Title:  It All Comes Home
Author:  Vickie Moseley
Summary:  Sequel to Confronting the Facts and 
Mulder and Scully 101.  Seeing is believing.  Set 
the morning after the Existence Kiss.
Category:  MSR Doggett POV
Rating:  PG
Archive:  yes
Disclaimer:  I don't own 'em, and I calls 'em like I 
sees 'em.  But I didn't infringe on any copyrights.
Author's note:  Final (I think, no, I hope!) story in 
my little trilogy where Doggett finally figures out 
what's going on between Mulder and Scully.  This 
takes place right before the beginning of S9.  No, I 
don't intend to do more of that season.  Just skip 
ahead to my Flight Out of Egypt series if you want 
to know what happens next.
Feedback to me:  vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

It All Comes Home
by Vickie Moseley

It'd been a few years since I'd been in a Toys R Us, 
and I was a little surprised at how much the place 
had changed.  I finally found the baby section and 
then it took a few minutes figuring out what to buy.  
I never did the baby shopping of the family, that 
was always Barbara's job.  I finally picked a blue 
thermal blanket with satin edging, similar to one 
Luke slept with and went up to pay.

All night long I kept thinking about what Skinner 
had told me.  I have to admit, I came late to the 
game.  When I'd started with the X Files, I'd heard a 
lot of rumors -- not just about Mulder but about 
their cases.  When I got to the basement I read all 
the files, but more often than not, it felt like I was 
reading the Reader's Digest version -- the large print 
edition.  There were missing pieces that I could 
never figure out.  Maybe I chose to ignore the 
obvious -- that there was something personal in the 
facts that were missing.  But I didn't do it on 
purpose.

I know what it was about her that threw me.  She 
was so -- vulnerable under all the gruff.  From the 
first day we met, when I tried to trip her up, she 
seemed fragile in my eyes, but there was a strength 
of character that I couldn't forget.  There was that 
movie . . . Steel Magnolias.  Barbara wanted me to 
watch the damned thing but I could never make 
myself sit through it.  I did see the box from the 
video and the image of a flower made of steel -- 
white petals, soft but with steel underneath -- that's 
the image that came to mind every time I thought of 
Dana Scully.

Mulder, well, when I first met him, he was a corpse.  
I have to admit, aside from being worried like hell 
over Dana's reaction, the only emotion I felt was 
relief.  It was over.  We'd found him.  End of case, 
close the book on another investigation.  I really had 
no reason to think anything else.  I had no history 
with Mulder; I had no connection other than his 
disappearance.  To me, he was another kidnapping 
victim; another body that would eventually lead to 
evidence that would help me solve a crime.  Of 
course, the crime was his death, but by the time I 
came into play, that was of little consequence.

Sure, I felt guilty later.  I kicked myself blue for the 
next three days as Skinner hovered around Dana 
like a goddamned mother bear and Dana, god, Dana 
looked . . . she looked like Barbara.  Like Barbara 
after we found Luke.  It was like reliving that time 
and that was the last thing I wanted to be doing.  So, 
yeah, I resented Mulder, even when he was dead.

I thought, OK, I'd hoped, that as time went on it 
would be better for her.  Dana had spent so much 
energy looking for Mulder, energy that she should 
have been saving for the baby.  I thought with him 
dead and buried, she could go through the stages of 
grief that had been on hold, just in case he'd return.  
Of course, that was pretty naive of me.  

I remember one day, about a month after the 
funeral, I made a big mistake.  I told Dana about a 
guy in White Collar Crime who had just transferred 
in from Tulsa.  The guy was living at a hotel, he 
was looking for an apartment, furnished, if possible.  
I suggested maybe he'd be willing to take Mulder's 
apartment off her hands.  I knew she'd been keeping 
up the payments on it, 'though at the time I thought 
it was because it was automatic -- something she 
didn't even really think about because to think about 
it would bring it all home again.  Well, you would 
have thought I'd suggested we go up to Skinner's 
office for a little mid afternoon three-way sex orgy.  
She didn't talk to me for four days after.  I 
remembered not to make any more suggestions 
about Mulder's stuff or anything else.

Nobody was more surprised, or disgusted, than me 
when Skinner called me out in the middle of the 
night to dig up Mulder's grave.  I always heard the 
grave robbing was bad.  I didn't care what kind of 
crap he'd heard, dead bodies pulled from the ocean 
breathing and all that shit.  I just knew that when we 
opened up that coffin, we'd be opening up a 
Pandora's Box.  I had no idea how right I was.  
There have been more nights than I can count that I 
thought about what we did in that graveyard and 
whether we did the right thing.  I still think we 
made a big mistake.

Maybe she would have grieved if she'd found out 
about Billy Miles.  Maybe she would have been 
pissed at me for not opening up that grave.  But 
goddamn it, maybe she would have moved on.  That 
is what I'll always regret -- from now till my dying 
day.  Maybe.

Skinner spun a nice story last night.  I knew some it, 
some of it I'd never heard.  But in the cold light of 
day, I wondered how much he really knew.  True 
enough, they were bound by the closeness of 
tragedy and peril.  Hell, I understood that.  But I 
also know that isn't always enough.  I thought 
Barbara and I were bound together, but after a 
while, even after a great tragedy, we found we were 
more apart than together.  Sometimes you wake up 
and there's nothing left.  I didn't want that to happen 
to Dana.  She deserved so much more than that.

I just couldn't see Mulder settling down.  I'd read 
enough to know that any light in the sky, any bump 
in the night was enough for him to drop everything 
and run off.  Hell, he'd stuck her with surveillance 
duty once, by herself, while he was checking out 
strange murders in Vermont just a month before he 
went missing.  Not to mention, I'm pretty sure he 
never told her about his brain tumor -- the fact that 
he was dying for the six months before he 
disappeared.  When was he gonna spring that one 
on her?  He bought himself a goddamn tombstone 
and never said a word to her.

I was getting pretty riled by the time I got to her 
apartment.  I almost turned around and went home.  
But the present was wrapped and sitting next to me 
on the seat.  I wasn't happy when I saw his car; in 
the same parking spot it had been when I had driven 
by the night before.   I swallowed my pride and 
walked up to the door.

It was Saturday morning, so people were coming 
out of the building.  I smiled at one lady I 
recognized, I think she lived across from Dana.  She 
gave me a weird look, sort of a raised eyebrow.  
Maybe she didn't expect me to come calling now 
that Mulder was back.  God only knows what 
Dana's neighbors thought of all the comings and 
goings out of her apartment in the past few years.

I got to her door and stopped.  I could hear the high-
pitched wail of a newborn and underneath the soft 
droning of a male voice, singing.  I couldn't make 
out the words, but I think it was something by the 
Doors.  I knocked loud enough to be heard over the 
ruckus.

I heard the door lock click and then the door opened 
and I was eye to eye with Mulder.  He had on 
sweatpants and a tee shirt; it looked like a little spit 
up had landed on his shoulder.  He was holding the 
baby up against the other shoulder, swaying back 
and forth in a poor imitation of a cha-cha.  

"Agent Doggett," he said and then looked out into 
the hall as if expecting someone else to be with me.  
"Come on in."

I stepped over the threshold and closed the door 
behind me.  Mulder walked over to the sofa and 
tossed a couple of baby blankets and the Saturday 
Washington Post onto the coffee table.  "Sorry for 
the mess.  Make yourself at home."  He continued 
to walk, rocking the now quiet infant.  

"Ah, is Agent Scully around?" I asked, wondering 
where in the world she would have gone and 
especially what possessed her to leave Mulder in 
charge of the baby.

"She's in the shower.  We thought the big guy here 
was down for a nap, but, uh, he had other plans," 
Mulder said with grin at the little fella in his arms.  
"Women are always trying to plan our days, aren't 
they, William?"

"So that's his name, huh?" I asked and realized it 
sounded pretty stupid.

"Yeah.  Scully named him after my dad," Mulder 
said with a nod, as if that answered all the questions 
of the universe.

"Wasn't her dad named William, too?" I asked.  
From the look he gave me, I should have kept my 
mouth shut.  Score one for my team.

"Mulder, was that the door?"  Dana walked into the 
room wearing a terry cloth robe and toweling her 
hair dry.  She looked . . . well, she didn't look like a 
woman who had given birth just 48 hours before.  
"Agent Doggett, nice of you to drop by," she said 
with a smile.  She brushed past me and over to 
Mulder where she reached up and took the baby off 
his shoulder.  "Why did you wake him up, Mulder?"

He looked at her and shook his head.  "I didn't wake 
him up.  He woke up all by himself.  And he wasn't 
happy.  Neither was I when I checked him and for 
the record, he's still pumping out that black, tarry 
stuff.  By the way, we're down to the last pack of 
diapers.  I think it's time to call for back up."

"I told Mom to bring diapers and Q-tips when she 
comes this afternoon," she said in a voice that all 
people use when around babies -- sort of sing song 
but not singing.  She looked over at me.  "Agent 
Doggett, sit down.  Mulder, get Agent Doggett a 
cup of coffee."

Mulder looked like that was the last thing he wanted 
to do, leave Dana and me alone with the baby.  I 
figured it was time to head out anyway.  "I just 
stopped by for a minute, to, ah, drop this off."  I 
held out the present.  Mulder took it and set it on the 
coffee table, on top of the Post.  

"Don't let us keep you.  You probably have plans," 
Mulder offered.  He sure did want me out of that 
apartment.

"Nonsense, you just got here," Dana objected.  
"Mulder, please.  I'd kill for a cup of coffee."  She 
looked over at him and smiled and it was like 
watching one of those sit coms where the husband 
is wrapped around the wife's little finger.

"It's only decaf.  William isn't up to the leaded stuff, 
yet," Mulder warned me.

"Decaf is fine," I told him.

"I think it's goofy.  They advise women to drink 
wine to let down their milk but at the same time 
they won't let them drink coffee," Mulder muttered 
as he made his way to the kitchen.  

When he was finally out of the room, I moved over 
to sneak a peek at the baby.  Dana held him out so I 
could get a better look.  He looked -- well, like a 
baby.  Head a little dented in places, nose looked 
like it had been pressed against a wall for a while.  
His hair was fine and more blond than red.  Blue 
eyes, like his mother.  "He's beautiful, Agent 
Scully."  I really did mean it.

"Mulder thinks his coloring is like mine, but I've 
seen his baby pictures and he had blond hair as a 
baby," she said, smiling down at the baby boy in her 
arms.

"So, um, everything went all right?"  It was a stupid 
question, but it stopped my other question -- 'so 
you're sure Mulder's the father?' -- from coming out 
of my mouth.

"Yeah.  There was a little tearing, but it only took a 
stitch.  I was sore yesterday, but today, I feel great.  
It's so nice to see my feet again when I'm standing 
in the shower." 

"Barbara said the same thing after Luke . . . "  I 
decided quickly that was the wrong topic to get on.  
"So, he keep you up much last night?"

She sat down on the sofa and nodded me over to the 
chair before she answered.

"Let's see, midnight, three, four-fifteen, five forty-
five -- " Mulder rattled off as he came back in with 
a tray and three mugs.

"And whose fault was the five forty-five?" she 
asked with a frown.

"How was I to know he'd want to take a run with his 
old man?" Mulder shot back and handed me one of 
the mugs.  Carefully, he exchanged a mug of coffee 
for the baby and then settled down next to Dana on 
the sofa.  Very territorial.  Not that I expected much 
less.

"Well, now that we know we aren't going to make 
the same mistake twice," she warned.  She sipped at 
her mug and smiled.  "Oh, god that's good, even if it 
is decaf.  Thanks, G-man."  She settled back in the 
cushions and sighed.

It got real quiet and I swear I could hear a clock 
ticking.  Mulder was making eye contact with the 
baby and Dana looked like she might drop off to 
sleep.  I felt like the flat spare tire in the back of 
pick up truck.  Less than useless.

"I, uh, really should be going," I said and started to 
get up.

Dana sat up straight and shook her head.  "I'm 
sorry!  I don't know what's gotten into me.  I'm so 
sleepy."

"I'd say something has gotten 'out' of you," Mulder 
said with that stupid ass grin he'd perfected.  He 
shifted the baby and waggled his eyebrows down at 
him.

"Very funny," Dana said dryly.  "But you can't go, 
Agent Doggett, until we open the present," she 
directed and I sat back down again.

She picked up the package and examined it with a 
shy smile.  "You really didn't have to do this, you 
know," she said as she carefully tore at the ribbon 
and peeled back the tape on the ends.

"It's not much.  I just wanted to get the little guy 
something," I assured her.  Why didn't I get him 
clothes?  Was a blanket too impersonal?  It looked 
like the kid had plenty of blankets lying around the 
place.  

When she lifted off the top of the box she smiled.  
"It's beautiful," she said, pulling the blanket out of 
the box.  "Look, Mulder.  Isn't it beautiful?"

He looked over at her and smiled, not so much at 
the present as her reaction to it.  "Very nice.  And 
warm.  That's what we'll need this winter to keep 
the icicles off his nose," he said, poking the baby's 
nose lightly with his index finger.

"Don't give me nightmares," she teased and held the 
blanket against her cheek.  "It's soft.  And it has 
satin bunting.  I love blankets with satin bunting.  
Thank you, Agent Doggett.  This was very 
thoughtful of you."

"It's nothin'," I assured her.  "Well, look, you three 
need your rest.  I have, uh, I need to be someplace 
at noon and I better get going."  

Dana started to get up but I waved her back in her 
seat.  Mulder was still holding the baby and was 
making no move to give him up.  "I can see myself 
out, Agent Scully.  You just sit, enjoy your coffee."

She smiled at me, but only for a moment.  There 
was a little squeak out of the baby and she was 
leaning over him.

"It's OK, Mom, I've got him.  Your Dad's got ya 
now, doesn't he, William?" Mulder said to the little 
boy.  Dana looked over at him, when he was staring 
at the baby.  The look in her eyes as she took in the 
two of them . . .

I stopped for a moment at the door.  I couldn't take 
my eyes off the three of them.  Damn it all if they 
didn't look like a family.  Maybe all that crap 
Skinner fed me last night was true.  Maybe not.  But 
what mattered the most was the look in her eyes 
when she looked at Mulder holding her child.

Skinner was right about one thing.  I was never in 
the equation, as far as she was concerned.

I felt a hundred and fifty years old as I left the 
building.  My mind was running a mile a minute 
and I didn't see where I was going until I bumped 
right into someone.  I looked up suddenly, and there 
was Monica.

"John.  Hi," she said with a hesitant smile.

"Monica.  I thought you were heading back to New 
Orleans last night."  Probably not the most 
welcoming greeting, but I really thought she'd gone 
back home.

"My flight got cancelled due to the fog.  I have 
another flight out tonight.  I just came by to say 
goodbye to Dana and the baby."

"Oh, yeah.  Well, they're up there, the three of 
them," I told her.

"Oh, is Mulder there?"  I nodded.  "Good," she said 
with a smile.  "She'll need another set of hands for a 
while."

"I think it's a bit more permanent than that," I said 
without thinking.

Monica's smile got bigger.  "Good for them," she 
said with a nod.  "It's about time he got his act 
together."

I thought back on the sight of him with that baby.  I 
realized something in that moment.  He would 
protect that baby as fiercely as he'd protected Dana.  
I was positive of that.  

"I think he's gonna make a good father," I said, and 
was surprised that I really meant it.  "He was up 
half the night with her and the baby."

"Well, they probably need their rest, then.  Say, it's 
almost lunch time.  Want to grab a bite to eat?  My 
treat."

I looked up one last time at her window.  For some 
reason, it didn't look quite the same to me as it had 
last night.  Just before I turned away to answer 
Monica I caught a glimpse of Mulder and the baby, 
swaying softly to music only they could hear.  Then 
Dana was beside them and Mulder put his arm 
around her and kissed her on the top of her head.  

Monica was watching me as I turned back to face 
her.  "Yeah.  As a matter of fact, I am kinda 
hungry," I told her.  "Besides, you can tell me what 
happened the other night."

"John, it was truly freaky.  I mean, all these people 
just came out of nowhere and Dana was in labor and 
I only had my gun and I was scared to death . . ."

I didn't really tune her out, but I wasn't listening all 
that closely.  It had been a long time since I'd seen 
her.  Even though I'd seen her a couple of times in 
the last few months, it was like I was seeing Monica 
for the first time.  She really was a beautiful 
woman.

"And then the baby was there, in my arms.  John, I 
never felt anything like it.  I was so overwhelmed 
and so . . . well, at peace!  And before I knew what 
was happening they all left -- "

I don't know what possessed me but as we walked 
out to our cars, my hand just seemed drawn to touch 
the small of her back.

The end.