have no peace of mind when 
you're at work? I mean I know you stay mostly at the 
office, doing behavioral profiling, but I also know that 
there are times when you have to do dangerous field work, 
apprehending suspects, raids, whatever. And I think about 
you in such a situation and wonder who it is that's 
covering your back. I don't trust anyone else to look out 
after you. And now you tell me that the person who has the 
job of watching your back is Phoebe Greene?! How do you 
think I feel?!" I turn away, not wanting him to see the 
tears that are beginning to form. Just the thought of 
receiving a phone call one day from some anonymous agent 
telling me my husband's been killed in the line of duty is 
enough to make me vomit. It's my worst nightmare.

"Scully, you'll always be my partner." I'm wrapped in his 
arms now. My face buried in his chest. "In every sense of 
the word. I promise that I will not put myself in a 
compromising position. I will not put myself in a position 
where I'll need to be looked out for by anyone. I'm not 
like I was before, I'm not going to take stupid risks or 
follow vague leads. I'm a husband and a father and that's 
foremost in my mind. You have nothing to worry about." 
And for now, his words of comfort have to be good enough. 
There's really very little I can do about the situation. 

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

The next morning

Phoebe's POV

I wasn't kidding yesterday when I told Fox the years have 
been kind to him. He still looks as yummy as ever. When I 
looked at his hand, I don't remember if I was more 
disappointed or surprised to find a wedding ring on his 
finger. After he went home from the office yesterday, I 
made sure to stay behind and get more details from the 
other agents on his marital status. I mean, sure, he was 
married, that much was obvious from his wedding ring. But 
the most important detail was still a mystery to me. To 
WHOM was he married to? For how long? I needed to be able 
to tell how well I measured up to this new woman in his 
life (new at least to me). Well, I bumped into one of the 
secretaries, I believe it was the same one who walked in on 
Fox and me this morning, anyway she didn't seem to like me 
much, but she answered my questions nonetheless. Imagine 
my shock when I found out the missus was none other than 
Agent Scully! I couldn't believe she stayed with him! 
Anyway, when my surprise subsided, relief quickly washed 
over me. A tight-ass like Scully couldn't compare to me. 
I bring with me a touch of excitement, of danger, something 
Fox has always been attracted to. After I spoke to the 
woman, I stayed a little while longer asking various people 
various things about Fox and Agent Scully. I'm sure more 
than half of what I heard were nothing more than rumors, 
but I'll decide what to filter out and what not to.
	
Anyway, here I am at his apartment. Let's see if I can't 
stir up a little domestic squabble in the Mulder household. 
I knock at the door. Once, twice, three times. Suddenly, 
the door opens and I'm face to face with Agent Scully, and 
she doesn't hide her dislike for me with her tone of voice 
"Phoebe Greene. How may I help you?"

"Agent Scully?! I'm sorry, but I probably got the wrong 
address from the bureau database. I actually meant to 
visit Fox. He and I are working a case." My favorite game 
as a child after all was pretend. I try to suppress a 
chuckle.

"Well, you have the right address. Come in, Mulder's just 
getting Will ready, he'll be out in a minute." 

Who's Will? I look around the living room and find some 
scattered toys, and a playpen. To my right in the kitchen, 
I see a highchair. My suspicions are confirmed as I see 
Mulder emerge from the bedroom holding a still sleeping 
toddler in his arms. A son?! Nobody mentioned Mulder's a 
father now! Hmm . . . this complicates matters a little. 

"Phoebe? What are you doing here?" He asks me, and I 
wonder if he didn't embellish the surprise in his voice 
because Scully's here.

"Fox, I was in the area and thought you could use a ride to 
work. You know carpooling is economical." I say showing 
my pearly whites. 

"Oh, umm . . . thanks. I guess that uhh . . . makes 
sense." Boy is he uncomfortable. Scully on the other hand 
is fuming. I can almost see smoke coming out of her ears. 
She knows what I'm up to. Which makes it all the more fun! 

"Mulder, you said you'd be coming home early today. I 
think it would be best if you just took your own car, so 
that Phoebe doesn't have to leave the office early as well 
just to drive you." I have to give Scully credit though, 
she managed to say all that without gritting her teeth too 
much.

"Oh no Agent Scully, I didn't plan on putting in a long day 
either. So whenever Fox wants to wrap it up for the day 
will be find with me." I turn to Fox, "So, ready to go? 
By the way, who's the tyke?" 

"This is William. He's my son." Proud are we?

"Yes, so his mother tells you." Oooh, I'm evil. That one 
gets me a glare from said mother. Fox laughs nervously, I 
think it's his sad attempt to ease the tension. Oh, I'm 
not letting him off the hook just yet, "I must say, I'm a 
tad bit surprised, you never mentioned you had a wife, let 
alone a family, Fox." This gets him a raised eyebrow from 
his wife.

"Uhh . . . I just thought everyone knew. Anyway, we should 
get going." He quickly ushers me to the door. He turns 
back and whispers something to Scully and gives her a quick 
kiss on the mouth. Glancing over my shoulder, she doesn't 
look too happy with him. Boy am I good, what a way to 
start my morning!

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

Mulder's POV

Boy, Scully was not happy. Not that I blame her or 
anything. I mean I'm man enough to admit that if Scully 
were in my position, working a case with an ex-lover, I'd 
be pretty annoyed with the situation myself. That's to say 
the least. Anyway, I want to finish this case ASAP. I 
know this is really bothering Scully and I hate it when 
she's unhappy.

Anyway, Phoebe and I have gone over a dozen files the past 
hour trying to find any possible American accomplices for 
their British killer. It's been pretty quiet here in the 
office so far. Until . . .

"Cute kid you got yourself Fox." 

"Thanks. He takes mostly after his mother." I say 
proudly.

"I noticed that. In fact he doesn't resemble you even in 
the tiniest bit. Are you sure he's yours?" She says it 
jokingly, but I know it's more than a joke. She means 
something by it. 

"I like to think Will's been blessed by getting his mom's 
looks. He didn't get my nose now did he?" A joke for a 
joke. I hope she leaves it at that. But of course she's 
Phoebe, so that won't happen.

"I'm sorry Fox, it's just that I heard things." 

"Such as?"

"Well . . . that you were missing for a really long time 
and when you came back, she was already pregnant." Where 
is she going with this?

"That's right. So?"

"Did it ever occur to you that the baby may not be yours 
and that she got pregnant while you were missing? I heard 
she had problems conceiving and is it really that far-
fetched to think she went to look for a donor? I mean time 
wasn't exactly on her side." I don't like where this 
conversation is heading.

"She would have told me. And even if that were the case, 
it wouldn't matter to me. Because even if William wasn't 
mine biologically, he is Scully's for sure, and therefore I 
would still love him like my own. Which he is. My blood 
runs through his veins just as much as Scully's does." 
Scully WOULD have told me. Wouldn't she?

"Oh Fox, I wasn't questioning your love for the little guy. 
Not at all! I've seen you with him after all. It's just 
that the odds of Scully having gotten pregnant by natural 
means were so slim . . . she must've gotten some kind of 
help . . . and the fact you weren't around . . ."

"Look Phoebe, he's my son alright. Just drop it!" Ok I'm 
mad now. "Let's just focus on the case ok?" Please.

"It has never occurred to you that she could be keeping you 
around for the simple fact that it's convenient?" Of 
course it has, but for the sake of my fragile heart I try 
to think otherwise. "I mean, wasn't she planning to leave 
you at some point? To Salt Lake City was it? Of course 
what do I know, I just heard everything through the 
grapevine. I'm just sitting on the fence, but from how I 
see it, she has a guy who loves her, who loves her son, who 
believes he's the father, who's not short on money, to say 
the least . . . Is it just me or does that not spell 
convenience?"

I understand completely what she's trying to tell me. And 
I don't like it one bit. "You're right. You are just 
sitting on the fence." I can't stand any more of this and 
I get up to leave, but before I reach the door she says one 
more thing to me.

"I never said convenience was the only reason. She 
probably also felt sorry for you and stayed with you out of 
pity." Sigh, Oh Phoebe, you always have to get the last 
word in don't you?

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

Meanwhile . . .

Scully's POV 

I can't believe the nerve of that woman! Everything she 
did this morning she did to get under my skin. And I'm 
ashamed to say that it's worked. I must admit, she one-
upped me this morning. Though I must hand it to her, the 
fact that she was able to get the upper hand in my own home 
no less, should be complimented, albeit backhandedly. I 
was so furious after this morning that I cancelled the 
errands I had to run. So after feeding Will and putting 
him down for his nap, I went to watch some TV. That was 
when I got a call from Kim, Skinner's secretary. She said 
she had the afternoon off and wondered if I wanted to grab 
a cup of coffee with her. With the mood I was in I figured 
it wouldn't hurt to have a sympathetic ear. So I agreed to 
meet her at the internet cafe down the street. 

So that's where I am now, just finishing my hot chocolate, 
Will in his stroller content with fiddling with his fisher 
price key chain toy. I see Kim come in and her face lights 
up upon seeing me.

"Dana! It's been a while, it's wonderful to see you!"

"You too Kim! I know we haven't seen much of each other 
since I cut back on my hours at the Bureau. But really, I 
should've made a better effort keeping in touch."

"Oh, don't be hard on yourself, I know how busy you've 
been. So how's life treatin' ya?"

"Oh it's been wonderful. I must say I've been living the 
charmed life." And then I mumble, "Up until this morning." 

But Kim hears it and asks, "Why, what happened this 
morning?"

So then I tell her all about Phoebe's visit, the kind of 
woman she is, her history with Mulder, my shame in that 
it's affecting me as much as it is, you know, the 'reader's 
digest' version essentially. I look up at her, kind of 
sheepishly, looking for her reaction.

"You know Dana, I met this woman yesterday, and I disliked 
her immediately. She umm . . . asked a lot of questions 
about Mulder too." Kim's fidgeting, she doesn't look 
comfortable at all. 

"Kim, is everything ok? You seem nervous."

"Well . . . it's just that . . .well . . . promise me you 
won't jump to any conclusions?" She looks at me with 
almost pleading eyes. I try to reassure her.

"Of course not. What is it?"

"Yesterday A.D. Skinner gave me some files to give to Agent 
Mulder. I went down to his office . . . and I don't know 
what I was thinking . . . but I didn't even knock . . . 
Anyway, I walked into his office and he and Phoebe Greene 
were kissing." I think I just had the wind knocked out of 
me. At this moment I can't think of a time when I had a 
harder time breathing. Relax Dana, calm down, this is 
Mulder we're talking about. My Mulder.

"Kissing? How do you mean?" Ok, good job Dana, that 
sounded pretty calm. Keep it up.

"Yeah, when he noticed I walked in, he pulled away. He 
acted as if nothing happened, but Phoebe Greene had a big 
smirk on her face." She pauses, unsure of how to continue. 
"Umm . . . Dana? Are you ok? I'm not trying to make 
Mulder sound bad or anything . . . I'm sure he didn't 
initiate anything with her, and I certainly saw him end . . 
. whatever it was she was trying to do . . . I guess I'm 
just trying to tell you to look out for him. Ms. Greene 
seems like trouble."

I couldn't help but laugh at this last statement from 
Kimberley. "Oh, Kim, you have no idea." 

Kim and I sat at the cafe for another half an hour or so, 
catching up on other things. Though I think it goes 
without saying that my mind was elsewhere for the rest of 
the afternoon. I trust my husband, I know he's dedicated 
to me and to William implicitly. We're his family and he 
would never be unfaithful. Would he? God Dana stop it! 
You're being ridiculous! This is Mulder we're talking 
about for crying out loud! 

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

Later that evening
Mulder's POV

"Honey, I'm home!" I call out to Scully as I hang my 
jacket. I make sure to add a bit of cheerfulness in my 
voice. I know she wasn't happy when I left this morning. 
I hope she's had time to cool off.

I left slightly early from work. I didn't wait for Phoebe 
to give me a ride home. Our conversation from this 
afternoon left me with a lot of conflicting thoughts. Not 
to mention I've since felt somewhat bitter towards Phoebe 
for bringing up the things she did. That woman has a 
talent for finding open wounds and plunging the knife 
straight in!

"I'm in the living room Mulder." I can barely hear 
Scully's response. She sounds exhausted. Not very happy 
either. I head over to where she is and give her a quick 
kiss on her lips. She didn't return the sentiment.

"Hey sweetheart, how was your day?"

"Interesting." Hmm, she sounds like she has more to say, 
but seconds pass by and she doesn't add anything more. So 
naturally, I ask her to volunteer more information.

"Really? What happened that was so interesting?" She 
looks at me but says nothing. I knew she was upset about 
this morning, but I also knew that it was more towards 
Phoebe, not at me. 

"Dana? Are you still upset about this morning?" I called 
her by her first name. That got her attention because I 
don't usually use her first name, even now that we're 
married.

With a sigh she answers, "No . . . I'm just really tired 
Mulder. I think I'm just going to finish up with these 
clothes I'm folding and then I'm going to sleep." With 
that, she turns her back to me and continues on with 
folding the clothes. Anyway, now I'm annoyed. With the 
day I had I was hoping for a nice warm welcome, at least a 
hug. A silent reassurance that the things Phoebe told me 
this afternoon had no merit. I knew she may have still 
been in a bad mood because of this morning, but knowing her 
I thought we'd at least discuss it. In situations like 
this I would usually coax it out of her, whatever was 
bothering her. I'd use my puppy dog eyes to get it out of 
her. She never could resist me when I'd do that. But 
right now, she's not the only one with clouded thoughts. 
So I leave her and make my way to William's room to check 
on him.

As I sit beside my son's crib watching him sleep ever so 
peacefully, I can't help but think back to the things 
Phoebe said to me this afternoon. Where the hell does she 
get off saying such things to me? But I have to be honest 
with myself, the reason why it's still bothering me until 
now is the fact that the things she said to me earlier were 
doubts I've always had. Doubts that I've done my best to 
suppress. But most people would agree, when you actually 
hear things you already know out loud to your face, it 
never fails to make you realize it even more. That's 
exactly what she's done. I know Scully loves me. But is 
it the love a wife should have for her husband? Or is it a 
love she was forced to learn to have for me based on 
circumstances out of our hands? Is it so far-fetched to 
believe that she's staying with me out of pity? Out of 
convenience? I look down at William and I can't help but 
think how precious he is. How much Scully loves him and 
how much she's always wanted to have a baby of her own. In 
my heart William is my son. I never dared ask Scully just 
when exactly William was conceived. I suppose I feared the 
answer so much I just put my head in the sand. I always 
just told myself that it was before I disappeared in 
Oregon. Now whether or not I'm William's biological father 
doesn't matter to me, I love him. What bothers me is the 
fact that Scully may only be staying with me so that 
William has a father. Or maybe because she doesn't want to 
hurt my feelings if she did indeed conceive him by means 
contrary to what I believe. Or could it simply be perhaps 
that I am a pathetic sap as Phoebe so stylishly implied, 
and Scully just felt so sorry for me and probably thought 
to herself what's a better gift to give to me than a ready-
made family? Should I even have the right to complain? So 
what if Scully is staying with me for those reasons? 
Shouldn't I just be thankful to have her love? Is it 
really important what kind of love I'm getting from her? 
This is more than I've ever dreamed of having. At this 
thought I can't help but chuckle to myself. I have to be 
honest with myself, what good are these thoughts of mine? 
Say for the sake of argument that these suspicions turned 
out to be true, what would I do? It's not like I'd leave 
Scully, it's not like I'd disown my son. I guess I would 
just be . . . sad. Sad that while I was lucky enough to 
get the life I've always wanted, I would always know that 
Scully got the life she was lucky enough to settle for. A 
position she's found herself in after all the years she's 
thrown away to chase after little grey men with me, this is 
the best she got out of life. 

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

Meanwhile
Scully's POV

I didn't know how to broach the issue with Mulder. I 
didn't even know how to act around him. And I'm so mad at 
myself because for the first time in years, I found myself 
uncomfortable with Mulder. This is also so unlike me! I 
always get every angle of a story before I make an opinion, 
yet the reason I'm so afraid to bring the whole Phoebe 
issue up is that I'm so afraid of what he might tell me. 
Ever since my meeting with Kimberley today I've been 
walking around with a heavy heart. And there's nothing I 
want or need more than to have Mulder wrap me in his arms 
and tell me that it's not what it seems. That's actually 
what I was hoping he'd do when he got home tonight. I 
didn't really give him a clear answer to his questions 
tonight and I had hoped that he would hold me like he 
usually does, and try to get me to tell him what was really 
bothering me in his sweet manner that I've grown accustomed 
to. Childish method? Perhaps, but it's always worked 
before. But tonight, he just took what I said at face 
value and walked away. I couldn't have made it more 
obvious that I was bothered by something, yet he didn't 
even make an effort to find out what it was. He simply 
walked away. Is this a foreshadowing of things to come? 
Is he going to walk away from me? For good? Is he 
unhappy? Oh god, I couldn't bear it if he stopped loving 
me. Please, anything but that. 

It's late and the apartment is quiet. I'm tucked into bed 
now, but I'm alone. Mulder hasn't joined me yet, I'm not 
really sure if he will. He hasn't left William's room. 
He's made a habit of spending the night there when we'd get 
into arguments. I'm wondering if that's what he'll do 
tonight. 

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

The next day
Phoebe's POV

"Ok, the killer I believe has a cousin living in Virginia 
and I'm guessing he's staying there." Ahh Fox, ever the 
professional. 

"You don't look like you had a very good night's rest Fox. 
Everything ok with the missus?" I try to get a reaction 
out of him, but he simply ignores my comment.

"Anyway, I say we get a search warrant."

"Fox, you've been working for five hours straight! You're 
wound up tighter than a jack in the box just before it 
pops! You didn't get laid last night did you?" I keep 
trying to get a reaction out of him. If anything I'm 
efficient. 

"Look Phoebe, I'd appreciate it if we just focused on the 
work. My private life is none of your business." Ouch, 
that was a little too curt for my taste.

"I'm sorry Fox, you just don't seem to be in a good mood 
and I thought a little small talk wouldn't hurt."

"I'm sorry too, I just have a lot on my mind." Oooh, is 
this a crack in his wall? I have to play this well. It 
seems like he wants to talk.

"Oh really? It seems really important." He just shrugs 
his shoulders. Ok, maybe I have to take another approach. 
"You know I'm always here for you Fox." As I say this I 
inch a little closer to him. I caress his cheek, and his 
eyes meet mine. "Do you want to talk about it?" He 
doesn't answer, but it's almost like I can see the wheels 
in his head turning, deciding whether or not to talk to me. 
I don't give him a chance to decide because I lean in and 
kiss him on the lips.

I think maybe it didn't really register what I was doing 
until a few seconds. That or maybe he enjoyed it. I'm not 
sure though because he didn't return the kiss. After a few 
seconds he pulls back, staring at me as if to ask 'what did 
you just do?' A moment of silence passes before he stands 
up and walks towards the door.

"Things may not be rosy on the home front for me right now, 
Phoebe. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm married, 
with a family whom I love very much. Because of what you 
were to me once, I will pretend that you didn't just do 
that. I don't appreciate you taking advantage of my 
emotional state the way you just did. Rest assured, if you 
ever do something like that again I will have a sexual 
harassment suit against you."

Damn it! I moved too fast! I quickly walk up to him, "I'm 
so sorry Fox. I just . . . I've missed you so much."

"You had your chance Phoebe. What can I say?"

"I know, I didn't mean to upset you." I close the gap 
between us and give him a hug. Surprisingly enough he 
returns it, albeit awkwardly. I didn't want to let go. It 
did feel good to be in his arms again, even though this 
time only as a somewhat friend just having been forgiven. 
I hadn't realized until I backed away that I got a smudge 
of lipstick on his shoulder. Of course I didn't say 
anything.

"It's ok Phoebe. Listen, clearly you're not in the mood to 
work, and neither am I. I'm going home. I'll see you 
tomorrow, and I hope that we can just focus on the work 
tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure Fox." I say, and with that he walks out the 
door.

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

That evening
Mulder's POV

Well that was a weird day. Phoebe made a move on me. I 
mean the first time she did it a few days ago didn't really 
mean much. For the most part I just shrugged it off. But 
today she knew I was married. And more than that, it 
genuinely seemed like she put feeling into it today. 

I felt somewhat bad, maybe I was a little too hard on her. 
After all, she said she missed me. And I know what it's 
like to want someone you can't have. 

I didn't realize I've been standing outside with the keys 
in my hand about to open the apartment door, but never 
quite getting to it. I guess I'm not quite sure how Scully 
will be tonight. Scully had already left for Quantico when 
I got up, leaving me to drive Will to his grandma's for her 
to pick up in the afternoon. Usually though on days when 
we both have to work, we at least eat a quick breakfast 
together. I guess whatever was on her mind last night was 
still on her mind this morning. I just hope that she's 
ready to talk about it tonight. 

I let myself in and I find myself face to face with Scully 
who is holding William in her arms in the middle of the 
living room. She has a melancholy look in her eyes.

"You're home early." She says to me in an almost whisper.

"Yeah, I guess I had too much on my mind to keep on 
working."

"Oh? What about?"

"You mostly. It seemed like something was really bothering 
you last night. I thought maybe you would be more willing 
to talk about it now."

She nods her head. Will has fallen asleep on her shoulder 
and she moves towards his bedroom to tuck him in. When she 
comes out she says, "You didn't really care last night, why 
now?"

"Of course I cared, I just . . . I guess I just didn't 
have the energy left last night to find out more. I had 
things on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Nothing important." I hope she lets me leave it at that. 
With Scully you never know.

"I see . . . I guess you're hungry, there's some leftovers 
for you in the kitchen. I haven't eaten yet, I guess I'll 
join you." She says that last part with a small smile. 
I'm relieved to see her lighten up, even if it is just a 
little. I take my jacket off and follow her into the 
kitchen.

Before I can ask what's for dinner Scully asks, "What's 
that on your shirt?" She's pointing to my right shoulder. 
I look down, not quite sure what it was.

"Umm . . . I don't know. Why, what is it?"

She takes a closer look, then says, "That's lipstick 
Mulder!" Lipstick?! Oh crap! Phoebe! "Is this Phoebe's 
lipstick?!" I don't think I've ever heard Scully raise her 
voice this high.

"Yes, well "

"Oh god! I can't believe this. How could you?!" Whoa! I 
mean now that I've had a couple of seconds to think about 
it, maybe 'yes' wasn't the right word to start off with to 
answer her question. But is she really implying what I 
think she's implying?!

"Wait a second, what exactly are you trying to say 
Scully?!"

"Are you having an affair?" She says it so quietly. It 
seems like she's almost scared. It's such a contrast to 
the way she was a few seconds ago. She looks fragile that 
it breaks my heart for a second. But anger quickly takes 
over me. How could she accuse me of such a thing?!

"How could you even ask me that?!" Does she think that 
little of me?!

"Kimberley told me she walked in on you and Phoebe kissing! 
Are you going to deny that?!"

"No!" That's all I say. Not bothering to add to that. 
She stands in front of me several seconds longer, obviously 
waiting if I was going to say anymore. I didn't. I was 
far too angry to explain myself. Scully runs into the 
bedroom and slams the door behind her. I take about two 
steps towards it and then I decide against it and just 
headed out.

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

Later at the Gunmen's

"Holy shit man, you're in hot water!" Well, I can always 
count on Frohike to put things in perspective.

"You just left her?! Man, Mulder, you left your wife 
thinking you had an affair!" Of course there's always 
Langly with his two cents.

"What was I supposed to do?! She point blank accused me of 
having an affair! I mean, does she think that little of 
me?!"

"Look Mulder, I'm not taking sides here, but she did find 
Phoebe's lipstick stain on your shirt. Add to that you 
just confirmed to her that you indeed kissed Phoebe." 

"I didn't kiss Phoebe, she kissed me." I mumble half-
heartedly. Of course there's Byers, ever the levelheaded 
one. 

"Mulder, put yourself in her place. Wouldn't you ask?"

"She didn't ask so much as she accused me!"

"Mulder, calm down. Maybe you can try and look at this in 
a different way. Try not to see it so much as Scully 
doubting you, try to see it as more Scully doubting 
herself." I look at Frohike and he has this tentative look 
to him. But I give what he said some thought. "I think 
this is a case of Scully having insecurities. Don't be 
mad, it's a human trait, Mulder. You more than anyone 
should know that."

"What are you talking about?! What kind of insecurities 
could she possibly have? If anyone has the right to get 
mad about being insecure, it's me!" I try to catch my 
breath, but I have more to say, "I've had my insecurities 
ranging from William's paternity to why it is Scully's even 
with me! But do you see me accusing her of anything?!" I 
was in a rage now.

"Maybe that's it." Byers interrupts.

"What's it?!"

"I don't think you're so much angry that Scully asked you 
if you were having an affair. I think it's a lot of pent 
up insecurities you have about the things you mentioned 
that's gotten you all mad. The fact that you haven't 
voiced them to Scully the way she voiced her insecurities 
to you really bothers you. But when you think of it, 
you're doubting Scully too. Not about whether or not she's 
having an affair, but you're questioning her love for you. 
When you think of it, that's exactly what Scully's insecure 
about, your love for her, otherwise, she wouldn't doubt 
your fidelity to her. Mulder, you being mad at Scully over 
this is like the pot calling the kettle black so to speak." 

We all look at Byers in silence, digesting everything he 
said. Frohike's the first to speak up.

"Hey man, are you sure YOU'RE not the Oxford graduated 
psychologist here?" Clearly Frohike's impressed by Byers 
enlightened speech. I must say, so am I. After a few 
moments I break the silence.

"You're right Byers, you're absolutely right. I was wrong 
to be mad at Scully, and I'm a jerk to leave her like that, 
not saying anything to put her suspicions to rest."

"So dude, what are you waiting for, fix things with your 
wife!" Couldn't have said it better myself Langly.

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

The apartment
Scully's POV

It can't be true! It just can't! I keep saying this in 
between sobs. Mulder's been gone over 2 hours now. No 
doubt with Phoebe. God, he wouldn't even bother to deny 
it. I suppose he wanted to leave me anyway, and I just 
made things easier for him. All I can think about is how I 
could go on without him. I think about William and it 
brings tears to my eyes knowing I would have to eventually 
explain things to him. He loves his daddy so much. How 
could Mulder do this?! We have a son for god's sake! I 
hate him so much! Yet, I love him so much. I start to cry 
again when I hear a knock on the bedroom door.

"Scully?" Mulder? What's he doing here? "Scully unlock 
the door I need to speak to you."

"Leave me alone Mulder." I barely manage to get that out.

"Scully, I'm sorry I left, and I'm sorry I got angry at 
you." He pauses, maybe he's waiting for a response from 
me. I don't give him one. "Scully?" He is still waiting 
for a response, but I don't trust my voice to hold, so I 
say nothing. "Scully, I hope you're listening because if 
I'm forced to do this to the door, I will." Still I remain 
silent. "Look Scully, I'm not having an affair with 
Phoebe, or with any woman. I have always been and forever 
will be faithful to you. I wasn't with Phoebe more than a 
minute when Kimberley walked in on us. She kissed me, not 
the other way around. I was a little surprised that she 
would be so bold, I guess that's why I didn't push her away 
immediately, I was taken aback, but I did push her away. 
Not because Kimberley walked in, but because it made me 
feel disgusted. Scully, she wasn't you, she'll never be 
you. As for the lipstick you found, it was there because 
we hugged and she put her head on my shoulder. But the 
only reason we hugged was because I was comforting her. Do 
you want to know why she needed my comfort? It was because 
she still had feelings for me. Feelings I don't 
reciprocate. Something I made very clear to her."

I don't know what to say. I am frozen in place. I want 
nothing more, ache for nothing more than to open the door 
and fall into his arms. But for whatever reason unknown to 
me, I can't. Maybe it is because I am emotionally drained 
after what happened this evening, I'm not so sure. But I 
say nothing . . . do nothing. A couple of minutes pass by, 
though I'm sure Mulder's still right on the other side of 
the door. Then he speaks.

"Scully . . . you have my heart, I gave it to you long ago 
. . . and I only had one to give to begin with."

Tears are now streaming down my face. I want to say 
something, but my throat is constricted. I can't seem to 
find my voice. Then I hear my husband's foot steps. He's 
walking away. I don't want him to leave. I panic for a 
second, then I open the bedroom door.

"Mulder, don't go!" I'm surprised to see that instead of 
walking to the front door like I thought he was, he settled 
on the couch. I can only imagine what I look like to him 
right now, my cheeks red, my eyes bloodshot, my hair 
disheveled. I walk closer to him. On his face is a look 
of worry, then I realized it's because he's not sure of 
what I'm going to say. So I give him a small smile, I see 
relief overcome him. "I believe you."

And with that, he envelopes me in his arms and I bury my 
face in his chest. I savor the feel of him. I feel like I 
haven't been held by him like this in years. We hold each 
other, for a long time, mostly in silence except for the 
sound of our breathing. Mulder is the first to speak.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart. I'm sorry that instead of 
putting your fears to rest, I magnified them. I'm sorry I 
got so angry " 

"Shhh, no Mulder you had every right to be mad. I jumped 
to conclusions and thought the worst of you. I'm sorry."

"No, Scully listen to me, I got mad, yes, but I realized it 
wasn't at you. I had insecurities myself that I've had to 
work out. It was frustration from that that got me so . . 
. so . . . I'm sorry. But I promise Scully, everything's 
alright now."

"What insecurities did you have Mulder?"

"It's not important, I suppose it never was. Let's just 
forget about it ok? I want to move forward."

"No, I don't want to forget about it. I want us to be 
honest with each other. Please tell me."

"I . . . I'm too ashamed to admit it. Please let this one 
go Scully."

"No, we're going to face everything together Mulder. I 
want you to tell me." I look at him with pleading eyes, 
knowing he can't refuse me anything.

"I was unsure about my place in your life. I was unsure 
about your reasons for being with me. I was unsure about . 
. . William." I stare at him for a second. Not quite 
believing what I just heard.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that I thought you might have 
just been staying with me because you felt sorry for me. 
That William . . . might not be mine, that you might have 
found other means while I was . . . missing, and that you 
might just have been staying with me because I was a 
convenient father for him."

"My god, how could you think such a thing?" 

"That's the thing Scully, I wasn't thinking! I let my 
insecurities cloud my judgment. My insecurities led me to 
think terrible things of you. . ."

"Like I did to you." I admitted. "Mulder, I want you to 
understand something . . . I love you. I am not living 
with you because I can, I am living with you because I 
can't live without you. I've had to do that before and I 
can tell you, I don't consider it living. Have you stopped 
to think that if I only stayed with you out of pity I 
wouldn't care if you fell in love with someone else?"

Mulder looks at me sheepishly, I hope the full 
ridiculousness of everything finally dawning on him. "Like 
I said sweetheart, I wasn't thinking."

"Finally, as for your son, he was conceived the night I 
came over to your apartment. The night we watched 
Caddyshack. Surely you haven't forgotten how that evening 
ended?" I get a small smile from Mulder. Clearly he 
remembers. 

"I'm so sorry Scully. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I will forgive you anything Mulder. I love you that 
much."

"Oh Scully, I don't deserve you."

"Don't even start. Shut up and kiss me." I pull him down 
by his necktie and kiss him, wrapping my arms around his 
neck.

He responds in kind by lifting me up and placing me ever so 
tenderly on the couch. I'm lying on my back facing him as 
he's kneeling next to me. He caresses my face, his other 
hand holding mine. He bends down and whispers in my ear, 
"I love you."

"Show me" I answer.

He kisses me, full on my mouth. He unbuttons my pajamas 
all the while not breaking the kiss. He moves his kisses 
lower, down my neck, lower to my chest. He takes a nipple 
in his mouth and I gasp. The feeling is exquisite. I feel 
wetness flood my centre.

"Mmmm, I missed you."

"You won't have to miss me anymore sweetheart, I'm right 
here."

After giving both my breasts equal attention he moves lower 
and takes his time kissing my abdomen. He gently pulls the 
strings of my pajama bottoms and slides them off. The 
scent of my arousal is strong.

"The smell of you is intoxicating Scully." He takes off my 
panties and kisses me right at my apex. This brings 
another rush of wetness. I'm dripping now. Suddenly I 
feel his tongue swipe between my folds.

"Ahhhh, oh god Mulder! Mmmmm"

He pushes my legs wider apart and he pulls my folds apart 
as he finds my throbbing clit. He licks it, ever so 
slightly. The feeling is electric. He teases me like this 
for a few moments. 

"Mulder, I can't take it anymore, please make me come."

His tongue finds my nub again, but instead of just grazing 
it, he presses on it with his tongue. Then he circles it 
with a steady rhythm.

"Ooohhhhh, ahhhhh Mulder ohhh mmmmmm" I'm incoherent. His 
tongue speeds up its ministrations on my clit and I feel my 
orgasm building in the pit of my stomach. I grip the sides 
of the couch. My breathing quickens and my muscles are 
clenching and it's only a matter of moments. Mulder 
presses his tongue on my clit and that does it. My orgasm 
overcomes me and I scream.

"Aahhhhhhhhhooooohhhhhh Mulder OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH GOD! 
Aiiiieeeeeeee I'M COMING!"

As I come down from my high, my shudders subsiding, Mulder 
gets up and takes off his tie. I sit up and help unbutton 
his dress shirt. His pants come off and I notice his 
erection is tenting the front of his boxers. He takes them 
off and he places himself between my legs. The tip of his 
cock is just nudging my opening. I surprise him by 
lowering myself on him.

"Jesus Scully! Give a guy some warning." He chuckles.

I pull his face to mine and I kiss him, relishing the 
feeling of him inside me, the closeness we're sharing. 
"Move Mulder, make love to me." He glides in and out of 
me, slowly for the first few minutes. Of course, nature 
takes its course and we can no longer hold out. We lose 
our rhythm as our instincts take over. Mulder crushes my 
clit with each stroke. I feel him bump my cervix with each 
thrust. 

"Uugh, mmmm, uggh, harder Mulder, faster!" I feel another 
orgasm coming. My breath is now coming in short bursts. 
"Mulder I'm going to come! I'm going to come!"

"Come on Scully, let go, come for me."

"Here it comes! God Mulder hold me!" He wraps me in his 
arms and I come hard! He kisses me to muffle my screams. 
A few more thrusts and then he comes inside me. He falls 
on top of me and he pulls the afghan over us, the one we 
always keep next to the couch.

We hold each other, cuddled under the blanket. Exhausted, 
but very much satiated. After several minutes, with our 
breathing back to normal, Mulder breaks the silence.

"Honey, I'll drop the case with Phoebe. I won't let any of 
this cause you any more grief. You're more important to me 
than anything."

"No Mulder, finish the case. First of all because it's 
your job, but most of all because I trust you. I trust 
that you'll always come home to me."

"You got that right!" As we're about to drift to sleep a 
loud cry comes from William's room. I chuckle, so does 
Mulder.

"At least he let us finish this time."

"Mulder . . ."

"Yeah?"

"Your son wants you." 


The End.

Thanks for reading everyone! 
h