Part One

Title:  Nothing Important Happened
Author:  Vickie Moseley
Summary:  post Existence series that takes a 
different path than Season 9.
Category:  MSR, A
Rating:  E for everybody
Disclaimer:  The characters belong to 20th Century 
Fox and 1013 Productions.  The idea for a ninth 
season belongs to somebody, but they're smart to 
remain nameless.  I tried to fix things, but I didn't 
infringe on the copyright.  Frankly, I doubt anyone 
involved would recognize the place.
Authors notes:  I'm thinking on making this a series.  
Let me know if I should.  
vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

Nothing Important Happened
By Vickie Moseley

As the screen fades to black on 'Existence' . . .

The kiss grew deeper and Mulder almost melted 
into the floor.  He could feel the baby's weight in 
his arms, could feel Scully's small warm hand as 
she held him fast, not letting him move away.  It 
was heaven.  After all the years of searching, after 
all the losses they'd both faced, this was what it had 
been about -- and in that clear, sparkling moment, 
he knew it had all been worth it.  The heartache, the 
pain, the anguish they had endured at the hands of 
men of pure evil had been vindicated in one instant 
-- the instant this tiny family connected for the first 
time.

Of course, it was foolish to think it would last.  
Second thoughts were Mulder's second nature.  And 
now it wasn't just the two of them, alone, against 
the world.  How could he keep them all safe?

Mulder's arms were firm, but William had other 
ideas.  First he wiggled and then he squirmed and 
after a second, he let out a lusty cry.

"I think he needs changing," Scully whispered 
against her partner's lips.

"I know he does," Mulder replied with a twinkle in 
his eyes that caused her to laugh.

"Such are the joys of fatherhood," she quipped as 
she carefully transferred the baby from his arms to 
hers.  "You might want to wipe that off before it 
soaks in," she said, nodding toward the damp sleeve 
of his leather jacket.

"He's marked me, Scully.  I'm his for life," Mulder 
said with a wry grin.  He followed her over to the 
changing table, where he gently poked his son's 
stubby pug nose.  "I'll put up with that for a few 
years, young man.  But when you're potty trained -- 
no peeing on me, OK?"

"Pee -- no.  Throw up, now that's another matter 
entirely," Scully observed as she deftly changed the 
disposable diaper.  She snapped up a fresh layette 
from the pile at the end of the changing table.  Once 
changed, she hoisted the baby up onto to her 
shoulder, patting his rump.  "There, all clean.  Feels 
better, doesn't it?"

She rocked the baby until she tenderly lowered him 
into his bassinet.  When she stood up, she smiled at 
Mulder.  Seeing his expression, she questioned him 
with her eyes.

"I guess I'll be going.  Your mom will be here 
soon," he said, refusing to look at her.

"Mom isn't coming," she said coolly, crossing her 
arms.

That brought his attention back to her.  "What do 
you mean?  Scully, you need to rest.  You can't take 
care of a baby by yourself," he sputtered.

"I assumed the baby's father would be here," she 
said cocking an eyebrow.  "I told mom as much."

He looked at her shyly.  "You want me to stay -- 
here?"

"Mulder, I never wanted you to go back to your 
apartment in the first place.  Since your . . . since 
you've been back all I wanted was to be near you."

"It was too dangerous.  We couldn't let -- "

She stepped forward and placed her hand on his 
arm, just above the elbow.  "Mulder, stay.  Please.  
_We_ want you here."

"I think he just wants a dry target," he joked 
nodding over to the bassinet.  

"He wants a father," she corrected, not letting him 
joke his way out of it.

He looked her in the eyes, standing his ground.  
"And what about you.  Do you just want me to be 
his father?  Is that all?"

She stepped closer to him and put her hand on the 
back of his head, moving him down so that their 
lips touched.  "I want my partner.  That's all I've 
ever wanted."

This time, without the baby between them, he could 
wrap his arms around her and hold her close, feeling 
her heartbeat and his in sync.  "I want that too, 
Scully.  I want that so very much."

The kiss was getting hotter when she pulled back, 
blushing.  "But not for about 6 weeks, 
unfortunately," she said with a sigh.

He chuckled at her.  "I can do six weeks standing on 
my ear.  Hell, I did twice that long in a coffin."

She paled and put her fingers to his lips, silencing 
him.  "Don't.  Please.  Don't ever joke about that 
time.  You have no idea -- "

"You're right.  I have no idea.  But I do know that it 
was horribly painful for you.  I wouldn't have lasted 
two days, had the situation been reversed, Scully.  
Probably less than 24 hours after the funeral."

"Don't say that, either, Mulder.  You find a way.  
Especially now, more than ever.  It's not just you 
and me -- "  She let her gaze rest on the back of 
their sleeping infant son.  "It's more than us.  I had 
to go on, for him."  She turned and put her hand on 
Mulder's cheek.  "And if anything ever happens to 
me, you have to do the same, understand?"

He bit his lip to keep from objecting.  He knew she 
was right, but the thought terrified him to the depths 
of his soul.  Finally, he nodded.

"Enough of this morbid talk," she said, rubbing the 
stubble on his chin.  "I'm exhausted, and your son 
has your appetite -- so we better get to bed and get 
some sleep.  Two AM comes awfully soon."

"I could take that one, Scully.  Just show me where 
the formula . . . "  He trailed off when he saw her 
shaking her head slowly back and forth.  

"Maybe in a few days, when my milk is fully in, we 
can try pumping and saving.  But for now, it's me or 
nothing.  Unless you want to try some female 
hormone injections -- "

"Do you need me to set the alarm, or should I just 
wake you if he starts to fuss?" Mulder blurted out, 
clearly uncomfortable with the turn in the 
conversation.

They quickly found a routine.  Mulder had little to 
do all day but help with the baby and Scully was 
obviously pleased at how well he adjusted to 
fatherhood.  In short order he was diapering, 
bathing and by the end of the third day, even giving 
William one bottle-feeding.  Mulder knew it 
couldn't last.

The call from Kersh came a little after 11 at night.  
Scully had a brief conversation with the Deputy 
Director before handing the phone over to Mulder.  
Just five minutes from first ring to hang up and their 
world was turned upside down.

"It's a ploy, Scully.  They are just trying to split us 
up," Mulder said tersely, pacing the floor.  

Scully glanced over at the bedroom door and 
motioned for him to lower his voice.  "Mulder, that 
was when we were both working on the X files.  
Now, they have no reason to try and stop the work."

"No, but they have plenty of reason to divide and 
conquer, Scully.  That little guy sleeping in the 
other room is more than enough reason."

"Mulder," Scully said, blanching, "you said William 
isn't what they thought he was -- "

He strode across the room, sitting next to her on the 
couch and taking her hand in his.  "Scully, William 
is a miracle.  He may not be alien, he may not be a 
hybrid, but he is a miracle.  And because of what 
they have done to us, he might just be the only 
human baby born with a natural immunity to the 
alien virus."  At her wide-eyed look of terror, he 
reached up his hand to stroke her hair.  "Even if 
they aren't sure that's the case, they would still want 
to find out."

"So they tell us you're being hunted, that you're in 
danger -- "

"To get me out of the picture.  Then, when you least 
expect it -- "

"They take William," she said, her voice cracking 
and her chin starting to tremble.  

"Or force us into doing something stupid -- like give 
him up for adoption.  Right into their hands," 
Mulder said bitterly.

She scowled and shook her head.  "Never.  I would 
never in a million years give him away!"  Tears 
threatened on her lashes.  "Mulder, what do we do?"

He looked away, chewing on his lip.  Finally, he 
looked back at her.  "Scully, there's only one thing 
we can do.  We have to beat them at this game."

"I don't follow you.  What are you saying?" she 
asked fearfully.

"I leave.  I leave tomorrow morning, just as they 
expect.  Except, tomorrow night, you're going to 
join me -- "

"Mulder, I can't go.  William is too young to travel -
- "

"Scully, babies have been traveling as newborns for 
as long as the human race has existed.  You're a 
doctor, you'll know if anything is wrong.  And it 
won't be a long journey.  We'll go to ground -- I 
have a place we can be safe for a short time, just 
until we're all ready to make the big move."

"You knew this was going to happen and you never 
said anything," she accused. 

"Let's just say I'm not surprised.  And for the record, 
the place we're going was set up by someone else -- 
"

"The gunmen?"

"Uncles Larry, Curly and Moe just want to make 
sure this little family lives to fight another day," he 
answered.  "Scully, I'm sorry, but the alternative is 
that I go and you stay.  Or I stay and wait for them 
to make good on the threat."

"No, both of those are far worse," she said with a 
sigh.  "I know better than to think they would leave 
me alone just because you weren't here.  All that 
would accomplish is making me a sitting duck.  
They won't stop at anything to get William.  As for 
letting them make good on the threat -- "  Her eyes 
turned to flint and she tensed visibly.  "I'm not 
going to let that happen.  No way, no how."

"My warrior princess," he said with a wry grin.  He 
leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  "I better 
go get packed.  We have to make this look good."

"Can we at least let Agent Doggett and Monica in 
on the plan?" she asked timidly.

He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.  "The 
guys should be the only ones who know our 
location.  It's just too dangerous otherwise -- not 
just for us but for them.  I really think it's best that 
we keep all information limited to a very special 
few.  I'm not quite ready to include the rest of the 
Mickey Mouse Club."

"My mom . . . Bill . . .  Bill and Tara are flying out 
this weekend to see the baby," she said, swiping at 
her eye.  "And Charlie!  I was going to ask him to 
be William's godfather."

"Scully . . . I hate this, you know I do.  I know we 
never talked about any of this, but it is exactly what 
I was afraid of when you first approached me about 
the IVF.  I was terrified of what might happen then.  
I had no idea what lengths they would go to just to 
prevent his birth -- "

"Mulder?  Are saying you think that's why you were 
abducted?" she gasped.

"Scully, we started the IVF process just three 
months before we got the case to go back to 
Bellefleur.  You do the math.  They must have 
suspected something back then.  Hell, I'm surprised 
they let you carry him to term."

"I almost didn't," she whispered, closing her eyes.  
"There were times, times I haven't told you about -- 
"

"Agent Doggett told me you had a rough pregnancy.  
I . . . uh, I sneaked a look at the cases you two 
handled in the time I was -- away.  I saw the files on 
the incident in Utah and Kathy Haskell's baby.  
Scully, I'm so sorry.  I wish I'd been here -- "

"So do I, Mulder.  I wish you'd been with me.  But 
it's all right now, all that is behind us."

"I don't know what the future holds.  I hate like hell 
to take you away from your family -- "

She touched his lips with her finger once more.  
"You and William are my family.  To have you both 
safe and with me, that's all I can possibly ask for.  
Wherever it might be, as long as we're together, I'll 
be fine."

Their kiss was comforting, enduring.  Mulder was 
the first to pull away.  "I should grab a quick 
shower, pack some things."

"You're leaving tonight?" she asked fearfully.

"It's what they would expect, right?"

"Mulder, what if this is a trap?  What if they're 
waiting out there and the minute you step outside 
the door -- "

He nodded thoughtfully.  "Scully, we, uh, you have 
surveillance on this apartment, you know."

She rolled her eyes.  "Which rooms?" she asked, 
crossing her arms and schooling her expression.

"I told them only the doors and windows.  And the 
front, back and sides of the buildings.  Absolutely 
no cameras hidden in the bedroom closet or behind 
the shower curtain.  They knew better -- Frohike is 
seriously afraid of you."

"He's only afraid of me when I'm angry.  He's 
learned not to make me angry," she replied.

"Me too," Mulder said with a grin.  "Anyway, I'll go 
get in the shower."

"I'll pack your bag," she said, looking down so that 
he didn't see her chin trembling.  He saw it anyway.

"Hey, we're going to be all right.  You just have to 
get through 24 hours.  We've done this before."

"I know.  I'm just -- with William involved -- 
Mulder, I'm scared," she admitted.

He nodded.  "So am I.  But I promise, it will be all 
right."

She hugged him close, an hour later, as he kissed 
her goodbye at the door.  "I'm calling the gunmen as 
soon as I leave.  Go to the store first thing tomorrow 
and by a Tracfone -- they're harder to trace.  Call 
Byers second line, he'll have the number of my 
phone and they will give you directions.  Don't pack 
more than you need for two days -- we'll buy 
everything else."

"OK, but what about -- "  She looked up into his 
eyes and knew.  She'd known all along, just as he 
had, that this was what would happen.  "OK," she 
said, resigning herself to their collective fate.  "I'll 
see you tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Yes.  Get as much rest as you can tomorrow, nap 
when William naps.  It might be a long night."

"I've done them before," she said, trying for a smile.

"Well, with our little guy we better get used to 
doing more of them," he teased back.  It broke the 
tension, somewhat.  "I love you both," he said, 
kissing her one more time.

"And we love you," she replied.  After sharing one 
more kiss and a lingering look, he turned the knob 
of the door and entered the hallway.  "Tomorrow 
night," he promised.

"Tomorrow night," she vowed.  She closed the 
door, so she didn't have to watch him slip down the 
stairs.  Everything had to appear normal in the 
morning.  But for now, she had work to do.

 Office of the Magic Bullet
12: 35 am

Byers was manning the phone when they received 
Mulder's call.  "Twilight Time," the former agent 
said.  "Tomorrow night."  Then he hung up.  Byers 
sighed heavily.  He'd hoped they wouldn't have to 
put the plan into action.  He'd hoped everything 
would calm down now that Scully had given birth 
to a normal, healthy baby.  But deep in his heart, he 
knew that wouldn't be the case.

"Frohike, Langly, come here," he called into the 
back rooms that contained the sleeping quarters.  
Langly emerged first with a serious case of bed 
head.  Frohike was next with a robe and slippers.  
"Mulder just called.  Twilight Time."

"Shit," Langly cursed.  

Frohike mumbled something worse, but didn't say it 
aloud.  "OK, we have work to do guys.  No use 
standing around with our thumbs up our asses.  
Langly, go get the car in place.  Byers, contact 
Uncle.  I'll make the funds transfers."  When the 
two men just looked at him, he clapped his hands.  
"Chop chop!"  They scurried in different directions.

Scully's apartment
10:35 am

The sound of a knock at the door woke her from her 
brief nap.  She hastily looked over into the bassinet 
to ensure that William was still sleeping.  She slid 
her feet into her slippers and went to the door.

The knock sounded again before she was finished 
turning the lock.  She wasn't at all surprised to see 
John Doggett standing in her doorway.  Without a 
word, she stood aside, letting him enter the 
apartment.  Everything about him screamed panic.

"What?  What's the matter?" she asked.

"What's the matter?  I've been trying to call you."

"Yeah, I took the phone off the hook because of the 
baby," she explained, feigning a benign expression.

"I got panicked that you weren't going to be here, 
that you had left too."

"Come in," she said, looking away as she closed the 
door behind him.

"I've been looking for Mulder.  I went to his 
apartment," Doggett said with a frown.  "He's 
gone."

"I know," she replied.  

"Where'd he go?"

She knew her part.  She'd played it on more than 
one occasion, but never before a close friend.  
Dropping her eyes, she bit her lip, hard.  The tears 
weren't as hard to evoke as she thought they might 
be.  In all likelihood, this was the last encounter she 
would have with this man who had watched her 
back for the months Mulder was missing.

"He's gone," she said shakily.  "Just . . . gone."

He stood there, stunned.  "I'm . . . I'm sorry.  Is there 
anything I can do?"

She looked up at him and forced a smile.  "No, 
John.  We're fine, William and I.  Was there a 
reason you were looking for -- "  She had to find out 
as much about what was going on as she could.  
Perhaps Doggett had some information they could 
use in the future.

"Well, in light of everything that's happening -- he 
just left you?  Alone?"

Scully crossed her arms; it was going to be harder 
than she thought.  What had Mulder told her once -- 
the safest place to hide a truth was between two 
lies?  "We were warned that Mulder was in danger," 
she said regaining her composure.  "He's gone into 
hiding."

Doggett regarded her closely, weighing her words.  
"Without Mulder there's no way to corroborate our 
testimony against Kersh," he said tersely.  

Scully shrugged.  If that had been the motive -- 
maybe they shouldn't be running at all.  But there 
was no way to get hold of Mulder.  The die had 
been cast and she had to follow through.  "I don't 
know what to tell you, Agent Doggett."

"I'm hearin' that a lot lately," Doggett said with a 
sneer.  "Look, don't do anything without telling me, 
OK?"

She stood there, licking her lips.  "I'll do what I 
can," she answered, knowing that he wouldn't let it 
drop.

He ran his hand over his mouth and nodded.  "I'm 
sure you will," he said flatly.  "I'll be seein' you, 
then."  When she refused to meet his eyes he shook 
his head and sighed.

"Goodbye, Agent Doggett," she said as she opened 
the door.

"Goodbye, Agent Scully.  I sure as hell hope you 
know what you're doin'."

When she set the lock again she leaned against the 
door and closed her eyes.  She hoped she knew 
what she was doing as well.

The phone rang not more than an hour later.  "Dana, 
it's Mom.  How are you all doing?"  Her mother's 
voice was cheerful, no longer tinged with the worry 
and suspicion that had colored it for so many 
months.

"Fine, Mom, fine," she said, taking the cordless into 
the kitchen to avoid waking the baby.  

"Well, I'm heading out to the store and wanted to 
know if you needed anything."

"Mom, you're in Baltimore, there is no need for you 
to come all this way.  There's a grocery store just 
three blocks away from us, we have plenty of 
everything," she countered.

"Oh, well, then let me talk to Fox a moment.  I need 
to ask him something."

"Uh, he's not here right now," Scully said quickly.

"Well, have him call me later.  Is he over at his 
apartment, I can call him there."

"No, Mom, don't bother calling the apartment.  We 
had the phone turned off over there."

"Oh, I guess that's wise.  Then he'll be moving in 
with you and the baby now?"

"Looks that way, yes," Scully replied.  "Look, 
Mom, I hear William, he's waking up from his nap.  
I need to go change him.  I'll . . . I'll call you 
tomorrow, OK?"

"Yes, we have to make plans for the baptism.  Fox 
is OK with that, isn't he?  That we baptize the baby 
as a Catholic?"

"Mulder leaves the religious stuff up to me, Mom," 
Scully covered.  "I really have to go."

"OK, well give my little guy a big hug."

That got her.  Up till then it was all about getting 
her mother off the phone, but with that one sentence 
Scully knew it was the last time she'd be talking 
with her mother for some time, maybe forever.

"I will.  I love you, Mom," she said, swallowing 
back tears.

"I love you, too, Sweetheart.  All three of you.  
Remember to have Fox call me when he gets in.  
Bye now."

"Bye."

The next time the phone rang she was reluctant to 
answer.  On the fourth ring she picked up.  "Scully."

"Pack everything you need for two days in a diaper 
bag.  Go to the Silver Springs Mall, lot A6.  Park in 
the third row, leaving the key under the driver's seat 
and don't lock the car.  Go inside to the to the mall 
office and tell them you lost your keys.  It's a 
Woody Woodpecker keychain with the name Kate 
on it.  They'll give them to you.  Go out into the 
Mall and buy an outfit for the baby and one for 
yourself, change in the food court restrooms -- 
make sure to buy a hat or some kind of head cover.  
Go out the exit next to the Ruby Tuesday's 
Restaurant and go down the first row clicking the 
remote to open the trunk of the car -- it won't be 
your car but it will have a full tank of gas.  Put your 
diaper bag in the trunk.  There's a car seat in the 
back seat and a portacrib in the trunk.  The vehicle 
registration is in the glove box, along with your 
driver's license and a couple of credit cards in your 
new name.  You'll find the phone number to reach 
your partner in there, too."

"You sound like you have it all worked out," she 
said uneasily.

"We've been planning this for months, Scully," 
Frohike's voice came over the line.  "We just want 
what's best for you guys," he added softly.

"Thank you.  Thank the others for me, too." 

"If you can't reach Mulder, there's a map in the 
glove box, too."

"Thank you, again."

He hung up without saying another word.  She 
looked down where William was sitting in his 
bouncy seat, wide eyed, exploring his world.  She 
touched his cheek and he turned his head toward her 
finger, rooting.  "Well, sweetie, welcome to the life 
of an X file."

Silver Springs Mall
2:30 pm

The mall secretary was more than happy to retrieve 
the lost keys.  The woman dug through a drawer in 
her desk and came up with the gold colored 
keychain with two keys and a remote.  "We figured 
someone would be showing up for them pretty 
quickly," the woman said with a wink.  "My, what a 
tiny baby!  He's not very old."

"Two weeks," Scully lied.  "This is our first outing."

"Well, enjoy yourselves.  You know the food court 
has a family lounge in the restroom area.  You can 
breastfeed him, change his diaper, relax a little.  It's 
quite handy."

"Thank you, we may have to check that out," Scully 
replied.

She found an outfit for herself in the LandsEnd 
section of Sears and a new layette with cap for 
William.  Following Frohike's instructions to the 
letter, she also picked up a New York Yankees cap 
at the Lids outlet and then made her way over to the 
food court restrooms.  Ducking into the family 
lounge, she found that she could lock the door and 
change William and get changed herself.  She 
stuffed their old clothes in the store bags and fixed 
the caps on their heads.  Then she went out the exit 
by the Ruby Tuesdays Restaurant.

The trunk that opened was on a silver colored 
Toyota Camry, late model.  The car seat was 
situated in the back seat, anchored to the car.  Scully 
buckled the sleeping infant into the seat and then 
got in the driver's door.  She drove out of the 
parking lot and into a McDonald's drive through.  
Ordering coffee and yogurt parfait, she pulled into a 
parking space before opening the glove box.  A 
thick white envelope was the first item she pulled 
out.  Her driver's license picture was the same one 
on her current license, but it was for the state of 
Vermont.  On it was a post-it note with a phone 
number that she dialed on her new Tracfone.  He 
answered on the first ring.

"Scully, are you safe?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes.  We have the car, all the items are accounted 
for.  We're on our way."

"Take the 95 north.  Call me when you stop for a 
break, I'll give you further instructions.  Watch for 
tails."

"Always.  Mulder, are you OK?"

"I am now," he said and she could hear the relief in 
his voice.  "I'm fine.  I have the crib up and ready 
for my main man.  Oh, and the bed is made up for 
my main woman, too," he said and she could hear 
the sly smile in his voice.

"Just a little under six weeks," she warned playfully.

"Five weeks, three days and eight hours, by my 
watch," he shot back.

"We'll see you soon," she replied.  "Love you."

"I love you, too," he responded and hung up without 
a goodbye.

She looked in the backseat, at the tiny life sleeping 
so peacefully.  "Just a little longer, sweet William.  
Just a little longer and we'll be home.  Wherever it 
is," she whispered.  She touched his cheek and then 
turned around and put turned the key in the ignition, 
listening to the engine roar to life.  They still had 
miles to go before she could rest.

Near the Nolichucky River
North Carolina
11:05 pm

The driveway was marked with only a red plastic 
reflector partially hidden by the scrub brush around 
it.  She drove past it and then backed up to find it 
again.  The path was gravel and rutted, with larger 
rocks that caused the car to tilt from one side to the 
other.  In the headlights of the car the deep dips in 
the road caused it to appear to vanish.  More than 
once she slowed to a crawl, afraid she was about to 
careen off the mountainside.

After exactly .75 miles, the cabin materialized in the 
beams of the headlights.  Standing in the doorway 
was a familiar silhouette.  She hadn't even stopped 
the car fully when he was at her door, tugging it 
open.  They fell into a fierce embrace, Mulder 
kissing her hair and her face and then hugging her 
to him only to kiss her again.

"I was so worried," he said, peppering his words 
with kisses.  "I thought you'd be here by 10."

"Someone had to stop and eat," she replied, kissing 
him back.  "He fell asleep when we turned off the 
main highway."

"Oh, geez, Scully!  Let's get him inside where it's 
warmer.  I started a fire."  Mulder let go of her long 
enough to open the back door and pulled out the car 
seat.  He caressed his son's cheek with his free hand 
and then rested his arm about his partner's 
shoulders.  "Come in, see what I've done with the 
place."

The cabin door led them into a great room with a 
staircase to the left that led to a loft.  A roaring fire 
tossed dancing shadows on a simple arrangement of 
two big chairs and a futon.  Beyond the living space 
were a dinette and a kitchen off to the left.  She 
could see little out the double doors placed in the 
wall marking the change from dining room to 
kitchen.  Mulder carried the baby in his seat through 
the kitchen and down a set of stairs.  

The open staircase divided the downstairs.  To the 
right Scully made out the bathroom and noticed a 
washer and dryer.  Next on that side was a small 
bedroom with a twin bed and a crib.  Mulder put the 
car seat/carrier on the bed and unbuckled William 
with ease, laying the baby down in the crib on his 
side, while Scully smiled timidly.  

"It's a nice room," she commented.

Mulder looked over at her and tilted his head.  
"Something wrong?"

She shrugged one shoulder.  "I guess, I mean, I'm 
used to having him sleeping nearby -- "

Mulder ducked his head and then looked up at her 
from under his wayward bangs.  "This is just for 
naps.  C'mere.  I'm not done with the tour."

He took her hand and led her across the hall, under 
the steps and into a larger bedroom with a queen 
sized bed and a rocking chair near a large picture 
window.  On the far wall was a white bassinet.  "I 
figured you'd want him in here during the night.  
Easier access for those two a.m. feedings."

She smiled, relieved.  "Oh, and there's something 
else," he said, pulling her out of the room.  The 
room next to the bedroom was a small family room, 
complete with a television and a computer.  "It's on 
a dish, we get good reception.  The computer is 
dial-up, but it will suit our purposes."

She nodded.  "Whatever that might be," she added. 

He chose to ignore her comment.  "You must be 
hungry, too," he said.  "I made a little something 
light for dinner."

She hesitated as he started toward the stairs.  
"Scully?  Are you coming?"

"Can we hear the baby -- "

Mulder grinned and walked back into the nursery.  
He pointed to the ceiling.  "Fully monitored.  There 
are receivers in all the rooms upstairs and in the 
loft.  We have video feed in our bedroom, too.  The 
guys went a little whack-o.  It's the latest in 'nanny-
cam' technology," he said with a modest smile.  
"C'mon.  I didn't eat because I was waiting for you."

"Oh, so that's why you were so happy to see me," 
she quipped.

"Yeah.  It was all my stomach talking out there, 
Scully.  I didn't miss you one little bit," he tossed 
over his shoulder as his size 13s pounded up the 
steps.  When she made it into the kitchen he was 
bustling between the refrigerator and the 
microwave.  "Grab some plates?  They're above the 
coffeemaker.  Silverware is the drawer to the left of 
the sink."  

She pulled out plates, glasses and flatware for the 
two of them and went about setting the table.  
"Mulder, this table is huge.  It could seat 8 people, 
easily."

"This cabin is supposed to sleep 8, if the guys were 
right.  It was a rental, until the trust bought it."

"What trust?" Scully asked, taking a seat and 
looking up at him expectantly.

He chewed his lip for a second before dishing out 
portions of beef stew to both their plates.  "Ah, 
that's something I probably should tell you about," 
he said, nodding absently.  He put the casserole dish 
down on the table and sat down across from her.  

She continued her silence, scrutinizing him.

"OK, um, where to start.  First, you know I'm not 
poor."

"I guessed as much when I found out you didn't rent 
the apartment, it's a condo.  You pay a maintenance 
fee."

"And damages -- thanks to suddenly appearing 
waterbeds," he added.

"OK, so you're not, nor have you ever been, a poor 
starving GS12."

"I was GS13 when I left, Scully," he amended.

"Mulder, could we cut to the chase?" she asked a 
little harshly.  She forced a smile.  "The stew is 
good.  Did you make this?"

"Yeah, this afternoon.  Gave me something to do 
when I decided I couldn't spend the day standing in 
the doorway."

The smile on her face took on new sparkle.  "OK, 
Mulder.  Hit me with the bottom line."

"44 mil and change," he said evenly.

"Forty-four . . ."

"Million," he finished.  "And some change -- stocks 
that I think would make more if we held on to them, 
stuff I don't want to liquidate, that sort of thing.  
And that's not including Mom's jewelry, but I really 
didn't want to sell any of that.  Most of it's been in 
the family for generations.  Still, the Kuipers were 
typical Europeans of Jewish ancestry -- if worse 
comes to worse, diamonds are always readily 
negotiable currency."

"But it's in trust?" she asked, her voice cracking 
slightly.

"Well, it has been.  I mean it was my trust and then 
any heirs of mine.  The guys know my lawyer, the 
estate was going to probate just before I was . . . uh, 
resurrected, for lack of a better term.  You would 
have been told all about it, before the baby was 
born.  Of course, you are the trustee of the estate for 
William until he reaches 30 years of age.  That's 
how old I was when I got it."

"Mulder -- "

"I know, I know.  I should have told you before, 
Scully.  But I couldn't figure out a good time.  Hell, 
I couldn't figure out a good time to tell you I knew 
about your ova -- do you really think I could just 
casually mention that if I died you were in for a 
shitload of money?"

"What if there hadn't been an heir?" she asked 
quietly.

He stared long and hard at the wooden surface of 
the table.  "The Lone gunmen would have become 
executors -- philanthropic executors for SETI, 
MUFON -- they were probably going to set up a 
foundation to rival Gates.  I figured you wouldn't 
want it, the money at least.  But you got the jewelry, 
my lawyer was about to contact you to deliver it all 
when Skinner found out about Billy and you know 
how the rest of that story went," he said, finally 
looking up at her to smile.  "Scully, I'm sorry  . . ."

"No, Mulder, I mean, sure, it's a shock.  But it's not . 
. . I mean it never was that important to me."

"But it could be now.  I don't know how long we 
have to hide, but at least we don't have to worry 
about money."

"Won't they be able to trace us?" she asked, licking 
her bottom lip.

"Nope.  They guys have that covered.  Swiss 
accounts that feed into Grand Cayman accounts.  
By the time the money is in our hands, it has more 
custom stamps than Mick Jagger's luggage.  And 
we'll take out enough so that we aren't going to the 
ATM every two or three days."

"So you bought this place?" she asked, looking 
around.  

"Yup.  But as I said, it's just for the short term.  
When we leave, the guys will sell it.  With the 
housing market the way it is, we'll probably make 
money on the deal."

She snorted in most unladylike manner.  

"Are you upset?" he asked, reaching over to take 
her hand.

"Mulder, I just left my family, my home, my job 
and drove all the way here to be with you, dragging 
our six day old infant son along for the ride -- 
thinking we'd be destitute and homeless, but not 
really giving it a care as long as we were all 
together.  To find out that we have several million 
dollars at our disposal -- I can't say I'm that upset 
about that.  Bewildered, amazed, maybe even 
baffled -- but then I think back on a few things and 
it all fits.  The trip to Antarctica, the expenses we 
accumulated in Nevada later that same summer -- 
you covered all of that.  I guess I really didn't want 
to pry into your affairs to find out how you 
managed it all."

He shrugged and gave her his shy smile.

"What I would like to know is why you expected 
me to pick up my share of the tabs over the last 
seven years," she shot back, crossing her arms.  
"Not to mention you're near obsessive need to leave 
lousy tips at diners."

"Oh, well, I didn't want to make you feel -- inferior, 
Scully," he adlibbed.

"And you're a miser," she added.

"And I'm a skinflint," he corrected.  "There, now 
you know.  You helped create a life with the genes 
of a man who hates to part with a dollar.  It's out 
there now, live with it," he said in a perfect 
deadpan. 

She snickered and dug in to the stew.  "Well, for a 
skinflint, at least you can cook," she told him as she 
reached over to take a second helping.

"I hope you think I have other attributes," he said 
coyly.

"Oh, yes, Mulder," she sighed dreamily.  "You can 
also reach the top shelf."

He rolled his eyes and finished his dinner.  They 
cleaned the table in companionable silence, moving 
with the same efficient flow they had established 
years before in their working life.  Scully found the 
kitchen was laid out very much like her own kitchen 
and wondered if that had been Frohike's little way 
of making her feel more at home.  She smiled just 
thinking of how much the gunmen had grown to be 
her friends as well as Mulder's.

"So, I know you're tired, but there's a decent sized 
tub downstairs if you want to take a soak."

She smiled at him and snaked her arms around his 
neck.  "Wish you could join me," she sighed, 
leaning her head on his chest.

He dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head.  "I 
wish I could too, but for the next few weeks, I think 
I'll be taking my showers on the cold side," he 
murmured.  "You go relax.  I'll keep an ear out for 
William."

When she got in the bathroom, it didn't surprise her 
at all to find her favorite bubble bath sitting on the 
edge of the tub.  Her brand of shampoo was in the 
shower caddy.  She could see the hand of Mulder in 
the small touches.  

The tears were totally unexpected.  The minute she 
lowered herself into the fragrant bubbles her 
shoulders heaved with sobs too long repressed.  The 
tears mixed with the bubbles and the steam from the 
water, cleansing her heart as she sat perfectly still in 
the warmth.  How long had she been cold?  Since 
the call had come from Kersh, she was certain of it.  
But now, with Mulder just outside the door and 
William asleep in a crib picked out by his most 
loving Dutch Uncles, she could let all her emotions 
catch up with her and finally find release.

Mulder regarded her carefully as she stepped out of 
the bathroom in her towel.  He quickly enfolded her 
in a big fluffy robe.

"The guys thought of everything," she said, clearing 
the last of her tears from her throat.  

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, engulfing her in 
a hug and swaying softly with her, a dance both of 
them knew by heart.

"Yes."  She looked up into his eyes and smiled.  
"But you knew that," she smirked.

"I knew you needed some downtime.  And I know 
all of this is pretty -- "

"Overwhelming, at moments," she conceded.  
"Mulder, what now?  Do we run for the rest of our 
lives?  What kind of life are we going to give our 
son?"

He loosened his hold on her and allowed her to step 
back.  "We need to talk about that, all of it, but not 
now.  We're both exhausted and the little guy will 
be hungry in just an hour or so."  He tugged at her 
hand.  "C'mon.  You go to bed, get some sleep.  I'm 
going to do some surfing on the net for a while.  
When I hear him, I'll bring him in to you."  

She followed his lead into their bedroom.  He pulled 
back the covers, gently pulled the robe off her arms 
as she struggled to shimmy out of it.  Her silk 
pajamas were lying on the bed and she self-
consciously tugged them on over her nursing bra 
and maternity panties.  She hadn't dressed in front 
of Mulder since William's birth.  She felt like she 
was still the size of a whale.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, stepping 
forward and kissing her.  "Oh, Scully, I want you to 
know how grateful I am.  Grateful that you came all 
this way to be with me."

"Grateful?" she replied.  "Mulder, I'm where I want 
to be," she assured him.  "This isn't a favor for a 
friend.  You and William are my life.  I know how 
lost I was without you.  I don't ever want to feel that 
way again."

"I know," he murmured, pulling her close.  "That's 
why I'm grateful.  Because I never want to be 
without the two of you, either."  He kissed her 
again, tenderly and then waited until she was lying 
down to pull the covers up and tuck her in.  "I'll be 
right in the next room, if you need me for anything.  
Get some rest."

Near the Nolichucky River
North Carolina
7:03 am

Mulder disabled the security system and went in 
through the sliding glass door into the family room.  
He was so intent on being silent that he jumped in 
surprise when Scully greeted him with a "nice run?"

He wiped his face on the tail of his gray tee shirt 
before kneeling down next to where she sat on one 
of the room's two recliners.  William was at her 
breast.  He gently ran his hand over the baby's head 
and smiled.  "Yeah.  Great one.  There's a really 
nice path through the forest.  I think it's a deer run 
or something."

"I woke up and you were gone," she said flatly, one 
eyebrow cocked and loaded in accusation.

"Sorry.  I did leave you a note.  But I tacked it to the 
refrigerator door.  Next time I'll leave it on the 
bathroom mirror."

"It's OK.  I panicked for all of 30 seconds and then 
noticed your running shoes were missing from the 
bedroom floor.  I once worked for the FBI, you 
know," she smirked.

"Really?  Did they have a decent 401K?" he shot 
back and leaned up to kiss her.  "I, on the other 
hand, have had quite a bit of time on my hands 
recently and have found myself addicted to the 
Food Network.  Is there anything your little heart 
desires for breakfast?"

"Surprise me, servant," she said haughtily.  "Right 
after you bathe," she added.

He sniffed under his arm and nodded in 
nonchalance.  "Oh, all right, if you insist."  With 
another kiss to William's peach fuzzed head, he rose 
stiffly and made off to the bathroom.

"Mulder, we're going to need supplies at some 
point," she called out to him.  "Milk . . . diapers."

"I've got it covered.  We'll talk at breakfast."  He cut 
her off from further discussion by starting the 
shower.

She gave William a bath after Mulder vacated the 
shower.  By the time she had him in fresh diaper 
and sleeper, he was out for the count.  She put him 
in the crib in the nursery and double-checked the 
monitor before heading up the steps to the first floor 
of the cabin.

Wonderful smells met her halfway up the stairs.  
She detected bacon and coffee and something that 
smelled like . . . waffles?  With just a hint of 
cinnamon and vanilla.  

"OK, where is my partner and what have you done 
with him?" she asked, picking up the glass of 
orange juice -- fresh squeezed she noticed, and 
sipping delicately.

"Hey, I'm in touch with my inner Emeril," he shot 
back over his shoulder.  "Grab your plate, you get 
first waffle."  He used a fork to pry the pastry off 
the waffle iron and deposited it on her plate.  "Do 
you want eggs -- I can do over easy now."

She grinned and shook her head.  "Mulder, I'll 
admit I'm still eating for two, but not two platoons.  
This is plenty."

"How else are we going to raise a future starting 
forward for Princeton?" he inquired, pouring batter 
into the iron and closing the lid.  "Go ahead, before 
it gets cold.  Mine will be done in a jiffy."

"This is excellent, Mulder.  The waffles are -- is that 
pumpkin I taste?"

"A little.  Don't get too impressed, it's a mix.  I think 
the guys ordered it from William-Sonoma.  It's 
something like 9 bucks a canister so I cut it with 
regular pancake mix.  It turned out all right?"

"Why didn't I know you could cook?" she asked, 
glaring at him over a forkful of waffle.

"Because I didn't know I could?" he replied with a 
shrug.  "Never seemed time between the fluke men 
and the liver eating mutants.  Not to mention the 
endless search . . . "  He ducked his head, cutting off 
that line of reasoning.  She'd forgotten that he'd just 
come to terms with Samantha's fate when he was 
taken.  For her, the ache of never achieving their 
long sought goal was much softer, replaced by a 
deeper pain that had found healing in his return.

"Well, you should do it more often, if dinner last 
night and breakfast this morning are any 
indication."

"Are you trying to turn me into a house husband, 
Scully?  Because I can go sit in my underwear and 
watch ESPN on the sofa if you want," he warned.

She smirked at him and finished her meal.  She 
smiled when she saw the tag on her teabag -- green 
tea, decaf.  He'd thought of everything, but she 
would have killed for a cup of the coffee he was 
sipping.  Finally pushing her plate away, she 
groaned.  "That was just what I needed," she said.  
"Now, enlighten me.  How do we 'cover' grocery 
runs?"

"Internet," he mumbled around a mouthful of 
waffle.  "We click on the items we want, they 
deliver it within 24 hours.  Kinda cool, actually."

She nodded, but her expression was guarded, wary.  
"So we don't leave here -- ever?"

He shoved the last bite in his mouth and took a slug 
of coffee to wash it down.  "What do you think?  Do 
you think they're going to be looking for a red-
haired woman with an infant and a dark haired guy 
who looks unemployed?  What do you think we 
should do?"

She frowned at him.  "I don't know, Mulder.  I 
guess I haven't thought about any of this past 
getting the hell out of DC and making sure we 
found you," she answered, irritation in her voice 
and manner.  "How long do you think we can 'hole' 
up here without causing suspicion?  The grocery 
store delivers, but don't you think someone might 
find it a little irregular that we don't leave this place 
-- that we never go into town?  If someone came 
around asking questions, wouldn't someone give us 
up in a heartbeat?"

He reached across the table and grasped her hand.  
His fingers were slightly sticky from maple syrup, 
but she didn't pull her hand back.  "We're only here 
to let you recover from William's birth and let him 
have a breather.  Six weeks is standard, right?  So 
we're urban dwellers who waited to have a kid and 
now we're taking the time to enjoy the little guy.  
That's not so 'irregular' these days."

"OK.  I'll give you that," she countered testily.  "But 
William should have a doctor check him over at six 
weeks.  What if he gets sick before then -- what if -- 
"

"Scully, are you playing devil's advocate here or are 
you really upset about this?  Because the first one I 
can handle, the second one -- means we have some 
real problems we have to address.  Like if you 
really want to do this or not?"

She did pull her hand away and reached for his 
plate, stacking it with hers and taking them both to 
the sink where she started running hot water.  
"Mulder -- I'm here.  I'm here with you.  I don't 
know how to convince you that I'm where I want to 
be.  But we have to consider William in this, too."

He stood and gathered the syrup and butter from the 
table, putting things back in order.  "I have 
considered William.  I've considered all of us.  And 
yes, there are some things we'll have to work a little 
harder at.  The guys are finding us a place -- 
somewhere with a baby doctor they trust, and you 
know how paranoid those three are.  Scully, I just 
need to know -- "

She turned off the water and angled herself so that 
she was facing him.  Reaching up, she took hold of 
the back of his head, drawing him down so that she 
could kiss him tenderly.  "I'm not leaving you.  WE 
aren't leaving you.  Ever.  Now, I do not want to 
revisit this conversation at any point in the future.  
When I ask questions, I'm looking for resolutions.  
I'm not looking for an escape clause.  Are we clear 
on this?"

He returned her kiss and then kissed her nose and 
her eyes before pulling back and giving her a grin.  
"The Bureau really missed out when they didn't 
make you upper management."

"I think my management style would have resulted 
in sexual harassment charges -- at least the ones that 
work on you," she returned with a wink.  "So, let's 
get these dishes washed up and then I'll make out 
that grocery list.  When William wakes up, you can 
take us outside and show us around.  It looks 
beautiful -- what I can see from the windows.  I 
need some fresh air."

Mulder took his little family on a walk through the 
woods.  Scully held the baby close and they didn't 
go far.  It was breathtakingly beautiful, the sun 
dancing off the leaves of the tall trees, the hum of 
insects going about their daily chores as the 
shadows shortened with the approaching midday.  
After a short time they made their way back to the 
cabin.  Scully followed Mulder up the stairs and 
through the French doors to the deck that ran the 
length of the back of the cabin.

She had to smile.  Last night, the doors had been 
opaque black, obsidian slabs shielding them from 
the forest beyond.  Today, the doors opened on a 
deck running the length of the second story of the 
house.  The railing was high and solid -- the slats 
very close together so that even a small child could 
wander in the space without fear.  The railing 
looked new, probably installed as a condition of the 
sale -- she could still smell the wood.  She imagined 
Frohike insisting on the extra feature, assuming 
quite by mistake that William would be down on his 
knees, crawling around at barely a week old.

Mulder was standing near a chaise lounge and 
loveseat arrangement near the far end of the deck.  
She glanced the other direction and noted a hot tub 
with interest.  Maybe six weeks here wouldn't be so 
hard to tolerate after all.  Mulder sat down, 
throwing his arm across the back of the loveseat and 
nodded to the lounge.  "Take a load off, Scully.  For 
that matter, can I see my guy for a while?" he asked, 
reaching for the baby.

Emotions overwhelmed her and she fought back 
tears.  The beauty of the surrounding mountains 
only served as a backdrop to the incredible site of 
watching Mulder hold their baby in his arms.  His 
face took on a radiance that she'd only seen when he 
looked at her, but his eyes were fixed on the tiny 
being he held so gently but firmly.  

She surrendered to her own tiredness and leaned 
back in the lounge.  It was heaven.  They were 
together.  How many nights had she feared even 
dreaming of such a time?  Feared such thoughts 
because all too soon reality intruded and she was 
forced once again to face the fact that her love, her 
life was buried in the cold North Carolina soil.  She 
let her gaze roam the pine trees around her and 
realized that the same soil that gave them life had 
given up the part of her it once held.  In a way, it 
had protected him for her.  She couldn't hate it any 
longer.  She was grateful.

Mulder had William against his chest, murmuring 
softly into the baby's shell ear.  She looked away 
and allowed a tear to free itself from her lashes with 
the blink of an eye.  She hoped he wouldn't notice, 
but that was futile.

"Scully, I'm sorry -- I . . . I don't know what to do 
about all this," he said quietly, not wanting to 
disturb the infant almost asleep.  "Tell me what to 
do?"

She smiled and then chuckled, allowing the tears to 
fall freely at last.  "Mulder, you dope.  This is . . . 
well, you better get used to it.  If you thought my 
pregnancy hormones were a bitch, you're in for a 
wild ride."

"You mean -- this is all just . . ."  He stared down at 
his sleeping son.  "You caused a hell of a lot of 
trouble for someone so damned cute," he growled 
without anger.

"Well, like father, like son," she quipped and met 
his startled look with a raised eyebrow.

"Ouch," he replied.  "That hurt."

"The truth does, sometimes," she assured him.  He 
rolled his eyes, but smiled back at her.  

She was happy.  So happy.  She knew that with her 
hormones still in flux, she would be confusing the 
hell out of her partner.  But just by looking at the 
love in his face as he smiled down at their son, they 
would all three survive even her worst mood 
swings.

As the baby slept, he settled back and put his feet on 
the small glass topped coffee table in front of the 
loveseat.  She snuggled into the soft cushions of the 
lounge chair and was soon fast asleep.

the end . . . until next time