Unreasonable Facsimile  part 6
by Deenalynn


The Gunmen, Skinner and Mulder were all huddled around the
computer in the living room.  Frohike was updating them on their
findings when the doorbell rang.  "I'll get it," Lisa called
from the dining room, where she and Langly were sorting some of
the information the boys had found.  "Oh, my God!  FOX!"

Mulder turned immediately to see Dr. Richard Norris fall into
Lisa's arms.  "Shit!  Skinner, help Lisa."  He grabbed his weapon
out of the drawer.  "Get him on the couch."

Norris was bleeding badly from a rather sizable hole in his
abdomen.  "Dammit, he needs a doctor," Skinner swore as he
pressed a towel to the gaping wound.

"NO!" Norris gasped.  "Too late.  Dead anyway."  He gasped for
breath.  "Take disc."

"What?  What disc?" Mulder asked, frustrated.

"Disc.  Need to keep safe.  All you need."  With that, Dr. Richard
Norris gasped once and died.

"Search his pockets.  He said something about a disc."  Mulder
frantically began to go through the dead man's jacket.

"Mulder!" Skinner said sharply.

"What?"

Skinner nodded towards Lisa.  She was standing against the wall,
trembling.  Her face was white as a sheet and she had her hands
over her mouth.  "Ah, shit."  Mulder went to her immediately.
"Lisa?  Lisa, c'mon.  Let's go lie down."  He led her to the
bedroom and sat her on the bed.  "Lisa, I need you to talk to me.
Are you okay?"

"How can you ask that?" she yelled.  "There is a *dead* man in my
living room!"

"I know and I'm sorry.  I forgot for a minute you're not--"

"I'm not what?  Not her?  Not *Scully*?  Well, I'm sorry if I
don't react well to having a dead man in my house.  I'm sorry if
your precious Dana would have handled it better than this, but I
just . . ."  With that she burst into tears.

Mulder gathered her close and held her.  "Sshhh, it's okay.  I'm
sorry.  I didn't think.  It's okay."

"He, he just died.  He was my doctor.  He told us about our baby."
She sobbed.  "How can someone just walk into your house and die?
How can you people live like this?"  She burrowed into his chest,
clutching at his shirt.

Mulder stroked her hair and rubbed her back gently.  "I guess we
try not to think about it.  When we do, it hits pretty hard."

"What do you do?  How do you deal with it?"

"I run.  Swim.  Watch-- videos.  Have a good cry.  All of the
above.  We deal with it because we have to.  No one else can."  He
pulled back a little and wiped her tears.  "Don't feel bad because
what you saw scared you.  It scares me.  I just forget sometimes
that not everyone is equipped to handle it."

Lisa sniffed and laid her head back on his chest.  "Dana would
have dealt with it."

"Yes, she would have.  And later she would have gone to bed and
cried herself to sleep, alone.  You see, that's the big difference
between us and you.  You don't feel like you need to cope alone.
You let me help.  You try to help me.  The way I see it, that's a
hell of a lot healthier than crying in the shower."

She smiled up at him.  "Thank you."  She kissed him lightly on the
cheek.  Their eyes caught and held.

Mulder lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.  Her lips were
soft and pliant under his.  As he deepened the kiss, there was a
quiet knock on the door.  "Mulder?"  They separated guiltily.
"You guys okay in there?"  They could hear the concern in
Frohike's voice.

Mulder cleared his throat.  "Yeah, we'll be out in a sec."

"'Kay, 'cause there's something here you'll wanna see."

Mulder squeezed Lisa's hand lightly.  "You okay?"

"Not really, but I'm better."  She smiled up at him.  "Let's go
see what they found."

It was a computer zipdisc.  Encrypted.  Heavily.  "This is some
serious shit, Mulder.  I've never seen anything like it," Frohike
said, his fingers flying over the keyboard.  "This could take a
while."

"Take as long as you need."  Mulder looked around the room.  The
body was gone, so was Skinner.  Mulder trusted Skinner to take
care of the situation.

                               ****

Two hours later Frohike grunted in frustration.  "This isn't
working.  We need to take this to the office.  We just don't have
the equipment here."  He looked at Mulder.  "I know you don't want
to let it out of your sight, man, but . . ."

Mulder sighed.  He looked towards the open bedroom door.  "Fine,
let's go.  Langly, you stay here with Lisa.  Don't let anyone in
except me.  Not even Skinner.  If he shows up, tell him to come to
your place."


Headquarters of the Lone Gunmen
Alexandria, VA
March 3
11:47 p.m.


They had worked steadily on breaking the encryption with no luck.
Mulder and the two Gunmen were beginning to lose hope when
Mulder's cell phone rang.

"Mulder."

"Where the hell are you?" Skinner yelled.

"I'm with the Gunmen.  Why?"

"Mulder, is Lisa with you?"

Something in Skinner's voice put every nerve in his body on alert.
"No.  I left her at home with Langly."

"Mulder.  I'm standing in your living room.  The door was open
when I got here.  Langly was out cold in the kitchen and there's
no sign of Lisa anywhere."

Mulder was already moving before Skinner finished speaking.  "I'm
on my way."  He began frantically looking for his keys.

"Mulder, put Byers on the phone.  Mulder!" Skinner said sharply.

"*What*?"

"Give the phone to Byers."  Mulder handed the phone to Byers and
continued his search for his keys.

Byers spoke to Skinner for a moment then disconnected.  "I'll
drive."

When they arrived at the apartment, Langly had regained
consciousness and was trying to answer Skinner's questions.  "I
have no idea how they got in.  Lisa woke up and wanted to know
where Mulder was.  I was making us some tea when I heard a noise
in the living room."  He paused for a second.  "That's it.  The
next thing I know you're here and I have a headache."  He looked
up at Mulder.  "I'm sorry, man, I just--"

Mulder waved away the apology.  "Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have
left her here.  Not tonight."

"Let's not do this right now, Mulder.  It won't help us get Lisa
back."  Skinner put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.  "I
think we all know why they took her tonight."

"The disc," Mulder muttered.  "Well, they can have the damn
thing."

"Mulder . . ." Byers started.

"NO!  Don't say it.  We are going to get Lisa back!"

"Are you sure that's what Scully would want?" Byers asked gently.
"You don't know what's on that disc."

"I don't fucking *care* what's on the disc.  I want Lisa and our
baby back."

                          ****

Three days.  It had been three days since Lisa's disappearance and
they had nothing.  The Gunmen had been working steadily on the
encrypted disc with no results.  Skinner had every available agent
looking for Lisa.  Mulder hadn't eaten or slept the entire time.

It was the afternoon of the third day when Margaret Scully showed
up at his office.  "Fox?"

"Mrs. Scully.  What are you doing here?"  He offered her a seat.

"I'm worried about you.  You look exhausted, Fox."

"Skinner called you."  Mulder slumped into his chair.

"He's concerned, Fox.  So am I.  When was the last time you
slept?"

Mulder shrugged.

"Don't give me that.  You are not going to be in any shape to help
Lisa if you keep this up.  Now, I am going to take you home and
you are going to take a shower, eat and get some sleep."

"But--"

"NO!  If they find anything they will call you.  Now, get your
things and let's go."

Mulder stared at her for a moment and gave up.  He gathered his
things and followed her out of the office.

Later that evening Skinner and the Gunmen joined him at the
apartment.  They were discussing their options when the phone
rang.  Mulder waited until Skinner was at the extension.
"Mulder."

"Mr. Mulder."  The voice was raspy from years of tobacco abuse.
"Did you misplace something?"

"Where is she, you bastard?"

"Mrs. Miller is safe and comfortable.  Now, I believe you have
something that belongs to me."

"Where and when?"

"My, my, you are cooperative this evening."  They could hear him
take a drag from his cigarette.  "There's a playground four
blocks from your building.  Leave my property on the slide."

"I want to speak to Lisa."

"Not yet.  You will get her back when I have my property."

"Why should I trust you?"

"What choice do you have, Mr. Mulder?  You have half an hour."
The line went dead.

Forty-five minutes later Mulder was back at the apartment.
Waiting.  "Are you sure you can trust him?" Byers asked.

"No.  I'm sure I can't, but what else could I do?  He has Lisa."

"Mulder, can I ask you a question?"  Frohike sat beside him at
the table.

Mulder nodded.

"Are you in love with Lisa?"

"What?" Mulder asked incredulously.

"I asked--"

"I heard what you asked, Frohike.  I care about Lisa.  I mean, how
could I not?  Right?  She's, well, she's . . ."

"Mulder, it's okay.  No one blames you for caring about Lisa.
She's amazing.  It just makes me wonder what's going to happen if
she goes back to being Scully."

"I--"  Mulder's reply was interrupted by the ringing of the
telephone.  "Mulder."

"Georgetown University Hospital emergency room."  The caller hung
up.

Twenty minutes later Mulder charged through the doors of the
emergency room.  "I'm looking for a Lisa Miller."  He flashed his
badge.

The nurse looked at her list.  "Sorry, sir, I have no one by that
name."

"Dammit.  I was told she'd been brought here.  Please check again.
She's small, red hair, blue eyes, pregnant," Mulder pleaded.

"We do have a woman who fits that description, but her name isn't
Lisa Miller."

"Mulder?  Is that you?"

All five men spun around at the sound of her voice.  "Thank God."
Mulder grabbed her in a tight embrace.  He brushed her hair from
her dirty face.  "Are you okay?  Did they hurt you?  Is the baby
okay?"  He hugged her again.

She wiggled out of his embrace.  "I feel fine.  Mulder, what the
hell is going on here?"  She folded her arms across her chest.

Mulder stopped suddenly and stared at her.  "Lisa?" Mulder asked
tentatively.

She just looked at him.  "Who?"

"Scully?"

"Mulder, what is going on here?  Who is Lisa and what happened to
me?"

"It is you!"  He grabbed her again.  When he looked at her face
there were tears in his eyes.  "I didn't think you were coming
back."

Again Scully moved out of his arms.  "Mulder, I would just like it
if you would explain this to me.  My God, Mulder, I'm pregnant.
Very pregnant."  She looked down at her belly.  "You want to tell
me how this happened?"

"I-- what do you remember?"  Mulder sat next to her on the bed and
took her hand.

"The last thing I remember clearly is coming home, late.  We had
just testified at the Colman case.  I was exhausted and just
wanted sleep.  Next thing I know, I'm waking up here.  Pregnant."

Mulder sighed and turned to the other men.  They all looked as
lost as he felt.  "Scully, that was eight months ago."

"What?  Mulder--"

Just then the doctor entered the cubicle.  "Well, what seems to be
the problem, young lady?"

Since none of them had the first clue how to explain this to him,
Scully said, "Actually, I think I'm okay now.  I probably
overreacted.  I just want to go home."  She smiled sweetly at him
and started to get up.

"Whoa, there.  You came into this hospital complaining of
dizziness and disorientation.  Now, you are obviously pregnant and
I don't want to take any chances."

"The nurse took my vital signs.  Are they normal?"

"Well, yes, but . . ."

"Then I want to go home.  I feel fine, no dizziness.  As I said, I
overreacted.  This is my first pregnancy."  Scully got down off
the exam table and reached for her jacket.

The doctor turned to Mulder.  "Are you her husband?"  He continued
without waiting for an answer.  "She should be examined."

"I'm sorry, Doctor.  I'll make sure she sees her own physician as
soon as possible," Mulder said apologetically.

The doctor gave up.  "Fine, I'll tell the nurse to get you the AMA
forms."  He walked away.

They went immediately to see Angela Low.  She examined Scully
thoroughly and told them she was in the same shape she'd been in
earlier in the week.  Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

"Now, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Scully
asked as soon as she and Mulder were alone in the car.

"Yeah.  I'm just trying to figure out where to start."

By the time they pulled up in front of the apartment Scully's eyes
were wide with shock.  "So, this is your baby?"

"Yes."

"And it's healthy, normal?"

"All the tests say so, yes."

"And I've been living as some other woman for the last what, seven
months?"

"Yes."

"And you and I lived together as husband and wife for more than
three months."

Mulder nodded.

Scully stared at him for a moment then got out of the car and
headed up the walk.  When she got to the front door, she realised
she had no key.  "At least I still live here."  She looked
confused.  "How is that possible if we were gone?"

"Your mom kept it up.  She couldn't bring herself to sell it."
Mulder opened the door and followed her into the building.

He opened the apartment door and she entered before him.  She
stopped suddenly.  "I'm sorry, Mulder, I know you probably want to
hash this out right now but I just really need to get some sleep.
Can we do this tomorrow?"

"Uh, Scully."

"What?" she asked sharply.

"Nothing.  You get some sleep.  I'll see you in the morning."  He
dropped the keys on the table beside the door and left.

Dana Scully looked around the apartment for the first time.  She
barely recognised it.  Obviously Lisa had made some changes.
There were several large potted plants scattered about the room.
The furniture had been arranged differently.  There was a strange
blanket thrown over the back of the couch.  The curtains were new
and so was the throw rug.  Mulder's jacket was hanging off the
back of one of the dining room chairs and there were . . .  Wait
a minute.  What was Mulder's jacket . . .  That was when she
noticed the running shoes by the door, men's running shoes.  A
basketball rested beside them.  She went to the bookshelves.
There, beside her own familiar books were psychology texts, and
book after book on the paranormal, as well as many on parenting
and pregnancy.  Scully practically ran to the bedroom.  She heaved
a sigh of relief.  No sign of him in there.  She turned to the
door of the guest room.  Taking a deep breath, she pushed it
open.

                               ****

"Mulder?  What are you doing here?"  Skinner opened the door to
admit the other man.

Mulder shrugged self-consciously.  "She didn't know we'd been
living together.  She asked me to leave.  She was tired."

"Why didn't you just tell her that you lived there?"

"She'd had enough to take in tonight.  I didn't want to dump any
more on her."  Mulder's voice sounded lost.

"Mulder.  Are *you* going to be okay?"  Skinner knew Scully wasn't
the only one who would have to make adjustments.

"I'll be fine, Sir.  I was just hoping I could crash here tonight.
I'll look for a place tomorrow.  I just . . ."  His voice trailed
off.

"Of course you can stay here."

                               ****

Dana Scully stared at the answering machine as it picked up for
the tenth time.  "Hi, this is Lisa.  Fox and I aren't home right
now but . . ."  The voice was hers but the tone was different.
This woman sounded so . . . so, not her.  Mulder had been calling
all morning.  Scully didn't want to talk to him.  She had no idea
how to deal with this situation.  Mulder had been living with her.
Here, in her own apartment.  She had spent the morning cleaning.
Trying to get rid of every trace of the *other* woman she could
find.  The furniture was back the way she liked it.  All the new
things that Lisa had bought were packed into boxes.  She had just
begun to pack up Mulder's things when the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?"

"Dana?  It's Mom."  She had called her mother first thing this
morning.

Scully flung open the door and grabbed her mom.  "Oh, Mom."

Margaret started to cry.  "Oh, my baby.  I didn't think we were
ever going to get you back."  She held her daughter close for a
good long time.  "How are you doing, Dana?  I know this is a lot
to adjust to."

"I feel good physically, Mom.  The rest of it?  I'm not sure how
to feel."  She led her mom into the apartment.

Margaret looked around, taking in all the boxes.  "What are you
doing, Dana?"  She opened one of the boxes.  "Why are you packing
up all these things?"

"They aren't mine, Mother."

Margaret immediately recognised the set of her daughter's chin.
"I know you didn't pick them out, but there were some lovely--"

"I don't want them here."  Scully crossed her arms in front of her
chest.

Margaret smiled and patted her arm.  "That's fine, dear.  I guess
I can understand that in a way.  It must be difficult for you.
But I'm sure everything is going to be fine now that you're back
to yourself again."  She noticed the box containing a few of
Mulder's things.  "Dana?  Where is Fox?"

Scully shrugged and turned away.  She began putting more things
into the box.

"Dana?  *Where* is Fox?"  Margaret pulled her daughter around to
face her.

Scully turned around.  "I don't know.  I haven't spoken to him
since last night."

"What?  Why not?  Where did he--"  Margaret watched as
Scully's face closed off.  "Dana, why isn't Fox here?"

"Mom--"  The phone rang, interrupting her.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Margaret asked.

"No.  Let the machine get it."  Scully knew who it was and this
was not going to go over well with her mother.

"Scully?  Scully, if you're there, it's me, Mulder.  Scully, I
need to talk to you.  Please, pick up the phone.  We really need
to talk.  Scully, please?"  He sighed.  "I know this is a lot for
you to take in and you're probably pretty confused right now, but
would you at least find it in your heart to let me know if you are
all right?  I'm worried about you.  Please call me.  I'm still at
Skinner's.  If I don't hear from you soon, I'm coming over there.
Scully?  Dammit, please pick up."

Margaret picked up the phone before Scully could stop her.  "Fox?
It's Margaret."

"Is Scully okay?"

"She's fine, Fox."

She could actually hear his relief over the line.  "Mrs. Scully,
is she there?"

"Yes, she is, Fox."  She watched her daughter walk into the
bedroom and close the door behind her.  "I'm sorry, Fox, she won't
come to the phone."

"That's okay, Mrs. Scully, as long as she's all right."  He
hesitated.  "Mrs. Scully, has she told you why she won't speak to
me?"

"Not yet, Fox, I haven't been here very long.  Listen, I'm going
to talk to her, see if I can get her to listen to some sense.
I'll call you later."

"Thanks, Mrs. Scully."  She could hear the defeat in his voice.

"Fox?  Is Walter there?"

"Yeah, just a minute."

A few seconds later Walter Skinner came on the line.  "Margaret?"

"Walter.  How is he doing?"

"What exactly is your daughter trying to do to him?  He's a
wreck."

Margaret sighed.  "I thought so.  I'm not sure what Dana is doing,
but I am going to find out.  Please, just take care of him until
we can get this all straightened out."

Margaret took a moment to compose herself before knocking on her
daughter's bedroom door.  Anger never worked with Dana.  "Dana,
honey?"  Margaret opened the door.  "Can I come in?"

"Mom, please.  I really don't want to talk about this right now."
Scully's voice was muffled by the door.

"Dana Katherine, open this door," Margaret said loudly.

The door opened to reveal her daughter's drawn, pale face.
"Please, Mom . . ."

Margaret entered the room and sat on the bed.  "Dana, you have to
deal with this.  It's not going to go away this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dana asked indignantly.

"Sit down, Dana."  Margaret patted the bed next to her.

"Mom--"

"Sit."

Dana sat down next to her mother but couldn't meet her gaze.

"Dana, I know this is a lot for you to take in right now.  This
must all seem very confusing."  Dana snorted, and Margaret shot
her a look.  "But, Dana, this isn't something you can just pack
away in boxes and pretend it didn't happen.  I know in the past
when things have become . . . tense between you and Fox, you have
both chosen to pretend it didn't happen.  But, sweetie, there is
someone else involved this time.  You have to think about the
baby."

"The baby.  A baby I didn't ask for.  My God, Mother, I am
pregnant by my *partner*!"  Dana got up and began to pace.  "What
am I going to do with a baby?"

"What were you going to do if they let you have Emily?" Margaret
asked, her voice soft and gentle.

Scully gasped.  "I-- I wasn't sure, I just knew I had to have her
with me."

"Why is this different, honey?  This is still your baby.  Only
this time you get to carry her and know her before she is born.
And this time you know the father is someone you-- someone you
care about."

"But--"

"What is it?  Do you think Fox won't make a good father?"

"No, I--"

"Because if that's the problem, I think you are dead wrong.  I'll
be honest, Dana, Fox Mulder isn't exactly the type of man I would
have chosen for you.  But I would have been wrong.  He is a good
man, a little on the eccentric side, but he has a good heart.  He
would do anything for you and this baby.  You know that, don't
you?"

"I just don't think it would be appropriate for--" Dana said
stiffly.

"Appropriate!"  Margaret gaped at her stubborn daughter.  "You
want appropriate?"  She shook her head.  "Honey, I don't think
appropriate is an option here."  She gentled her voice.  "Dana, I
know you're scared.  But hiding from Fox isn't going to make it
any easier.  If nothing else, he's your closest friend.  You could
use his support to try to get back the time you have lost."
Margaret brushed her daughter's hair back from her face.  "He is
this baby's father, and honey, he loves her so much.  Please don't
shut him out."

Scully turned tear-filled eyes on her mother.  "Oh, Mom, I'm so
scared."

Margaret pulled her into her arms.  "I know baby, I know."


End 6 of 10

Unreasonable Facsimile  part 7
by Deenalynn


"Mulder?  Mulder!"  Walter Skinner grabbed the younger man and
halted his progress.  "Mulder, please sit down.  Maggie will
call."

Mulder just looked at him blankly.  "What am I going to do if she
doesn't want me around?  If she doesn't want me to be a part of
her life, of the baby's life?"

"She doesn't get to make that decision, Mulder.  This is your
child too.  Scully can't just arbitrarily decide not to let you
see your child," Skinner said soothingly.

Mulder laughed bitterly.  "And just how am I supposed to stop her?
Take her to court?  I hate to break this to you, Sir, but it's
highly unlikely a judge is going to find me fit, considering my
history."

"It won't come to that, Mulder.  Scully is still in shock and I'm
sure more than a little confused."

"You dangerously underestimate my partner's capacity for denial,
Sir."  Mulder jumped slightly when the phone rang.

"Skinner."  He turned to Mulder and smiled.  "Yes, Scully, he's
right here."

                               ****

Half an hour later Mulder was in Scully's living room, waiting for
her to return with tea.  He took the time to look around the room.
He noticed sadly that every trace of Lisa had been removed.  He
looked up to find Scully watching him.  "You've been busy."  He
accepted the steaming cup she offered.

Scully sat in the armchair opposite him and shrugged.  "I just
wanted it back to the way it was."

"She had bought some really nice things.  Some of them I was sure
you would like."  He watched her carefully.

Once again Scully shrugged.  "My home felt uncomfortable.  I
changed it back."  She sipped her tea.

"Scully, erasing Lisa from your apartment isn't going to change
what happened."  He came to sit on the table facing her.  "It's
not going to change the fact that you are carrying my baby."

Scully squirmed a bit and laid her hand on her rounded abdomen.
"I know that, Mulder.  It just felt like someone else's home.  I
needed to make it feel like mine again."  She looked at him, her
eyes pleading for understanding.

"Okay, I guess that makes some sense.  Now are you ready to talk
to me about the rest of this?"

"What is there to talk about?"  She looked away.

"Wha-  Scully, even you can't hide from this."  He patted her
stomach.

"Please don't."  She pushed his hand away.  "Why is it everyone
seems to think that just because a woman is pregnant, she no
longer has any personal space requirements.  I saw people do this
to Ellen all the time and it bugged the hell out of me."

"Well, for one thing I am not just people, I am this baby's
father. I guess I just got used to certain things while--"  He saw
the look on her face and stopped suddenly.  "Listen, Scully, I'm
sorry I touched you without your permission.  It won't happen
again, okay?"  He moved back to his seat on the couch.

Scully could see that she had hurt him.  Obviously Lisa had
allowed him to be very involved in this pregnancy.  "Tell me about
her.  What was Lisa like?"  Mulder hesitated for a moment too
long.  "What is it, Mulder?  Was she that bad?  Or maybe she was
that good, hmm?" Scully said, her tone slightly challenging.

"She was, uh, Lisa was, she was very special."  Mulder glanced
briefly at his partner.  She refused to meet his eyes.  "She was
sweet and kind.  She liked to laugh even though this situation
meant that everything and everyone she had ever loved was a cruel
lie.  She was warm and friendly and people liked to be around her.
And *she* wanted this baby more than anything else in the world."

"She sounds pretty incredible.  Hard to believe they got all of
that from me."  She turned to face him again.  "Did you love her?"

Mulder shook his head emphatically.  "I cared about her a great
deal."  He could see her freeze.  "But most of that came from the
fact that she was you, Scully.  Yes, she was different in a lot of
ways but--"

"But what, Mulder?"

"She let me close.  I know she hoped that some day she and I could
come to terms with what had happened and have a chance together.
I knew that even though I was able to separate her and you, that
she was very different from you.  She couldn't.  She still thought
of me as her husband."  He cleared his throat.  "But she wasn't
you."

They were both silent for a few moments then Scully asked, "Why
did they do this, Mulder?  What purpose did it serve?  Did they
plan to leave us out there in--"

"Colville, Washington."

"--out there in Colville to live happily ever after as Nick and
Lisa?  I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do either, Scully.  I know they were very
surprised when I regained my memory.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't in
the plan.  When I brought you back here, I was worried they would
come after you.  We stayed at Skinner's for a while, but they made
no move.  I didn't hear a thing.  Even when we started poking
around, there was very little reaction.  So we moved in here."  He
indicated the apartment.

"I was going to ask about that.  Why were you living here with
her?"

Mulder could see this bothered her more than she was willing to
let on.  "Scully, as far as Lisa was concerned, *I* was her
husband.  She wanted me to live with her and our baby.  When I
suggested we live apart, she became quite upset.  All she knew was
the man she had been married to for twelve years, her baby's
father, would be living elsewhere.  To be honest, it made me feel
better to be close.  I felt they would be safe here with me."

"You have to know that I am uncomfortable with that.  You know how
important my privacy is to me, Mulder."

"Dammit, Scully!  Do you think I didn't consider that?  What would
you have me do instead?  You weren't here.  Lisa was and she
needed me.  Okay!  *She* wanted me here to help her, *she* wanted
me to be a part of this pregnancy, *she* was happy to be carrying
my child.  And you know what?  I wanted to be here.  To be with my
child's mother, to be a part of bringing her into this world," he
ground out, his jaw clenching tightly.  "I'm sorry that you have
had all of this dumped on you, but you're acting like you are the
only one affected by all of this."  He ran his hand through his
hair.  "I need to know.  Are you going to make it difficult for me
to be involved in my child's life?"

"I take it you have been very involved up 'til now?" Scully asked
quietly.

"Every step of the way.  I've been to all of her doctor's
appointments, all the tests, the ultrasounds.  At the last one, we
got a picture of the baby and got to hear her heartbeat.  It was
amazing," he said, smiling softly.

"Her?  The baby is a girl?"

"We never found out for sure, but we always referred to her as a
girl.  I guess we needed to make her more real than *it*."

Scully could see something in his eyes that had never been there
before.  A joy she had never thought possible and a terrible
sadness she recognised all too well.  "You really do want this
baby, don't you?"

Mulder came to crouch before her.  "Yes, I do.  I love this little
one.  When I first regained my memory, my first thought was that
this wasn't what Scully would want.  But you weren't there and
Lisa wanted the baby so much.  I guess I got caught up in her
enthusiasm.  I also think that a part of me thought that if I
never got you back, at least I had our child."

Scully was speechless.  She had no idea that this meant so much to
him.  She should have known that he would want and love any child
of his.  What surprised her was that it meant so much to him that
the baby was hers.  "What would have happened if I had never
regained my memory, Mulder?"

Mulder sighed.  "Lisa asked me that same question not long ago.
I'll give you the same answer I gave her.  I don't know.  I tried
not to think about that too much."

"Why?"

Mulder turned incredulous eyes on her.  "Why?  Because it hurt too
damn much to think I was never going to have you back in my life.
That's why."  He stood and began to pace.  "Lisa wanted to know if
I thought there was a chance that she and I could ever be
together.  I couldn't answer her.  Not because I didn't know the
answer but because I didn't want to hurt her.  Every time she got
close, every time I held her, when I kissed her--"  He looked down
when he heard Scully gasp.  "When I *kissed* her, it felt like I
was betraying *you*.  I was doing these things without your
consent.  I was terrified that I would never get you back and yet
I was never going to be free to care about this wonderful loving
woman who wanted me in her life."

His impassioned words left Scully speechless for a moment.  She
knew he would be a wonderful father.  This was something she had
always believed.  But it wasn't supposed to happen this way.
There should only be happiness.  When she had dreamed about having
a baby, having *his* baby, there had been no conspiracy, no fear,
only joy and excitement.  But this was still *their baby*, a
miracle and she still had a chance, maybe her only one.  She made
a decision.  "Mulder, I want you to be a part of this baby's life.
As involved as you want to be.  She is yours as much as mine and
she deserves to know that she has a wonderful daddy who loves her
so much," Scully said quietly.  "I grew up with an absent father.
I know it was the nature of his job, but when I was six, all I
knew was that my daddy couldn't come to my dance recital.  He even
missed my graduation.  I don't want that for our baby.  I want her
to have her daddy there for *all* of her big moments."  It wasn't
the perfect solution but at least he would be here.  At least he
loved the baby.

"Thank you, Scully.  You have no idea how much this means to me."
He sat down facing her once again.  "And what about you?  Are you
going to want to be a part of my life again?"

"Of course, Mulder.  You're my partner, and if we're going to
catch the bastards that did this we're going to have to do it
together."

Mulder nodded.  He knew this was all he could ask for right now.
She was still adjusting to their new situation.

"Um, Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, where were you planning on living?"

Mulder sighed.  "I haven't had time to look for a place, Scully."

Scully fiddled nervously with the cushion on the chair.  "You
could stay here.  All of your things are already here and it
really would make it easier for you to be involved.  With the baby
that is.  If you want to be a real, full-time father, you need to
be close.  Right?  There is no way you are going to find an
apartment nearby, and it would be difficult for you to be truly
involved if you lived too far away."  She knew she was babbling
and was powerless to stop.  This was too important.  She held her
breath.

"Thanks, Scully.  I wasn't looking forward to apartment hunting.
Besides that, I've enjoyed not living alone.  Didn't realise how
quiet and dull my apartment was.  I've gotten used to having
another person around," Mulder smiled sadly.  Beggars can't be
choosers and he was willing to take whatever she could offer.

"Like I said, I want you to be a part of our, of the baby's life.
It would be easier if you lived here."  Not exactly the way she
had imagined it, but it was a start.

Mulder thought for a moment.  "Are you sure, Scully?  *You* aren't
used to having another person in your home.  I won't make you
uncomfortable?"

Scully smiled and reached out to take his hand, surprising both
herself and her partner.  "It is very likely that at some point
you will drive me completely crazy.  But that's okay.  I'm sure
I'll drive you nuts too.  But I can't see any reason why we
shouldn't just leave things as they are for now."

"It's just that this morning you wouldn't even speak to me."

"Well, there was a very wise lady, and she knocked some sense into
this stubborn head of mine."  She grinned remembering her mother's
*tender* words.  "But, Mulder, you have to remember that I'm not
Lisa."  This earned her a really big grin.  "What's so damn
funny?"

"Isn't that an old country song?  'I'm Not Lisa'?  I think it
was from the early seventies."

Scully did her best to hide her smile.  "I'm trying to be serious
here, Mulder."

"Ahem, yes, Scully, I know you aren't Lisa.  Lisa worried
constantly that all I saw when I looked at her was you.  It
shouldn't be a problem."

They were both quiet for a moment, contemplating the decision they
had made.  It wasn't exactly what either of them wanted, but it
was all they thought they could have.

Scully broke the silence.  "Well.  Then that's settled."  She sat
up straighter, then said, "Now, I need you to tell me *everything*
you know about what was done to us."

                               ****

They had spent the entire afternoon discussing what Mulder and the
others had been able to find out about the special effects that
had been done to their memories.  Now they sat at the computer
going over some of the information the Gunmen had sent them.
"Dammit!"  Mulder slapped the monitor.

"What is it, Mulder?"  Scully looked up from the printout she was
reading.

"Dr. Stewart is dead."  Mulder scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Which one was Dr. Stewart?"

Mulder sighed and looked at her again.  "He's the doctor in
Bellefleur.  The one who gave Skinner and I the antidote.  We
thought we had him covered."  He handed her the message from the
Gunmen.  Mulder knew that Stewart may have been their last chance
to find out exactly what had been done to them.

Scully read it then raised her eyes to look at her partner.  "Do
you think when they took me and found the antidote in my system,
that they made the connection?"

"Shit, I hadn't thought about that, but you're probably right.
Damn, he had kids."

Scully stood and came to stand behind him.  "Mulder, that man
*chose* to take the chances he did.  He was greedy.  He knew who
the people he worked for were.  He knew what they were doing to
innocent women.  So, yes, while I do feel for his wife and
children, I can't say I am sorry that a man who could sell his
humanity is dead."

"I know, Scully.  When I found out that he knew what had been done
to you, I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.  I just hope his
children *never* find out what kind of man their father was."
He leaned his head back against her.  "The disillusionment can be
a bitch."

Scully brushed his hair back from his forehead.  "Well, let's hope
his kids go through life thinking their daddy was Superman."

He tipped his head backwards and smiled at her upside down.  "Are
you going to tell this one her daddy is Superman?"

"Nope."

Disappointed frown.  "Nope?"

"I think you're more the Batman type.  Don't you?"

"Oooh, Scully, does that make you Catwoman?"

Somehow the leer was less effective when viewed from this angle.
She hid her grin and patted him on the head.  "I'm hungry.  You
want a snack?"  She headed for the kitchen.

Mulder, still trying to catch up to the lightning fast mood
changes followed, shaking his head and muttering about hormones.

                          ****

Several days later Scully was working at the computer when the
doorbell rang.  Mulder was at work and there were supposed to be
agents at the entry to the building.  She checked the peephole,
then threw the door open.  "What the hell do you want, you
bastard?"

"Now, now, Agent Scully.  You mustn't get upset.  It's bad for the
baby."  The smoking man strode past her into the apartment.  "You
know, I have always liked this place.  You make it feel very
homey.  Is it going to be big enough for all three of you once the
baby is born?"  He pulled out a cigarette and moved to light it.

"I'd rather you didn't.  It's 'bad for the baby'," Scully said,
her voice taught with anger.

"Of course, how thoughtless of me."  He returned both lighter and
cigarette to his pocket.

"What do you want?" Scully asked again.

"I'm just here to make a friendly call.  See how the little mother
and baby are doing."

"Listen you sonofa-"

"Uh, uh.  Calm down.  I'm not here to cause you any harm.  Please,
may we sit?"

Scully stared at him incredulously.  "Say what you have to say
then *get out*!"

He nodded.  "That's fine.  I am here to tell you that nothing was
done to your child.  It is perfectly normal in every way.  There
was no genetic magic worked on either your ova or Agent Mulder's
sperm."

"Our doctor already told us all of this."

"I'm sure she did.  But I am also sure that there has been doubt
in your mind.  What we may have done that the good doctor couldn't
detect.  Am I wrong?"

Scully just looked at him, her face calm.

"I also thought you might like to know there were no test-tubes
involved in your baby's conception.  I know it probably hasn't
crossed your mind, but I do know it preyed on Mrs. Miller a great
deal."

"But that's impossible, I can't--"

"You have that wrong, Miss Scully.  You couldn't.  We did a
little repair work while you were our guest."

"Why would you do that for us?"  This man's motives were always
purely selfish.

"You were never supposed to regain your memories.  You were both
supposed to live happily ever after in Colville.  The happily
married parents of a miracle baby.  Agents Mulder and Scully
should have remained dead."

"Why?"

"It was a compromise.  Mulder was becoming a hindrance.  He needed
to be removed.  Loyalties prevented me from killing him outright.
This was the best solution for all involved," he said
confidently.

Scully laughed bitterly, astounded at the man's gall.  "You
thought tearing us away from our lives, from our families, taking
who we *are* away from us, was a good solution for *us*?"  She
turned her back on him to gather herself.  "You people have
absolutely no humanity left in you at all, do you?"

"You should be pleased to know that the termination order has been
lifted for your partner, Agent Scully."

"I thought you just said he couldn't be killed?" she asked, her
voice tight.

"I said loyalties prevented *me* from killing him.  My associates
felt no such loyalty."  He smiled at her.  "We believe that Agent
Mulder will be more likely to keep his nose clean now, given that
he has the right incentive."  He looked at her rounded abdomen.
"Good day, Agent Scully, and congratulations."


End 7 of 10

Unreasonable Facsimile  part 8
by Deenalynn


Mulder and Skinner looked up surprised as Scully burst into the
AD's office unannounced.  "I'm sorry, Sir, she--" Skinner's
hapless assistant began.

Skinner waved her off.  "Don't worry about it, Kim.  Thank you."
When the assistant had left the room, both men approached Scully.

"Are you okay?"  Mulder got to her first and reached for her hand.

Scully shook him off, ignoring the hurt expression she caused.
"No, I'm not okay."

Mulder forgot his hurt and moved on to worried.  "What's wrong?
What happened?"  For the first time he noticed the high colour in
her cheeks.

"I had company today."  She sat on the couch.

Mulder sat beside her.  "Who?"

"Our friend Mr. Spender."

"What?  How the hell did he even get into the building?"  Mulder
turned to Skinner.  "Where were her guards?"

"I don't know, Mulder, but I will find--"

Scully interrupted him.  "Don't blame them, Sir.  Evidently one of
my neighbours had a bit of an *accident* on the stairs.  The
agents were helping her."

Neither man had any doubts about the cause of the neighbour's
*accident*.  "What did he want?" Mulder asked.

"He said he just wanted to assure me that the baby was normal and
that you were safe as long as you keep your nose clean."  She
braced herself for the explosion.

It never came.  "Do you believe him?" he asked softly.

"What?"  Scully wasn't prepared for the question.

"Do you believe him?  Do you think they'll leave us alone?"

"Mulder."  She glanced at Skinner.  He shrugged.  "I think he was
telling the truth.  But so what?  We aren't going to stop trying
to find your sister.  We aren't going to leave these men to their
agendas.  So it doesn't matter what he said."

Mulder was shocked.  "You think we should keep fighting?"

"Of course I do."  She laid her hand on his arm.  "Mulder, we've
managed to stay alive and afloat this long.  Maybe we won't be
able to be as obvious about our investigations, but we can't stop
altogether.  After everything they've done to us, I refuse to
give in to them," she said adamantly.

Mulder had to smile.  No one could ever accuse his Scully of being
a shrinking violet.  "Are you sure, Scully?  We have the baby to
think about now.  She's the most important thing we have to
consider."

Scully was stunned.  For the first time she was seeing just *how*
important this baby was to her partner.  "I know that, Mulder.
But I also would like to have a little bit of control over the
type of world we raise our daughter in.  Wouldn't you?"

                            ****

The next two weeks were spent trying to find whatever they could
on their smoking nemesis, using everything at their disposal, be
it completely legal or not.  They all called in every favour owed
them.  They begged, borrowed, bought, threatened and stole to get
the necessary information.  Mulder refused to travel, so Skinner
did much of their legwork for them.  The partners' time was spent
going through the reams of paper the Gunmen and Skinner sent them
each day, as well as what they were able to dig up themselves.
Mulder had been sure that once again the smoking man's associates
were not aware of all his dealings, that he had double-crossed his
new *partners* the same way he had the ones killed at El Rico.  He
had been right.  They had now accumulated enough proof of
back-stabbing and dirty triple-crosses to build themselves a nice
fat insurance policy.  They couldn't put him and his cronies away
and they may never be one hundred percent safe.  But it would now
be in Mr. Spender's best interest to make sure that Mulder, Scully
and their child remained in tip-top health for a very long time to
come.  Regardless of how dirty their noses got.

                               ****

On the home front, things were still tense.  They had settled into
their living arrangement as best they could.  Mulder remembered to
treat her as his partner and Scully pretended not to notice when
he slipped.  Things were often tense as they both tried to figure
out where they fit in each other's plans for the future.  When
they spoke, it was about the work.  Neither one wanted to break
the stalemate and discuss their personal future.  Scully would
often catch Mulder watching her with a bittersweet expression in
his eyes, but she lacked the courage to ask him about it.  She
did, however, find it frustrating that he refused to talk about
the way things had been for him while she was gone.  Every time
she brought it up, he changed the subject.

                               ****

Baltimore, Maryland
March 18
12:15 p.m.


"Dana!  Hi, honey.  What brings you by?"  Margaret pulled her into
a tight hug.

"I need to talk to you, Mom," Scully said seriously.

"Nothing's wrong, is it?" Margaret asked as she led her daughter
into the kitchen.

As Margaret went about making tea, Scully sat at the kitchen
table.  She was now seven and a half months along and feeling
rather bulky.  "Not so much wrong, Mom, as off."

"Everything's okay with the baby, isn't it?"  Scully nodded.
"Okay then, it's Fox.  What happened?"  Margaret joined her at the
table with two steaming cups of herb tea.

Scully sighed.  "I'm not sure, Mom.  He seems, I don't know,
different somehow.  I mean, Mulder's always been a bit
touchy-feely.  You know it bugged the hell out of me when we first
met."  Margaret nodded.  "Well now, he's even worse.  He comes
home from work, he kisses me on the cheek.  I get a kiss on the
cheek good night.  For crying out loud, he tried to *hold my hand*
the other day when we went grocery shopping.  I felt like an idiot
when I pulled away from him."

Margaret had to hide her smile.  She had been a bit worried about
this.  Lisa had allowed Fox a lot of physical closeness.  "Dana,
have you spoken to Fox about it?"

"How?  What am I supposed to say to him?  'Oh, sorry, Mulder, but
please don't touch me.'  I can't hurt him like that, Mom.  The
thing that makes me wonder is that it is so natural to him to do
these things."  Scully shifted in her seat.  "Mom, I need to know
about Mulder and Lisa."  When Margaret started to protest she held
up her hand.  "I know what you're going to say, Mom, but I did
ask him.  He won't talk about it.  That first night he told me a
bit about her but since then he's clammed up."  She turned
beseeching eyes on her mother.  "Mom, was Mulder in love with
Lisa?"

Margaret moved to sit beside her daughter.  "Oh, Dana.  That is
such a complicated question."

"No, Mom, it's not.  But I guess I have my answer," Scully said
sadly.

"I don't think you do.  Dana, when you were Lisa, Fox was frantic.
All he wanted was to bring you back to yourself.  But Lisa was
here and she needed us all to help her.  She was terrified and
so lost and she let Fox be there for her.  She leaned on him and
was willing to let him take care of her when she needed it."  She
looked up sharply when Scully snorted.  "Now don't you give me
that, young lady.  Lisa wasn't weak, she gave back as much as she
took.  She was there for all of us when we were missing you.
Including Fox.  Dana, you have to try to understand.  None of us
were sure we were ever going to get you back, so we tried to make
the best of the situation.  We made Lisa a part of our family.  I
think of all of us, it was the hardest for Fox.  To me, you are my
daughter, no matter what name you use or how different your
personality may be.  It was the same for your brothers, they're
family.  But for Fox, Lisa was no longer the woman he had fallen
in love with--"

"Mom!"

Margaret continued as though she hadn't been interrupted.  "Yet
here was this wonderful, warm, loving, woman who adored him.  You
see, Lisa was never quite able to separate Fox and her Nick.  To
her, they were the same man, so she easily transferred her love
for Nick to Fox.  I noticed almost immediately how much more
tactile Fox was with her, but you know what, I don't think it had
anything particular to do with Lisa.  I think it was the way he
had always been inclined to be with you but you had never allowed
it.  She did."

"I have never--"

Margaret patted her hand.  "I know you didn't do it intentionally,
honey, but you do have a way of letting people know how you feel,
without saying a word.  Especially Fox."

Scully nodded glumly.  "I know you're right, Mom, but--"

"But what?  Do you want the kisses and the touches to stop?"

"No!  I mean, no, not really.  I was more worried that they were
because he was missing Lisa.  I just wasn't sure if it was me he
was kissing.  Sometimes I'll catch him looking at me and it is
just so--"  Scully waved her hands helplessly.

"So what, Dana?"

Scully smiled at her mother.  "He looks at me and makes me feel
like I am God's one perfect creation.  It's the most amazing
feeling, Mom.  I know it has a lot to do with this baby I'm
carrying but, Mom, I want him to look at *me* like that.  I guess
I was a little worried that he was seeing Lisa when he looks at me
that way."

"Oh, Dana, no.  It's you he's seeing, believe me.  Yes, Fox cared
about Lisa.  But, honey, he *loves* you."

After that, the conversation went downhill from Scully's point of
view.  She got a rather strict lecture on acting like a mature
adult and just "damn well telling the man how she felt".  Her
mother had given her some very sound advice and made her promise
to think very long and hard about what she had been told.

                               ****

When Mulder returned home from work the apartment was dark.  He
thought Scully was still at her mother's until he saw the shadow
on the couch.  "Scully?  You okay?"

"I'm fine, Mulder," she answered, her voice barely a whisper.

Mulder managed not to flinch at her pat answer and moved to sit
next to her.  "Why is it so dark in here?"  He could barely see
her face as she turned to look around the room.

"I guess I didn't realise . . ."  She let her words drift off.

"Hey."  He reached up and stroked her cheek softly.  "What's up?
I thought you were seeing your mom today."

"I did."

Mulder sighed.  This was going to be one of *those* conversations.
"Did your mom say anything to upset you?"

"No, of course not.  Well, not really."

"Scully, you want to help me out here?  I'm at a bit of a loss."

Scully finally seemed to snap out of her little fugue.  "I'm
sorry, Mulder.  I had a really good visit with Mom.  It's just
that she said a few things to me that left me with some thinking
to do."

"Good thinking?"  Mulder wasn't sure he liked the look in her
eyes.

Scully looked at him.  "Just thinking."

"You going to share with the rest of us?" he asked cheekily.

"I will.  Just not quite yet, okay?"  Her eyes asked for
understanding.

Mulder nodded, but made a mental note to bring this up again in
the near future.  He knew his partner well enough to know that she
would file this away and never revisit it.  Right now, she
needed cheering up.  "I have an idea.  You've been stuck in this
house forever.  Let's get dressed up like real people and go out
for dinner."  Mulder put as much enthusiasm into his voice as
possible.

"Mulder," Scully sighed.  "I have nothing to wear that would be
suitable for dinner out."

"I happen to know that Lisa bought some very nice dresses.  They
should be in the boxes."  He saw Scully stiffen at the mention of
the other woman's name.

"I don't want--"

"Scully, they're just clothes."

"I know.  I just--"

Mulder grabbed her hands.  "Look at me.  You did nothing wrong.  I
know you hate what happened to you.  I hate it too.  But none of
it was our fault.  Personally, I'm choosing to be grateful for
what happened."  He smiled at her belly.

Scully pulled abruptly away.  "That's easy for you, Mulder.
You're not the one pregnant, are you?"

Mulder was stunned.  "Sc-"  He cleared his throat nervously.
"Scully, do you not want this baby?" he whispered.

"Mulder.  Dammit.  I am pregnant by a man I don-"  She stopped.
"I didn't plan this baby.  I didn't ask for this baby.  This isn't
what I wanted!"

Mulder felt himself grow cold.  Everything just shut down.  She
didn't want the baby.  She didn't want his *baby*.  He opened his
mouth and nothing came out.  He couldn't think of anything to say.
Nothing could make this better.  All he could see was the baby who
meant everything to him, was making Scully miserable.  He got up
and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Mulder?" Scully asked.

"I-- I have to-- I--"  He left.

                               ****

Walter Skinner was more than just a little surprised to see his
agent on his doorstep.  "Mulder, what's going on?"

"May I come in, Sir?"

"Of course."  He stepped aside and let Mulder enter.  He didn't
like the set of Mulder's shoulders.  "Have a seat.  You want
something to drink?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," Mulder said absently.

"I wasn't drinking until you got here.  Beer fine?"

"Yeah."

Skinner got the drinks then joined Mulder in his living room.  "So
what brings you here?  I thought you were going to take Scully out
for dinner."

"Yeah, well, seems she wasn't in the mood," Mulder said bitterly.

"Why?  What happened?  Is she okay?"

"She's just a little depressed at the prospect of having my baby,"
Mulder said calmly, taking a long pull on his beer.  "Seems that
this isn't what she wants.  Isn't what she *planned* for."

"This isn't what anyone would plan for, Mulder--"

Mulder slammed his beer bottle down on the table.  "Don't you
think I know that.  Dammit!  You all seem to think that none of
this is having any effect on me.  Well, they stole my life too.
But here's the best part.  *I* get to remember how good it can be.
*I* get to remember what it's like to come home each night with a
woman I adore who loves me in return.  *I* get to remember having
a job I excel at, where my colleagues like and respect me.  *I*
get to remember what it's like not to have to look over my
shoulder, not to wonder whether or not my father sold his soul and
my sister to the devil.  Best of all, *I* get to remember how much
better off I was as Nick Miller than I am as myself," he finished,
his voice cracking.

Skinner was speechless for a moment.  He'd had no idea.  "Mulder,
I'm not sure what to say.  I'm sorry.  We all assumed you were
handling it.  You seemed to adjust so easily.  I should have
known.  It was all for Lisa, wasn't it?"

Mulder nodded.  "She was so scared.  I was all she had.  I
couldn't be screwed up.  By the time we got Scully back, I thought
I had it under control."  He looked up at his boss.  "But hearing
her say she doesn't want to have my baby because she doesn't love
me, I guess . . ."

Skinner gasped.  She'd said *what*?  "Mulder, I'm sure you
misunderstood."

Mulder snorted.  "Oh, she was pretty clear, Sir.  She didn't want
to have a baby with a man she doesn't love.  Clear and concise.
This is Scully, remember.  She doesn't prevaricate.  It's not her
style."  He cleared his throat.  "She meant it."

Skinner was at a loss.  He would have bet his life that Scully
loved Mulder as much as he loved her.  But Mulder was right.  She
wasn't one to beat around the bush.  He couldn't see her lying to
Mulder on this subject.  It was very confusing.

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened today, Mulder."  All
else fails, investigate.

Mulder told him about coming home to the darkened apartment and
the details of his conversation with Scully.  "And I couldn't
think of anything to say that wouldn't make things worse, so I
left."

"She saw her mother today?"

"Yeah, she said she had some things she needed to talk to her
about.  She planned to spend the day there.  She said they had a
good visit."

"Have you spoken to Margaret about this?" Skinner asked.

"No.  I'm not sure I want to put Mrs. Scully in that position.  I
don't want her to betray a confidence and I really don't want to
worry her."

"Mulder, you can't let this go.  Look how upset this has you.
What are you going to do?  Go home and pretend it never happened?
Take it from me, it doesn't make for a strong relationship."

"Not a problem, Sir.  I am going to be moving out as soon as
possible."

"Mulder, no!  You can't.  What about the baby?"  Skinner was
beginning to feel a bit out of control.

"I am this baby's father, Sir.  I *will* be there for her.
However, making her mother miserable during her pregnancy is
certainly *not* good for the baby."

Before Skinner could reply the phone interrupted him.  "I'm
expecting a call.  Would you excuse me, Mulder?"  He went to the
den to answer.  "Skinner."

"Hello, Walter.  It's Margaret Scully."

"Hello, Margaret.  What can I do for you?"  All Skinner could
think was, that didn't take long.

"Walter, is Fox there?"

"Yes, he is."

"Is he all right?"

"No.  No, Margaret, he isn't.  Seems your daughter dumped a pretty
big bomb on him today.  He doesn't know whether he's coming or
going."

"She actually told him?  Why wouldn't she tell me that?" Margaret
said more to herself than Skinner.

"You knew?"  Skinner was flabbergasted.  He was sure Margaret was
in Mulder's corner.

"Of course I knew.  I was the one who insisted she tell him.  What
I don't understand is why he left her alone and in tears."

"What did you expect him to do Margaret?  Stick around?  She hurt
him.  Badly.  He's talking about moving out."

"What?  Why?"

"I guess he doesn't want to be where he's not welcome," Skinner
said tersely.

"Not welc-  Walter, what exactly did Dana say to Fox?"

"She told him she didn't love him and she was upset that she was
having his baby."

Margaret was stunned absolutely speechless.  Where on earth had
that come from?  When she had spoken to Dana, not twenty minutes
ago, she had been devastated that Mulder had walked out on her.
She had mentioned nothing about not wanting the baby.  "Walter.
You need to get Fox home.  I'm on my way there now.  I was worried
about Dana, she sounded so upset about Fox.  Walter, there has
been a terrible misunderstanding."

"I'm not sure how easy that will be, Margaret.  He's pretty
upset."

"Tell him it's for me.  That I need him to be there.  Just do your
best."  She ended the call.

Skinner hung up the phone and stared at the door.  This ought to
be interesting.  Mulder looked up when Skinner re-entered the
room.  "Mulder, that was Margaret Scully."

Mulder sat up straighter.  "Is everything okay?  It's not Scully,
is it?"

Skinner held up a hand.  "Slow down.  Everything is fine except
Margaret received a tearful phone call from her daughter.  Seems
her partner walked out on her."

"What?  Why was Scully crying?"

"I don't know, Mulder.  Why don't you go home and ask her?"


End 8 of 10

Unreasonable Facsimile  part 9
by Deenalynn


Mulder stood outside the apartment door.  He was terrified to go
inside.  Terrified to hear Scully say once and for all that she
didn't want his baby.  On the drive over, he had made some
decisions.  He was going to tell Scully he was willing to take the
baby and raise her himself.  Scully could decide for herself how
involved she wanted to be.  He knew she would object.  After all,
what did he know about raising a child?  But really, what did any
first time parent know?  He wasn't any different.  He knew his
mother would be more than willing to help as anxious as she was to
become a grandma.  It was the best way.  At least then Scully
might not feel quite as trapped and the baby would be raised where
she was wanted.

Scully answered his knock immediately.  "Hey."

"Hello, Scully."  Mulder noted the puffy eyes, red nose and
slightly blotchy skin.  She had been crying, hard, recently.  "May
I come in?"

"Oh!  Yeah, sorry, of course."  She stepped aside to let him pass.
"Please sit down.  Can I get you anything?" she asked, fidgeting
nervously with her hands.

"No, thank you.  I'm fine."  Mulder sat on the couch.

Scully perched on the chair opposite him.  Silence filled the room
until Scully could no longer stand it.  "For Christ's sake,
Mulder.  We're acting like we barely know each other," she
blurted.

"I'm sorry, Scully.  I just-- I'm a little unsure why you wanted
me here."

"What?  You're unsure?  You're the one who walked out on me.
Remember?"  Scully was hanging on to her temper by a thread.

"Excuse me if hearing my child is unwanted by her mother upsets
me.  I'll try to work on thickening my skin," Mulder shot back
bitterly.

"What are you talking about?  Of course I want this baby, why
wouldn't I?"

"But earlier you said--"

"What did I say, Mulder?"  She crossed her arms in front of her.

Mulder wasn't about to back down.  "You said you didn't want *my*
baby.  You hadn't planned things this way.  You didn't want to
have a baby with a man you didn't love."  Mulder stopped when his
voice broke.

"Oh, Mulder."  Scully moved to sit beside him on the couch.  "Of
course I didn't plan it this way.  Who would?"  She held up her
hand when he began to speak.  "Let me finish this time.  Maybe
this isn't the way I would have planned things.  I didn't *plan*
Emily either, but did you ever doubt that I loved her?"

"No.  But Emily wasn't . . ."  Mulder let the rest of his answer
trail off.

"No, Emily wasn't yours.  I didn't know who or what Emily's father
was.  But I still loved her and I still wanted her.  This baby."
She placed both hands on her tummy.  "This baby's father is my
dearest friend.  A man who has always been there for me no matter
what.  A man who loved my daughter even though she wasn't his.  A
man who will make a wonderful daddy."  The tears were falling as
she reached for his hand and set it beside hers over their baby.
"Now, what possible reason could I have for not wanting this
baby?"

Mulder stared at her dumbfounded.  "Are you sure, Scully?" he
whispered.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," she
whispered back.


                               ****

Late that night Mulder was awakened by Scully's terrified cries.
He rushed into her room gun drawn to find his partner in the
throes of a nightmare.

"No!  Please-- Not-- Please, not my baby!  --good mommy.  NICKY!"

Mulder shook her gently.  "Scully, wake up.  C'mon it's just a
dream, wake up."

She seemed to relax for a moment.  Then suddenly she sat up and
was clinging to him.  "Oh, God, Nicky, it was awful.  They were
trying to take my baby away.  They said I was crazy."  She was in
tears now, grasping at his shirt.

"Scully?  Please wake up."  Mulder shook her again.

"Just hold me please, Nick.  It'll go away if you just hold me."
Scully lay down, pulling Mulder down with her.

"Scully!"  Mulder was becoming frantic.  What if this wasn't just
a dream?  But why wasn't she answering him?  "Lisa?"

"Hmm."  She snuggled into his arms.

"Lisa, you have to wake up now okay?  You're having a bad dream."

"Shhh, Nick, go back to sleep, babe."  She ran her hand up his
back soothingly.  She kissed his neck softly.

"Lisa, no!  You have to wake up!"  Mulder tried to pull out of her
arms.

"Wha-?  Mulder?  What are you do- oh God!"  Scully was fully awake
now.

Mulder sat up.  "You okay?"

"I think so.  The dream was so real.  I think-- I think I'm
remembering bits of Lisa's life."  She looked up at him.

"What do you remember?"  He settled back against the headboard.

"Just snapshots really.  Little pieces that don't fit together.  I
*do* remember how much she loved her husband, and how much she
wanted this baby."  She rubbed her eyes.  "In the dream they were
taking the baby.  They told her that she wasn't fit.  She couldn't
even remember who she was, so how could she take care of her baby.
Oh, God, Mulder, it was awful."

Mulder nodded and picked up Scully's hand.  "She had that dream
just after we got back here.  It *was* awful.  She was
hysterical."

"What happened?"  Scully began to twine her fingers with his.

"I promised her that I would never let anyone take her baby from
her."

"And she believed you?"

"Yeah, she believed me."  Mulder smiled.

"I'm glad."  She smiled at his puzzled look.  "I'm glad you could
take away that pain.  No mother should ever have to fear losing
their child."

Mulder placed a soft kiss on the hand he held.  "You're right.  I
will make you the same promise I made her.  I'll do everything
in my power to protect our child.  Everything."

"I know you will, Mulder.  I never doubted it."  She smiled at
him, her eyes drooping.

"I should let you get back to sleep."  Mulder began to get up.

Scully refused to let go of his hand.  "Mulder."  She hesitated.
"Stay."

"Scully--"

"Please, Mulder."  When he still hesitated she looked like she
was about to cry.  "I don't want these memories.  They hurt too
damn much."

"Oh, Scully."  He slid under the covers with her.  "I'm sorry.  I
guess I've just been living with them so long, I forgot how hard
it can be."  He reached up and stroked her face, wiping away the
tears.  "It'll be okay.  I promise.  Lisa had a lot of good
memories too."

"I know.  It's just the bad ones are so-- so sad."

"I know.  She was in a lot of pain while she was here with me.
Worrying about the baby constantly, wondering what her future
would hold.  But you and I are going to build a whole lifetime of
new and wonderful memories.  Those sad days are all behind us.  I
promise."  He smiled brightly.

"God, I love you."

They were both startled by the suddenness of her declaration.
Mulder recovered quickly.  "I know, and I love you too."  He
kissed her softly on the tip of her nose.

She turned to him more fully.  "You know.  For the first time, I'm
wishing I weren't quite *so* pregnant," she said mischievously.

"I can relate, Scully, I can relate."  He leaned closer and kissed
her.  The kiss started out soft, gentle, almost experimental.  It
soon gave way to passion and need.

Soon Scully pulled away panting.  "Well."  She cleared her throat.
"That was nice."  She grinned at his shocked expression.

"Nice!"  He growled.  "I'll show you nice, young lady."  He
grabbed his now laughing partner.

Scully now had tears of laughter running down her cheeks as her
partner tickled and kissed every patch of bare skin he could find.
"Mulder, stop.  I can't breathe."  She was laughing so hard she
could barely speak.

Mulder moved up the bed again to capture her lips for another
hungry kiss.  "Soooo, Agent Scully.  Nice?"  He grinned
lasciviously at her.

"Oh, yes, Agent Mulder.  Definitely nice," she said around a huge
yawn.

He tucked the blanket up more firmly around her.  "You need to get
back to sleep.  No more playtime," he said, smiling.

"I know.  I'm exhausted.  I just have such a tough time getting
comfortable wearing this beach ball."  She twisted a bit on the
bed.  "I try the pillow thing but it always ends up on the floor."

"C'mere."  He pulled her closer to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Just c'mere.  You'll see."  He rearranged her so she was as close
as she could get to his side, with her head resting on his chest
just below his shoulder.  He then pulled her top leg so it rested
across his thighs.  "There, how's that?"

Scully was still for a moment.  Then she wrapped her arm across
his
chest and snuggled even closer.  "Perfect."  She tilted her head
for a quick kiss.  "Where'd you learn this?"

Mulder was quiet for a moment.  "Lisa showed me."  He felt Scully
start.  "Just hang on.  She had really bad back pain for a while.
She couldn't sleep.  She couldn't keep the pillow in place either,
so Angela recommended this.  It was only to help her.  When the
back pain died down, I went back to sleeping in my own bed."

"Oh.  Mulder, have I ever thanked you for taking such good care of
me while I was Lisa?"

"Scully, you don't have to thank me.  It was selfish.  I needed to
be near you.  No matter what you thought your name was.  So you
don't owe me any thanks."

"Hmm.  I'm just glad I'm back to enjoy this."  She placed a soft
kiss on his chest.

He kissed the top of her head.  As she fell asleep she heard him
say, "Me too, Scully.  Me too."

                               ****

When she first woke up, Scully wasn't quite sure where she was.
All she knew was that there was someone in bed with her.  She
lifted her head from its breathing pillow and looked into the eyes
of her partner.

"Hey there."  He greeted her with a gentle kiss.  "You're awake."
Mulder smiled sweetly.

"Hmmm.  Yeah."  She snuggled back into his chest.  "Good morning,"
she mumbled.

"I think I could get used to this," he said.

"I think I already am," she answered, running her hand over his
chest.  "Mm gonna sleep some more, 'kay?" she said, drifting off.

"Okay."

                           ****

Over breakfast Scully brought up a new subject.  "So, Mulder, what
are we going to name this little one?"

Mulder looked up from his paper, shocked.  "Name her?"

"Yes, Mulder, name her.  We have to have something to yell when
she hits her teens."  She grinned as he stuck his tongue out at
her.

"I guess I've just never really thought about it."  He set the
paper aside.  "Do you have any favourites?"

"I'm not sure.  There's quite a few I like.  I'm just not sure if
they work."

"Work?"

"Yes, work.  You know, sound right with her last name, aren't too
odd, that kind of thing.  Oh, and we have to eliminate anything
that starts with an M."

Mulder was getting lost, quickly.  "You have something against
Ms?"

She looked at him as though he were a complete and utter moron.
"Would *you* like to have the initials MM?"

"Gladly, it would mean *my* name wasn't *Fox*."

Scully laughed.  "Yeah, I can see your point, but still no Ms."

Mulder nodded.  "So, what names do you like?"

Scully grabbed paper and pen.  "I've always liked Sarah.  It's
pretty without being cutsie and it's nice and traditional.  I also
like Rebecca for the same reasons."

"Those are both nice," he agreed.

"Or we could go the family name route.  My mom's maiden name is
Taylor.  How about yours?"

"Definitely not applicable.  My mom's maiden name is Kuipers."

"Oh.  Well, no, that wouldn't work, would it."  Scully thought for
a moment.  "How about Darcy?  I've always had a soft spot for
that name."

"Closet Austen fan are we, Scully?" Mulder teased.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she said defiantly.  "I always wanted
a girl I could name Emma.  But now . . ."  Her voice trailed off.

Mulder took her hand.  "We could still call her Emma," he said
quietly.

"No.  It would be too hard.  I want it to be just hers.  No sad
associations."

"Well, Darcy *is* cute."  Mulder thought for a moment.  "Who were
you named for?"

"Well, they just liked the name Dana and my dad's mom is
Katherine. But that is out of the question, there are
already *five* Katherines in my family.  My Nana Taylor's
first name is Nicole. She's one of the most amazing people
I have ever met.  I always wished I'd been named for her
instead."

"Nicole.  I like that.  It's pretty."

"Okay, I'll add it to the list."  She jotted the name down.  "What
are your grandmothers' names?"

"Grandma Kuipers is Elayna.  And I wouldn't name my cat after that
nasty old bat.  Granny Mulder was Teresa, though everyone called
her Tessa.  She was a really great lady."

"I like Tessa."  She wrote it down.  She grinned and looked up at
him.  "You do realise we aren't picking any boys names?"

"Hmmm okay, how about James Andrew if it's a boy?  We'll call him
Jamie."

"I like that."  They grinned at each other.  Confident they
wouldn't be using that name.  "Though we could still use Jamie
even if it's a girl."

"True."  He glanced at her list.  "You know what I like?  How
about Tessa Nicole after our favourite grandmothers?"

"Tessa Nicole Mulder.  Hmm, sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does.  Especially that last part," Mulder agreed.

Scully smiled.  "Okay, so we go with Tessa Nicole if it's a girl."
Another grin.  "And James Andrew if it's a boy."

Mulder nodded his agreement.


                               ****

Several days later Mulder was finally able to put everything into
place to insure their safety.

The smoking man was seated on the bench when Mulder arrived.
"Good evening, Agent Mulder.  Washington is a lovely city at
night, is it not?"  Mulder dropped the heavy file box beside the
older man.  "And what have we here?"  He took a drag from his
cigarette.

"This is just a little information I'm sure you don't want your
cronies getting their hands on," Mulder said just slightly
smugly.

"Oh?"  He looked at Mulder with a complete lack of concern.

"Yeah.  A full multimedia presentation.  We have tape, audio and
video, computer files and hard copies of various under the table
deals you have been making recently.  Now we both know how your
old associates chose to deal with your double-crosses.  How do you
think your new ones will handle it?  Are you up to another year in
northern Quebec?  Or maybe this lot are a bit more-- exacting in
their *execution* of a plan?"  Mulder crossed his arms over his
chest and waited.

It was obvious the old man had to work hard to maintain his calm.
"And what would you like in return for this information, Fox?"
The weathered hands were shaking slightly as they lit another
cigarette.

Mulder decided he didn't have time to play games with the old
bastard.  "Leave me and my family alone.  I am going to continue
to work on the X-Files and you are going to make sure I stay alive
while I do so.  They will not touch Scully and they will *not*
touch our baby.  Understood?"

"I think you may be overestimating my power, Fox."

"Oh, I don't think so.  I think you are capable of almost
*anything* if you set your mind to it," Mulder sneered.  "So
unless you want your new friends to know that you are already
dealing them out, you will set your mind to making sure we are
left alone.  Are we clear?"

The smoking man nodded.  "I'm impressed, Fox.  Your father never
had the guts to take a stand like this.  I wasn't sure if you did
either.  I'm very impressed."

"You have no idea how little that means to me."  Mulder walked
away.


                               ****

Scully was already in bed when he got home.

"Do you think he can do it?" Scully asked as he settled into bed
beside her.

"I think it gives us a hell of a lot better chance than we have
without him working for us."  Mulder stroked her arm softly.  "Are
you sure this is what you want?"

"We can't give up, Mulder.  There is too much on the line.
Especially now that we have a baby to think about."

"I just worry."

She leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his mouth.  "I know, I
worry too.  But we have done everything in our power to insure our
safety, short of giving up the files.  We'll be okay," she said
confidently, nodding her head against his chest for emphasis.

"You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"Not really.  I just want to believe."  She grinned at him.

Mulder let out a put-upon sigh.  "Go to sleep."

                               ****

"So, Dana, if you are turning the guest room into a nursery, where
exactly is Fox going to sleep?" Margaret Scully asked innocently
as she watched her daughter flip through wallpaper books.  She had
only been mildly surprised when Dana had called asking for her
company today.  Finding out they were turning the guest room into
a nursery had made her day.  "He's not moving out, is he?"  That
didn't really even bear consideration.

"No, Mom, he's not moving out."  Scully chose not to answer her
mother's other question.

Margaret was content with what she had.  "I'm happy for you, Dana.
But isn't this a pretty big project when you're eight months
pregnant?"

Scully held up another sample for her mother's perusal.  "Not
really.  She'll be in our room in the bassinet for a bit, so we
do have some time."  She put the sample aside.

"Have you considered getting a bigger place?" Margaret asked.

"Yeah, we've talked about it.  It would be nice to have more room.
A family room and an office would be great.  We're going to keep
our eyes open."  She held up another brightly coloured swatch.
"What do you think of this?"

"I think I like it the best so far.  How long are you going to
wait to go back to work?"

"I'm going to take at least three months after the baby's born.
They have a really wonderful daycare at the Hoover, so we'll be
able to see her during the day once I do start back."  She
grimaced at a pastel horror and flipped on.

"Sounds good.  Oooh, what about this one?"  She held up a
delightful swatch bearing a cartoon moon and stars in warm, bright
colours.

"Perfect.  Mulder is already planning on painting the solar system
on the ceiling."  Scully wrote down the product number and began
searching for a sales clerk.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Margaret chuckled, following her
daughter across the store.  Scully stopped suddenly, clutching her
belly.  "Dana, honey, what's wrong?" Margaret asked, alarmed.

Scully smiled at her mom.  "It's nothing, Mom, just a few little
Braxton Hicks.  They just kinda took me by surprise."

"Let me guess, Fox doesn't handle them well."

"I wouldn't know.  I try my best not to let him know I'm having
them."  Scully finally located a clerk and headed in her
direction.

"Don't you think he could handle a few Braxton Hicks?"

"No, I think he'd be fine.  He knows they're nothing.  They don't
really even hurt.  I just don't see any reason--"

"Hold it right there.  If you are going to have any kind of
successful relationship with this man, you need to dump that
attitude right now.  Do you think Fox would want to know you're
having Braxton Hicks contractions?"  Margaret put her hands on her
hips.

"I know you're right, Mom.  He would want to know.  I guess I just
automatically try to keep things to myself."

"Honey, one of the best things about being in a relationship with
a good man is having someone to share the little things with.
Enjoy it."  She hugged her daughter.

Scully hugged her back.  "Thanks, Mom.  I'll try."  She pulled
away and looked around.  "Ah, dammit, where'd that clerk go now?"


End 9 of 10


Unreasonable Facsimile  part 10
by Deenalynn


"You ready to go, Scully?"  Mulder put the finishing touches on
his tie and stuck his head around the bathroom door.

"In about two minutes."  He watched her finish styling her hair.
She was wearing it up today.

"I like it like that," he said.

"Hmm?  You like what?"

"Your hair.  I like it up in that thingy."  He waved in the
direction of the gold clip holding her hair in place.  "It's
pretty."

Scully smiled at him.  "Thank you.  I like the thingy too."  She
checked the clip one last time.  "Let's go."

They were attending Easter dinner at Margaret Scully's.  Both
sons were going to be in attendance to see their sister for the
first time since she had regained her memory.  Scully had spoken
to both Charles and Bill on the phone and was looking forward to
seeing them.

Mulder on the other hand wasn't quite so enthusiastic.  He knew
Charles and Gail would be thrilled with the change in his
relationship with Scully.  Even Tara would be happy for them.
Bill was going to blow a gasket and Mulder was afraid he wouldn't
be able to hold his temper if Bill pushed too hard and upset
Scully.

"Stop it," Scully said as they neared her mother's Baltimore
home.

Mulder started.  "What?"

"Stop worrying.  If Bill acts like an idiot, I'll take care of
him."

"That's just it.  You shouldn't have to take care of it."
Mulder's voice was tight.

"Charles told me how he behaved at Christmas.  I will *not* allow
a repeat of that treatment, I promise you," she said adamantly.

"Scully--"

"No, Mulder.  I want my family to be as happy about us as I am.
When Bill met and fell for Tara, I was so thrilled for him.  All I
cared about was that she loved him and he had found someone who
made him happy.  I think he should give me that same respect,"
she said stubbornly.

"I understand where you're coming from Scully.  I just don't want
you to be too disappointed if Bill blows his top when he finds out
about us."  Mulder pulled into the driveway and shut off the
engine.

"I guess I'm hoping he'll surprise us both."

They were met at the door by Charles.  He swept his sister into a
tight hug.  "Dana."

Scully hugged her younger brother.  "Hey, Charles."

"God!  You look amazing.  Even Gail didn't glow like that."  He
looked suspicious.  "What's going on?"

Scully laughed.  "I never could keep a secret from you, could I?
Let's go inside and we'll tell everyone at once."

Charles watched as his sister took her partner's hand and led him
into the living room.  He smiled, happy for both of them.

As it turned out Bill said very little when his sister announced
she was planning on spending her life with her partner.  He did,
however, corner her later in the day.  "Is this what you really
want, Dana?"

"It's not just what I want, Bill, it's what I need."  She shrugged
self-consciously.  "I love him."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."  Scully could see the doubt in her brother's eyes.  "I am
happy, Bill.  I'm with the man I love and we're having a baby.
You know how wonderful that is."

"Well, yeah, except the man I love part."  Bill winked
mischievously at her.  She took a playful swing at him.  "C'mere,
Dana."  Bill pulled her into a tight hug.  "Just be happy, okay?
That's all I've ever really wanted for you, you know."

Scully hugged him back.  "I know, Billy, I know."


Georgetown, Washington, DC
May 19
4:56 a.m.


She woke to a wet bed.  Well, we needed a new mattress anyway, was
her first thought.  Right on its heels was OH, MY GOD, I'M HAVING
A BABY.  She took a few moments to calm herself down then reached
for her partner.  This ought to be interesting.

"I was wondering if you intended to wake me up," Mulder said
quietly before she even touched him.

Scully jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.  "You're awake,"
she said, surprised at his composure.

"Mhmm.  How about we get you up, into something dry, and I'll
change the bed."  He swung his legs out of bed as he spoke.  He
got up and went to her dresser.  "Nightgown or sweats?"

"Your grey T-shirt."

He grinned at her and pulled it out of the drawer.  He handed it
to her along with a pair of her own sweat pants and clean
underwear.  "How're you doing?"

"I-- I guess I'm okay."  She took the dry clothes and watched as
he stripped the soaked bed.  To her surprise there was a rubber
backed mattress pad protecting it.  "Mulder.  Where did that some
from?"  She pointed at the pad.

"Oh, that?  Angela recommended it months ago.  Lisa bought it."

"Oh.  Are you all right?"  This was not at *all* what she had been
expecting from him.

He turned to face her smiling.  "What, not panicked enough for
you, Scully?"

"Well, to be honest, yes.  I was a little worried about you."  She
slipped into the clean clothes.

"Scully, *you* are the one who has to do all the work.  Why would
I fall apart?"  He tossed the soiled sheets into the hamper and
went to the linen closet to get clean ones.  He finished making
up the bed with fresh sheets and blankets.

Scully might have been a bit more convinced if his face hadn't
been ghostly white and his hands not trembled.  She smiled, glad
she had this man in her life.  If he needed to be strong and
together for her, she was more than willing to let him.  "Mul-"
She stopped, wincing slightly.  "Oh!"

"What?" Mulder asked, looking a little less in control.

"Nothing too, too terrible.  I just felt that one."  She smiled at
him.

"Are you sure?"  He took both her hands in his.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  It just startled me a bit."  She squeezed his
hands then sat in the chair next to the bed.  "I'm fine, really.
Just a little . . . not so much nervous . . ."

"I think they call it excited, Scully."  He sat on the bed.  "You
want to lie down or would you rather be up?"

"Up for now, I think.  I'll meet you in the living room."  She
headed in that direction

"Okay."  He grabbed a couple of pillows and a blanket.  Following
her, he asked, "Should I call Angela?"

"Yeah, just tell her my water broke about twenty minutes ago, and
contractions are about twenty minutes apart."

Mulder made the call to the doctor, then joined Scully on the
couch.  "She said to call back when the contractions are seven or
so minutes apart.  She said she'll meet us at the hospital."

Scully was still for a couple of moments.  "Oh no!"

"What?  What's wrong?"  Mulder's voice was panicked.

"I was going to clean out the fridge today.  We are going to be
besieged by visitors and our fridge has wildlife growing in it."
She heaved herself to her feet and went to the kitchen.

"Scully!"  Mulder caught up to her as she was gathering her
supplies from beneath the sink.  He made a grab for them.  "Let me
do that.  You rest."

Scully snatched the cleanser back from him.  "Forget it, Mulder, I
saw *your* fridge, remember?"

"Scu-" Mulder stopped when she shot him a dirty look.  "Okay, you
clean the fridge.  Just let me know if you need my help, okay?"
He leaned against the wall to watch.


Georgetown, Washington DC
May 19
12:35 p.m.


Mulder sighed with relief when the hospital came into sight.  "You
still with me?" he asked playfully.

Scully smiled.  "Yeah, I guess I just can't believe we're
actually doing this."

Mulder parked the car and reached for her hand.  "I know.  I'm
almost afraid it's just all a wonderful dream and I'm going to
wake up.  You have no idea how happy you've made me, Scully.  No
idea."

She squeezed his hand tightly.  "I think I do.  You've made me
pretty happy too, you know."

"It's just all these things I never thought I'd have, and here
they are just falling into my lap.  I feel damn lucky."  He got
out of the car and walked around to her side to help her out.

She smiled brightly as she stood.  "I think we're both pretty
damn lu-"  She was interrupted by another contraction.  She was
still for a moment.  "Well, I think maybe we should go have this
baby."

They checked in with admitting and were ushered up to the
maternity ward where they were met by a cheerful nurse wearing
teddy bear adorned scrubs.  "Hi, I'm Louise Clemens.  How are you
guys doing?"  She took their paperwork from the orderly pushing
Scully's wheelchair.  "Dr. Low is on her way.  How 'bout we get
you folks settled into your room, then I'll have a look."

She bustled them off into a private room, handed Scully a gown,
told them to get comfy and she'd be right back.

"Well, she's certainly chipper, isn't she?" Mulder joked as he put
Scully's things into the cupboard.

"I like her."  Scully went to look out the window.  "Oh, goody.
Parking lot," she snorted.

"Could be worse.  At least it's not ambulance bays this time."  He
forced himself to be still as Scully flinched from the onset of
another contraction.  He rubbed her back and let her lean into him
as she rode it out.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road."  Louise burst into the
room pushing a small cart.  "Mr. Mulder, would you help Dr. Scully
onto the bed, so I can see how far along she is?"  Mulder did as
asked and Louise addressed Scully.  "Now, Dr. Low tells me you are
a pathologist."

Scully nodded.

"Okay, what I don't know is how familiar you are with what is
going to be happening here today."

"Probably not a whole lot more than the average well-read
first-time mother.  I may have a better understanding of the
physiology of it all, but the procedure and such . . . well, the
last time I was in a maternity ward to do anything but visit was
in my residency."

"Well that makes it a bit easier for us.  We just treat you like
any old mom.  How's that sound?" Louise asked with a smile as she
finished organising her tray.

Scully returned the smile.  "Sounds good to me."

"Good.  I'm going to get this IV started and then I'm going to
have a peek."

She quickly and efficiently started the IV.  "Okay, all set.  Now
Dr. Scully--"

Please, I'm Dana, he's Mulder," Scully said.

"All right, Dana, if you could scootch down a might, I'll have a
look and see what's happening."  The exam was brief.  "All done.
You're at about 6 cm.  How are the contractions?"

"Bearable."

"Good.  Are you going to have an epidural?"

"No, we decided not to."

"Okay then, I'll leave you two alone for now."  She gathered up
her things.  "You just holler if you need anything.  Feel free
to wander.  The nursery is at the end of the hall to the left
if you need some inspiration.  The bathroom is through that
door.  Just try to relax and enjoy this time.  Things can get
a bit chaotic later on."  She smiled again and left.

"So, Scully, what now?"

She started to get out of the bed.  "Walk.  I feel better when I'm
up and around."

                              ****

Dr. Low found them looking through the nursery window half an hour
later.  "Hey, you two.  How's it going?"

Scully and Mulder turned.  "Hi, Angela."  Scully shook the
doctor's hand.  "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I know. I just thought I should check in and see how you were
doing."  She smiled at the nervous couple.  "Don't worry.  It's
just that you aren't my typical patient and I wanted to see you."

Scully smiled in relief.  "I feel pretty good.  The contractions
aren't that bad.  I could do without them, but not too bad yet."

Angela laughed.  "How are you doing, Mulder?"

"I'm fine for now.  I plan to fall apart later though."  He
grinned at her.

"Louise tells me everything looks good and you are at about 6
cm."  Angela consulted the chart.

"I just hope this doesn't take *too* long."  She gripped Mulder's
hand tightly as another contraction washed over her.  She could
really feel the increasing intensity.

A moment later Mulder asked, "Okay?"  He continued to rub her
back.

Scully nodded.  "Yeah, this really isn't fun anymore though."  She
panted lightly.

"You'll be fine.  You're healthy and strong and have taken very
good care of yourself and your baby."  Angela patted her hand.  "I
have another patient to check in on and I will be back in a while
to see you."  She smiled at them and headed off.


Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown, Washington DC

May 19
6:35 p.m.


Mulder was having serious doubts as to whether this was such a
good idea after all.  Scully in transition was *not* a happy
camper.  The worst part was he could see she was in agony and
there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.  He let her
squeeze his hands when the contractions hit, seemingly one on top
of each other now.  He rubbed her back, and had, since being asked
none too politely, kept his mouth shut.  Now it seemed she was
speaking to him again.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah, Scully?"

"I don't really think you're a selfish jackass for wanting me to
have this baby."

"I know."

"I want--"  She was interrupted by another contraction.

"I need to push," Scully breathed.

"Hold on there a minute, Dana."  Angela checked her once again.
"Not quite yet, okay?  Not much longer."

"Mulder?"

"Yeah, angel?"

"Nothing.  Just Mulder."  She was whispering.  Talking took too
much valuable energy.

"Okay, just Mulder."  He smoothed her hair back from her forehead
and continued to trace elaborate patterns on her skin.  Just
listening to the fetal monitor tell them their baby was doing
fine.

It seemed it was only seconds before another contraction crashed
in on her.  When that one subsided Angela checked her again and
said.  "There we go.  Okay, Dana, with the next contraction I want
you to start pushing."

Scully nodded in relief.  Mulder could feel himself begin to
tremble.  This was it.  Not much longer now and he would see his
daughter.


Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown, Washington DC
May 19
8:17 p.m.


"I can't do this, Mulder," Scully whispered.  There were actual
tears in her eyes.

Mulder clenched her hand tightly.  "Yes, you can.  You are doing
this.  Don't you see?  My God, Scully, you're having our baby.  Do
you have any idea how amazing that is?"

"But I don't want to be amazing.  I just want to sleep.  Just half
an hour please?"  She was beyond common sense.

"I know you're tired, Scully, I know.  Just think about holding
our baby.  Watching her sleep in that beautiful crib you--"  He
was interrupted by the onset of another contraction.

"Okay, Dana, PUSH!" Angela commanded from the foot of the bed.

Mulder was seated behind Scully bracing her as she worked to bring
their child into the world.  "That's it, Scully, push."

"Okay, good girl.  Rest for a minute," Angela said soothingly.
"You're just about there, Dana, not much longer."

Scully nodded weakly and turned her face into Mulder's chest.
"I'm so tired," she whispered.  "Oh God!"  She clenched her teeth
again in preparation for another contraction.

"That's it.  Push, Dana.  We're almost there.  Okay, Dad, you want
to come welcome this one into the world?"  Angela and Mulder
shifted until he was in her place and she was directly behind him.
They stayed that way through two more contractions and then he was
holding his baby girl.  Angela rubbed her feet and she started to
cry.  The next few moments were a blur.  The cord was clamped and
cut, the baby bathed and wrapped, the afterbirth delivered, Scully
stitched up, all before he was sure what was happening.

Suddenly Louise was placing a pink bundle in Scully's arms.
"She's perfect.  Seven pounds four ounces.  Ten little fingers and
ten little toes.  APGAR's a ten.  All in all not a bad day's
work."  She smiled at the new parents.  They nodded absently at
her, absolutely mesmerised by the little miracle Scully was
holding.

Angela admired the baby and congratulated them.  Then she had to
rush off as another of her patients was also in labour.

"Do you want to try to nurse her right now, Dana?" Louise asked.

Scully nodded.  She rearranged her gown to expose her breast to
the baby.

"Now, do you remember what they told you in childbirth class?"
Louise asked.

Scully nodded again and soon the baby was nursing contentedly.

"Well, she doesn't look to be having any trouble with her first
meal, so I'll leave you alone.  Just buzz if you need anything."

Then they were alone.  Mulder sat and watched absolutely
spellbound by the sight of Scully nursing his daughter.

"--Mulder!"  Scully's voice interrupted his reverie.

"I'm sorry.  What did you say, Scully?"

Scully smiled.  "She is pretty amazing, isn't she?"  She looked
down at her suckling daughter.  "I never thought--"  She stopped,
unable to speak around the lump in her throat.

Mulder brushed away the tears that were now falling down her
cheeks.  "Neither did I, Scully.  That's what makes this so
incredible.  How many people actually get to have their fondest
wishes granted?"  He reached out and stroked the dark downy fuzz
covering the baby's head.  "It's not red."  He sounded mildly
disappointed.

"That could still change.  Though I hope she gets green eyes."
She yawned broadly.  "Mmm, so sleepy."  She looked down at the
baby, who appeared to have fallen asleep, her tummy full for now.

"Here, let me take her for a bit.  You worked awfully hard today."
He gathered the baby into his arms, kissing Scully gently in the
process.  "I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too.  Both of you."  Scully closed her eyes.

Mulder settled back into his chair, his daughter in his arms.
"Hello, Tessa.  Do you like your name?  You are named for two very
special ladies.  My--"  The door opened.

"Hope I'm not interrupting."  Margaret Scully poked her head in
the room.

"No," Mulder whispered.  "Scully just fell asleep and Tessa and I
were just getting to know each other."

"I won't stay long.  I just wanted to say hi to my newest
grandbaby."  She was slightly surprised when Mulder handed Tessa
to her.  "Oh.  Hello, you beauty.  Look at you.  Aren't you the
sweetest thing there ever was?"  She cooed softly in gramaspeak.
Margaret snuggled the baby for a few more minutes then handed her
back to Mulder.  "Here you go, Daddy.  I spoke to your mother and
she's on her way here.  I'm picking her up at the airport and
she's
coming to stay with me.  We'll both come by tomorrow."  She kissed
Tessa and then Mulder on the cheek.  "Good night, you two."  She
left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Mulder returned to his recliner.  "Well, finally alone," he smiled
at his daughter.  "Mommy doesn't count 'cause she's resting.  You
made her work real hard you know.  But you are definitely worth
it."  He shifted her more comfortably into his arms.  "You are a
very special baby, Little Bit.  Your mommy and I love you very
much."  He began to rock.  "Now, Daddy can't sing, but neither can
Mommy, so I hope for your sake, you're tone deaf."  He began to
hum a lullaby.  Grateful that he had been blessed in so many ways
and that he could look forward to a future he was sure that while
it may not be easy, was going to be a wonderful adventure for all
of them.

                           The End


If you enjoyed this story, it is in no small way due to the very
hard work of two great ladies.  Beta readers and editors
extraordinaire, Kathy and Susan.  They didn't just throw their
hands up in frustration at my horrid grammar and abominable
punctuation, instead they made my story readable.  Thank you
ladies.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then
beat you  with experience.
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