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"Family"
Written by: Nicole Buckles ([email protected])
Rated PG

Scully sits in her office at the desk that was once Mulder’s. After three and a half months she still can’t accept that he might never come back. She had tried to move on with her life with her new partner, but every single day something she saw or did reminded her of Mulder. In fact everything that surrounded her was filled with memories of Mulder.  Some days she thought she would go insane if she couldn’t have him by her side, have him to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But she didn’t have him by her side, the closest thing she had to Mulder was inside of her. Scully slowly closes her eyes and places her hands on her stomach. At least I have part of him inside of me she thinks, as she gently puts pressure on her stomach with her left hand.
   Suddenly her mind drifts from Mulder and her unborn child to Agent John Doggett, her new partner. At first Scully despised this man. She felt that he was assigned to her and the X-files not to find Mulder, but to take his place, and she had nothing but resentment for this man. But after almost 4 months of working with Agent Doggett Scully had begun to see him in a whole new light and found herself becoming friends with him. This scared her for she never wanted to become close to someone again in fear that she might lose yet another loved one. She couldn't go through that again. She had lost so many loved ones; her father, her sister and now Mulder and she was not going to loose this baby. The thought of loosing the baby suddenly becomes more of a reality then ever before and Scully's hands begin to shake with fear. She holds them tightly up against her chest to try and steady them when Agent Doggett suddenly walks into the room. He sees the distressed look on her face and the way she is holding her hands tightly up against her chest and knows that something isn't right.
"Agent Scully? You all right? You look a little pale."
Scully pulls her hands away from her chest and sits on them as if they might give away the secret she is trying to hide.
"Uhh, I'm fine Agent Doggett, just a little tired," Scully says giving him a half smile.
"Are ya sure because you don't look fine."
"You know what? Let's get one thing straight here. When I say I'm fine, I'm fine! Okay? And I don't like when people insist that I'm not!" Scully gets up from the desk and turns her back to Doggett and stares at Mulder's “I want to believe poster.” She can feel the tears starting to well in her eyes and she is determined not to let them fall in front of this man. It took her nearly two years until she was able to let herself cry in front of Mulder, and she vowed that Agent Doggett would never see her cry. If he saw that vulnerability in her then that would mean that she had let him get to close and she needed to keep him at a distance. Suddenly she is jolted from her thoughts by the sound of Doggett’s voice.
"Agent Scully? Did ya hear me? Would you look at me?! Listen I'm sorry if I said something to upset you, and I respect that you don't want to tell me what it is, but if you don't want to tell me then we've got work to do. I just got back from Skinner's office and he's assigned us a new case.”
Tears begin to well up in Scully’s eyes and she refuses to turn around and let him see her. What is wrong me? She thinks, I have been so strong up until now, Why am I suddenly falling apart? She is jolted from her thoughts again by Doggett’s touch. His hand is on her shoulder now and she doesn’t like it. It reminded her too much of Mulder’s gentle touch and she is desperately trying to put Mulder out of her mind, so that she wouldn’t loose it and start crying in front of Doggett. She wants to tell him to take his hand off her shoulder but she is afraid that when she does her voice will give away the emotions that she is trying so desperately to hide from him, so she keeps quiet and hopes that he will take his hand off her shoulder.
“Are you sure there isn’t something you’d like to discuss with me? I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good listener.”
    Scully doesn’t answer him and continues to stand with her back towards him, trying desperately to suppress the tears that are welling up in her eyes. To her one of the worst feelings in the world was trying to hold back tears when everything inside of her screamed to let them out. But she had gotten pretty good over the years at suppressing those tears, but at this moment she felt that if he didn’t take his hand off her shoulder soon she would start sobbing in the middle of the office, unable to stop. Without saying a word Scully walks away from Doggett just enough so his hand will fall off her shoulder. She is closer to Mulder’s “I Want To Believe” poster and suddenly she is unable to hold back her tears and they begin streaming down her face. She quickly sits down in the chair and buries her face in her hands so Doggett won’t see her tears.
Agent Doggett walks worriedly over to her. He kneels down in front of the chair and begins to speak. “Are you feeling all right? Are you feeling dizzy or something?”
“I feel fine.”
“It doesn’t look that way to me.”
“I’m not sick Agent Doggett.”
“Well, then will you look at me and tell me what the hell is going on with you? You haven’t looked me in the eye since I walked into the office.”
Scully looks up at Doggett, her face is stained with tears and more are running down her face. Doggett’s heart suddenly skips a beat as he realizes for the first time just how pretty Agent Scully is. He always thought she was pretty, but now it’s like he is suddenly seeing this woman for the first time and she breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe it was because she appeared so vulnerable, like she needed to be rescued from her pain.
   Doggett so much wanted to take away her pain but he knew that the only way anyone could do that is by finding Agent Mulder.
Scully wipes the tears from her eyes and sits back in her chair. “I’m sorry I’m just having one of those days.”
“It looks like a little more then that to me,” Doggett says, “You want to talk about it? It might help.”
“Why are you so nice to me? Half the time I’m a real bitch to you.” Doggett laughs, a little caught off guard by her response.
“You feel sorry for me right?”
“No, well I…” Doggett pauses looking for the right words, because the truth is he does feel sorry for her.
“Just say it. I know you feel sorry for me, but I don’t want your sympathy and that is why I can’t tell you what’s wrong.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you Agent Scully.”
“Liar,” Scully says with a little smile on her face.
“Hey I got you to smile,” Doggett says and places his hand on her knee. Scully quickly jerks her knee away. “I’m sorry..but..” Scully gets up from her chair and walks to the middle of the room and then continues her sentence. “But could you not touch me like that.”
Doggett gets up from his kneeling position and walks over to her. “I’m sorry I guess it was just a reflex, do I make you feel uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s just well, It’s just too soon and it reminds me of Mulder. And..” Scully’s voice starts to quiver. She inhales deeply trying to maintain her composure. “It’s not you, it’s me. I’m a mess right now and everything reminds me of Mulder. You don’t understand how hard it is to get though a day without thinking about him. Any little thing can set me off, and then I feel an overwhelming feeling to start crying. But I don’t do that. I don’t cry, and I really didn’t want you to see me cry.”
“Why?” Doggett says with true sincerity in his voice.
“Because I don’t want you to care about me and I don’t want to care about you.”
Doggett nods his head suddenly understanding exactly what she is feeling. “I’m not going to leave you like Mulder did.”
“How do you know? Mulder told me the same thing. I will not allow you or myself to get close enough to care.”
“Agent Scully, please understand I’m not trying to replace Mulder.”
“I know, it just feels like it sometimes, despite what you say.”
“Will you just answer one question for me?” Doggett says as he sits on the desk.
Scully nods her head yes.
“You loved him didn’t you? And I don’t just mean as a friend. You were in love with Fox Mulder.”
“No, what would give you that Idea. I wasn’t in love with him. We worked together for Christ sakes.”
“Well, he was in love with you wasn’t he?”
Scully is silent for a moment not knowing what to say. “I know he loved you. There were rumors you know. People talk.”
“I thought you told me that Mulder never trusted me. You don’t know how much that one statement hurt me.”
“I said that?” Doggett asks.
“Yes, the first day we met. You said that you heard rumors that from the beginning Mulder never felt that he could trust me.”
“Oh yes, now I remember. That was the day you threw the water in my face.”
Scully cracks a small smile. “Well, you have to admit that you were asking for that one.”
“Yes, I guess I was, but for what it’s worth I’m sure Mulder trusted you. Hell I trust you and I’ve only been working with you for a few months.”
“Thank You Agent Doggett,” Scully says and walks out of the office towards the elevator.
“Hey!” Doggett says and starts to run after her. “You never answered my question.”
“What was your question?”
“Are you in love with Fox Mulder,” Doggett says slowly and with emphasis.
“Yes, I suppose I am, “ Scully says and continues to walk towards the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Doggett asks Scully as she steps into the elevator.
“I have an appointment. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Agent Scully we have work to do!” Doggett yells as the elevator doors closes and Scully suddenly disappears from his site.

       Scully walks back into the office an hour and a half later, it’s dark and Doggett is looking at some slides. As soon as he notices her he shuts off the slides and turns on the light.
“Why did you do that?” Scully asked confused. “Those are pictures of our new case right?”
“Agent Scully I need you to be honest with me?”
“And you think I’m not?”
“What are all these appointments about that you continually go to? Is there something I should know?”
“It really doesn’t concern you Agent Doggett,” Scully says unable to look him in the eye.
“No I think it does, because these appointments of yours are really starting to affect your work. You’re never around when I need you.”
“What are you talking about, I’m around all the time. And you have no Idea how important these appointments are.”
“Why don’t you enlighten me?” Doggett says with a trace of cynicism in his voice.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Maybe I won’t, but I think you should at least give me the chance to try, so how about it? What’s going on with you? Are you sick or something?”
“Not exactly,” Scully says and walks over to Mulder’s poster.
“Why do you always walk to that spot when you get upset?” Doggett answers for Scully before she has the chance. “Is it because that poster reminds you of Mulder? It some how makes you feel better if you stand there?” Scully doesn’t answer him.
“I’m sorry you lost him Agent Scully but…”
“I didn’t’ loose him,” Scully says interrupting him. “I refuse to believe that he is dead. He is out there somewhere and he will come back to me.” Scully says with conviction.
“Okay…but just the same, he’s not here right now and I know there is something you need to talk about to someone and I’m all you got. So what do you say?”
“Okay, “ Scully says reluctantly.
“Okay?” Doggett says surprised.
“But you have to promise me one thing,” Scully says.
“Sure.”
“You can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe you should sit down.”
“That serious huh?” Doggett says as he sits down on the edge of the desk.  “You’re not going to tell me that your dying or something are you?” Doggett says half joking. “Are you?” Doggett says a little worried when she doesn’t answer him.
“No, I’m not dying. I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?!” Doggett shakes his head confused. “Okay I had all sorts of Ideas in my head of what you were going to tell me, but that was definitely not one of them.”
“But you don’t understand what this means to me.”
 “Who’s the father?” Wait don’t answer that. It’s Mulder itn’t?
Scully doesn’t have to reply, for the look on her face conveys the answer. Her pain contorts her beautiful features, and Doggett finds him self having to look away.
“I’m so sorry Scully, I…I don’t know what to say.” He looks back up at her and the tears that graced her eyes this morning are back and once again Doggett feels an immense amount of emotion for this women. He suddenly feels like hugging her to try and make her pains go away, but he knows that won’t work, that it will probably make her more upset. Instead he looks her in the eyes and promises that he will find Mulder. Scully walks by and touches Doggett’s shoulder knowing his words are full of empty promises.
After a few moments of awkward silence Doggett begins to talk. “Do you feel up to working Agent Scully? I mean with your pregnancy and all? Why don’t you take the day off?”
Scully exhales frustrated. “See this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. Your not going to treat me like I’m incapable of my job just because I’m pregnant are you?”
“No, of course I believe your capable Agent Scully. I just don’t want you to do anything that would jeopardize your pregnancy. I can see how much it means to you.”
“Well, don’t worry about me. I don’t want you to worry about me because that means you care, and you know how I feel about that.”
Doggett opens his mouth to contest her words but then decides to leave it alone.
“So lets get to work!” Scully says, trying to evoke the enthusiasm that just isn’t there.
“Okay,” Doggett says as he turns off the lights. “You want to do the honors,” Doggett says and hands her the clicker to the slide machine. Scully turns on the machine and touches her stomach in reflex to what she sees. “Is this what it looks like?” Scully says as she looks at the slide of a 5 year old child laying in her own puddle of blood which was made by two vertical wounds on each wrist.”
“Looks like a suicide dudn’t? Or at least that is what the parents of this child are claiming.”
“But, how could a five year old child take her own life. Do they even know the concept of death at that age?” Scully says still resting her hand on her stomach where her unborn child lays.
“I don’t know, but that is what Skinner has assigned us to figure out. Are ya up to it Agent Scully? Because I gotta tell you I think I’m going to need your help on this one.”
“I think it’s pretty evident that the parents did this to their child and made it look like a suicide. This looks to me like a normal homicide.  I don’t understand why we’ve been given this case.”
“Well, this doesn’t make any sense to me but Skinner told me the parents of this child claim that the child had a uhh a doppelganger haunting her since birth. He said you’d know what that means. He also said that you and Mulder had worked similar cases. Does this mean anything to you?”
“Yeah, uhh, a doppelganger is supposedly a ghostly double or wraith of a living person. Many times hanging around and creating havoc.
Doggett chuckles, “Okay yeah I think I’ve heard of that. But you actually believe this child’s “doppelganger” is what killed her?”
“Look Agent Doggett, I never said that. You asked me if I knew what a doppelganger was and now I’ve told you. I can’t tell you anymore until I’ve had time to investigate this case. So are you coming with me to the crime scene or not?” Scully says and grabs her coat.
“Sure I’m coming! Wait up!”
 

       Scully looks over the body of the five-year-old child, trying to pretend that it’s not a child she is looking at. That technique usually works for her in most cases that involved children. But ever since she got pregnant, the site of a child that was hurt in anyway deeply disturbed her. She takes a deep breath and tries to pull it together. Doggett comes up behind her and places his hand on her shoulder. This scares her and she jumps. “Jesus Doggett. Don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
“Sneak up behind me like that!”
“Are you okay Agent Scully? You seem a little jumpy.”
“I’m fine. Did you finish talking to the nanny? I talked to the parents.”
“Yeah I talked to her. She seems to be credible in her account of what happen. What about the parents?”
“Yeah, I did. And I think they are telling the truth.  They told me that since the child was born she always said that she had a twin that would follow her around and keep her company. The parents thought that she was just playing make believe until last year she starting telling them these horrific stories.”
“What do you mean?”
“Stories of murder and death, and when the parents asked her where she heard those things she said that her twin had told her about them.”
“Well, maybe she just saw some scary movies? Did you ever think of that Agent Scully?”
“Yes, and I asked the parents about that and they said there is no way she could have seen anything like that.”
“Well, despite what they say I think that is the plausible explanation.”
Suddenly Scully’s mind wanders when she hears Doggett say the word plausible.
“Hey Agent Scully?” Doggett says and snaps his fingers in front of her face.
“You were a million miles away…did you hear what I just said?”
“No, uhh I’m sorry I just realized something.”
“And what was that?”
“I must have really annoyed Mulder.”
“Excuse me?” Doggett says confused. “Where did that come from?”
“I finally know how Mulder must have felt all those years. I must have drove him crazy, never believing his Ideas, poking holes in his theories. Especially since he was right 99% of the time and I still wouldn’t believe him when he’d come to me with his theories. Some times I was down right mean. I should have at least once believed in what he was telling me. That would have made him really happy. ”
“Agent Scully this itn’t a time to reminisce about the past.”
“You know I used to be just like you Agent Doggett, closed off to everything. But can I give you some advice?”
“okay..”
“Try and be more open to things. It will make you a better person and people will like you better for it.”
“You mean you want me to be Mulder. That’s what you’re saying.”
“No I just want you to be more open, you’ll thank me for it one day.” Scully steps out of the bathroom and out into the hall. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go.”
“Where are you going?!”
“I just suddenly can’t be here right now.”
Doggett watches confused as Scully walks down the stairs and out the front door.
 

Two Days later….
Doggett sits at his desk looking at the autopsy data on the little girl. Suddenly the phone rings, making him jump.
“Doggett” He says.
“Hi, this is Scully.”
“Scully! Where the hell have you been! I’ve been trying to reach you ever since you walked out of the Dupree’s house two days ago! Do you know how much trouble you’ve put me through! I had to get another pathologist to do the autopsy! What’s wrong with you? You can’t just run out on a case like that and not tell anyone where you can be reached!”
“Would you let me talk!” Scully yells into the phone before Doggett can get any more words out.
 “Knock yourself out,” Doggett says angrily.
“Can you come over to my apartment? I need to talk to you about something in person.”
“Agent Scully I don’t have time for this! You seem to not be aware of this, but we have a case that needs to be solved!”
“Please just come,” Scully says this with such desperation in her voice that Doggett’s anger towards her quickly diminishes. “I’ll be right there.” He says and hangs up the phone.

Doggett stands at Scully’s apartment door and knocks. He waits a few moments and then knocks again. Finally Scully comes to the door. Her eyes are red and puffy as if she has been crying all day. Her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail and she is wearing jeans and a mans flannel shirt that is 3 sizes too big, making her appear even smaller then she already is.
“Are you all right Agent Scully?” Doggett immediately asks.
“I will be,” Scully says in a voice no higher than a whisper. “Thanks for coming,” she says and gestures for him to come in.
  Doggett walks in slowly. He stops in the middle of her living room and looks around.
“Nice place,” He says trying to break the tension.
“Thanks. Why don’t you have a seat,” Scully says and sits on the couch.
Doggett sits down on the coach as far away from Scully as possible.
Scully looks at him strangely as he does this. Doggett notices her expression and immediately tries to explain his actions. “I’m sorry Agent Scully, but I’m just feeling a little uncomfortable here. I’m just not exactly sure why you’ve asked me here, and by the looks of it you seem to be in a state of depression or something, and I’m not sure I’m the person that can help you with that. I mean you just seem to need someone to comfort you, and…”
Scully stops him before he can ramble on anymore.
“Calm down Agent Doggett, your so nervous,” She says with a smile on her face. “I’m not going to bite.”
“Huh?” Doggett says confused with her choice phrase.
“Why are you sitting so far away from me?”
“Well, I thought that’s what you wanted. You know….”
“Right,” Scully says suddenly recalling the intense conversation she had with him just a few days ago.
“Why don’t you start off by telling me where you’ve been the past two days. You can’t just run out on me like that. I was actually a little worried about ya, despite what I said on the phone.”
“You were worried about me?” Scully asks surprised.
“Well, yeah,” Doggett says moving closer to Scully.
“I’m sorry but I just had to figure some things out. I had to come to a decision.”
“Which was?”
“Whether or not to stay with the FBI.” Doggett looks at her shocked.
“After Mulder was declared missing I thought I could go on working there, forgetting that the whole reason I’ve stayed with the FBI all these years was because of him. Now that he’s gone and I’m carrying his child it just doesn’t seem like the right thing for me anymore. It’s just too hard. I don’t enjoy the work anymore. All it does is remind me of a person that I loved who I can no longer be with.”
“Agent Scully you have to give it some time. It’s only been 4 months, and your great at your job. You just want to throw that away?”
“I know, I love my job, but I can’t concentrate on it right now and that just puts you and me in danger and I don’t want that. I’m not saying that I’m quitting…” Scully pauses for a moment and scoots closer to Doggett. “I spent two days in this apartment doing nothing but thinking and talking to my mother and she helped me see that what I really need is some time to mourn what I have lost and gain some perspective on what I want in my future. The only way I can do this is by taking an extended maternity leave from the bureau. I need time to think.” Scully’s eyes suddenly well up with tears, but not tears of sadness, tears of happiness. “I’m going to have a baby Agent Doggett. I’m going to be a mother! I gave up on that hope a long time ago.”
“What do you mean?”
“Agent Doggett I’ve been through a lot in my life, most of which you don’t know, and up until a few months ago I was barren. There was no hope of me ever getting pregnant.”
“Then how do you account for it?”
“I don’t, it’s as simple as a miracle.”
“If you call that simple,” Doggett says. Scully ignores his remark and continues talking.
“I’m not going to even try to explain it agent Doggett, except to say that God must have known that Mulder was going to leave and left me with a small part of him.”
“So what, your giving up on the idea of finding Mulder? Why just a few days ago you told me that you strongly believed that he would come back to you. You telling me that you’ve given up on his return?”
“I have to Agent Doggett, If I don’t I will drive myself crazy. I have to get on with my life and make plans for the future as if he’s never coming back.”
“I know your devastated Agent Scully, but don’t do this. Don’t leave. Don’t you want to carry on Mulder’s life work?”
“There’s nothing left to carry on…Mulder’s gone and there is nothing left I can do about it.”
“And you think this is what he’d want? For you to abandoned his work like this? To give up?!” Doggett says as he stands up.
“I think what he’d want is a good life for the women he loved and his child. I can’t do that working at the FBI. Maybe after I’ve had this child and had a chance to move on, then maybe I can go back to working at the FBI, but I can’t make that decision right now.”
“I’m not going to let you quit Agent Scully!” Doggett says raising his voice.
“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said!” Scully says angrily and stands up from her sitting position on the couch. “I can’t do this job anymore! It’s killing me! Every single morning I wake up there is this emptiness in my heart, this feeling of cold, dark despair, but each morning despite how much I just want to lay in bed and die, I get up and I go to work! As soon as I think I have gotten rid of that feeling, I walk into our office and suddenly I’m hit with this unbearable pain and I can’t breath I can’t think. All I know is that I need Mulder, I need him survive and he’s not there and he’s never going to be there again..and….and” Scully begins to hyperventilate  and she is unable to finish her sentence.
“Woah, Woah, Calm down, take it easy,” Doggett says and gets her to sit down.
“I can’t….I can’t breath,” Scully says crying and gasping for breath at the same time. “I can’t…you don’t…..you…don’t… understand…I need him, oh god John I can’t live with out him.” Doggett sits there awkwardly on the couch not knowing whether he should hug her or just try and talk her out of her hysteria.
“Agent” He pause for a moment, “Dana….It’s going to be all right. Okay, you’re going to be fine, you’re…” oh screw talking, Dogget thinks and pulls the crying women into his arms. She desperately grabs onto him in search of some comfort. She clings to him as she cries and Doggett suddenly realizes just how deep her love for Mulder goes and suddenly wishes he had someone that loved him that much. He hugs her tighter, feeling desperately sorry for her and hoping that by holding her it will some how lessen her pain. “I know you’re scared, and I promise you that I’ll be here for you. If you ever need me just give me a call and I’ll come over okay? I’ll help you get through this Scully, if you’ll let me.You don’t have to go through this alone. I promise…..”
 

5 months later….

Doggett walks nervously down the halls of the hospital trying to find room 326. Scully had called him earlier and told him the good news. She had given birth to a healthy seven-pound baby girl. Over the past five months Agent Doggett had gotten very close to Scully. As much as he tried to deny it he found himself falling in love with her. But of course he’d never tell her that because she was obviously still in love with a man that was lost to her for ever and he knew that it would take her a long time to get over that. All he could do was be her friend.
Suddenly he sees the room he is looking for and abruptly stops in front of it. Maybe I shouldn’t have come he thinks. She didn’t actually invite me, but then she wouldn’t have called me with the news if she didn’t want me to come by right? Doggett stands in the hall outside her room rationalizing with himself when an older women taps him on the back.
“Are you here to see my daugher?” She asks in cherry upbeat manner.
“Ahh yes, I’m Agent Doggett. I’m a friend of Agent…ahh Dana’s and I thought I’d stop by and see how she was doing?”
“Oh, how nice, I’m sure Dana will be happy to see you. I’m her mother, Margaret Scully.”
“Nice to finally meet ya Mrs. Scully,” Doggett says and shakes her hand.
“You as well, I’ve heard some nice things about you,” Scully’s mom says and opens the door to Scully’s room.
“Dana, there is someone here to see you.”
“John,” Scully says with a smile on her face. “I’m glad you came.”
  “Are you sure because I was kinda afraid you might not want me here.”
“Don’t be silly. Come here.” Doggett walks slowly over to her.
“What’s that you got in your hand?” Scully asks.
“Oh it’s just a little something I brought for your baby.” He hands Scully a teddy bear with a bow wrapped around it’s neck.”
“Thanks John,” Scully says almost moved to tears.
“So where is the little tike?” Doggett asks anxiously.
“Mom, could you tell the nurse to bring Samantha in?”
“Samantha? That’s what you named your daughter.”
“Yeah,” Scully says smiling.
“Itn’t that the name of Mulder’s sister?”
“Yeah I wanted to honor Mulder in some way and I thought he would love it if I named our baby after his sister.”
“Yeah I’m sure he would love it,” Doggett says and smiles.
       The nurse brings the baby in and places her on Scully’s chest. Doggett is amazed at the change in expression on Scully’s face as soon as she sees her baby. It’s like she was a whole different person. He stands there amused, watching the extreme joy unfold on Scully’s face. So this is what she looks like when she is happy, Doggett thinks. In the whole Nine months that he knew Scully this was the first time that he had ever seen her truly happy.
“I think I’ll leave you two alone,” Scully’s mom says and walks out of the room.
Doggett walks over to the side of the bed and peers down into the child’s face.
“She’s beautiful Dana.”
“Isn’t she? I just love her. She’s perfect, and I think she’s got Mulder’s lips.”
“And your nose,” Doggett adds.
”Do you want to hold her?” Scully asks.
Doggett suddenly gets very nervous. “No, ahh I don’t think so, I’m not too good with babies.”
“Oh come on. You can sit right here,” Scully says patting the bed wither her free hand.
Doggett hesitantly sits down next to her.
“Okay I’m going to slowly hand her over to you, just support her head and she’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Doggett says licking his lips nervously.
“Have you never held a baby before?” Scully says laughing at his behavior.
“Well, I guess I’d have to say no on that one.”
Scully giggles and then places Samantha gently into Doggett’s arms.
“See you’re a natural, look she’s smiling at you.”
“I don’t know if you’d call that a smile Dana, but okay.”
“Isn’t she precious?”
“She’s beautiful Dana, I can’t believe how little her hands are and she’s so light.”
    Scully watches Doggett hold her baby with a smile on his face and suddenly wishes that it was Mulder she was looking at holding her baby. No I’m not going to think about that. I have to get him out of mind or I’ll just start crying again. She pushes the thought of Mulder out of her mind and tries to concentrate on her beautiful daughter, which truly is a miracle. That is what she had done this entire time in the hospital every time she wished Mulder could be there to share in the birth of their child.
    Doggett looks up and notices the sad look on Scully’s face and immediately knows what she is thinking about.
 “Hey your not going to get all sad on me now are ya?”
“No,” Scully says and smiles.
“There you go, I love it when you smile. You have a great smile you should show it more often.”
Scully keeps her smile glued on her face in hopes that Doggett won’t see through her sudden change in mood.
“Dana?”
“Yeah”
“I was wondering if maybe, you know once you got back on your feet, you and Samantha might want to come over to my house for dinner.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Scully says with a big smile on her face. “I think Samantha would like that too, wouldn’t you,” she says as she plays with her daughters’ hands.
Doggett smiles at her warm acceptance of his invitation. “Okay, then lets plan on it then………”

Nine Months later.

 Scully finishes changing Samantha’s diaper when she hears a knock at the door.
“That must be John.” Scully says as she picks up her child and runs to the door.
She opens up the door excited to see him and even more excited when she sees that he has brought food! He is holding a huge bag of Chinese takeout and a bottle of wine.
“Thank God! I’m starving.”
Doggett smiles and walks into her apartment, which over the past year has become a very familiar place. He still hadn’t told Scully of his true feelings for, but they had continued to grow over the months since she had her baby and he felt that he couldn’t contain them any longer. Tonight was the night that he was going to tell her how he really felt about her. He knew that she felt something for him because one time they had almost kissed but were interrupted by the baby crying. They never spoke of that moment again, but Doggett was hoping that maybe that moment could repeat it’s self again tonight and this time they could finish the kiss.
   “Here, let me take that,” Scully says reaching for the wine.
“No you’ve got your hands full,” Doggett says gesturing to the baby. “Every time I see her she looks like she’s grown.”
“John, you just saw her yesterday.”
“I know but she looks bigger today. Don’t you Samantha?” Samantha smiles and squirms in Scully’s arms as if she understands exactly what Doggett just said.
“Can you take her for a minute while I get the plates?” Scully asks.
“Sure,” Doggett says and takes the little cherub out of Scully’s arms.
As he holds her closely against his chest and looks at the babies delicate features and her curly light brown hair. He can see so much of Scully in this child, her nose, her beautiful, big, blue eyes, the delicate bone structure of her face, but there was some of Mulder in this child as well, and Scully always insisted that she had his lips.
        Scully glances over at Doggett and Samantha and suddenly notices how he is looking at her child, almost as if it were his child. This brings a smile to Scully’s face and she walks over and kisses Doggett on the cheek.
“What was that for?” Doggett asks surprised.
“Just a thank you for being here for me through all this and for being such a good friend.”
Doggett smiles not knowing what to say. Should I tell her now how I feel? He thinks. He contemplates about it too long and the moment passes him by.
   Samantha suddenly starts to get fussy in his arms and Scully walks over and takes her.
“I think she is getting tired. It’s almost 8 o’clock. I’m going to go see if I can get her to go to sleep. Don’t go anywhere,” She says and walks out of the kitchen and into the babies room.
    Suddenly the phone rings and Doggett stands there awkwardly not knowing if he should get it or not. “Dana! Do you want me to get the phone?!”
“Yeah go ahead I’ll be right out!” Scully yells from the bedroom.
Doggett reaches over and picks up the phone from the wall.
“Hello?”
“Who’s this?”
“This is John, who is this?”
“Doggett?”
“Yeah, look if you’re looking for Scully, she’ll be with you in just a minute. She’s putting the baby down.”
“This is Frohike. Tell her I need to speak with her immediately, we’ve found Mulder.”
   Doggett is suddenly frozen in shock and Scully appears to be walking out of the bedroom in slow motion. She notices the bizarre look on his face and walks quickly up to him.
“What’s wrong? What is it?” She asks alarmed.
“They said they found Mulder.”
   “Oh my god,” Scully says and brings her hand up to her mouth in a state of shock. “Is he okay? did they say if he was okay? God, I don’t think I can get on that phone and hear that they have found his body.”
Doggett doesn’t say anything and hands her the phone.
“No, I can’t…I can’t, I think I’m going to be sick, “Scully says and sits down on the couch. Her heart is violently pounding with fear and the room suddenly starts to spin. For a year and a half she had waited to receive a phone call like this. A phone call that would put closure on Mulder’s disappearance, but now that it was suddenly happening for real she couldn’t handle it. She couldn’t bare to hear the words that he was dead and never coming back to her.
Doggett looks at Scully doubled over in anguish and he knows she needs to be comforted.
“She’ll have to call you back.” Doggett says and quickly hangs up the phone.
    He sits next to Scully on the couch and tries to get her to look at him. But her face his buried in her hands and she won’t look up. Doggett puts his arm around her and slowly starts to talk to her. “It’s going to be all right. You’re going to get it together and then your going to call Frohike back. What ever the news is, you can handle it. You’ll get through this, you can do it.”
    Scully looks up at him and her face is deathly white. “I can’t hear those words. I’m not ready for those words,” She says in a choked whisper.
“But you told me just the other day that you needed closure to let him go.”
“That was just talk John, when it happens for real it’s different.”
Suddenly the phone rings and Scully jumps.  “You get it!”
“I think this is something you need to do.”
“No John! I can’t!”
   Doggett reaches over and picks up the phone, but instead of answering it he hands it over to Scully. She takes it in her shaky hand and lifts the phone up to her ear, but she is unable to utter a single word.
“Hello?” Frohike says on the other line. “Scully is that you?”
“Yeah”, Scully says in a whisper.
“You’re never going to believe this but we’ve found Mulder, or maybe I should say he’s found us. He’s alive Scully!”
These three words send Scully into a state of shock and she drops the phone. Doggett picks up the phone and hands it back to Scully. In a trance like state Scully takes it from his hand and places it up against her ear.
“Scully did you hear what I said? Mulder’s alive. He came to our office this morning in a state of shock. He doesn’t remember any thing but we’ve got him talking now and he wants to see you. He’s asking for you.” Scully starts to sob thinking that this can’t be true, that it must be some cruel joke. She had given up months ago on them ever finding Mulder alive.
  Doggett is alarmed at her sudden outburst of tears and pulls her into him embracing her with the phone still pressed tightly up against her ear. He is almost certain that the news is that they have found Mulder’s body, and he knows she will need a world of comfort in the weeks to come.
 Suddenly Scully starts to speak through her sobs, although she is barely coherent he can make out two words, “Mulder’s alive.” Unable to believe what she is saying, thinking that it is a cruel joke, he grabs the phone from her hand.
“Who is this?!” He yells into the phone. “If this is supposed to be a joke it isn’t funny!”
“Woah, man, calm down. This is no joke, Mulder is alive. Put Scully back on!”
“ No, I don’t believe you, she’s already in enough turmoil as it is.”
   Scully gains enough composure to sit up and wipe the tears from her eyes. Although she is still very shaky she grabs the phone from his hand.
“Frohike?”
“Scully, I’m telling you the truth. You don’t really believe I’d lie to you about something like this do you?”
“Put Mulder on the phone. If you are telling me the truth then let me talk to him. ”
“Scully’s he’s really confused right now. I think it would better if you came over here and saw him.
   Scully’s heart suddenly skips a beat at the thought of seeing Mulder again. She thought she’d never have that privilege again.
“Did you tell him about Samantha?” Scully asks.
“No, he doesn’t know anything about that. He knows nothing about the pregnancy. Look, are you in any condition to drive? Because I can come pick you up.”
“No I’ll be there. Tell Mulder I’m coming.”She hangs up the phone and looks at Doggett with wonderment in her face. “He’s alive John, It’s not a joke. He’s alive and I have to go to him!”
“So you mean he just turns up unharmed at your friends door step? I find that hard to believe.”
“Then come with me. Come with me to see him”.
“ No, if he really is alive I think you need to be alone with him. I’ll stay here with Samantha.”
“Thank you,” Scully says and gets up slowly from the couch. She takes a few deep breaths trying to make the dizziness go away.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
Scully looks down at John with tears in her eyes. “Why am I so scared right now? You’d think I’d be overjoyed to see him. But I’m actually scared. What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing wrong with you, It’s been a long time, you’re having a normal reaction. Now just go Mulder’s waiting for you.”
   Before she can change her mind Scully walks away from the couch and out the front door.

   Scully stands at the front door of the Lone Gunmen’s place unable to get enough nerve to ring the bell.“Get it together,” She keeps repeating to herself over and over again. She closes her eyes and imagines Mulder’s face, this calms her down and she is able to bring her shaky hand up to the doorbell. She inhales deeply and presses in the doorbell. No more then a second later Langly open the door and pulls her in side. Byers walks quickly up to her.
“Where’s Mulder?” Scully says immediately.
“Are you okay? You look like death.” Langley says.
“Where’s Mulder!”
       Mulder hears Scully’s distressed voice from the other room and he comes walking quickly out.
“Scully? I’m right here. Calm down.”
When Scully hears his voice she nearly faints. Frohike quickly walks over to her side and steadies her.
 Mulder stares at her unable to understand why she is so upset, for he thinks he has only been gone a day.
“My God, Scully what’s wrong?”
Scully suddenly regains her strength and throws herself into Mulder’s arms. She wraps her arms tightly around his waist and doesn’t let go.
Mulder laughs at her intense show of affection. “I’m glad to see you too.”
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Scully says, her voice muffled by his clothing.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to smell that smell.” She presses her face into his shirt and breathes him in deeply.
“Scully, what are you doing you’re acting like I’ve been gone for years.”
When she hears this Scully steps back from his embrace.
“What is it?” Mulder asks her.
“Mulder, When was the last time you saw me?”
“I saw you yesterday Scully”
   Scully looks over at the lone gunmen alarmed. “You mean he doesn’t know.”
“We thought we’d let you tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Mulder says.
“Mulder are you telling me that you believe that you’ve only been missing for a day?”
“Well, yeah it’s the weirdest thing Scully. I remember being out in the woods in Oregon and then I walked through this force field to this space ship, and before you even try to rationalize this like you usually do, just hear me out.”
“Mulder I believe you.”
“What?”
“I believe you.”
Mulder laughs. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words from you?”
“Mulder, listen to me, this is very important. What is the last thing you remember?”
“Well, you’re probably not going to believe this but..”
“Try me,” Scully says interrupting him.
“Well, I remember seeing the spaceship and then the next thing I know I woke up on the floor right outside my apartment.”
“And then you came here?” Scully asks in amazement.
“Yeah and then I came here. I don’t expect you to believe that story Scully but that’s what happen.”
“I believe you Mulder.”
“Wow! Twice in one day! Scully are you feeling all right?”
“Mulder, listen to me. You weren’t gone for just one day. You’ve been missing for over a year.”
“What?” Mulder says laughing at the absurdity of Scully’s statement. “Scully! Now you’re really not making any sense.”
He looks over at the lone gunmen hoping they will side with him. Instead they repeat the same words Scully has told him.
“Mulder’s it’s the truth. I thought you were dead. We had all given up hope of ever finding you again.”
Mulder’s face suddenly turns very serious. “Scully, I….I’m sorry but that can’t be right. There is no way I’ve been gone for over a year.”
“Mulder, look at my hair.”
“What?”
“Just look.” Scully releases her hair from the ponytail she has it in. “it’s a lot longer then it was yesterday, isn’t it? Now explain to me how it could have grown that fast in one day.”
Mulder looks at her hair and notices that it is a few inches past her shoulder. He’s never seen her hair that long in the 7 years they worked together.
    He finally believes what they are all telling him and suddenly gets very shaky himself. Scully rushes over to him and wraps her arms around him once again. This time Mulder returns the hug with as much intense emotion as Scully.
 The Lone Gunmen watch Mulder and Scully embrace and decide to give them some privacy by leaving the room.
  “Scully? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, will you just let me hold you a little longer. I’ve waited so long for this.”
“Sure,” Mulder says and kisses her on her on the forehead.
“I never thought it was possible to miss someone so much until you left me.”  Scully suddenly backs away from his embrace. “Damn it Mulder! Why did you have to go! I told you not go! You should have listen to me!”
“Scully, I’m sorry, I’ve obviously put you through a lot of pain and there is no way I can ever make up for that. But you also have to understand how weird this is for me. I’ve lost a year and a half of my life, and yet it feels like I’ve only been away from you for a day.”
“Mulder so much as changed since you’ve been gone. There is so much I need to tell you. But first…” Scully walks up to him plants her lips on his and begins to kiss him. Mulder kisses her back and runs his hands through her long hair.
   When they finally pull away Mulder notices the tears rolling down Scully’s face and he leans in and kisses them off her cheeks one by one. After he has kissed every last one he holds her face in his hands and looks straight into her eyes. “Dana, I’m truly sorry for leaving you and I’ll make up for the time I’ve lost with you. Will you let me do that ?”
A huge smile appears on Scully’s face. “Of course, just don’t ever do something that stupid again. It’s not worth it. The job isn’t worth it anymore.”
“Are you telling me you’re not with the FBI anymore?” Mulder says removing his hands from her face.  Scully grabs onto his hand needing to maintain some physical contact with him at all times.
“No, Mulder I’m on maternity leave actually.”
“Excuse me? Did you just say maternity leave Scully?” He nervously looks down at her stomach.
“Come sit down with me,” Scully says and pulls him over to a small love seat in the corner of the room.
They both sit down on the couch close enough so both their shoulders are touching and Scully continues to hold onto Mulder’s hand.
“Mulder, you remember the night we…the night.. we uhh.”
“Had sex,” Mulder says finishing her sentence.
“Yeah,” Scully says suddenly embarrassed and not knowing why.
“Of course I remember that,” Mulder says with a big grin on his face.”I’m just sorry you think it was a mistake, but I don’t think it was.”
“Mulder, I don’t think it was a mistake.”
“But the next day you said..”
“Forget what I said then,”It was anything but a mistake. Mulder we conceived a miracle that night.”
“What does that mean? Are you telling me that we have a child together?” Mulder’s eyes suddenly start to water. Scully places her hands on his face and begins to speak. “Mulder, you have daughter she is nine months old and her name is Samantha?”
“I don’t believe what I’m hearing, Scully this is all too much for me to handle. I think I’m missing for one day and then you tell me that I’ve been missing for over a year and that I have a child. I need some time to process all this,” Mulder says and gets up from the couch.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I need some time alone to think.”
“Don’t you even want to see a picture of you daughter. I have one right here in my wallet.” Scully begins to take it out and Mulder stops her. Scully I can’t deal with that right now.
“I need to be alone, just for a little while.”
“You’ve been gone for over a year and now your going to leave me again?!” Scully gets up and angrily walks to the front door.
“Scully I…”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Scully says and opens the door. “Just take as much time as you damn well please,” She says and slams the door behind him. Mulder starts to follow and then stops, too confused to do anything.

    John Doggett sits in Scully’s apartment, on the couch, in the dark. The thoughts and feelings that are running through his mind make him feel like an awful human being. Of course he’s happy for Scully that they found Mulder but he can’t help wishing that this night had never happen. Why couldn’t he just stay missing, Doggett thinks, knowing that it’s an awful thing to be thinking, but he loves Scully and Samantha so much and now that Mulder is back he will surely be thrown out of the picture.
  It just doesn’t make any sense, Doggett thinks, for Mulder to return a year and a half later, unharmed and walking around. Maybe he was never really missing in the first place. Maybe he had enough of his job and when Scully told him she was pregnant he got scared and split. This scenario makes Doggett feel better, although he knows that it isn’t true.
   Suddenly he hears the keys jangling in the lock and he jumps up nervously, not knowing whether to expect just Scully or Mulder too. Please let it just be Scully, he thinks. I can’t take seeing the man that will take Dana away from me.
     He stands there motionless waiting for the door to open. It seems to happen in slow motion and as he waits little beads of sweat start to appear on his brow. Finally Scully walks in and turns on the light. Her face is even more ashen then when she left two hours ago and she looks as if she is on the verge of tears. Doggett quickly runs up to comfort her. “What happen?”
“I need to see Samantha,” Scully says and walks into the babies’ room. She leans over the crib and pears into the baby’s sweet, sleeping face. “She’s so peaceful when she sleeps.” Scully touches the baby’s warm face with her hand.
Doggett places his hand on her back. “Dana will you tell me what happened? Is it true? Mulder’s alive?”
“Yeah, Mulder’s alive. He’s fine, in fact he thinks that he’s only been gone for a day.”
Bullshit, Doggett thinks, but he doesn’t say it.
“John I told him about Samantha and he freaked out. It’s like he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. He said he needed some time to think about everything. And I suppose he needs some time to think about what’s happen to him, but he wouldn’t even look at a picture of his daughter John.” Scully looks over her shoulder at John and tears once aging glisten in her eyes.
“Dana, lets go out into the living room.” He takes her hand and pulls her out of the baby’s room.
  He guides her to the couch. Once she is sitting he brushes the hair behind her ears.
“Dana, you know I care for you right?”
“Yes, and you’ve been such a great friend to me through all this. I owe you a lot.”
“So let me get this straight, Mulder returns after being missing for 18 months and then he tells you that he thinks he’s only been gone a day?”
“That’s what he said,” Scully says tiredly.
“And you believe that story?”
Scully suddenly backs away from Doggett as if his words have literally hurt her..
“Mulder would never lie to me,” Scully says defensively.
“I know, but….let me ask you something. Did Mulder know you were pregnant before he disappeared?”
“What the hell are you trying to say John! That Mulder abandoned the baby and me because he got scared! That’s absurd! I can’t believe you’d even mention something like that, and to answer your question, no Mulder didn’t know about my pregnancy. I didn’t even know until he was gone, so there is no way he could of!”
“Don’t get upset Dana, I’m just…”
“You’re just trying to make trouble that I don’t need right now!”
“NO. I’m trying to tell you that, that…”
“THAT YOU WHAT?” Scully says raising her voice.
“That I love you, and Mulder is just going to take you away from me!”
Scully is stunned into silence.
“I love Samantha too, you two mean so much to me. This is the closest I’ve ever come to having a family and I don’t want to loose that.”
“You love me?” Scully says still shocked. “John I ahh I don’t know what to say, I guess I was beginning to fall in love with you too, but you know my heart will always belong to Mulder.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Doggett says and gets up and pick his coat up from the couch. He begins to walk to the door when Scully runs up to him and stops him.
“John, where are you going?”
“Well, you know what? I need some time to think too, and you probably do as well. Kiss Samantha in the morning for me. Goodbye Dana,” John says and closes the door.
    Scully backs up against the door and looks around the apartment as if she is living in a dream world. Her legs suddenly begin to give way and her back slides slowly down the door until she is sitting on the floor. The night’s events start to surge through her mind and she begins to cry, softly at first and than harder and harder until she has let it all out. Exhausted she drags her self to the couch and falls asleep.
    Scully suddenly awakens to the sound of Samantha crying. She sits up with a jolt forgetting where she is for a moment. Then slowly the events of last night start to come back to her and she remembers falling asleep on the couch last night. Her head is pounding and Samantha’s crying is making it worst.
“Hang on honey, mammas coming.” Scully stands up from the couch and almost falls over from fatigue. She drags herself to the baby’s room and picks Samantha up from her crib.
“It’s six o’clock in the morning honey and mommy’s had a rough night, couldn’t you have stayed asleep a little bit longer?” Scully rocks the baby in her arms to quiet her.
“Oh, I know what’s wrong your hungry aren’t you?” Samantha stops crying as if she understands she is going to get fed. Scully walks out into the living room and sits down in the rocking chair that John had bought her when the baby was born. She undoes her blouse and Samantha immediately latches on to her nipple, gulping down milk as if she hadn’t eaten in days.
“I guess you were hungry,” Scully says as she rocks back and forth in the chair.
As her baby breast-feeds Scully thinks of everything that has unfolded over the last 24 hours and she still can’t believe it; Mulder’s alive and Doggett is in love with her.
“What are we going to do baby?” Scully says as she plays with her daughter’s curly light brown hair. She imagines that Mulder’s hair must have been this color when he was a baby.
“You know you have daddy’s hair, and you know what Samantha, Daddy’s come home. Remember I told you he would come home to us one day.” I’m just not sure if he wants to see you, Scully thinks to herself. She pushes that thought out of her mind, unable to believe that Mulder wouldn’t want to see his child. He just needs some time to think, anyone would under the circumstances. I just overreacted yesterday.”
   As Scully is switching Samantha from one breast to the other, she hears a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” She yells from her spot in the living room.
“Dana, it’s John.”
“Use your key because I’m not exactly in the position to open the door right now.”
 She hears a jangling of keys and then the door opens and Doggett walks in. He looks away slightly embarrassed when he sees the baby feeding on Scully’s bare breast. Usually she covered up with a towel, but now he supposed that was the last thing on her mind.
“Uhhh I can come back,” John says a little embarrassed.
“Don’t be silly. Come sit on the couch. You do realize it’s six in the morning though?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Right, well I wanted to apologize for how I handled things last night. John you poured your heart out to me last night and I was very insensitive towards you.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I should have never accused Mulder of intentionally leaving you.”
“We were all upset last night John. Let’s just forget about it okay?”
“Well, all right, but I still feel bad about it.”
    Scully looks down at Samantha not knowing how to respond. Looking at her daughter makes her think of Mulder and she desperately wants to be with him right now.
  “Dana?”
“Huh?” Scully says still looking down at her baby.
“Are you crying?”
    Scully looks up at him and wipes the single tear from her face. “Nah, I’m okay. But could you do me a big favor?”
“Name it.”
“I’m a mess right now, I have a pounding headache and I think if I took a quick shower I’d feel a lot better. So could you..”
“Sure, I’ll watch Samantha.” Doggett says knowing what she is going to say before she says it.
   Scully buttons her blouse back up and then slowly gets up from her seat.
“You want to go to John,” Scully says in a little baby voice. “Mommy’s just going to take a shower and then I’ll be right back.” She hands Samantha over to John, and turns to walk to her bedroom. Before she steps inside she turns around, “Hey uh John you might want to burp her, she just ate a lot.”
“Sure, I got it under control,” Doggett says, “You just go take a shower, and take your time. Samantha and I will be fine out here.
    After Doggett finishes burping Samantha he realizes that she needs a diaper change. He carries her into her room and lays her down on the changing table. Samantha starts cooing and kicking her feet.
“Well, you’re in a happy mood aren’t you?’ Doggett says as he takes off her diaper. As he methodically changes the baby’s diaper his mind drifts to Scully and how much he wishes he could be the one to have her and not Mulder.
    He finishes changing her diaper just as the doorbell rings. He picks the baby up and walks to the door. He opens it not even bothering to see who it is and he wishes he had when he sees Mulder standing at the other end of the door.
   Mulder steps back from the door, “Uhhh I’m sorry I think I’ve got the wrong apartment,” Mulder says and tilts his head to the side so he can see the apartment number.
“So, after a year and a half you finally decided to come see your child huh?” Doggett says cynically.
“Excuse me,” Mulder says still thinking he’s at the wrong apartment.
“Agent Mulder don’t you recognize me? We met in 1991.” As he says this Samantha starts to get fussy in his arms. Doggett starts to move back and forth trying to pacify her.
    Mulder stares at Doggett and this child he is holding, trying desperately to make sense of all this, and then he comes to the shocking realization that he isn’t at the wrong apartment and that he has just seen his daughter for the first the time. His legs suddenly feel weak and grabs onto the side of the door frame for support.
“Are you okay Mulder? Maybe you should come inside,” Doggett says not really wanting him to, but knowing it’s the right thing to do.
   A million and one things are surging through Mulder’s mind, why is this man holding his daughter, was Scully dating him or maybe worse, married to him.  No Mulder thinks she would have told me this last night. Or maybe she wouldn’t have, maybe she thought I had enough to handle just knowing I had a child and had been missing for over a year. Mulder’s heart starts to beat wildly with both fear and jealously at the thought of another man being with Scully and with the child he doesn’t even know.
“Agent Mulder!” Doggett yells trying to snap Mulder out of the fugue he seems to be in. It works and Mulder frantically looks up at him. “Uhh, Agent Doggett right?” Mulder says suddenly remembering who this man is.
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re memory coming back to you now?”
“What are you doing at Scully’s apartment?”
“A lot has happen while you’ve been gone Mulder. A lot you still don’t know about. And do you know how much pain you’ve caused Dana over the past year? She’s been a wreck.”
  Dana? Why is he calling her Dana, This makes Mulder feel uneasy because it means that Scully and this man must be pretty close for him to call her Dana.
 “Why are you telling me this like it’s my fault? Like I could have avoided it or something?” Mulder asks confused at what this man is exactly implying.
“Look, I really need to see Scully,” Mulder says with true desperation in his voice.
“Well, Dana’s in the shower right now, but your welcome to wait for her on the couch,” Doggett says in not too friendly a tone.
“Okay,” Mulder says and reluctantly walks into the apartment. He walks over to the couch and sits down, never feeling more awkward in Scully’s apartment then he does at this very moment.
Doggett walks into the kitchen with Samantha not wanting to be anywhere near Mulder.
Mulder looks over and watches how he attentively talks to the baby, he feels like he should say something but doesn’t know what. “So I guess that would be my daughter,” Mulder yells from the living room. He notices how stupid that statement sounds and wishes he could take it back.
“Obviously,” Doggett says sarcastically from the kitchen, still keeping his eyes glued in Samantha.
“She has Scully’s nose,” Mulder says.
“Yeah, you’ve got a beautiful daughter.” Doggett suddenly walks out of the kitchen and starts to make his way to Mulder. “You know I think I should go tell Dana your hear, you know, so she can be more prepared to see you.”
Mulder licks his lips nervously “Okay, thanks.”
As soon as Doggett and Samantha leave the room Mulder exhales with relief, as much as he tried not to admit it, Mulder felt very threatened by this man. It’s almost as is he has taken over my life, Mulder thinks.
       Doggett walks into Scully’s room and closes the door. He can sees the light on in her bathroom, but no longer hears the shower running. He walks up to the door and is about to knock when he hesitates. How is the best way to tell her? Doggett thinks knowing how she will react.
Still not knowing and hoping he will figure it out by the time he has to tell her, Doggett knocks on the door.
“Dana?”
“Hey, John is Sam giving you trouble? I’ll be out in just a sec.”
“Dana, Mulder’s here. He’s waiting out in your living room.” Immediately the door opens and Scully walks out with a towel wrapped around her body and one around her head.
“Oh god, I don’t know if I can see him. I mean I want to with all my heart but I’m scared. John… what’s wrong with me.” She looks at her daughter for comfort and reaches out her arms to hold her. Doggett releases the child to Scully and sits down on her bed.
“Do you want me to ask him to leave?”
“Of course not. Did he say anything about Samantha?”
“Yeah he said that she has your nose.”
“That’s it, he didn’t ask to hold her or anything?”
“No, he kinda ignored her if you ask me.” Doggett sees the hurt look on Scully’s face when he says this and he wishes that he hadn’t have said that.
“Dana, I’m sorry, you know, he’s still really confused right now. It’s going to take him awhile.”
“Tell him I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Want me to take Samantha?”
“Yeah,” Scully says and hands the baby over to him.
“It’s going to be all right Dana,” Doggett says as he walks towards the door. Scully looks at him dubiously and walks back into the bathroom.
     Mulder shifts nervously back and forth on the couch waiting for Scully to come out. Suddenly he hears the door open and is disappointed when he sees Doggett at the other end of it.
“She’ll be right out,” Doggett says with a fake smile on his face.
    Mulder can’t hold his inquisitions in any longer and blurts out the question he’s been wondering since he first saw this man holding Scully’s child in her apartment.
“Are you two dating?”
  Doggett looks over at Mulder shocked by his question and wishing it were true.
“Why would you think that?” Doggett asks.
“Well, your in her apartment, you seem to be very comfortable holding her child and you are calling her Dana.”
“That is her name, Agent Mulder.” Doggett says sarcastically.
“Yeah, but it implies that you know her on a personal level.”
“Dana’s been through a lot Mulder and she needed someone to help her get through every thing.”
“You didn’t answer my question?” Mulder says getting frustrated.
 Before Doggett can answer Scully comes walking out of the bedroom. She is in jeans and a T-shirt and her hair hangs down by her face, wet and disheveled.
   Mulder immediately stands up at the site of Scully and begins to walk towards her. She stops when she sees him stand and waits for him to make his way over to her. After what seems like an eternity they stand a foot apart from each other. There is a moment of awkwardness and then Scully throws her arms around his waist and presses her head into his chest. She hugs him with the same fierce intensity as she did the night before and Mulder still has trouble reacting to her immense show of affection. This was not the Scully he knew. The Scully he knew hid her emotions away from everyone and rarely displayed the warmth he knew she had inside her.
    He slowly wraps his arms around her and notices that she is shaking. “Are you all right you’re shaking?”
 Scully releases her arms from his waist and steps back. “I’m okay, I’m just happy to see you.”
“I’m sorry about last night,” Mulder says. “I acted like a jerk, I didn’t even consider your feelings, I was only worried about how I was going to deal with the news, forgetting how much pain you must have been in.” He pulls her back into his arms and kisses her on the top of the head.
  Doggett looks away, jealous. He finally realizes just how much they love each other and that there is nothing that could ever change that. “Dana, I’m going to take off, let you guys be alone.”
   Scully quickly pulls away from Mulder and faces Doggett. “No, John you don’t have to leave.”
“Yeah, I kinda do.” He walks over and hands Samantha to Scully and then turns and looks at Mulder. “You’ve got a great women here and a beautiful child. Don’t screw it up.” This statement upsets Mulder but he just stands there and waits impatiently for Doggett to leave.
“Dana, I’ll call you later okay?” Doggett says and walks out the door.
    As soon as the door shuts Mulder turns towards Scully. “Who is that guy! Scully please tell me there isn’t something going on between the two of you.”
“He’s just a friend Mulder, he was assigned to the X-files and we worked together for four months until I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
“So, what are you telling me? That he’s still assigned to the X-files?”
“No, Mulder the X-files are officially closed.” Suddenly tears appear in Scully’s eyes. “God, Mulder I’m sorry, I abandoned your work, I let you down I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stand to be there anymore. Everything reminded me of you and I seriously thought that I’d have a nervous breakdown if I didn’t quit.” Scully begins to cry and Samantha starts to cry as well as if in sympathy for her mom. Mulder suddenly feels really bad for both of them and doesn’t know what to do or say.
  “It’s okay Samantha,” Scully says kissing her child gently on the head. “Mamma’s fine shhh it’s okay.” The baby’s crying subsides but Scully’s doesn’t. She looks up towards Mulder again and he can see the tears running down her cheeks. “Mulder, I’m sorry I let you down.”
“You didn’t let me down Scully. You did what you had to do.” He walks closer to her and kisses her tear-stained cheek. Then he bends down and kisses his daughter on the cheek.
“So this is my daughter huh?” He says with a huge smile on his face.
A smile appears on Scully’s face at Mulder’s acceptance of their child. “Yeah, Scully says wiping the tears from her face. This is Samantha, I named her after your sister to honor both your memories. I thought you were never coming back to me.”
   Mulder combs his fingers through the child’s soft hair, amazed that this beautiful child is his.
Scully looks down at Samantha and begins to talk to her in a little baby voice. “Samantha this is your daddy. Remember the pictures I showed and the stories I told you about him. Well, here he is.”
   Mulder’s heart breaks when he hears Scully say this. “Thanks for telling her about me,” Mulder says as his eyes start to water with a myriad of different emotions.
“Do you want to hold her?” Scully asks desperately hoping he’ll say yes.
“Yeah,” Mulder says with uncertainty in his voice.
Scully starts to pull Samantha away from her chest and the child suddenly begins to cry when she sees that her mother is handing her over to a man she has never seen to before. “Honey it’s okay this is your daddy. Don’t be afraid.” Samantha starts to cry harder as she gets father and father out of Scully’s arms.
“It’s okay, Scully it will take some time for her to get used to me,” Mulder says trying to raise his voice above the crying.
“I’m sorry, she’s just shy around strangers.” Scully holds the baby up against her chest and quiets her.
“Maybe if we both sit down by each other she’ll sit on your lap.”
“Okay,” Mulder says suddenly feeling a desperate need to hold his daughter.
  They both sit down together and Scully props Samantha up on her lap.
     Mulder stares at Samantha and tries to take in every little detail of her face. She has big, almond shaped eyes that are a rich shade of blue. She has a narrow little nose and rosy cheeks. He looks over at Scully and tries to compare their features.
“What are you looking at?” Scully asks.
“I’m trying to see how much of you I can see in her.”
“Well, there is some of you in her too.”
“I think she looks more like you.”
“No, Mulder look, she has your lips. The bottom one is twice as full as the top.” She touches the babies’ lips as she says this and then touches Mulder’s.
“She also has your hair color. I imagine your hair was this shade when you were a baby.”
“I wish she got your red hair.”
“Why?” Scully asks curiously.
“Because, I love your hair it’s such a beautiful color. The very first time I met you, your hair is what struck me the most. I didn’t notice anything about you at first. Just your hair.”
Scully begins to laugh. “You never told me that before.”
“Well, I thought it would sound kinda dumb.”
“No, it’s sweet. Do you want to know what the first thing I noticed about you?”
“Well, since we’re sharing, why not.”
“It was your eyes. You had, you have really honest eyes. The moment I saw those eyes I knew you’d never betray me.”
    Mulder smiles and brushes a wet strand of Scully’s hair behind her ear. The baby begins to talk to herself in gibberish that only other babies can understand. Mulder and Scully both look down at her and smile.
“She seems to be happy now,” Mulder says and grabs onto to one of her little hands. “Her skin’s so soft,” he says amazed.
  “Hey Samantha do you want to go to Daddy? Lets go to daddy.” Scully places Samantha on Mulder’s lap and holds her breath waiting for the child to start crying like before but she doesn’t. Scully exhales relived. “See it just took a little while to get used to you.”
  Mulder supports her back and lovingly looks into his daughter’s eyes.
“What are you thinking Mulder?” Scully asks after a few minutes of silence.
“I’m thinking that it’s going to take me awhile to adapt to this new lifestyle, but…I’m more happy right now than I’ve ever been. Especially for you. I mean she truly is a miracle.”
“Are you going to go back to work for the FBI? Scully asks him. Because I’m sorry Mulder but I can’t go back. If I didn’t have Samantha then I’d consider it, but not now. It’s different when it’s just your life you’re risking, but now if I were to go back, I’d be risking her life as well. I don’t want her to grow up without a mother.”
“So what do you plan to do?” Mulder asks.
“Start practicing medicine again. I was thinking that when Samantha gets a little older I’d do my residency at Georgetown Memorial. It’s close and they all ways have openings.”
“I think that’s a great Idea Scully and I don’t blame you one bit for not going back to the FBI. After you cancer I should have put a stop to it, hell even before that! But I was selfish, I needed your help and damn the consequences.”
“No, Mulder you weren’t selfish. It was my decision to work with you. If you had told me to quit you know I wouldn’t have listened to you.”
“Yeah, your right,” Mulder says starting to laugh. “You can be one damn stubborn women when you want to be.”
 Scully gives him a look. “But….stubbornness can be an asset,” Mulder adds
  Samantha starts to get fussy in Mulder’s arms and he nervously hands her back to Scully unable to deal with it. “Sorry I just….”
“You’ll get used to it. But she’s just cranky because she needs a nap. Don’t you?” Scully says looking into her daughter’s face.
“I’ll be right back I’m just going to go put her down.”
      Five minutes later she comes and sits back down on the couch next to Mulder.
“She went right down. She must have been really tired.”
   There is a moment of awkward silence as they both look at each other, not knowing what to say. Scully looks down at her hands trying to break the tension. Mulder keeps his eyes fixed on her as he desperately tries to think of something meaningful to say.
  “So…” Scully says looking up from her hands and then into Mulder’s eyes. Then they both start to say something simultaneously and then stop, realizing that nether one of them heard what the other said.
“Go ahead,” Scully says.
“No what were you going to say?”
“Mulder, I was devastated when you were gone and everyone had given up hope that we’d ever find you. Even me, and the one thing that bothered me the most is that I never once told you that I loved you. Sometimes I’d sit and cry and think about how you had probably died and you’d never know how much I really loved you.” Scully’s voice starts to quiver with emotion.
“Ahhh, Scully I knew. I knew you loved me.”
“Yeah, but I should have told you. How come I never told you? I felt… I still feel so bad about that.”
“I never told you that I loved you.” Mulder says trying to make her feel better.
“Yes, you did Mulder. I know your just trying to make me feel better.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter Scully. I’m back and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Your words don’t guarantee that Mulder. So in case you die tomorrow,” Scully pauses and gets up on her knees. Mulder stares at her amused, wondering what she is doing. She scoots next to him and then lifts her self on his lap, straddling him like a horse. She delicately runs her fingers threw his hair and touches his full bottom lip.
  “So in case I die tomorrow what?” Mulder asks curiously.
“In case you die tomorrow, I just want you to know that I love you more than you’ll ever know. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.” Scully suddenly wipes the smile off her face and gets a serious almost sad look on her face. “Mulder, I would die for you. I mean that.”
“I know Scully, even though this is the first time you’ve ever told me, I’ve known for a long time how much you care, and just so you know. You are the most precious thing in the world to me. I love you and I would die for you too.”
“And almost have,” Scully adds in a seriously tone, not joking at all.
“Well, your worth risking death for,” Mulder says and pulls her body towards his so that their noses are almost touching. He then leans in and starts to delicately kiss her lower lip. Scully slightly opens her mouth and lets his tongue find hers.
    Mulder runs his hands up and down her back and along the sides of her waist as they kiss. He starts to take off her T-shirt and then stops.
“What is it?” Scully says slightly out of breath.
“This is wrong.”
“No it’s not.”
“Scully, you’re in an emotional state right now. I don’t want to take advantage of you. I don’t want you to think this was a mistake like last time.”
“Mulder, I already told you that I don’t believe last time was a mistake. We made Samantha with that mistake.”
  Scully gets up from his lap and grabs onto his hand trying to get him to stand up.
“Come on lets go to the bedroom.” She says excitedly. “Come on before the baby wakes up.” Mulder stands up next to her. He is close enough so that their bodies are touching. Without saying a word he grabs the ends of her T-shirt and slowly pulls it off over her head.
  Goose bumps suddenly appear on Scully’s body and Mulder bends down and starts kissing them one by one. When he is done he looks up into her eyes. “Okay lets go to the bedroom,” he says and lets her lead the way.

        4 AM in the morning….

Mulder is torn from his sleep by the sound of a baby crying, he lies there confused forgetting where he is for a moment and then remembers the wonderful day he spent with Scully and his baby girl.
   The room is still pitch dark and he looks around for a clock wondering what time it is. The baby’s cries get louder and louder. He turns towards Scully to see if she is still asleep. She rolls over groaning, “Ahh, its to early baby.” She says half way in a dream state.
“Does she always wake up this early?” Mulder asks.
“What time is it?” Scully says not fully awake.
“Uhhh,” Mulder looks around quickly for a clock and then realizes that Scully’s bra is covering the digital clock on the nightstand. He throws it off and sees that the clock reads 4:00 AM
“It’s four o’clock,” Mulder says.
“Shit,” Scully says burying her head deeply into the pillow.
“Will she go back to sleep?”
“No, she’s probably hungry. I need to start feeding her closer to bed time so she will stop this.” Scully takes her head out of the pillow and rolls over on her back. “Mulder, can you bring her to me?” Scully says pleading.
“Uhhh, me?”
“Mulder, please, ugh I’m tired. I don’t want to get out of bed.”
“Okay,” Mulder says.
“Thanks baby,” Scully says and buries her head back into the pillow.
     Mulder walks to the baby’s room, unsure on how he is exactly going to handle it when he gets there. He walks into the room and turns on the lights. The light hurts his eyes and he quickly turns them back off. Then he realizes he is blinded from the light and has lost his night vision. Not wanting trip over something on his way to the crib Mulder turns the lights back on and walks quickly over to the cirb. He looks in and sees his daughter, red faced and screaming. He picks her up holding her away from his body, not knowing exactly how he should be holding her. Samantha stops crying for a moment and then realizes that it isn’t her mom that has come to get her and starts to scream even louder. Mulder repositions her so that she is now touching his chest. He bounces her up and down as he walks back to their room. He doesn’t know what to say to her so he keeps his mouth shut and walks as quickly back to the room as he can.
The baby is still screaming when he hands her to Scully. “I’m sorry I’m not any good at this baby thing.”
“You’ll learn,” Scully says and takes Samantha from his arms.
“Do you need me to go make a bottle or something?”
“No I’m going to breast feed her. Can you turn on the lamp on the night stand?”
“Sure,” Mulder reaches over and switches on the lamp. Suddenly everything is silent, he looks over at Scully and sees that the baby has already latched on to her breast and is fiercely gulping down milk.
“I guess she was hungry.”
“Yeah,” Scully says lovingly looking down at her daughter.
“Does that hurt?” Mulder asks a little alarmed.
  Scully starts to laugh at the fascinated expression on his face. “You get used it. It hurt a little at first, but not anymore.”
   Mulder yawns as his head hits the pillow. “God you’re amazing Scully. I don’t know how you did this all by yourself for nine months.”
“Women do this all the time Mulder, and besides I wasn’t completely alone, I had John.”
  A twinge of jealously shoots through Mulder when he hers this name. “So you two really weren’t dating you never, you know..”
“No we never slept together if that’s what you’re implying. We never dated either. He was just a great friend to me Mulder and I hope you can accept that he’s going to be in my life because I can’t just pretend that I don’t know him anymore just because you’re back.”
“Of course not. I’d never ask you to do something like that. I just got the feeling that he was very protective of you.”
   Scully suddenly thinks back to the other day when Doggett told her how much he loved her and Samantha. She thinks about telling Mulder and then decides that would be a bad Idea.
“What are you jealous?” Scully asks playfully.
“I’m not jealous, I was just curious.”
“No, I know jealously when I see it Mulder, especially from you. You get a funny look on your face.”
“No I don’t!” Mulder insists.
“Okay, just checking,” Scully says and give him a little wink.  Mulder laughs.
“What?”
“I find you changed.”
“How so?” Scully asks as she buttons up her top and places her sleeping baby in the middle of the bed between her and Mulder.
“Well, you’re more open and honest with your feelings. Your more affectionate.”
“Well, I haven’t seen you in a year and a half.”
“No, it’s more than that. In the seven years I’ve known you, I never got the feeling that you were truly happy. You always seemed just a little bit sad to me. But now, for the first time you seem happy to me and your happiness, well it’s just a great feeling. It makes me feel really great knowing that you’re finally happy.” Mulder glances over at Scully when she doesn’t reply and notices that she has fallen asleep. She is lying on her side with her mouth partially open and her right hand is resting on the baby’s chest.
  This would make a beautiful picture, Mulder thinks wishing he had a camera. Instead he gazes at them for a long time and tries to preserve this beautiful memory in his head so he can access it whenever he needs too. He turns on his side so that he is facing his daughter and starts to play with her hair that is unusually thick for nine months old.
   After a few minutes he begins to get sleepy himself, but before turning of the lamp he leans over and gently kisses his daughter on the forehead, then he leans even farther so he can kiss Scully’s partially open mouth. She stirs a little as his lips touch hers and then rolls onto her back.
 He lovingly looks at his new found family one more time and then shuts off the lamp and falls back to sleep.
    4 hours later….
     Mulder wakes up to an empty bed and the smell of pancakes begin wafting into the room. He smiles knowing that Scully must be making breakfast. He quickly hops out of bed and into the shower.
 After his quick shower he dresses in a suit and tie and walks out into the kitchen to see Samantha in a high chair babbling to her self and Scully bent over the stove flipping pancakes. He sneaks up behind her and kisses her neck. Scully turns around kisses him on the lips.
“Woah, don’t you look nice. Where are you going?”
“I have a meeting with Skinner at 10.”
“You didn’t tell me that.” Scully says.
“We were having such a good time yesterday I didn’t want to spoil it.”
“Mulder he’s not going to re-open the X-Files.”
“I have to at least try Scully.“
 “Mulder…”
“What?”
“I guess I just don’t see the point,” Scully says and pops a strawberry into her mouth.
“Don’t see the point?”
“Mulder what are you going to do if he does re-open the X-files? You can’t do the work on your own.”
“Why not? I did it alone before you came.”
“Mulder, can’t you just get a normal position in the FBI? Or better yet quit! The FBI has turned our lives into living nightmares.”
“Scully, I can’t quit. I don’t have medicine to fall back on like you do.”
“Mulder don’t do this.” Scully pleads suddenly starting to shift out of her cheery mood. “If you want to get a normal position at the FBI ,fine, I’ll support you, but if you start working on the X-files I’ll always be worrying about you. We both know how dangerous they can be.”
“Scully, you wouldn’t have to worry about me.”
“Mulder, do I have to remind you how many times you and I have almost died working on the X-files? Now it’s not worth it! It may have been worth it in the past because of your sister, but you’ve uncovered that. There is nothing left to prove, so please don’t do this.”
“What about what happen to me! I have that left to prove” … He pauses for a moment and lowers his voice. ”Look let’s just see how my meeting with Skinner goes,” Mulder says and grabs a pancake from the stack and takes a bite. “I’m sorry but I’ve gotta run. I’ll call ya!”
“Mulder, don’t do it!” Scully yells as he closes the door behind him.

 FBI Headquarters
   Mulder walks down the long hall to Skinner’s office, he walks by many of his co-workers, noticing how they all are giving him strange looks. He finally reaches Skinner’s office and breathes in a sigh of relief. He is finally safe from all the unnerving stares.
  He walks up to Skinner’s secretary and gives her his name.
“Go, right in Agent Mulder, He’s expecting you.”
   Mulder walks in and sees Skinner bent over some paper work not noticing that Mulder has entered the room.
“Sir.”
  Skinner looks up from his paper and a huge smile appears on his face. “I still don ‘t believes it!”
“Believe what sir?”
“That you’re back, we had all given up hope on you.” Skinner walks up to Mulder and gives him a pat on the back. “Welcome back!”
“Thank you Sir,” Mulder says and sits down in the chair across from Skinner’s desk.
“Sir, before you say anything, I’d like to request that the X-Files be re-opened.”
Skinner exhales as if he knew this were coming and sits slowly in his seat.
“Agent Mulder, I’m sorry but it’s not under my jurisdiction. Kersh is the man in charge, and when Scully left the FBI we had no choice but to close the X-Files. I’m sorry but it’s been a year and a half and there is nothing I can do about it. And don’t blame Agent Scully, you have no Idea what she went through while you were gone, she had no choice but to leave.”
“I’m not blaming her,” Mulder says getting frustrated. “I just don’t understand how you can’t go over Kersh’s head on this.”
“Well, a lot has happened while you were gone. Kersh has been promoted, he carries higher rank than me now.”
“Still there must be something we can do! Scully told me that you saw the spaceship. You saw what happened to me. Don’t you want the X-files re-opened so I can prove what happened to me.”
“Agent Mulder listen to me because I’m only going to say this once. You and Agent Scully spent years trying to uncover the truth and although you may have uncovered some truth you still have no proof. You and Scully have almost died for what you have tried to uncover and you have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it. Mulder, you have a baby girl now, and a women that loves you more than anything. You have a family. Don’t go throwing it away on a job that will most likely get you killed in the end.”
  Mulder tries to interrupt, but Skinner keeps talking. “Now, if you’d like I can place you in the violent crimes division, or even behavior science. Something that is slightly similar to your work with the X-Files, but what I will not do is go out of my way trying to re-open something that will in the end cause you more trouble and heart ache then it provides answers. I’ve seen what you and Scully have gone through in the past seven years and I will not sit back and watch the drama unfold again.”
“Are you finished?”
“Yeah.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I feel like I’d be lost with out the X-Files I wouldn’t know what to do with out it. It’s been a part of my life for so long.”
“May I make a suggestion?”
“Depends on what it is,” Mulder replies back.
“Why don’t you fill that gap with Scully and your daughter. Ask Scully to be your wife and start living your life Agent Mulder. Forget about the X-files.”
“Sir…”
“Mulder, I’m going to assign you to the violent crimes division.”
“Sir, wait not so fast. Can I have some time to think about this?”
“There is nothing to think about Agent Mulder.”
“Well, just the same I’d like some time,” Mulder says and quickly walks out of Skinner’s office.
    He is still so confused. To the entire world he has been gone a year and a half. But to him it feels like mere days. How can he expect me not to fight for the X-files Mulder thinks.
Without realizing, Mulder subconsciously has walked down to his old office. He is shocked when he realizes that all his stuff has been taken down from the walls. Even his I want to believe poster is gone. In its place is a big cheesy picture of George W. Bush. Mulder shakes his head wondering how the country could ever elected this man to be president.
   He looks around some more and notices that the room has been turned into one big library of files. He walks quickly over to the bins of files, looking to see if his files are still down here.
He breathes out a sigh of relief when he finds the cabinet with his files. He quickly opens up the top drawer and starts to thumb threw the files, each one having personal meaning to him. He finally runs through enough to realize that Skinner and Scully were right. The X-Files was a futile job that only caused heartache. He thinks about how many of his family member’s and friends died because of the X-files and he thinks of Scully’s sister and how she would still be alive right now to see her niece if it weren’t for Scully’s involvement in the X-files. He slams the drawer shut angrily, realizing that he must finally give them up.
“Agent Mulder?” a voice says from behind. Mulder jumps and then turns around to see who is calling his name. He sees that it is Agent Doggett and curses to him self, this was the last person he wanted to see right now.”
“Agent Doggett, what brings you down here?”
“I heard that you were hear and I wanted to see if I could have a few words with ya.”
“This really isn’t the best time.” Mulder says, hoping Doggett will accept this excuse and leave.  Doggett ignores his words and beings to speak.
“I guess I’m just worried for Agent Scully.”
“Why should you be worried?” Mulder asks genuinely confused.
“Well, I’m just having trouble buying this amnesia story.”
“What?”
“How is it possible for you to be missing for a year and a half and not remember any of it.”
“I’m not going to get into this with you right now,” Mulder says, trying to keep his cool but not succeeding.
“I guess what I’m wondering is if maybe you just needed a break from it all, and you took off for awhile to try and figure things out.”
“What!? What the hell are you trying to say? That I left with out telling anyone where I was going? That I left Scully because I was having some mid-life crisis!”
“Well, maybe you found out Scully was pregnant and you got scared and that added to the pressure you were already feeling.”
“What pressure!”
“Agent Mulder I’m just trying to figure out what really happened and I…”
“You what?” Mulder says walking closer to him.
“I’m in love with Dana and I know your just going to hurt her, your going to find some way to drag her back into the X-Files, and she will end up dying for you! I read all your files Agent Mulder. I know how many times you jeopardized her life.”
  Rage is running through Mulder right now and he is trying desperately to control it.
“Scully stayed because she wanted to. I didn’t push her into anything.”
“Maybe you didn’t but if you really loved her like I do you would have made her quit a long time ago. Or quit yourself, to spare her the pain.”
“You have no right telling me what I should have done. You don’t know me and you don’t know what Scully and I have been through in the past seven years, and although you say you’re in love with her you obviously don’t really know her.”
“No, Agent Mulder you’re the one that doesn’t know her.”
   Mulder is outraged by the accusation that he doesn’t really know who Scully is. Out of anyone he knows her the best, and how dare this man come and tell him that he doesn’t. He can no longer suppress his rage and punches Doggett in the nose with great force.
 Doggett falls to the floor stunned, Mulder starts to walk by him and towards the door when Doggett grabs onto his leg tripping him. Mulder begins to fall and then catches himself on the doorknob. By this time Doggett has regained his strength and stands up and punches Mulder in the stomach, causing him fall to the ground gasping for breath, but only for a moment and then Mulder is back on his feet and gives Doggett a knuckle punch right between the eyes. Doggett punches back and hits Mulder in the nose. Mulder furiously swings his fist back at Doggett but misses. As Doggett is about to strike again Skinner grabs his hand from behind.
“What the hell is going on down here!” Both agents are silent trying to catch their breath.
“I want an answer damn it!” Skinner yells.
“Agent Mulder over here can’t handle the truth. Truth hurts doesn’t it Agent?” Doggett says. Mulder rushes at Doggett but Skinner holds him back before he can let out a swing.
“Did you start this Agent Mulder?!” Skinner yells.
“Sir, you don’t understand.”
“Did you start this?”
“Yes, but he provoked it Sir.”
“Okay you know what, both of you go home!”
“What?” Doggett asks.
“You heard me Agents go home! You’re both suspended for the rest the day, now go shake it off.” They both start to walk away and Skinner calls out Mulder’s name. “Agent Mulder you stay, I want to have a word with you.” Mulder stops and Doggett continues walking towards the elevator.
   “Now I want to know what’s really going on here?”
“Just a little love brawl,” Mulder says.
“What?”
“Well, it just turns out that Agent Doggett and I are both in love with the same women, and he thinks he can take care of her better than I can.”
“And that’s why you threw the first punch?”
“Sir you don’t know what he was saying.”
“Enlighten me then.”
“HE was blaming me for all Scully’s misfortunes, and he was saying that I really never knew her. That only he knew the mysteries of her heart.”
“Agent Mulder why don’t you have a seat,” Skinner says. “I want to talk to you for awhile about some things.”

     Twenty minutes later Doggett shows up at Scully apartment, his nose is still slightly bleeding and he has a nasty cut on his lip. Scully opens the door and gasps at the sight of him.
“John, what the hell happen?”
“Mulder’s what happen.”
“What?”
“Look can I come in?”
“Sure,” Scully says and steps away from the door. “Samantha is asleep so…what did you mean by Mulder? Is he the one who hit you?”
Doggett walks slowly over to the couch and sits down. “Can I have a tissue or something?”
“Yeah, hold on let me go get some stuff to clean you up.” She comes back a minute later with some cotton balls, astringent and an ice pack for his already swelling nose.
She sits down on the coffee table and starts to clean up his wounds as he tells her what happened.
“I can’t believe that Mulder would just hit you out of the blue. You must have said something to provoke him.”
“Well,” Doggett is silent not knowing how to confess.
  “John, what did you say?”
“Dana, look I know you love this man but he’s brought you so much heart ache. What makes you think he won’t do it again? Your life has been good these past 9 months with me and Samantha, hasn’t it?”
“John what are you saying?”
“I’m saying, don’t’ throw it all away for a man that will end up hurting you.”
“Mulder, would never hurt me,” Scully says starting to get upset.
“Maybe not intentionally, but he will hurt you Dana, Just look at your past!”
“What are you saying!”
“I’m saying that you shouldn’t risk it. I love you, I love you so much and I love Samantha. Marry me! I promise I’ll never let you down. You just have to trust me.”
 Scully gasps when she hers the word marry and tears suddenly start to shine in her eyes, but she refuses to let them drop.
“John I can’t marry you.”
“Why not? Mulder hasn’t asked you has he? Has he even mentioned a word about the long term future for the two of you.”
“No but that doesn’t mean..”
  Doggett puts his fingers on Scully’s lips before she can finish.
“Dana, marry me. You won’t regret it.”
   The tears in Scully’s eyes suddenly begin to fall. She kisses the fingers that rest on her lips and then removes them. “John, I can’t marry you. I do admit that I love you, but not in the way that I love Mulder.”
 Doggett’s heart breaks when he hears these words, and his eyes suddenly glaze over with tears.
“John your one of my best friends and I hope that you can always be in mine and Samantha’s life, but not as a husband. Do you understand? I don’t mean to hurt you, but I care about you enough to tell you the truth.”
“I don’t know if I can accept that,” Doggett says.
“John please you can’t just disappears from our lives. I’d miss you too much.”
“But Dana It would hurt me too much to be around you and Sam, I’d always be thinking about what I could of had.”
“John you don’t have to think about it that way.”
“Just give me some time okay?”
“Sure, but as long as you know that your still wanted around here. Samantha will miss you if you don’t come around and visit.”
“Well, I guess I better leave,” Doggett says grimacing as he stands up.
“Here, let me get the door,” Scully says and quickly runs over to the door and opens it. She suddenly freezes when she sees Mulder on the other end as badly bruised up as Doggett. Her heat stops in her chest as she worries about whether they will begin fighting again, this time in her living room. Doggett walks up to Mulder and pats him on the back. “You won man, she wants you. Just don’t screw it up, and don’t hurt her, if you do..”
“John please,” Scully says. “I’ll be fine, now just go and I’ll give you a call later.” Doggett gives her a hug and then walks out of the room and to the elevator. Scully quickly brings Mulder inside and closes the door.
“I’m Sorry Scully.”
 Scully gives him and expression that says, you should be, and then walks over to the couch and sits down. “Come on over here Mulder, lets get you cleaned up.”
Mulder walks over and sits on the couch so that he is facing Scully.
“I really am sorry,” Mulder says as Scully wipes the blood from his nose. “But you don’t know what he said to me.”
“He’s just looking out for me Mulder.”
“And I’m not?!”
“ I didn’t say that! Did I say that?”
“No, but you implied it.”
“Mulder, just shut up and listen to me for a moment. I know what this is about. You’re both jealous, you were trying to mark your territory. But you have no need to be jealous, John proposed to me."
“What?!” Mulder yells outraged and stands up from his sitting position on the couch.
“You didn’t let me finish! Now sit down!” Scully yells sternly.
Mulder obeys her and resumes his position on the couch.
“He, proposed to me, but of course I turned him down. I told him that although I do love him I’m in love with only one man and that man is you.”
  When Mulder hears these words come out of Scully’s mouth he quickly leans in and kisses her passionately on the lips. Scully kisses him back and then pulls away.
  She smiles at his passionate response to her words. “As I was saying Mulder, I told John that I still want him to be in my life, but as a very dear friend and not a husband. Naturally he was very hurt when I declined his proposal and I think it will take him some time to get over it, but I need to ask something very important of you.”
“Sure, Scully.”
“When he does decide to come around again, please try to get along, even if he says some things you don’t like, don’t take it to heart. Just smile and be nice. Okay?”
“Scully, the man hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you, he’s just, well he envies you.”
“Okay I’ll make an effort to be nice, but only for you.”
“You’ll see he’s not such a bad guy after you get to know him. I didn’t like him in the beginning either.”
Mulder opens his mouth to say something and Scully quickly begins talking again before any words can come out of Mulder’s mouth.
“One more thing. As much as I don’t want you to continue work on the X-Files, I will support you if that is what you decide to do, I’ll support you because I love you.”
“Scully, I’m not going to continue on with the X-Files.”
“You’re not?” Scully says confused and then a big smile appears on her face.
“Skinner helped me realize that it wasn’t worth it and he’s talked me into working for the behavior science unit.”
At the utterance of these words, Scully springs forward from her position on the couch and gives Mulder a huge hug. Mulder grunts in pain from his injuries and Scully loosens her grasp on him. “Sorry.”

One Month later……

Mulder and Scully sit on the couch watching as Samantha crawls on the floor by the Christmas tree.
“This is going to be so exciting,” Scully says “Her first Christmas.”
“Yeah I can’t believe It’s Christmas Eve already, and as much as I don’t want to admit this Scully, it was nice of John to bring all those present by for Samantha today.” Scully smiles and leans her head on his shoulder. “I knew you’d begin to like him.”
“Hey Scully did you see the new ornament I put on the tree?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
“Go look and see if you can find.”
  Scully gets up from the couch and suspiciously looks Mulder in the eyes. “What are you smiling about!”
“Nothing I just think your going to like the ornament. Maybe Samantha can help you find it.” He walks over to his daughter and picks her up from the floor. “Do you want to help mommy find the ornament?” He says and hands her to Scully.
“Mulder, what’s this about?”
Mulder doesn’t say anything and resumes his place on the couch.
  Scully hunts around the tree searching for the ornament as Samantha starts to grab at the ornaments and drops one on the floor. Mulder begins to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Mulder says extremely amused.
  After a few minutes Scully exhales frustrated. “Mulder there is no new ornament on the tree.”
“Yes, there is Scully, keep looking.”
“Why don’t you just come up and show me since you’re so eager for me to find it.”
“No you have to find it.”
“Ugh, Mulder Samantha’s getting heavy,” She says starting to wine.
“Give her to me then,” Mulder says and holds out his arms. Scully walks over and places the baby in his arm. She walks back up to the tree and then suddenly a red ribbon catches her eyes. It looks a little suspicious to her so she follows it down. She freezes when she sees what it tied to the bottom of it.
   Mulder knows she has found the engagement ring and waits impatiently on the couch for her reaction.
Scully tries to untie the ring but her hands are so shaky that she is unable to do so, and suddenly feels and overwhelming urge to cry. She has never in her life been this happy. She will finally have a family, she thinks.
  When Scully doesn’t turn around Mulder gets up and places Samantha in her play pen that is next to the tree.
  He walks up to Scully and brushes the hair away from the back of her neck.
“So what do you think?” Mulder asks.
Scully turns around and her eyes are flooding with tears. Mulder doesn’t say anything and reaches over to the branch where the ring is hanging and unties it from the ribbon. He then gets on one knee and grabs onto Scully’s left hand. “Dana, I want to make us into a family. Will you marry me.”
Scully is so consumed with emotion that she is unable to speak for a few moments and then the word yes finally comes out of her mouth. Mulder slides the ring onto her finger and then kisses it. Scully kneels down to his level and wraps her arms around him. “I love you,” she says through her tears.
“I love you too,” Mulder says and squeezes her tight.

The End…

Copyright Jan. 3rd 2001