"Mulder!"

Uh-oh. I have no idea what I've done but that is not Scully's voice of joy. I carry on making the bed and I feel myself wince as she comes into the bedroom.

I turn around and see her standing in the doorway, William balanced on one hip, her hand firmly attached to the other and I know that even my most practiced puppy dog look won't get me out of this one. So, I try for casual, "You okay, hon?"

"I would be if you had remembered to get diapers like I asked you to."

Crap. I open my mouth to apologize but she's not finished yet.

"One thing Mulder, one little thing, dammit! Too much to remember, obviously. Would it have been so incredibly difficult to write it down?"

Scully turns and storms back out of the room leaving me wondering what the hell just happened. She's been cranky all week and I just figured she was tired so I let it go. I finish making the bed and head into the kitchen intent on apologizing and finding out exactly what's bothering her.

As I walk into the kitchen, Will, in his high chair, grins at me then turns his attention back to banging his spoon against the tray with alarming enthusiasm. I ruffle his hair and move towards Scully, who has her back to me, making our son's oatmeal. I step up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently and feeling instantly how tense she is.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'll go out now and get the diapers."

"I'm sorry too, Mulder. I didn't mean to yell at you, the world won't end because you forgot the diapers."

"True, but it won't smell too great either."

She leans her head back against my chest and sighs as I massage her shoulders.

"So, you planning on telling me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mulder."

Ah, the new, improved version of "I'm fine". There's no way she's getting away with that.

"You know I'm a believer, Scully but even I'm not buying that. You haven't been yourself all week and I want to know why. Something's bothering you-"

"I'm ten days late."

She blurts it out then goes silent, waiting for me to say something.

"You mean, uh, you're-"

Smooth, Mulder. Real smooth. I turn her around to face me and tilt her chin up so I can meet her eyes. She slides her arms around my waist and presses herself tightly against my chest, where my heart is pounding frantically all of a sudden. I tuck her hair behind her ear before I speak, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I wasn't sure, Mulder-I'm still not sure, it's just a possibility that's all. I-"

"You weren't worried about telling me, were you?"

"A little. We've never talked about the possibility of having another baby, Mulder, even if we could."

"Just because we haven't talked about it doesn't mean I wouldn't want it, Scully, if it happened. I still pinch myself daily when I wake up and see you and Will so the thought of another child...wow."

"I know, it's the same for me. On one hand, I would love another baby but on the other, I'm just so damn grateful for Will that I guess I tried not to think too much about the possibility of anything more."

I lean down and kiss her gently, "You feed Will while I go to the store for diapers and a pregnancy test."

She nods and moves her arms from around my waist to let me go, "At least we'll know either way and maybe I can stop going psychotic on you."

She grins slightly sheepishly and I return the smile as I head for the door.

"Mulder-bring back some really good coffee too. If there's even a possibility that I may have to give up caffeine again, I want a final fix."

I look at the clock on the kitchen wall and realize that he only left ten minutes ago and probably hasn't even found a parking spot yet, let alone actually gotten into the store.

Breathe, Dana. There-not that difficult, is it?

Will is working his way through his oatmeal, occasionally using the spoon but mainly his fingers. He's a Mulder; if there's a strange, mushy substance, it's imperative that they stick their fingers in it. I smile at that thought as I look at our son with his combination of my blue eyes, Mulder's nose and a pout that could still go either way. My thoughts drift and I can picture a little girl with Mulder's hazel eyes, my nose and an undecided pout sitting in front of me with a bowl of oatmeal, just as Will is now.

It is at this exact moment that I realize how much I want this test to be positive, how happy another child would make me. Not that my life is lacking anything-far from it. Mulder isn't the only one who pinches himself, some mornings I am scared to open my eyes in case it's all been a wonderful dream. I guess it's just that I grew up surrounded by my brothers and Missy and I want that for Will too, I want him to feel the love of a brother or sister as he grows older.

My rational side is screaming at me now for allowing myself such thoughts, reminding me of how awful my first pregnancy was, full of fear, pain, resentment and loss. This time would be different though, I would have Mulder by my side throughout; for every bout of nausea, every strange craving, every hospital visit and right there for the delivery, to the final push. Everything would be very different this time.

Will is on the living room floor surrounded by a million toys and I am folding endless piles of laundry when Mulder comes through the door, somehow managing to juggle his keys and two brown shopping bags without dropping a thing. He puts the shopping on the table and comes over to kiss my cheek, "I got coffee and bagels."

"Mmm, sounds good."

After we've eaten and I've savored three huge mugs of coffee - much to Mulder's amusement - I reach for the small, white box that sits on the table between us like an invisible elephant.

Mulder's hand closes over mine as I stand up to head for the bathroom and I bend down to kiss him, "I'll just be a few minutes. Keep Will amused."

I close the bathroom door and lean against it for a couple of seconds, staring at the package in my hands, immobilized by the thought of what it means-or doesn't. I take a shaky breath and open the box.

She's been in the bathroom forever, it can't be good. I glance at my watch and see that she's actually been in the bathroom for about forty seconds, not forever as was my previous estimate. Breathe, Mulder. There-not that difficult, is it?

Will sits on my lap, playing with the buttons on my shirt, unaware of his crazy dad staring at him. He still amazes me, this little person with Scully's perfect eyes, my less than perfect nose and the ability to turn both of his parents to mush. I tear my eyes away from him to look at the time again, she's been in the bathroom now for two minutes. In just a couple more minutes, we'll know if Scully is carrying our baby or if this was just one of nature's cruel tricks.

If the test is positive, I will be there for everything throughout this pregnancy, I missed so much last time. I will hold Scully when she's nauseous, I will make cheese and banana sandwiches if she wants them, I will go to every hospital appointment and I will hold her hand right up until she delivers. She won't be alone for one minute this time. I smile and stand up, Will in my arms, and start toward the bathroom.

The door is closed and I stand and listen for a few seconds before I knock gently, "Scully?"

I hear a muffled sound which sounds suspiciously like a sniffle and I catch my breath as I wait to hear her voice. After what seems like an eternity, she replies shakily, "I'll be out in a second, Mulder."

I walk back to the living room, put Will down on the floor again amongst his toys and sink down to the couch. Just as I think I might explode from waiting, I hear a soft voice behind me, "Mulder."

I turn my head and see her standing there, her skin slightly paler and her eyes slightly wetter than usual, but I'm sure I see the beginnings of a smile on her face. She glances down at Will then back at me and I can't wait a second longer, "Scully?"

She doesn't reply straight away. Instead she climbs onto my lap and puts her arms around my neck, just holding on, just breathing.

Then I feel her smile against my neck as she answers me, "Mulder...I think we're going to need a bigger apartment."

end