From: Donna Honeycutt Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 16:08:19 -0500 Subject: New story - Promises (hope the soft returns hold) Title - Promises Author - Donna Email address - donnah@pop.uky.edu Rating - R Category - Relationship Spoilers - Fight the Future, Keywords - Mulder/Scully, Skinner/Scully Summary - Can Skinner stand in for Mulder? Feedback - Please Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunman and Skinner all belong to Chris Carter, 10-13 and Fox. Bless them for it!! No infringement intended. Promises "Its going to be okay, Scully. Nothing's going to happen to me when I have you come home to, I promise. Don't worry." He nuzzled her neck while running his hand up and down her side, his thumb flicking her nipple at each pass. She wouldn't be distracted. "It's dangerous Mulder. This isn't your field. Let someone used to undercover work take it." "They want me. We've been over this. I have to do it. There are too many lives at stake here." He was right there, so she closed her mouth, until his tongue forced it open again. She couldn't help but be afraid. This was so new, they were so new. They had finally found each other and the thought of not being in his arms was too frightening to contemplate. Five years, it had taken five years. But he had tracked her down in the Antarctic and saved her. She should have been dead many times over. She would have been if not for him. He'd saved her, again. When she'd been released from the hospital he had brought her home and for all intents and purposes, never left. She had never known the kind of love and passion she had found in his arms. She had barely suspected that such feelings existed in the real world, this was the stuff of fantasy. He'd taken her so far beyond the real world she wasn't sure she knew the way back. He wanted her again; maybe as much as she wanted him. She felt his body cover hers and let the sensations flow through her. This Mulder, her Mulder, was different from the man she'd worked beside all these years, but he was the same too. Just more. He was going into danger without her. That was what scared her the most. They belonged together, they were better together. Then all thoughts dissolved as they were together, one entity, joined, as they should have been forever. He would come back to her. He had to. He'd promised. ***** Now she was hiding in the ladies room, taking this test. She couldn't do it at home; he was living there, where he belonged. She couldn't risk him finding any evidence of this. She was staring at the strip, her emotions colliding and careening off again in every direction. So she wasn't as barren as everyone had assumed. Her first impulse was to throw herself into his arms and tell him in every way she could, how much she loved him. That wasn't a possibility. According to the timetable he would be leaving in three days. He couldn't afford any distractions from what he was going into, and this would be a major distraction. A child His child Their child. No, she had to keep quiet about this. When he came back, and he would come back, there would be time to celebrate. ***** He knew that their lovemaking had become more even more frantic and put it down to the knowledge that they would be apart for a while. He wasn't going to complain when she reached for him in the night. Scully, Dana Scully, wanted him; he still had trouble believing it. He knew she was quieter, more pensive because she was afraid for him. He wished he could ease her mind, at least he was able to please her body. Nothing was going to keep him from her, he would be back. He would hold her in his arms for years to come. Besides she was right; this was not his field. Nothing that separated them could be right for him. After this, straight field work again, with her at his side. Where she belonged. "Scully, don't cry." "I'm not." He wasn't going to argue with her, he just kissed the tears from her cheeks. Committing their taste to memory along with all the other tastes of her, all the other sensations that were Scully. These memories would have to get him through the next few weeks, as they would her. He gazed into her eyes, wet with unshed tears, and fell even more deeply in love with her. How was it possible? He hadn't known this kind of love existed. Well, it never had, for him. She reached for him as she woke. There weren't enough hours in the day to touch him like she wanted. The bed was empty, he was gone. He was gone. He hadn't said goodbye. No, he hadn't said the word goodbye. That's what last night had been. She had known he was building memories, she had been too. When would she see him again? She dragged herself out of bed, but once on her feet collapsed back down and buried her face in her hands as she wept. In some part of her mind, she knew this was at least partially hormonal. The knowledge didn't help. She curled up and held his pillow against her until she had cried herself out. Work. If she was busy she could get through this. It was the only way. ***** Skinner had seen her in the halls. She had made a point of not coming to him for updates and he knew how hard that was for her. She didn't look good, like she was worrying herself sick. Things had changed between them after Mulder had found her this last time. He wasn't going to dwell on it. If it didn't interfere with their work, it wasn't his business. Yet. When he learned something, he would make a point of sharing the information with her. She would not be a security risk, not with her personal stake in the project. "Agent Scully." He approached her. Her lips parted, automatically searching for information, then she drew back and remained silent. He gave her a reassuring smile and led her to his office. "Are you doing all right?" "Fine, sir." That was patently untrue, but he let it pass. "Without details, I can tell you things are proceeding as we had hoped. The confrontation that we are going to stage should be in the next couple of days. I would like to have you join me here for that." "Yes sir." It was barely a whisper. This was the most dangerous part from what she had been able to glean from Mulder. She hated the secrecy even as she prayed for it. It would keep him safe. It had to. Three days later she was summoned abruptly to Skinner's office. She was grateful to find him alone waiting for her. She sank into the chair across from him at his desk, as her legs would no longer support her. He was not Mulder's supervisor for this; the information he had was a courtesy. The fact that he was willing to share this with her made her doubly grateful to him. "I opted to have this here, because I'm not sure they would have allowed you in officially." "Thank you." "Agent Scully, are you ill?" "No sir. Just concerned." He nodded and they both turned their attention to the small box on his desk. The wired agent was receiving his final instructions. Scully felt she would unravel from the tension. She kept trying to relax her hands. They were going in, this was it. She gave up on trying to relax, clinching her hands together in her lap. Unconsciously pressing them to her abdomen. She was having trouble following the conversation, when she heard Mulder's voice for the first time in nearly three weeks tears came to her eyes. She was concentrating on the sound, not the words, when the shouting began. Then shots rang out. Lots of shots. She hadn't even felt herself rise, but she was standing over the desk, gripping it with white knuckles. She had forgotten how to breathe, concentrating completely on willing him to live. Shouting again, the shooting had ceased. Mulder's voice, "Sound off! Who's hurt? I'm okay, Schmidt?" 'Yes!" Skinner hit the desk. "He's okay. He's sending you a message, Scully. He's okay!" He was alive; he was talking to her. She knew that, she knew why he had said those words. She looked up into Skinner's face; his smile had taken over. She'd never seen him smile like that. She tried to return his smile as the world went dark. She came to on his couch, a damp cloth on her forehead. "Scully? Dana, can you hear me?" She looked at him as he crouched beside her and nodded. "He's okay, Dana. Mulder was not hurt. You heard him." She closed her eyes, to better remember the sound of his voice. No, she was going to be sick. Scully scrambled from the couch and dashed into Skinner's in-suite. He had moved, startled, out of her way. Now he stood and looked at the door, suspicion growing in his mind. Remembering how she had seemed the last few weeks. When she returned she sank onto the couch and accepted the glass of water he held out for her. "Are you all right?" "Yes, the tension. . . the . . . " "Dana." He paused until she looked up at him. "Is there anything you need to tell me?" "No, I. . . " But he would not break his gaze. She closed her eyes to escape him. "Dana." He said again, and watched her sag before him. For the first time in his life he thought of her as tiny. "Talk to me." "I'm pregnant." Now he looked away. He'd known, but the confirmation still rocked him. "It's Mulder's." That wasn't a question, just a statement of fact, but she nodded anyway. "I'm surprised he didn't refuse this assignment under the circumstances." "He doesn't know." Her voice was so low he had to lean in to hear her. "What?" "I found out three days before he left. I couldn't tell him then. I couldn't give him anything else to worry about. He had enough. . . " Her voice trailed off. Skinner nodded. He wasn't sure it was the right decision, but he understood it. How would he have reacted being told that news and then being thrust into the danger Mulder was facing? "When are you due?" "I'm thirteen weeks, a long time to go." Skinner was automatically counting up their estimate of when Mulder might be back. After today that could be revised, he needed to be here. She obviously needed him. "Should I call your doctor?" She did not look well. "I'm not. . . I'm acting as my own physician." "Is that wise?" "I am a doctor." "I'm not sure I'd want the woman carrying my child to be seen by a pathologist." She managed a smile, but couldn't sustain it. "I know you have work to do. Thank you for letting me be here." They both rose and he took her arm as she swayed. "Have you eaten today?" "I. . . I had breakfast. . . " Without a word he settled her back on the couch and walked to his office door. "Angie, could you call down to the deli? Have them bring up two turkeys on whole wheat and two milks. Thank you." "That's really not necessary, sir." "There's not a lot I can do for Mulder out in the field, but I can keep an eye on you. And we both know if I let anything happen to either of you, he'd flay me alive." And, he thought to himself, he had promised Mulder he'd watch out for her. Somehow he doubted this was what Mulder had in mind. "Milk?" "I like milk." He tried to look stern, but failed. "Does your mother. . . ?" "No. You're the only one who knows about the baby." He nodded. "Okay. I'll do what I can to speed up this investigation." Her eyes shone for an instant before she dropped her head. ***** Skinner didn't see her for a couple of days, and when he realized it, went looking for her. He found her in the new office, staring at the computer. "Agent Scully." He spoke as he closed the door behind him. "Sir?" She started to rise, her eyes hungry for information. "I have no new information on Mulder. I've come to check on you." Scully looked away to hide her disappointment. "I'm fine, sir." "Unless I'm mistaken, under the circumstances, you're supposed to be gaining weight, not losing it." He saw the small smile on her lips. "Have you seen an obstetrician yet?" "I am fine." "Are you eating?" She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Agent Scully," he was using his marine voice, she turned to him startled. "Until further notice we have a standing meeting, my office, every day at 11:30 a.m." "That's not necessary, sir." "That is an order, Agent Scully. I can't control what you eat at breakfast or dinner, but during office hours you report to me. You will be eating one healthy meal a day." "Yes, Sir." She managed to control her impulse to salute, but the twinkle in his eye showed the twitch of her hand had not gone unnoticed. "I'll see you in one hour." He turned and left the office. Why had he done that? He shouldn't get involved. He was technically already in violation of the rules, just knowing two of his agents were intimately involved and, hell, one of his agents had gotten another of his agents pregnant. He shook his head; he was getting soft, in the head at least. ***** Their lunches became an important part of his day. At first they only discussed business, what investigations she was working on, old cases he was still curious about. Later it turned more personal, discussing family, the military life or lack thereof, and finally children - the care and feeding of. If there was a buzz around the water cooler about them, no one dared talk too loud. It did tend to lead to curiosity about where Mulder had been restationed and why, but since there was no news, eventually everyone became used to seeing her in or near the Director's office. So did he, which is why Angie's note caught him off guard. "Why is Agent Scully canceling our meeting today?" "She said she wasn't feeling well, and would be working at home. I'm sorry, that's all the information I have." "Fine. Well, since the meeting is off, I'm going to run some errands during that time. I'll be back before my 2:30." He grabbed his jacket and left the building. Very shortly he was outside her door. He knocked and at her response said, "It's me Dana, Walter. Are you okay?" She opened the door, wearing her robe. He was used to seeing the suits; he really hadn't realized how much she was showing already. It caused him to go silent for a moment. "Walter, you didn't have to come over here to check on me. I'm fine." "No, you're not. If you were you'd be at work. Talk to me Dana. Did something happen?" She wouldn't meet his eyes. Something was wrong. His hand automatically went out to her and took her arm. "It just got to me this morning, Walter. I just couldn't face going out. I'm sorry I worried you." But she was studying his shoes. He led her to the couch and sat her down. "Talk to me Dana. Are you really okay? Do I need to call anyone?" She finally met his eyes, and gave him a sad smile. "It moved last night. I felt the baby move. And Mulder still doesn't know there is a baby. I'm sorry, I. . . " But he had taken her into his embrace and let her cry. He was a fool, getting this involved. This was quite possibly the stupidest thing he had ever done. This woman was not available and he was just letting himself get sucked in deeper and deeper. Hell, now that she was showing, he'd probably get called in and have explanations demanded of him. That's when he realized that some small part of him wished it were his. This was getting out of hand. But he wasn't going to back away. He owed Mulder this, her too. At least that was the excuse he was going to keep feeding himself until it didn't work anymore. ***** He hurried to Skinner's office, why was she waiting there? Why wasn't she at the site? Skinner's vague explanation had said nothing, other than that she was okay. Angie wasn't there; fine he wanted the privacy anyway. He opened the door. In the second before she turned he saw her, staring out the window. Looking for him to arrive? He didn't think he could have waited another day to see her. "Scully." He was already moving toward her. She barely had time to turn before he had her in his arms. His lips, oh God, how she'd missed his lips and his arms around her. How had she lived so long without him? "Oh god, Scully. I've missed you. I missed you so much." He pulled her tighter against him. "Mulder. You're okay. You're really okay?" She was running her hands over his arms, up to his face. "Yeah, I'm fine now. Now that I can touch you." He crushed her against him again. He never wanted to let go. But. . . what the hell was that? He held her out from him, holding her arms. She was watching his face, and saw the color leave it. His mouth moved, but no words came. His hand seemed to rise of its own accord and place itself on her abdomen. "Our baby?" He finally looked up and saw the fear she was trying to hide in her eyes. "Is it okay? Scully are you okay? Oh god, Scully are you. . . ?" "I'm fine, we're both fine. Are you?" "When? How?" "I think you know how." "But I thought. . . " "So did I. When was nineteen weeks ago." "Did you know before. . . Scully, how long have you known?" His voice was shaking now and his hands couldn't decide which part of her to touch. "I found out just before you left." His grip on her arms tightened. "You should have told me. Scully, you can't keep things like this. . . " "You couldn't know. You had to be focused. I wanted you home alive. I couldn't risk it." He had her pressed to his chest again. "I should be furious with you. I might be later. I should have been here for you, I left you alone, can you forgive me?" His emotions were all over the place - he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mulder, I wasn't alone. I had you inside of me the whole time. That's such an incredible feeling. And Walter kept a very close eye on us." "Walter? You mean Skinner?" Why did he feel that prickle at the back of his neck? Another man had looked after her during her pregnancy. Not him. It should have been him. She knew immediately she'd said the wrong thing. She hadn't thought it out; of course he'd be upset. But he had no reason for jealousy. Didn't he know that by now? Wasn't her love for him visible now for all to see? "Let's go home, Mulder. I want to be home with you." That had helped, his muscles were less bunched, his grip slightly looser. "Home. Yes, I want to be home with you." She reached up and brought his lips down to her again. "Let's go." When they reached her car she hesitated, then headed for the driver's side. "Why don't I drive?" "Yeah, maybe you better. I'm not sure I'd be safe." She smiled gently and got in. He couldn't take his eyes off of her on the ride home, alternating between her belly and her face. She finally had to mention it. "You're making me nervous, Mulder. Am I that big?" "What? No, no I just. . . I never thought I'd see you like. . . I don't know what to think yet." "I didn't want to spring it on you, but there's less choice about that every day. I'm just so glad you're here and you're safe." His hand was on her thigh and working its way back toward the baby. It was going to take some time for him to adjust. Once inside of her apartment he seemed at a loss. Standing just inside the door, he ran his fingers through his hair yet again. "Mulder? What's wrong?" "Nothing. I. . . I had visions of taking you here and several other places before we even got to the bedroom. Now. . . " She swallowed nervously. Did he not want her now? Did her body turn him off? They'd been so new, could he. . . could they handle this? "Now I'm afraid I'll hurt you." Hurt her? Was that the problem? He wanted her but. . . "Mulder, how do you think it got in there?" At that she saw his shoulders relax and he was able to meet her eyes. His smile actually seemed shy, but he held out his hand to her. "Can you teach me what I need to know?" "I can't imagine that there's anything you don't already know, but I think we can figure everything out together." She took his hand and led him toward the bedroom. He did not protest, still in a daze from everything that had happened so far today. She sat him on the bed and stood before him, slowly removing her clothes. She was extremely nervous about this part. Her body was so different from when he had left, but there was no way around it if they were going to be together. She could feel his eyes on her face, as though he too was afraid to look elsewhere, but as her clothes landed on the floor he began a visual exploration. Her breasts were larger, heavier and her nipples huge, would she mind. . .? Later, there was more to see. Her slacks had snaps for expansion - he'd never been this close to maternity clothes, and why was he thinking about that? In the time it took to think it, the slacks and panties were on the floor and she stood before him totally nude. He could no more have kept his hands off of her than he could have held back the tide. His eyes were wide with wonder and watching him watch her caused her breathing to ease, her muscles to relax. "Mulder?" He leaned forward and kissed her abdomen and continued upward, kissing her breasts and neck and finally lips, drinking her in, accepting all she had to give. "I can't believe this Scully. I can't believe you'd do this for me." She smiled against his shoulder. "It's lonely, being the only one nude." He pulled back then, surprised. He'd forgotten his own clothes, so caught up was he in exploring her. It took very little time for him to join her, then pulled her down onto the bed with him. "Is there anything. . .?" "We can do anything that's comfortable. I can't imagine anything with you that wouldn't be." When she reached for him the third time that night, he had to laugh. "I was worried about wearing you out. Scully, you're aging me here." "All my energy has come back and pregnancy makes me horny. Since you caused this, you have to keep up your end of the bargain, mister." Her leg slid between his thighs and she knew she had succeeded yet again in her goal. They made love until it was light outside. "What are your plans today?" She rolled to her side and snuggled her back into his chest, the perfect spoon. "I thought I'd run downtown and pick up a marriage license." "A what?" She twisted to see his face. "I guess that was a little premature, you haven't actually agreed to marry me." "I don't remember you actually asking to be specific. But that's beside the point. You don't have to marry me Mulder. I'm a grown woman, there's no one with a shotgun looking for you." "Bill doesn't know about the baby?" She yanked a chest hair out. "Okay, okay, no violence." "I'm serious Mulder. This didn't happen to entrap you and. . ." "Scully." He turned her to face him. "A long time ago, when I was a kid and you were just jail bait I vowed that no child of mine would grow up without a father. Not one like mine, a real father. That vow didn't hold a lot of weight for a long time, because we thought you couldn't. . . but now there is a baby and it's ours and I want it to be born in a family. Scully, please, marry me. " Her first reaction was fear. Marriage to Mulder? Could they stand each other? Well, that was stupid, after all they had been through together and she still loved him more every day. Yes, he was totally infuriating and unreasonable and he left the cap off the toothpaste, but that made him Mulder. She realized his arms had tightened around her and he was trying desperately to keep the fear from his eyes. How could anyone not love this man? Or not want to live with him and bear his children. Of course she'd marry him. He saw it in her face before she had a chance to speak, and pulled her tighter against him. The child protested and kicked at him. "Is he going to be the jealous type?" "He, Mulder?" "If a girl kicks me there I worry. Hey, do you know?" "No, I wouldn't let her tell me. Linda has all of my information locked in her safe at home. No one knows anything but her, she even did the ultrasound herself." "Why all the secrecy? You didn't think I wouldn't acknowledge. . .?" "That never crossed my mind, Mulder. I just didn't want anyone to know, especially any black lunged demons that lurk in these woods. Only Linda and Walter know, and you now. Mom doesn't even know yet. Avoiding her has been the worst." "We'll see her today. I have her ask her for your hand anyway." "It doesn't feel like it's my hand you want right now. Stop that! Remember you're an old man." She slapped at his hand and he pulled her on top of him. "Never gonna happen, Scully. I'll never be too old to want you. ***** Skinner looked up as his private line rang, "Skinner." "Walter, have you seen Mulder?" Dana, he hadn't seen in her several weeks and now that she was on maternity leave he had assumed it would be awhile. She was due in a couple of weeks anyway. 'No, not today." There was something about her tone. "Are you okay?" "I'm in labor. I can't locate him." "Do you need an ambulance?" He could feel his blood pressure rise, where was Mulder? "No, but I need to find Mulder." "I'll find Mulder, you just relax. I'll be there in a few minutes." When she didn't protest, his anxiety level rose several levels. After some quick instructions to Angie, he was gone. "Dana, its Walter." He called through the door when he arrived at the apartment. It took longer than he wanted it to for her to reach the door, and when she opened it he automatically took her arm. "Have you. . . ?" "No word yet, Dana. He's probably let the battery run down on his phone and hasn't realized it yet." She shook her head. "No, something's wrong. I've been having Braxton-Hicks for days. He hasn't let me out of his sight." Braxton-Hicks? It didn't matter; she had taken hold of the back of the couch and was breathing heavily. Lamaze? Oh shit. "How far between the contractions?" He asked when she straightened up. The answer wouldn't mean much to him, but it seemed the thing to ask. "Um, between six and seven minutes." "Shouldn't we go on, I mean. . . " "Yes. My water broke after we talked. Walter, where could he be?" "Trying to get here to you. I've got people out. We can discuss it on the way. I have your bag." He helped her to the car, but before he could get in himself she was gripping the dashboard. Had it been six minutes? "Did you call your doctor?" "Yes. Uh, Linda's waiting for me." Traffic was relatively light. They made the trip in less than twenty minutes, but she'd had four contractions. He parked and hurried to her side of the car. "Can you walk?" "I'm going to need some help." He'd never heard Scully admit such a thing before. He got her inside and only raised his voice once during the registration process. The nurses cast him in the role of husband and she did not correct them, clinging to his hand as the contractions grew even stronger. He bathed her brow with cool water and fed her the ice chips, inwardly cursing Mulder for not being where he belonged. He would have said she wasn't strong enough to hurt him, but her grip on his hand was incredible. He was surreptitiously wiggling his fingers to get back circulation following an especially brutal contraction when she gasped out, "Get Linda! I've got to push. Where is he, damn it? Ohhh, get Linda." He had only to stick his head out the door to bring the nurse to her side. Linda followed moments later. "Okay, Dana. We're on the downhill side now, the fun part. We're finally going to let you push. Get on a gown." This last was directed toward Skinner. "Dana, do you want me. . . ?" "Please, please don't leave me!" No way, he couldn't leave, as much as he wanted to. Where the hell was Mulder? Her mother was on her way from Connecticut. She wasn't going to get here in time, that was for sure. The nurse handed him a gown and he donned it quickly. He positioned himself behind her, as he was told, supporting her as the nurse counted for her to bear down. She had no time to rest; the contractions were on top of each other now. He'd learned a hell of a lot more about childbirth than he'd ever wanted to know. In his ignorance he'd thought when a woman pushed she had the baby. Scully had been pushing every two minutes for an hour. If he could get his hands on Mulder right now he'd neuter him for what he was putting her through. And he still wasn't here. Walter was beginning to think the SOB had missed everything but the damn conception. She collapsed back against his chest. "I can't do this anymore. Walter, make it stop." He glanced up at Linda, what was he supposed to say? "Dana, there's nothing in the world that you can't do and you and I both know it. Just a little more. Please." He pushed the hair back from her face, it was curling like mad from the all the sweat. "He's right, Dana." Linda put her hand on Dana's stomach. "Come on, just give me a couple more. You don't want a section after all this work, unless we absolutely have to." The commotion in the hall caused them all to look up as Mulder forced his way into the room. He looked like he'd been in a fight and was ready for another one. "Get him a gown! Hurry." Linda was back to her job after the momentary distraction. "Mulder!" She was beyond caring where he'd been. He was here. And with him a surge of energy to get this over with. Walter swiftly changed places with him. "The head's coming, Dana. Bear down. Come on." Walter knew he should leave the room, but couldn't force his feet to move. "Now pant, Dana. Don't push. Just a second, let me clear the mouth. That's my girl." Mulder's fingers were touching her face, tears running down his own. He should have been here, he should have helped her through this. "Okay, come on Dana, let's get the shoulders out and it'll be over. Take a deep breath and bear down hard. You can do it, girl." Linda spoke reassuringly, calmly, but it wasn't helping Mulder. He'd been thrown in too quickly. For him it was happening too fast. She linked her fingers with his and pushed, crying out as the shoulders left her body. Walter knew his face was as white as Mulder's. He'd never heard Scully scream in pain before. He never wanted to hear it again. "It's a boy, Dana! Fox, you've got a boy. Just relax Dana. Try to breathe regularly. It's almost over." She placed the squalling infant on Scully's chest and handed Mulder the scissors. "Come on, Fox. This is your job." He took them in his shaking hand and looked at her. Scully managed a small smile and nod. He took in the dark, pain-filled circles under her eyes. God, how he loved this woman. He forced his hand still and cut where Linda indicated. His eyes followed the baby as the nurse took him to the other side of the room. "One more push, Dana. Come on." "Go on, be with him, Mulder." Scully watched him. "No, I want to be with you." "Well then, let's do it, shall we?" Linda interrupted. Walter knew this would be a good time to leave, but he was out of the way and seemed to have been forgotten. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself. "Fox, I want Dana to spend a little time in recovery. Go get acquainted with your son, okay?" Mulder kissed Scully's forehead. "You rest, I'll keep an eye on him." She nodded, her eyes closing. Mulder moved over to Linda. "Is she okay?" "Fox," she drew him away from Scully. His eyes showed his fear. "She had a. . . a rough labor. I just want to keep an eye on her. She'll be fine, Fox. Go on." "But she is okay?" "Fox, he weighs at least eight pounds. She's not a big woman. Let us look after her. Go bond with your son." ***** He was beside her bed when she woke. "Scully? We've got company, and I think he's hungry." She smiled as she watched Mulder scoop the baby up with an expertise she'd never seen before. "Where did you learn that?" "We spent some time getting to know each other while you were resting. You up for feeding him?" "I think so." He adjusted the bed and brought the baby to her. He heard the sharp intake of breath when the baby latched on to her nipple. "You okay?" "He's rougher than you are." "I'll have a talk with him. He needs to work on his technique. You can't get girls by being too rough." She smiled, but the dark circles were still under her eyes. They both looked up at the tap on the door and Scully smiled as Skinner stuck his head in the door. "Walter! Please come in." "Oh, I'm sorry." He'd realized what was happening. "It's okay, please. Isn't he beautiful?" Skinner reluctantly approached the bed, to take a closer look at the infant. He felt the heat of Mulder's stare as her exposed breast was before him. He knew Mulder still resented the fact that he'd been the first to know of the pregnancy, the one to help her through the first few weeks. And now being here for the actual birth. . . "I can't thank you enough for all you did." He stood paralyzed as she moved the baby to her other breast, oblivious to Mulder's fury. "When I couldn't find you, I called Walter. He brought me in." She hadn't looked up; her gaze fixed on her son. As she fell silent, Mulder turned his eyes back to her. "Scully? Are you. . . ?" "Take him, Mulder. Take him and get Linda." She'd gone dead white. Mulder took the baby and watched helplessly as she slipped out of consciousness. Walter yanked the door open, demanding help. The response was immediate; Linda hadn't left the floor. Two nurses entered the room with her at a run. "Lower the bed, get her B/P. And get these men out of here." Mulder opened his mouth to protest. "Now Fox! I'll talk to you later." She didn't turn from her patient. Skinner grabbed his arm as the nurse descended on them and took the baby. He led Mulder from the room and toward the small waiting area. "What's happening to her?" "They'll tell you as soon as they know, Mulder. Let them work." Mulder rounded on him. "You! I need to know something. I know you're my boss, but right now I don't care." His fury was evident in every word. Skinner nodded. "Are you in love with my wife?" Skinner looked away, there was no simple answer to that question, and he wanted to be honest. He could feel Mulder tighten during his hesitation. "It wouldn't matter if I were Mulder. Dana, your wife, is unaware that any man other than you inhabits this planet. You have no reason to doubt that." He must have said the right thing. Mulder hid his face in his hands and lowered himself into the chair. "I should have been here. Linda said it was rough." Skinner nodded. That was one way to describe it. "How rough?" "I couldn't have done it. She was incredible." "I shouldn't have left the apartment this morning." "Where were you?" He'd wanted to ask that question for ages. "There was a twenty car pile up on the 95. I think they said I was car twelve or something like that. The cell phone was damaged in the crash. I've been trying to get in touch. . . when the cops heard my name they rushed me over here. "I put out an APB on you." "You what?" Mulder looked at him in disbelief, that was probably illegal, but Skinner would figure out a way to justify it. "She needed you and we didn't know where else to look. Her mother's on the way back from Connecticut. There wasn't anyone. . . look, don't beat yourself up anymore. You couldn't have known she was going to go into labor and you certainly couldn't have predicted you were going to get caught in a multi-car pile up." "She's right, we can't thank you enough for. . . " "I was glad to be here. He's not mine, but he's about as close as I'll get." Skinner managed to grin. "It was. . . it's an experience I'll never forget." Mulder nodded. They both leapt to their feet as Linda entered the room. "She's going to be okay, Fox. She threw some clots, we've got her on an IV and we're going to keep her here a couple of days for observation. She was conscious, now she's sleeping." "Can I see her?" "Yes, if you don't wake her." "We won't." "We?" Linda looked confused. "My son's godfather and I." Skinner looked up, startled. Linda nodded. "Do you want us to keep him in the nursery?" "No, he'll be okay with us, I promise." Skinner was speechless, but managed to follow Mulder back down the hall. ***** Scully opened her eyes slowly and focused on the men hovering over the bassinet at the end of her bed. She felt a moment of relief and peace. Her two favorite, make that three favorite men in the world. The one from which her very life essence flowed, the one created from that essence, and the best friend either of them had, except for each other. With that security surrounding her, she drifted back off to sleep.