Immortality (R) Scully didn’t realize there was someone behind her until it was too late. She felt rather than saw the limb coming toward her, but it was too late. She collapsed from the blow barely conscious. She managed to open her eyes to see Mulder had her assailant and had managed to cuff her arms behind her. "Scully, can you hear me?" "Yes." It was all she could manage. He carefully parted her hair to reveal the gash. "Oh Scully, we’ve got to get you some help." He had pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it gently against her wound. She drew in a sharp breath. "I’m sorry, Scully. No, just lie still." She had started to rise. "Mulder, check her." She was focused on the woman that had assaulted her. "What?" "We’ve got a problem, Mulder. I think she’s in labor." "She’s what?" He looked back over at the woman. Shit, she was pregnant. He felt a momentary twinge of guilt for his handling of her, but that passed as he remembered her attack on Scully. "She’ll be okay, it’s you I’m worried about." "Try the phone again, Mulder." "We’re in a dead spot, Scully. I’ve tried. I’m going to make you comfortable, then I’ll have to walk out for help." "You can’t leave, Mulder. I don’t think I can deliver her. You’re going to have to do it." "No! I mean. . . Scully?" His eyes were wide with disbelief. The bleeding still hadn’t stopped on her head wound, but she removed the handkerchief and again attempted to rise. "Scully, stop it! You need to stay still." "Then you’re going to have to examine her, Mulder. See how close she is to delivering." "Scully, she can’t be that close." No way, he was already sidling away from her, at least inside. His balls were trying desperately to climb back up inside him. "I think she’s had two contractions just while we’ve been talking about it. You need to uncuff her." "After what she did to you?" "She’s going to need her hands while she’s pushing. Mulder, please, you’ve got to help her." He closed his eyes for an instant. How the hell was he supposed to handle this? Deliver a baby? He couldn’t always watch an autopsy. But Scully was right; something was definitely going on with the woman. He could hear her stifled moans and now that he was looking, the heaving of her stomach where the fabric of her smock was pulled tight. Oh shit. He squeezed Scully’s hand for reassurance, hers or his, he wasn’t sure. Then he uncuffed the woman’s hands from behind her back, cuffing just one to the sofa she had retreated to while he checked on Scully. Her breathing was harsh and ragged, and her one free arm was clutching at her swollen abdomen. She still hadn’t spoken. "Listen, my partner says I need to check and see how close to delivery you are, so try to relax, okay?" She turned her face away, but not before he saw the grimace of pain as her belly tightened again. He tentatively reached for the hem of her smock when she kicked out at him, catching one of his arms before she groaned and curled in on herself. "Look, lady, this isn’t in my job description, but if you want us to help you, you’re going to have to cooperate. Scully? What do I do?" "Get her underwear off." Mulder rolled his eyes. "Then spread her knees apart and use your fingers to check her dilation." "Scully. . . " She couldn’t be serious, there was no way. . . "If you see any other options, let me know." "Shit." Scully tried to smile encouragingly but the pain in her head was growing. "Is this. . . is this your first baby?" It was getting difficult for her to talk. "It’s my third." The woman huffed. "Then help him with your sensations. Can you feel the head?" ‘Hell yes! It’s splitting me in two!" She groaned again. "Scully, I can. . . oh god, I can see the head, the top of the head." "She needs to push, Mulder." Scully couldn’t focus her eyes anymore. Mulder was going to have to handle this. Scully heard the woman scream, then the sound changed to a more high-pitched cry. The baby. Darkness swallowed her. ***** She opened her eyes. She tried moving her head, not bad. Probably due to some really fine pain medication. This was definitely a hospital room. What city? Oh yeah, they had been out in the middle of nowhere. The baby! Had Mulder. . . ? That’s when she spotted him in the chair. He was asleep, but not peacefully. Even as she watched he jolted awake, "Scully!" "Mulder, it’s okay. I’m right here." He slouched back against the chair and rubbed his face. "What happened?" "I hiked out to where the phone would work and had you air-lifted out." "I mean with the baby." "He’s fine, so is Stella." "You got her name?" She smiled. "Well, I know her a little better than most women I come in contact with. You could have given me a little more warning about what happens after the baby is actually delivered, but its over." He shuddered again. Scully struggled to keep a straight face. "I’m going to make damn sure all of our kids are delivered in a sterile hospital with lots of drugs for both of us." He realized he’s spoken aloud by the look on her face. "I mean. . . Scully. . " "Our kids." She looked away. By the time he’d reached the bed she had lost her struggle with composure. "Scully, please. I’m sorry. The dream, I was dreaming I had to deliver our baby. It’s been a bad day, and I’m a rotten doctor. I didn’t know what you do for you or Stella." "I’m okay, Mulder. Sometimes it catches me of guard. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about being barren, and then. . . " The light dawned. He made a silent vow never to speak again until he was fully and completely awake, regardless of whatever nightmare he’d experienced. "Oh Scully, that’s not what I. . . " She reached for him and he carefully took her in his arms, stretching out beside her in the narrow bed to hold her without allowing her to sit up. He wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon. He’d almost lost her today, the feel of her in his arms was almost more than he could take. He let her cry into his chest, very lightly caressing her back. Trying to hold his own thoughts away from the feel of her against his length. He kept murmuring comforting words to her, until finally, when she would not be comforted, "Scully, you can have children of your own one day, when you’re ready." "Mulder, we both know I can’t." Her voice held such despair. "No, I. . . I have some of your ova." "You what?" She drew away from him. His grip tightened, this wasn’t the time or place that he’d planned to tell her. All he needed was her hatred for keeping this from her. From the look in her eye he knew the conversation was going to take place now, regardless. "Kurt gave me a vial of your ova. It’s being stored in a safe place. All you have to do it find someone you want to borrow 23 chromosomes from and do the in vitro thing." ‘You have my eggs? How long, I don’t. . . ?" "That’s not important." He hated reliving that memory, he’d truly thought he was going to lose her. "Not important!" "Scully, don’t be angry. You had cancer, you didn’t even know about your sterility. There was no need to get into it, I didn’t want to add to what you were going through. But you’re well now and I was going to tell you, not tonight, but. . . " "We’re going to have a long talk about this Mulder, but right now, are you sure it’s my ova and they’re viable." Her voice was trembling, as well as her hand. "I’m as sure as I can be their yours. You can test them on that and the viability, can’t you?" "Yes. Where," she was becoming breathless, "where was a safe place?" "The guys have them." "Frohike?!" "Well, Byers. Frohike was threatened with several versions of castration if he went near them." He tried a grin on her, she didn’t hit him. Her face was still wet, but he could see the joy beginning to grow in her eyes. "So all I need is to get someone to lend me 23 chromosomes." ‘Yeah, you find the right guy, and. . . " ‘What if I’ve already found him?" Mulder felt an instantaneous flash of fear. Who had she found? What man did she want to father her children? He realized her arms had tightened around him. "I don’t suppose you’ve got 23 to spare?" He stared into her eyes, afraid to breathe, afraid to move, but mostly afraid to believe she’d actually said those words. He watched the color rise on her face, "I’m sorry, Mulder. I shouldn’t have. . . " "Oh Scully." He crushed her against him, "Everything I have is yours. Everything!" "You know, we really shouldn’t start this project right now." He saw the glint of amusement in her eyes and became aware that the greens the hospital had lent him were completely inadequate to disguise the fact that his raging hard on was pressing into her stomach. He needed to say something, what was the etiquette on such occasions? He did actually open his mouth to respond, but it turned into a groan as her hand wrapped itself around him. No, he couldn’t take this today, his control was gone. He had thought Stella had killed her when that branch connected with her head, then he’d had to deliver Stella’s baby and all the accompanying baggage with that, then he had to leave them alone together to get help, and finally the nightmare of delivering his and Scully’s own child, watching her in the kind of pain Stella had suffered and being next to useless to her. Oh god, her tongue licked away the pre-cum at his tip. "Scully." At least that’s what he’d tried to say. Her tongue caressed him from tip to base and his whole body shuddered. When she took him into her mouth all coherent thought left him and somewhere he knew he was thrusting into her mouth. He was trying desperately to hold back and she was aware of it. She lifted her mouth from him and looking into his eyes said only, "Please." She engulfed him again and he exploded into a million pieces, his brain dissolving and pouring south with the rest of his sensations. She took his shuddering body into her arms and held him tightly. "Mulder, I’ve got you. Come on back to me. I won’t let go." Whatever part of his brain she hadn’t burnt out heard her and then he felt her lips on his. He could taste himself on her lips. "Scully." It was the only word he could form. She smiled at him. "Welcome back." He wasn’t smiling, just gazing into the depths of her soul. She felt a moment of fear, could she bear to be loved this much, or to love him this much? Would either of them be able to withstand all the commitments and. . . and, this was Mulder. She already did love him this much and had for a long time. The love she was feeling from him was familiar as well; just open now, out where everyone could see it. "Oh god, Mulder." His arms had begun working again and they tightened fiercely around her. His mouth descended on hers, his tongue exploring, tasting every secret part of her mouth. "Scully." He whispered into her mouth. She smiled and took his face in her hands. "Did you really dream you were delivering our baby?" She felt the shudder that ran though his body, and felt the pressure of his arms increase around her. "Yeah." "Are you okay?" He nodded, not trusting his voice yet for any other words. "Mulder, you’ve given me everything; even my immortality. Please, please feel safe taking my love." His eyes shone with his joy.