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Title: William Author's note: Usually I shy away from stories about William, but this one caught me and I went with it. After I watched IWTB, I couldn't really think much else other than... damn their lives suck. So here we go to maybe make them suck a little less. Please review... even if it is bad. Oh... I don't own the X-files or any of the characters. If I did the last movie would have been really different. The apartment was small. It was simple. It was, definitely, not home. Usually she dreaded moving, but this next time it would be welcomed. She wondered exactly how they had ended up in this specific terrible locale. A year on the move and Scully had hated some of the places she and Mulder had lived, but this apartment in North Dakota, took the cake. It was small, it was damp, it was always cold, and it smelled like rotten Chinese food. She shuddered as she opened up her laptop computer, unplugged the internet cable from Mulder's computer and plugged it into her own. While she waited for it to boot up, she looked through the mail lying on the desk. Bills, bills, bills, oh and a chance to win a million dollars. Tom and Jessie Williams didn't get mail from family or friends, they had none. The aliases she and Mulder had created were simple and hard to track. That had been the intention. Nobody could find them, unless they wanted them to. She sighed as she logged into an anonymous email account. She changed it every six months, sending the new address to only three people, on equally anonymous and ever changing addresses. She couldn't cut off her ties to her life for good. She and Mulder took enough precautions, it was a calculated risk. As the inbox for her email opened she began shifting through the junk mail starting at the oldest messages. Finally an email from a real person, almost a week ago SkinmangoesHollywood had sent her a message. She couldn't help but laugh at Skinner's new email address. Mulder would get a kick out of it. She clicked on the blank subject line to reveal the email. D, Hope you are both well. I hadn't heard from you in awhile and just wanted to check in. Let me know if you need anything. WS She decided to finish going through her inbox before she responded. There was a message from her mother, simply sending her love. The third to last email was the one that caught her attention. The senders email addresses, whalesong37, was what had really gotten her attention. Monica Reyes had multiple email addresses she used to contact Scully. This one sent up a white flag. It meant something was wrong. She frantically clicked on the email to reveal the message. The email contained nothing other than a web link and Monica's initial. When Scully clicked the link it took her to a Wyoming newspaper's website. The article that appeared on the page puzzled Scully, Why would Monica send her this? The headline read, "Couple Dies in Mysterious Conditions". She read the article still completely puzzled. The article could be an X-file for sure, but why would Monica have sent it to her. It wasn't until she got to the end of the article that everything became clear. Her breath caught in her throat and her hand shook as she clicked the print button. Scully was pacing the apartment having reread the article somewhere around ten times, when Mulder finally got home an hour later. Mulder entered the apartment and recoiled at the smell. He could completely commiserate with Scully's hatred of this place. He glanced around the room. "Scully?" he asked quietly. "Where are you?" "Bedroom, packing," she replied. "We're going to Wyoming," she said authoritatively. "Scully, I know you hate it here but I don't think you would like Wyoming any better," Mulder said sitting down on the foot of the bed next to her suitcase. She pushed the printed article into his hand and continued to fill her suitcase. "What is this?" he asked. When she didn't respond, he began to read. Mulder couldn't figure out what had Scully so worked up until he got to the last paragraph. It read, 'The Van Kamp's leave behind their two year old adopted son, William.' "Scully," he said reaching out for her hand. When she didn't respond he tried again, but she just continued to pack. Finally, he stood up and took hold of her arm. "Dana," he whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Mulder, what if they find him?" she asked fear resonating in her voice. "I know, but do you really think us going to him is the safest thing, for him?" "We're his parents. We have to protect him." "Isn't that why you sent him away in the first place? To protect him?" "Yeah and look how well that worked. All I know is that I need to go to him; I need to take care of him. I'm his mother." She collapsed into Mulder's shoulder crying horribly. "Scully, where did you get this?" Mulder asked, as he and Scully sat down on the edge of the bed. He was worried that someone was trying to use William against them. "Monica," Scully replied. "Okay, before we go to Wyoming I think we should make contact with her and Doggett, Skinner, too. We need to go in with as much information as we can." She nodded, listening to his advice. "Okay, I'll buy plane tickets to DC." There flight landed in DC at 2:15 in the morning. It seemed like a time they would be unlikely to be seen. They took a cab to a small hotel and checked in under new names. Dropping their stuff in the room they walked to the nearby metro station and rode down to the National Mall. Skinner's tall figure was already casting a shadow on the steps of the Lincoln memorial when they approached. "Hey there, Skinman," Mulder greeted him with a warm handshake. Skinner just shook his head and turned his attention to Scully, greeting her with a hug. "Why do I barely get a hand shake and she gets a hug?" Mulder asked, feigning hurt. "She's prettier than you," claimed a voice behind him. Mulder and Scully both turned to see John Doggett sauntering up the steps behind them, followed by Monica Reyes. After greeting each other for a moment, Skinner became the voice of reason. "This is a really bad idea. I don't know why the hell you guys would come back to Washington. You are going to get yourselves killed." "Some things are worth risking your life for," Scully replied. "We needed more information, before we decided what to do." "What to do about what?" Doggett asked confused. Scully and Mulder both looked at Monica. "You didn't tell them?" Scully finally asked. "I didn't want to draw attention to the article any more than necessary. In case the wrong people were paying attention." "Agent Reyes, what is going on?" Skinner asked him impatience growing. "After Dana gave William up for adoption, I kept tabs on him, but only loosely. I didn't want to draw attention. Anyway, he was adopted by a couple in Wyoming. Last week his adoptive parents were killed in what the newspapers are reporting to be an accident involving an unknown chemical agent." Mulder made a scoffing sound and Scully reached out for his hand. Monica continued, "All evidence indicates that William is fine." Mulder squeezed Scully's hand reassuringly. "What we need to know is what to do about it?" Mulder asked. "Obviously, we would like to see our son, but not at the cost of his life. Scully gave him up to keep him safe. But that doesn't seem to have been as effective as we would have liked." "What seems clear to me is that the 'wrong people' already seem to be paying attention," Doggett replied. "I am sure we are all thinking the same thing when it comes to that 'unknown chemical agent'. What is less clear is why they didn't seem to do anything with William? I mean he had to have been the target of their focus." "Obviously," Mulder replied. "Maybe what Spender did made William superfluous for them, and they figured that out when they went to take him." "Why would they kill his parents…" Skinner began, then quickly corrected himself, "his adoptive parents and leave him alive?" "Oh God," Scully breathed. "I don't know if you going to him could be any less dangerous than any other option. They seem to be able to find him. Though it may be more dangerous to you," Monica said. "We don't live a lifestyle that I would wish upon any child, let alone my own," Scully said sadly. "How different is it from you moving all the time when your dad was in the Navy?" Mulder asked. "When my dad was in the Navy I didn't have to change my name every time I moved," she retorted. "Okay, this is not the time for you two to have a spat," Skinner interrupted. "I know you are stressed, but we need to decide on a course of action." "I want to see him," Scully said, "even if we don't get to keep him." Mulder shivered. They had debated this over and over again on the flight to DC. Would they be able to handle seeing him, if they had to give him up again? He knew it would nearly kill him, but his real fear was that Scully wouldn't be able to handle it at all. "Mulder, I know what you are thinking," she left it at that. It was the only assurance she could offer him. "I think you are forgetting something else," Doggett said. "Scully, you gave up your parental rights when you gave William up for adoption; you have no claim to him." Scully's face dropped. The legal aspects hadn't been something she had even stopped to consider. She knew Mulder hadn't either. They had been too worried about the consequences of getting William back to even think about the practicality of it. Watching Scully's face drop, Monica spoke up, "She doesn't. But Mulder does." "What?" Mulder asked looking up quickly from where his eyes had been focused on his feet. "You weren't here when Dana gave him up for adoption. You didn't sign away your parental rights," she said. "You're forgetting something," Skinner said. "Mulder is a fugitive. He is still wanted for murder. There is no statute of limitation on that. No-one will give him custody of a child and if they find out where he is they'll arrest him. We'll have to find another way." "I think I have an idea," Doggett said. "Let me look into it. Where are you staying?" "The Cheshire," Mulder replied. "Wow, only the best, huh?" Skinner joked sarcastically. "You live differently in our situation," Scully replied, taking Mulder's hand. "We'll talk to you tomorrow then?" she asked. When Doggett nodded, they all went their separate ways. Back at the hotel, Scully was changing into pajamas. From where he sat at the end of the bed, Mulder said, "You made the decision without me." Scully stopped and looked at him. He looked dejected, hurt. "I'm sorry," she said. She walked over and sat next to him. "Nothing has really been decided, but…" she wasn't sure how to continue. "It is the right decision," Mulder said. "I just want to be a part of it." "I want you to be, too." She said, resting a hand on his knee. "I guess that I was worried that you were just too scared to make that choice. And, I have to see him. Mulder, I have felt like there is a huge hole in me. This whole year, without him, it has been so hard. Without you, it would have been unbearable." Seeing the hurt in her eyes, "Scully," Mulder began, "I promise you, we will see him, and if I have anything to do with it, you won't have to give him up again. Even if…" he couldn't quite bring himself to finish. "Don't say it Mulder," she interrupted. "I don't want to you to sacrifice yourself. I can't lose you again, either." "But I will if I have to. He is my son," Mulder said, pulling her into a hug. "I would do it for either of you, without a second thought." "I am not willing to go there. We have to find a way for all of us to be together. Doggett said he had an idea. I trust him; let's see what he comes up with," she said with a yawn. "Yeah, for now let's go to bed though," Mulder replied, crawling back further on the bed. Scully followed him and they crawled under the covers. By the time Doggett showed up at the hotel the following day, both Mulder and Scully were going a bit stir crazy. The room was small, but they were afraid to venture out. The knock at the door made them both jump. Peering through the peephole Mulder said, "Doggett." He opened the door and let him in. "Alright," Doggett said, getting straight to business and sitting down on the only chair in the room. Mulder and Scully sat together on the end of the bed and waited for him to begin. "I have a plan. We need to get you set up somewhere, somewhere you are going to feel comfortable living permanently, at least relatively comfortable. I would recommend you not go too far, in case you need our help again for some reason." "What about Mulder?" Scully asked concerned. "Being close by could put him in jeopardy." "We don't think so, Skinner and Kersh did some digging and it seems that they aren't looking too hard for you," Doggett replied, looking at Mulder. "I don't know if I should be thankful or insulted," Mulder replied smartly. "Just look at it as a blessing. Agent Reyes has a plan for how to get you a place to live without drawing too much attention. You just need to choose the place." "What about William?" Scully asked, hopefully. "I have a friend who knows the ins and outs of the Children's Services system. She says that given the right information about who you are she can make it look like you are just a couple adopting William. Luckily, there isn't much of a record on his adoption in the first place. So, we think this can be done without drawing too much attention." "Agent Reyes is going to come by in awhile; she has some ideas on where you might want to move. You should talk about it before she gets here." Doggett stood up and walked towards the door. Then he stopped, turned, and said, "You know, it is really good to see you both, to know that you are okay. We all worried." Mulder offered him a smiled and Scully stood up and crossed the room to offer him a hug. "I'll see you later," he said slipping out the door. "So nearby," Mulder said, as Scully sat back down on the edge of the bed. She turned and looked at him. "We've talk about it before," he continued. "If we could come home, where we would live." "I always thought of it more as a dream than as an actual reality, though," Scully replied. She had pulled one leg up on the bed and was sitting facing him. "Well, maybe this dream can come true," he replied, when she smiled at him he reached up and ran a hand over her cheek. She nodded and said, "I think we try it. It really is the middle of nowhere." When Monica showed up a couple hours later, Mulder and Scully had pulled out a map. "So, you got any thoughts?" Monica asked. "Yeah, we were thinking out here, down by Charlottesville, maybe out on highway 810 or near Shenandoah National Park." "Okay, well I have a friend who gave me a tip. My cousin is looking to invest in some property, so what we are going to do is have her buy a house. Everything will be done in her name. We will work the payments through me. You can deposit into my account and I will send checks to her. If we want to change things later we can, but I think this is a good plan to avoid detection for now." "Sounds like it will work," Scully replied. "We should probably go down to Charlottesville and work on finding a place and getting furniture and such." "That reminds me," Monica replied. "This is for you," she said handing Scully a key. "What is it?" she asked. "It is a key to a storage unit. Skinner, Doggett, and I moved your stuff into it after you went on the run. I thought you might want to go through it." "We can move your furniture down when you find a place, or we could just sell the stuff and you could use the money for new stuff." Scully was speechless; she simply reached out and hugged Monica. "Thank you so much. I can't believe you all did that." "It is no problem; we just stuck everything from your apartment in there. Mulder it looked like some of it was yours, too. Anyway, I will let you two makes some decisions. I was thinking we could head down south tomorrow morning. I will be acting as a representative for my cousin. She doesn't really care about what kind of a house she gets as long as someone else is taking care of it." "Alright," Scully replied. "Thanks again Monica; we will see you in the morning." Once Monica was gone Scully and Mulder sat back down on the bed. "So you kept my stuff?" Mulder asked. "Of course, what did you think I would do with it?" Scully replied. Mulder just shrugged. "Well you want to look online for houses?" Mulder nodded, jumping up from the bed and grabbing the computer. "If we have a list of houses we want to look at it will make it a lot easier. It would be better if we didn't have to stay down in Charlottesville for too long." "Mulder, do you think it would be better if you and I just went down to find a place and then we called Monica and had her come down." "Maybe if we don't find something promising tomorrow, we could do that." Three hours later, Mulder had finally found a house he loved and Scully was asleep on the bed. She had grown sick of the repetitive search. Mulder was hesitant to wake her; he knew she hadn't slept much since they found out about William. The house was perfect though, he knew she would love it. Gently he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Scully," he whispered. "Wake up; I want to show you something." "Uh, what is it Mulder? I am sleeping." "I promise, it is worth it," he let her grab a hold of his arm to pull herself up. "Look," he said, pointing to the webpage he had been looking at. "Oh my god," Scully breathed. The house was a beautiful 1920's farm house, in rather good condition. It sat on 6 acres of land with a creek running through it. Everything about the house was beautiful. "Mulder, it is perfect." "I think we can even afford it. It looks like it might need a little work, but I could do that. I can't get a job, anyway. Not if we aren't living under aliases. I found these ones, too." He clicked onto another window. "I don't like them as much, but just in case we can't get the first one." The next house was more cabin like, tucked in the woods. It was equally beautiful but didn't speak to Scully like the first one did. The third was almost as good as the first. It was, again, a farm style from the 1940s on a beautiful hill and 3 acres of fields and trees surrounding it. She smiled watching Mulder as he motioned with his hands explaining what he liked about the different houses. "Mulder?" she questioned. "Yeah," he replied, turning and looking at her. "Do you remember all those years ago, that case in Home?" "Of course, not an easy one to forget," he replied, slightly recoiling. "Do you remember how you said you always wanted to live out in the country, in a town like that?" He nodded and she continued, "I implied that I couldn't live like that." He nodded again, unsure of where she was going with this. "With you, and William, I think it will be perfect." "Me too," he replied and kissed her. "You want to go to sleep?" "Do we have all the information we need on the houses?" "Yeah, I have the realtors' names and numbers; we can call on our way down there tomorrow." With that he shut down the computer and they got ready for bed. On the drive down with Monica the following morning, Scully called the realtors. They were going to be able to see each of the houses that day. Scully couldn't believe their luck, maybe things were finally turning around for them. The first house they looked at was the cabin in the woods. It was alright, but many of the features were indistinct. Somehow, Scully just couldn't see them playing with William outside or putting him to bed in that house. They told the realtor they would get back to him later. The second house had been the first one Mulder had shown Scully online. It was beautiful with prewar original features. Mulder had been right that it would need some work, but it didn't seem like anything they couldn't handle. It was really the yard that Mulder loved about the house. The creek winding its way through the trees was exactly what he had always pictured when he thought of living in the country. He was ready to buy the house right then, but Scully convinced him they should see the other one first. She was glad she had the moment she saw that last house. It was a beautiful, white, Dutch colonial farm house with a green roof and green shutters. It was nestled among sprawling green hills covered in some of the largest trees Scully had even seen. The house itself was amazing with almost all original features, including a mudroom off the kitchen, leading to the back yard. When they ventured outside, Scully knew they had found the house. Hidden from view on the online photos was a creek running behind the property. She knew Mulder was sold on the house as well, the way his face lit up. Turning to Monica together they said, "This is it." She smiled and said, "Good, if you hadn't taken it, I might have had to move here myself." She turned and went inside to talk to the realtor. "So this is home," Scully said. She turned to face Mulder and saw him gazing at her with adoration in his eyes. "This is home. What do you say we get our stuff and our son and get ready to move in?" "Oh my god," Scully said. She couldn't find any other words, so she hugged Mulder around the neck and just took a deep breath. When they pulled apart Mulder studied her face; it was streaked with tears. He wiped them away with his thumbs, and kissed her cheek before pulling her back for another hug. Mulder and Scully dropped Monica off at the realtors to fill out paperwork and fax things to her cousin. If all went perfectly they would be able to move in at the end of the week. Giving them just enough time to get things figured out and go deal with the process of getting William. Doggett had them booked on a flight to Wyoming the next morning, and by lunch time they were meeting with Doggett's social worker friend. She sat down in the chair opposite them. "I am Julia Henson; I am assigned as William's social worked. John tells me this is a very special situation." "Yeah," Scully began, but she was unsure of how to explain their situation. "You are in fact William's biological parents?" "Yes, we are. I brought my copy of his birth certificate," Scully said, pulling the paper from her purse. Mulder remembered the first time he had seen the paper. Seeing his name printed on the line reading father had sent chills through him. "Alright, Dana. So, we know you are William's mother, but you willingly gave up your parental rights when he was 10 months old, placing him for adoption?" "Yeah, but I never wanted to give him up it was purely for his safety. I was trying to do the right thing," Scully's voice broke, as tears welled in her eyes. Mulder reached for her hand. "I understand, however that doesn't change the facts. But Fox?" Julia turned her attention to Mulder. He nodded. "You are William's father?" Again, he nodded. "And you never signed away your parental rights?" "No, I wasn't around when Sc… Dana had to make that choice," he said, squeezing Scully's hand. "But you are his biological father?" "Uh…" Mulder was unsure of what to say. In his mind he was William's father, but biology was still an undetermined aspect. "Yes, he is," Scully said assertively. "Scully?" Mulder questioned hesitantly. "I don't want to get too personal here, but you were the only man I was sleeping with at the time and all of the fertility treatment I have undergone was with your sperm. Would you like to explain to Ms. Henson here how someone else could "biologically" be William's father?" She asked in a hushed tone. "No," he said, quietly to Scully. Then, turning his attention to Julia, he said "I'm his father. It's on the birth certificate." She nodded and said, "Alright, I understand we need to be somewhat delicate with this situation. But, being as you are William's closest biological living relatives and his adoptive parents have no family, I am comfortable awarding you guardianship of him." "I think you must understand some of the threat here," Mulder began to explain. "Seeing as you know what happened to the Van Camps. We would like to draw as little attention to this as possible." "Of course, the paperwork will be handled very quietly and put away in a drawer. Also, because you are not foster or adoptive parents we have no need to keep track of you. Once you leave, Children's services will no longer be keeping track of William." Scully breathed out a sigh of relief. She felt like she had been holding her breath through the entire meeting. Finally, she asked, "Can we see him?" "He is with an emergency foster family, now," Julia replied. "I will call them to let them know we will be coming to get him tonight. I am assuming you need some time to get things together for him." "Yeah, we need a car-seat and such," Scully replied. "Okay, well I can meet you at the foster parent's house at 4:30 today to get William; we just need you to sign some paper work now." An hour later Mulder found himself standing an aisle at Babies 'R Us, completely overwhelmed. He had never known that car seats came in so many styles, or that they could be so expensive. Scully was standing at the end of the aisle watching Mulder cock his head in puzzlement at the car seats in front of him. She smiled, watching him and thinking how cute he looked. He seemed to sense her presences because without even turning he began to talk through his thought process, the way he had on cases when they worked on the X-files. "So this one has the highest rating, but it is pink. This one is rated well too, and it does this cool swivel thing to make it easier to get the kid out. This one is pretty cool; it is designed for travel and can be a stroller or a car seat," he said, finally turning to look at her. "What do you think, Scully?" "I think you sound like you are analyzing case findings," she joked. He raised an eyebrow at her, prompting her to continue. "And, I think you are a wonderful father." "I haven't done anything, yet," he said. "But, you are so invested, and it is a car seat. Mulder, they are all safe or they wouldn't be on the market. Any one with be great," she replied, touching his arm. "Does he need a car seat on the plane? 'Cause if so this one might be good, the one that converts into the stroller for in the airport," Mulder said, going back to his car seat analysis. "Yeah, I think the airlines require seats for kids over two," Scully replied. "So, we should probably use his car seat on the plane." "So what do you think of this?" Mulder asked, pulling the model car seat down and showing Scully how it popped up to be a stroller. "I think it would be great, good job," she bent down to where he was kneeling on the floor and kissed his cheek. She had thought it was funny when he had told her to continue looking at toddler clothes while he went and looked at the car seats. He had insisted on making the decision and then consulting her. Now, she thought it was incredibly cute that he was so invested in his parental decisions. Mulder smiled up as her and stood up putting the model back and grabbing the large box off the shelf. "What else do we need?" "I didn't pick out any clothes, because really I don't know what size to get him. We need to see him first," Scully's voice sounded a bit sad. "We probably need to get a stroller, but with that car seat we could wait to do that in Virginia. So, I think until we get him we are good." "Scully, you did the right thing when you gave him up. I know you are sad at having missed the past year, but we are so lucky to get a second chance." "I know, you are right," she replied. "I just wish I knew…I'm his mother, I should know everything about him. I mean I don't even know if he is still sleeping in a crib. If he is we need to get him someplace to sleep at the hotel tonight." "You'll know soon enough, and then we will have the rest of our lives to know everything," Mulder said reassuringly. "What do you say after we pick him up tonight, we come back here or go somewhere else and buy him some more stuff?" Scully nodded and they went to pay for the car seat. Mulder noticed that Scully was almost shaking when they got out of the car at the address Julia had given them. He reached out and took her hand and squeezed. "I love you; this is a good thing," he whispered to her. "Promise." "I know," she said. "I know I will be okay; you're here." "I'm here, and I'm not leaving," he made the promise they both needed to believe was true. "Let's go," she said, still holding tightly to his hand. Together they walked up the walkway to the front door. Mulder knocked and a woman answered. "Hi, you must be Dana and Fox, William's parents. I am Jessie. We were so glad to hear that William was going to be reunited with you, he is a special boy. I would hate to see him suffer through the system." Scully offered her a smile and said, "Thanks Jessie. That is very nice of you to say. Honestly, I was worried you might judge my having given him up." "Believe me, I have seen every reason kids are given up and I can assume that since you are back your reasons were not selfish." "They weren't," Mulder interjected. "Can we see him?" "Yes, I am sorry. Come in," Jessie said. "This is my husband Harold and our youngest son Jeremy." She gestured to a man standing in the entry way holding a boy about 4 years old. "William is in the living room with Julia." Scully took an audible deep breath and followed by Mulder walked down the hallway behind Jessie. Julia was sitting on the couch and on the floor sat a small boy. Scully froze in the doorway, causing Mulder to almost run into her. He stopped and looked over her to where William sat. He was playing with a train set. Mulder stopped and took in every feature. He hadn't seen his son in nearly two years and the sight was breath taking. His auburn hair waved on his head and when he looked up his blue eyes shined. He seemed to be taking in the presence of new people. Julia followed William's line of sight. "Come on in," she said. Scully walked into the room slightly hesitantly, Mulder joined her, still watching William. He noticed that William's focus seemed to stay mainly on Scully, he wondered if it was possible that he remembered her. "Dana, Fox, why don't you join me on the couch and we can talk to William, a bit." Scully and Mulder both nodded and did as they were told. Julia seemed to be prepared for everyone's trepidation and was couching them through it. Turning back to William she said, "William, do you remember what I told you about your mama and daddy?" "Dey had to go away," William replied quietly. Mulder had to force himself to take his eyes off William to look at Scully. She seemed to be reacting to hearing him speak in a complete sentence. She seemed to be torn between wanting to smile and wanting to cry. "That is right William, your mama and daddy had to go away. Do you remember what else I told you?" Mulder was trying to decide if he had no idea how to talk to children or if Julia was actually being condescending to his son. "New mom an' dad," William said. Then he looked at Scully and Mulder somewhat expectantly. "That is right, William," Julia said. "This is your new mom and your new dad. They are going to talk to you now and I am going to go talk to Harold and Jessie. Is that okay?" "Uh huh," William replied. He looked back at his train set and pushed the train forward. Then he looked up at Mulder and Scully and said, "Watch dis." He pushed the train up far enough that it went over a hill in the track, then he let go and let gravity pull it down and the momentum push it around the track. "Wow, William, that is cool," Mulder replied, he hadn't known what to say, but his son had solved that problem for him. He slipped down from the couch and sat next to William on the floor. Reaching up, he grabbed Scully's hand and pulled her down with him. He knew she was frozen by her emotions. "Do you like trains?" Mulder asked. "Uh huh," William replied. "Like twains. Like dinoaws." It took Mulder a moment to translate the two year old speech. He looked to Scully for help. She motioned to William's shirt. Mulder looked, it was a stegosaurus. "Oh, I like dinosaurs, too," he finally replied. William seemed to stop and study Mulder for a moment. Then he said, "Dad?" He said it like a question. Mulder decided he should probably reply like it had been a question, "Yes, Will, I'm your dad," he said. Then putting his hand on Scully's back he added, "And this is your mom." William stood up from where he was sitting and walked around the train track so he was closer to Mulder and Scully. He looked inquisitively at both of them. First Mulder and then Scully. He reached up cautiously and touched Scully's face. She seemed unsure of what to do. Mulder could tell that she wanted to take the boy into her arms, but he knew she must have been afraid of scaring him, just as he was. Finally, William spoke. "Not new," he said, shaking his head. Scully spoke for the first time since entering the room. "William, do you remember me?" William shrugged like he wasn't quite sure himself. Scully knew she needed to explain to her son, even if he was too young to understand. "William, when you were just a little baby you used to live with me." William nodded. He seemed to get distracted by something across the room. "Look," he said, grabbing Scully's hand and pulling. She stood up and allowed him to lead her across to a paper grocery bag; Scully assumed it was full of William's stuff. He pulled out a stuffed dog from the bag. "Look, Theo," he said, holding the dog out to Scully. She took the stuffed animal and knelt down in front of William. "What a nice dog," she said. "Is he yours?" "Yes, mine. Theo," William said. He took the dog and hugged it when Scully offered it back to him. Mulder was watching the exchange from across the room. As Julia came back into the room, William had resumed rummaging through the bag. "How are things going in here?" she asked. "Good," Scully replied. "Look," William said again, pulling something out of the bag. He walked over to Mulder, "Look…Dad," he said only a bit hesitantly. He held out something. "What do you have?" Mulder asked. William held out his hand and dropped a plastic toy dinosaur into Mulder's hand. "Cool, a dinosaur." "Dinoaw," William confirmed. He took the dinosaur back and sat down by the train set. He began to have the toy attack the trains. Scully was standing by the bag, once again, holding the stuffed dog. Julia smiled at the exchange between Mulder and William. She turned to Scully, "Are you ready?" "More than," Scully replied. "Will he be okay going with us?" "I think so," Julia replied. "He seems to do well with new people in general and you are his parents. He adjusted to being here well enough. I am sure he will do just fine with you." She picked up the bag, this is his stuff. She handed it to Scully, who in turn handed it to Mulder as he approached. "This is all he has?" Mulder asked. "Yes, all we were able to take for him," Julia replied. "William, it is time for you to say goodbye to Jessie and Harold." William got up and walked across the room. Jessie and Harold in turn knelt down to hug him goodbye. "Bye," William said. "Okay, come on William," Julia said. William walked over to where Scully, Mulder, and Julia were standing. Julia held out her hand, but instead William reached up and grabbed Scully's. Together they all walked out to the car. Julia said goodbye from beside her car and left. "Does this seem really simple?" Scully finally asked. "Yes, but maybe we just finally are getting simple," Mulder replied. "God knows, we have had enough complicated. Alright, little man," Mulder said, turning his attention to William. "You ready to go?" "New home?" William asked. "Not yet, Baby," Scully replied. "We won't go to our new home for a couple of days. Right now, we are going to get some new stuff for you at the store." It was nearly dinner time and she suddenly worried William might be hungry. "Will? Are you hungry?" "Uh huh," William replied. "Hot dog." "You want a hot dog for dinner?" Mulder asked. William nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, let's go get some dinner." Mulder found a diner near the store. He parked and Scully climbed out, opened William's door, and unhooked him from his car seat. As she walked towards the sidewalk where Mulder stood waiting, he noticed how naturally she seemed to carry William, positioned on her hip. He held the door open for them and followed Scully in. The place was busy enough to ensure confidence. "You can sit wherever," a somewhat flustered waitress said as she hurried by. "You want a highchair or a booster?" "Booser," William answered for them. "I guess a booster it is," Mulder replied, as they walked over towards a booth by the window. Scully set William down on the bench and then slid in next to him. Mulder waited for the booster from the waitress, handed it to Scully, and sat down in the booth across from her and William. "Here are two menus for you two and a children's menu for you," the waitress said sweetly, looking at William. "I'll be back in a few minutes, specials are on the board." Mulder began glancing over the menu, while Scully looked at the children's menu. "Will, baby, do you still want a hot dog? They have macaroni and cheese or chicken strips, too." She was helping William climb up into his booster seat. William seemed to think for a minute. "Mm… macwoni," he said. "Ok, look here are some crayons. Do you want to color on your menu?" "Gween," William said taking one of the crayons and holding it up before he began to scribble on the paper with it. "Hey, green. He isn't colorblind," Mulder said with a laugh, pointing at the words written on the wrapper of the crayon. "That's good. They say it can be genet…" He paused letting his sentence die on the air. "You're his father, Mulder. Stop doing that. Besides, he could only get the colorblindness genetically if I was a carrier. Nobody in my family is colorblind. So there you go." "Wha's colorbind?" William asked looking up at his parents. "It is when people can't tell colors apart," Scully explained. "Your daddy here, he can't tell which crayon is green and which one is red." William looked at Mulder strangely. "Dis one gween, Daddy," he said showing Mulder the crayon in his hand. Then he set it down, "Dat one wed." He pointed to the red crayon on the table. "Thanks buddy," Mulder said with a grin. Then he mouthed to Scully across the table, "he called me daddy." She smiled at him, as the waitress appeared. "So, do you know what you would like?" she asked. "I'll have the tomato soup and a salad," Scully ordered, "and, a macaroni and cheese for him." "I'll have a cheese burger with fries," Mulder replied. "Alright, would you like anything to drink?" "I'll just have water." Then she turned to William, "Will, honey, do you want water, milk, or juice to drink?" "Duice," he replied still coloring. "Do you have sippy-cups?" Scully asked. "No but we have lids and straws." "That's fine," Scully replied, making a mental note to buy sippy-cups at the store. "Sir, for you to drink?" "Water is fine for me, too." After a pleasant and uneventful dinner, the small family found themselves in the toddler section of a store. Scully was looking at clothing while Mulder held William, who appeared to be getting sleepy. Scully reached up and looked at the tag on the neck of William's shirt. He was wearing 2T sized clothing. She began sifting through the racks finding good clothes for him. She was worried it would be colder in Virginia at this time of year than William was accustomed to. She grabbed two fleece jackets, one zip-up, and one pull over. Some heavy duty pants and a few long sleeved t-shirts. She noticed that William and Mulder had wondered off. She dropped the clothes into the cart and went off in search of them. "You want to show Mommy?" she heard Mulder ask as she rounded the end of one of the shelves. William turned from where he was standing next to Mulder, seeing Scully he said, "Look Mommy, dinoaws." He was holding out a packaged pair of pajamas with colorful dinosaurs shapes all over them. "Wow, Will," Scully said. "Do you want to get those to wear to bed tonight?" "Uh huh," William said smiling. Scully looked up at Mulder and mouthed, "oh my god." It was the first time William had called her Mommy. It had almost stopped her heart. "We are going to need to do some more serious shopping in Virginia, but I think I got enough for now." "Let's go then," Mulder said swinging William up and onto his shoulders. Back in there hotel room, Scully was drawing a bath for William. She had picked up some baby shampoo and soap at the store. She could hear Mulder and William playing in the other room. She was surprised at how well William was doing. There were moments when he seemed to miss his adoptive parents, but he was coping very well. "Will, your bath is ready," Scully called. She heard motor noises and soon Mulder came into the bathroom flying William like he was an airplane; William was laughing, as Mulder weaved him around Scully and set him down on the floor. "Mulder sat down on the closed toilet lid and watched as Scully stripped William out of his clothes and helped him into the bathtub. She had found all of the toys he had in his bag that might work as bath-toys, and soon he was playing happily. She leaned against Mulder's legs and sighed. They had both discovered William's favorite word, and once again he said, "Look," and showed them something he could do with a toy and the water. Scully sighed contently, as Mulder's hands ran over her shoulders, down her upper arms, and back up. They stayed like that for about ten minutes; then Scully washed William and got him out of the tub. Mulder had gotten William's new pajamas and soon William was ready for bed. At the store they had taken William to the furniture section and asked him what kind of bed he slept him. He had informed them he was not a baby; he slept in a big kid bed. Using a trick she had learned from her sister-in-law, Scully took rolled up spare towels and wedged them under the fitted sheet on William's hotel bed. It would be enough to keep him from rolling off the bed, even if he moved around a lot. After a few stories and Scully singing "Joy to the World", at Mulder's insistence, William was ready to fall asleep. Mulder and Scully both hugged and kissed him goodnight and tucked him in with Theo, his stuffed dog. "Scully, I swear, he remembers you," Mulder whispered as they moved from William's bed to get ready to go to sleep. "Mulder, how could he? He was only ten months old when I gave him up," she replied skeptically. "How much do we really know about memory? I mean as adults we know that we don't remember things from that age, but maybe he can. He is still so young." He was taking off his jeans as Scully was searching through her suitcase for a pair of pajamas. "All I know," Mulder continued, "is that he sure seemed to remember you singing that song." He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her, as she changed. He had been doing it ever since they had run away. It was something that had made her uncomfortable at first, the way he watched everything she did. She had come to understand that he was simply taking in her presence in his life. They talked about it all the time, their need to be with each other, how painful it would be to be apart. As she finished buttoning her top, he said, "You are amazing with him, you know." She walked over to where he sat and stood in front of him, running a hand through his hair and leaning down, she kissed him and said, "You're pretty amazing yourself." "So, your song got me thinking…" Mulder began, gripping Scully around the waist. "Yeah, and your son is in the next bed," she replied smartly. "Good point," he replied, looking over at the sleeping figure of William. "Let's go to bed. I hear those wake up early." "Yeah," Scully replied. Before she crawled into bed, she leaned over and kissed William's forehead. Sliding in next to Mulder she said, "I can't believe we have him." Scully had been sound-asleep, lying on her side, her back to Mulder. His arms wrapped tightly around her, a sign of possession or protection, maybe both. At first, she wasn't sure what had woken her. Then she heard a cry. She sat up with a start, waking Mulder in the process. "Wha's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "William," she replied, moving from their bed to the one next to it. William was tossing in his sleep, crying out. "William, baby, it's just a bad dream," Scully said scooping the small boy up in her arms. She ran her hands over his back and held him close. When he finally stirred, he pushed back from her slightly. "Mama, want Mama," William cried. "Oh, baby I know you miss her. I am so sorry," Scully said comforting him. Mulder had seen her face drop at William's request. They both wished it was them he wanted to turn to after a nightmare. William continued to cry, and Scully lay down next to him on his bed running her hands over his baby fine hair. He held on to her despite his continued requests for his adoptive mother. Finally, he fell asleep. Mulder had been sitting up in bed watching the entire encounter. "Scully?" he asked quietly. "Are you going to come back to bed?" "I think I'll stay here," she replied quietly kissing William's forehead. Mulder lay down and tried to go back to sleep. He hadn't slept alone in a year and he felt incredibly cold in the bed by himself. After nearly an hour trying to fall asleep he slipped out if the bed. He made his way to William's bed and lay down behind Scully. "What are you doing?" she asked. He was surprised she was still awake. "Going to sleep," he replied. A smile formed on her face. "Can't go without me for a night," she teased. "Never again," he said seriously. True to Mulder's prediction, William woke up early the following morning. He was cheerful considering the night's sleep he got. Scully went downstairs to get them breakfast while Mulder explained their day to William. "We are going to drive in the car to the airport. Then, we are going to get on an airplane and fly a long ways. Then, we will drive in the car to our new house," he explained. "Aiwpwane," William said, picking up the toy from the table that Mulder had been using to illustrate his explanation. "Yep, but the airplane we are going in will be very big?" "How are my guys?" Scully asked coming into the room carrying a tray of food. "Hungry," Mulder replied. "How about you Will? Are you ready for breakfast?" "Ceweal?" William asked looking up at Scully with puppy dog eyes. "Oh, no," she whispered to herself. "What?" Mulder asked. "I thought, when we determined that he got my eyes, I was going to escape that look from him. It is bad enough coming from you." "Ceweal?" William asked again. "Yeah, baby, come sit at the table." Scully said turning her attention back to Will. After breakfast, they packed and headed to the airport. William was beyond excited. He had never been to an airport before and was fascinated by all the action. After they had checked in, Scully went to scare up some lunch for them. When she came back to the gate, Mulder was standing at the window with William in his arms. They were pointing at something outside and talking. She felt her heart flutter in her chest. How, in the world, had she gotten so lucky? She had an amazing man who was mad about her and willing to sacrifice anything for her, and they had an amazing little boy, who was actually theirs. She walked up behind Mulder and slid her hands around his waist, placing her head near William. "Hey there," she said. "Hey there, yourself," Mulder replied leaning over and kissing her. "Mom, look," William said pointing out the window. "Wow, is that our airplane?" she asked. "Uh huh," he replied. As they boarded the plane, William was looking around in complete fascination. Mulder set up the car seat in the window seat. Scully slid into the middle seat and fastened William in, before Mulder sat down next to her. The flight was uneventful and soon they found themselves deplaning in Washington. The plan was to drive down to the house and check things out and then check into a hotel. Things didn't go as planned, however. When they got to the house there were two cars parked in the driveway. "I thought they said we could move in today?" Scully asked Mulder as they got out of the car. "They did. I don't know what is going on," he replied. He started to walk towards the house, while Scully got William out of his car seat. "New home?" he asked as she hoisted him on to her hip. "Yep," she replied. "This is our new home. After we check out inside maybe Daddy can show you the yard." "Pway?" William asked. "Yeah, you can play after we check out inside. Okay?" "Otay," he replied happily. Scully's heart was flying. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Mulder was standing in the front doorway. "Scully, come check this out," he called. "Let's go see Will," she said to William and hurried up the front steps. Looking inside she said, "oh my god." The living room, the only room visible from the doorway, was fully furnished with both Mulder and Scully's furniture. "It's our stuff," she said with a smile. Despite the fact that she and Mulder had been living together for the last year, it had never really felt like they lived together. It finally made sense to Scully as she walked into the house and looked around at their things. Before, they had never had anything that really belonged to them. Seeing their stuff compiled together, furnishing the house, made it real. "Oh, Skinner, John, they're here," Monica said appearing at the bottom of the stairs. Silently, Scully handed William off to Mulder and hugged Monica tightly. "Monica, I can't believe this. It is amazing. Thank you so much." "It really is great," Mulder added. Then he passed William back to Scully. "Will baby, this is Monica. She is a really good friend of Daddy and mine. She knew you when you were just a baby, too." "Hi," Will said. "Hi William, it is nice to see you," Monica replied. Will turned his attention to Scully, "Pway?" he asked. "Let's look at the rest of the house first, then maybe Daddy will take you outside," she said looking at Mulder. "Yeah, come on Will. Let's go find your bedroom." Mulder took William and went upstairs, where he could hear Skinner and Doggett talking. Scully looked around the living room once more sentimentally. "I really can't believe this," she said to Monica as they followed up the stairs. "This was so wonderful of you." "It is our pleasure," Monica replied, "Really." Upstairs Skinner and Doggett had the master bedroom filled with furniture and an office set up in one of the other bedrooms. The third bedroom was completely empty and William was running in circles around it making airplane noises. After another hour of moving in furniture and taking turns playing with William to keep him entertained, the entire group was sitting on the back patio drinking beer while Mulder and William rough-housed in the grass. When they eventually got up to leave Monica gave Scully a hug and said, "There is stuff for dinner in the fridge and some basic groceries. I figured you wouldn't want to worry about that tonight." Scully returned the hug and thanked her. They stood in the driveway waving goodbye, Mulder holding William, his other arm around Scully's shoulder. Scully turned first to walk into the house. Mulder set William down and took his hand, watching Scully walk ahead of them into the house. Mulder looked down at William as they moved toward the house. Will was looking intently at the ground as he walked. Mulder began to wonder at which age William had learned to walk. In less than six months, William would be three years old. Mulder was suddenly struck by all the milestones in his son's life he had missed and could never get back. He glanced down sadly at William, but his mood was quickly lifted. William let go of Mulder's hand and squatted down. "Look," he said, pointing at a rock on the ground. Mulder lowered himself to William's level, "Wow, that is a nice rock. Do you want to take it inside?" "Yes. Mine," William said. Mulder laughed quietly to himself. He took William's hand again when it was offered and they continued the rest of the way into the house. Scully was in the kitchen looking at the food Monica had left in the refrigerator for them. William and Mulder came into the kitchen and William kind of sauntered over to her. "Look. Wock," he said, holding the rock out for her to see. "Wow, baby, that is beautiful," Scully said with a smile. William looked at the rock for a moment and then looked back at Scully. "Wock," he said holding it out to her. When she put out her hand he dropped it in. "Is it for me, Will?" she asked. "Yes, you," he said with a smile. "Thank you, sweetie," she said giving him a hug. Then picking him up and sitting him on the edge of the counter she said, "I'm gonna make dinner now. Then you can have a bath before bed." "No bath," Will said stubbornly. "William, we take baths before bed," Scully replied simply and helped him down from the counter. Will made a funny face, but seemed to give in at least for the time being. "Do you want to color while I make dinner?" Scully asked William. When he agreed, Mulder got out crayons from William's bag from the plane and sat down to color with him at the table. Scully threw the lasagna in the oven and began to make a salad. By the time she was done with dinner, William had drawn a picture that he explained to Scully was Theo playing by the creek in the yard. Mulder had also drawn a picture; he winked at Scully, as he explained the UFO in his drawing to William. They sat down to a nice dinner. Scully smiled at the natural way Mulder just took on his role as a parent. He had leaned over and cut William's lasagna into bite size pieces along with the green beans, Scully had steamed to go with their dinner. After dinner, Scully took William for his bath, getting only slight resistance at first until he began to play with the toys in the bathtub. Meanwhile, Mulder worked on a set up for sleeping arrangements. He and Scully had their bedroom furniture, well her bedroom furniture, set up in the master bedroom, bu William still didn't have a bed. They had decided it would be weird enough for him to sleep in a new house, setting him up in his own room would probably be too much at this point. As a solution Mulder created a makeshift bed for Will on the floor of their bedroom. He had pulled couch cushions and fitted them with a bottom twin sheet over them. Then he folded and tucked in a top sheet and blankets The finishing touch was added, Theo tucked in the bed with his head on Will's pillow. Just as Mulder had finished, Scully and William appeared in the doorway. They showed Will his bed and explained that tomorrow they would go buy him a new bed of his very own and get his bedroom set up and decorated, trying to make it sound as exciting as possible. They seemed to be successful and Will was appropriately excited about his new room. Wanting to establish a bedtime routine, even before they had his room set up, Mulder and Scully took turns reading Will a couple different books. Scully once again sang "Joy to the World," at William's request and Mulder's insistence. As Will settled in to sleep, Mulder and Scully both kissed him goodnight and worked their way out of the bedroom, leaving the door cracked slightly. Then they went downstairs. As they went into the kitchen, Scully started to move to clean the dishes. "Scully, sit down and rest a minute," Mulder said, gesturing toward the table. "I'll do the dishes. You have been going all day." "I'm fine, Mulder," she replied, but she felt him move up behind her and knew what was coming. "You're always fine," he said then, with a slight whisper in her ear, he added, "It is my job to make sure you are better than fine." With his urging she moved aside and let him wash the dishes. She didn't sit down at the table as he had suggested. Instead she hoisted herself up and sat on the edge of the counter near him while he washed the dinner things. They talked, simply and casually. The conversation of a normal couple, with a normal life. For all the searching for the truth, this was what they had both truly been searching for. As he finished the dishes, Mulder decided to take advantage of a child free moment. He moved in front of Scully, as he dried his hands on the dish towel. Nudging her legs apart with his hips, he stood right in front of her, his hands resting on the counter on either side of her. As he looked into her eyes, her hands wrapped around his shoulders, one rooting in the hair at the back of his neck. The kiss that finally came was passionate and deep. Suddenly, there was an urgency that Mulder hadn't felt in a long time. At any moment, William could come out of the bedroom and interrupt this embrace. As if reading his mind, Scully wrapped her legs around his waist as he gripped her hips and pulled her from the counter. Supporting her weight, he moved them both to the living room and lowered her onto the couch. As he began kissing down her neck and along her collar bone, she teased his shirt up over his head. The entire time they both kept one ear listening for stirring from their bedroom, but William seemed to be deep asleep. As they lay on the couch, replacing removed articles of clothing, on the off chance William woke up, Mulder joked, "Nice way to christen our new house." Scully gave a quick and expected roll of her eyes but smiled and kissed him once again, before standing up. "Come on Mulder, let's go to bed," she added holding out her hand for him to take. He did but only briefly, before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and whispering in her ear. She smiled, replied simply, "I love you," and wrapped her arm around his waist, as they walked up stairs. Silently and in the dark, they got ready for bed. Careful not to wake up William, who was sleeping curled in a ball on his makeshift bed. As Mulder sat down on the edge of the bed, he sat and watched William sleeping for a moment. Will looked incredibly peaceful. His hair flopped across his forehead and he held tight to his stuffed dog with one arm. It was the first time he noticed himself in William. Usually, he was struck by how much he looked like Scully, with his shining blue eyes and the red tint of his hair, but watching him sleep now Mulder noticed aspects of himself in his son. It almost scared him. He was William's father in his mind and heart, if for no other reason than Scully was William's mother and he planned to never be away from her again. The biology was where Mulder found himself getting caught up. Scully had more moments with Mulder that made her believe in a psychic link than all her time on the X-files ever could. She watched him, as he took in William's sleeping form. She found herself knowing just what he was thinking. She moved across the bed, kneeling behind Mulder and placing her arms over his shoulders and hands on his chest, she rested her chin on his shoulder. "You see it don't you?" she whispered. "Do I?" he questioned back, "Or do I just want to?" "Mulder, you are there, in him. I see it every time I look at him." "Or do you just want to?" he asked, doubt filling his voice. "It is just so improbable." Scully laughed quietly and smiled a Mulder, "The man whose first assumption on a case was vampires, aliens, or flesh eating monsters is worried about the improbability." Mulder smiled a bit in response but then said, "In those cases, there wasn't a more probable answer. Here there is." "Mulder? Do you remember the first time you held William?" Scully questioned. "Of course, in your bedroom," he knew where she was going with this already. "And do you remember what you told me? That what we feared were the possibilities..." "The truth we both knew," he finished. "Have faith in it, Mulder. You felt it the first time you held him. I saw it," she said hugging him a little tighter. "Now, let's go to sleep." Mulder followed her lead and lay down on the bed, wrapping his arms around her as he did every night. Before Scully, he had never been much for cuddling. Now he couldn't imagine falling asleep without her in his arms. Once again, Scully awoke to a cry. She was used to being waken from deep sleep by nightmares. Mulder had had nightmares as long as she had known him. Years before they were even sleeping together, she had found herself in the position of comforting him after them. They had been particularly bad when they had first been on the run. He would wake up and not go back to sleep for fear of returning to that dream. Now on the rare night she would wake to him in the throes of nightmare, she would wake him up, he would tighten his grip on her, and go back to sleep. The one exception, she had quickly learned, were nightmares involving their separation or her death. He seemed to have a stronger need to prove to his subconscious that she was really there with him. This was usually done through a passionate, middle of the night love making session. Scully found it to be a hugely different fear that swept through her body when she awoke to William's cry. She was out of bed and at his side in a moment of waking up, followed by Mulder. "Will, baby, you are okay," she replied sweetly as she brushed his hair from where it clung to his forehead with sweat. "Mama!" He cried, pushing Scully's arm away at first. Despite knowing it was coming, William's cry still stung Scully's heart. she stuck with her attempt to comfort him, and as reality came more into focus for him, he accepted her hug. Mulder's hand rested on Scully's arm, his thumb gently rubbing circles. His other hand was on William's back, comforting him in a similar manner. Scully picked William up and moved back to the bed. Mulder slid in behind her and she placed William, who was settling down, between them. Soon, William was asleep again. Scully was running her hand over his hair, her head propped up with her other hand. Mulder was laying on his back staring half at the ceiling and half at Scully out of the corner of his eye. He noticed a tear slide down her cheek as she continued to watch William sleep. Silently, he rolled onto his side toward her and wiped the tear away with the back on his index finger. "I don't have any right to be upset," she said quietly to him. "I am the one who made the choice." "Dana," Mulder purposefully used her first name, it was a sign he meant business. "You made the most impossible choice anyone could ever make. You did what was best for him, to keep him safe." "That is what I have been telling myself since the day I made that choice. But is it really true? It didn't keep him any safer. Think of those poor people, Mulder." She shuddered slightly. "That is my fault." "That is not your fault. There is no way you could have known that they would have been found." "But if I hadn't given him up, he would have been with us all this time. Plus, nothing would have happened to the Van Kamps." "You can't blame yourself. It seemed like the best option at the time. Now that we know he can be found, he is better off with us," Mulder said his hand resting gently on her cheek. "If I had known what was going to happen I would never have given him up. We have missed so much and he..." Scully stopped, her voice catching in her throat. "Scully," Mulder began, moving his hand slightly and brushing her hair from her face. "He knows we love him, and in time, he will think of us first. You just have to patient." "I know, and that makes me feel so selfish," she replied. "He is our son. It is okay to have wanted to have him to ourselves." Mulder readjusted again. "Let's go to sleep." They lay down facing each other with William in the middle. Mulder reached his hand across the pillow above William's head and grabbed ahold of Scully's hand where it rested by her head. William woke up the following morning as if nothing had happened. Scully awoke to him wiggling around under the covers. Mulder had rolled over and covered his head with his pillow. "Come on Will," she said peeking under the covers to look him in the eye. "Let's get up and make breakfast. Daddy needs more sleep." William nodded and wiggled his way out of the covers and over to Scully, who swept him up in her arms. They made their way downstairs. When Mulder next woke up, he could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen. He rolled out of bed and threw on a t-shirt. When he walked into the kitchen, Scully was explaining to William what they were doing that day. "Then we are going to go buy you stuff for your big boy room. Do you want to pick out a bed?" William nodded as he shoveled Cheerios into his mouth. When he saw Mulder in the doorway he said, through a mouth full of cereal, "Dad." "Morning Buddy," Mulder said kissing William on top of his head. Then walking over to where Scully stood at the kitchen counter he said, "Morning," and gave her a kiss before grabbing a mug to fill with coffee. After breakfast, they loaded into the car and went to buy furniture for William's room. After over an hour, they ended up with a bed, dresser, and toy chest. Once they got home moving the furniture up the stairs while keeping William out of the way proved to be somewhat difficult. He wanted desperately to be a part of the excitement of setting up his new room. Finally once the furniture was up stairs, he got that chance. Mulder had to put the bed together and let William help. He showed William how to hold the screw driver then placing his hand over Will's helped him tighten the screws. Scully watched as she filled Will's new dresser with his clothes. When William and Mulder finished with the bed, Mulder got out the new bedding they had picked up at the store. The sheets had planets and stars covering a dark blue background. While Mulder made the bed, Scully guided William to put his toys away in the toy chest. By lunch time the room was done, including a mobile of the solar system hanging above William's bed and Theo, the stuffed dog, sitting in the middle of his bed. After lunch, William and Mulder went out to play in the backyard while Scully turned her attention to looking for a job. They needed an income and Mulder could hardly get a job. Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes had all felt that the FBI's interest in Mulder had diminished enough that Scully getting a job wouldn't draw too much unwanted attention. She switched on her computer and began searching for positions. A number of applications to various hospitals and clinics later, she switched the computer off and went to check on her boys outside. This was where she found herself a few days later after returning from an interview at a nearby medical clinic. It certainly wasn't anything cutting edge, but it would be rewarding. It would also be a job where she could leave the work at work. As she walked into the back yard and watched Mulder playing with their son, she knew that was exactly what she wanted. Her life was here now. Mulder and William were standing by the creek. William was holding Mulder's hand with one hand and a stick in the other. He was poking at the water with the stick. Scully stood and watched for a minute before walking over to where they stood. "What are you guys doing?" she asked casually. "Fising," William replied. "Ohh... have you caught anything?" she asked kneeling down next to him. "Nope," Will said, pushing the stick back into the water. "I said I would get him a real pole to catch fish on," Mulder said smiling at Scully. Just as he said that William threw the stick into the creek and dropping Mulder's hand turned and ran towards a tree just slightly up the hill. Mulder and Scully both laughed as Will then turned and ran down the hill as fast as he could without falling. They spent another half an hour playing on the hill, running up and down or rolling down. When they eventually went inside, William had grass stuck in his hair and dirt smeared on his face and knees. While Mulder went to cook dinner, Scully took William upstairs for an early bath. When Scully and Will came back downstairs there were makings for taco salads out on the table. William ended up with a burrito with meat, cheese, and olives, while Mulder and Scully made salads. As they were cleaning up from dinner and William was coloring at the counter, Scully realized how well they seemed to be falling into a normal routine. Mulder was clearing the table as Scully did the dishes. Every once and awhile William would show off a picture, saying something like, "Look". As they all headed upstairs to put William to bed, Scully found herself to still be worried slightly about putting him in his own bedroom. His nightmares were still regular, and she worried about not being with him. He had ended up in their room almost every night that week. At the same time, she knew that sticking to a solid bedtime routine was in everyone's best interest. Mulder sat on the floor, leaning against William's bed. Scully opened William's top drawer of his dresser and helped him pick out a pair of pajamas. After he was changed, Mulder and Scully each took a turn reading a story. Finally, at William's insistence, Scully sang. Then they kissed William goodnight and left him to fall asleep. Mulder and Scully returned to the living room. Mulder clicked on the TV and began surfing through channels. After finding a movie near the beginning he settled into the sofa, Scully leaning against him. The next thing she knew the credits were rolling on the movie and Mulder was whispering in her ear, "Come on Scullly, bed's more comfortable." She blinked herself awake. "I fell asleep," she stated. "You did. About five minutes into the movie," Mulder replied with a smirk. "You were cute though. I didn't have the heart to wake you." Scully smiled back at him. "Come on, let's go to bed. Will will be awake before we know it." He took her hand as they walked upstairs. Stopping at William's door, they peering in on the sleeping boy before heading to their room. The house already felt like home. In just the short week they had been their Mulder and Scully had perfected their routine, working their way around each other at the sink. Each of them seemed able to anticipate the other's movement. Just as they lay down in bed, there came a noise from the baby monitor n the nightstand. Will was in the middle of a nightmare again by the time Scully reached his bedside. This time as she gently shook William awake from the nightmare something was different. Seeing Scully in front of him he he grabbed ahold of her and quietly said, "Mom." He didn't push her away even for a moment. "It's okay baby," she said hugging him tight. "It was only a dream." "I scared," he sobbed into her shoulder. "Big bed?" he asked pleadingly. "Sure baby," she said picking him up as he grabbed Theo. Mulder was sitting up slightly in bed as Scully carried Will into their room. She knew he had been listening through the monitor. He smiled at her slightly and ran a hand over William's baby fine hair as he cuddled down in the middle of the bed. Leaning across Will, Mulder kissed Scully before they too lay down to go to sleep. Epilogue Dana Scully walked through the front door of her house to the surprising sound of silence, or lack of sound as the case was. She hung her lab coat on the coat rack and set down her bag. Using the quiet house as a guide, she walked through the kitchen and out the backdoor. Once outside she remained quiet, observing the scene in front of her. Mulder stood about thirty feet away from her at the base of a large tree. Suddenly, from the tree dropped a young boy. He spotted her immediately. "Mom," he shouted running down the hill, a chocolate lab puppy close on his heels. The dog, Galileo, had been a gift for William's fifth birthday. Will barreled down the hill and ran straight in Scully grabbing her around the waist. "Hi baby," she said hugging him back and running one hand over his head. "How was your day?" "Great! Come see what I can do," Will replied dragging her up the hill by the hand. Galileo jumped and panted waiting for his greeting, finally stopping only when Scully reached down to pet him. Mulder had been watching the two from where he stood by the tree. When they reached him, William dropped Scully's hand and ran to the base of the tree. Mulder reached out and took her hand with his own. "How was work?" he asked. "Good, it is better to be home though," she replied. "I'm looking forward to the weekend." "Me too," he added before leaning in and capturing her lips with his. "Mom, look!" William shouted as he was climbing the tree. "Do I want to see this?" Scully asked Mulder and she turned to watch Will. Their son was quite the dare devil and often terrified his mother with his stunts. "I don't know. I've become immune now," Mulder replied with a smirk. "Here I go," Will shouted. With that he edged his way out on one of the branches of the tree, dropped to a sitting position and spun backwards leaving himself hanging upside down by his knees only from the branch. He grinned at his mother, his auburn hair hanging in lose curls down towards the ground and his eyes glinting with joy and excitement. "Wow. Will that is very tricky. Be careful okay." "Oh it gets better... or worse, depending on your perspective," Mulder added and Will swung slightly and then dropped the ground, barely managing to turn over enough to land on his hands and knees. Scully flinched as she watched. Will stood up and said, "I want to land on my feet." He moved to climb the tree once more. "Hey buddy. How about a break from the acrobatics," Mulder said. "Your mom and I are going to go finish up dinner." He led Scully into the house, his hand on the small of her back. Scully made a salad while Mulder finished up a dinner of chicken and pasta. From where she stood making the salad, she could see William running around and playing with Galileo. She finished the salad and grabbed plates, napkins, and silverware and walked onto the back patio. "Will," she called. "Go wash up and then come help set the table." "Okay," Will yelled hurrying down the hill and toward the house. "I'm starving." A few minutes later, the small family was settled down to a nice dinner. William was talking a mile a minute barely able to manage bites between his stories. Across the table, Mulder grinned and winked at Scully, who smiled in return as William said, "Then after recess we read another story. It was about a bear and..."
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