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Title: Summer Weekend Getaway Summary: Alternate Universe. Mulder invites Scully and her adopted daughter to his aunt's summer home for a long weekend sensing Scully needs some time to get away from work and spend time with her daughter. Romance soon follows for the two agents much to the delight of Scully's daughter and Mulder's aunt.
Scully yawned and looked at the clock on the cold concrete wall of the basement office. Almost time to go. Mulder looked up at Scully as she got up from her desk and began packing up her things. "Leaving already?" Scully smiled and zipped up her purse. "I thought I would pick Madeline up a little early tonight and maybe take her out for pizza or something for a change." Mulder smiled. Scully had been completely transformed since she had decided to adopt Madeline last year. The two of them had grown ever closer during the decision and difficult adoption process Scully had to go through before she could become Madeline's legal parent. The process had been long and difficult, but Mulder had decided to stick through it all with her. Madeline was the light of Scully's life, and Mulder had never seen her so happy in the 8 years he had worked with her. He frequented Scully's Apartment even more since Madeline had been there, often bringing the little brown haired 8-year-old girl toys or candy. Mulder smiled a little more to himself thinking of how Scully would scold him for spoiling Madeline. "What else is Uncle Fox good for" he would ask with a sly grin. "I hate to ruin your plans. Scully, but don't you have to hand in that report tomorrow?" He watched Scully's shoulder's slump. "I completely forgot I hadn't finished that yet. Oh...it's going to take hours." "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't want you to forget." Scully sighed and shook her head. "No, Mulder, thanks. I would have totally forgotten if you hadn't said something." Mulder felt bad for disappointing Scully even though he hadn't meant to. He knew his partner hadn't had a lot of time to spend with her daughter in the past few weeks and the little girl had been spending a lot of time at Scully's mother's house, sometimes staying the night. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was winter and Madeline was in school most of the day, but school had just gotten out for the summer. Mulder knew Scully had planned to spend more time with Madeline now that she was out of school, but work had been hectic and the past month she had been flying around the country with him on cases. She hardly saw Madeline anymore. Scully shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow night. I hate to disappoint her like this again though." Mulder's brow furrowed as he watched her sigh and head for the door. He wished there were something he could do. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mulder," she said with a half-hearted smile. Mulder nodded. "Give the munchkin a squeeze for me," Scully said she would and left quietly.
Mulder got home pretty late that night. He had opted to stay at the office instead of going right home. He'd only get bored at home and pop in one of his videos. Not that he didn't have videos at the office, but he wanted to get some actual work done. And for some reason...after Scully had adopted Madeline and he had been spending more time with her and her daughter, he felt kind of discussed at himself for watching them. He felt bad for owning them period. What was that about? Mulder went and checked his messages. One from his usual 900 number wondering where he had been for the past three months. "We miss you Marty" Mulder laughed. Two from the Lone Gunman telling him to call them. "Erase this message after you listen!" And one surprising message from his Mother's younger sister. "Hi, Fox . It's your Aunt Judy. I was wondering ...I just opened the summer cottage here in Rhode Island...It's been so long. If you want...I'd love to see you Fox . I haven't seen you since your mother's funeral. Give me a call if you can make it." Mulder re-played the message. Then came up with a brilliant idea. He wanted to do something for Scully and Madeline, and what better way to get them some time together than by arranging time for them by the beach? He wondered if Scully would go for it. He called his Aunt back, not even thinking about the time. He hoped this all worked.
The next day Mulder went in early. He was a little nervous about asking Scully to join him at his aunts for the weekend. He had put in a request for the next Monday and Tuesday off and Scully had plenty of personal days she needed to use up. He had woken his aunt up the night before, and told her about what was going on. He loved his Aunt Judy, and was thrilled when she happily said she'd be more than happy to have Scully and her daughter stay for a few days. She said it would give her a chance to catch up on what her Nephew did for a living from another source. Scully walked in a half-hour after Mulder had gotten in and threw her stuff down on her chair. She walked to the coffee maker and poured herself a steaming mug and went back to her desk before muttering a tired "Morning Mulder." Mulder took the sight of her in while she was unpacking her things. She looked tired and her face was a little pale. Looking aside from that, she was as beautiful as always and he knew that the sun and the beach and the time spent relaxing was just what she needed to get the color back into her fair Irish skin. Mulder took a breath. He cleared his throat and she looked up questioningly. "What's up, Mulder?" "How did it go last night? With the report I mean." Scully regarded him for a moment before answering him. "Everything went fine. I got it finished in less time than I thought. I actually got a chance to read Maddy a bed-time story." "How's the Munchkin doing?" "She's good. My mother showed her how to make cookies yesterday, and they went to the petting zoo near the park." Scully's tone was dull and unexcited. "You don't seem too thrilled," Mulder commented. "I'm glad she had a good time, Mulder, really. I just wish I were doing those things with her. I should be baking cookies with her and taking her to the park. I feel good that she and my mother are growing close, but at the same time...I don't know. That should be me, not my mother. Does that sound selfish?" Mulder was a little taken aback by the question. "Of course not! You have every right to want to spend as much time with Madeline as you can. No one is going to think you're selfish for wanting to be the one taking her out or teaching her how to bake. You're her mother." Scully got a little teary eyed. "I don't feel that way right now. I hardly see her, Mulder. I miss her so much and I know she misses me. This isn't what I wanted when I adopted her. I wanted to give her a good home with a mother who was going to be there for her and I wanted her in my life as much as possible. It's not turning out the way I planned." Mulder went over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing ever does." Scully looked up at him. "I have something to ask you, Scully. Sort of a proposition if you will." Scully arched one perfect eyebrow in response. "Oh?" Mulder grinned. "My aunt has a summer cottage in Rhode Island. She called me last night and left a message asking if I wanted to come visit. You and Madeline are more than welcome to join me. In fact...my aunt already started getting Madeline's room ready for her." Mulder watched in awe as Scully's expression went from solemn and sad to that of pure joy. "Mulder...really?" "Really. Aunt Judy can't wait to meet you and Madeline." "Mulder, I don't know what to say. Thank you, for one. I can't begin to thank you enough for arranging this. Are you sure you don't mind?" Mulder smiled. "I wouldn't have asked if I minded, you know that." Scully looked down away from him for a moment. "Mulder...this is wonderful." With that she leaned up and gave his a kiss on the cheek. Mulder smiled at her. "I'd do anything for the munchkin. I know how much spending time with her means to you, Scully." There was a moment of silence and for one blessed second, Mulder thought she was going to kiss him again. Scully backed away and went to her desk. "I can't wait to tell Madeline. She'll be thrilled." Mulder watched Scully unpack her things from across the room and sighed quietly. He knew this was going to be just the thing for Scully and Madeline. He almost wished he were more involved in their lives. He had stopped denying he had fallen in love with Scully years ago. He had managed to push those feelings aside for the most part, but there were times he thought she could see right through him and that she knew his secret. He almost thought she felt the same way about him. He knew she loved him...as a friend and as the closest person in her life, but in love with him was another thing. There were always those times though...he would catch a glimpse of something on her face or hear the emotion in her voice and he always got a little more hopeful. There was nothing he would rather be to Scully than her partner and friend and lover. He simply adored Madeline, so he could see in his mind the whole thing working out perfectly. Mulder was jarred out of his thoughts by the sound of Scully calling to him. "Mulder? Are you listening to me?" "What? Scully, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something..." "Well...I was just asking if you would like to come by tonight. Madeline was asking for you last night and I thought it would be nice if you were there when I told her about this weekend." "I'd love to." "Good. You should stay for dinner. And Do Not bring her any more candy. I'm worried enough about her getting cavities without you adding to the problem." Scully smiled a little as she scolded Mulder and Mulder nodded. "I promise, Scully, no candy."
The weekend couldn't come quick enough for Mulder. He picked Scully and Maddy up at their Apartment and headed to the airport for the trip to Rhode Island. "Are you excited about going on a plane, Maddy?" Mulder asked. "Will it go really high?" she asked from the back seat. Mulder nodded. "It goes pretty high. You're not scared are you?" "No, Uncle Fox , I'm not scared. Mommy told me that nothing bad will happen as long as I have Mr. Toodles with me." The little girl held up her stuffed dog and Mulder couldn't help but laugh a little. "I think Mr. Toodles will do a great job, Madeline." Mulder saw her smile in the rear-view mirror and looked over at Scully who smiled back at him. "Oh, Guess what? Mommy gave me gum! She said it would make my ears pop in the plane! It won't hurt will it?" "No, honey, it won't hurt," Scully said gently. The ride was pretty quiet. Madeline had busied herself with her coloring book and playing with Mr. Toodles, and Scully and Mulder had talked quietly in the front. "I'm really looking forward to this, Mulder. Thank you again for inviting us. It really means lots to Madeline that we get to spend some time together. She loves you a lot, you know. It means a lot to me that you asked." Mulder looked over at Scully for a moment and grinned. "I'm crazy about that kid, Scully. I know you two will have a blast."
Mulder's long legs ached by the time they got off the plane. He couldn't wait to get to his Aunt Judy's house. The three of them collected their luggage and then Mulder went to rent them a car while Scully went to food stand across the way to get Madeline something to eat. "What do you want to eat sweetie? Is a sandwich good or do you want a hotdog?" Maddy smiled at the vender and told her mommy that she wanted a hotdog with mustard. Scully paid for her food and started to look for Mulder. Maddy tugged on Scully's sleeve and Scully bent down. "What's the matter, sweetie?" "Are you and Uncle Fox gonna get married?" she asked taking a big bite of her hotdog. Scully felt herself blush a little. "No, Madeline, Uncle Fox and I are just really good friends. We work together." Scully wiped a bit of mustard off Maddy's chin and then regarded her daughter for a moment. "Why did you ask that, sweetie?" Madeline looked at her mother and shrugged a little upset that she might have asked something bad. "I don't know..." she clutched Mr. Toodles to her chest. "It's ok, Madeline, I'm not mad at you. You really love Uncle Fox , don't you." Madeline nodded and smiled. Scully smiled back and got up as Mulder approached them. "Are you two ladies ready?" Scully nodded and they went to get their car.
The drive to Aunt Judy's house didn't take long at all. Scully was amazed at how pretty it was there. The house was white with green trim overlooking the water, and there was a rose garden in the front that Mulder's aunt was in the process of trimming when they arrived. "Fox !" Aunt Judy got up from her garden and ran over to her nephew, giving him a big hug. "It's good to see you again," he said smiling down at his aunt. Judy pushed a strand of gray hair away from her forehead and took off her gardening gloves. She extended her hand out to Scully and smiled broadly. "You must be Dana. It's a pleasure to meet you, dear." "Thank you so much for letting us come stay with you this weekend." "Nonsense! I love houseguests. Anyone who is friends with my nephew Fox is always welcome in my home." The older woman looked down at Madeline and smiled. "You must be Madeline. Did you have a nice trip on the plane?" Madeline held out Mr. Toodles and smiled. "Mr. Toodles was with me the whole way so I wouldn't get afraid. And I got gum to make my ears pop." Aunt Judy smiled and began walking toward the house. "Let me show you in, and you can get settled. Madeline, I've made up a room just for you. It has a big window and you can look out and see the bridge and the water." Maddy smiled and took Scully's hand, skipping alongside into the house. "Can I see my room?" Maddy asked. "Of course you can," Judy said, "come with me and I'll show you while your Mommy and Fox bring the bags in." Maddy happily took Aunt Judy's hand and went up the stairs with her to inspect where she'd be staying for the next 4 days. Mulder and Scully went back outside to get their luggage. Scully stopped and took Mulder's hand. He looked at her and smiled. "Mulder...I just want to tell you that this means so much. To Maddy and especially to me. I just want to thank you again for doing this for us." Mulder looked at Scully for a moment. "I know how much spending time with Maddy means to you, Scully. To be honest, this gives me some opportunity to spend some time with you too." Scully looked away and her cheeks colored a little at the tone of his voice. "I know we'll all have a wonderful time," she said softly and went to the car and gathered her and Madeline's bags.
Madeline and Mulder's aunt looked out the big window in the room Maddy was going to stay in. "Are you excited about spending the whole weekend on the beach?" Madeline nodded. "Yea...I love the beach. I want to build a huge sandcastle with my mommy and Uncle Fox ." "Uncle Fox ?" "Yea! He told me to call him that. My mommy calls him Mulder though. How come she doesn't call him Fox like me?" "I don't know, dear." Mulder's aunt was surprised for a moment. When her nephew had called and asked about Dana and her daughter coming along, she had assumed that the two of them were involved outside of work. Judging from what Madeline had said, it didn't seem that way now, but there was something in the way that Fox looked at his partner that gave that impression. It was obvious that Fox must have feelings for this woman if he invited her and her daughter to come spend the weekend with him. Judy smiled to herself. It would be nice to see Fox and Dana together like that. She liked Dana immediately and could tell Madeline adored her Uncle Fox . Madeline went over to the bed and sat down with Mr. Toodles in her lap. She looked at the picture on the nightstand and picked it up. "Who is this boy and girl?" she asked Judy. Judy looked at the picture in the little girl's hands and grinned. "That's your Uncle Fox and his cousin Jessie, my daughter. This was Jessie's room when we'd come here for the summer. Your Uncle Fox and Jessie would always be down at the beach together during his visits. They had such a good time together." "Why isn't Jessie here too?" "Because Jessie has a husband now and two daughters and she lives far away in Nevada." "Oh...are there more pictures of Uncle Fox when he was little?" "Yes, actually, I have photo albums full of pictures I took of the children when they were young. Come downstairs and I'll show them to you and we can have some cake and milk if it's ok with your Mommy." Maddy smiled widely and took Aunt Judy's hand as they headed downstairs.
Scully and Mulder were just coming in from outside when they met Madeline and Judy in the hall. The walls were lined with pictures of family members. Some new, most of them old snapshots of Judy's daughter and nieces and nephews. "What have you and Judy been up to?" Scully asked her daughter. "Judy showed me my room! I like it a lot!" "That's great, sweetie. We're going to have a good time this weekend." Judy handed Maddy a photo album and the little girl took it and sat on the stairs. "Oh, so you found someone who wanted to look at pictures and slides with you, Aunt Judy?" Mulder asked with a sly grin. "Actually, that album is full of pictures of you when you were Madeline's age. Your cousin Jessie made it one summer when you couldn't make it to visit. She decided to make the best of things and got creative." "Oh, pictures of Mulder, huh?" Scully asked with a grin." Madeline, hun, could I see that for a second?" Mulder got embarrassed and tried to grab the album away from Scully, but she snatched it away and flipped through it, walking away from him, down the hall towards the living room. Mulder looked to his aunt who was laughing softly at him. "Come on, Madeline. I'll get you some cake and milk in the kitchen." Judy and Maddy wandered off and Mulder went and followed Scully who was halfway down the hall. "Scully, give that back." "No way, Mulder. You were a cute kid," she said with a grin. "I had a big nose," Mulder mumbled unhappily. "Not at all. You had a cowlick though." "Come on, Scully, you've embarrassed me enough." He reached for the album, and Scully held it behind her back. Without thinking, Mulder reached both arms around Scully's arms and grabbed the album from her hands. He realized that he had managed to envelop her in a big hug and squeezed her to him for a second before letting her go. Scully blushed a bit and smiled at him. "What do you say we go into the kitchen and get some of that cake my aunt was talking about?" Mulder said breaking the silence. Scully nodded and followed Mulder into the kitchen wondering why she wished he were still holding her.
The next day Maddy was up at 7:00 a.m. and all ready to go to the beach. She had changed into her purple bathing suit and gathered up Mr. Toodles and her pail and shovel. She ran downstairs hoping to see her Mommy and Uncle Fox all ready too, but no one was up yet. Madeline frowned. Where was everyone? She sniffed the air. It smelled like the morning at her house. She wandered into the kitchen and found Judy sitting at the table in a sweat suit sipping coffee and reading the paper. Judy heard her come in and put the paper down. "Good morning, Madeline. You're up early this morning." "Why isn't my mommy or Uncle Fox up? I thought we were going to the beach." Judy laughed. "It's too early to go to the beach now, dear. You're mommy and uncle are still asleep." "Why aren't you asleep too?" "I like to get up early and read the paper and I take a walk after that. Do you want to come with me this morning?" Maddy nodded. "Can I bring Mr. Toodles?" "I don't see why not. You'd better get changed though. It isn't warm out yet and you'll get cold by the water." Madeline went to go get changed and Judy watched her as she left. He could understand why Fox loved her so much. She was adorable and so well behaved. She wondered if Madeline wondered about her mother and Fox getting together. If he spent as much time with the two of them as Maddy had said, Judy thought, Madeline must have been wondering about the relationship between her mother and her Uncle Fox . Little did she know that Maddy had asked Dana about it just the day before. Madeline came back down in pants a sweatshirt and sneakers. "I'm ready!" she announced. "Ok, then. Have you remembered Mr. Toodles?" Madeline held the stuffed dog up for her to see. "Good then. I'll leave a note for your mommy and Fox so they don't wonder where we are and we can go." Madeline held Judy's hand and held Mr. Toodles tightly in the other as they walked along the beach. "Have you ever walked along the beach this early before, Madeline?" Maddy shook her head. "No. Not even before I moved." "Oh, you and you're mommy moved?" "No...I used to live in a home with lots of other kids for a long time and then last year right before my birthday I met Dana. Then the people who took care of all us kids told me that I was going to move and that Dana was gonna be my mommy from now on." Judy looked down sympathetically at the little girl. She didn't know that Madeline was adopted. She would never have guessed the way Dana and Madeline got along and obviously loved each other. "I bet you like it there with Dana, though, right?" Madeline nodded and smiled. "I love Dana. She's my mommy now. I love Uncle Fox too. Don't tell my mommy but sometimes when he's over I pretend my mommy and Uncle Fox are married and he's my daddy." Judy thought she was going to cry. That was the saddest thing she had ever heard coming out of an 8-year-olds mouth. "I promise I won't tell, Madeline."
Dana woke up and looked at the clock. 9:50 in the morning. She swung her legs over the side of the queen size bed and grabbed for her robe. The sun streamed in through the open blinds and the sea breeze coming in felt wonderful. She went into Madeline's room, but only found an empty bed. Scully smelled coffee and went downstairs finding Maddy and Judy eating eggs and bacon and pancakes. "Good morning you two," Scully said with a smile. "Good morning mommy." "Hey you, where's my kiss?" Scully asked the little girl and leaned down for a kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well, Dana?" Judy asked. Scully nodded. "Like I've never slept before. The ocean air coming in last night put me right to sleep." Judy got up and got Scully a plate. "Do you want anything to eat?" Scully smiled. "I'd love something to eat." Just then, Mulder came in his sweat pants and T-shirt. "My aunt makes the best pancakes you've ever tasted." Mulder gave Judy a kiss on the cheek, and ruffled Maddy's hair. He sat down next to Scully and stretched. "I'm assuming that means you want me to fix you a plate?" Judy asked with a grin. "Me? No. I'll just have coffee," Mulder lied. Judy laughed. "Fox ! When was the last time you passed up my pancakes?" Judy placed a plate in front of Scully and one in front of Mulder. "Eat up. This one was up at the crack of dawn wondering where you two were to take her to the beach," she said gesturing to Madeline. Scully looked at her daughter. "You were? What have you been doing all this time?" "Judy took me for a walk near the water. I love it here! The seagulls were all over the place and I chased them all away with Mr. Toodles." Mulder laughed. "I bet they won't bother us for food anymore while we have Maddy the Great with us this weekend." Madeline smiled at the praise from her Uncle Fox and finished her pancakes. "I want to build the biggest sandcastle in the world. Can we build one today?" "We sure can, sweetie," Scully said, "And we'll bury Uncle Fox in the sand." Madeline giggled at the thought of piling sand up over her Uncle who was the tallest person she knew. Mulder looked at Scully. "Give the kid ideas, why don't you." Scully smiled. "We'll make sure he can't get out either," she assured Madeline. Maddy clasped her hands together and laughed. "Is Judy coming too?" Judy turned around from the sink at the mention of her name. "Yeah, Aunt Judy...you going to join us today?" Mulder asked. "Oh, I have things to do around the house and errands to run today. I'll be around later though, and we can barbecue out on the grill in the back." "Are you sure you can't come?" Scully asked. "I'll be busy, don't worry about me. I haven't been here in years. I have to make the rounds and see who's still in town." "Well, that means it's up to us then. I'll take cooler duty if you'll pack the towels and chairs with Madeline." Mulder smiled. "Don't worry. I make a mean ham sandwich." Scully nodded and rewarded Mulder with a bright smile.
Scully had changed into her bathing suit and thrown a pair of shorts and a T-shirt over it. She looked over at Mulder who was scanning the area for a good spot to settle down. They followed him to their spot and unpacked all their things. Madeline quickly set up her mini-beach chair and her Little Mermaid towel and plopped down with Mr. Toodles in her lap. Scully admired the way Mulder looked in his swim trunks, and the way his muscles moved as he set up the oversize beach umbrella. There was a scattering of people, mainly tourists like themselves, sunning or swimming, and Scully smiled. This was going to be perfect. She breathed in deeply and put her duffel bag down next to her beach chair. She shed her shorts and T-shirt to reveal a black bikini that she had debated on bringing for an hour before finally throwing it in her suitcase. She could feel Mulder's eyes on her, and blushed before turning around to meet his gaze. "That a new bathing suit, Scully?" "Actually, yes it is. I was hoping to get some use out of it this summer." They looked at eachother for a long moment. Maddy's voice broke the trance they were in. "Can we go swimming?" Scully turned to look at her daughter. "Sure sweetie. Mulder, you going to come in too?" Mulder eyed her. "Of course." He picked Madeline up and put her on his shoulders and grabbed Scully's hand as they made their way to the water.
Scully sighed. This had been the perfect day. She and Madeline had buried Mulder in the sand up to his neck, they swam, ate lunch, built a huge sandcastle with the help of some kids Maddy had been playing with, and she had even gotten Mulder to rub sunscreen on her back for her. Now she was sunning in her beach chair while Madeline and Mulder played catch near the water. With her eyes closed and the sun warming her, she was drifting off to sleep. The sunlight disappeared and she heard movement near her. Suddenly she was assaulted with the cold seawater being thrown on her from a bucket Mulder had in his hands. Madeline laughed seeing her mommy jumping out of her chair and ran away as Dana chased after Mulder who was laughing and heading into the water thinking Scully wouldn't follow. Mulder dove beneath the waves and Scully followed, pushing him under by surprise when he came up for air. She let him up and pushed him. "I can't believe you did that!" Scully exclaimed. Maddy watched them from the shore, giggling. Mulder pulled Scully to him and held her close for a moment. "I just wanted to get you into the water. Madeline and I were missing you. Did I tell you how good you look in that bathing suit, Scully?" Scully shook her head and pushed on Mulder's chest trying to get him to release her from his strong embrace. She made her way back to where Madeline was waiting for them, knowing she couldn't go out that far. "Did you have a part in this plan, young lady?" Scully mock-scolded. Maddy smiled and shook her head. Scully scooped her up and carried her out to where Mulder was floating on his back. "Hey, Mulder, what do you say we pack up and head home? It's been a long day. I'm starving!" "Aw, mom!" Madeline frowned. "We can come back tomorrow. We have the whole weekend to come to the beach. We can go somewhere for ice cream after we have dinner if you want." "Mmmm...I'll go for that," Mulder said. "I'll race you both back to the umbrella!"
"Well, Mulder, I have to say, you do make a good hamburger," Scully said appreciatively. "I am an master chef on the grill." "Every man is a master chef on the grill. It requires no effort," Scully teased. Judy had just got back from running her errands when they had returned from the beach and they had set up the patio furniture and started up the grill. Madeline was happily munching away on potato chips after finishing her second hotdog. "Did you three have a nice time at the beach today? It was the perfect day for it." "It was perfect," Scully said with a smile. "We buried Uncle Fox in the sand up to his neck!" Madeline said happily. "Sounds like you had a good time to me," Judy said looking at her nephew. Madeline yawned and stretched. She leaned back in her chair and hugged Mr. Toodles. "Are you sleepy, sweetie?" Scully asked softly. Madeline nodded. "I'm tired." "Ok," Scully said getting up, "let's get you ready for bed then. You've had a long day." Scully smiled at Mulder and excused herself while she got Maddy ready for bed. "Goodnight, Madeline. Sweet dreams," Judy said. Madeline went over and hugged Mulder around the neck. "Good night Uncle Fox ." "G'night Munchkin." Mulder watched as Scully and Madeline went into the house. Judy looked at Fox who was clearing the patio table. "You two are adorable." "Huh?" Mulder asked. "You and Dana I mean." "Aunt Judy, we're just friends, you know that. We work together." "Yes, I know that. But you know...I was thinking about it when I took my walk with Madeline this morning. You must really care about the two of them to arrange this weekend for them." Mulder chuckled and looked at the ground. "I adore Madeline. But you're right. I do care about Scully more than I let on. Sometimes I find myself wondering about what would happen if we got involved outside of work, but I know it wouldn't be right. Besides...I don't even know if she cares about me that way." Judy put her hand on her hip. "I think you do know. I think you would be wonderful for the two of them. I think they would be wonderful for you. Madeline loves you to death and I bet you would make Dana very happy. I think you do already." Mulder looked at his aunt and nodded.
Mulder bumped into Scully later that night in the upstairs hallway. Madeline had long ago gone to bed and Aunt Judy had retired to her room an hour before. It was nearly midnight. "Up kind of late, Scully." Scully shrugged. "You'd think I'd be tired from all the excitement today, but I couldn't fall asleep. I was just washing up." "Do you think the munchkin had a good time today?" Mulder asked. Scully smiled. "Of course she did. She told me that today was the best day we'd spent together and she really had a lot of fun with you." "I'm glad. What about you?" "I had a great time today too, Mulder. I really loved being able to spend the time with Madeline. And with you." Mulder smiled. "Yeah?" "Yeah. Contrary to what you might think, I really enjoy having you around. You've been great with Maddy and you've been there for me through this whole thing. I'm really grateful for the time you've spent with us, Mulder. I want you to know that." Mulder scratched the back of his neck, not knowing what to say. "Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Mulder." "Yeah. Good night, Scully..." Mulder watched as she turned away, and caught her hand. "Scully..." Mulder looked at her and tried to think of excuse for keeping her up a while longer. Mulder sighed. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Scully." Scully nodded, and for a moment he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her blue eyes.
Scully sat in bed reading her book. Trying to read her book anyway. She kept thinking back to her conversation with Mulder in the hallway a little while earlier. She swore she saw something in his eyes that was pleading with her to stay with him. Just to stay there a while longer and talk. "It's all in my head" she mused and went back to her reading, but after a minute put the book back down. She wanted to stay and talk with Mulder, but something was telling her that it might not be a good idea. It was that annoying part of her consciousness that kept her from having any fun. She hated that part. She and Mulder and Madeline had had such a wonderful time that day...that time in the water when he had pulled her against him and commented on how good she looked with that gleam in his eyes made her shiver a little each time she thought back to it. She wanted to hear those things from Mulder, and she wanted to feel al right about him holding her like that. She wanted him to hold her like that a little while ago in the hallway, but had left deciding it would be better to retreat like a coward than to let herself enjoy being with Mulder for a little while. Scully got up out of bed and marched down the hall to Mulder's room. She was tired of denying herself Mulder's company because she was afraid of what might happen. She knocked three times on the door and stepped in when he called to her to enter. Mulder looked up from the bed. "Hi there, Scully...is everything ok?" "Yeah, Mulder, everything is fine...I guess I just can't sleep and wanted someone to talk to." Mulder grinned and nodded. "You've come to the right place. I won't be asleep for a couple of hours. What's on your mind, Scully?" He patted the space on the bed next to him and watched as Scully sat down near him without hesitation. "Nothing too much. Nothing really important anyway. I had a lot of fun today. I'm glad we came here with you." "I'm glad you came too. I'm having a great time. I love Madeline. She's a great little girl." "Yes, she really is," Scully agreed. "Her mother's pretty great too." Scully smiled and looked away from him. Sometimes he made her so shy, and she couldn't understand how he managed to do it. "I'm glad you two are getting this time to spend together. Think of all you can do with her in the next few days." "You'll be with us," Scully said. Mulder looked at her for a second. "I thought you wanted to spend time with Madeline." "I do...I want to spend this whole time with her. And you. It wouldn't be right without you there Mulder. You're a big part of our lives now, and we both want you around." "Here I was thinking this whole time I was intruding. Hey, what do you know...I'm wanted around!" Scully shook her head and hit Mulder in the arm. Mulder took that arm Scully had assaulted and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. Scully rested her head on his shoulder and got a little more comfortable on the bed next to him. She played with the hem of the dark blue silk nightshirt she wore and listened to the sound of their breathing mixed with the sound of the ocean coming in through the open window. It was like a melody singing her to sleep. Mulder smiled as he realized Scully had fallen asleep against him. He moved carefully and shut the lamp off next to him. Pulling the covers over Scully's sleeping form, he settled down next to her and drifted off to sleep.
Madeline woke up as early as she had the day before, and went down the hall to see if her mommy was awake. She peeked in the door, but the bed was empty. Maybe Uncle Fox knew where she was. Maddy tiptoed down the hall to Mulder's room and quietly opened that door. Her mouth turned up in a huge smile when she saw her mommy and Uncle Fox asleep next to eachother. He had his arm around her and she was resting against his chest. Madeline raced down stairs hoping that Judy was still down there and hadn't left for her walk yet. "Aunt Judy!" Judy looked up from her paper and smiled. "Good morning, Madeline. Why so happy this morning?" "I knew it! My mommy and Uncle Fox are gonna get married just like I wanted!" Judy was a little confused. "Wait a minute, sweetie. Slow down. What do you mean they're getting married? Did they tell you that?" Madeline shook her head. "No, but when I woke up I went to go see if mommy was awake and she wasn't there. She was in Uncle Fox's room and they were asleep! Come see!" Judy followed Madeline upstairs and they both peeked into Mulder's room. Sure enough, Judy saw that Scully and Mulder were asleep, curled up next to each other. "Look at that. Come in Madeline. Let's go downstairs and I'll make you something to eat. We can take a walk after that too, ok?" Madeline agreed and they went downstairs quietly.
Scully woke up and breathed in deeply. She felt warm and well rested. She felt someone holding her...Mulder...she fell asleep in Mulder's room last night. He must not have wanted to wake her up. "Good morning, Scully," Mulder said softly. Scully actually found herself smiling up at him. "Good morning, Mulder." "Did you sleep well?" Scully nodded and stretched. "Very well, Mulder. Thank you for letting me stay here. I didn't mean to fall asleep." "It's no problem. You don't snore, so I didn't mind." Scully allowed herself to laugh at him and got up out of the bed. I guess I should go see what Madeline's been up to. I'm, sure she woke up early again." "Aunt Judy took her for a walk. They're still out." Scully didn't say anything, wondering what he was getting at. "I hate to sound presumptuous, Scully, but...come back to bed." Scully looked at him for a moment. God, she wanted to. There was nothing she would rather do than get into that bed with him, but something was stopping her. Mulder watched her looking at him, and felt like a jerk. What was he thinking? He probably just made her really uncomfortable and she was probably going to go back to her room now and hate him for the rest of the weekend. Scully took a step forward and climbed back into bed with him. She settled back into the pillows and smiled. "I am still a little tired," she said softly. Mulder leaned over her and smiled down at her. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and then settled down next to her, wrapping and arm around her waist. "Things just keep getting better and better this weekend..," Scully said quietly. Mulder felt himself silently rejoice. He hugged her to him and nuzzled her hair. He listened to her sigh contently and closed his eyes, wishing this moment never ended.
Mulder, Scully, Madeline and Judy all sat around the table for lunch that afternoon. "What do you want to do today, Maddy?" Dana asked. Madeline shrugged. "I don't know...will Uncle Fox be with us?" "You bet I will. How about we take a nice ride later? We never got to go out for ice cream last night. What do you say?" Madeline agreed happily and Scully smiled. "You want to share a banana split with me, Scully?" "Sure, why not. That sounds good actually. Madeline, finish up your lunch and we can go, ok?" Maddy too a big bite of her sandwich and nodded with her mouth full. The four of them piled into the rented Taurus and followed Judy's directions to get to the ice cream shop. When they arrived, Madeline couldn't wait. She jumped out of the car and pulled her mother along behind her. "Come on, mommy!" Judy and Mulder walked along behind them. "I hope you don't think I'm being nosey, Fox ...Madeline said you and Dana were asleep in your bed this morning..." she raised her eyebrows waiting for a response. Mulder smiled and shook his head. He put an arm around his aunt's shoulders and chuckled. "She came in to talk to me last night and fell asleep. That's all." Judy looked at him her eyebrows still raised. "What?" Mulder asked. "Madeline was a little confused as to what was going on. I think you need to talk to her about what she saw." "She doesn't think anything bad happened does she?" Judy shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no...actually she wasn't worried at all about what she saw. But I don't think she understands." Mulder nodded in understanding, and they caught up to Dana and Madeline in line already. "Uncle Fox , I'm going to get Strawberry! It's my favorite! With sprinkles too! Mommy said I could even get it on a cone if I promised to be careful." "Mmmm. Strawberry is my favorite too, munchkin," Mulder said with a smile, "Do you still want to share that banana split, Scully?" "You bet." After they had ordered and gotten their ice cream they sat down at one of the benches near the swing set that had been set up for the kids around the back of the shop. "Aunt Judy, are you going to join us at the beach tomorrow?" Mulder asked. "Maybe. A friend of mine was supposed to get in touch with me about a lunch tomorrow. If she does, I hope you don't mind me going there for a bit. I haven't seen her in ages." "No, of course it's ok. As long as you join us for dinner at least," Scully said. Judy smiled. "I'd love to." Madeline finished her ice cream and licked her lips. "Mommy, can I go swing?" Scully wiped Madeline's mouth with a napkin and nodded. "Go ahead, but be careful not to swing too high." "I won't go too high," Maddy assured her mother, and with that, happily ran off to the swings where a bunch of kids her age were already playing. Judy looked at her nephew and his partner. They looked so happy watching Maddy on the swing and sitting so close people would think the two of them were together if they didn't know any better. She could see why Madeline sometimes pretended Dana and Fox were together. It wasn't hard to do. "You know, there's a mini-golf course around here. If you want to take Madeline there sometime, I could give you directions. It's a lot of fun," Judy said, drawing their attention away from Madeline for a moment. "Oh yeah? I don't think Madeline's ever been. I bet she'd like it," Scully nodded. "I'm awful at mini-golf...you're going to kick my ass, Scully." Scully smiled at him. Suddenly, they heard Madeline scream. "Mommy! Mommy!" Scully jumped out of her seat and ran over to where Madeline was sitting in the sand crying holding her knee. Mulder and Judy were right behind and Mulder kneeled down next to Scully as she checked out Madeline's bleeding scrape. "It's not too bad, sweetie, It's ok, "Scully said soothingly. She hugged Madeline and smoothed down her hair. She asked Mulder to go get her purse from the car, and when he returned with it, Mulder scooped Madeline up in his arms and took into the shop so they could clean out the cut. "Mommy's just going to clean the cut so it won't get infected, then we can put some band aids on it, ok?" Madeline started to cry again. "It's going to hurt!" Scully took Maddy from Mulder's arms and Mulder touched Madeline's tear-streaked face. "It'll be ok, Madeline. You're mommy will take care of you." "Daddy, it hurts!" she cried not even realizing what she had said. Scully looked at Mulder quickly before going into the bathroom with her daughter. Mulder stood there looking after the two of them in a little bit of shock.
Mulder wandered outside trying to figure out why he was so damned happy. His aunt came up behind him. "Fox ? Are you ok?" "Yeah...I'm ok. She called me daddy." Judy nodded. "Yes, she did. Are you alright?" Mulder laughed. "I'm more than alright. You know, she said that and...I was a little shocked, but I got so happy hearing her call me daddy...I wish it were true." Just then Scully came outside holding Madeline's hand. "Hey Munchkin! You feel better now that your mommy patched you up?" Madeline nodded. "It didn't even hurt!" The four of them got into their car and headed back home.
Mulder sat in bed, thinking about the day's events. From the moment he had woken up this morning, he felt his life changing. He saw his future looking a little brighter. From what happened with him and Scully that morning, to Madeline calling him 'daddy'...everything was starting to fall into place. He thought that everything was starting to be the way it should be. Before Scully had decided to adopt Madeline, he had never thought about kids too much. He knew that he was in love with Dana Scully. He had always wanted to be with her, but start a family? Not only did he think he wasn't the family type, but Scully couldn't have children. When she had adopted Madeline and he had become involved in their lives more and more, there was nothing he wanted more that to be a part of their family. Scully peeked into his room and he smiled at her. "Come in, Scully." 'I'm not bothering you, am I?" "No, you never bother me. And when you do I just ignore you anyway." Scully smiled and sat down next to him on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened today..." Scully said. Mulder nodded. "Ah...you know, Scully...Madeline was hurt, and she was a little hysterical. It's ok that she called me that. I'm not upset about it." Scully nodded and looked down at her bare feet. "I wasn't sure how you were going to react. You didn't make a big deal about it today, but I wasn't sure if you were just keeping it to yourself." "It says a lot about the relationship Madeline and I have. I can't say I'm sorry or disappointed that she thinks of me that way. I love her very much, Scully." Scully smiled. "I'm so glad...Madeline loves you so much. It was only a matter of time before she grew this close to you. I'm not upset..." "I hear a 'But" coming," Mulder said. "But...I have to admit...It was hard for me to hear her call you daddy today." "Scully?" Scully's head went down and a tear rolled off her cheek onto the bedspread. "Only because it isn't true...and I wish it were." Mulder's head spun. He gathered Scully close and held her. Scully didn't resist, and allowed herself to be held. She wanted to be held. Mulder made soft soothing noises and found himself nuzzling her neck a little. Scully made a soft noise...a moan. Mulder smiled a little to himself and placed a chaste kiss on the skin behind her ear. Scully looked at him and he captured her lips with his for a kiss. Her lips parted immediately and he found her tongue ready to do battle with his. Her mouth was warm and sweet, tasting like the toothpaste she had just used. Mulder's hands crept up under her nightshirt and found her firm breast, the nipple hard and aroused. Scully let out another moan as he rolled her nipple between his fingers. Scully felt herself grow warm and an ache settled down between her thighs. She felt Mulder's hands on her breasts and his tongue in her mouth and wanted to get his clothes off. She reached between them and grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it off over his head. Their mouths joined again, and Mulder made quick work of the buttons on her nightshirt. Scully managed to push his boxers past his hips, and wrapped her cool hand around his length. Mulder groaned against her mouth, and pushed the nightshirt from her shoulders. She shrugged it off onto the floor along with her panties, and leaned back, pulling him on top of her. Mulder's hand found it's way between her legs and his fingers slipped in between the wet folds, grazing her clit, and making her push her hips upward. She moaned out in protest when he pushed himself away from her. "Mulder..." She breathed his name. Mulder rid himself of the boxers that had been pushed down around his thighs. Scully wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and drew him to her again. He moved down and suckled on her nipple, attending to the other one with his free hand. He kissed his way down her stomach, licking her belly button. She watched him as he spread her apart and grinned at her. Capturing her clit between his lips, he entered her with his fingers. Scully gasped at the sensation of his fingers inside her. She wanted to feel him inside her. Mulder continued to play, lapping up the moisture and pumping his fingers inside her until he heard her calling to him, begging him to stop, that she was going to come and she didn't want to yet. Mulder licked his lips clean and moved over her. "Are you sure?" he asked, still wanting to make sure that she knew that this was what she wanted. Scully nodded, and Mulder eased his way into her. Scully was glad for the tenderness he showed entering her. It had been a while since she had last made love. Mulder filled her completely and looked at her. Scully bit her lip and pushed her hips up into his. He groaned and began moving inside of her. Mulder closed his eyes for a moment. This was perfect. Scully felt so good all around him, her body under his. Scully's legs wrapped around him and she met his thrusts with her own. She felt herself nearing the edge, and whispered to him "I'm close, Mulder..." Mulder nodded. "Let me see you Scully..." Scully let out a gasp and came, shuddering and grasping his shoulders. He watched her as she came and felt himself about to join her. "Oh, god...Scully..." Mulder came inside her, filling her with his release, and rolling over onto his side, taking her with him. They lay there together silently, listening to the other catch their breath. "This isn't what I came in here for..." Scully joked. Mulder smiled. "You enjoyed yourself. I hope we didn't wake anyone up." Scully chuckled. "No...Your aunt's room is at the other end of the hall, and Maddy sleeps like the dead." Scully snuggled up to him. "This changes a lot of things now," Mulder said. "I know...they were bound to change. I'm glad they changed." "Me too..." Scully pulled the covers up over them and smiled. "I'm thinking we should get some sleep." Mulder nodded. "I'm thinking I should lock the door so little eyes don't peek in early tomorrow morning." Scully chuckled. "Good idea." Mulder locked the door, shut off the light, and quickly got back into bed beside Scully. "Goodnight, Mulder." "Goodnight Scully...I love you." Scully smiled to herself in the darkened room. "I love you too."
The next morning, Madeline was not up at the crack of dawn, and Aunt Judy was out on her walk by the time she did wake up. She crept downstairs and into the kitchen so quietly that neither her Uncle Fox nor her mommy heard her in the doorway. They were both sitting at the table drinking coffee and smiling at eachother. Madeline's eyes grew wide as her Mommy leaned over and gave her Uncle a big kiss on the lips. She was so happy and couldn't stifle her giggling. Both Mulder and Scully turned around and saw Maddy standing there smiling with Mr. Toodles. "Morning, Munchkin!" Mulder said. Madeline went over to Scully and kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well? You slept later than you did the past few days." "I slept good, mommy," Madeline giggled. "What's so funny this morning?" Scully asked with a grin. Madeline smiled and went over and hopped up on Mulder's lap. "I saw you kissing Uncle fox on the lips." "Oh you saw that did you?" Mulder asked "Yup...are you and mommy gonna get married?" Scully looked over at Mulder for a second before answering her daughter. "Well, Madeline...Uncle Fox and I have decided that we love each other and want to spend a lot of time together. We'll get to see him even more than we used to. Does that sound ok to you?" Madeline's face lit up. "Really? You love my mommy?" "I love your mommy very much. And I love you very much," Mulder said. "We both love you and each other very Much Madeline," Scully said. "I love you too mommy and I love Uncle Fox . But...you're not gonna get married?" Scully bit her lip. "We'll have to see what happens with that, ok?" Madeline looked disappointed for a minute. "Oh, ok...I wanted Uncle Fox to be my daddy. I wanted you to get married." Mulder took the little girls hand. "We're not going to get married yet, Munchkin, but...I'll be your daddy if you want me to be." "I do!" Scully laughed and hugged her daughter as Mulder put his arm around Dana's shoulders. Aunt Judy came in from her walk just then and Madeline ran over to her. "Hey you three. I didn't expect to see you up with Madeline this morning." "Guess what!" "What?" Judy asked. "My mommy and Uncle Fox love each other and he said that he'd be my daddy if I wanted and I do, and they're gonna get married, but not yet!" Judy laughed and looked at her nephew and Dana sitting at the table. "Well, that's wonderful!" "Yeah!" Madeline agreed. "Well, what do you guys think about breakfast?" Judy asked. "After we eat, can we go to the beach again? I want to bury my daddy in the sand!" Mulder laughed "Last time you buried me I couldn't get out!" "We'll let you out this time, Mulder," Scully said with a grin. "Why don't you go get changed into your bathing suit, and get Mr. Toodles ready." Madeline ran upstairs and Judy smiled at the two of them. "I'm so happy for the two of you. I'm going to my friends for lunch today after all. You three have a good time." "Are you sure Aunt Judy?" Mulder asked. "I'm sure. Besides...It'll be better with just the three of you. Like a family outing." Mulder nodded and took Scully's hand. Family Outing. He loved the sound of that. The End.
PLEASE send feedback! I NEED feedback! "Please? Please? Please make peace? Pleeease?" -Chamberlain, The Dark Crystal
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