Title: What The Moon May Bring
Author: Semantics
Rating: NC-17 for adult situations and mild language
Category: MSR, short story, humor
Disclaimer: The X-Files and the characters of Mulder, Scully, Mrs. Scully, The Lone Gunmen, are property of Chris Carter and 10-13
productions/Fox. I am only borrowing them for this completely non-profit, fictitious story. No infringement is intended.

Summary: Scully finds herself in a difficult situation when Mulder falls out of contact with her and The Lone Gunmen prove to be her
only chance of getting hold of him.


May 2nd
Saturday, 1:45 p.m.

"Damn it, Mulder." Scully dropped her cell phone onto the passenger seat and hit her steering wheel out of frustration. Mulder had proved unreachable by house or cell phone since she had first tried to contact him at 9:15 in the morning. Now, over four hours later her concern was rapidly growing. There was never a good time for Mulder to go missing, however, right now was particularly poor timing.

Scully sighed as she parked near his apartment building. She was attempting to hold on to a small shred of hope that he was home, and that there was a completely mundane, perhaps even sane reason that he had been unreachable. By the time she approached his doorway she held her words of reprimand at the tip of her tongue, just in case. She closed her eyes momentarily and exhaled, willing herself to relax past the tension that was taking hold of her body. She glanced quickly at her wristwatch, making a mental note, before knocking.

The door swung open slowly and her hopes for a sane explanation faded before her. "Where's Mulder?" she demanded, her impatience quickly building as she watched Byers, Langly and Frohike share muted glances in the semi- opened doorway. She pushed past their human barrier, unwilling to wait, and into Mulder's apartment while they continued in their silent indecision as how to handle her.

Laptops littered his small living room, taking up space on both his coffee table and computer desk. Byers loosened his perfectly adjusted necktie nervously. "Mulder's not here," he finally volunteered.

"Does this have anything to do with where he is?" Scully gestured towards the mess of computers.

Langly crossed his arms over his black tee- shirt covering the heavy metal logo. "In a nutshell."

Scully placed her hands on her hips and lifted her face to the ceiling, exasperated by the reluctance she was meeting. "Why haven't I heard anything about this?" She dropped her face back to eye level after her question was met with several awkward moments of silence.

Frohike winced as if her question burned him "Mulder didn't want you to know. He knew you would follow him and he wanted to keep you out of danger," he explained, rubbing the stubble on this chin with the fingertips that his fingerless gloves left exposed. A slight blush rose to his cheeks as she continued to study him and he shifted uncomfortably before breaking her gaze and positioning himself in front of a laptop.

"Then that means Mulder is in danger."

Byers had started back towards a computer as well, but froze. "Well, that's what we are trying to avert. We are offering him some guidance and a measure of security that he wouldn't have had if he had gone about this blindly."

"Security from what, what is this all about, where is he?"

Langly looked up at her as he positioned himself for work by the sofa, a small glint of the computer screen reflected in his thick glasses. "It's complicated. Besides, I think Agent Mulder would prefer to tell you himself."

"That won't help if he's dead."

"He's not dead, he's still moving." Byers explained, pointing at his screen. "We've been tracking his movements."

"And how do you know that he doesn't have a gun to his head?"

"He hasn't activated his distress signal." Frohike replied.

"We're really not at liberty to go into any detail on this by threat from bodily injury by Mulder, himself." Langly contributed while typing.

"You're not taking into account what injury I could cause." Scully frowned at them.

They lifted their eyes to her almost simultaneously, once again sharing a silent pause as if trying to determine the seriousness of her threat. Langly pushed his index finger against the nose -bridge of his glasses, forcing the dark frames tighter against his face before clearing his throat and returning to work.

Scully sighed and rolled her head, hoping to ease some of the tightness in her shoulders. "I need to get hold of him immediately." She insisted.

"If we try to do that right now, he's a sitting duck. There's really no safe way to contact him until he's clear of the building." Frohike explained cautiously.

She was getting nowhere fast. Scully took a deep breath and slowly blew it out as she reached a hand out and braced herself against the door frame that led into the living room. She checked the time on her watch and then allowed her free hand to curve protectively against the large swell of her abdomen. It had only been ten minutes, she realized as she allowed the wall to take her weight, things were speeding up. She closed her eyes in concentration, taking slow, even breaths as the muscles beneath her hand turned to stone. She reopened her eyes as the cramping slowly subsided, becoming aware of the audience she had inadvertently attracted.

"Agent Scully?" Frohike questioned, moving towards the doorway. He reached out for her tentatively with definite fear in his eyes.

"I'm alright." Scully eased herself up, away from the dark wood frame.

"I didn't think that your baby was due for another three weeks yet."

"It would seem that there has been a change of plans."

"Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"No, thank you. I should still have plenty of time."

"By my estimations, Mulder should be out of the building within the hour," Byers suggested.

Langly looked up briefly, "That is barring any unforeseen circumstances."

Frohike shot him a 'drop-dead' look. "You are welcome to wait here with us until we contact Mulder," he added, turning back to her.

As much as she wanted to leave, she needed to know that Mulder was safe from whatever quest he had taken on. Besides, if he lived she planned on throttling him personally. "Alright, but I want to know the second he exits that building."


Mulder's Apartment
3:12 p.m.

Scully turned over cautiously on Mulder's bed. She would have preferred to have been walking about but she had recently declared her resignation to bed in an attempt to regain some measure of privacy. At least in here she wasn't being watched with an unbridled apprehension that was most frequently reserved for explosive devices. Her contractions had jumped to eight minutes apart some twenty minutes ago and had intensified as well. Mulder, however, still remained unreached.

Scully pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, allowing her belly to hang towards the bed as she started to contract. A sharp ache had settled into her lower back, which elevated with the contractions to an almost unbearable crushing pain. She shifted her hips in this new position, hoping for some measure of relief as the pain began to build.

"We've got Mulder!" The call sounded from the living room. "Scully?"

Scully moaned softly to herself, willing the distraction of the ill-timed phone call to the back of her mind as she concentrated on getting through the next minute and a half. The vocalizations were getting harder to hold back as the level of pain ascended. She let her arms bend beneath her, allowing her face and chest to rest on a pillow as she began to sway her hips gently.

"Agent Scully?"

She heard the knock on the bedroom door and wanted desperately to send away the intruder, but her responses at the moment were limited to simple vowel sounds.

She saw the door open from the corner of her eye. Frohike stepped in, Byers stood just behind him, a cell phone to his ear. She realized that her rear end was facing them but was in too much pain to do anything about it.

"Scully, Mulder's on the phone." Frohike repeated.

She squeezed her eyes closed and turned her head away as the contraction continued to escalate. "Oooo."

"Mulder, I don't think she's up to conversation at the moment." She heard Byers say into the phone, and she opened her eyes again, wishing she could respond. She could hear Mulder's voice elevate over the line, although she couldn't make out what he was saying. Byers winced in response and left the room, holding the phone slightly away from his ear.

"Anything we can do, Scully?" Frohike asked.

She attempted to point at the door as the pain very slowly began to recede, hoping to regain her privacy and perhaps even a little dignity. The movement only aggravated things however and the pain quickly spiked again. "Mmmmm," she groaned into the pillow.

"Mulder's on his way." Frohike reassured her, tension thickening his voice.


**

Mulder attempted to wriggle free of his black leather jacket single-handedly as he waited impatiently at a stoplight, still holding his cell phone. "How far apart?" he asked.

"Well, I'm in the living room and Agent Scully is in your bedroom," Byers responded sounding more than slightly rattled.

"The contractions, Byers, how far apart are her contractions?" Mulder demanded. The light turned green and he was forced to leave the jacket in place, despite how uncomfortably warm he was suddenly feeling.

"Oh, I'm not sure. Less then ten minutes if I had to guess, but she's been laboring by herself in the bedroom for the last thirty minutes or so."

"Great," he muttered. He was struggling to change lanes, and fighting heavy weekend traffic while Scully was likely heading into late labor. "Byers, keep her there and keep her comfortable, as much as possible."

"Uh, okay. I suppose we can try. We'll uh, we'll do our best." Byers responded uncertainly.

Mulder tugged at the neck of his black turtleneck, trying to get some air movement, "Call me if anything changes. And Byers...."

"Yes?"

"You'd make a terrible cheerleader."


3:28 p.m.

Scully'd had enough. The bedroom was no longer a place of refuge; every few minutes someone was sticking their head in to check on her. Mulder's orders, no doubt. She'd spent the last few minutes roaming through the apartment, stopping for contractions, leaning against furniture, tables, cabinets, whatever happened to be near. They were definitely longer and stronger than they had been. Her back was killing her, and she was being followed. Room to room.

"Could I get you some tea?" Byers offered from behind her. Scully shook her head and pulled herself away from the kitchen counter. That was it, she was done being a spectacle. She pulled the cell phone from her pocket and began to dial.

"What are you doing?" he questioned nervously.

"I am calling a cab."

"But Mulder will be here any minute now."

"Good for Mulder." Scully held the phone to her ear.

"But, you can't leave, Mulder expects us to keep you here." His voice was rising, no doubt in panic.

"Mulder is not the one in labor, so Mulder can shove it where the sun doesn't shine."

Langly and Frohike showed up behind Byers in record time. "Is everything alright in here?" Frohike questioned.

"Scully was just calling a cab," Byers explained, shooting Frohike a pleading look.

"Scully, it's safe to talk to Mulder now, you can give him a buzz if you like." Frohike urged.

Scully shut her phone and tossed it on the counter. "No, thank you, I would prefer to deal with Mulder in person. Excuse me." She pushed past them and into the small bathroom, and then closed the door behind herself.

**

3:40 p.m.

Scully let the warm water from the shower run over her head and spill onto her belly. It trickled across the stretched, and darkened skin that had been her navel, then followed the bulge where it curved under and finally disappeared from her vision. She pondered when the last time she had been able to see her feet was, and then realized her pregnancy was quickly coming to it's close. Nervousness and anticipation surged through her. She would hold her baby soon, tonight perhaps.

Scully turned and let the water hit her back, where the aching relentlessly continued. She was afraid, she realized. The pain of the contractions was intense and she still had a long way to go. As a medical doctor, she was also all too aware of what could go wrong, with her and with the baby. She did her best to push the thoughts aside, thankful for the privacy she had gained. Fortunately, she had found a place of solitude and the warm water was helping to ease the labor pains. Now, if she could just figure out what to do about Mulder.

**

3:50 p.m.

Mulder raced down the hallway to his apartment, his jacket thrown over his arm. He was already deciding whether to take the time to use his key or simply to knock like a madman, when the door flew open two steps before he had even reached it.

"Heard you running down the hall," Frohike explained as he ushered him inside.

"Where is she?" Mulder immediately demanded as he scanned his apartment.

"She's still here, but by no small miracle," Byers replied from the sofa.

"What?"

"She tried to call a cab, but then finally resorted to barricading herself in the bathroom when Byers and Frohike ganged up on her in the kitchen," Langly closed his laptop.

"Sounds like she's been in the shower for awhile now," Frohike added.

"So when was the last time someone checked in on her?" Mulder asked, dropping his coat on a chair as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Although Frohike would normally jump at such an opportunity, Scully in labor, is a force to be reckoned with," Byers replied.

Frohike considered this briefly before nodding in agreement.

"Anyone think of just knocking?" Mulder called back as he disappeared from the room.


**

"Scully?" Mulder waited, leaning into the bathroom door while the water turned off.

"Scully, what's going on?" he questioned again after she failed to respond. The door opened suddenly causing him to stumble into the bathroom.

"You're a dead man, Mulder," Scully held a towel that just barely wrapped around her enlarged frame, her hair in dark wet curls around her face.

"I figured as much," Mulder smiled meekly at her although she remained clearly unamused.

Scully turned back to the sink, reaching for the clothes she had piled neatly there. "I mean it, Mulder, I fully intend to kick your ass." She stopped mid-reach and grabbed the counter top instead, her knuckles turning white under the strength of her grip.

Mulder quickly made his way over to her. "You might want to take a rain check on that," he suggested. He attempted to turn her towards him, but she pushed him away with a low moan. Uncertain how to help, he began gently stroking her lower back and sides as she bent over the sink. She mumbled something incoherent and buried her face in the crook of her arm, her towel sliding. Mulder reached around her and held it with his free hand. Her body trembled under the building contraction, her belly hardening almost impossibly beneath his arm.

"It's alright, you're doing fine," Mulder whispered, his face close to her back, while Scully breathed deeply beneath him in slow shaky breaths. Although he had known this would be difficult, her pain was affecting him in a way he hadn't anticipated. As he felt her slowly beginning to relax he became aware of the tightness that had crept into his own body. He took a relaxing breath with her. "Wow, I think it's time," he remarked with a soft smile as he eased her back up.

Scully nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'd say so." She grabbed the clothes from beside the sink and then stopped and stood staring at Mulder.

Mulder sighed in defeat, "All right, I'll leave, but you call if you need me."

"I'll be fine, Mulder," Scully remarked as he closed the door.

Mulder shook his head to himself. Classic case of textbook Scully; one step forward, two steps back.


**

Scully fastened the last couple of buttons on her shirt. She had been in the shower away from her watch, but the last few contractions had been only about five minutes apart. For her first baby, things were moving relatively quickly. She checked in the mirror. Her hair was beginning to dry in thick curls and she ran a comb through knowing it wouldn't do much good. Without a hair dryer and curling iron she was resigned to having crazy, out- of-control locks. Time was not on her side at the moment so there was little that could be done.

"Scully?"

Scully pushed the door open and stepped out before Mulder could call again. "Are you ready?" he asked, staring at his watch as is if watching a countdown.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Scully allowed herself to be guided into the living room.

"Where's your bag?" Mulder questioned.

"It's in the trunk of my car."

"We'll get it on our way."

Frohike stood, grabbing a laptop while Byers and Langly continued to pack up. "Don't worry about us, we'll show ourselves out."

Mulder nodded. "Alright, let's go." He directed Scully towards the door with a hand on the small of her back. She stopped abruptly about three feet shy of his target, the look on her face answering his question before he even had a chance to ask it. He checked his watch. "Scully, that was only four minutes." Scully shifted around uncomfortably, ignoring his statement, unable to find anything nearby to lean against.

"Mmmmmm..."

Mulder pulled her against his chest, placing her head just below his shoulder, and allowing her belly to hang between them. He put his hands on her hips to help support her as she leaned into him. "It's alright, I've got you," he spoke softly to the top of her head. He swayed her gently, shifting their weight from side to side as if dancing in a slow stationary dance. Scully groaned and wrapped her arms around his back tightly. She pushed her face into his chest, muffling the almost primal sounds of her labor. Anxiety was definitely building in him now and he reviewed the route to the hospital in his mind, making certain he was choosing the quickest route and taking traffic into account. She lifted her head from him.

"Better?"

She nodded, her hair disheveled. He smoothed it with his hand. "Alright then, we're off. Take two," he added, trying to retain some humor.

"No, not until I use the bathroom."

Mulder bit his lower lip. "You were just in there," he pointed out.

"Mulder, I was dressing, besides I didn't have to go then." Scully made her way back to the bathroom.

"Can it wait?"

Scully stopped and gave him a look of Disbelief. "How much do you value your upholstery?"

"Four minutes apart, Scully, time's a tickin'", Mulder pointed at his wristwatch tensely. Scully continued to the bathroom with a shake of her head and closed the door loudly.


x

Although it had caused some tension, Scully was immediately thankful she had decided on taking the bathroom break. She was surprised at how much her bladder had been holding back considering how little space it had left. Her next contraction would have no doubt voided it for her had she not gone. She waited for the stream to slow, somewhat amused by how long it was taking, but also concerned. She was hoping to make it out of the apartment before her next contraction and that was looking less and less likely. Her stream was beginning to slow down now, but was still trickling. She glanced at her watch, a minute and twenty seconds until her next contraction and counting. "Scully, what's going on?"

Cue, Mulder. "I'm peeing, Mulder."

"Still?"

"I told you I had to go," she leaned forward slightly, hoping the extra boost of pressure would finish off the job. Success.

"Hurry up in there."

"Knock it off, Mulder!" Scully stood slowly, and attempted to return her underpants and slacks to their proper place. She wouldn't miss this struggle, she realized as she fought her pants back up over her watermelon-sized middle. She made her way over to the sink and reached for the faucet handles. She heard the splash just as her hand touched it, which caused a split second of confusion before it registered.

"C'mon, Scully, we've gotta go!"

"Mulder!" The cramps washed over her almost immediately with forceful pressure.

Mulder rushed in, "Scully?" His eyes scanned her quickly, finally settling on the puddle she was now standing in. "Oh, shit, you're water broke," he murmured, his face blanched.

 


"Aaahh..." Scully began to sink to her knees, the strength of the contraction building in record time. Mulder grabbed her, underneath her shoulders and lowered her onto the floor. He sat behind her in the doorway, allowing her to rest on him. Scully tossed her head back on his chest, her breathing rapid. Her hands fumbled about, seeking him out. Mulder took them in his own. Scully arched her back in pain, squeezing his fingers with enough force to crush his knuckles up against each other, and let loose with a long and agonized screech.

"Please tell me you were not pushing," Mulder pleaded hoarsely in the relative silence that followed. She panted and gasped as the contraction wound back down.

"I was not pushing, Mulder," she finally admitted. Her body melted into his, her soft voice evident of the exhaustion that was taking hold of her. Mulder released her hands and pushed the loose strands of hair back behind her ears.

"Is everything alright in there?" Frohike called from just outside the bathroom. "We were half expecting to hear a baby cry."

"Hang around and you just might," Mulder called back. He helped Scully to her feet. "We've got to go. Now," he asserted.

"Mulder I'm soaking wet, I have to change."

Mulder tilted his head back in frustration. "But your clothes are in your car, which is at least one, perhaps two contractions away. Then they'd have to be brought back here for you to change, that's another two, not to mention the actual changing... I'm just not sure we have that kind of time."

"I can't go like this, Mulder."

"Scully, I'm seriously considering calling an ambulance at this point."

"I don't need an ambulance, I just need some dry pants." She insisted.

"Okay, alright, fine." Mulder ran into his room and began rummaging through his drawers, tossing clothes in his haste. He returned to the bathroom with a pair of gray sweat-pants. "And do not ask me to leave you alone in this bathroom because I won't."

"Fine." Scully took the sweat-pants from him.

"Start stripping, girl," Mulder taunted.

Scully frowned at him, but he politely turned away as she began to undress. She felt heavy, unusually so, as if she were carrying around a bowling ball in her pelvis. The water breaking had allowed the baby to drop lower, she realized. Scully carefully shed the garments and draped them over the shower-stall to dry. She pulled the sweat- pants on, leaving the waistband below her belly, and rolling the excess. They still hung terribly on her, but at least they weren't wet. "Alright, Mulder." Scully joined him at the door. She turned back quickly and studied the mess she had made of the bathroom.

Mulder watched her and shook his head. "Forget about it, Scully, I'll clean it up later." Scully nodded and headed into the bedroom. Each step intensified the now ever- present cramps until she slowed to snail speed. "Are we still moving?" Mulder questioned.

"I'm trying, Mulder." Scully pushed herself along. She had barely reached the bedside when pain ripped through her once again, this time with intense pressure as an accompaniment. "Mul...." Scully gasped.

Mulder's eyes widened and he quickly helped her onto the edge of the bed. "That was less than three minutes," he announced breathlessly.

The contraction peaked immediately and Scully rolled onto her side, pulling her legs up as close to her chest as she could manage. She felt a sudden surge of nausea and her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. She was in transition, she knew, but there was no way for her to express it. It was all she could do at the moment just to get by as she shivered and moaned, her body wracked with mind-numbing pain.

**

Mulder felt incredibly helpless as he watched Scully writhe on the bed. He tried to comfort her, to touch and reassure her, but she seemed oblivious to him now, too focused on her pain to be able to respond. He watched the time, waiting for the contraction to end for his chance to move her off the bed and out the door, but it dragged on. Things would seem to settle momentarily and then another would start just as soon as the last one had faded. She screamed, absently, breaking him from his trance, and then rolled away from him moaning, her eyes rolling back in her head.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Mulder walked a little circle beside the bed.

"Mulder?" Frohike poked his head back in the bedroom.

"Call an ambulance," Mulder ordered, making his decision.

Frohike left the room in a sprint.


4:50 p.m.

Scully was almost certain that she couldn't take it anymore, that she would lose her mind completely to the pain, when a new sensation rippled across her abdomen. She felt her body surge involuntarily as it moved through her, increasing the tremendous pressure on her bottom. "Mulder?"

He looked down at her from where he stood beside the bed, appearing almost startled that she had spoken to him, his eyes large and wet.

"Mulder, I have to push."

Mulder sprung back to life. "No, Scully, there's an ambulance on the way, don't push."

Another spasm surged through her body with the irresistible urge to help it along. Scully grunted and pushed with it, her bottom hurt and burned terribly, but it eased the labor pains.

"No, Scully, no, I said don't push!" Mulder was clearly in panic mode now. He raced to the doorway, "Frohike, where's that ambulance?"

"They dispatched it Mulder, it's coming," Frohike replied.

"Yeah, well, so is this baby."

"Should we boil some water?" Langly asked from behind him.

"Do they even do that anymore?" Frohike questioned, turning back to him.

"Only if you want a cup of tea," Byers replied.

Mulder attempted to rub the frustration off his face, but stopped abruptly as Scully let out another loud grunt. He leaned into the bed. "Scully, do not push, stop," he begged of her.

"Mulder, this baby is coming, now, I can't stop!"

"Frohike, make sure the medics are still on the phone, I need to know what to do," Mulder ordered.

Frohike lifted the phone back up to his ear from the position on his shoulder that he had inadvertently let it slip to.

Mulder leaned in close to Scully while Frohike spoke into the phone. He wanted desperately to comfort her somehow, but nothing seemed sufficient. Her hands were flailing again and he reached his hand out to her, but she grabbed him by the sleeve instead and pulled him in with a loud scream. Mulder remained still while she clamped down on his arm, a pained expression on face. "Frohike, what are they saying, what the hell do I do?" he called out from his bent position.

Frohike covered the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand and frowned to himself, his face white. "Get out your catcher's mitt, Mulder," he instructed.


x

"Langly, where are those towels?" Mulder questioned. He had removed the sweat-pants from Scully with absolutely no argument from her despite the traffic that was in and out of the room. That alone would have scared the hell out of him if he wasn't so worried about what was coming.

"Where do you want these, Mulder?" Langly asked as he reappeared from the bathroom with armfuls of towels, he quickly turned averting his eyes.

"Place them on the bed beside me," Mulder answered without looking back. "Scully, lift your hips." Scully thrashed her head from side to side on the bed, sweat dampened the hair on her forehead. Mulder assisted her and slid a towel underneath, uncertain if she was hearing him or not. "Where's that flashlight?"

"I've got it right here," Byers volunteered, appearing behind Frohike at the bedroom door.

"I'm going to need someone to hand things to me," Mulder explained as he helped Scully position her legs.

Langly threw his hands up took two steps back into the bathroom, "No way, man, I get queasy really easily. I can't even watch those nature programs."

"Well, I'm on with the paramedics," Frohike argued. Scully arched her back and yelled again. Byers' eyes widened substantially as his jaw fell open.

"Get over here, Byers, sometime before this baby is born."

Byers glowered at his counterparts as he made his way over to the bedside. He positioned himself beside Mulder, carefully averting his eyes.

Mulder blew out a quick breath, "I can see the top of the head, it's right there."

Langly made a dart for the door. "I'll watch for the paramedics in the hallway," he said as he made his way out. Frohike shook his head at him as he watched him pass.

"C'mon, Scully, push," Mulder prompted. Scully grabbed behind her thighs with Mulder's guidance and bore down.


"Keep it going, you're almost there," Mulder coaxed.

Scully collapsed back onto the pillows that had been propped up behind her. "I can't," she breathed out, exhausted.

"Yes you can, Scully, push hard!" Mulder insisted.

Scully took another deep breath and pushed again with the building contraction. "Aaaggh..." She felt an incredible surge of pressure and then relief.

"Hold on, Scully," Mulder looked both terrified and amazed as he worked quickly, checking for the umbilical cord. Scully panted in quick, short breaths as she fought off the urge to continue.

"Okay, we're good, keep going. Byers, get a towel ready."

"Aaaahhhh..." Scully pulled her chin to her chest and pushed again, recharged knowing that the end was near. The pressure built again and she focused in on it, ushering her baby into the world.


Mulder held the baby in his hands, working quickly as he followed the instructions Frohike relayed to him from the medics, a surreal sensation enveloping him. He gently swabbed the infants mouth with his finger and placed it on Scully's belly, massaging the tiny body with a towel as the baby began making small gurgling cries.

Scully reached down and stroked the little face. "Hi baby, it's okay, it's alright," she crooned, tearfully. "I'm here, Momma's right here."

Mulder smiled down at them, the magnitude of what just happened finally crashing down on him. He was a father.


9:30 p.m.

Mulder was returning from supper. He had left reluctantly and with much urging from Mrs. Scully. He was happy he had however, as it had given Scully time alone with her mother. He also felt a lot calmer with a full stomach and with the adrenaline slowly beginning to leave his system. This past morning felt like it was years ago as he reflected, thankful for the way things had gone and mindful of what could have been. He toyed with the small vile inside of his coat pocket, needing to remind himself it was still there. He had nearly missed the birth of his son, but he had gained some small measure of insurance. He hoped to never need it.

"I'm headed home for the night," Mrs. Scully informed him as he approached the hospital room. She held her arms out to him, a smile widening on her face. Mulder accepted the hug readily. "Congratulations, Fox."

"Thank you, congratulations to you as well, Grandma," he added. She gave him one last pat on the arm before making her way down the long hall.

Mulder pushed the door open slowly. The small hospital room was chock full of colorful flowers, balloons and gifts, despite the fact that baby was only four hours old.

Scully was reclining in the bed, the baby swaddled securely in a receiving blanket in her arms, only its tiny pink face visible.

"How are you feeling?" Mulder asked as he sat beside her on the bed.

"Considering everything, Mulder, I feel great. How are Langly, Byers and Frohike?" she questioned.

"They are recovering nicely. Langly is even starting to regain some of his facial color."

The baby fussed softly and Scully gently readjusted her hold, a smile lighting her face.

Mulder leaned in to further examine the baby. He looked so much like his mother, creamy skin and clear blue eyes, but he hoped the similarities didn't run too deeply. He didn't know how much the baby would be affected by what Scully had done to her during the abduction. He might not have put much thought into it all if not for the random call he had received a couple of months ago. But this morning's mission had proved successful. He know had in his possession a micro-chip similar to the one that had put Scully's cancer into remission. He hadn't told Scully, he hadn't wanted to risk placing anymore stress on her during the pregnancy. He now hoped that he would never have to.

He reached out and stroked the soft peach-fuzz hair on the baby's tiny head. Mulder smiled warmly at both of them, tears of happiness clouding his eyes. After only four hours he already couldn't imagine the world without his son.

Scully watched him silently as he studied their child. "It's just so amazing to think that we sparked life, Scully. That our love created this beautiful little boy."

"He is gorgeous. He feels like heaven in my arms. I just feel so peaceful watching him sleep." She beamed.

"So, does this mean you're not going kick my ass?" Mulder teased.

"Hmmm, well, you did assist in delivering our child."

"There was also a genetic contribution made on my side, albeit a small one."

"Yeah," Scully mock-considered this as she studied the baby, "perhaps I should hold off on that. You might prove useful after all, if you play your cards right, Mulder."

"Mmmm, well, I like the sound of that Ms. Scully." Mulder turned to her, a mischievous look on his face as he bent in to kiss her.

"Well, it's sealed, Mulder, you're here to stay," she replied when he pulled back again.

"That's a good thing," Mulder responded, growing more serious. He reached out and touched the bundled baby in her arms. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

End.


 

Feedback is welcomed and responded to..

Many thanks to Johhanne and Xdks for their help as betas and as fearless conquerors of unnecessary commas. You help make the unreadable readable:)

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