Long Trail Home - end 

By: Nantglyn 
nantglyn@yahoo.com 

Keywords: MSR, Angst, Historical AU 
Rating: R, to be safe 
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Just for fun, not 
for profit. 
Archive: I'll post to Gossamer. 
Note: Any errors are my own. This is not a WIP. 

Summary: A new life lay ahead for many who traveled the 
Oregon Trail. This is just one story. 

Chapter 16 

September 4, 1852 
Saturday 

During the day, they were traveling through the Blue 
Mountains, which was thick with timber. When they broke 
through the woods, they were in a valley with pines and 
cedars surrounding them. The Grand Round River ran through 
the valley and it was here that Jimmy and Catherine decided 
to say their vows. They wanted to have just family, so 
Danny, the Mulders, and the Tanners stood with them. When 
it was over, they all ate at the Tanners and then Jimmy and 
Catherine retired to their tent. 

"They couldn't have picked a prettier place to marry, don't 
you think?" Dana later asked Mulder, looking over to the 
tent as they left. 

"It was nice." 

Dana had a sudden thought. "No one's planning a shivaree 
are they?" Mulder looked away, smiling. "No. You have to 
stop it. They deserve to have a quiet night." 

"We haven't had a wedding on this trip. You have to let us 
have a little fun." 

"Please William. Stop this." 

"I can't. Wasn't my idea." 

"But you're planning to join in?" 

Mulder smiled, nodding. "I know there wasn't time for us, 
but it's a tradition. Didn't they do it to you when you 
and Jack were married?" 

"No. I think it's stupid." 

"Well, I wouldn't disagree with you on that count, but now, 
they'll remember their wedding night." 

"I'm going to bed. Do what you want." 

He watched her climb into the wagon and then headed over to 
Skinner, the ringleader of the event. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Dana sat up suddenly, her heart pounding from waking so 
suddenly. Outside, she heard shouts and pans being banged. 
She lay back down and looked back at the children who had 
also woken up. Caleb began to cry and Dana pulled him down 
next to her. 

"What is it Mama?" Samantha asked, crawling to lie next to 
Caleb. 

Dana pulled both children into her arms. "Just some grown 
men acting childish." 

"Where's Papa?" Caleb asked. 

"Your Papa is one of them." 

"Why are they making all that noise?" Samantha asked. 

"It's nothing you need to worry about." They heard the men 
shout again, but their voices began to fade as they moved 
away. "There, it's already getting quiet. Now go back to 
sleep." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Mulder stumbled into bed early in the morning. "Why's the 
chilren in bed wi' you?" he asked a little too loudly. 

Dana woke up and asked, "What?" 

"The chilren. Why're they in bed wi' you?" he said close 
to her. 

"Shh, you'll wake the children." She sniffed the air. "Oh 
my gosh," she said, waving her hand in front of her face. 
"You're drunk." 

"Jus a lil' bit," Mulder whispered. "You didn answer me." 

"Because some grown men scared the living daylights out of 
them. You all made Caleb cry." 

"Sorry." 

"Where's Jimmy?" 

Mulder shook his head. "Back with his wife," sobering up a 
little. 

"Well, are you happy now?" 

"Yah," Mulder said with a lopsided grin. 

"Well go to sleep. I'm sure you're going to feel it in the 
morning." 

Mulder covered up and threw his arm over the children and 
Dana, pulling them all close. "Okay," he said, falling 
promptly asleep. 

September 6, 1852 
Monday 

Viewing the Cascade Mountains for the first time, the 
company stood in awe of the beauty around them. Mount 
Hood's snowy cap stood high above all the other mountains. 
It looked like a white cloud in the distance. 

The stream that flowed near their campsite was low, but 
Dana was content to walk along it, alone. She liked the 
solitude sometimes, but she was also careful to not walk 
too far from safety. 

"Dana," she heard. She turned around to find Alex Krycek 
standing and watching her. He walked slowly towards her. 
When he stopped in front of her, he said, "I've missed 
seeing you." 

She took a couple of steps backwards. "I'm sorry Mr. 
Krycek. I don't think my husband would appreciate us being 
here alone." 

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it before." 

"You hadn't kissed me before. That was wrong of you Mr. 
Krycek." 

Krycek's face broke out in a grin. "But you enjoyed it. I 
could tell." 

"I didn't. I can't be what you want me to be." 

"You did. You can't lie to me. Besides, your husband 
doesn't seem to mind being alone with Diana." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I just passed them both further up the stream, but they 
didn't notice me. They were too involved in their own 
conversation. So Dana, does that mean your husband can 
meet any woman alone that he wants to, but you can't talk 
to a man, a friend?" 

Dana tried to not look shocked. She didn't want him to 
know how affected she was about Mulder meeting Diana. "I 
don't want to be with you Mr. Krycek," she said. 

Krycek inched closer, grabbing her hand. "Don't run from 
me Dana. Your husband thinks nothing of being with her. 
Why should you deny yourself?" 

"Because, I don't have any feelings for you." 

Krycek wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a 
kiss. She put her hands on his chest and pushed hard, 
causing Krycek to stumble back. He was shocked to see the 
angry look on her face. "I mean it Mr. Krycek. I thought 
we could be friends, but that's impossible now. I don't 
want to be your friend anymore." She picked up her skirts 
and ran back towards camp. Krycek grabbed a rock and threw 
it hard against a tree. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Diana had asked Mulder to meet him privately. He was 
hesitant to meet with her, but Mulder was afraid that Diana 
might approach him in front of Dana. She was waiting by 
the low creek, sitting on a boulder. When she heard him 
approach, she stood and walked towards him, smiling. 

"Thank you for coming," she said, reaching her hand towards 
him. 

Mulder looked down at her hand, but refused to take it. 
Diana dropped it as her smile fell. "What do you want 
Diana?" 

"I've been wanting to talk to you, but I haven't been able 
to find an opportunity. You've been staying pretty close 
to your wagon." 

"And rightfully so. I should be with my family. I told 
you, I can't be around you anymore." Mulder quickly 
scanned the area. "I shouldn't be here." 

"I miss you. I need to be with you again." 

"That's in the past." 

"Not so far. Just a few months ago." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Remember...that night, when we were together." 

"Just what are you saying Diana?" 

"When we were together. It was wonderful. I can't believe 
I did something..." 

"What? I don't understand what you're saying." 

"Fox, I can't believe you're making me say this out loud." 
She cast her eyes downward and said, "We slept together." 
She looked back up at him and smiled. 

"What?" Mulder exclaimed. "That's not possible, we didn't 
sleep together." 

"Yes, we did," Diana said. She stared at him, making 
Mulder uncomfortable. "You really don't remember. Do you 
know how much that hurts?" 

"Diana, you and I have never been together. Ever." 

"Yes we were. Shortly after we met again. You remember. 
We went for a walk. I had some whiskey." 

"Oh my god," Mulder said. He walked away from her, bending 
over at the waist, feeling sick. 

"You remember." 

"I remember drinking, yes. I upset Dana and I wanted to 
talk to someone. That's what we did, nothing else." He 
remembered sharing a bottle with her and had to admit that 
he did get quite drunk that night, but he was pretty sure 
that he didn't have any lapses in memory. He stood back up 
and said, "I don't believe you. I would never sleep with 
another woman while I was married." 

"Whether you like it or not, we did. You were wonderful," 
she said softly. 

"It's a lie. I don't know why you're trying to get me to 
believe you, but I swear Diana, if you tell Dana or anyone 
else..." 

"Do you think this is something I would tell? I value my 
reputation more than that." 

"I can't talk about this anymore." 

She grabbed for his arm as he moved to turn and said, "You 
can't abandon me." 

Mulder stared at her a moment before shrugging her off and 
said sharply, "I'm going back to my family." He turned 
from her and headed back up the path, leaving Diana 
standing alone. 

September 7, 1852 
Tuesday 

Dana was wiping Samantha's arms and legs to rid her of the 
thick dust that had accumulated on all of their skin. They 
had spent a dusty ride through the high plain that day. 

Their dinner was cooking over the fire when Diana 
approached. Dana looked up from washing Samantha when 
Diana said, "Hello Dana." 

Dana stood warily. "Diana." Samantha ran over the fire 
and began stirring the stew that was cooking. 

"We need to talk Dana." 

"What would we need to talk about?" Dana asked. She walked 
over to Samantha and reached over to help her. 

"Where's your son?" Diana asked, looking around the camp. 

"With his father." 

"His father. Humph. You're lucky to have found a good man 
like Fox to pretend to be a father to your son." 

"He doesn't pretend. He loves him as his own." 

"Still, there's nothing like having your own son, your own 
flesh and blood." 

"William couldn't love Caleb more than he already does." 
Dana looked down at Samantha, smoothing her hair, "Just 
like I couldn't love Samantha more than if I had given 
birth to her myself." 

Diana walked up to Samantha and tilted her face towards 
her. Samantha pulled away from her and backed towards 
Dana. "She looks so much like her mother." 

"What do you want Diana?" 

"I'm concerned about Fox." 

"Why?" 

"He doesn't seem very happy these days. I thought maybe 
you could tell me why." 

"Why would the happiness of my husband be any of your 
concern?" 

"He's my friend and I care about him," Diana said. 

"Well you needn't concern yourself any further. My husband 
is happy." 

"Are you certain of that? Really certain that he is as 
happy as you think he is? I know what he looks like when 
he is and I just don't see it." 

"I told you, he's happy." 

"But not in love with you." 

"That's none of your business. Please leave Mrs. Tipton." 

"Yes, I can see it in your eyes. You don't know if he is 
or not. Well, I can tell you one thing for sure. You 
could never separate Penny and Fox. He told her he loved 
her every chance he could. I heard him. Does he say those 
words to you?" Diana realized that she had hit her target 
when tears began roll down Dana's cheeks. "Has he ever 
said those words to you?" Dana looked away. "You're 
kidding. He's even told me those words, but he hasn't told 
you?" 

"Please leave Mrs. Tipton," Dana repeated. 

"All right, I'll leave. Just know that I will make sure 
that no one will hurt him, not even you." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I saw you." With that, she turned on her heel and walked 
back in the direction of her wagon. 

Dana collapsed onto the ground when Diana left. Had Diana 
seen Krycek with her? Would she tell Mulder? For the 
first time, she felt really threatened by the woman and the 
tears began to fall faster. Samantha came up and smoothed 
her hair, trying to console her. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Papa, that woman made Mama cry," Samantha said as she came 
running up to him. He set Caleb down and bent down to her. 

"What woman?" 

"Mrs. Tipton. She came and made Mama cry." 

Mulder placed his hand on her head. "Where is Mama?" 

Jimmy came from behind their second wagon and said, "In the 
wagon lying down. I told her she needed to rest. I didn't 
think it was good for her to be that upset." 

"You saw her too? Were you here when Diana was?" 

Jimmy shook his head. "No. I think I arrived right after 
she left, based on how upset Dana was." 

"You don't know what it was about then?" 

"No. I'm sorry. Dana wouldn't tell me." 

"Can you watch the children? I need to talk to her." 

"All right. How about I take them for a little walk?" 

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you." Mulder watched them 
leave before turning to the wagon. When he crawled in, he 
found her lying down, facing away from him. 

He crawled towards her. "Dana?" Placing his hand on her 
back, he felt her pull away from him. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, I'm just tired," she said, her voice sounding 
thick. 

"Samantha said Diana was here. What did you talk about?" 

She was silent and he didn't think she was going to answer 
him, so when she spoke, she surprised him. "Nothing 
important." 

"Then why are you so upset?" he asked, placing his hand on 
her hip. 

Dana grabbed his hand and placed it over her stomach. 
"William, are you happy?" 

He bent down and kissed her on the neck. "Of course I am. 
You know I'm thrilled about the baby." 

"Yes, I know that. That's not what I meant." She rolled 
onto her back and looked up at him. "Are you happy with 
me?" 

"You know I am. Why would you ask such a question?" 

Looking back down, she threaded her fingers with his. "I 
want to ask you something, but you don't have to answer if 
you don't want to." 

He began to feel uneasy, but said, "All right. What is it 
you want to know?" 

"When you were married...before. Were you faithful?" 

Oh my god, Mulder thought, Diana told her. "Yes." 

"Because you really loved Penny? Or because it was the 
right thing to do?" 

"Both." 

"So, if you hadn't loved her, would you still have been 
faithful?" 

"Dana, I don't know where you're going with this. I told 
you, I never cheated on my wife." 

"Your wife. You mean Penny. But you don't really consider 
me as much your wife as you did Penny, do you William? So 
it's not the same." 

"Not this again. You're my wife now. Penny is my past." 

"What a way you have with words of endearment," Dana said 
sarcastically. 

"What do you want to hear? I'm not good with words when it 
comes to that." 

Dana rolled back away from her. "All right William. If 
you say so." 

"Dana, don't be childish." 

"I'm not being childish. I just know where I stand with 
you now." 

"All right, Diana did say something. What was it?" 

"No, she just got me thinking." 

"About what?" 

"About you and me. And I guess Jack too." 

"What about him?" 

"I just don't know how sure I am that it won't happen 
again." 

"What won't happen again?" When she remained silent, he 
said, "Just tell me." 

"Jack wasn't faithful to me. I knew about the other women 
before we married, but I thought he would stop seeing them 
once we did marry, but he didn't. Less than a month after 
we married, he was sleeping with other women again. His 
parents knew about what he did, but I think they really 
thought it was my fault that he didn't always stay home at 
night." She paused before continuing. "The real reason we 
moved to Missouri was because one of the women told him 
that she was going to have his child." 

"Did he ever see the woman again?" 

"As far as I know, he never had any contact with her." 
Dana sighed. "I heard she had a little girl." 

"Dana, I'm not Jack." 

"I hope that's true." 

"It is." 

"William, I just need you to go. I want to be alone right 
now." 

Mulder nodded slowly, even though she couldn't see him. 
"All right, I'll leave." He turned her face so that she 
had to look at him. "You've wanted me to say the words, I 
know. I think you know how I feel about you. I care about 
you so much. I want to make our marriage work." He leaned 
forward to kiss her forehead and then turned, crawling back 
out of the wagon. When he was gone, she let the tears fall 
again. 

September 12, 1852 
Sunday 

Mulder returned from his watch at about eleven that night. 
He found Dana waiting for him, sitting by the fire, wrapped 
in a blanket. When he reached her, he squatted down in 
front of her and placed a hand on her lap. "Where are the 
children? Already in bed?" She nodded. "What are you 
still doing out here?" 

She smiled at him and said, "I was just enjoying the quiet. 
And, I've been thinking." 

"What have you been thinking about?" 

"Diana said something to me that I wanted to ask you 
about." 

"Go ahead," he said hesitantly. 

"It's about Caleb." 

Mulder breathed a silent sigh; relieved it wasn't what he 
thought it was. "What about him?" 

"She said you were pretending to be Caleb's father. 

"You know that's not true." 

"I do." 

"Good. I love him as much as any father could." 

"But will you still love him as much as any other son we 
have?" 

"You know, it feels like he has always been my son. So to 
answer your question, I guess it would be 'yes.'" 

"I'm sorry," Dana said, ashamed at having doubted him. "I 
shouldn't have even said anything." She stood up, pulling 
the blanket closer and Mulder stood with her. "I've 
cleaned up the children. They're staying with Jimmy and 
Catherine tonight." 

"Oh they are, are they?" 

Grinning, she said, "Yes." She grasped his hand and pulled 
him towards their wagon. He helped her climb up and 
followed her inside. 

As he was taking off his boots, he said, "It's freezing out 
there." 

"Well get undressed quickly and I'll warm you up." 

He was surprised when she took off her clothes and climbed 
in without her gown. Undressing faster, he climbed under 
the covers after her. He turned on his side and pulled her 
back against him. 

Dana yelped when he put a foot on one of her calves. "You 
said you'd warm me up," he said. 

"I didn't mean I wanted your cold feet on me," she said, 
pushing his foot away with hers. 

He laughed and said, "Okay." He heard her sniff and asked, 
"What's wrong?" 

She reached back and cupped his cheek. "I haven't heard 
that sound for a while." 

"What?" He placed his hand over hers and drew it to his 
mouth, kissing her palm. 

"You...laughing." 

He pulled her face toward his and kissed her. Reaching 
down, he pulled her leg back over his and caressed it. He 
reached around, cupping her breasts, squeezing lightly. 

He whispered in her ear, "I want to do it like this. Is 
that okay?" She nodded and he said, "Do you know how much 
I love making love to you?" She nodded again and he 
entered her from behind. She arched her back and gripped 
the cover. 

Outside their wagon, Krycek inched closer, staying in the 
shadows. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the noises 
inside. He pictured himself inside, with Dana. When the 
sounds inside diminished, he found himself breathing 
heavily. Checking to make sure that no one was looking, he 
slinked into the night. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Diana followed Krycek as he headed towards his horse. It 
seemed that he was on watch. "Mr. Krycek," Diana called. 

He halted in his tracks and turned to find Diana Tipton 
walking towards him. When she reached him, he asked, "Yes, 
what do you want?" 

"Can we walk Mr. Krycek?" 

Krycek smiled. "People might talk if they saw us taking a 
stroll." 

"I was thinking a private setting might be more 
beneficial." 

Krycek looked at her, confused. "Why?" 

"There are things I'd like to talk to you about that I 
don't want anyone else to hear." 

Nodding, Krycek offered his arm. Diana slipped hers into 
his and they disappeared into the night. When they arrived 
at a secluded location, Krycek said, "You're not afraid to 
be alone with a single man?" 

"I'm not when I know where your affections really lie." 

Krycek backed away from her. "What does that mean?" 

"I watched you tonight. Outside Fox's wagon. I don't 
think he would be too happy to know that you were there, 
listening. Do you?" 

"Fox. You're pretty cozy with the man yourself, aren't 
you?" 

"We were childhood sweethearts." 

"So?" 

"I've seen you with his...with her. I don't think Fox 
would like to know that you've spent time alone with her." 

Krycek began to feel irritated. "Why am I here?" 

"Let's just say that I don't particularly care for her. He 
would have been much better off married to me." 

"What do you really want Mrs. Tipton" 

"I want to know, do you want her for yourself?" 

"Whether I do or not, it doesn't matter. She's married." 

"Marriage didn't seem to make a difference to Fox." 

Krycek stared at her. "Are you saying that you're his 
lover?" 

"That may be too strong of a word." 

"He doesn't seem like the type to cheat on his wife." 

Diana walked over to a log and sat down. "I love him, Mr. 
Krycek. I guess I have ever since I met him." 

"Does he love you?" 

"Yes. I believe so. He's told me so." Krycek moved to 
sit next to her. "Did you know that he has never told Dana 
that he loves her?" 

"How would you know?" 

"I just do." 

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. She's married 
and I don't think she would be unfaithful." 

"There's always divorce." 

Krycek shook his head. "No. I don't think she would ever 
think of that. Besides, I think she really loves him." 

"But would she if she knew he was unfaithful to her? Would 
she really stay with him?" 

Krycek shook his head. "I won't be your pawn Mrs. Tipton." 

Diana reached over to take his hand, feeling like she 
needed to make a connection with this man or she would lose 
his help. "Alex please, call me Diana." 

"Diana, I can't help you. If I thought she didn't love 
him, then maybe." 

"So, why did you kiss her then?" 

Krycek smiled. "Saw that did you? Well I guess I just 
wanted a taste of her. I don't really see a future with 
her." 

"Do you see yourself as her friend?" 

"Of course." 

"Then as her friend, do you think that she should stay with 
a man whose heart lies elsewhere?" 

"You mean you?" 

"Yes." 

Krycek stood. "I'm sorry. I can't help you Diana. Would 
you like me to walk you back?" 

Diana realized that she had failed. "No thank you, I can 
find my way back by myself." Krycek nodded, tipped his hat 
and headed back for camp. Diana silently watched him as he 
left. 

~~~ 

Chapter 17 

September 20, 1852 
Monday 

Lining up, the company prepared to make the long march 
through the mountains. They had to first go through what 
was known as Barlow's Gate. Samuel Barlow and several men 
had cut a path through the trees along the south shoulder 
of Mount Hood. In 1846, the road was opened for emigrants 
to travel and Barlow charged five dollars for each wagon. 
Emigrants now had two choices. They could either float 
down the rapids of the Columbia with Indian guides or take 
the long, strenuous path through the mountains. Skinner's 
company had decided to take the latter option. 

"I have to go pay," Mulder told Dana. He approached a tent 
where two men were sitting, waiting to collect the toll. 
Men came and went as they paid and then headed back to 
their wagons to drive through the tollgate. Dana watched 
as Mulder drew his money out and paid the man with the 
beard. He shook his head and trotted back to Dana and 
Jimmy. 

"All right, let's head on through," he told Jimmy. As they 
drove their teams and cattle, Mulder reached for Dana's 
hand. 

"What?" she asked. 

"Look up ahead. What do you notice?" 

She turned her gaze towards the mountain and saw clouds 
gathering, encasing it. The wind had been gathering in 
strength. "A storm in coming." 

Mulder nodded. "Skinner doesn't think we should go very 
far. Krycek told him it would be better that we just get 
everyone through and only travel a couple of miles." 

"That little?" 

"It's a start," he said and paused before continuing. "I 
haven't asked you, but have you stayed away from Krycek 
like I asked?" 

Dana stumbled over the rocky surface and Mulder grabbed her 
around the waist, preventing her from falling. After she 
righted herself, she said, "Yes. Why do you ask?" 

"I was just wondering." 

"I've told him that you didn't want me to talk to him." 

"Good. That's good." 

"Are you looking forward to stopping?" 

"It seems like we've been traveling forever and it seems a 
lifetime ago back in Missouri, don't you think?" 

"It does. How long do you think it will take before we 
have a house?" 

"I don't know if we'll have time to build something. We'll 
see. If we do, it may just have one room. I know I don't 
want you to have this one," Mulder said, placing his hand 
on her stomach, "in a wagon. I think we're arriving in 
plenty of time to build us our house, as well as a house 
for Skinner's family." 

"We'll be fine either way," she said. Now that the end was 
in sight, it felt exciting to be talking about their 
future. 

They heard a horse approach from behind and turned to look. 
Mulder was unhappy to see Krycek dismount from his horse 
and walk it over to them. Mulder halted his team. 

"Hello Mulder, Mrs. Mulder." 

"What do you want Krycek?" Mulder asked, pulling Dana 
closer to him. 

"Skinner wants to talk to you." 

"He can wait until we stop. We're still stopping shortly 
aren't we?" 

"Yes, but he said he needed you now." Krycek looked at 
Dana and then back at Mulder. "Dana can handle your team. 
You trust her don't you?" 

Mulder took a step towards Krycek, but Dana halted him by 
grabbing and holding onto his arm. He looked down at her. 
"I'm not letting him talk to me like that." 

"Please stop. I'll be fine. Walter's not that far away 
and Jimmy is right here. You should be able to go and be 
back in no time, right?" 

Mulder looked back at Krycek. "Where is he?" Krycek 
pointed and Mulder said to Dana, "I'll be right back." To 
Krycek he said, "You've told me, now you can leave." 

Krycek shook his head. "I think I'll walk a little bit." 

"Go on. I'll be fine," Dana said. 

Mulder handed her the reins and crop. He leaned down and 
kissed her quickly before walking at a brisk pace in the 
direction Krycek had indicated. 

"Have you told him anything about us?" 

"There is no us, Mr. Krycek. Now, you can leave. I know 
how to handle the oxen. You made sure of that." 

"Yes I did. Aren't you glad?" 

"I am grateful, but I don't want to upset my husband any 
further. I would appreciate it if you just go." 

"Because it's you who asked me, I'll go," he said. He 
jumped on his horse and turned back to her. "I'll see you 
later Dana. You're not rid of me yet." 

Dana placed her hands on her hips and watched him trot off. 
She shook her head and turned to start the oxen again. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"That bastard lied to me," Mulder said, fuming when he 
returned. 

"What do you mean?" Dana asked. 

"Skinner didn't even talk to Krycek. What did he say to 
you?" 

"Nothing. I told him I couldn't talk to him." 

"Are you sure? Here, let me take the team," he said, 
grabbing the reins and crop. 

"I'm sure. He left didn't he?" 

"I guess. At least he's gone now," he said. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

A light mist blanketed the area as they were setting up 
camp. It was only noon, but they weren't going to go any 
farther that day. Mulder was with the men, taking the 
cattle to an area that provided more grass. Jimmy and 
Danny went with them, leaving Dana and Catherine alone with 
the children. 

"I'd like to go see my mother if you don't mind," Catherine 
said. 

"Go ahead," Dana said, smiling. Dana thought it was sweet 
that Catherine thought of Mrs. Tanner as her mother, even 
though they now had no legal connection. "We'll be fine. 
Will you be back to eat?" 

"No. I think I'd like to eat with my family tonight. 
Could you send Jimmy our way when he returns?" 

"Of course. I'll see you later." 

Dana went about setting up camp after Catherine left. She 
called the children to her and gave them a light meal. She 
felt fortunate that Mulder was able to buy them food 
whenever they needed it. Some families weren't so 
fortunate. She expected Mulder to need the money that she 
had saved, but he never asked for it. 

The children finished their food and Dana wiped their faces 
and hands. While stooped over, Samantha said, "Mama, that 
lady is here again." 

Dana turned around to find Diana Tipton standing by their 
second wagon. Diana walked over to her and smiled at 
Samantha. "Hello Samantha." 

"Hello," she said shyly. 

"What do you want Diana? My husband isn't here." 

"Yes, I know." 

"Then why are you here?" 

"I've been talking to Mr. Krycek...Alex." 

"And?" 

"He is quite taken with you, did you know that? I even 
believe he may be in love with you." 

Dana shook her head. "No, that's not true." 

"You know Dana, I'm curious. Why don't you call him 'Fox?' 
I call him 'Fox,' his wife called him 'Fox,' but I notice 
you don't. Why is that?" 

"I'm not answering you." 

"Is it because he doesn't want you to?" 

"This is none of your business." 

"Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that maybe 
you aren't as important to him. Do you think he sees you 
as a temporary solution? I mean, the two of you seemed to 
get married pretty quickly. He asked you to marry him 
after knowing you how long? A few hours? Was it even a 
day? Sounds like a man who was just desperate." Diana 
knew she had hit the truth, at least some of it, as she saw 
tears begin to slowly fall down Dana's cheeks. 

"I'm not temporary," Dana shouted. 

"Dana," Krycek said, looking at Diana. "I heard yelling. 
Are you okay?" 

Dana swiped the tears off of her face with the back of her 
hand and picked up Caleb, clutching him close to her. "I'm 
all right." 

Putting his hand on Dana's shoulder, he said, "You don't 
look fine." 

"Get your hand off of her," Mulder said. They all turned 
towards him, but Mulder only had his eyes focused on where 
Krycek's hand rested. 

Krycek looked where Mulder glared and dropped his hand, but 
not soon enough. Mulder punched him in the jaw, sending 
Krycek sprawling backwards. Mulder made a move towards 
Krycek again, but halted when he heard, "Stop it." 

Mulder turned and looked at Dana, seeing the tracks on her 
face. "Why have you been crying?" he asked. 

"It wasn't his fault. He was trying to help," Dana said, 
looking at Krycek, who was now standing, rubbing his jaw. 
"I'm sorry," she said to Krycek. 

"Don't apologize for me," Mulder said. 

"He was just checking on me when he heard how upset I was." 

"Why were you upset?" 

"Because she..." Dana looked to where Diana had been 
standing, but discovered that she had left. She looked 
back at Krycek, but he shrugged. Reaching down to grab 
Samantha's hand, she walked quickly away with the children. 

"Why is she upset?" Mulder asked. 

"Diana," Krycek simply stated. 

"What about her?" 

"I don't know what was said, but I heard both of them 
yelling. Diana seemed pleased with herself when I 
arrived." 

"But you didn't hear what they said?" 

"No." 

"I won't apologize for hitting you," Mulder said. "You 
shouldn't have your hands on any man's wife." 

"I'm not looking for an apology. I just don't want to see 
Dana hurt." 

"I'll take care of my wife. You worry about yourself," 
Mulder said, turning on his heel. He began to start for 
Diana's wagon, but changed his mind. No need to upset Dana 
any more by talking with her. Instead, he headed for 
Skinner's wagon, sure that she would retreat to her 
surrogate parents. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Victor held Samantha, rocking her as tears fell down her 
face. Samantha was crying because of how upset her mother 
was. Caleb sat on Sharon's lap, his fist against his 
mouth. 

"Dana, just tell us what's wrong," Skinner said. He held 
Dana in his arms as she sobbed against his chest. "We 
can't help you if you don't tell us." Dana shook her head. 

"Just tell us Dana," Sharon encouraged. 

"I can't. It's too embarrassing." 

"Dana, you can trust us," Skinner said. He lifted her head 
with his hands, gently wiping the tears away with his 
thumbs. "You know we can't stand seeing you hurt like 
this." 

"I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about it." 

"Papa," Samantha said, reaching for him. 

"What have you done to her?" Skinner asked Mulder, pulling 
Dana tightly against his chest. 

Mulder pulled Samantha into his arms and wiped the tears 
from her face. Bouncing her and trying to console her, he 
said, "I didn't do anything." 

"Then why is she upset? We can't get her to tell us." 

"I think you need to let Dana and I talk." 

Feeling safe in Skinner's arms, Dana turned and shook her 
head. "I don't want to talk to you." 

"Not this again. You can't keep running to Walter and 
Sharon whenever we have problems." 

"Fox, Walter and I are here for you both," Sharon said. 
"It can't be good for Dana to get this upset." 

It began to lightly rain and Skinner said, "Sharon, you're 
right. Why don't you take her and the children inside our 
tent? Mulder and I need to take a walk." 

"No. I think Dana, the children, and I need to go back to 
our own camp." 

Pulling Samantha from Mulder's arms, Skinner ignored him 
and handed Samantha to Dana. Clamping his hand on Mulder's 
shoulder, he said, "No, you and I need to talk. Dana, 
we'll be back in a little while. You should lie down while 
we're gone. Come on Mulder." Skinner pulled Mulder away 
and Mulder reluctantly followed his lead. 

When Skinner and Mulder were away from the camp, they 
ducked under a tree to avoid the rain. He turned to Mulder 
and said, "Mulder, you know we love Dana like she was our 
own. It hurts us when she's hurting." 

"I know," Mulder said, leaning against a tree. "I know you 
mean well." 

"Just tell me." 

Mulder looked away, embarrassed. "I think it's something 
that Diana Tipton is claiming." 

"What?" 

"I can't tell if she told Dana, but I think she suspects 
something." 

"What?" 

"She claims that we slept together." 

Skinner stared at him, shocked. "Is it true?" 

"Of course not. I think I would remember something like 
that." Mulder turned from Skinner and scrubbed his hands 
over his face. He turned back to face Skinner. "Diana was 
at our camp when I came back. Krycek was there too." 

"What was he doing there?" 

"He said that he heard Dana and Diana yelling. Diana 
disappeared before I could question her and Dana ran off to 
see you." 

"Well, I think you need to stay away from Diana." 

"I have been." 

"You need to talk to Dana, but you need to make sure that 
you don't upset her." Skinner had a thought. "Does Diana 
know that Dana is going to have a baby?" 

"No, I don't think so. You, Sharon, and the boys are the 
only other ones who know. We haven't even told the 
children." 

"And how is she doing?" 

"She seems fine." 

"Good. I know how hard this trail can be on a woman." 

"I know you do. How is Sharon doing?" 

"She gets better every day." Skinner pulled the collar of 
his coat up to cover his neck. "I think we need to get 
back so that you can get Dana back to your wagon before the 
rain gets any heavier." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

When Mulder and Skinner returned to the tent, they found 
Dana lying down. "Are you ready to go?" Mulder asked her. 
She nodded, not looking at him, but getting up. "Caleb, 
Samantha, come here." He bent down and lifted them both up 
in his arms. "Let's go," he said to Dana, as he ducked 
outside. 

He hurried to their wagon, hoping Dana was behind him. He 
set the children down and lifted Caleb up, followed by 
Samantha. When he turned, he was relieved to find Dana 
behind him. She let him help her up and he climbed in 
after her. 

Dana reached for rags and began drying the children. After 
she dried Caleb, Mulder grabbed him and changed him into 
dry clothes. When she finished with Samantha, he changed 
her too as Dana changed into her own dry clothes. 

"Get under the covers," Mulder told the children. "You'll 
get warmer." 

They both climbed in as Mulder pulled the covers back. 
When they were covered, he smiled as he saw them fight to 
keep their eyes open. He kissed them both and said, "Go to 
sleep. We'll wake you when it's time to eat." 

"Okay, Papa," Samantha said, rubbing her eyes. Caleb 
turned over and Samantha turned to put a protective arm 
around him. 

When Mulder looked back, Dana had changed into a new dress. 
Handing him a shirt and pair of pants, she turned away and 
began laying the wet clothes to dry. 

After changing, Mulder slipped under the covers and said, 
"Come on. You need to get warm." She nodded and climbed 
in next to him. 

As he pulled her closer to him, she rolled over and put her 
head on his shoulder. He rubbed his hand over her back and 
took a deep breath before asking, "What did Diana say to 
upset you?" 

He didn't think she was going to answer until she asked, 
"Why can't I call you Fox?" 

"What?" Her question caught him completely off guard. 

"You let everyone but me call you Fox." 

"Is that why you're upset?" 

He heard her sigh and say, "No. I don't know. I guess I'm 
just a little more sensitive lately." 

"You know, I like it that only you call me William, but if 
it makes you feel better, call me Fox." 

"No, I don't want to." 

Mulder let out a frustrated breath. "Then tell me why 
you're upset." 

"I'm not sure why really. I think it's just a feeling in 
general. I guess Diana makes me feel unsure about us." 

"What did she say this time?" he asked with a sigh. 

"Would you leave me?" 

"What? Don't talk silly." 

"She seems to think you would." 

"All right, enough of that," he said. "I'm not going to 
discuss possibilities that will never happen." He rose 
above her. "Know this Dana. I am your husband. You and 
the children are my life. You are my future. I will not 
let anyone take that away from me. I love you. I'm sorry 
I haven't said that before, but know it's true." He 
brushed the tears away from her face that had begun to 
fall. "I feel complete when I'm with you. You believe me, 
don't you?" She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her. 
"Now, I want no more talk about Diana. I want you to rest 
now, for yourself and for the baby." 

September 21, 1852 
Wednesday 

The skies again looked threatening and the company decided 
to stay encamped for the day. Mulder and Jimmy were off 
with the men watching the cattle. Dana had decided to take 
advantage of the break and wash the dirty clothes. 
Catherine had taken over the duty of cleaning the boy's 
clothes, so she was off gathering Danny's clothes. When 
she returned, Diana was following her with her own wash. 

"Mrs. Tipton would like to join us," Catherine said. "I 
hope that's all right." 

Looking beyond Catherine, she saw a smug Diana smiling. 
She knew Dana wouldn't be able to say 'no' without having 
to explain why to Catherine. Diana was taking a chance 
that Catherine didn't know about their conflict. 

"Sure," Dana said, gritting her teeth. She turned away 
from them in search of Samantha and Caleb, who were sitting 
by the clothes that Dana had gathered. She picked up the 
pile of clothes and said to Samantha, "Grab Caleb's hand 
and my apron. Don't let go. Come on Dog." 

"Okay Mama," Samantha said, doing as she was directed. 

Catherine and Diana laughed as they walked ahead of Dana 
and the children. When they reached the river, Diana and 
Catherine set their load down next to each other. Dana 
moved to Catherine's side and laid her wash down. She 
turned to her children and sat them down. "Stay here," she 
told him. "You are not to move. Do you understand?" 

They both nodded as Dog sat between them. Satisfied, Dana 
began washing her clothes. As Diana and Catherine talked, 
Dana remained quiet. 

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked. "You're so quiet." 

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening." 

"We were just talking about babies. I told Diana that 
Jimmy and I hope to have at least eight children. How 
about you?" 

Dana smiled and shook her head. "Any children would be a 
blessing." 

"I want lots of sons." 

"I don't care what they are. Just so they're healthy." 

"You probably didn't know this," Diana said to Catherine, 
"but Fox lost three sons. He doesn't seem to have luck 
with boys." 

"Oh that's a shame," Catherine said. She grinned. "Well 
maybe his luck will change now." 

"Maybe," Diana said. 

"Mama," Samantha called. 

Dana looked over her shoulder. "What?" 

"Can I help?" 

"No. The water's too cold for you." 

"Please?" she asked again. 

"All right. Take the clothes when I hand them to you and 
put them in a pile." 

Samantha stood and moved next to Dana's left side. She 
hugged her before turning back to her work. 

"Mama," she heard from behind her. 

"No Caleb. You stay right there," Dana said. 

"Ow," she heard Diana say. When Diana again said, "Ow," 
Dana looked up to see Diana looking in Caleb's direction. 

He was getting ready to throw another rock when his mother 
stopped him. "No Caleb. Don't throw rocks." 

She saw him pout and throw the rock down. She smiled, not 
too sorry that his target had been Diana. Maybe her son 
had picked up on her feelings about the woman and was 
seeking revenge for her. 

"Don't you teach him manners Dana?" Diana asked haughtily. 

"My son is well-behaved," Dana shot back. 

"Where are you going to live when we reach Oregon City 
Diana? I imagine it would be hard for a woman alone with 
two children. Will you head back home next year?" 
Catherine asked. 

"Fox has promised me that the girls and I can live him." 

"Really," Catherine said. "That's generous of him. But 
from what I've seen, he's a generous man." 

Dana stared at Diana, shocked. She didn't realize Mulder 
would make that kind of promise to Diana. She was hoping 
he would first try to find a place for her. She didn't 
think she could really bare living with Diana. No, she 
knew she couldn't. 

"Papa," she heard Caleb scream and looked up to see him and 
Dog running towards Mulder. Mulder briefly petted Dog, who 
easily out ran Caleb. When Caleb reached him, Mulder 
tossed him up in the air. Carrying Caleb, he walked 
towards her. He smiled as he watched Samantha helping 
Dana, but he was surprised to see Diana there. 

"I didn't expect you back so soon," Dana said. 

"I thought I'd come and help you bring the clothes back. 
Hello," he said as an afterthought to Diana and Catherine. 

"Fox," Diana said. 

"Are you almost finished?" he asked Dana. 

"I just have a few more things to wash." 

"You're doing a good job Samantha," he told her. 

Samantha smiled as she folded the clothes. "Thank you 
Papa. Caleb was bad," she tattled. 

"Oh yah?" he asked Caleb, pulling him away to look at him. 

Caleb shook his head. "You're fibbing Caleb," Samantha 
said. 

"Huh uh," Caleb said, pulling his fist to his mouth. 

Mulder pulled his hand down and asked, "What did you do 
Caleb?" 

"He threw a rock and hit her," Samantha said, pointing at 
Diana. 

Mulder looked at Dana before turning to Diana, "I'm sorry 
about that Diana. Did you say you were sorry?" he asked 
Caleb. 

"William, he didn't... Caleb, no," Dana yelled, but was 
too late as Caleb threw a hidden rock at Diana. 

Mulder grabbed Caleb's hand too late and looked up to see 
Diana wiping blood off of her cheek. "Diana, I'm sorry," 
he apologized. 

Dana reached up to take Caleb out of Mulder's arms, but he 
turned from her. Instead, he swatted Caleb twice on his 
bottom. Caleb immediately began crying, struggling to get 
out of Mulder's arms. "Mama," he cried, reaching for her. 

Mulder pulled him back and said, "No you don't. Look what 
you did to Mrs. Tipton, Caleb. You hurt her." 

Caleb shook his head and buried it into Mulder's neck. 
Mulder patted his back and said, "I'm really sorry Diana. 
I'm sure he didn't really know what he was doing." 

"He needs to be taught manners," Diana said, still wiping 
blood away from her cheek. 

Mulder saw Dana begin to speak, but cut her off. "He won't 
do it again, I promise." He opened Caleb's other hand just 
to make sure that he didn't have any other hidden rocks. 

"Good. I know if he was really your son, he wouldn't have 
behaved like that," Diana said. 

"I've told you Diana, he is my son." Caleb sniffed and 
wiped his eyes, looking back at Diana. Mulder leaned in 
and kissed him on the cheek, bouncing him. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just upset," Diana explained. Mulder 
nodded. "Fox, do you think you could help me carry my 
clothes back?" 

Mulder looked at Dana, who was clearly showing her 
disapproval, but he didn't want to say anything in front of 
Catherine. 

"All right, I'll help you, but I'll be back to help you 
with our things," he told Dana. He begged her with his 
eyes to forgive him for allowing Diana to manipulate the 
situation. He didn't think she did. 

"Come on Caleb," Mulder said, lifting him to his shoulders. 
"You can go help Papa." Mulder figured at least this might 
placate Dana, having their son along. "You'll have to hand 
some of your things to me," he told Diana. 

"Thank you for doing this," she said, handing him half of 
her load. 

Mulder moved back to Dana. "I'll be right back. Don't 
lift any of those clothes. I'll do it." When she looked 
away, he grabbed her arm and leaned in, saying, "I mean it. 
I don't want you carrying that." 

She nodded that she understood and bent back down to help 
Samantha with the clothes. 

"Come on Diana," Mulder said. 

~~~ 

Chapter 18 

September 22, 1852 
Wednesday 

When Mulder returned to the river with Caleb, he found that 
Dana and Catherine were gone. "It figures your mother 
wouldn't listen to me," he said to Caleb. "Let's go find 
Mama, what do you say?" 

Not waiting for an answer, he headed back for their camp. 
He found Dana laying out the clothes. 

"Why didn't you wait for me?" he scolded her. 

"Jimmy and Danny came to help. I didn't carry anything." 

"Oh," he said, lifting Caleb from his shoulders and setting 
him down. "Well all right then." 

Dana arched an eyebrow and asked innocently, "Did Diana get 
back all right?" 

"You know she did," he said. "I came looking for you as 
soon as I laid the clothes down. Imagine my surprise to 
find you gone." 

"I did as you asked. I didn't carry anything." 

"Good." He looked to the firewood stacked and unlit. 
"When is supper?" 

"When I have a chance to fix it," she said sharply. 

He was taken aback by her tone. "Why are you angry with 
me?" 

She threw the clothes she was holding back into the pile 
that lay at her feet. "William, do you really plan to have 
Diana live with us when we get settled?" 

"What? Why would you ask that?" 

"Diana said you promised her. It seems she thinks she'll 
be living with us. Is that your intention?" 

"Of course not. I'm hoping to help her find a place though 
and maybe help her with a little money. I don't think she 
has much." 

"You still feel responsible for her. That is so like you 
William." Mulder looked away. "People will talk if the 
money comes from you." 

"Would you have me abandon her? She's a woman, alone, 
responsible for two little girls. Besides, I'm more 
concerned about those two girls than I am Diana. I want to 
make sure they're taken care of." 

"Where are you going to get the money to take care of them? 
You have to think of your family first." 

"We're fine." 

"You keep saying that, but I've been watching how you spend 
your money." 

"Our money." 

"We have to think of our children, our family. I can't 
believe Diana doesn't have her own money from her husband. 
She should be the one paying. People wouldn't talk then. 
Even I have money from Jack." 

"I'm sure she has a little money, but from what she's said 
before, I'm not sure it will be enough." 

"Why wouldn't it be?" 

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. We'll deal with 
it when we have to." 

"Well, that will be soon. We're almost there. You can't 
keep putting it off." 

"Just stop," Mulder shouted. He looked at the other camps 
nearby and immediately regretted what he said. People were 
looking their way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." 

"This is important. I want to give our children the best 
we can." 

"I think I'm going to look for Jimmy," Mulder said, wishing 
to avoid any further discussion on Diana. "You'll be 
okay?" 

She sighed and finally said, "Yes." When he left, she 
said, "Run away William, but you can't avoid this forever." 
She suddenly had a thought and decided to stop by to drop 
the children off with Sharon. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Mrs. Tipton," Dana said, walking towards her. 

Diana was clearly surprised that Dana had ventured to her 
camp, but quickly recovered. "Fox isn't here." 

"I didn't think he would be," Dana said, crossing her arms. 

"Then why are you here?" 

"I want to talk to you about what you said before...down by 
the river." 

"What was that?" 

"That you think you're going to live with William and me. 
I came here to set you straight. You won't be living with 
us." 

"Fox has promised me." 

"I just talked to him. He'll help you find a place. I'm 
sure you have money from your husband and I would imagine 
that you have the money from your sister and her husband." 

Diana moved closer to Dana. "Is that what's bothering you? 
Fox spending his money? It's not like he doesn't have 
plenty." 

"What do you mean?" 

Diana hesitated, not understanding why Dana was confused 
until it dawned on her. "You don't know who he really is, 
do you?" When she didn't answer, Diana continued, "He's 
Bill Mulder's son. His only son. Dana, Fox is rich. 
Didn't he tell you?" She smiled. "Well, clearly from the 
look on your face, he didn't." 

"I don't believe anything you say anymore Diana." 

"Well, I'm not lying about this. Go ask him. He can't 
deny it." 

Dana picked up her skirt and turned, walking away at a 
quick pace. She gathered her children from the Skinners, 
who were concerned about the way she was behaving, but let 
her leave. 

When she reached their wagon, Mulder was still gone. She 
began a fire, preparing to fix their meal. She was unsure 
how she was going to approach Mulder with this newfound 
information about him. It was yet another confidence he 
shared with Diana, but not her. Whether she liked it or 
not, she did believe Diana. She just wasn't sure how she 
was going to bring up the subject to her husband. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

The meal was cooked by the time Mulder returned. He smiled 
at her, but she didn't smile back. So she still doesn't 
forgive me, Mulder thought. Well, giving her time had 
always worked before. 

"Is supper ready?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light. 
She nodded and began putting food on their plates. 

"Samantha, Caleb, come get your food," she said. After she 
handed the food to the children, she fixed a plate for 
herself and Mulder. 

"Thank you," he said when she handed his plate to him. 

The family ate their food in silence, the children tuned in 
to the unease between their parents. When they finished, 
the children ran off to play with Dog, leaving Mulder and 
Dana alone. 

"So, are you still mad?" Mulder asked, chewing the last of 
his food. He wiped his hands on his pants and stood. 

"I have a new mad," Dana said. 

"What does that mean?" 

"You didn't tell me." 

"Tell you what?" 

"It all makes sense now...why you're so free with your 
money. Every time I saw you pay for food that others 
couldn't afford, it made me anxious." 

"Dana, I..." 

"No, I'm talking now. I don't understand why you thought 
you had to keep this from me. This is one more secret you 
have kept from me. How many more are there?" 

He dropped his head. "So you know about my family. Who 
told you?" 

"Diana was glad to share that information with me." 

Mulder looked up suddenly, surprised. "Why were you 
talking to her?" 

"I wanted to make sure she was clear about what you 
intended to do." 

"All right. I confess," Mulder said, throwing his hands 
up. "My family is rich, but that isn't me. The money 
means nothing to me." 

"Only someone with money would say such a stupid thing. 
Money means everything. It means a better way of life. It 
means you never have to go hungry." 

"So you're upset because we have money?" 

"No, I'm not upset because you have money. I'm upset 
because you kept it from me." 

"I didn't want it to influence how you felt about me." 

"You think I would be so petty as to love you for money?" 

Mulder shook his head. "Of course not." 

"I would love you whether you had money or not, but I guess 
you made sure that you had your proof." 

"Listen Dana, I'm sorry I kept it from you. Now you know 
why I didn't want you to use your money. I want you to 
give Caleb that money when he becomes of age." 

Dana had a sudden thought. "Is this why you didn't want me 
to meet your parents?" Mulder bit his lower lip and looked 
to the left of her, avoiding her gaze. "Shame on you." 

"What?" he asked, looking back, confused. 

"You were embarrassed by me because I didn't come from 
money." 

"No, that's not right," he protested, grabbing her hand and 
bringing it to rest over his heart. "I was embarrassed 
because I did have money. My parents are both arrogant 
when it comes to money." 

"Now, I'll never get the chance to meet them." 

"You don't know that." 

She shook her head. "Just think how long it took us to get 
here. Do you really want to go through that again just to 
get home?" 

He thought a moment before saying, "No, you're right. I'm 
sorry." 

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I have to get 
the children ready for bed. Please find the children for 
me." 

"All right," he said, dropping her hand. They were slowly 
losing light and Mulder hurried off to search for the 
children. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

When Mulder didn't return by dark, Dana began to worry. 
She knew he should have been back with the children by now. 

Catherine and Jimmy returned from her in-laws. "Dana, we 
just heard," Jimmy said. 

"Heard what?" Dana asked. 

Jimmy looked over at his wife, unsure of what to say. "You 
don't know?" 

"Know what? What's happened? Is it the children?" she 
cried. 

Jimmy grabbed her arms. "Mulder is looking for them. He 
has others looking too. I'm sure they've just wandered a 
little too far. I'm going to go help, but I just wanted to 
bring Catherine to be here with you." 

"No," Dana said, backing away from him. "They were just 
playing. They knew they should stay close to the camp. 
Maybe they're with some other children at someone else's 
camp." 

"I'm sure you're right. They probably aren't looking in 
the right place." 

"I want to go look too," Dana said, moving to pass Jimmy, 
but he stopped her. 

"No. If they come back..." 

"If?" 

"They know where your camp is. You need to be here in case 
they come back before we find them." 

"All right, I'll stay here," she said, worrying her hands. 
Jimmy kissed his wife before he left and Catherine wrapped 
her arms around Dana. 

"Catherine, I hope you don't mind, but I think would rather 
wait here by myself." 

Catherine pulled away from her. "Are you sure Dana? I 
think I should stay." 

Dana shook her head. "I'll be fine. I think I just need 
to wait by myself." She reached for Catherine's hand and 
squeezed. "Thank you anyway." 

Catherine turned to go and Dana moved by the fire to wait 
for them all to return. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Mulder walked into his camp, his head hanging low. Dana 
looked up when she saw him approach with Caleb in his arms. 
She ran to them, pulling him from Mulder's arms. She 
kissed him and asked Mulder, "Where's Samantha?" 

He shook his head and tears began to fall. His knees gave 
way under him and he collapsed to the ground. Dana 
followed him to her knees. She cupped his face. "William, 
where is Samantha?" 

"I don't know." 

"What do you mean you don't know? She wasn't with Caleb?" 

"No," he sobbed. "He was by himself." 

"Where was Dog?" 

"I don't know. Oh god, it's my sister all over again." 

"No, no it isn't. You'll find her." 

Mulder looked up at her angrily. "You don't know that. I 
should have found her with Caleb." 

"Maybe she's with Dog." 

"That damned dog. He's the reason she's lost." 

Dana decided not to argue with him. "Did you ask Caleb 
what happened?" 

Mulder shook his head. "He was upset enough," Mulder said, 
smoothing Caleb's hair. 

Pulling Caleb away from her, Dana asked, "Caleb, where did 
Dog and Samantha go?" 

"Away," he said solemnly. 

"Did they walk away from you?" Dana paused as she glanced 
at Mulder, but decided to finish, "Or did someone take her 
away? Did someone take them?" 

Caleb shook his head. "No." 

"Did they run away from you?" 

"Mmm hmm. Go away." 

Dana patted his back. "At least it doesn't sound like 
someone took her. She just wandered away. When are you 
going back out?" 

"Now. I just wanted to bring Caleb to you." He stood and 
pulled her up with him. "I have to go now," he said, 
kissing them both. 

Dana rocked Caleb close to her as they watched him 
disappear into the dark. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

While Mulder was gone, Dana put an exhausted Caleb to bed 
in the wagon. She stirred the fire and sat up to wait for 
Mulder to return. Her best efforts to stay awake failed. 

The fire had died down and she shivered when she woke up. 
She couldn't understand what woke her until she sensed 
Mulder standing over her. 

"Shh," he said. He put a hand out to help her stand. Dana 
was relieved to find Samantha wrapped in his coat and 
sleeping in his arms. Dog stood by his side. 

"Where did you find them?" she asked, placing her hand on 
Samantha's back to reassure herself that she was safe. 

"They were under some bushes. Samantha was sound asleep 
with Dog curled up next to her. He was keeping her warm." 

"Thank God she's all right," she said, resting her head 
against Samantha's back. 

"I couldn't believe God would be so cruel as to take two 
Samantha's away from me." 

"Did you pray?" she asked, looking up at him. 

He stared at her for a moment before nodding and saying, "I 
did. I think I prayed harder than I ever have before." 

"At least she's safe now. Let's get her to bed." Dana 
reached down to pet Dog. "Good boy." Dog wagged his tail 
and crawled under the wagon to settle in for the night. 

Inside the wagon, Mulder placed Samantha under the covers. 
"I still can't believe we found her." He slowly ran his 
hand over her hair. "It still seems like a dream." 

"We're going to have to make sure that neither one of them 
is out of our sight again. I can't believe we almost lost 
them." 

Mulder nodded. "We're lucky." 

"Let's go to sleep. I know you have to be exhausted too." 

As she stood over him, he leaned against her, his hand 
around her waist and his head on her stomach. His eyes 
began to close as she ran her hand through his hair. "How 
is this one?" he asked. 

"Doing fine. We both are." 

"I can't wait, you know," he said, looking up at her. "As 
time goes on, it seems to become more real." 

Mulder pulled her down to lie next to him. "Everything 
will be fine," she said. "You'll see." She heard him sigh 
and begin to soon snore lightly. 

September 30, 1852 
Thursday 

After over a week, the company rolled into Oregon City, the 
first sign of a real civilization in a long time. The 
street was lined with mud, thick and hard to walk through. 
Dana's skirt grew heavier as she carried Caleb. Mulder 
carried Samantha on his shoulders, while Dog plotted along 
at his heels. 

Dana stumbled and Mulder grabbed her arm. "Be careful 
where you walk. Do you want to get in the wagon?" 

Dana nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid I'm going to drop Caleb." 

He stopped the team and grabbed Caleb from her, lifting him 
up into the wagon. He held out his hand to help her up and 
then handed Samantha to her. 

"How about Dog?" Dana asked. 

"No way," he said. He started the team up again and 
whistled for Dog to follow him. 

"Where are we going?" Dana called from the wagon. 

"Just outside of town to camp." 

"We're not going to stop?" she asked wearily. 

"Not tonight. I thought it might be possible to stay in 
Oregon City if we can find a place to winter over," he 
said, looking up to her. He squinted from the sun in his 
eyes. "Would that please you?" 

"To not have to keep traveling? Yes, very much. I'm tired 
of moving." 

"Well, we'll camp and I'll see if I can find a place for 
you and the children to stay." 

"You're not going to stay too?" 

"No. I want to go ahead and stake out our claim. Skinner 
and I are going to look for land where we'll be next to 
each other." 

"In that case, I don't want to stay here." 

"You'd go just to be with me?" 

"I don't want to split up our family." She paused before 
asking, "Are you angry?" 

"Of course not. I'd much rather have you with me. Jimmy 
and Danny are going to find land near us too." 

"I thought Jimmy was going to be with the Tanners." 

"I think Catherine has begun to rethink that. Jimmy wants 
to stay close to family and since the Tanners aren't really 
her parents, I think he has convinced her that it would be 
better to be with our family." 

"I'm glad. I don't think I'll be as lonely with Sharon and 
Catherine close by." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

The company was going to split up the next day and there 
was a general feeling of sadness in the camp that 
afternoon. Some had decided to head north, others to the 
south, and some chose to stay in the area. 

Unfortunately, Catherine gave Dana disturbing news, though 
Dana tried to hide how upset she really was. Diana Tipton 
was coming with them. 

"Isn't it great news?" Catherine said, smiling. "I've 
become good friends with Diana and will be glad to have her 
near." 

"I'm happy for you," Dana said, a false smile on her face. 

"I can't wait to have my own home." 

"I'll just be glad when we stop. William offered to find a 
place in the city for me and the children, but I told him I 
wanted to go with him." 

"I know what you mean. I wouldn't want to be away from my 
Jimmy." 

Just then, Jimmy and Mulder rode into camp with a new wagon 
filled with supplies. Jumping down, Jimmy immediately went 
to his wife and kissed her. "Miss me?" he asked. 

"Always," she said, smiling up at him. 

Mulder leaned into Dana whispering, "Ah, young love." 

Putting her hands on her hips, Dana said, "They're not any 
younger than I am." 

"You're right," he said grinning. He bent down to kiss 
her, pulling her off of the ground. "There, that better?" 

"Much," she said, looping her arms around his neck. "What 
have you two been up to?" 

Setting her back down on the ground, he said, "Just making 
sure we're set when we head out. I want to make sure we'll 
make it through the winter comfortably." 

Dana looked over at the wagon, an eyebrow raised. "I don't 
think that's going to be a problem." 

"Well, there are going to be quite a few of us," he said 
hesitantly. 

"You don't have to say it. Catherine has already told me." 

"There wasn't any place available. I wouldn't have been 
able to find a place for you and the children anyway." He 
bit his lower lip before saying, "I'm sorry Dana. I don't 
know what else I can do." 

"Well, maybe you should look for a man for her. I hear 
there are plenty here who would gladly marry a woman...any 
woman, including someone like her." 

"Dana, I'm not going to try to find her a man." 

She shrugged. "As long as she stays away from me, I'll be 
fine." 

"We're going to leave early tomorrow morning," he said. 
"We'll cut our herd out and then be moving. Do you think 
you can stand a few more days travel?" 

"Just so we're stopping soon, I'll be fine." As he moved 
them away from Catherine and Jimmy, she continued, 
"William, when we get there, will you build us a house 
soon?" 

"Well, the plan is to build a house for us first and we'll 
all live there until we begin to build other houses. 
Hopefully, everyone will be in their own house by winter." 

"All of us? Who is all of us?" 

"Besides us you mean?" She nodded. "Well there will be 
Jimmy, Catherine, Danny, the Skinners...and Diana and her 
nieces." 

"That's going to be awfully crowded." 

"I plan to have at least three rooms with a second level 
above." 

"Really? So big? I hadn't counted on something that 
large." 

"I want us to have our own bedroom. Once the children are 
old enough, we'll make bedrooms upstairs for them too. 
I've arranged to have some men follow in a few days to help 
us build our house." 

"I can't wait." 

"We'll take one of the bedrooms and Skinner and his family 
will take the upper level. Diana and her nieces will stay 
in the other bedroom. Jimmy and Catherine will take the 
sitting room next to the kitchen. Danny has agreed to stay 
in the tent to give Jimmy and Catherine privacy." 

She sighed and said, "I'm sure we'll be fine." In reality, 
she wasn't sure how it was all going to work out. 

~~~ 

Chapter 19 

October 16, 1852 
Saturday 

The temperature was pleasant outside and the wind lightly 
blew through the open door of the new Mulder home. Mulder 
had told Dana that she couldn't come in until it was 
finished. He made sure that once it was finished, she had 
a chance to look the house over without others interfering. 

He trailed her with the children as they went from one room 
to the other. Dana climbed the ladder ahead of them and 
Samantha followed. Mulder held onto Caleb as he climbed 
up. Mulder intended one day to make stairs, but for now, 
the ladder would have to do. 

"Well, what do you think?" he asked her. 

She turned around and smiled. "It's perfect." She walked 
over to the window at the end of the house and looked down 
at the people waiting outside. Sharon saw her looking and 
waved. Dana smiled and waved back. "I guess it's time for 
everyone to get settled. 

Except for Danny, they all moved their bedding into the 
Mulder house that evening. Mulder had the new chairs and 
table that he bought in Oregon City moved into the kitchen 
area. Mulder, Skinner, Jimmy, and Danny sat around it, 
designing the Skinner home. 

While the men were planning, Dana and Sharon washed and 
dried the dinner dishes. Catherine and Diana sat away from 
them all, talking quietly. 

"I don't know if I'll be able to live under the same roof 
with her Sharon," Dana said quietly. 

Sharon looked over at Diana and said, "I suppose we could 
have her come live with us." 

"No, I couldn't ask that of you. It's my burden. I'll 
have to deal with it. Besides, from the sound of it, you 
won't have enough room." 

"That's true. We'll be crowded as it is. We're only going 
to have the two rooms to start. You're fortunate that Fox 
is able to afford such a nice house." 

"I'm sure he would loan you some money to build a bigger 
house if you asked." 

"No, Walter wouldn't think of it. Besides, we'll be fine." 
Sharon covered Dana's hand with her own. "I'm just glad 
that you'll be close to us." 

"Me too." 

"Dana," she heard Mulder call. "Are you two almost 
finished?" 

"We just finished," she said, handing Sharon the last 
plate. 

"Sharon, I want you to see this. Tell us what you think," 
Skinner said. 

She came up to him and he placed an arm around her waist. 
"What am I looking at?" she asked, trying to decipher what 
they had drawn. 

"Our home. This is where we'll have the kitchen and 
sitting room. Behind this will be our room. What do you 
think?" 

She smiled at him. "It's a good start. We'll make it 
bigger later, won't we?" 

"Yes, of course." 

"Walter, let's make it bigger now," Mulder said. "It will 
be much easier than later." 

Skinner shook his head. "It's fine as it is." 

Dana walked up and stood behind her husband. "I agree with 
William. Besides, you'll want the girls to have their own 
room eventually. Why not go ahead and build it right now?" 

Skinner looked up at her. "Dana, we don't need that much." 

"Please, do this for yourself and Sharon...and for the 
children." 

Skinner looked at Mulder. "All right," he relented, "but 
that's it." 

"Good," Mulder said. "Now, let's draw this again." 

October 17, 1852 
Sunday 

"Come on, it's not going to hurt you." 

Mulder stood with arms crossed in front of him, staring at 
his wife. "I don't want to." 

"You can't keep running away from God forever." 

"No." 

"Remember how he helped you find Samantha," she argued. 

"That's not fair." 

"You need to set a good example for the children." 

"Dana," they heard from the other room. 

"Yes?" 

"We're leaving now. Are you coming?" Skinner asked. 

Dana stared at Mulder. "Well?" 

"No, you go ahead. You can take the children yourself." 

"Fine," she said, throwing her hands out. She turned and 
stalked out of the room, leaving him standing alone. 

"You can't force him," Skinner said outside. 

"I know you're right. I can't believe we're fortunate 
enough to have the Reverend settle so close to us." 

"Well, if the truth be known, Mulder convinced him to move 
here before we left Oregon City." 

"Really?" she asked, surprised. 

"I think he did it for you." Skinner grabbed her hand. 
"Dana, he'll come when he's ready. I have faith that he'll 
come around. Let me help you up." 

"Thank you," she said, climbing into the back of the wagon. 
Dana, her children, and the Skinner children sat behind 
Skinner and Sharon in the lead wagon. In the other wagon, 
Catherine and Jimmy sat in the wagon seat. Diana and her 
nieces rode behind them, with Danny trailing on his horse. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

As the Reverend was preaching, Dana sat on a log with both 
of her children on either side of her. She wrapped her 
arms around them, hugging them close. Being out in the 
open made Dana feel somehow closer to God. 

The only ones in attendance were the Skinners, the Mulders 
sans the head of the household, the Pendrells, the Byers, 
Diana and her nieces. Byers was thrilled that he was again 
able to spread the word of God. As he closed the service, 
he looked up to see Mulder standing next to a tree about 
thirty yards away. He smiled, wondering how long he had 
been standing there. Well, at least he had attended, no 
matter how far away. He watched Mulder turn away and head 
back towards his home when the services were over. He 
promised himself he would keep his secret. Mulder would 
let Dana know in his own good time. 

Byers walked up to Dana and said, "Thank you for coming. I 
can't believe we're finally here." 

"I know. It's exciting," she replied. 

"You have a generous husband, Mrs. Mulder." 

"Yes, I know." 

"Oh, so he told you then. I can't tell you how excited I 
was when he promised to have a church built for all of us." 

"He what?" 

The Reverend looked embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I 
thought you knew." 

"No, he didn't tell me, but I can honestly say I'm happy to 
hear the news." 

Byers looked relieved. "Good, I'm glad. Good morning, 
Mrs. Mulder." 

Dana nodded and headed for Skinner. "You didn't tell me," 
she said when she reached him. 

"What?" 

"I can understand why he wouldn't tell me but why didn't 
you?" 

"Dana, I don't know what you're talking about." 

"William has promised the Reverend to build a church." 

"He didn't want you to know." 

"Why not?" Dana asked. 

"You'll have to ask him. It's not for me to say. You 
ready to go now?" 

She knew he wouldn't discuss the matter any further and 
said, "All right, I'll go gather the children." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Sharon, Skinner, Mulder and Dana sat around the table, 
relaxing after dinner. The light from the fire slightly 
illuminated the room. Diana and her nieces were in their 
room with Catherine. Dana was thankful that she wouldn't 
have to spend time in the same room with her that night. 
The Skinner children were playing with Samantha and Caleb 
upstairs. Jimmy and Danny were taking care of the 
livestock. 

"When do you think we can get started on our house Mulder?" 
Skinner asked. 

"I was thinking tomorrow morning. What do you think?" 

Skinner smiled and looked over to Sharon. "Anxious to get 
rid of us Mulder?" 

"Of course not," he said, "but I know you must be excited 
to have your own place." 

"True," Skinner said, reaching over and taking his wife's 
hand tenderly. "We're ready to be settled." 

"You know we love you both. I'm just happy we'll be 
neighbors. We'll be close enough in case you'll need us," 
Sharon said knowingly. Dana nodded. 

"I worry you know," Mulder confided to Sharon. 

"Yes, I know, but she'll be fine." 

"I keep telling him that," Dana said. 

"I have every right to be concerned," Mulder said angrily, 
getting up and stalking to the fireplace. He leaned on the 
mantle and stared into the fire. 

Dana got up and followed him, putting a comforting hand on 
his back. "I'm sorry. You're right." Dana looked over at 
Skinner and Sharon, who sat uncomfortably. 

Standing, Skinner pulled his wife to her feet. "I think 
we'll head upstairs," he said. 

Mulder turned around and said, "I'm sorry Walter. Don't 
leave." 

Skinner shook his head. "No, we're all tired. Besides, 
we'll want to get an early start tomorrow." 

"I'll have Victor bring the children down to you," Sharon 
said. They watched her climb the ladder and shortly, 
Victor handed the children down to Mulder. 

When the children were back on the main level, Mulder 
turned to Skinner and said, "We'll see you early tomorrow." 

"All right. Good-night," he said with a yawn as he 
disappeared out of sight upstairs. 

Dana followed Mulder into their room after the Skinners 
retired. Upstairs, they heard the Skinner family talking. 
The Mulders on the other hand moved around quietly, 
preparing the children for bed and then getting themselves 
ready. Mulder climbed under the covers while Dana brushed 
her hair. He watched as she stroked her hair with her new 
brush, something he had picked up in Oregon City. When she 
finished, she climbed into bed with him, snuggling close. 
Mulder put his arm around her and pulled her closer. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," he 
said. 

"No, I understand. It's all right." Dana took his hand 
and laid it over her stomach. "We'll be fine." 

October 18, 1852 
Monday 

The men and Skinner's sons left early the next morning. At 
about eleven that morning, Sharon, her daughters and 
Catherine headed over to take them lunch. Sharon told her 
that they would probably be back sometime after two that 
afternoon. 

Which meant that Dana was left alone with Diana. 

Dana busied herself with unpacking items that still sat in 
crates. As she was putting the dishes away, she glanced 
over at her children, who were having fun playing with the 
packing. 

"Did you think you could hide it from me?" 

Dana spun around, almost losing her grip on the saucer she 
was holding. "What?" 

"Do you think I'm blind? I can see you're going to have a 
child." Dana took a step back and put a protective hand 
over her stomach. She glanced over at the children and was 
relieved to find that they weren't listening. "I guess Fox 
is thrilled." 

"Of course." 

Diana moved closer to Dana, who took a step back. "You 
know Dana, a small thing like you might not survive." 

"I'll be fine. I was before." 

"Hmm, maybe. But, we're not back home. We're out here in 
the wild. Anything could go wrong and who would be there 
to help? There aren't any midwives around. There 
certainly aren't any doctors." 

"Sharon will be able to help," Dana said, lifting her head 
defiantly. 

Diana backed away and headed towards Samantha who was still 
busy playing with Caleb. She was surprised when Diana 
lifted her into her arms. "Four children and only one to 
show for it." 

Samantha looked over at Dana and reached for her. Dana 
walked over to pull her from Diana's arms and rocked her. 
"I'm not Penny." 

"No, you're not. That's pretty obvious." 

Dana narrowed her eyes. "What do you think? You're going 
to take my place if something happens? Think again Diana. 
Nothing is going to go wrong. Everything will be fine." 

"Oh, he'll forget you soon enough. Like you said, it's not 
like you're Penny." 

Dana bristled. "No, no I'm not. But I am his wife now and 
he loves me. I know he does." 

"Oh, you may think he does, but I saw the way he looked at 
Penny. He doesn't look that way at you." 

"Go to hell Diana," Dana said, gasping a second after she 
realized what she said. She covered her mouth, eyes wide 
as she looked at Samantha. Samantha's eyes were equally as 
wide. 

"Mama," she said, surprised. 

"I know. I'm sorry." She set Samantha down and said, "Go 
take Caleb to our room, okay?" 

Samantha nodded, grabbing Caleb's hand and leading him to 
the bedroom. 

"My husband somehow feels an obligation to you, so I have 
to put up with you living in my house for now. However, I 
don't have to put up with your meddling in matters that 
have nothing to do with you." 

"Fox is my friend. Anything that has to do with him has to 
do with me." 

"No it doesn't. I don't care if you consider him your 
friend or not. I won't discuss matters about my husband 
with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be with my 
children." 

Dana left and shut the door to her room loudly, leaving 
Diana alone. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

When the ladies returned, Dana told Sharon that she needed 
to take a walk. Sharon could tell that something must have 
happened, but decided to let Dana tell her in her own time. 

As she was walking by the river that ran through their 
land, she found an outcropping of rock that formed a bench. 
She decided to stop. As the sun warmed her, she was soon 
lost in her own thoughts. 

"It seems that we keep running into each other at rivers." 

Dana turned around suddenly. "Mr. Krycek. What are you 
doing here?" 

"Didn't you know?" Dana shook her head. "Your husband 
knew my place bordered yours." 

"Yes?" 

"We're neighbors. My place lies just up over the hill. I 
happened to be walking my land and saw you sitting down 
here." 

"My husband knew this? He never said anything to me." 

Krycek smiled. "Probably because he doesn't want you to be 
around me." 

"I'm sure that's true. How have you been?" 

"Well. I started my house, but I don't plan to finish it 
until spring." 

"Are you doing it all by yourself." 

Krycek nodded. "I don't have any other choice." 

"I'm sure that our men would help you when they finish the 
houses." 

Laughing, Krycek said, "I don't think that's likely." 

"I can talk to them if you'd like." 

"No. Don't. I'll be fine." Krycek moved to sit down next 
to her and she edged away from him. "Diana told me that 
she was going to live with you. Is that true?" 

Dana looked away. She picked up a rock and threw it into 
the river. "Yes, it's true." 

"That can't be easy. I can't believe he would have the two 
of you live under the same roof." 

"It's uncomfortable, that's for sure." 

"So, you know about the two of them." 

"What do you mean?" When he said nothing further, she 
asked, "Are you implying that William's been unfaithful to 
me?" 

Krycek stood and walked to the water, his back to her. 
"Dana, I'm sorry. I thought you knew." 

"No. It's not true. He wouldn't do that to me." 

"Of course. I only have Diana's word anyway." 

"She told you this?" 

"Dana, I'm sure you're right." 

"She's just trying to separate us. You shouldn't believe 
anything that woman tells you." 

"Listen, I have to go. I'm just over the hill," he said, 
pointing. "If you need me, you know where to find me." 

She watched him walk up the river and cross on a log that 
had fallen over the river. It wasn't true, she was sure of 
it, but maybe that explained why he didn't send Mrs. Diana 
Tipton on her way. Confused, she laid her head back 
against the rock, closed her eyes, and rubbed her stomach. 
"I don't believe it. Your Papa wouldn't do that to me," 
she said to her baby. 

October 26, 1852 
Tuesday 

Dana never told Mulder that she had run into Krycek. Nor 
did she say anything about what Krycek had told her. If 
Mulder and Diana were lovers, she couldn't find any 
evidence of it, which further reinforced her belief that 
Diana had lied to Krycek. 

The men had been delayed a few days by the intense rain, so 
they had fallen behind schedule. They estimated that if 
they had about three days of good weather, they would be 
able to finish Skinner's house. Today was one of those 
days. 

At about three in the afternoon, the women heard a wagon 
pull up to the house. Dana stood and went to the door. 
Jimmy was helping Mulder down just as she reached them. 
The other women followed. 

"Why have you returned?" Dana asked. 

"He hurt his ankle," Jimmy said. "He tripped and fell and 
a log rolled onto it. We don't think it's broken, but he 
says it really hurts." 

"I'll be fine in a few days," Mulder said. 

Dana moved towards him and said, "Lean on me." 

Diana blocked her. "You're too small to handle his 
weight," she told Dana and moved to the other side of 
Mulder, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I'll help 
Jimmy," she said, dismissing Dana. 

Jimmy and Diana walked with Mulder, ahead of the others. 
Mulder turned back to see an angry wife with her hands on 
her hips. He had to turn sideways to allow them to get him 
through the door and when he turned forward again, he lost 
sight of her. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Ow, damn it," Mulder said. 

"Sorry," Jimmy said as he lifted Mulder's foot up on a 
chair. "I'm trying to be as gentle as I can." 

"Well try harder." 

Dana came in with a cloth she had soaked in a bucket of 
cold water outside. Diana was hovering over Mulder and 
Dana had to move around her to reach his injury. Lifting 
his ankle, she began wrapping the cloth around it and she 
heard him hiss, but one look from her silenced him from 
complaining further. She eased his leg back down and 
turned away. 

"Papa," Samantha said, "what happened?" 

"I had a little accident. I'll be fine. It's not so bad." 
Caleb walked up and patted his father's ankle. "Ahh," 
Mulder exclaimed. 

"Humph," Dana said. "You sure about that?" She walked up 
to Caleb and pulled his hand away saying, "No-no, Caleb. 
Don't hurt Papa." 

Mulder smiled weakly at Caleb to show him that he was not 
angry. "Come here Caleb." He pulled him into his lap. "I 
hate this. I'm not going to be any help. It'll just put 
us further behind schedule." 

"Don't worry Mulder," Jimmy said. "We'll be fine." He 
turned to his wife and gave her a quick kiss. "I have to 
be getting back. You going to be fine Mulder?" 

"Yah. Go ahead." 

After Jimmy left, the household began to return to normal, 
with Mulder sitting aside observing. Sharon and her 
daughters were preparing candles by the fire. Diana was 
reading from the bible as the other women and the girls 
listened, Samantha among them. Dana sat to one side, 
mending the torn clothing - Mulder's ripped shirt and a 
patch added to the knee of Caleb's pants. The two men, 
Mulder and Caleb, stayed out of the way of the women. 

It had been a long time since Mulder had read his bible, 
but he found himself listening to the stories Diana read. 
She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back. He was 
unaware that Dana caught the little exchange, but his eyes 
flicked to her when he heard her get up. He watched her 
with rapt attention as she came over to him. He smiled, 
but she didn't. His brow furrowed in confusion. Lifting 
Caleb, she said, "Come on Samantha, let's go take a nap." 
Samantha followed her and Dana closed the door behind them. 

"Sharon," Mulder called. "Could you help me to my feet?" 

Sharon came over and said, "Fox, you should really relax." 

Mulder smiled. "I plan to. I just thought I would join 
them." 

"All right Fox. Louisa, come help me." 

Mulder held on to Louisa and Sharon awkwardly, but they got 
him to the door. "I can handle it from here," Mulder said. 
"Thank you." 

Opening the door, Mulder found Dana laying Caleb and 
Samantha onto their bed. She didn't hear him come in at 
first, but as he clumsily made his way over to the bed she 
turned around and asked, "What are you doing in here?" 

"I thought I'd join you. I'm glad to see you taking it 
easy. Climb in." 

Dana went around to the other side of the bed and climbed 
in next to Samantha. Mulder climbed in; Caleb nestled 
between Samantha and himself. 

"Is your ankle still hurting?" Dana asked. 

"Not as bad as before." 

"How much more is there to do?" 

"Maybe a few more days worth." 

"I know they're all anxious to have their own place." 

"Yes, I imagine so." Mulder looked down at her stomach and 
reached over the children, to lay his hand there. "When do 
you want to tell the children?" 

She looked down at them as they drifting off. "Not yet. 
Can we wait?" 

"Yes, but I don't think we should keep it a secret from 
them much longer. They're going to notice your body is 
changing. At least Samantha will." 

"We'll say something when they do. I just want to rest 
now." 

He moved his hand up to her cheek and said, "All right. I 
think we all need it." He felt himself drift off as he saw 
Dana's eyes close. 

November 1, 1852 
Monday 

It took longer than Mulder estimated to finish the Skinner 
house. The rain had caused more delay, but it also allowed 
Mulder time to heal and return to help finish the house. 

Now, Dana stood outside with Sharon and Catherine as the 
men and Skinner's children carried their things inside. 
Caleb and Samantha played close by. Diana and her nieces 
had stayed back at the Mulder place. 

"I can't believe we're finally going to be settled," Sharon 
said. 

"I know what you mean. It's beginning to feel more real 
each day." Dana looked over to her son and said, "Caleb, 
don't throw rocks at the house." 

"I can't wait until we have a place too," Catherine said. 
"Do you know when they're going to start our place?" 

"I think William said maybe tomorrow." 

"Oh that would be wonderful. Jimmy said we're going to 
have two rooms, but he'll build onto it later. It's enough 
for me now. Danny's going to stay in the main room. I'm 
just anxious to be on our own." 

Dana smiled and said, "I know the feeling." 

Sharon put her arm around Dana and said, "You know, we can 
still have Diana and her nieces move in with us." 

Dana shook her head. "William would never allow you to 
take on what he feels is his responsibility. Besides, you 
really don't have the room anyway." She smiled. "Thank 
you for offering though." 

"Well," Sharon said. "I guess I better go in and make sure 
everything is going well inside." 

As they watched Sharon enter her new home, Catherine turned 
to Dana. "I don't understand why you don't like Diana. 
She's always been nice to me." 

As much as Dana liked Catherine, it wasn't something she 
wanted to discuss with her. "It's personal." 

"Well I would invite her to live with us, but we won't have 
any extra space." 

"We'll manage. Looks like they're finished. Excuse me," 
Dana said as she walked over to take her children into the 
house. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Well, what do you think?" Skinner asked Sharon, his arm 
around her waist. 

"It's perfect," she said. "Thank you all for helping. I 
can't believe we're finally here." 

"I know it's not as big as our old house, but it's a 
start." 

"What do you think of your room girls?" Dana asked Margaret 
and Louisa. 

"We love it," they chimed. 

"At least you have a room," Matthew said. Victor elbowed 
him. 

"Hey now," Skinner said. "We'll fix you boys a room as 
soon as we can. You'll just have to be satisfied with 
being in here for the time being." 

"It's fine," Victor said, giving his brother a disapproving 
look. 

"Well," Mulder said, "I guess we had best be getting home 
and letting you all settle." Mulder bent down to pick up 
Caleb and grabbed Samantha's hand. To Dana, he said "I'll 
let you say your goodbyes while I get the children in the 
wagon." 

Jimmy, Catherine and Danny said their goodbyes as well, 
leaving Dana with the Skinners. She felt her eyes tear up. 
"I'm going to miss you," she told them. 

Skinner and Sharon felt their eyes tear up as well. "We're 
not too far away that you can't send for us." 

"I know," she said wiping her eyes. She threw her arms 
around Sharon for a last hug and turned to Skinner, doing 
the same. "I'll miss all of you. Don't forget, you're 
welcome anytime." 

"The same goes for all of you," Skinner said. 

"Well goodbye," Dana said. She closed the door quietly 
behind her. 

Outside, Mulder was waiting for her. The others had 
already headed home. When she approached him, he pulled 
her into his arms, hugging her tight. "It'll be all right. 
We'll still see them." 

"I know," she said against his shirt. 

He broke their embrace and helped her climb up into the 
wagon. "Anytime you want to come and see them, you just 
let me know," he said as he climbed up. 

"All right. Thank you." 

"Jimmy and Catherine are going to move upstairs now that 
the space is available and Danny's going to move into the 
front room. It's getting too cold for him to stay out in 
that tent anyway." 

"So are you really going to get started on their house 
tomorrow?" 

"I think we'll rest tomorrow, but we'll start Wednesday." 

"Good. Catherine's anxious to have her own place too." 

They rode quietly until Mulder broke the silence. "I don't 
think we're going to be able to build Diana's house until 
the spring." When she didn't answer, he asked, "Did you 
hear me?" 

"I heard you." 

"We only have time to build one more house. I don't think 
it would be fair to build her house and not Jimmy's when he 
and Danny have been helping Skinner and me." 

"I didn't say anything." 

"I know you didn't, but I know what you're thinking." 

"No. I agree, it wouldn't be right." 

"Besides, I think we may need Diana in the house when your 
time comes. If I have to run for Sharon, I don't want you 
alone in the house with only Samantha and Caleb." 

"I'll be fine. I don't need her." 

"No. I mean it Dana. I don't want you to be alone. I 
would never forgive myself if something happened to you. I 
don't think you truly realize how scared I am that 
something will go wrong. I don't think I could go on 
if..." She heard a hitch in his breath. When she looked 
over at him, she could see tears in his eyes. He swiped 
his arm across his eyes. 

"Then I want her out of the house as soon as the baby is 
born," she said, turning to him. "And I mean that." 

"All right, I promise." He left her alone as they drove on 
in silence and the rain began to fall. And it continued to 
fall on and off for the next month. 

~~~ 

Chapter 20 

November 29, 1852 
Monday 

It had been four weeks since the Skinners had moved out and 
four days since the Pendrells had left the Mulder home. It 
was beginning to get quiet, but it wasn't as quiet as Dana 
would like. Diana was still in their home. 

They had finished a late afternoon meal and Mulder was 
sitting by the fire with the children in his lap, reading 
to them. 

"I ran into Mr. Krycek," Diana said. "Dana, how come you 
didn't tell us he's a neighbor?" 

"What do you mean?" asked Dana. 

"He said he ran into you some time ago by the river." 

Dana looked up, first at a gloating Diana, then to an angry 
Mulder. "What did you just say?" Mulder asked, his voice 
rising with each word. 

"Dana didn't tell you?" Diana looked at Dana, as did 
Mulder. "He said he met her by the river." 

Mulder stood and put the children on the floor. He handed 
the book to Samantha and walked over to Dana, grabbing her 
by the arm. "Get in there," he said through gritted teeth, 
dragging her towards their bedroom. He pushed her through 
the door and slammed it behind him. "You met him?" 

Dana turned around and backed up against their bed. "She's 
twisting it around. That's not how it happened." 

"Are you saying you didn't see him?" 

"I was down..." 

"Answer me," he yelled, causing her to flinch. "Yes or 
no?" 

"Yes. But..." 

"Damn it!" He turned away from her, shaking with anger. 
Dana looked up at him nervously, but was afraid to say 
anything more, fearing that she might make it worse. 

He turned around and glared at her. "I have to ask. Why 
were you meeting him? Is he your lover?" 

Dana gasped. "How can you ask that question?" She 
narrowed her eyes. "That would be more like you, not me." 

Mulder raised his hand and before he could stop himself, he 
slapped her. She fell back on the bed. He stood rooted, 
horrified at what he had just done. He watched her raise 
her hand to her cheek, tears flooding her eyes. 

"Dana, I'm sorry," he said, reaching towards her. She 
rolled away from him and ran for the door. When she swung 
it open, she found Diana standing on the other side. She 
was sure Diana had been listening to every word. A slight 
smile lit upon Diana's face. Dana pushed past her, running 
out the front door. She heard Mulder calling her name, but 
ignored him. She ran awkwardly away from their cabin, 
heading for what she now considered her retreat - the 
Skinner household. Dog followed closely behind her. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

The sky had turned dark when Dana reached the Skinner 
house. The air was getting cold, but she had stood the 
rain and chill rather than go back home. The tears had 
stopped falling long ago and she now felt empty. 

Looking up the hill, she saw a light ahead. "Come on Dog," 
she said, picking up her pace as she got nearer. Knocking 
on the door, she stood back, knowing that she would find 
security and comfort inside. 

She began to cry again when Walter Skinner opened the door, 
a concerned look on his face. He opened his arms and she 
fell into them. Sharon threw a blanket around her and 
they allowed her to cry until there were no more tears. 
When Skinner thought she was finished, he said, "Dana, I 
know what he did was unforgivable, but I know he regrets 
what he did. He came looking for you here earlier," he 
explained. "He's going crazy with worry." 

"He told you what he did?" 

"Yes." 

"He had no right," she said into his shirt, gripping it 
tightly with her fist. 

"He wants to apologize. He's willing to listen to you 
now." Skinner pulled her away and cupped her cheeks, 
forcing her to look at him. "Will you do that?" 

"I don't want to see him." 

"Well you'll have to eventually." 

"I can't talk to him. Not now." 

"All right. I understand that and he'll have to also. 
I'll go tell him you're staying with us. Can I tell him 
you'll be back tomorrow?" 

Dana shook her head. "I don't know." 

"I'll tell him I'll bring you back when you're ready. How 
does that sound?" 

Dana nodded. "Thank you." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Before Skinner had a chance to saddle his horse, he heard a 
horse ride in. Moving from under the shelter, he saw 
Mulder dismount and head for their house. 

"Mulder," Skinner called from the shadows. "I was just 
going to ride over to see you." 

"Why?" he asked as he walked towards Skinner. He looked 
back towards the house. "Is she here?" 

"Yes." 

"Thank God. I was so worried. I thought she might return 
home when she wasn't here." 

"She's inside, but she doesn't want to see you. Not yet." 

"I have to see her Walter. I have to apologize." 

Skinner sighed and said, "All right, but just for a minute. 
If she wants you to go, I want you to do as she wishes." 
Mulder nodded. "I'll get her to come home in a few days if 
she doesn't on her own." 

Skinner pushed the door open and escorted Mulder in. 
Sharon and her children sat around the table while Dana sat 
by the fire, still warming herself. Mulder moved towards 
her, but Skinner stopped him. 

"Dana, Fox is here. He wants to talk to you." 

Dana stood up and backed away from him. "I don't want to 
talk to him." 

"What?" a surprised Mulder asked. "Dana, I'm sorry. I 
shouldn't have done that. Honey, I would never hurt you on 
purpose, you know that." 

She didn't say anything and Skinner moved her back by the 
fire. "She needs to get warm. Dana, sit down here." He 
held onto her as she sat. Mulder moved towards her again, 
but Skinner stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Leave her 
alone tonight. She can stay with us." 

"She's my wife." 

"And she's carrying your child. She's already upset. You 
don't want to do anything that could endanger her or your 
child, do you?" 

"No," Mulder said, shaking his head. 

"Go on home Mulder. I'll ride over tomorrow. We'll talk." 

Mulder nodded and Skinner released him. Mulder headed for 
the door. "Come on Dog." He paused and said, "I am sorry 
Dana." She turned back towards the fire and he closed the 
door behind him. 

November 30, 1852 
Tuesday 

The next morning, as the sun began to warm the room, Dana 
awoke to find the Skinner girls already gone. All of the 
Skinners were already up and out, so she made her way to 
the kitchen to eat the food that Sharon had set aside. 
After eating, she cleaned her dishes and wiped down the 
table. 

Skinner walked in from outside. "Dana, you're up. That's 
good." 

"I can't sleep forever." 

"You ready to go home?" 

"I don't think so." 

"I think you should go home. If not for him, then for your 
children." 

"That's not fair." 

"Hiding from your husband won't do you any good either." 
Skinner walked over to her. "Look Dana, he should never 
have hit you, that's true, but you're going to have to move 
on. You can't hide out here." 

"I'm not hiding." 

"You know we love having you around, but you need to be 
with your family." 

Dana sat down and put her head in her hands. "I know. I 
do." She looked back up at him. "All right. Will you 
take me back?" 

Smiling, he nodded his head and said, "You bet. I'll just 
hitch up the team. I'll meet you outside shortly." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

After Skinner dropped her off, Dana took a deep breath and 
entered the cabin. She was surprised to find Mulder gone 
and Diana with her children, rocking them slowly by the 
fire. Diana's nieces sat quietly by her side. 

"You're back," Diana said, disappointed. 

Dana didn't answer. Instead, she lifted Caleb up and 
pulled Samantha from Diana's lap. She led them to her 
bedroom and closed the door. 

When Mulder opened their bedroom door several hours later, 
he found Dana sitting on their bed. "I asked Diana to give 
us some time today," Mulder said behind her. She jumped 
and turned to look at him. "Diana said you've been here 
for a while. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you returned." 

"I missed the children." 

"Not me?" Mulder asked smiling. 

His smile dropped when he saw that she didn't return it. 
"Could we go sit in the other room?" he asked. She nodded 
and walked into the other room, staying away from him as 
much as possible when she passed him. She also sat in the 
farthest chair from him. 

When he lifted Samantha and Caleb into his lap, they 
relaxed against him. "No one has ever hit me," she said. 

"I've never hit a woman either." 

"So I have the honor of being the first," she said 
contemptuously. 

"And I had no right to do that. If I could take it back, I 
would. You have to know that." 

"I want you to make me a promise." 

"I'll never do it again." 

"All right, two promises." 

Mulder cocked his head. "That wasn't it?" 

"No. I had something else in mind." 

"What?" 

"I want you to get that woman out of my house." 

"Diana? Dana, we've been over this. You're going to need 
her." 

"If she wasn't here, you would never have hit me." 

"You can't blame her for that. You were the one who saw 
Krycek," he said, feeling angry again. 

Dana slapped the table with her hand and Mulder jumped. "I 
tried to tell you, he found me by the river. I didn't go 
to meet him." 

Mulder paused. "All right, all right. So he found you by 
the river. What then?" When she shook her head, he said, 
"Dana, I insist. Tell me what you talked about?" 

Looking at the children, she said, "I don't want to talk 
about this in front them." 

"Fine," he said, standing and carrying the children back to 
their bedroom. She heard him talking to the children in a 
quiet tone. He shut the door and turned back to her. "Now 
we can talk. The children aren't here anymore." 

She hesitated for a moment. "He said something about you 
and Diana." 

Mulder thought for a moment before saying, "He said Diana 
and I were lovers? That's it, isn't it? You don't believe 
him do you?" 

"I don't any more than you should believe Mr. Krycek and I 
are." 

"I'm sorry. I should never have thought that. I know you 
better than that." 

"Besides," she said, "he said Diana was the one who told 
him. He was just repeating what she told him." 

"Do you want me to say something to her?" 

She shook her head. She didn't want him spending any more 
time with Diana Tipton than he had to through the necessity 
of living under the same roof. 

They remained quiet for a while, listening to the children 
in the other room. "You know, when we were on the trail," 
he began, "I thought we were getting closer. When we 
married, I told myself that I would be happy if we just got 
along...that we would be good companions. I had 
experienced that special love with Penny and never dreamed 
that I could feel that way again." Mulder leaned forward. 
"Dana, look at me." He waited until she looked back up at 
him. "You've made me feel that way again. No, that's not 
right," he said, shaking his head. "I have never been this 
happy in my life. I thank God every day that you've come 
into my life." He watched the tears begin to fall down her 
face. "I love you," he said. "I'm sorry I haven't told 
you that enough, but I want you to know that." 

Dana got up from her seat and came over to him. He opened 
his arms and pulled her onto his lap. She rested her head 
on his shoulder. "It was cruel of both of them." 

He began to bend down to kiss her when they heard the 
outside door open behind him. "Oh excuse me," they heard. 

Mulder saw Dana look beyond him and felt her tense. She 
moved off of his lap and away from him, heading towards 
their bedroom. He watched her as she closed the door 
behind her. 

Mulder turned in his seat. "Diana, I asked you to give us 
time. Why are you back?" 

"I'm sorry Fox. I thought we stayed away long enough. The 
girls are getting cold. Do you want me to keep them 
outside?" 

He shook his head. "No, bring them in." 

Diana moved to the door and called her nieces in. "It's 
really getting cold outside," she said. "Girls, get by the 
fire and warm up." 

"Sorry girls," Mulder said. "Thank you for giving my wife 
and myself some time." 

"You're welcome," the girls echoed, moving over to the 
fire. 

"I'll start dinner," Diana said. "I suppose Dana isn't 
feeling well?" 

"Why would you say that?" He couldn't help the irritated 
tone that crept into his voice. 

"Well, she went back to her bedroom instead of starting 
supper." 

"I'm sure she's checking on the children. You better wait 
and see if she wants to fix dinner," he said as she headed 
towards the pots. 

Diana stopped and turned. "All right Fox. Whatever you 
want," she said, smiling. "Did you settle things with 
Dana?" 

"Yes," he said. 

"Oh." 

Mulder could swear that she sounded disappointed, but chose 
to ignore her for the time being. "I'll just go see if she 
feels like cooking. Excuse me." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Dana was on their bed, brushing Samantha's hair when Mulder 
entered their room. Caleb lay nearby, watching his mother. 
When he saw Mulder, he stood up, arms stretched in Mulder's 
direction. Mulder picked him up and turned him upside 
down, causing Caleb to squeal with delight, giggling as 
Mulder swung him. 

"Be careful," Dana said. "Don't drop him." 

"I won't," Mulder said, swinging Caleb again. "He loves 
it, don't you Caleb?" 

"He's turning red in the face," Dana said, setting the 
brush down. She began to braid Samantha's hair. "He might 
throw up." 

Mulder turned Caleb back over and lifted him up into his 
arms. 

"Again Papa," Caleb said. 

"See? He loves it," Mulder said to her. 

"All the same, it's best not to get him too excited." Dana 
finished braiding Samantha's hair and said, "There you go." 

"My turn. Can I brush your hair Mama?" Samantha asked. 

"I'd have to take it down. How about another time?" 

"Please?" 

Dana looked over at Mulder and Caleb. "Go ahead," Mulder 
said. "We've got time. Diana can fix dinner tonight. 
I'll go tell her." 

"No," Dana said, moving to rise. 

Mulder put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. 
"Let Diana cook for once. Samantha wants to do this for 
you. Let her." 

Dana looked back at Samantha, an expectant look on her 
face. "All right," she said. She turned back to Mulder. 
"Just this once." 

"I'll just go tell her. I'll be right back." 

When Mulder returned, Dana had her long hair down and 
Samantha was running a brush through the ends. Mulder sat 
down beside her, picking up a handful of her hair. He ran 
his hands through it and said, "Have I ever told you that I 
love your hair?" 

"I do too Papa," Samantha agreed. 

He looked back at her. "You're doing a good job." Mulder 
reached down and grabbed Dana's hand. "Do you want to tell 
them now?" 

"What?" Dana asked. 

"You know. The b-a-b-y. Do you want to tell them now?" 

"Not yet," she said. 

"When then?" he asked, dropping her hand and placing Caleb 
on his knee, bouncing him up and down. 

"I don't know, but not yet. Please?" 

"You know, you're lucky they haven't noticed anything yet, 
but whenever you want to tell them, I'll be ready." 

She turned and took the brush from Samantha's hand. "Thank 
you. You did a good job," Dana told her. Dana began to 
put her hair back up. 

"I like it down," he said. 

Dana laughed, "Well I can't do that in the day." 

"Why not? It's not like anyone would care?" 

Dana thought for a moment before saying, "It gets in the 
way when I'm working. You'll have to wait until tonight," 
she said smiling. 

"If I must," he said with an exaggerated sigh. Mulder set 
Caleb down on the floor as Samantha slid off of the bed. 
"I think I'll go take them for a walk to wear off some of 
their energy so they'll sleep soundly tonight," Mulder said 
with a wink. Dana laughed to herself as Mulder walked the 
children out of the room. 

December 1, 1852 
Wednesday 

The rain was falling outside while Mulder was out of the 
house, tending to the livestock, making sure that they had 
plenty to eat. He returned to the house just as Dana 
finished preparing the supper. 

His children ran to greet him as he entered the cabin. 
"Look out," he warned them. "You're going to get all wet." 
He pulled off his jacket and Diana rushed to take it from 
him, hanging it up by the door. He nodded his thanks and 
lifted Caleb up, walking towards Dana who was putting the 
food on the table. He leaned over and inhaled. "Smells 
good," he said, bending down and kissing her neck. 

She looked up at him and smiled. "Just wait until you 
taste it. Go wash up." 

Setting Caleb back down, he went over to the washbowl and 
did as she asked. He lifted Caleb up so that he could wash 
his hands. "Come over here Samantha. You too." 

"I can reach it Papa," she said, leaning on tiptoes to 
reach in. 

"So you can. You're getting so big." 

She beamed up at him. "I helped Mama stir the potatoes." 

Dana smiled, "Whip." 

Samantha nodded. "Whip the potatoes." 

Mulder looked into the bowl of mashed potatoes and saw a 
lot of lumps. "Looks like you did a good job." 

"Everyone sit down," Dana said. Mulder took his place at 
the head of the table with Caleb on his right. Samantha 
sat next to him with Dana on her right, opposite Mulder. 
Diana sat between her two nieces. 

Dana said the blessing and they dug in to eat. While they 
were passing the food around, Dana said, "Do you think it 
will stop raining soon?" 

Mulder shook his head. "I don't think anytime soon. 
Samantha, these potatoes are delicious." Samantha beamed. 

"Yes Samantha," Diana said, "I don't think I've ever had 
better potatoes than these." Diana smiled at her, but 
Samantha bent her head. 

"What do you say?" Mulder said. 

"Thank you," Samantha said quietly. Dana reached over and 
squeezed her hand, smiling. Samantha looked up and smiled 
back. 

The family ate the rest of the meal in silence. 

December 3, 1852 
Friday 

Diana came upon Samantha and Caleb playing beside the 
cabin. Caleb was throwing rocks as Samantha watched. 

"Samantha," Diana said. "Come here, I want to talk to 
you." When she moved closer, Diana bent down and asked, 
"Are you hoping for a little brother or little sister?" 

Samantha looked back at her, confused. "What?" 

"When Dana has the baby, are you hoping for a little 
brother or a little sister?" 

"Mama isn't going to have a baby." 

Diana smiled at her. "Of course she is. Didn't she tell 
you?" Samantha shook her head. "I wonder why not. Maybe 
she didn't want you to worry about having to share your 
Papa with another little girl." 

Samantha began to tear up. "I'm Papa's girl." 

"I know you are, but you may not be the only one anymore. 
I know you think of Caleb as your brother, but he's really 
not. Your real brothers are buried alongside your poor 
Mama. Having those boys killed her. It was so sad." 

"Caleb is my brother," Samantha said, putting her arm 
around him, pulling him close. 

"I know you think that dear. But your Papa can only have 
little girls. You're proof of that. If this baby 
survives, you'll have to share your Papa with her. I just 
don't understand why Dana wouldn't tell you this." 

Samantha released Caleb and backed away, tears shining 
along her cheeks. Diana smiled as Samantha turned and ran 
inside the house. Diana felt the sting of a rock hitting 
her arm and looked up to see Caleb poised to throw another 
rock. Diana stood and began to move towards him. 

"Caleb," Dana shouted from the door. "Put that rock down." 
Diana halted in her tracks and Caleb dropped the rock. 
"Come inside Caleb, I want to talk to you," she said, 
keeping her eye on Diana. 

Dana shut the door behind Caleb and herself, leaving Diana 
outside. She walked over to the rocker by the fire and sat 
down, pulling Caleb into her lap. "Tell Mama why Samantha 
is sad." 

"She's mean," Caleb said. 

"Who is?" 

"That lady." Caleb looked up her. "I don't like her 
Mama." 

"What did she say to Samantha?" Caleb shook his head. 
"Caleb, tell Mama." 

"No." 

"Caleb," Dana scolded. 

Diana walked in and Caleb buried his head in Dana's 
shoulder. She decided not to pressure him further in front 
of Diana. She stood with him in her arms and walked into 
their bedroom, hoping she could get Samantha to talk to 
her. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Mulder found Dana sitting on their bed, rocking the two 
children who were crying on her shoulders. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't know, they won't tell me, but it has something to 
do with your friend," she said, tossing her head in the 
direction of the other room. 

"Diana? She said Caleb was throwing rocks at her again. 
He hit her with one." 

Mulder bent down and pulled Caleb from her arms and Caleb 
instantly buried his head in Mulder's neck. "Caleb, what 
has Papa said about throwing rocks?" 

"No." 

"That's right. Why did you hit her with a rock?" 

Caleb lifted his head from Mulder's shoulder and said, 
"She's mean Papa. Made Samantha cry." 

Mulder looked down at Dana. "What did she say Caleb?" 
Caleb shook his head. 

"He wouldn't tell me either." 

Mulder sat down next to Dana and turned Samantha's face 
towards him. "Samantha, honey, tell Papa what's wrong." 
She shook her head and turned her face away from him. 

Mulder began to stand when Samantha said, "You said I was 
your little girl." 

"You are," he told her. 

Samantha turned back towards him. "She said I wasn't going 
to be the only one anymore because you only have girls." 

Mulder looked up at Dana, then back to Samantha. "What 
does that mean?" 

"She said Mama was going to have a baby and that it would 
be a girl. Papa," Samantha cried, "I want to be your only 
girl." 

Dana looked down at Samantha, anger beginning to show on 
her face. She hugged Samantha tighter as she looked up at 
Mulder. "She had no right to say that to her." Mulder 
nodded, anger clearly beginning to show on his face as 
well. "Samantha," Dana said, "Papa will always love you. 
No matter how many brothers and sisters you have." 

Samantha lifted her head and looked at Dana. "She said all 
of Papa's boys die. Like the other ones. Mama, I don't 
want you to die too if you have a boy." 

"Mrs. Tipton doesn't know what she's talking about. Look 
at Caleb. He's healthy. I was fine when I had him. You 
don't need to worry about anything." 

Samantha brightened up a little. "Really?" 

Dana nodded. "No matter which it is we will love the baby 
just as we love you and Caleb." 

Mulder stood up and sat Caleb next to Dana. He looked at 
the door to their room and sighed. "I have to go talk to 
her." 

"Don't you believe them?" 

"Of course I do. I just have to talk to her. Stay here." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Diana, I need to talk to you privately." 

Diana was sitting at the table with her nieces. "Of course 
Fox. Girls, go to our room." When the girls were no 
longer in the room, she asked, "What is it?" 

Mulder sat down and said, "I need to talk to you." 

"Yes?" 

"The children are upset. Can you tell me why?" 

"Maybe it's because they didn't know that Dana was going to 
have a baby. I didn't know it was a secret." 

"Dana didn't want them to know yet." 

"So, it was her decision. Why wouldn't she want them to 
know?" 

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. It was Dana's 
decision when to tell them." 

"I wouldn't have said anything if I thought they didn't 
know." 

"Diana, why would you bring up my sons? What good did it 
do to remind Samantha about her mother?" 

"I'm sorry Fox, I didn't mean to." 

"Well, I have two upset children now." 

Diana hesitated before saying, "Dana seems to like to keep 
secrets." 

"What does that mean?" 

"I mean, she kept the secret about the baby from the 
children. She kept the secret about meeting Mr. Krycek." 

"She's explained that to me. And I don't want to get into 
it with you right now, but I think you knew exactly what my 
reaction would be when you said something about Krycek 
seeing her. Do you get pleasure out of making trouble for 
Dana and me?" 

"I don't know what you mean Fox," she said, trying to 
profess ignorance. 

It didn't work. He began to slowly nod his head. 
"Thinking back, I think that's been your intention all 
along. If you think I would ever be with you, you need to 
think again. I only love Dana and I know she loves me. I 
have never loved you." 

"That's not true Fox." 

"It is. I can't allow you to try to destroy my family any 
longer, no matter what our friendship was in the past. 
I've tried to be patient, but you've upset my wife and 
children." 

Diana began to grow nervous. "I've got to go check on the 
girls," she said, rising. 

She stopped in her tracks when he said, "Diana, I don't 
think it would be good for Dana and the children if you 
stay here anymore." 

She turned back around. "What do you mean?" 

"I'm going to take you and your nieces back to Oregon City 
and see if we can find a place for you to stay for the 
winter." 

"Fox, I don't want to go back there. I want to stay here." 

Mulder shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't risk you 
upsetting Dana or the children anymore. I just have to go 
see Danny tonight to have him stay with Dana and then we'll 
leave tomorrow morning." He rose and headed back to his 
room. "Get your things packed and be ready to leave early 
tomorrow," he called over his shoulder. "I don't want to 
be gone any longer than I have to." 

He left a shocked Diana behind and went to tell Dana the 
news before heading over to see Danny. 

~~~ 

Chapter 21 

December 10, 1852 
Friday 

The rain began to change to snow during the middle of the 
day. The children were excited to see the snow begin to 
fall. They had been waiting for Mulder to return for the 
last two days. Dana wasn't sure how long it would take for 
him to return, but she was beginning to grow anxious. 

When he told her that he was taking Diana back to Oregon 
City, she was thrilled. She only wondered how he was going 
to find a place when he hadn't before. He took quite a bit 
of money with him, hoping that this would encourage someone 
to give Diana and her nieces a place. 

They heard a wagon roll into the drive outside the cabin 
and the children began cheering. Dana stood and went over 
to the door. "Hush," she told them. "It might not be 
Papa." 

"It is," Samantha exclaimed. "I know it is." 

Dana smiled and said, "All right, let me get the door 
open." Her smile diminished when she saw Mulder helping 
Diana down from the wagon and then lifting the girls down 
as well. 

They all hurried toward the cabin and Dana stood away from 
their path. The girls and Diana immediately headed for the 
fire. Mulder walked more slowly behind them. "We're 
back," he said unnecessarily. 

Dana shook her head and felt her heart sink. 

"I'll talk to you about it in a little while. I want to 
first get the things in. Danny," Mulder called. "I need 
you to help me with bringing some things in." 

Mulder and Danny began to unload the wagon as Diana and her 
nieces tried to warm themselves by the fire. They all 
looked exhausted. When Danny and Mulder returned from the 
wagon, Dana was surprised to see them carry in a bathtub 
big enough to relax comfortably in. 

Mulder grinned. "I thought you might enjoy this. Do you 
like it?" 

"For me? Where did you find it?" 

"Well, you're not going to believe this. My father had 
several things sent on a ship for us as wedding presents. 
They arrived after we left Oregon City and it's been 
sitting there waiting to be shipped. I guess Father 
thought it would get here before we did. He also sent us 
some furniture. Oh, and you'll love this...they included a 
stove." 

Her eyes lit up. "Really?" 

"I thought you'd like that one. I had to buy another wagon 
to carry it all. Mother sent us clothes too. There are 
all kinds of things. Their letter said that they had heard 
how people had to abandon their wagons and all of their 
possessions. He was afraid we didn't have anything." 

"I have to sit down," Dana said. 

"Are you all right?" 

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm not used to having so much." 

Just as she said this, Danny walked in with Fanny and 
Eliza's things. "I thought we should move them upstairs 
first so we can move in some of the new things," Danny 
suggested. "What do you think?" 

"That sounds best," Mulder agreed. 

As Danny began carrying his load up the ladder, Diana and 
her nieces followed him. 

"Dana, you just sit here out of the way," Mulder said. 
"We'll do everything." 

"But, you said you were going to talk to me." 

"As soon as we're through," he assured her. "I just want 
to have it all in before we talk." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

In less than an hour, they had everything moved inside and 
in place. Samantha and Caleb pulled Dana up and into their 
new bedroom, which had been occupied by Diana and her 
nieces. "Mama, come see what Grandmother and Grandfather 
sent us." Inside were two beds, smaller and lower for the 
children. 

Dana began to feel overwhelmed with emotion as she watched 
the children play on their new beds. "Dana," she heard 
Mulder call from their bedroom. "I have something else to 
show you." 

When she entered their room, she found a smiling Mulder, 
rocking a cradle with his foot. "Looks like my parents 
thought of everything." 

"Oh my goodness. I can't believe they sent that." 

"I'm sure they're counting on us giving them more 
grandchildren. I guess this would be a hint if we couldn't 
figure it out for ourselves." 

Dana bent down awkwardly and ran her hand over the fine 
wood. "This looks expensive." She turned around and 
looked at their new furniture. "It all does." 

"Well, that's the Mulder way. Nothing but the best. We 
can send it back if you don't want it." 

She looked at him shocked. "Don't you dare." 

Mulder laughed and sat on their bed. "That's what I 
thought." She moved over to a chest and began putting 
clothes away. "I tried you know," he said. 

"Hmm?" 

"I tried to find a place for them. I even offered more 
money than I should have, but no one would take them." 

"I'm sure you did." 

"But I have a solution," he continued with a smile. "I 
just have to check on one more part of my plan." 

She stopped unpacking and placed a hand on her lower back. 
"Your plan?" 

He nodded. "On the way back, I convinced Diana to move to 
Jimmy and Catherine's home." 

"But they don't have enough room for all of them." 

"They will if Danny moves here." He hesitated, unsure how 
she would handle his next suggestion. "And if her nieces 
stayed with us." Before Dana could say anything, he 
finished by saying, "I don't think she really wants the 
girls anyway. They're really good girls." 

"I know they are." 

"And you know I want a big family anyway." He pulled her 
towards him and onto his lap. "So, I thought if you 
agreed, the girls could stay with us. We'd raise them." 

"What does she say about us keeping the girls?" 

"She actually agreed quickly to my suggestion." 

"The good news is that this way, we will rarely see her. 
Maybe only at church. I'm sure some man will come courting 
her soon. A man would be able to double his land if she 
agreed to marry. Diana isn't going to do her own 
homesteading anyway." 

"What man would want her?" 

"Well actually, the men are quite desperate for any woman 
of marrying age. Skinner was telling me about a couple of 
young men who came to him about Louisa." 

"You're not serious." 

Mulder nodded his head. "Yes, I am, and so were they. 
Skinner told them to go to hell and ran them off with his 
gun." 

"Maybe he should have sent them over to check out Diana." 

"Bet he didn't think of it," he said, laughing. 

When Mulder finished, she asked "What does Danny have to 
say?" 

"He's happy anywhere he has a bed and is fed. He agreed," 
he clarified. "So, would that be all right with you? Us 
taking the girls in?" 

"Don't you think they'd miss her?" 

"Think Dana. She really doesn't have all that much to do 
with them anyway. They're pretty quiet when she's around. 
I'm not sure how much she likes children." 

"She certainly doesn't understand them." 

"You still haven't agreed." 

She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "I would say 
that I would have no problem with that arrangement." 

"Are you sure? The girls will be our responsibility." 

She nodded. "I know Samantha and Caleb love playing with 
them. I say we do it." 

Mulder leaned in to kiss her back. "Thank you." He placed 
his hand over her stomach. "How much longer do you think?" 

"Maybe a month or two?" 

"Good. The closer we get, the more scared I get...oh," he 
said. "What was that?" 

Dana looked at him confused. "The baby. Didn't you feel 
that when Penny was going to have a baby?" 

Mulder shook his head. "I didn't touch her then. She went 
to stay with her parents when she was this far along." 

"Didn't you go and stay with her?" 

"They wouldn't let me. They were afraid I would upset 
her." 

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have missed that," she said, 
placing her hand over his. 

Mulder rubbed his hand along her stomach, searching. 
"What's that?" he asked, feeling her skin slightly bulged. 

"I think his foot. I'm not sure." 

"This is amazing. I can't believe I can actually feel the 
baby." 

Dana laughed and kissed him. "I'm glad you're so happy." 

"Remember your promise. You said I could be with you." 

"I still don't understand why you would want to." 

"Dana, you promised." 

"I know. You can be there. I wouldn't stop you." 

Mulder relaxed. "Good." 

"But I wouldn't get in Sharon's way if I were you." 

"No, I won't," he promised. 

They cuddled for a short time, both glad to be in each 
other's company again. "When is Diana leaving?" Dana asked 
quietly. 

"Danny and I are going to take her over to Jimmy's today. 
I'm just hoping that I'm not presuming too much. Danny 
assures me that they'll be fine with taking her in. He 
plans to pick up all of his things while we're there." 

"Come on," she said, getting up from his lap and feeling 
happier than she had when Mulder first returned. "Let's go 
see what our children are up to." 

December 12, 1852 
Sunday 

The Mulder home was full of people that morning. Their 
small community of the Mulders, Skinners, Byers, Pendrells, 
and Diana Tipton filled the house with melodies of hymns. 

Both Mulder and Dana were disappointed that Diana came, but 
knew that Jimmy and Catherine wouldn't leave her behind. 
When they arrived earlier, Diana didn't look in their 
direction. In fact, she pretty much avoided them both. 
For that, they were both thankful. 

It was Mulder's idea to have the service at their house 
since it was the largest. Dana was thrilled when he 
attended the service instead of retreating outside or to 
their bedroom. 

Diana sat next to Catherine on the other side of the room 
from the Mulders. Fanny and Eliza stayed with them instead 
of going to their aunt. As they listened to the Reverend's 
sermon, the girls sat on the arms of Dana's rocker. Diana 
didn't seem to mind that the girls didn't come to her. 
Maybe William was right. Maybe she didn't really want the 
girls at all. Diana hadn't even talked to them since she 
arrived. 

When the service was over, Louisa put herself in charge of 
the younger children and escorted them upstairs to play. 
Victor and Mathew decided to stay with the men, who had 
gathered around the fire. The women began preparing lunch 
in the kitchen. 

It had been a while since they had all been together and 
the men and women wasted no time in catching up. "How are 
things going over at your place?" Mulder asked Reverend 
Byers. 

"Good. We're still getting used to being parents." He 
paused before adding, "I was happy you attended services 
Mr. Mulder." 

Mulder smiled. "Me too." 

"I know you've made your wife very happy." 

He nodded. "You know, the reason I didn't go to church or 
attend your services was because I blamed God for him 
taking Penny, my first wife, and our boys. I didn't think 
God cared about what happened to me, so why should I care 
about God." 

"And you now realize your error?" 

Mulder shrugged. "At the time, I don't see how I could 
have reacted any differently." He looked his wife's way as 
she and Sharon began organizing the preparation of the 
food. "I now see how blessed I really am." 

The Reverend looked in the same direction and smiled. 
"Yes, you certainly are." 

From the other side of the room, as the women sat around 
the kitchen table preparing the food, Catherine asked, 
"Dana, when is the baby due?" 

Dana looked up from peeling potatoes. "I think late 
January or early February." 

"Really," Diana said skeptically. 

Dana turned at her tone. "Yes, why?" 

"Well," she said, indicating Dana's stomach, "you certainly 
seem bigger than my sister was." 

"I'm not your sister." 

"Dana's smaller than your sister was," Sharon added. "All 
pregnancies are not the same." She came around and hugged 
Dana. "Dana's doing just fine." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

As the families were climbing back into their wagons, Diana 
pulled Mulder aside. 

"Fox, have you noticed how large Dana is? My sister wasn't 
nearly that large with her children at this point." 

Mulder stood back, trying to analyze the motives behind her 
statement. "What are you implying Diana?" 

"Nothing," she said innocently, moving back away from him. 
Mulder grabbed her arm, stopping her. 

"It doesn't sound like nothing." 

"I'm just concerned about you Fox. I mean Alex Kr--" 

Mulder bit down into her arm and Diana grabbed at his hand. 
"If you think that anyone besides me is the father, then 
you can forget it. That's my child. Dana's small. Of 
course the baby will look bigger on her." 

"I wasn't saying that Fox." 

Mulder released her. "You better not be. And don't ever 
say anything to Dana either. I'm really tired of your 
games Diana." 

She glared at him before turning back and heading for Jimmy 
and Catherine. They didn't speak to each other again for a 
long time. 

Mulder was sorry that he hadn't found a place for her in 
Oregon City. It seemed that she was still trying to cause 
trouble. However, he knew if he had left her there, that 
in all likelihood, she would never have agreed to turn 
Fanny and Eliza over to him. He was sure he had made the 
right decision to welcome them in to their family and Dana 
seemed to agree. 

December 15, 1852 
Wednesday 

Dana stared out the window, watching the snow fall for the 
sixth straight day. "When is it going to stop?" she asked 
wistfully. 

"It's already over a foot out there," Mulder said, coming 
up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. 

"Do you really have to go out in that?" 

He put his chin on her shoulder, watching with her. "I 
have to go take care of the stock. We don't want to lose 
them." 

"I don't want to lose you. Promise me you won't go too 
far." 

"You worry too much. I'll be fine. I won't be out of 
sight of the house." 

"How long do you think it will keep snowing?" 

"I don't know, but I suspect that there will be snow for 
Christmas." Dog scratched at the door, wanting to be let 
out. Mulder went over to the door and opened it. He 
returned to her, slipping his hands back around, slowly 
rubbing his hands over her stomach. "I can't believe I'm 
living in a house with a dog." 

"You'll get used to it." 

"I don't think... Oh," he said, "there he is." 

Dana laughed and said, "I guess he's waking up. He's been 
quiet for some time." 

Mulder kissed her neck and said, "I've got to go." He 
pulled his coat off the hook by the door and slipped it on. 
"I'll be back shortly. Stay warm." She watched him from 
the window as he ran to the shelter that they had erected 
for the feed. 

December 20, 1852 
Monday 

Dana was in their bedroom, napping with Samantha and Caleb 
when Mulder began heating water over the fire. He had been 
bringing water from one of the barrels outside, when Danny 
questioned him. 

"What are you doing Mulder?" 

He looked up as he was about to pour the water into the 
large pot that hung over the fire. "Heating up the water 
for Dana." 

"I didn't know she was going to cook anything." 

"It's not for cooking," he said with a wink. "I wanted to 
surprise her with a bath. I know it's not very comfortable 
for her right now and I thought this might be relaxing for 
her." 

"I'm sure she'll love it," he said. "Personally, I don't 
like baths. Besides, I don't think a man needs to take one 
too often." 

"That's what you say," Mulder said, crinkling his nose and 
then laughing. 

"Hey Mulder, I thought I'd take Fanny and Eliza over to 
Jimmy's to see their aunt. Do you think that would be 
okay?" 

Mulder was surprised Danny would want to venture out in the 
snow. "Did they ask to see her?" 

"No, but I think they should. Besides, I wanted to see 
Jimmy and Catherine. I just thought I could take them 
along. Would you mind?" 

"If they want to go with you, go ahead and take them. Just 
be careful." 

"I will. Thanks." Danny climbed the ladder and 
disappeared out of sight. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Dana was dreaming about a waterfall when she woke up, 
disoriented. She heard the sound of water across the room. 
Sitting up, she leaned back on her elbows. "What are you 
doing?" 

Mulder smiled as he put another bucketful of water in the 
tub. "I'm preparing a bath for you." 

"Really? How come?" 

"I thought you could use it. You will use it won't you?" 

She smiled from the bed. "After all your hard work? Of 
course." 

"Well it will take me a little while longer. I'm still 
heating water. Lie back down and I'll let you know when 
it's ready." 

"All right," Dana said. She wrapped her arm back around 
the two children who were sleeping peacefully beside her. 

She must have drifted off because Mulder was shaking her 
foot to wake her. "Hey there, you ready?" he asked. 

"Mmm. Yes, I'm awake." 

"I'll get the children and take them back to their beds. 
Just stay where you are." 

"Okay," she said, drifting off again. 

When Mulder returned, she felt him unbutton her dress. 
"Come on, I'll help you stand," he said, helping her roll 
off of the bed. 

"I can undress myself," she told him. 

"Yes," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "but my way is 
more fun. Turn around." He helped her remove the rest of 
her clothing and walked with her, holding her hand as she 
climbed in and sat down. 

"Are you going to stay?" 

"No. I'm going to let you have some quiet time," Mulder 
said, heading for the door. 

"Don't go." 

Mulder stopped, his hand on the door. "You want me to 
stay?" he asked, turning back towards her. 

She smiled and said, "You can help me." 

He grabbed a rag that was on the table next to her, soaking 
it and rubbing the soap over it. "Lift your leg," he told 
her. As she complied, he said, "Dana, I need to tell you 
something." 

"Yes?" she asked as she leaned her head back and closed her 
eyes. 

"Diana said something to me the last time she was here." 

Dana's eyes popped open. "What?" 

"I've been hesitating telling you, but I don't want there 
to be any secrets between us." He looked up briefly before 
returning to his task. 

"What did she say?" Dana asked. He felt her tense up as he 
lifted her other leg out of the water. 

"Relax," he said. "I'm telling you this so you won't get 
upset." 

"Go on," she encouraged. 

"She said she thought the baby was a little large." 

"Oh that," Dana said. "She already said something to me." 

"She did?" 

"Yes, when we were all cooking. Why?" 

Mulder shook his head. "Nothing. Anyway, I want you to 
know that I have no doubt who the father is." 

"What? Why would you even say that?" 

"You didn't understand what Diana was saying when she made 
that comment?" 

Dana thought back. She hadn't really thought about it, but 
she could see how Diana could use that to try to throw 
doubt in Mulder's mind, hoping to cause a rift in their 
relationship. That woman seemed to never give up. 

"No. I didn't see it that way, but I see you did." 

He let her leg slip back down into the water and moved 
closer to her. He reached down into the water and placed 
his hand on her stomach. "I told her you were small. The 
baby is going to look large." 

Dana reached down and moved his hand over to where the baby 
was active and Mulder smiled. "I can't believe she said 
anything to you. It's none of her business anyway...but 
why would that stop her. It hasn't before." 

"That's true." 

Dana sank further into the water, dunking underneath. When 
she surfaced, she asked, "Can you wash my hair?" 

Mulder moved behind her, lathered up his hands, and began 
massaging her scalp. He heard her sigh and he continued. 
He grabbed the soap again and lathered up the rest of her 
hair. "Dip down," he said. When she came back up, he made 
sure all of the soap was out of her hair. "You ready to 
get out?" 

She nodded and he reached over to get a quilt while she 
stood. He wrapped her up in it as she stepped out. "You 
warm enough?" he asked. 

"Yes." 

"Good, because it's my turn now." He turned from her and 
began stripping. She sat down on the bed and watched him. 
"Ahh," he said as he sunk into the water. 

"Feel good?" 

"Feels great." He closed his eyes and leaned back. He 
didn't fit as well in the tub, but it still felt good. 
"There's a new robe behind you that you can put on." 

She turned around, surprised that she didn't notice it 
before. "Where did this come from?" 

"I bought it last time I went to town." 

She slipped it on and said, "I'll be back." 

When she came back, she had Caleb with her. 

"Hi buddy," Mulder said. 

"I thought maybe he could join you and you could give him a 
bath." 

"Sure, hand him over." 

Dana undressed him and lifted him over the edge. Mulder 
grabbed him and set him down on his lap. Caleb began 
slapping the water. "Oops," Dana said. "I should have 
warned you that he likes playing in the water." 

Mulder grabbed his hands and said, "That's okay. Come on 
Caleb, I need to get you clean." 

Mulder soaped up Caleb's hair. He said, "Dana, is his hair 
getting darker? It doesn't seem as blond as when I first 
saw him." 

She came over to him and looked closer. "I don't know, is 
it?" 

"I think it is." 

"Hand me the soap, I'll wash your hair for you." 

He handed the soap up to her and she began lathering his 
hair. "That feels good," he said, bouncing Caleb in the 
water. 

"I didn't see Danny or the girls when I went to get Caleb." 

"He took them to Jimmy's." 

"He did? Did the girls ask to go with him?" 

"No, but he asked them and he said they wanted to go." 

"Hmm. I'm surprised." She briefly kissed him on his cheek 
and said, "Lean back so I can rinse." When he did, she 
scooped water up and rinsed his hair. 

"I think we're both clean," Mulder said. "You want to take 
him?" 

"Just a minute," she said, going to get a couple more 
quilts. "Okay, hand him up." She wrapped Caleb up in one 
of the quilts and handed the other to Mulder as he stood 
up. "Can you finish drying him off?" 

"Yah. Let me dry off first." 

"I want to go get Samantha. Can you take him to his room 
and dress him for bed when you're finished?" 

"Go ahead. We'll be fine," he told her. 

By the time Dana brought Samantha back, Mulder had changed 
and was drying Caleb. Mulder smiled at Samantha. "Your 
turn," he told her. 

"Do I have to Papa?" 

Mulder laughed. "One who loves the water and one who 
doesn't. I'm glad I had the one who loves water. Good 
luck," he told Dana. 

"Come on Samantha," he heard her say as he carried Caleb 
out. "It's not that bad." 

He closed the door to give them privacy. Mulder took Caleb 
to his room and dressed him, but decided to bring him back 
to the fire until his hair dried. Dana found him rocking a 
sleeping Caleb, wrapped snuggly in a blanket. 

"He's asleep?" she asked as she guided Samantha, who was 
already dressed for bed. Dana had her wrapped up as warmly 
in a smaller quilt. 

Mulder nodded. "His hair is dry now. Why don't you go 
ahead and put him to bed." Dana took him from Mulder and 
headed for the children's bedroom. "Come here Samantha," 
her father said. 

When Dana returned, she took the seat across from him and 
bent her head towards the fire. She turned her head and 
said, "I'm glad we have that tub. I haven't felt this 
clean for a long time." 

"I guess that means I'll be hauling a lot more water into 
the house." 

Dana smiled. "That's right." 

He watched her dry her hair and he rubbed an end of the 
quilt over Samantha's hair, trying to speed up the process. 
"I'll be back," he said after a while. He lifted Samantha 
and carried her to her room. Dog followed closely. When 
he returned, he bent over and ran his hand through her 
hair. "It's almost dry." 

She relaxed into his touch as he let his fingers flow 
through the tresses, over and over. When he thought it was 
dry, he said, "Sit back. I'll braid your hair for you." 
She sat away from him and laughed. "What, you don't think 
I can do it? Who do you think did Samantha's hair before 
you?" 

She smiled and said, "Your mother." 

"Very funny. I can do it. Just turn around." 

He separated her hair into three sections and began winding 
it around. When he finished, he tied it off with a piece 
of ribbon. She ran her hand over the long braid and said, 
"Very nice. I stand corrected." 

"Come on, the children are in bed, let's go too." 

December 24, 1852 
Friday 

The weather was cold the day before Christmas and the snow 
continued to blow. They were all getting tired of the 
snow, but the children were getting excited about 
Christmas. 

Dana was busy cooking a pie for the next day while Mulder 
was outside feeding the livestock. Eliza and Fanny were 
playing with the Mulder children upstairs. 

She heard something drop and she yelled up, "Be careful up 
there." This was followed by giggling from the children. 

Dana began to roll out the dough to prepare the crust, when 
she heard giggling behind her. She turned around to find 
four smiling children. 

"What have you been up to?" she asked them. 

"Nothing," they chimed. 

"Can we help Mama?" Samantha asked. 

"All right. Fanny and Eliza, you can take turns rolling 
out the dough. Here Samantha, you sprinkle the flour." 

Dana hoisted Caleb into a chair at the end so that he could 
watch the girls work. She stood behind the girls, making 
sure that they were preparing the crust correctly. 

"Mrs. Mulder," Eliza said, "Fanny and I like living here." 

"You do?" The girls both nodded. "Do you miss your Aunt 
Diana?" 

"Huh uh," Fanny said. "She didn't like us being around." 

"I'm sure that's not true." 

"When we went over there with Danny, she didn't even say 
anything to us." 

"Really?" 

"When she lived here, she told us to be quiet when we were 
around you. She said that you didn't like us and that we 
were lucky we got to live here." 

"That's not true girls. You know that don't you?" 

They nodded. "Aunt Diana lied to us. You like us, right?" 

Dana smiled and pulled both girls close to her. "Of course 
I do. I'm glad you're a part of our family now." 

The girls went back to rolling out the dough. She couldn't 
believe that Diana was so cruel as to tell the girls she 
didn't like them. But then again, what else could she 
expect from her? 

December 25, 1852 
Saturday 

From her bed, Dana stared out the window in the early 
morning, watching the snow blow outside. She looked over 
her shoulder and observed Mulder sleeping soundly. She 
rolled out and moved over to the chamber pot to use it. 
She had forgotten how much she needed to go as the child 
grew. She lifted the covers and crawled back into the bed. 

"Feel better?" he asked as he pulled her closer. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." 

"You're needing to get up more in the night, aren't you." 

"I'm sorry to keep waking you." 

"I don't care. I just didn't know one small woman could go 
that much," he said, laughing. 

"Well, it's only going to get worse." 

They had settled back down into a quiet slumber when they 
heard a banging on their door, followed by the tread of 
tiny feet approaching them. 

Mulder turned over onto his other side. "What are you two 
doing up?" 

Samantha said, "Come on Papa, it's morning. Can we open 
our presents?" 

Mulder reached down and tossed her onto the bed. "No. 
It's too early. Come here Caleb," he said, reaching down 
and lifting him up. "Climb under the covers, you two." 

Caleb crawled under, but Samantha stood up and jumped on 
the bed. "Come on, get up." 

"Samantha," Mulder said loudly. "Stop that jumping." He 
sat up and pulled her down, forcing her to get under the 
covers. 

"Shh," Dana said. "Let's sleep a little more. The day is 
just going to be that much longer." 

Samantha kicked her feet under the covers. "I want to open 
my presents." 

"You won't get any, young lady, if you don't stop that," 
Mulder told her. He looked down and saw that Samantha had 
crossed her arms and was pouting. He relaxed and soon 
drifted off. 

When Mulder woke again, Dana and Samantha were sleeping 
soundly, but Caleb was wide awake, sitting up and staring 
at him. 

"You ready to get up?" Mulder whispered. Caleb nodded and 
Mulder slipped out of bed, lifting Caleb over Samantha. 
"How about we surprise Mama and fix breakfast?" Caleb 
nodded again and Mulder carried him out of the room. 

At the table, Mulder prepared the biscuits while Caleb 
stood in a chair and stirred the eggs. Mulder leaned over 
him and grabbed his hand. "Break the yolks like this. 
Then stir." When Caleb was doing as he had shown him, he 
turned back to the stove, turning the meat. Mulder put the 
biscuits in the stove and then warmed up a skillet to cook 
the eggs. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danny stretching as he 
made his way to them. "Need some help?" he asked. 

"No, we're doing fine." 

"Dana isn't feeling well?" 

"She's fine. I'm thinking it's a tradition Caleb and I may 
start. How would that be Caleb? You and Papa cooking 
Christmas breakfast every year?" Caleb nodded and Mulder 
laughed. "He's easy." 

Mulder went about setting the table while Danny poured milk 
for them all. Mulder went back to the stove and poured the 
eggs into the heated skillet. 

"Looks good Mulder." 

"Thanks," he said, smiling. "I just hope it tastes as 
good." 

They heard someone clear their throat and both turned to 
find Dana standing with Samantha in front of her. Mulder 
moved towards her and bent down to kiss her. As he picked 
up Samantha and carried her to the table, he said, "I 
thought I'd surprise you." 

"Is this my present?" she asked. 

Mulder smiled and said, "Just one of many. Come on, sit 
down and relax. Danny, why don't you go get the girls." 

"Sure Mulder." He called for the girls and they heard them 
come running. Danny helped the girls down the ladder and 
they all headed for the table. 

"Did you help Papa?" Dana asked Caleb. 

"Mmm hmm," Caleb answered. 

"He did a good job with the eggs," Mulder said, bringing 
the skillet to the table. "See?" 

Dana looked in and smiled at Caleb. "Yes, you did a good 
job." 

"Thank you," he said. 

When everyone was seated, they began passing the food 
around. Mulder smiled across the table and Dana smiled 
back. He was sure she felt as content as he did. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

The children enjoyed playing with the toys that Mulder and 
his parents had bought. Dana was touched that his parents 
would include toys for Caleb. Mulder made sure that Eliza 
and Fanny also had toys. 

Dana had made two new shirts for Mulder and he immediately 
put one on. He surprised her with a new locket containing 
the pictures of Caleb and Samantha. She realized that he 
had saved this for her since the pictures were taken when 
they were in St. Joseph. 

Mulder came over to where she was sitting in the rocker by 
the fire, "You okay?" 

She nodded. "I wish I had met your parents." 

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I wish I 
had taken you too. I know that they would have loved you. 
Maybe someday." He sat down next to her on the floor and 
she reached over to run her hand through his hair. "I sent 
them a letter when I went to Oregon City, did I tell you?" 

"No. What did you say?" 

"I told them that by the time they received the letter, 
they should be grandparents again." 

"Maybe I should write my brother and sister after the baby 
is born." 

"I'm sure that they would want to know." 

Caleb came over to Mulder and sat down in his lap. In 
Caleb's hands was a horse made of wood. Mulder smoothed 
his hair as they watched Caleb gallop the horse in mid-air. 
Samantha was playing with Fanny and Eliza and he suspected 
that Caleb was starting to feel left out. 

"Won't they let you play?" Mulder asked Caleb. 

"No. I don't want to. I'm not a girl." 

"Well, what do you say you go help Papa milk the cows?" 
Caleb looked up, surprised. 

"No. Don't take him out," Dana begged. 

"He'll be fine. I'll bundle him up and tie a rope to him 
to make sure he doesn't wander. You want to go?" he asked 
again. Caleb nodded his head and Mulder stood him up and 
then followed him. Lifting him up, Mulder sat Caleb on 
Dana's lap. He retrieved Caleb's coat and Dana dressed him 
while Mulder put on his own coat. As he pulled Caleb's hat 
on, Dana worked Caleb's mittens on his small hands. 
Hoisting Caleb into his arms, he said, "I won't keep him 
out too long. We'll be back shortly." 

While Mulder was gone, Dana sat watching Samantha play 
quietly with Fanny and Eliza. Danny sat nearby, watching 
too. Dana looked away and watched the fire, slowly rubbing 
her stomach as the baby kicked. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Mulder looped two buckets that were sitting outside the 
door on one arm and carried Caleb in his other arm. He had 
made this trip every day, so the path was well worn, but 
each day, he had to walk through a new patch of snow. 

When he reached the shelter, he put the buckets down, then 
set Caleb on his feet. He brushed the snow off of Caleb, 
then did the same to himself. He found a short rope and 
tied it around Caleb's waist and then tied the other end to 
a post. This still allowed Caleb access to Mulder as he 
worked, but wouldn't allow him to wander out into the snow. 

As Mulder sat down on a stool, he set a bucket under the 
first milk cow. Caleb came over and Mulder moved him in 
front of him. "You want to milk the cow?" 

Caleb looked up at him. "Okay." 

Mulder grabbed his hand and put Caleb's on the cow's teat. 
Mulder put his hand over Caleb's hand and began to show 
Caleb how to get the milk to start flowing. Caleb squealed 
with delight, stomping his feet, when he did it on his own. 
The cow began to move when Caleb screamed. 

"Caleb, don't do that. You'll scare her." He pulled Caleb 
back against him until he had the cow settled again. "Try 
again," he said. When Caleb squirted a little more out, 
Mulder said, "There you go. Now let Papa finish milking 
the cow. You did a good job." 

Mulder had three milk cows and he quickly milked them all. 
He didn't want to keep Caleb outside too long because the 
temperature had begun to fall again. He decided to take 
Caleb back to the house and then return for the milk later. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

They were both covered with snow again when they entered 
the house. Dana began to rise when Mulder stopped her. 
"I'll bring him over to you. Stay where you are." She 
settled back down as she watched him take off Caleb's outer 
clothes. "Go on Caleb, go over to Mama." 

While Caleb climbed into her lap, Mulder took off his own 
coat. "Did you have fun?" Dana asked Caleb. 

"I got to milk the cow." 

"Really?" Dana asked, looking over to Mulder. 

"Yep," Mulder said. "He was a big help, weren't you 
buddy?" 

"Uh huh," Caleb said. 

Mulder quietly asked, "How are you feeling?" 

"I'm fine. The baby is a little active though." 

"He is?" 

"Baby's kicking me," Caleb said, leaning away. 

Mulder laughed, "Let me feel." He reached between Caleb 
and Dana and felt for the baby. "He sure is." He looked 
back up to Dana. "I can never get enough of feeling this. 
To imagine, I missed all of this before." Mulder rubbed 
his hand over her side. "Is this his foot?" 

Dana felt where he did. "No, I think it's an elbow." 

"Oh," he said, removing his hand. "Are you warm enough?" 

"Yes." 

"I can't wait for this to be over. You're already so big, 
I'm afraid you won't be able to take much more." 

"He is bigger than Caleb was, but that's probably because 
Caleb was my first." 

"I just hope this snow stops soon. I don't want to have to 
bring Sharon out in this weather." 

"I'm not due for at least a month." 

"See," he said. "That's what bothers me. You still have a 
month to go. You know, you may have to just stay in bed. 
I know Penny was in bed by now during her time." 

"I'm not staying in bed." 

He laughed. "All right, it was just a suggestion. You're 
the one who has to get around. You want me and Danny to 
cook at noon?" 

"No, I can do it." 

"Dana, let us help out." 

"I'm afraid of what you'll do to my kitchen." 

"We did fine this morning." 

"True." She shook her head. "I'll be fine in a little 
while. If I'm not, you can cook." 

"Okay then. Come on Caleb," he said, lifting Caleb from 
her lap. "Let's go put your toys away." 

"All right," she relented. "You go ahead and cook." 

He nodded and she secretly felt relieved that she wouldn't 
have to cook. Maybe every Christmas she could sit back and 
let them run the show. 

December 31, 1852 
Friday 

"I can't believe the snow is finally gone," Dana said, 
looking out the window. 

"Yah," Mulder said across from the room, "but now we have 
the rain to deal with again." 

"Yes," she said, walking slowly back towards him where he 
was swinging Samantha. "But at least it isn't as cold as 
it was." 

"The children will be glad to get outside...if it will just 
stop raining." He put Samantha down and then picked up 
Caleb, swinging him as he did Samantha. 

"I think you can't wait to be outside too," she said, 
reaching down to tickle Caleb as he swung past her. 

"Stop, Mama," Caleb giggled. 

"Can I feel the baby?" Samantha asked from behind Dana. 

She turned around and led her to the rocker. "He isn't 
awake right now, but maybe he'll wake up for his big 
sister," she said, lifting Samantha onto her lap. She laid 
Samantha's hand on her stomach and covered it with her own. 
Dana began rocking her while Samantha laid her head on 
Dana's shoulder. 

Danny was upstairs with Fanny and Eliza. He had begun to 
teach them both how to read, something that neither had 
been taught earlier. 

"Maybe we could all take a walk when it does stop raining," 
Mulder said, setting Caleb back down. 

"Again Papa," Caleb cried. 

"Maybe later," he said to him, laying his hand on Caleb's 
head. "Could you handle that?" Mulder asked her. 

"I think so. If we didn't go too far." 

Mulder sat on the floor and pulled Caleb into his lap. 
"Tomorrow's a new year. Can you believe it?" 

"Eighteen fifty three. I'm going to turn twenty in less 
than a month." 

"That's right," Mulder said. "Your birthday is coming 
soon. What would you like?" 

"I'd be happy to just have this baby. If it's healthy, 
that will be enough of a gift." 

Dana looked down and discovered Samantha was sleeping. 
"You wore her out," she said. 

"Good, she'll sleep better." 

"I see he's still wide awake," Dana said, indicating their 
son. 

Mulder wrapped his arms tighter around Caleb and rested his 
chin on Caleb's head. Smiling, he said, "He'll be down 
soon, just you wait." 

They sat quietly for a while, until Mulder felt Caleb relax 
in his lap. He stood, lifting Caleb up with him. Cradling 
him in his arms, he said, "Just stay there. I'll be back 
for her after I put him to bed." Dana nodded and Mulder 
took Caleb into the children's bedroom. After Mulder took 
Samantha from her, she tried to get out of the rocker. On 
her fourth attempt, she was able to stand up. 

"What are you doing? I was coming back for you." 

"I'm okay." As they walked past the ladder to their 
bedroom, Dana called up, "Danny, don't keep them up too 
late." 

"All right Dana," they heard. 

Mulder guided Dana into their bedroom and quietly closed 
the door. 

January 10, 1853 
Monday 

Dana began feeling pressure in her back in the early 
morning. She looked over to Mulder to find him sound 
asleep. Rolling over, she tried to find a more comfortable 
position. 

As the light began to appear in the window, she knew that 
she couldn't wait any longer. Nudging Mulder, she said, 
"William, wake up." 

"Huh?" he asked, still half asleep. 

"Wake up. I need Sharon." 

"Now?" Dana nodded, biting her lower lip when she felt the 
pain again. "It's too soon for the baby, isn't it?" 

"Go...get...her," she said through the next wave of pain. 

Mulder jumped out of bed when he realized that she was 
serious. He threw on pants and pulled on a shirt. Sitting 
down on the bed, he pulled on his boots. "Why didn't you 
wake me earlier?" 

"I didn't want you to drag Sharon out in the middle of the 
night." 

Mulder bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm 
going to have Danny go get her. I don't want to leave 
you." 

As he got up, Dana grabbed his arm. "No. Wait." 

"Ow," Mulder said, reaching down, trying to take her biting 
hand off of his arm. "Dana, let go." 

"Don't go yet." 

"All right, all right." When the pain eased, she released 
her grip and he rubbed his arm. "Do you want me to bring 
the children in here with you?" 

Dana smiled. "No, thank you." 

Mulder returned shortly after helping Danny saddle his 
horse. He crawled back under the covers with her. 
"Danny's on his way. I told him to get back as fast as he 
could." 

XXXXXXXXXX 

When Danny returned later with Sharon and Skinner, they 
found Fanny and Eliza sitting by the fire, alone. 

"Mulder," Danny called. "She's here." 

Mulder stuck his head out of the room with Caleb in his 
arms and motioned for Sharon to hurry. After she passed 
him, he closed the door behind them. 

Samantha sat on the bed next to Dana, placing a wet cloth 
on Dana's head. When she heard the door close, Dana looked 
up, relieved to see Sharon. 

Sharon moved immediately to her. "Dana, how are you 
doing?" 

"I'm okay," she said, looking over to Mulder. "I think you 
can take the children to Danny now." 

Mulder nodded, reaching over her with his hand to help 
Samantha off of the bed. "I'll be back. Remember, you 
promised me I could be here." Dana nodded. "Sharon, what 
do you want me to get?" 

"Boil hot water, warm some blankets and you'll also need to 
put a knife over the fire to make it safe to use." 

"All right. I'll be back soon." He escorted the children 
out, turning them over to Danny. Skinner helped with the 
chores that Sharon had given Mulder. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

"Push Dana," Sharon said from between Dana's knees. Mulder 
sat behind her, supporting her. He wrung a rag out and 
wiped her forehead. 

"You're doing great Dana," Mulder said. 

She nodded her head as she relaxed back against him. "How 
much longer?" she asked Sharon. 

"Just a couple of more pushes. The head is out. You ready 
to push again?" 

Dana nodded and grabbed Mulder's hand, holding tight as she 
pushed again. She fell back against him. Mulder kissed 
her temple and said, "You know how much this means to me, 
right?" 

"Yes, but I want to push again," she said. 

On the next push, the baby slipped free and Sharon caught 
it. The baby began to cry and Sharon smiled up at the 
parents. "It's a girl." 

"Really?" Dana asked. She hesitantly looked back, 
expecting to see a disappointed Mulder. Instead, she saw 
him smiling. "Are you happy?" she asked, panting. 

He looked down at her, surprised. "Of course I am. Why 
wouldn't I be?" 

"It isn't a boy." 

"I don't care. I'm just glad she seems to be okay." He 
looked up at Sharon between Dana's knees. "She is okay, 
isn't she?" 

"Yes. She looks perfectly healthy," she said. Sharon went 
about cutting the umbilical cord and took the baby over to 
some water to clean her. She glanced over at the couple to 
find Mulder kissing his wife again. She brought the baby 
over to Dana, laying the baby next to her. 

"Do you know what you're going to name her?" Sharon asked. 

Mulder said, "Gabriella Marie." 

"Is she named after anyone?" 

"No. She'll have her own name." 

As they were relaxing together, Dana reached down and 
stroked the baby's cheek. "She's beautiful William, isn't 
she?" 

"Yes. I think she's...what's wrong?" he asked Dana, 
looking down at her expression. 

Dana looked at Sharon, saying, "Something's wrong." 

"What Dana? The baby looks fine." 

Dana shook her head. "No. I don't mean the baby. I mean 
me." 

Mulder looked alarmed. "Dana, what's wrong. Sharon, help 
her." 

"Dana, what's wrong?" Sharon asked. 

"It feels like... Ahhh," she said, rising to push. 

Sharon looked back down between Dana's legs and said, "Oh 
my gosh." 

"What is it?" Mulder cried. 

Sharon smiled. "Another one." 

"Another one?" he parroted. "How can that be?" 

Sharon smiled, "They do come in a pair sometimes." 

Mulder shook his head. "Oh yah. I know that." 

"Dana, when you're ready, push." 

She nodded and immediately began pushing. Soon, there was 
another baby. 

"Another girl?" Mulder asked when the baby began crying. 

Sharon shook her head. "A boy this time." Sharon prepared 
the baby as she did his sister. 

Mulder smiled down at Dana. "One of each. Is he okay?" he 
asked Sharon. 

Bringing him over, she laid the baby on the other side of 
Dana. "Yes, he's fine. What is this one going to be 
called?" 

Dana looked up at Mulder. "Well, Dana and I talked about 
it earlier. We wanted to name him Thomas Francis. Would 
you mind if we included Francis's name? If you don't want 
us to, we'll think of another." 

Dana noticed Sharon tearing up. "Sharon, we can think of 
another name. It's all right." 

"No," she said. "That's not it. Name him that. It would 
make me happy." 

Dana and Mulder smiled. "Good," he said as he picked up 
Thomas and cradled him in his arms. "He looks strong, 
don't you think?" 

Dana smiled. "Yes. He looks fine." She looked over to 
Sharon. "William, Sharon and I need some time alone." 

"Why?" he asked, rocking the baby. 

She smiled. "You don't want to know. Really, I need you 
to leave for a little while." 

"She'll be fine," Sharon said, patting his arm. 

"All right. Sharon, hand me Gabriella. I'll take them 
both to see their brother and sister." 

Sharon bent down and laid the baby in Mulder's other arm. 
Opening the door for him, she guided him carefully out. 
She heard the children run up to Mulder when they realized 
what he was bringing. 

Sharon turned back to Dana, closing the door behind her. 

"Two Dana. He'll be floating for a long time." 

"I know." 

Outside the room, Mulder walked carefully to the rocker and 
sat down. Samantha and Caleb stood on each side, looking 
at the babies. He felt Skinner and Danny come up behind 
him. Fanny and Eliza stood next to Danny. 

"What do you think of your brother and sister?" Mulder 
asked them. 

"They're so small Papa," Samantha said. 

"Yes, they are. We'll have to be very careful with them." 

"Congratulations Mulder," Skinner said. "They're 
beautiful." 

"Yes, Mulder," Danny agreed. 

"Thank you," he said. 

"How come there are two?" Caleb asked. 

Mulder smiled and said, "I guess we just got lucky." 

Caleb nodded, accepting the explanation. He reached up 
with a tentative hand and touched one of the babies. 

"What are their names?" Samantha asked. 

"Your sister is Gabriella and your brother is Thomas." 

"I like those names," Samantha said. 

Caleb said, "Me too." 

"Fox." Mulder turned and saw Sharon standing by the door. 
She carried a basin that was covered and walked over to 
him. "Dana's wanting the babies to come back in there with 
her." 

Mulder stood carefully. "You two stay in here," he said 
when Caleb and Samantha began to follow him. 

"We want to come too," Samantha said. 

"No. Not now, maybe later." 

"Caleb, Samantha," Skinner said. "You stay here with us." 

Mulder closed the door behind him with his foot and brought 
the babies back to their bed. Dana reached for one of them 
when he sat down. "Are you doing okay?" he asked. 

"I'm fine," she said, laying Gabriella next to her. "Looks 
like we all are." 

Mulder shook his head. "I still can't believe it. I guess 
we now know why you were so big. You were carrying two." 

"Are you happy?" she asked him. 

"You know, when Gabriella first came, I was happy. I 
didn't care if we had a boy or a girl. I just wanted us to 
have a healthy baby and for you to be all right. Then, 
when Thomas came, I couldn't believe it." 

"A healthy son." 

"Yes. I always felt guilty for the boys not surviving. I 
thought maybe something was wrong with me. I didn't think 
I could have a healthy son. I guess Skinner was right." 

"About what?" 

"He told me not to worry because you had Caleb." 

Mulder laid Thomas next to Gabriella and crawled in next to 
him. He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I 
love you Dana." 

She reached up and tenderly touched his face. "I love you 
too." 

"Now, I want you to rest. I'll be right here, watching 
over all of you." He moved up against the bed and brought 
his knees up. After carefully bringing both babies up to 
rest against his legs, he turned to see her watching him, a 
small smile on her face. Slowly her eyes began to close 
and he returned his gaze to the sleeping children resting 
quietly. He felt happier than ever before. He knew that 
they had taken a long road to get here, but now, he was 
finally home, really home for the first time in his life. 

THE END 

Notes: 

I originally wrote this over the winter of 2003-2004 
without editing it. I almost didn't post this because I 
originally wrote it just to see if I could complete a story 
and I wasn't sure if it was good enough. Thank you for 
being patient for the last several months as I rewrote the 
story. 

This is the first story I have ever completed (if you don't 
count the few short stories I had to write in high school 
and college). I originally thought I might be able to 
write 10 chapters, but the story kept growing. 

I tried to keep in mind what life might be like in the 
1850s. I felt that Scully and Mulder wouldn't be the same 
(guided by the social standards of the time), although the 
essence of them would be. 

Last summer, as part of my continued research, I traveled 
the Oregon Trail. The most memorable experience along the 
way for me was climbing Independence Rock and almost losing 
my footing a couple of times due to the strong winds on 
top. 

Thank you again for your patience and for going along for 
with me on this journey. 

Nantglyn