Spoilers - Through 5th Season
Keywords - MSR
Summary - Nothing keeps them apart, but what is Scully willing to do because of that?
Added 4/5/99

Plots Within Plots (R) 

He approached the door not sure which emotion was foremost in his mind. Fear, 
anxiety, of course joy at actually seeing her again. Damn if his palms weren't 
moist. He knocked on the door, and shortly heard her voice finally, asking who 
was there. His pleasure rose just hearing her. They hadn't spoken since that 
disastrous meeting several days after her wedding. That hadn't gone well at all. 
He hoped it had been long enough so that she wasn't still angry. Even if she was, 
he couldn't wait to see her. 

"It's Mulder." That brought a lengthy silence from the other side of the door 
and his anxiety increased. 

Finally the door opened a crack and she looked out. "Why are you here?" His 
heart sank, she hated him. But he had a reason to be here, he could fall back on 
that. 

"Your mother called. She said you needed my help." 

"Mom called you?" What was she thinking? She was going to get him killed. She 
should never have involved him, no matter what her suspicions were. 

"Scully, I've just flown half way across the country. Can't you offer me a cup 
of coffee?" She looked so troubled. Maggie was right, whether she was going to 
admit it or not, she needed his help. 

She closed the door and he heard the chain being removed. She opened the door 
and he entered, turning to look at her. He went pale and his lips moved though 
no sound emerged. 

"Mom didn't tell you I was pregnant?" 

He swallowed hard, "It must have slipped her mind." She shut the door and turned 
toward the living room. "You, uh, you look like you're due soon." 

She nodded, not answering his obvious question. "Mom shouldn't have bothered you, 
and I shouldn't have let you in. Sam will be home any minute. He wouldn't be 
happy to see you here." 

"I didn't come to see him." 

"Mulder, everything is fine. I don't know what she could have been thinking to 
have you come all the way out here." Well, at least she hadn't learned to lie 
over the past year. Not to him anyway. 

"Why don't I believe you Scully?" 

They both heard the key in the lock at the same time. Scully started violently 
and Mulder's eyes narrowed. What was going on here? 

"Dana?" Sam called, "There's a car in the driveway. You didn't tell me you were 
expecting company." He turned and spotted Mulder. He went rigid; his fury was 
palpable even across the room. 

"She wasn't expecting me." He took a step toward Sam, his hand extended. 

"Then why are you here?" 

Mulder let his hand drop. "I was in town on an investigation and just thought I'd 
stop by to say hello." 

"Well, you've done that. My wife and I would like for you to leave now." 

Mulder turned to look at her and saw the pleading look in her face. She wanted 
him out of here. He questioned her with his eyes, but she looked away. 

"Yeah, I guess I should be on my way. Uh, congratulations on the new arrival." 

"Thanks. Dana and I are very happy about it." He didn’t sound very happy. Sam 
turned and walked to the door, holding it open for him. Mulder turned to Scully 
but she flinched back from him so he didn't approach her. 

"Well, it was good seeing you again. And good luck." 

"Thanks. Goodbye." She wouldn't look at him. He left the house, aware that Sam 
was watching him. He pulled out and drove around the block, where he parked and 
headed back to the house on foot. 

***** 

"What the hell was Mulder doing here?" He demanded when he turned to her. 

"He told you, he just stopped by. I didn't even know he was in town." 

"You expect me to believe that? You know the rules." She placed her hands on her 
stomach as though to shield the child. "He's not suppose to contact you. We had 
an agreement!" Sam's rage was mounting. 

"Sam, please." Her voice was soothing. "He was only here a few minutes. You can 
ask Mrs. Wilson. He had just gotten here when you arrived." 

"Are you accusing me of having the neighbors spy on you?" 

"No, no Sam. Please. . . " He grabbed her arms, his anger taking control. He 
jerked her around facing him and backhanded her across the face. She stepped 
back away from him and he advanced, striking her again. She fell back on the 
sofa, her mouth bleeding. 

***** 

Mulder had made it back to the house in time to hear Sam's voice raised in anger, 
though he couldn't quite make out the words. He found a window and carefully 
looked in. He saw the first blow and was stunned into immobility. The second 
blow, the one causing her to fall sent a murderous rage though him. He was 
through the front door with one kick, gun drawn. 

"Back away from her. Now!" 

Sam turned, "What the hell are you doing in my home?" He took a step toward 
Mulder. 

"Come at me Anderson. Please!" He steadied his gun. Sam's eyes narrowed and he 
actually shook with rage but he managed to retreat a step. "Are you okay, Scully?" 

"Anderson! Her name is Anderson. She's my wife and you have no business here." 
He was practically shrieking. 

"Domestic violence. Any officer of the law has jurisdiction. Step back." When 
Sam complied, he stepped to the sofa and with his free hand helped her to her 
feet. Without taking his eyes off Sam he held her. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine Mulder." 

"We're getting out of here." 

"Mulder, I - " 

"I'm not leaving you here. Come on." He kept his arm around her and backed 
toward the door. She fell silent, allowing Mulder to stay in control of the 
situation. Once out of the house he rushed her to his car and seated her 
carefully, then got in and took off. 

She didn’t speak, so he held his own words until he had her safely in his hotel 
room. He sat her on the bed and knelt in front of her. 

"Are you really okay? Do you need a doctor?" 

She shook her head. "I shouldn't be here." 

"Where should you be? Back there with him? Letting him hit you?" He rose and sat 
beside her. "Scully, this isn't you. You'd never let a man do that to you. Talk 
to me. Your mother was right, you do need my help." 

"She should never have called you." 

"How long has he been hitting you?" 

She didn’t answer, heaving herself off the bed, ignoring his proffered hand. She 
went into his bath alcove and washed the blood from her lip and chin. After a 
moment he followed her. 

"Scully, you have to tell me what's going on here." 

"I shouldn't have left the house. I need to go home." 

"No! I'm not letting you go back there." 

"He's my husband, Mulder." 

"He's a wife beater, scum of the earth, Scully! You will not return to that 
house." 

"How does that make you better than him?" 

"Scully?" She was scared. What the hell could scare Scully? It wasn't just the 
physical abuse - it was more than that. "Maybe I'm not any better than him, 
maybe I'll go macho caveman on you too, but I swear I would never hurt you. 
Never! Let me help you." 

She couldn't stop the tear that escaped and ran down her face. Mulder caught it 
with his finger and held her eyes. "You can't Mulder. No one can help me. I need 
you to go back home and forget everything you've seen." 

"You can't be serious. He could kill you. Does he not even care about his child?" 

She looked away then and tried to get around him. 

"What?" His eyes were probing her, seeing too much. "Is it his baby?" She looked 
up, startled. "It's not, is it? That's why he's so angry? You had an affair? No, 
he thinks it's mine. That's it, isn't it Scully?" She'd looked away and wouldn't 
answer him. "Scully?" He put his hands on her shoulders and realized she was 
shaking. 

He pulled her into his arms and held her gently, relief flooding his body when 
her arms went around him. He felt the child stir between them and she buried her 
face in his chest. "Talk to me Scully." 

"Why did you come here? They'll kill you." 

"Kill me? What are you talking about? Your mother said you needed help, it's 
obvious she was right." 

"She doesn't know the whole story." 

"Apparently neither do I. And I want to, now." 

"I can't. They'll kill you." She was shaking again. He led her back to the bed 
and sat beside her. 

"You need to calm down, or I'm taking you to the hospital." 

She gave a shaky laugh. "That's not necessary yet. I've missed you so much." 

"Why didn't you call. I'd have been here for you. You must know that." 

"Yes. That's why I didn't call." Her smile faded. "It was part of the deal." 

"What deal?" 

"So they wouldn't kill you." 

"Who? Who do you think wants to kill me?" 

She shook her head. "I made the deal Mulder. I married their psycho and they've 
left you alone." 

Now he grabbed her shoulders. "You married Sam to save me?" She refused to meet 
his eyes. "You married the wrong man, got pregnant by the wrong man for my sake!" 

"No! I would never have his. . . " Her voice trailed off. 

"Never have his baby. Is that what you were going to say?" She buried her face 
in her hands. 

"Whose baby are you carrying Scully?" She didn't remove her hands, shaking her 
head. "Okay, okay you've been though enough for now. I want you to lie down and 
try to get some rest. I'm going to make some calls." 

She nodded and rose from the bed. "Where are you. . . ?" 

"The bathroom. And don't worry, I'm not going out the window." 

He grinned, she was trying. While she was out of the room he pulled the covers 
back and found an extra blanket in the closet. She stood at the door a moment 
before returning to the room, watching him work to make her comfortable. Tears 
welled up again, but she dashed them away and came back to him. 

She sat back on the bed, leaning back on her arms, stretching her back. He 
couldn't keep his eyes from the movement within her. She saw his hand twitch and 
smiled. "It's okay, you can feel it." He still hesitated so she took his hand 
and placed it on her stomach. Both of their eyes widened as the baby surged into 
his hand. 

"He doesn't do that much any more." 

"Why not?" He couldn't tear his eyes away from her stomach. 

"No more room." 

"You never told me when you were due." 

"According to the doctor, Tuesday." 

"Tuesday?" He looked up at her, "you mean as in five days from now Tuesday?" 

She nodded, "But it's a first baby, so there's really no way of knowing." 

"Why isn't that any more reassuring?" 

She smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead, lie down." He knelt and removed her 
shoes. He couldn't see any way for her to reach them herself, and then eased her 
back against the pillows. He saw tears gather in her eyes again. "Scully?" 

She shook her head; "It's hormones. I'm okay." He pulled the covers over her and 
retreated to the bathroom to make his calls, so as not to disturb her. 

When he returned she was asleep, so he set up his computer on the small table 
and went to work. Occasionally he looked up to check on her. When she became 
restless he moved his chair closer to her and brushed the hair off of her 
forehead. He saw the bruise forming on her cheek and his hatred of Sam rose 
again. 

"Mulder." He started to respond, then realized she was still asleep and had 
relaxed again. After a few minutes he moved his chair back and continued his 
search. It wasn't long before he pulled away, removing his glasses and burying 
his own face in his hands. What had they done to them? 

When he sat back up he saw that she was awake and watching him. He rose and sat 
beside her on the bed. 

"Where was the procedure done, Scully? Who performed the insemination?" 

"Mulder. . . " 

"Their plan was flawless. Close down the X-Files to break my spirit. Convince 
you they would kill me if you didn't cooperate, then finish me off by taking you 
away. Make me believe that you loved someone else. That is my baby isn't it? 
That was part of the deal. I bet they even made you believe it was your idea. 
Plots within plots Scully." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I don't think I was ever in danger. It was just a device to get your 
cooperation. You know, I used to have a partner who kept telling me I couldn't 
make decisions based on her safety. You should have listened to her, I'm not 
worth it." 

"Mulder. . . " 

"I'm not. And I can't make all of this up to you, not in this lifetime." 

"Mulder, we need to get out of here. Sam could find you." 

"No, I called Byers. I've been removed from the computer here at the hotel and 
at the rental car company. I've gotten us an apartment here in town. One of 
those executive furnished places. We can move in tomorrow. I wanted them to 
think I was coming into town, not already here. I wanted to take you home, to 
your mother's, but it's not safe for you to travel now." 

"Byers." She smiled, "How are the guys?" 

"Fine. They send their love, especially Frohike." She chuckled and attempted to 
sit up. He had his arms around her, helping her. She found her hand on his cheek. 

"How can we be this close again so fast?" 

"I'm not sure we've really been apart." She placed her head on his shoulder. 

"Maybe you're right." They sat that way for awhile, holding each other, his hand 
caressing the child. 

Finally he drew back, "Hey, are you getting hungry?" 

"No, I really don't feel like eating." 

"You should, you know." 

"One of those awful garbage pizzas you always order?" 

"I'm not sure that's really nutritious enough for you right now." He couldn't 
get enough of looking into her eyes. 

"It would be fine. And better than using room service here." 

"True. Okay, I'll call." He held out his hand to help her up. "Bathroom, right?" 

She pretended to swat him. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?" 

He grinned, "I've got to admit, I can't quite visualize you chasing down a perp 
right now." She shook her head, but accepted the offer of his hand. 

When the pizza arrived, they sat on the bed like old times, eating it, avoiding 
talking about what was happening opting instead to talk about the past. When he 
realized her back was bothering her, he rearranged the pillows and after 
settling her kept his hand on her back, rubbing it lightly where she would press 
into his hand. 

It wasn't long before she was yawning again. "I cannot believe how much sleep I 
need now. There's a lot of things I didn't give credence to before, I owe some 
patients apologies from my residency days." 

"There's nothing to do tonight anyway and no one knows where we are, thanks to 
the guys. Why don't you get comfortable? I'll sleep over there." 

"Why? I mean, it's a king-size bed. Even I'm not that big. You might as well be 
comfortable too. Go ahead and watch TV, it won't bother me, nothing keeps me 
awake, except maybe porn." She grinned at him. 

"Scully! I would never. . . " 

"Yeah, right. Help me up one more time and then I will go on to bed." 

She came back wearing the robe provided by the hotel. He had to smile when he 
realized it was trailing behind her on the floor. "If you make a crack about me 
being as wide as I am tall. . . " 

He grinned, "Too easy a target, Scully. I'll wait." She narrowed her eyes, but 
couldn't continue even pretending to be angry with him. God, how she had needed 
this man. He already understood more about what was going on than she did; at 
least she thought he did. Being able to lean on him again was more than she'd 
dared hope for, even in her dreams. 

She was right, the TV hadn't bothered her at all, though he had kept it low and 
turned it off when he finally became drowsy himself. They had gone to sleep on 
opposite sides of the bed, but he woke to find they had met in the middle, his 
body spooned around hers, his arm cradling the child inside her body. 

How had he let so much time go by without seeing her? He'd known something was 
wrong with her marriage from the beginning. That's why they'd had that argument. 
But she had convinced him that she loved another man. With his insecurities that 
hadn't been so very hard to do. It was never going to happen again. She would 
not be taken from him ever again. Her or his child. 

Without thinking he began nuzzling her neck, finally kissing it when she didn’t 
protest. That woke her and she drew away. 

"What are you. . .? Mulder." She relaxed back into his arms. 

"Did your husband not kiss you good morning?" 

"My ‘husband’ and I don’t share a room." 

"What?" But he couldn’t disguise the joy on his face. 

"You heard me. Could you help me up please?" 

"I don’t know, I’m awfully comfortable." 

"You won’t be if I wet the bed." He laughed out loud, his delight at having her 
with him, her revelation of her sleeping arrangements, feeling the child stir 
within her, had made him as happy as he ever remembered being. 

He rose and lifted her into his arms, startling her. "I didn’t think you could 
do that any more." 

"You still don’t weigh anything." He lowered her feet to the floor and made sure 
she was steady before he released her. 

When she was dressed, he took over the facilities and packed his bag. "The first 
flights should be arriving, we can head over to the apartment. I don’t want them 
to see you, I’ll go in alone, okay?" 

She nodded, "I am pretty obvious right now. I think that’s a good idea." 

"Good. Have we got everything? I’ll take the stuff out to the car and bring it 
around." 

"I can walk, Mulder." 

"I know, I just want less chance of you being seen. Please wait here for me." 

She rolled her eyes, but nodded and he was out the door. He wasn’t gone long. "I’m 
parked right down there. You ready?" 

"Yep. Let’s go." He had his arm around her and led her toward the car. At one 
point her step faltered and his arm tightened. "You okay?" 

"Yeah, I’m fine." She sounded a little breathless to him. 

"Don’t worry, Scully. I’ve got you." 

"It’s okay, I just can’t see my feet anymore." 

"Then you’ll have to trust me to watch out for you." 

"I do." He looked down at her, she sounded so serious suddenly. They’d reached 
the car, so he helped her inside. 

"Where do you want to eat?" 

"None for me, thanks. Get whatever you want." 

"Scully. . . " 

"I’m not eating anything. Maybe later." He was watching her, what had caused 
this change in attitude? It must be hormonal. He shrugged it off. 

She had gone very quiet, so he left her to her thoughts, happy just to be with 
her and not really needing to talk. At the residence hotel he parked at the far 
end of the lot and handed her the newspaper he had brought. 

"I won’t be long." She nodded and took the paper. 

When he returned he stopped to observe her. She was staring into space, the 
paper still unopened. As he got closer he saw that she was caressing the baby. 
He opened the car door and slipped in. 

"Scully?" 

"We all set?" 

"Yes. Where were you?" 

"Just thinking." He dropped it, she’d withdrawn into herself. He had no way of 
knowing what she’d been through this past year. He needed to give her time, like 
a prisoner who had just been released. Well, whatever she needed, he was here. 

Once inside the apartment she began checking the furnishings and supplies. He 
assumed she was making a list of things they needed, so he set up his computer 
and continued working. She couldn’t seem to settle down, checking and rechecking 
the various rooms. 

Finally he rose and followed her into the bedroom. "Are you okay? Do you need 
anything?" 

"What? No." 

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you." 

"You didn’t, I just. . . " 

"Look, I know this is hard on you. Please tell me what I can do to help." 

She gave him a rueful smile. "You already are. Go on back to what you were doing." 

He put his arms around her, "I’m glad I’m here." She ran a hand over his cheek 
and nodded, not really needing words. "You should be hungry by now. Want an 
early lunch?" 

"I’ll let you know." She stepped away from him and went back into the kitchen. 
It sounded like she was making tea. Good idea, maybe it would relax her. 

It was about an hour later when he realized he was getting hungry himself. He 
headed toward the bedroom and met her coming to him. She didn’t look right; in 
fact she looked upset. She shouldn’t be worrying about anything now. He opened 
his mouth to reassure her, but she beat him to it. 

"I need to ask you a favor." 

"Sure, anything." When she didn’t respond, "Scully?" 

"This is a big one Mulder." 

He took her arm. "What?" 

"Will you help me deliver my baby?" 

"Who, me? I wouldn’t think I’d be your first choice. We don’t really need to 
decide this now." He put his finger under her chin to bring her eyes up to him. 
What he saw there froze him. "Do we?" 

"Yes, as a matter of fact we do." 

"Scully?" 

"I was hoping it was Braxton-Hicks, false labor. But my water just broke." His 
hands tightened on her arms. As soon as he realized it, he loosened his grip. 

"Scully you’re going to need a doctor." 

She searched his eyes now. "I am a doctor. Mulder, they’ll be watching the 
hospitals, the clinics. I don’t want them to get their hands on our – on my baby." 

"Our baby. Scully I want you both to be safe. I don’t have any experience." 

"I can talk you though it. I trust you completely." 

He went a little pale at that. "Maybe you shouldn’t." 

***** 




Plots Within Plots - 2 (R) 

He went a little pale at that. "Maybe you shouldn’t." 

She took his hand and led him to the bed. She sat him down and stood in front of 
him. "You need to try to listen calmly. Mulder, the baby is full term, it is not 
breech and the head is fully engaged in the birth canal." He managed not to look 
away. "All you have to do is keep me company for a while, then when it’s time, 
take the baby as I push it out. You’re involvement is really a support role, and 
I know you know how to support me. You’ve been doing it for years." 

He swallowed hard and nodded, afraid to speak lest his voice shake. She needed 
to get him to calm down, because soon she’d need him to be calm for her. She sat 
beside him then and took both hands into hers. "Are you ready to hear this?" 

He nodded again. "Scully, I’ll do whatever you need." 

She smiled. "I know. Okay, we’ve got time, so I’ll go over this but then you ask 
any questions you have, and ask them as many times as you need to. I’ll tell you 
when I need to push, you’ll have to examine me and see if I’m fully dilated, I’ll 
show you that later. Then when the head is out, you’ll have to support it and 
stroke down on the nostrils to help expel the fluid so he can breathe. He’ll 
probably start to cry then, don’t panic if he doesn’t. You’ll have to check to 
make certain the cord isn’t around his throat. If it is, you can just gently 
pull it from around him – Mulder, don’t worry about that, okay? Once all of that 
has happened, I’ll have to push again. The baby will rotate in your hands, don’t 
pull or push or try to help, just support the head and neck. The shoulders will 
come out one at a time, after they’re out, the baby can come very fast. You won’t 
drop him, will you?" She smiled gently. 

His eyes widened. Shit, she’d been trying to lighten his mood, now she’d given 
him something else to fear. 

She sighed and continued, "I’ve already sterilized the scissors and some dental 
floss. When the baby’s free of me, you’ll have to tie off the cord with the 
floss, about three inches from the baby’s stomach and again three inches down 
from there. When the cord stops pulsing, you just cut it. There are no nerves in 
it, there’s no pain involved. Okay?" He nodded, his eyes were possibly less 
fearful. This was something he could understand. 

"Mulder I know blood is not your thing, but there will be quite a bit of it. 
Please don’t panic, it’s normal. When I deliver the afterbirth, that is quite, 
well, messy. Just try not to think about it. If I tear when the head or 
shoulders are delivered, I’ll heal. It’s going to be okay." 

Tear? God, he was suppose to just be supportive while she was going through this? 
Great. He’d rather go bungee jumping without a rope. "Scully, I’ll. . . Scully? 
Are you having a contraction? Breathe Scully, come on breathe." 

She looked at him, mildly amazed. He’d been ready to run from the room, but now 
that she needed him he was fully in charge, supporting her as she’d known he 
would. He appeared completely calm and knowledgeable. She closed her eyes, 
letting him hold her, knowing she’d made the correct choice. 

When the contraction eased, she had him help her to her feet. "I need to be up 
and walking as long as I can. It’ll speed things up hopefully. I’d really like 
for this part to be over." 

They walked slowly into the living room. "Tell me what you meant, plots within 
plots." 

"We don’t have to talk about that now." 

"Maybe not, and I might not remember everything you say, but I’d like to hear 
your voice. That tone you get when you’re explaining something out of this world 
to me. I’ve missed that." 

"What tone? I don’t have a tone." 

"Yeah, that one. Go on." She smiled. 

No way he was going to discuss what he was thinking about Sam and the whole deal 
they had tricked her into. Instead he went over some cases he had worked on 
without her this past year. Officially the X-Files were closed, but closing the 
files had not halted strange things from happening. And he was still the 
resident spooky agent that had the expertise. 

At first she supplied the arguments that she always had, but as the contractions 
grew in frequency and intensity she grew quieter, just listening to his voice. 
When she grew tired she would perch on the barstool, having forsaken the couch 
early in the process. She took a short nap at one point, but refused to try that 
again, after having a contraction jerk her awake without being prepared for it. 
He silently agreed and tried to make sure she was prepared as each wave swept 
over her. 

His estimation of her strength grew as the time slowly passed. He would have 
been on his knees begging for medication a long time ago. She could no longer be 
on her feet alone, letting him support her as she walked and take over 
completely during the contractions. 

His fear, which had never left, was beginning to resurface as this pain she was 
in dragged on. This contraction now was truly frightening; he’d do anything to 
take the pain away. 

When it finally ended she didn’t attempt to draw away from him as she had been 
doing. He realized she was speaking and he leaned over so that she would only 
have to whisper. 

"I need to lie down." He closed his eyes in relief, watching her continue this 
on her feet wasn’t helping either of them. Without asking he lifted her into his 
arms and carried her to the bedroom. She sank into his chest relinquishing 
control, as she had never done before since he had known her. 

She seemed more comfortable lying on her side, and he felt able to leave her for 
a moment to get a cool cloth and some ice for her to suck on. Her wardrobe since 
leaving her home had consisted of the dress she had been wearing, and the robe 
from the hotel. Now she opted for nudity, she was perspiring freely from her 
efforts, her hair curling totally out of control. 

He was startled at her choice, she who had always been so modest around him, 
until he realized the degree of comfort she felt in his presence. This wasn’t 
sexual, not in the most common use of the word. This was much more primal. He 
was suddenly aware how deeply in love he was with this woman. He must have 
always known for it to be so all consuming, but the barriers were down now. If 
it was strange that the first time he ever saw her nude was as she delivered 
their child, well, that was the way things went with them. Accept it and move on. 

"Mulder." 

"Right here Sweetheart." The endearment slipped out without either seeming to 
notice. 

"I know you’re not looking forward to this, but you need to check and see how 
far I’ve dilated. Don’t make faces at me, and hurry before I have another 
contraction." 

He couldn’t remember when he’d placed rubber gloves in his shaving kit, had to 
be when she was with him. It didn’t matter, he was just glad they were here now. 

He was easily reminded of why he'd chosen psychology over psychiatry. He hadn’t 
wanted a medical degree. Better to leave this to people who knew what they were 
doing. Pull yourself together, Mulder, this is Scully. You’ll do whatever needs 
to be done. 

"If I’m doing this right you’re close Scully. At least nine centimeters." 

"Good, because the urge to push is more than I can fight any longer. Can you 
feel the baby’s head?" She sounded calmer than she felt, even to herself. No 
wonder they’d called her the ice queen, but they had never seen her like this. 
No one had ever seen her like this except him. 

"Yes." It was an awed whisper. "My god, it’s right here." 

"Not quite. Help me sit up, I’ll need to push against the headboard. Help me 
arrange the pillows." 

"I’ve got you." He helped her find a position that was supported if not 
comfortable. 

"Go get the supplies. Mulder, hurry, I need you here." Since the same was true 
of him, he lost no time bringing the sterilized instruments from the kitchen, 
then the towels from the bathroom. 

"Okay Scully. Tell me what you need." 

"On the next contraction I’ll push. Give me your hand." 

Forty-five minutes later she collapsed back against the pillows again. "I can’t." 
She gasped. "I can’t do this. Mulder let me die." 

His heart stumbled, then gave a triple beat and terror engulfed his body. "Scully. 
Scully there’s nothing you can’t do. I need you to concentrate for just a minute. 
Think like a doctor Scully. Tell me what I can do to help you. Please Scully." 
He couldn’t keep his voice completely steady. 

She groaned as another contraction took over her body, but when it subsided, she 
managed to speak. "Help me push." He nodded, not sure what that meant. She put 
his hands on her stomach and his eyes widened, but he nodded again. 

During the next contraction they pushed together, and the next. The suddenness 
of the baby’s movement startled them both. He scrambled back to his original 
position and managed to smile up at her. "I always figured you for a redhead." 

"Can you see the head?" 

"Yeah. A lot of dark hair. Please Scully, one more time." 

She raised herself on her arms again. He watched as the head emerged, supporting 
it as she had instructed him. He stroked the nostrils and wiped one of the 
towels over the mouth. 

"The cord?" 

"No, Scully. I don’t see it." She nodded and bore down again. A shoulder emerged, 
the child turning within her to bring the other shoulder out. The rest of the 
child slid out into his hands. Scully collapsed back against the head of the bed 
trembling. 

Mulder stared down at his hands, at the newborn that had now begun to scream. 
The eyes were shut and the face screwed up in fury. It was covered in blood and 
mucus and he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. 

"It’s a, it’s a girl Scully." 

She opened her eyes. "A girl?" 

"Well, I don’t want to admit how long it’s been since I’ve looked at one, but I’m 
pretty sure that’s what I’m seeing." 

She stretched her arms out to him and he placed the squalling infant on her 
stomach. "You need to tie off the cord, and cut it." 

He was already reaching for the floss. She kept her hand on the baby, soothing 
it as he cut the cord. Then he wrapped the softest of the towels around her and 
brought her up to Scully’s arms. 

"You do beautiful work Scully." Scully let her eyes close as her head fell back 
against the headboard. "Are you okay?" 

She nodded and brought the child closer to her breasts. The baby didn’t wait for 
a second invitation, latching onto her breast with a ferocious appetite. Scully’s 
eyes flew open as she gasped. "Definitely your child, Mulder." She managed to 
get out. 

"Only in my dreams, Scully." 

That caught her off guard and she looked into his eyes blushing. "We, uh, we 
still have work to do. You. . . you need to massage my stomach. We need to start 
the contractions again." 

He nodded and watched her nurse the child as he first caressed, then at her 
insistence massaged her more firmly. When she delivered the placenta she really 
thought for the first time she was going to lose him. 

"Mulder, put your head down. I still need you. Please, take a deep breath." He 
complied and managed to cover the afterbirth with a towel for her to check later. 
"You okay?" 

He nodded, giving her an abashed grin. "You’re the better doctor, Scully." 

"You do okay. Think you could clean her up? No soap, just warm water." 

"Yeah, you rest." 

"No instructions or advice?" She grinned. 

"She’s my daughter. I’ll figure it out." Tears again overflowed her eyes. "Let 
me make you comfortable." He helped her lay down and took the towels from around 
her, placing a fresh one under her. "Sleep. I’ll be right here." He kissed her 
forehead and pulled the sheet over her. 

The baby was asleep and Mulder was more gentle than he was cleansing. He managed 
to dress her, improvising a diaper and keeping her warm. He found keeping her 
against his chest was comforting to him and she seemed to accept it as her due. 

He couldn’t stay out of the bedroom, so he took her in there to wait for Scully 
to wake. When she did it was to the sight of Mulder investigating the newborn. 
The baby opened her eyes and Mulder’s widened. 

"Mulder? What? What’s wrong!" 

He glanced up and met her eyes then returned his gaze to the child. "Samantha. 
She looks like Samantha." She took a deep breath, melting into the look he had 
locked on their daughter. 

"Come here." She held out her hand to him. He rose and joined her on the bed. "I 
hadn’t thought much about girl’s names, Mulder. I just kind of thought I was 
carrying your son. Do you want to name her Samantha?" 

"No. No, she needs her own name. I’m thinking Katherine." 

"Mulder. . . " 

"It’s perfect, naming her for the strongest person I know." 

Scully swallowed, she’d be so happy when her hormones were under some sort of 
control again. "Katherine. Katherine Ann." 

He looked up and after a second nodded. "Katherine Ann." She watched as the baby 
began nuzzling Mulder’s chest, becoming agitated. 

"I think she’s hungry again." 

He grinned, "You wanna handle that?" At her nod he laid the baby beside her on 
the bed and helped her into a more comfortable position. 

"What’s she wearing?" 

"Kitchen attire. I’m going to have to make a run to the store sometime." 

"Could you get me a big glass of water?" 

"Sure, but you need food. You haven’t eaten since last night." 

"You’re right. But I really don’t want you to leave me. Not yet." 

"Are you okay? I mean, is there something. . . " 

"No. I’m fine. I just don’t want to be alone with her." He caressed her cheek 
and nodded. He got her water and placed an order for Chinese to be delivered. "She’s 
asleep again." 

"Getting born really wears a person out." He took the baby and settled her on 
the bed he’d made for her. "You’ll feel better after you’re cleaned up too." 

"I’d really like a shower." 

"A shower? Can you stand?" 

"Not for long. But you’re right, I would feel better. Would you help me?" 

"Of course. Let me get the water going." He helped her into the bathroom. She 
could walk, but barely. He got her in the shower and after only a moment’s 
hesitation stripped himself and joined her. 

"Mulder! What are you. . ? " He took the washcloth from her. 

"Lean on me. It won’t take as long." Their eyes locked and she settled herself 
against his chest. He even washed her hair. Then as soon as possible settled her 
back in the bed, this time wearing her robe. He dressed and was headed for the 
kitchen when he heard the knock on the door. He relaxed when he looked through 
the peephole. Food, finally. 

He opened the door and let the kid in. He found his wallet and pulled out some 
cash. "Listen, you in a hurry?" 

"Nyah, it’s a slow night. Why?" 

Mulder pulled out a $50 bill and the kid began to look suspicious. "My wife’s 
not well. I don’t want to leave her alone with the kid. Could you pick up some 
supplies – diapers, things like that?" 

The kid relaxed. "Yeah, I guess. What size diapers?" 

"Uh, newborn." Now there was a question he’d never been asked before. 

"Sure. Anything else?" 

"Yeah, maybe some eggs and bread. Oh hey, could you get some rocky road ice 
cream for her?" 

The kid grinned. "Yeah. There’s a place around the corner. I won’t be long." 

Mulder took the food into the bedroom and they ate ravenously. "I don’t think I’ve 
ever been this hungry, Mulder." 

"You probably never worked that hard before. I know I’ve never seen anything 
like it." She jumped as the doorbell rang. "It’s okay. Just some supplies we 
need. Be right back." 

He checked and opened the door to the young man again. He was carrying a couple 
of grocery bags. Mulder could see the ice cream near the top. They put the 
supplies on the kitchen table. He pulled some things out of the bag and spotted 
the sanitary pads near the bottom. 

He glanced up at the boy, who shrugged. "I’m the oldest of six and my wife just 
had a baby. Well, here’s your change." He didn’t look like he could possibly be 
twenty years old. He was already a father? 

"It’s yours." 

"That’s almost $30." 

"And more than worth it." 

"Look, I’m Gary. If you. . . if you need anything just give me a call. Here’s my 
beeper number. If I’m at work I can still swing by here." 

"Thanks Gary. Listen, one more thing. Please don’t mention this to anyone." 

Gary nodded. "I better get back. Thanks." 

"You too. I’ll call." 

He returned to the bedroom with dishes of ice cream and most of the supplies. 

The baby woke them a couple of times during the night, but it was mostly 
uneventful. He made breakfast the next morning, but she insisted on getting up. 

"Okay Mulder. You avoided answering me yesterday, and with everything else going 
on I let you get away with it. Now I need to know what you think is going on." 

"Scully, I can’t prove anything." 

"You usually can’t until I get involved." She smiled at him. "Talk to me. Why do 
you think I was duped and you weren’t in danger?" 

"It’s mostly a feeling – it just feels like a plan to win your cooperation. A 
plan where you would be willing to bear my child." 

She looked at him for a moment. "They didn’t need an elaborate plan for that, 
Mulder." 

That statement caught his attention. "Do you mean that?" 

"You should know I do. In case you’re wondering, she is yours. I insisted on 
testing before I allowed the procedure." 

"I wasn’t wondering. I can see us both in her." 

"But why would they care if you and I had a child?" 

"Because we’ve both been exposed to the black cancer, both been given an 
antidote. You in Antarctica, me in Russia. They were possibly different 
variations of the vaccine. They needed to find our if it could be passed on. My 
guess would be they’ve tried this before and found they needed you, with your 
immune system, to carry the baby, that their procedures wouldn’t work." 

"So she’s what they really want." 

"Yes, and I don’t think you would ever have seen her. They would have told you 
she died at birth, or they would have killed you if they didn’t think they 
needed you any longer." 

"So they’ll be looking for her." He nodded. "How do we keep her safe?" 

"I’m working on that. I don’t think they’ll find us here. When you can travel I’m 
going to take you both back to DC." 

"Mom’s?" 

"No. I want you to stay with the guys. They can keep you hidden, then I’ll be 
free to move around, stir things up, and see what shakes out." 

"Do you really think you can keep her safe?" 

"I’m going to keep both of you safe. That’s a promise." 

"Mulder, we could start out today." 

"No. The memory of yesterday may have faded for you, but not me. You need more 
recovery time." 

She took a steadying breath. He was right, she wasn’t up to a 16-hour car ride, 
not yet. And the sooner he took her to Byers the sooner they’d be separated 
again. She definitely wasn’t ready for that. 

***** 



Plots Within Plots 3 (R) 

He was using every resource he had to track down things. The guys were 
cooperating wholeheartedly. He’d been amazed at Frohike’s skill at calming his 
daughter when she cried. Maybe it was because he was closest to her size. Hell, 
you could never tell what would appeal to women. 

He was ready to stir the pot now. See what fell where. He picked up the phone. 

"Hello?" 

"Anderson? It’s Mulder. Will you let me talk to her?" 

"What?" 

"I just need to know she’s okay. Has she had the baby?" 

"What are you talking about! She left with you!" 

"She left me and went back - are you saying she’s not there? What the hell have 
you done with her, Anderson? If you’ve done anything to her. . . " He left the 
threat hanging. He could already feel Sam’s psychosis growing long-distance. 

"Me!" His voice broke on that one word, and he slammed the phone down. Mulder 
nodded at Byers and they waited for the activity. It didn’t take long. 

The first couple of numbers he dialed went unanswered. Frohike began the 
research on the connections. The third number answered. The connection was 
perfect, he looked over at Langley who grinned. They’d done a good job of 
setting up the taps; no one had suspected anything. 

Soon they had quite a database and some names to go with it. The most disturbing 
to Mulder was the call to Kersh at the FBI. And why he hadn’t been called in and 
questioned. 

He’d made a point of being at work and accessible. He had tried to call Sam one 
other time, but he’d been hung up on immediately. The guys continued to 
investigate. The largest surprise came when his door opened and Mrs. Scully was 
escorted in by none other than AD Kersh. 

"Fox, why didn’t you call me? Dana’s missing and Sam says he doesn’t know where 
she is!" 

"Mrs. Scully." He was on his feet, he hadn’t foreseen this. Of course Kersh 
would bring her. He had to pull this off. 

"Sam said she left with you." 

Mulder took her hand; "She did Mrs. Scully. When I got there I went to her house. 
Sam came home while I was there. He threw me out, so I left. But I didn’t feel 
right about. . . You should have told me she was pregnant. I would have been 
furious to have a man from her past show up myself. Anyway I doubled back and 
was going to spy through the window." He looked over at Kersh, "Okay, I’m guilty, 
but it was while I was watching that I saw him strike her." 

He’d been watching Kersh. The man hadn’t known this. He had enough humanity left 
to be appalled. 

"His second blow caused her to go down. I lost it then, and broke through the 
front door. I got her out of there. I couldn’t see that I had a choice. She 
wouldn’t go to the police, so I got her to calm down and I begged her to let me 
bring her home to you. I thought I’d convinced her and went to get her some 
things. I left her lying down. When I got back she was gone. She’d left me a 
note saying she had to go back to Sam. Okay, I lost it – I was furious that she 
would go back to him after what I’d seen. How could she love a man like that? 
Anyway I left. I should have called you, but what was I supposed to say to you? 

"If she’d wanted you to know she was married to a man who beats her . . . " 
Kersh winced again. "Anyway I calmed down and called to check on her. That’s 
when Sam told me she wasn’t there. I didn’t believe him, I thought it was just 
to keep me from talking to her. But if you say she’s gone. . . " 

"She’s really gone Fox. I’m frightened, she’s so close to her due date." 

Damn! He needed to comfort her. Would she ever forgive him for causing her this 
grief? Someday he’d explain – he’d make her understand he’d had to do it to 
protect her daughter and his own. All he needed now was for Bill to show up. 
That SOB had been so thrilled when she’d married someone else. 

"I’ll go back today. I’ll find her Mrs. Scully." 

"Wait a minute, Mulder." Kersh spoke for the first time. "I don’t think that’s a 
good idea. You’re not objective. And this isn’t a kidnapping. The police should 
handle it. You’d be in the way." 

Before Mulder could speak Mrs. Scully turned on Kersh; "He’s always found her 
before. No one knows Dana like Fox does. He’ll find her. He’ll make sure she’s 
safe." 

"Why don’t you want me to go?" Mulder was watching Kersh closely now. 

"I’ve told you, you’re too close to the victim." 

"Why do you assume she’s a victim now? Do you think her husband’s done something 
to her?" That planted a seed. The people Sam was working for didn’t trust him 
either. But they hadn’t known how far gone he was. "I have to go. It’s not just 
Scully, there’s a child involved. A child that could be born at any time. I need 
to do this." 

"I’ll send some people. People that are experts in this." 

"I want Fox to go. He’s the only one I trust." 

Mulder closed his eyes at that. Mrs. Scully felt that way? He’d caused her to 
lose one daughter. For all she knew it was happening again, but she trusted him. 
He stepped to her and put his arms around her. 

"You’ve got to believe me Mrs. Scully. I’m not going to let anything happen to 
her, her or the baby. I want you to go home and try to relax. Wait for her call. 
I’m sure when she feels safe she’ll call you." 

"She can’t deliver the baby alone Fox." 

"Scully will do what she has to. She’ll find the help she needs. She’s free of 
Sam, that has to be a plus." 

"If she were okay she would never have run from you. I know that." 

He held her tighter; he couldn’t offer her any reassurances he hadn’t already 
given. Especially not with Kersh standing there. "You said you trusted me, go 
home Mrs. Scully, let us work." 

She nodded tearfully. "You’ll call me." 

"You know I will." She turned then and left the room, avoiding AD Kersh’s hand. 
Mulder sank into his chair. "Shit." 

He headed out of the building and several blocks away caught a cab to Scully’s 
location. 

Once the guys had ascertained that he was alone and unfollowed, Scully came out 
of the bedroom, holstering her gun. He stopped to look at her. It had to be his 
imagination, but she looked as slim as though she’d never been pregnant. He was 
pretty sure his hands could span her waist, though he didn’t dare try. Her 
breasts were larger, that was obvious. 

Scully cleared her throat. Oh god, she’d caught him staring at. . . He looked up 
blushing to see her own matching blush. He gave her a bashful grin and a shrug. 

She took a breath, further distracting him. "Do you want to see Katy?" 

"Yeah." He looked to see how much of this the guys had observed; they were all 
working hard at not watching them. He sighed and followed her into the back room. 

"She’s asleep, but if you want to hold her. . . " 

"No, don’t disturb her. Maybe she’ll wake up while I’m here." 

Scully glanced at her watch. "I can pretty much guarantee it." He grinned. "Now, 
tell me what’s wrong." 

"Not wrong exactly, just a complication. Your mother came to see me this morning. 
She’s frantic about you." 

"I know." 

"The worst part is that Kersh brought her to my office." 

"Kersh?" 

"He’s dirty, Scully." She nodded. "I did learn something. I had to mention the 
abuse. I’m sorry your mother had to find out but you should have seen Kersh’s 
face. Sam was overstepping his bounds. They didn’t know he was hitting you. 
Whatever he says now is suspect. I planted the seed that he’d done something 
with you. Since he hasn’t left Chicago, the search should concentrate there. I 
just wish I could have talked to your mother, reassured her." 

"You couldn’t Mulder. You couldn’t. We’ll explain it to her someday. She’ll 
understand, she’ll be grateful. She’ll be especially grateful when she knows Sam 
is gone and you’re responsible." 

"Scully, I want him totally gone. I want you to file for divorce when this is 
over." 

"I can get an annulment." 

"Annul. . . you never?" 

"That was never part of the deal. I made certain of that. It’s why he started 
hitting me. After we knew I was pregnant, what was left of him snapped. I think 
you’re right, I think they would have killed me. He would have killed me, which 
means you’ve saved my life once again." 

He stood there holding her until their daughter demanded her attention. 

***** 

He hung up the phone. He should feel something, some sorrow, regret, but no. The 
only feeling he had was one of relief. He needed to talk to Scully; she needed 
to know this. That slowed his response. 

He forced himself to his feet and patted his pockets searching for his keys. No, 
he better take a cab for this one. You could never tell. 

Langley opened the door to him and checked for tails. It looked good, Mulder had 
never bothered to be so careful in his life. 

"I need to talk to her, then I’ll bring you guys up to date." Langley nodded, 
something must have happened. He watched Mulder head back toward Scully’s room, 
then went to round up Byers and Frohike. 

She was changing Katy when he entered. She looked up and smiled, when he didn’t 
respond her own smile faded. She gathered Katy up into her arms as though to 
protect her. When Mulder reached for her, she surrendered her to him and he took 
both of them into his arms. 

"What?" Her voice wasn’t quite steady. 

"Let’s sit." He sat beside her on the bed, holding Katy close to his chest. 

"Mulder." 

"Scully, Sam’s dead." 

"Dead?" It was as though he’d spoken in a foreign language. 

"They made it look like suicide, but. . . " 

"Dead." 

"Are you okay?" 

"What? Yeah, yeah, I just can’t. . . Are you sure it’s him and he’s really dead?" 

"Well the body was really dead, and the ID was positive. I’ve got someone going 
over to recheck again, but it was him. I’m just not sure about the suicide part." 

Scully shook her head, "Sam wouldn’t kill himself. If you told me he had 
murdered a dozen people from a tower I could believe that, no problem. But he’d 
never harm himself." He nodded, he’d already reached that conclusion himself. 

"I’ve had some people put a bug in the coroner’s ear out there. The body may 
disappear before anything can be done, but suspicions have been raised about 
cause of death already. I’m sorry Scully." 

"Don’t be, not on my account. He was a sick, evil man. Maybe I should be sorry 
he’s dead, but I’m not. Not yet anyway." 

Mulder nodded and pulled her close to him. What kind of shit was going to hit 
the fan now? 

"How did you find out?" 

"I’ve had him under surveillance. In fact it was one of mine that called 911 
when he wasn’t seen for a couple of days. The police had to break in. The 
neighbors are saying he was despondent over you leaving him." 

"Right. He had those same ‘neighbors’ watching me. I never did learn what story 
he told them, but if I stepped outside one of them was out there to check on 
what I was doing. I didn’t have a car, and of course he took me to my doctor’s 
appointments." She shuddered at that and he pulled her closer. He couldn’t 
forget the torture she’d endured at that man’s hands. And she’d taken it all 
with no response in order to keep his daughter safe. And him. She’d done it all 
for him. He could weep with frustration that he’d allowed it to go on for so 
long. Okay, he hadn’t known; why didn’t that make him feel any better. He should 
have known, he should have sensed how much she needed him. 

"Mulder? You there?" 

"What? Oh, yeah." 

"Does this mean I can come out now?"

"No, not yet. I’m not going to take any chances." 

"Mulder, she’s normal. She’s normal in every way the guys and I can test. I can’t 
and won’t expose her to the black cancer, but none of us can think of any other 
way to test her." 

"I need to go talk to Kersh." 

"What are you going to say to him?" 

"I’m not sure yet. Let’s talk to the guys." They went out to the main room, 
Mulder not letting go of either of his women. He brought everyone up to date and 
they started printing. The information that had been accumulated was collated 
and a notebook was formed. It took a couple of hours, but finally Mulder was 
satisfied. 

"If this doesn’t prove to them we’re serious, nothing will. I want to be left 
alone to be with you and Katy, that’s all. Just leave us alone and we’ll get 
along fine."

"What if they don’t agree?" Scully was watching Frohike walk with her daughter, 
not at all embarrassed to be making nonsense sounds and cooing to her. Mulder 
followed her eyes and had to turn away to keep his expression bland. He was 
never going to get used to that. 

"They don’t have a choice. If they don’t agree, we’ll go public. That’s the last 
thing they want." He leaned down and kissed Scully, another thing he’d never get 
used to. "Wish me luck." 

She was holding his hand, not yet willing to release him to go and do this. But 
he was right; otherwise they’d never be together. She and Katy couldn’t live 
here with the guys forever, she wanted her life with Mulder to start. Okay, they 
hadn’t made specific plans, but it was understood. He had asked her to divorce 
Sam, now that was a moot point. Would the plan work? Would they ever be able to 
just be together? 

"Scully, you know we have to do this. It’s the only way. I won’t be able to 
contact you for a couple of days. I won’t risk it." 

"How will we know?" 

"You’ll know, Scully. Don’t worry about me, just keep Katy safe." He was 
caressing her cheek, their eyes speaking volumes. 

The guys faded from the room as unobtrusively as possible. She swallowed, not 
trusting her voice. "Two days, Scully. I should have our answer in 48 hours. 
Okay?" He was afraid she was going to cry. "Don’t Scully. Try not to worry." 

She looked down, resting her forehead against his chest. 

"Scully, nothing is going to keep me from you and Katy. Nothing. I have to go 
now, so I can come back." His fingers brought her chin up and he kissed her. 
When he released her, he took up the notebook and left. There weren’t any more 
words. 

***** 

He walked into Kersh’s office and bypassed his secretary heading for his door. 

"Agent Mulder, wait! You need an appointment." 

"Not this time. This is too important." He opened the door and closed it in her 
face. Kersh looked up at the disturbance. 

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" 

"We need to talk." 

"About your resignation?" 

"Not this time." He laid the notebook on Kersh’s desk. "You might want to look 
through this." 

"And why should I Agent Mulder? Why shouldn’t I call security and have your ass 
thrown out of here for good?" 

"Because then, sir, you won’t know what’s in this book." Mulder seated himself 
in front of the desk to wait. 

There was something about his confidence – what was in the damn book? Kersh’s 
eyes narrowed, but Mulder didn’t flinch. Okay, okay, he’d look at the damn book. 
He drew it to him and with one last glance at Mulder opened it. 

After only a few seconds his mouth opened and his breathing became labored. Oh 
god! Mulder watched him turn ashen, but held his voice. The man flipped a few 
pages and read some more. Mulder wasn’t entirely sure his presence hadn’t been 
forgotten. 

After an agonizing twenty minutes of frantic flipping of pages and scanning of 
words, Kersh looked up at him. "What is it you want?" 

"To be left alone. I want safety for Scully and myself, and our daughter. 
Otherwise everything in that document will be public knowledge in a matter of 
minutes." 

"The web?" 

"It’s all there." 

"So you’re saying with the touch of a button this could go out." 

"No, I’m saying without the touch of a button it will. I have to stop it from 
being broadcast. Daily. It might be in your friends’ best interest to keep me 
alive and happy. And what makes me happy is knowing my family is safe." 

"What assurances can I give you?" 

"You? None." Mulder rose from his chair. He opened the book and flipped a couple 
of pages, then pointed. "I want my assurances to come from him." 

In the back of his mind, Kersh wondered if he was having a heart attack. He had 
picked that name? It looked no different from any other in the list of names, 
nothing special about it at all, not at the top or bottom of the list, but the 
one name that could give him the assurances he wanted. Mulder knew everything, 
hell he knew more than Kersh did at this point. 

"I need to make some phone calls." 

"I assumed you would. I’ll be in my office. You have until 4:30 today to set up 
an appointment for tomorrow." He looked Kersh straight in the eye, "Don’t think 
I’m bluffing, not with these stakes." 

Kersh managed to nod and watched as Mulder left the room, not bothering to take 
the book with him. He was better than the rest of them, Kersh had always thought 
everyone was exaggerating the Mulder threat. Turns out they hadn’t been scared 
enough of him. He picked up the phone with a trembling hand. 

***** 

"Scully! It’s him, he’s here!" Scully came flying out of the bedroom as they 
opened the door and threw herself into his arms. She didn’t care who was 
watching as she kissed him thoroughly. 

When they paused for breath, Mulder managed to speak. "Get your stuff together, 
Katy’s too. We have to go somewhere." 

"Where?" A small note of fear had crept back into her voice. 

"Your mother’s." 

"You got it? We have assurances?" 

"Well, we aren’t guaranteed against lightening, and we should probably still 
drive defensively on New Year’s Eve, but yeah, I think we’re as safe as they can 
make us." 

"Oh Mulder." He held her close for a moment. 

"Come on, Scully. I have repair work to do on my relationship with your mother. 
And I want her to meet Katy." Scully’s smile lit up the world and she hurried to 
get what she needed together. 

"You’re really taking our baby?" Frohike looked despondent despite the news. 

"We can arrange visitation, Frohike." 

"It won’t be the same." He sank into the chair. Mulder patted his shoulder, but 
was too excited to really worry about this. 

***** 

They pulled up in her mother’s driveway. "Mulder, why don’t you just carry her 
in with the carrier?" 

"Think your mother will be able to wait for me to get her unstrapped?" 

"You’re right." Scully smiled at him, he was already one hell of a great father. 

They approached the door, Mulder walking slightly behind Scully. She rang the 
bell and they heard Mrs. Scully hurrying to the door. She must have looked 
through the peephole, because the door was flung wide and Mrs. Scully grabbed 
Scully into her arms. 

"You’re safe! I knew Mulder would find you. Are you okay? The baby?" Clouds 
appeared in her eyes. 

Mulder stepped closer, "Grandma, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Katherine Ann." 

"Your daughter? I . . ." She looked over at Scully who smiled and nodded. "I 
should have known, that was stupid of me. Give her here!" She all but snatched 
the baby from his arms and he gave Scully a smug grin. Scully was too happy to 
argue the point. 

They followed Mrs. Scully into the living room, where Mulder sat slightly apart, 
watching the three women investigate each other. He let the conversation flow 
over him, just drinking in the presence of people so vital to his well being. 

His ears perked up at Mrs. Scully’s question. "Are you planning to go back to 
work, Dana?" 

"Yes, after a little while." 

"What are you going to do with Katy?" 

"Mom, have you ever heard me mention Melvin Frohike?"