From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 9 Nov 2005 02:50:33 -0000
Subject: Everything That Really Matters, Pt. 1 by Dyann Zimmerman
Source: direct

Reply To: philer@onemain.com


TITLE: Everything That Really Matters, Pt. 1
AUTHOR: Dyann Zimmerman
RATING: R/NC-17
KEYWORDS:  MSR; RST; AU (I guess)
SUMMARY:  The passage of time has a way of making
everything all right.
TIMELINE: There was no Season Nine.  Mulder left after
William's birth and Scully didn't give William up for
adoption.  There isn't an alien even hinted at in this
story.
DISCLAIMERS: Please sue me.  I'd love my fifteen
minutes.
E-MAIL: philer@onemain.com


ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
ST. LOUIS, MO
May, 2009

"Can you get Mrs. Cooper some more ice?" she asked the
nurse's aid assigned to Danielle Cooper's room.
"Thanks," she smiled, truly appreciating the aid's kind
attendance to her patients.

"Mrs. Cooper thinks you're a miracle worker, Dr.
Scully," the aid responded.

"She's tired," Scully smiled, her modest demeanor
always firmly in place, unlike many of the hospital
physicians.

"She means it; you saved her baby's life," the aid told
her and meant it, an admirer of Scully's skill and kind
dedication to her patients.

"Ice?" Scully reminded her with a smile, wanting the
topic of conversation to change, fairly embarrassed by
the woman's adulation.

Scully was finishing her day, hoping young Danielle
Cooper had turned a corner and would be going home with
her family again soon.  And that's just what she wanted
to do.  She realized that she had been working at St.
Louis University Hospital for exactly a year now even
though she still felt like a novice with so much still
to learn.  She was pleased to finally be working full
time in the Pediatric unit after finishing her
residency, her new specialty a far cry from her former
life.

After William was born and Mulder going underground
only a few days later, Scully had stayed with the FBI,
hoping and praying for Mulder to return.  And she had
waited; waited almost two years, until the day Skinner
had come by her apartment; come by her apartment to
tell her that Mulder was dead.

And she never stepped foot in the J. Edgar Hoover
building again.  She had taken some time off, spending
time with her son, contemplating what her life was
going to be, where her life was going to go without
Mulder.  And one quiet day, she had received a simple
flyer in the mail, one of many she received weekly
announcing a seminar here or specialty training there,
and for some reason she happened to read it instead of
tossing it in the trash.  Fate, she thought.  And after
she read it, she packed her things and moved to St.
Louis and enrolled in a new residency program at St.
Louis University for current Physicians wanting to
change their specialty that the flyer had so
unremarkably advertised.

By the time she'd finished the program and the required
residency, William was ready for school and Scully had
found herself very involved with someone she realized
she didn't want to leave.  And she found she liked St.
Louis, feeling it was a city big enough to offer lots
of culture and interesting things to do, but somehow
having a small town feel.

And she knew St. Louis would be a better place for
William to grow up in than Washington.  She needed a
new direction and she couldn't bear returning to all of
her memories she shared with Mulder. After she had
found out that Mulder had died, Scully remembered
thinking that things would never be the same and then
realizing that thought was woefully inadequate.  Things
would never be as good.

But she had made a good life, a life that was good
enough.  She had been shocked that the man she had been
dating had asked her to marry him on the night of her
43rd birthday and found herself even more shocked when
she had told him 'yes'.  Dr. Richard Lancaster had been
her savior in a way.

When she and William had come to St. Louis, she had
absorbed herself in her work and her son.  Sometime
later, she had begun to date Richard only as a kind of
diversion, she guessed; another adult to talk to, to do
things with.  When she was introduced to him at a
charity dinner by a mutual friend, she had thought he
looked a bit like Peter Jennings.  But after they began
dating, she realized he also had a bit of Mulder's
expression in his eyes.  Their arrangement had
developed into a comfortable relationship that meant a
great deal to her.  She had forgotten what it was like
to be thought about as a woman and as a lover and she
remembered how much she liked being held at night while
she slept.

Richard was an oncological surgeon sixteen years
Scully's senior who was semi-retired from the surgical
group he and his younger brother had started almost 30
years prior.  He taught a class at the St. Louis
University medical school and still consulted on
various cases when his brother asked him to, but he
devoted most of his time to various community causes
and charities and, in the last couple of years, to his
new wife and her son.  He served on several boards and
did charitable work with the St. Louis Zoo and the
public library system.  And when he and Scully had
begun dating and were first seen in public together,
the event was enough to make the news in the 'About
Town' column of the Post Dispatch.  *Dr. Richard
Lancaster attended the Zoo Benefactor's gala held at
the Chase Park Plaza hotel last night.  He and new gal
pal, Dr. Dana Scully, seemed to enjoy the event and
each other.* The small blurb had mortified Scully,
never comfortable being in the limelight, but she had
gotten used to it and she and Richard and William had
settled into a nice life.

HOME OF RICHARD AND DANA LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
May, 2009

A few months after they had married, they had moved
into a large home in Ladue, an expensive suburb of St.
Louis fairly close to Scully's work.  Richard, a
widower with two grown children but without any
grandchildren, doted on William, something Scully had
to curtail once in a while to prevent him from spoiling
the child.  Scully had made sure that William knew who
his real father was and a photo of Mulder holding his
infant son was always in its place on William's
dresser.  Occasionally, William would ask questions
about his 'other dad', someone he only knew from what
his mother told him.  But William adored Richard and
never knew any different than to call him 'Dad', too.

Scully and Richard socialized when they had to because
of her work or his status in the community, but when
their time was theirs, they most often chose to stay
home with each other and William.  They traveled some,
usually taking a short trip around a holiday or two and
an extended vacation during the summer.  As William
turned eight, he realized he had visited every
continent in the world except Australia and Antarctica
and the trip to down under was planned for next month.
Money had never meant a whole lot to Scully, but now
that she had plenty of it, she appreciated the
experiences it afforded her son.  He had become an
intelligent, inquisitive kid with a mind like a sponge.
He was like Mulder in that way; paid attention to
everything and didn't forget anything.

"Sweetheart? I can't find Will's knapsack," Richard
called from down the hall.  Scully and her husband were
going to a concert at the Sheldon and William was
spending the night with a boy from his fourth grade
class who lived down the street.

Scully appeared at the door in her robe, toweling her
hair dry.  "It's in the dryer," she told him, but
looking at her son.  "William, next time please throw
whatever you have left over from lunch in the trash.
You don't need to bring it back home, okay?" she
reminded him kindly, not wanting to clean peanut butter
residue out of his bag again.

"Okay, Mom," William answered absently, busy selecting
which video games he wanted to take with him to his
friend's.  "Can I take my telescope?"

"No, honey.  You'll be back tomorrow and you and Aaron
can play with it then if you want," Scully told him.
"Don't forget your pajamas."  They had managed to get
William packed and unloaded down the street and made it
to the concert hall before the lights had gone down.

"Thanks for the night out," Scully said later as she
took a bite of her smoked salmon.  "We haven't done
this in a while... just the two of us, I mean."

"No, we haven't.  So let this be a reminder that we
should do it more often," Richard smiled to her.  "Sure
you can't go with me next week?"  He was scheduled to
be a guest speaker at a medical convention in Seattle
and had an early Monday flight out of Lambert Airport,
notorious for its long holding patterns, so he wasn't
exactly looking forward to his trip.

"William has the thing at school...  But next time.  I
promise," she smiled to him, taking a sip of her wine.

"I think everything is set for our trip next month.  I
meant to tell you I made the reservations at the Beach
House at Newell this morning," he told her, cutting a
piece from his filet with his fork.

"I think William is already planning his next trip,"
she said, slightly teasing him.

"He's still on the Antarctica thing, huh?" Richard
asked, understanding what Scully meant.  After William
realized that he only had one more continent to visit
after their upcoming trip to Australia, he could barely
wait to get there.

"Yeah, I think that'll need to be a father-son trip.
I'm not anxious to go back," she said lightly, but
meaning every word.  Scully hadn't told Richard a lot
about her previous life on the X-Files and he hadn't
really asked.  But when something came up, she didn't
hide anything.

"I would think not," he responded understanding what
she meant.

"But I'm really looking forward to Australia," she
smiled. "I'm glad you got the Beach House resort.  It's
close to so many other things that William will enjoy
and the beach looks wonderful."

"Yeah, and I was able to get the beachfront bungalow,
so we'll have our own bedroom," he told her, giving her
a teasing glance.

Scully smiled back, truly looking forward to their
vacation and having uninterrupted time with each other,
time away from their hectic schedules.  She loved being
with her husband, loved having time to be together
without the stresses of each of their lives.  For a
long time after Mulder's death, she never gave thought
to being with another man; never thought she would want
to be... could be.  Even after she'd met Richard, she
knew she didn't love him the way she'd loved Mulder.
But after a while, she realized that what she felt for
Richard was love, just a different kind.  He was sweet
and kind and patient beyond words and she loved him all
the more because he loved William so much.  She had
found a life that gave her great satisfaction and
contentment and a career that provided stimulation and
fulfillment as a counter balance.  She decided she just
might make it.

ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
ST. LOUIS, MO
Two weeks later

"This is Dr. Scully," Scully answered her cell phone as
she entered her office, not even remembering that it
was her personal line.

"And this is Dr. Lancaster," he said, kidding her about
her formal greeting.

"Hi..." she sighed, glad to hear his voice after the
crazy day she'd had.

"Bad day?" he asked, picking up on her stress-laden
response.

"You have no idea... Where are you?" she asked, quickly
scanning several reports that had been waiting for her
on her desk.

"We're on the road.  Will is headed to his class at the
Science Center.  Did you forget?" he asked, glancing
toward William next to him in the car, playing with his
Gameboy.

"Yeah, I didn't realize it was that late.  I'm getting
ready to leave, though, so I'll see you at home?" she
asked, taking off her lab coat and gathering her
briefcase.

Richard pulled into the parking lot of the Science
Center and William had already recognized a friend that
was in his class, an after school program about the
planets.  "Yeah, I'll run get something for dinner
while Will is in class and come back and pick him up,"
he explained.  "What sounds good?"

"Anything.  I haven't eaten all day," she told him,
getting her key out to lock her office behind her.

"Dana..." he lovingly chastised her.

"I know... I know," she responded, knowing he worried
about her often sporadic eating habits.  "It has just
been one of those days."

"Then I'll surprise you with something special... and
fattening," he said, the smile in his voice carrying
right to her.  "And after dinner, I'll rub your
feet..."

"You know the way to my heart," she smiled back even
though he couldn't see her.

"I hope so.  I love you, ya know," he said, getting out
of the car to walk William into the building.

"I do know.  And I lo-," she said, stopping in mid-
sentence when someone walked up beside her as she
waited for the elevator.  "Um, me, too...  I'll see you
both at home," she finished, closing her phone before
slipping it into her pocket.

HOME OF RICHARD AND DANA LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
Later that evening

Scully had arrived home fairly quickly, the traffic
being relatively sparse since she had gotten away from
the hospital a bit late, after rush hour.  She took a
quick shower and set the table in anticipation of
whatever Richard would find to bring home for dinner.
She had gotten busy with other things and had lost
track of time until her phone rang and she realized how
late it was.  She figured the caller was Richard,
telling her he and William had gotten side-tracked with
something or other.

"Where are you?" she answered automatically.

"Dana?" the woman's voice queried.

"Oh, hi, Michelle.  I thought you were Richard," Scully
said, a slight chuckle to her voice.

"He's not with you either...?  Because I'm still here
at the Science Center.  He hasn't come to pick up
Will," the woman told her.

"What?  He, um, was going to get dinner while William
was in his class and then come back by to get him,"
Scully told her.

"You sure?" Michelle asked wondering if maybe her
friend and her husband had gotten their plans mixed up.

And Scully was thinking the same thing.  "Let me talk
to William a second," Scully said, wondering what
Richard had told him.  "William?  What'd your dad tell
you?  Was I supposed to pick you up?"

"No, Mom.  He said he would be back to get me," William
explained.  "He was getting me 'Imos'."

"Okay, honey.  Can I talk to Michelle again?" Scully
said to him, now becoming a bit nervous about where her
husband could possibly be.  "Do you mind waiting with
him, Michelle?  I can be there in about twenty
minutes."

"Dana, I'll just bring him.  It isn't that far out of
my way," the woman told her and Scully was relieved.
She wanted to use her time to find out where her
husband was.

After she knew William was on his way, Scully tried
Richard's cell but after a few rings, the voice mail
picked up.  "Honey, where are you?  Call me," she left
as her message.  Maybe he had swung by his brother's
house for some reason, she thought to herself.  "Jack,
its Dana," she said when Richard's brother answered.

"Well, how's my favorite sister-in-law?" he teased.

"Your favorite sister-in-law is looking for your
favorite brother.  Have you talked to Richard?" she
asked, trying not to sound too alarmed.

"Not today.  He called last night with a list of things
he wanted me to do while you were down under," he said
to her.  "Why?  Is something wrong?"

"He was supposed to pick William up at the Science
Center and he didn't show," she explained.

"It isn't like it would be a first for Dickie to forget
something, Dana," Jack laughed, often teasing his
brother about being a bit unorganized at times.

"Well, if you hear from him, tell him to call me,
okay?" she asked, then saying her good-byes, not
wanting to alarm Richard's brother.  Scully didn't
think Richard would have gone all the way downtown to
his athletic club, but she had no where else to call so
she tried there with the same results- they hadn't seen
him.

After trying his cell again, Scully just stood there
with the phone in her hand, wondering where her husband
could possibly be.  She was thinking about where she
could call next to look for him when the phone rang in
her hand.  'Finally,' she sighed to herself, expecting
Richard on the other end.

"Could I speak to Dana Lancaster, please?" a woman's
voice spoke.

"This is she," Scully said, an ominous feeling suddenly
overtaking her whole being.

"My name is Dr. Kay Williams from Barnes-Jewish
Hospital," the woman began.

"Yes?" Scully responded, her heart beginning to pound.

"Mrs. Lancaster, your husband has been in an
accident..." and Scully remembered very little else for
the next two weeks.

Scully's mother had flown in from Baltimore later that
night and Richard's children had flown in the next day.
Her mother stayed for two weeks, sincerely worried
about her daughter's mental health, but Scully had
finally sent her home saying she was 'fine'.  Neither
of Scully's brothers had been able to be with her, but
she hadn't really expected them.

The wake and the funeral had been a blur, Scully barely
able to recall who had visited, brought food, stopped
by the house.  The one thing she could remember, all
too well, was having to tell William that the man he
knew as his dad wouldn't be coming home with his
favorite pizza.

BEACH HOUSE RESORT
NEWELL BEACH
NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Six months later

Scully sat in the shallow surf, watching William
picking through the sand looking for only the most
interesting shells, ready to add them to the ones he
had found each day for the last week.  She adjusted her
oversized straw hat, not wanting any more of the late
afternoon sun on her fair face.  She watched the surf
ebb and flow, the water coolly lapping at her feet and
then pulling itself away from her.  It mirrored her
life, she thought.

Mulder and her work had been her life and then, in an
instant, all of it was gone, ebbed away from her.  And
after finding a new life with peace and contentment
that she never imagined could even exist after Mulder,
that, too, disappeared from her as quickly as the
subconscious blink of an eye.  And even now, her only
constant, her only reason for continuing on, her
precious son, would soon grow up and go out into the
world without her.

She had decided to enjoy her son while she could.
After Richard's death, she had tried to go back to work
part time, trying to fill her days.  But part time
turned into more time which became full time, so she
had taken a leave and had made use of all the moments
she and William had together.  She had taken him out of
school for a couple of weeks and they had gone to
Australia to have the vacation they had planned to have
with Richard.  And as she watched William play, finally
enjoying the vacation they had postponed, she knew he
would be all she had for the rest of her life.

"Look, Mom," William said, showing her a particularly
large shell he pulled from the sand.  "It looks almost
like an ear."

Scully smiled at him, loving his young wonder at a
simple sea shell.  "Wow, that's a nice one," she
responded, looking at the shell as he held it up to
her.  "I don't think that one will fit in your jar."
She stood, slipping her feet back in her sandals,
shaking the sand from her small blanket.  "Come on,
let's go back to the bungalow and we can clean your
shell and find a good place for it."

They had walked on the beach only a few minutes,
William still seemingly mesmerized by his shell, when
he spoke.  "You think Dad knows we're here?" he asked
pensively out of the blue.

Scully shuddered to a stop, her heart leaping into her
throat.  She pulled him into her arms, unable not to,
and kissed the top of his head.  "Yes, William.  I'm
sure your Dad knows we're here... both of them," she
finished, truly believing what she had just told her
son.

And when a gust of wind blew her straw hat from her
head, her shock of red hair flew in the air like a
beacon.  And he couldn't believe what he was seeing...
watching as the boy ran to capture his mother's hat,
the sound of her voice calling after him oh so
familiar.

DOWNTOWN NEWELL BEACH
NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
The next day

He had barely slept, knowing that he had seen her; that
she was actually in Australia, enjoying a holiday with
her son.  And that morning, despite himself, all he
could think about was trying to see her again.  He
walked along the beach looking for her, then watched
the resort where she was staying, watching the exit to
the main street.  And then he saw her, her and her son
walking to an ice-cream store down the boulevard from
the main entrance of her resort.  He followed them from
a distance, not close enough to hear their conversation
or for her to notice him, but close enough to see that
she looked different... older... sad almost.  He'd
wondered if he'd done that to her by leaving her all
alone to raise their son without him, to make her way
alone.

After Mulder had left his life in Washington, his son
only a few days old, he had been sheltered by several
old contacts of the Lone Gunmen and stayed put near the
Canadian/Alaskan border for almost two years.  But he
had become increasingly uneasy, sensing that Scully and
William weren't as safe as they could be.  So he
thought it best for everyone concerned, particularly
Scully and William, that he have Skinner let it be
known that he was dead.  Skinner had been torn and
Mulder had felt guilty asking him to make sure Scully
believed it, but he had had no where else to turn after
the Gunmen had died.  And Skinner hadn't let him down.

Mulder had wandered aimlessly around the globe for
several years, staying in some places for a few months,
longer in other places that interested him.  He had
inherited more money than he could ever spend and had
never been very attracted by money in the first place.
But, luckily, it wasn't something he had to worry
about.  He hadn't involved himself with anyone, unable
to move past his feelings for Scully.  He'd been with a
few women, but no one he'd seen past the next morning.

He'd had a particularly bad time about three years
after he'd left Washington and since the danger had
passed, he thought about going back, but figured Scully
was better off moving on.  But after another year or
so, he'd made a trip back to the States, just to try to
get a glimpse of Scully and William.  And he had been
devastated to find that she was gone, no longer even in
Washington.  Skinner swore he didn't know where she'd
moved, but Mulder figured he was keeping her confidence
just as his boss had kept his a few years earlier.
That's when Mulder had decided to get as far away as he
could and headed to Australia, finding a small place
near the beach in Newell and was almost surprised when
he liked it so well.

Mulder had watched them go into a book store and had
sat across the street on a bench in a small park and
watched them come out almost an hour later.  William
carried a bag that looked like it had several books in
it and he found himself smile, comforted by the fact
that his son must like to read.  And he could see
himself; William looked so much like him, his lanky
frame, and his unruly lock of dark brown hair.  Scully
walked only a few steps before stopping, reaching into
her bag to get her straw hat, the morning sun shining
towards noon.  And when she raised her arm to shield
her eyes from the glow of the sky, that's when he saw
it, the sun catching the sparkle of the diamond lined
rings on the third finger of her left hand...

HOME OF DANA SCULLY LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
Six days later

Mulder had watched them numerous times in the next
several days, seeing how they enjoyed each other, but
also still seeing some kind of sadness in Scully that
he couldn't identify.  He thought he had almost been
discovered one day, but realized Scully hadn't
recognized him, his longer hair and goatee providing a
good enough disguise.  But the one thing Mulder hadn't
seen was any sign that the husband he knew Scully must
have was with her.

Then finally, he had seen her checking out of the
resort, the bellhop loading her luggage into the hotel
airport shuttle.  He hailed a cab and followed them to
the airport, another bellman checking her luggage
before she and William went into the airport terminal.
He followed them to the gate and watched as she boarded
her flight, memorizing the flight number.  He checked
at the counter and found that her flight went to Los
Angeles, with the end destination being St. Louis.  Was
that where she was living?

Mulder went back to his apartment and packed enough for
a couple of weeks, only thinking once that he could be
making a mistake by following them, but putting that
thought quickly out of his head.  He got off the plane
in St. Louis, not really knowing where to go or where
to start, deciding to get a hotel room for the night
and heading out to buy a computer the first thing the
next morning.  He had remembered some of the hacking
skills the Gunmen had taught him and, of course, knew
Scully's social security number by heart.  He found her
name listed as an adjunct faculty at St. Louis
University and discovered that she was a Pediatrician
at the hospital of the same name.  He didn't find a
home address and figured the address must be listed
under her husband's name, that bit of information still
a mystery to him.  He told himself that he wasn't there
to upset anyone's life, but just wanted to see where
they lived, that they had a nice life.  So he told
himself.

Mulder had called the hospital, innocently asking to
speak to Dr. Scully just to determine if she was there.
It wasn't difficult to get out of them that she was
returning the next week from a 'leave'.  He gave a
fleeting thought to why she was on a leave rather than
a vacation, but then quickly forgot about it.  He
didn't really feel like waiting around until the
following week to stake out the hospital, so he decided
to try his hand again at some good old investigation
and headed back to his computer.

Mulder tried several searches trying to find an address
or a last name other than 'Scully'.  He tried the
AMA..., a St. Louis University faculty registry... he
even tried William's name.  Finally, he took a last
stab and went to the Post Dispatch archives and did a
search for 'Dana Scully' and there he found it--
several references, mostly at charity social events,
for Dana Scully Lancaster.  And her husband Richard.

It took him a little while, but he finally found an
address for Dr. Richard Lancaster in a west suburb
called 'Ladue'.  He did a 'Mapquest' and found
directions easily, printed them out and headed his
rental car toward the west county of St. Louis.  As he
got closer to her neighborhood, he began to realize
that Scully's new life, whatever it may or may not be,
was a very successful one.  He wasn't driving into the
low rent district.  And when he turned onto her street,
he wouldn't exactly call the homes along the tree-lined
drive houses; mansions would be a more apt description.

When he located the house number he was looking for, he
wasn't too surprised by what he found.  Within the
conspicuous consumption that seemed to be most of the
neighborhood, Scully's house was relatively modest.
Most of the homes were over landscaped and
pretentiously gated, but Scully's had no gate and the
drive and yard appeared relaxed and welcoming.  And he
noticed a 'Star Trek' wind sock lazily waving in a tree
near the edge of the property.

Mulder had driven past her house and turned around in
the cul-de-sac and when he was in front of her house
again, he noticed a Volvo station wagon pulling out of
her drive, Scully behind the wheel, William in the
passenger seat.  Instead of heading out of the cul-de-
sac, she turned the other way and was headed right for
him.  He slid down into the seat, watching her just
over the edge of the car door as she turned into the
driveway of a neighboring house.  He waited and a few
minutes later when she'd pulled back out of the
neighbor's drive, he noticed another boy in the car,
obviously a friend of William's.

He followed Scully's car out of her neighborhood and
after a few miles, into Forest Park.  He followed her
through the park, over the gradual hills, around the
curving roads, past all of the old architecture that
still remained from the 1904 World's Fair.  Finally,
she pulled into the parking lot at the Boathouse
Restaurant and both of the boys flew out of the car,
very excited about something.  Scully corralled them a
bit before they entered the outdoor area of the
restaurant, a small quaint place surrounded by a small
pond fully equipped with paddle boats and quacking
ducks.  The day was unseasonably warm for a St. Louis
November and the sun was bright and warming, so Scully
sat at an outdoor table after securing the two boys in
a rented paddle boat.  Mulder watched from outside the
restaurant, an area active with joggers and restaurant
patrons, so he easily blended into the scenery.  She
ordered a tall coffee, her motion of how she stirred
the cream into her cup bringing back memories he didn't
expect.  How many times had he seen her do that, a
meaningless motion back when, something to behold now.
She pulled a book out of her bag and gave the boys in
their boat a glance before she settled down in her
chair to read.

He walked around some, feeling the beauty and the peace
of the old park.  He didn't go far, soon returning to
the area just outside the gate to the outdoor part of
the restaurant, seeing Scully still sitting there with
her book.  But when he moved closer, he could see that
she wasn't really reading, her eyes unfocused into the
distance, a far away look on her face.  And he noticed
again that, while her outward actions may indicate a
calm contentedness, she seemed somehow sad...

HOME OF DANA SCULLY LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
The next day

Mulder had watched them only a little while longer,
really not sure why he was torturing himself, watching
what he knew he couldn't have.  He drove back to his
hotel, unsure about everything; why he was following
her, his son; what he was thinking about everything;
why he'd even left Australia.  Yes, he'd found Scully
and his son, but what was he going to do now?  Even
though he felt she seemed unhappy in some way, he could
see that she loved William with everything she had and
they seemed to have a good life.  But where was her
husband?  He hadn't seen her with him yet.

He began to worry that his presence may be the worst
thing for Scully... and for William.  Why upset their
lives?  He had started to pack his things, thinking it
would be best if he just returned to Australia and
continued his writing.  But he found that he was pulled
by an indescribable need to see his son, to talk to him
and get to know him.  And even though it was Scully who
had brought him there, it was William who seemed to be
keeping him.

He had driven by her house again the next day, her
Volvo in the drive, but still no sign of anyone else in
the home but her and William.  Maybe her husband
traveled a lot; maybe they were divorced...  But for
some reason on that Sunday, he finally pulled into the
driveway and got out of the car.  He exited his rental
quickly and went straight to the door, knowing that if
he hesitated at all, he would lose his nerve.  He rang
the bell and he was surprised when William answered the
door.  He found himself both relieved and disappointed
that his son didn't seem to recognize him.

"Um, is your, um, mom here?" Mulder stumbled through
his words.

"Mommmmm," the boy yelled back into the house, walking
away to leave Mulder just standing there.

"William, I've told you never to answer the do--,"
Scully said to her son, stopping suddenly when she saw
Mulder on the front step.  She staggered, putting her
hand on the wall in the foyer to steady herself.
"William, go to your room."

"Why?" he asked innocently at his mother's unusually
harsh tone.

"Go to your room," she told him even more firmly and he
complied, not understanding why she sent him there but
complying just the same.

Mulder thought she might pass out or maybe shoot him,
he wasn't sure.  "You okay, Scully?" he asked softly.
But he could tell she wasn't really able to speak, so
he gave her time to gain her composure.  She put her
hand to her chest, her breath quickening as she
staggered again, sitting on the bench just inside the
door.  He stepped inside and bent down beside her,
asking again, "You okay?"

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, jerking away from
him.

"I'm sorry, Scully.  I didn't mean to upset you,"
Mulder said again, still on his knee beside the bench.
Scully quickly moved back toward him, moving his hair
away from his neck to check for the telltale markings
of an imposter.  He allowed her examination knowing
exactly what she was looking for.

"It's really me," he said as he stood, nervously
stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Who are you?!" she asked again, this time more
strongly.  Mulder didn't respond, feeling that Scully
knew it was really him and just needed time to absorb
it.  "You can't be... you just can't..."

Mulder tried to give her a small smile, hoping she
would recognize it for what it was.  "It's me, Scully.
See, I still have your brand," he told her, pulling the
collar of his shirt open enough to expose the wound
from her gunshot from so many years before.

"Oh, God," she gasped, slowly backing away from him,
her brain unable to process what her eyes were telling
her.  "Wha-- Whe--, I... Oh, god," she stuttered, still
unable to compose herself.

She moved into the living room, sitting down on one of
the couches, her hand shaking as she secured a lock of
hair behind her ear.  Mulder slowly followed her into
the room, taking in the tasteful opulence of Scully's
home, his eyes immediately spotting a picture on the
mantle of Scully affectionately wrapped in a man's
arms, a happy smile on her face.

"You're... you're alive," she finally managed to say.

"Yeah, I have been all along," Mulder responded, his
flippant attitude not exactly what Scully needed at the
moment.

"God...," she said again, holding her head with her
hand as she took a deep breath.  "How did you find me?"

Mulder took her in, noticing the still smooth tone of
her skin, showing a few lines, but her beauty still
radiating from her.  "Believe it or not, I saw you in
Australia," he revealed to her plainly.

"You, you were in Australia?" she was able to query.

"Yeah, I've been living there for about four years now,
I guess," he told her.

"That doesn't tell me about the other years," she said,
the tone in her voice taking on an edge and Mulder
could see her walls going up.

"It's a long story," he sighed, knowing she had a right
to be angry at him.  Very angry.

"Yeah," was all she replied.  "Jesus, I can't believe
this," she said to no one in particular.

Mulder looked at her, trying to get her to meet his
gaze, but she continued to stare at her hands,
fidgeting in her lap.  "Will... God, I can't believe
how he's grown..." he started.

"Don't talk to me about William," she snapped, suddenly
standing from her place in the chair.  "I think you
need to go," she said, trying hard not to let her
emotion show in her voice, but unable to totally
prevent it.

"Yeah," he sighed, realizing he had probably
overstepped his bounds.  "I want to explain things,
Scully... if you want to hear.  I'm not here to upset
your life," he told her softly.

"I think it's already too late for that," she replied,
finally looking him square in the eyes.  He could only
give her a small, sad smile, wishing things could be
different, but knowing that their lives had been
changed for too long.

Mulder let himself out, Scully still sitting stunned in
the wingback chair in her living room.  She could hear
the phone ringing, but seemed paralyzed to get up to
answer it.  She sat there for several more minutes, her
mind feeling like it couldn't work, trying to process
what had just happened.

"Mommmm, can I go to Aaron's for dinner?" she heard
William call from the family room, but still unable to
get up.  "Mom, Aaron wants me to come over for pizza,"
William said, moving into the room to stand next to
her, the phone still to his ear.

"What?" she asked, finally able to focus.

"Aaron.  He wants me to come over.  Can I?" he asked
again.

She had let him go, walking with him part of the way
down the street to make sure he made it to the
neighboring house of his friend.  As she returned to
her home, she realized his friend's request couldn't
have come at a better time; she needed to be alone with
her feelings.  And as soon as she got back into her
house and the door closed behind her, the magnitude of
everything overwhelmed her and she began to sob, her
entire body feeling like it was crying.

Continued in Pt. 2


ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
ST. LOUIS, MO
Three days later

Scully had barely been able to sleep on Sunday night,
finally going into William's room to lie down with him.
She had returned to work that morning, her first day
back from her three month leave and she had been
emotionally ill-equipped to handle much of anything.
She had split the care of her patients between three
different physicians while she was gone, all friends of
hers and Richard's, and would be taking them back part
time as she could.  She had a long, busy day and was
looking forward to going to her Yoga class to try to
clear her head.  Her friend, Michelle, was picking up
William and was taking him with her son to their class
at the Science Center.  God, what memories that brought
back to her.

Scully had walked out of the west entrance of the
hospital, heading to her car in the Physician's parking
area of the garage when she saw him approaching.  "Are
you following me?" she said to him.

"Yes.  I want to talk to you," he told her, wanting to
try to explain, make some peace.

"I have an appointment..." she said evasively, but half-
heartedly, Mulder noticed.

He moved closer to her where she stood near the door of
her car.  "Please, Scully... just give me thirty
minutes.  I'll buy the coffee," he smiled, hoping she'd
give in.  And she did, having him follow her car to a
Starbucks only a few blocks away.

"What did you tell him?" Mulder asked, Scully knowing
what he meant, both of them seated at a small table
close to a window.

"I told him what I was told," she answered and he could
see that she was hurt at having been lied to.

"So, he thinks I'm dead," Mulder said.

"Of course.  I thought you were dead," she retorted
quickly.

"But does he know who I am?  Who his father is?" he
asked, hoping she would understand why he needed to
know.

"Mulder, I kept you very present in his life until...,"

"Until you married?" he interjected.

She quickly looked up at him, wondering how he knew,
but then realizing Mulder would've found out that her
name was 'Lancaster' in order to find her.  "Yes," she
answered simply.  "And he considers Richard his father,
too.  But he knows you, Mulder.  I would never keep
that from him."

"What did you tell him about me?"

"After he was older, I told him the truth or what I was
told was the truth.  Did Skinner know you were alive?"
she asked.

"He did what I asked him to do.  I thought it was the
best thing to do to protect you and Will.  I had to
disappear... totally," he said, barely touching his
coffee.

"And how are you able to be back here now?" she asked
suspiciously.

"I figured you knew that the forces inside the FBI had
been defeated and destroyed," he observed.

"That was years ago.  You could've revealed yourself a
long time ago," she said curtly.

"Actually, I tried.  I went to your place in Washington
years ago but you were gone.  I figured Skinner knew
where, but, of course, he wouldn't tell me.  And your
Mom was gone," he said, hoping nothing had happened to
her.

"She remarried.  She lives in Vancouver now," Scully
explained, surprised to hear him say he had actually
tried to find her.

There were several long minutes of uncomfortable
silence, Scully seeming to him like she could barely
stay in her seat and not bolt from the shop.  But he
trudged on despite himself.  "I want to see Will," he
finally told her.

"No," she answered plainly.

"I have a right, Scully," he told her.

"You gave up your rights eight years ago, Mulder," she
said, her defensive walls rock solid.

"I did what I had to do," he told her.  "And I want to
see him and I think he needs to see me."

"You have no idea what he needs and you can't just show
up here and expect to pick up where you left off,
Mulder," she said angrily.  "And, what, I'm just
supposed to tell William I changed my mind and his
father is alive after all?"

"Look, Scully, I'm not looking to take a place in your
life.  I know it's too late for that.  I'm not looking
to take your husband's place in Will's life.  I'm sure
Will loves him and I won't do anything to change that,"
Mulder told her sincerely.

"Mulder..." Scully tried to interject.

"Let me finish, Scully.  I didn't realize it until I
saw him on the beach in Australia, but I just want to
know my son.  I don't want to push your husband out,"
he continued.

"Mulder, my husband was killed six months ago," she
told him bluntly.

"I, I, God, Scully, I had no idea.  I, I'm sorry...
truly," he said, reaching across the table to touch her
hand.

Scully slowly removed her hand from his, despite the
fact that she found his gesture comforting.  "So, it's
just William and me and we are adapting.  We're both
still trying to find some peace after Richard's death.
And we are okay, Mulder.  We have a nice, quiet life
and I'm not sure I want to upset that."

Mulder suddenly felt terrible, both for Scully's plight
and for choosing the wrong time to come back into her
life.  She didn't need any more upset than he was sure
she already had.  "Scully, I didn't realize or I
wouldn't have bothered you.  Not now."

"Life goes on..." she said defeatedly and he could tell
that the memories swirling in her head were haunting
her.

SHERATON HOTEL
ST. LOUIS, MO
The next day

Mulder had left her then, giving her his cell phone
number and telling her they'd go at her pace.  She had
sat there for a long time after, just thinking before
realizing she would be late getting home to meet
William and hurried out, momentarily forgetting the
turmoil in her life.

"Walter Skinner," he answered his personal line.

"It's Mulder."

"Mulder?  Where are you?" he asked quickly, not having
heard from him in several years.

"St. Louis," Mulder answered, knowing what Skinner
would realize.

"You found her," Skinner said flatly.

"Yeah, despite you," Mulder replied even though he knew
Skinner was just being loyal to Scully.  "I've been
here a couple of weeks."

"Have you seen her?" he wondered.

"Yeah.  Why didn't you tell me she had married?" he
asked, pacing around his room as he talked.

"It wasn't any of your business," Skinner replied.

"Did you go?" Mulder asked, wondering what her wedding
must have been like.

"Yes..., I did."

"Was she happy?"

"Yes, Mulder.  She was and she was equally devastated
when he was killed.  It hasn't been easy for her,"
Skinner told him.

Mulder thought for a few moments, finding it a bit off
setting that Scully and Skinner had experienced so many
things that he didn't even know had happened.  "Maybe
it would be best if I didn't interfere.  Maybe its best
if I just leave her with her life," Mulder told him,
not really knowing what to do.

"Mulder, I'll tell you something," Skinner started.
"If you had seen Scully when I told her you were dead,
you wouldn't even consider that."

And after Skinner's words, Mulder had gone back to
Scully's house, but she wasn't there; at least she
wasn't answering the door.  He'd left a note in her
mailbox, telling her that he'd wait to hear from her,
that it was up to her if she wanted to see him or
wanted him to see William.

And he had waited.  Almost two weeks.  And one day he
knew; knew that she wasn't going to contact him; that
what they once had was over and that's the way she
wanted to leave it.  He wanted to be a part of his
son's life, hell, he wanted to be part of Scully's
life, but he now knew that that was never going to
happen.  He had been thinking that it would probably be
best if he left St. Louis, go back to his small place
in Australia, and finish the novel he had been writing.

TWO DAYS LATER
"May I have Fox Mulder's room, please," Scully asked
the desk.

"Mr. Mulder checked out early this morning," the voice
told her, the words not quite absorbing into Scully's
brain.  She thought he would wait, she guessed; wait
until she was ready, no matter how long it took.  But
Mulder had never been a very predictable person and she
hadn't predicted that he would leave before she'd had a
chance to share her decision.  But he had...

HOME OF DANA SCULLY LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
Several days later

Scully had been much more affected by Mulder's leaving
than she felt she would be and couldn't seem to make
herself move on.  During the time he was waiting for
her in St. Louis, she had barely been able to sleep and
had felt like she had been terribly inattentive to
William.  Her son had even asked her one day if she was
sick.

But she knew she wanted Mulder to be a part of
William's life, part of her life.  She had loved
Richard, very deeply and had found great comfort in her
life with him and his relationship with her son.  He'd
been a life saver of sorts, for both of them.  But it
had been Mulder whom she had always felt had been her
soul mate and she loved him in so much more of a total
way than she had Richard.  She wanted to make a life
with him again if he was willing to try.  But she had
missed her chance to tell him that.  She had tried his
cell phone, but it was no longer in service, something
that made her figure he had moved out of the country
again.  She called Skinner, hoping he had talked to
Mulder and knew where he might be.

"I honestly don't know, Scully.  The last time I talked
with him he was still in St. Louis," Skinner had told
her.

"I need to find him... please," she asked and Skinner
had told her he would try as he could to get some
information for her.

Several days later, she was surprised to find Skinner
at her door, his news less than promising.  "He's not
using his credit cards and he withdrew a considerable
amount of money out of his accounts just before he left
St. Louis," Skinner said, taking a sip of his coffee as
they sat at her table.

"He's going to disappear again," she sighed, knowing
why Mulder was using cash.

"Looks like it," Skinner replied sadly.  "And you know
Mulder, Scully; if he doesn't want to be found, he
won't be."

Skinner had kept trying and she would either call him
for a periodic update or he would call her just to let
her know that he was still making an effort.  But
neither held out much hope that they would be able to
track him down if he didn't want to be found.

HOME OF DANA SCULLY LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
One year later

Scully had tried for months to find some hint of him,
but it was slow going; she no longer had her contacts
or her access.  She had worked hard to make peace for
herself that she was never going to see Mulder again
and, more importantly, that her son was never going to
see his father.  She hadn't told William anything about
Mulder being in St. Louis, that it had been his father
whom he had seen at their front door that day.  Since
there would never be a meeting, she saw no reason to
upset him or get his hopes up.

"Hey, Mom, can I get all three of these?" he asked,
showing her all the books he wanted.

"Just two today, William.  Look them over and pick out
two," she reminded him already having had the
conversation in the car before arriving at the book
store.  She could literally buy William anything he
would want, but she never did that, wanting her son to
grow up to appreciate things.  "I'll be over there,"
she told him, pointing in the direction of the newest
releases.

She had looked over the non-fiction and found most of
it too serious for her present mood, wanting a good
novel for the weekend instead.  She went around the
other side of the rack, perusing the latest releases
and that's when she saw it: "The Dream of a Young Boy"
by M.F.Luder.  She couldn't grab the book off the shelf
fast enough to look at it, immediately turning to the
inside of the back dust cover to look at the picture of
the author.  Her hands were shaking and her heart was
pounding so hard she could hear it as she looked at the
picture of Mulder.  "Oh, my god," she said to herself,
almost unbelieving what she was seeing.

She stood there and stared at it for several long
moments before turning it to the front, flipping
through the pages in search of the dedication.  'To my
son and his mother.  I will love them forever.' it read
and she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears, her
heart aching with emotion.

She gathered William as fast as she could and they paid
for their books and left the store in record time.  She
spent the rest of the night reading the book, finding
herself crying through virtually every page.  It was
beautiful and touching and she knew that even though
Mulder's book was labeled a novel, much of it contained
his true feelings about what he wished his relationship
would have been with his son... and her.

The next morning, she contacted the publisher to try to
find out where M.F.Luder was located, but wasn't too
successful in finding out much.  She had only been told
that he worked outside of the U.S. and that she could
send any correspondence through their office.  But she
couldn't wait for that, figuring Mulder would never see
it anyway, his mail probably being handled by someone's
secretary instead.  So she called Skinner.

He had used his FBI credentials to get all the
information the publishing firm had.  "He's somewhere
in Australia, but they didn't know exactly where," he'd
told her.   But she knew... and she made quick plans to
go there.

BEACH HOUSE RESORT
NEWELL BEACH
NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Two days later

Scully had been in such a rush, both to organize
herself and her emotions, that she had barely packed
enough to last her more than a couple of days.  She had
told William where she was going but not why and he
couldn't understand why he wasn't going back to the
resort with her.  But he seemed to feel a bit better
when he found out he was going to stay at his friend
Aaron's house for the next week.  She was torn about
leaving him, but felt it would be best if she went
alone to see Mulder, having no idea how things would go
or if she'd even find him.

After she arrived in Queensland, Scully immediately
wondered just how in the hell she was going to find
him.  What if he hadn't even come back to Queensland;
what if he'd gone somewhere else in Australia?

Scully wasn't sure if Mulder had been living his life
in Australia as himself or M.F. Luder or George Hale,
for that matter, so she didn't really know who to look
for, let alone where.  She knew Mulder had spotted her
near the resort where she and William had stayed
before, so she hoped his place was somewhere in the
vicinity of where he had seen her then.

She had gotten in late and was exhausted from the day-
long plane ride and felt she wouldn't be worth much of
anything if she didn't at least get a few hours sleep.
She lay down on the couch in her clothes, not expecting
to sleep long, but found herself totally in the dark
when she woke almost five hours later.  "Shit," she
sighed to herself as she rubbed her eyes.  It was
morning Australia time and she felt like she had
already wasted too much of the day.  She showered and
dressed and headed for the beach, hoping she'd see who
she'd come half way around the world to find.

As she walked along the beach, she remembered the
beautiful prose of his book; how he spoke of the woman
he loved and their son hoping it was her and William he
was actually writing about.  She wondered if he'd hoped
she'd seen his book or whether he even thought of her
anymore...  She wanted him to and wished that if she
found him, he would want to see her.

She had checked at the local library and the telephone
registry, but found nothing that would indicate it was
Mulder.  Scully had taken her time walking to the
downtown area of Newell Beach near her bungalow,
eventually settling in at a window table in a small
coffee shop for a while, watching the people go by,
hoping he'd appear somewhere amidst the shoppers.  But
he didn't.

Finally, late in the afternoon, Scully had gone back to
her bungalow and made a light dinner, thinking she'd
read for a while on the beach, but deciding to take a
walk in the park across the street instead when she
noticed a small gathering listening to a concert.  She
walked up to the periphery of the crowd, some standing,
some sitting in lawn chairs and on blankets, the
shadows growing as the sun set.  The music was
beautiful as it floated through the crisp evening air,
Scully finding a quiet spot on the ground next to a
tree to settle.  She crossed her ankles and leaned back
against the tree, finding herself almost sleepy from
the impending nightfall and the tranquil music.

Scully had listened for another twenty minutes or so
when she noticed a man walking away from the center of
the crowd and, for a moment, thought it was Mulder.
But after he turned around, she laughed to herself
thinking that Mulder would be highly offended to think
she had mistaken such a homely man for him.  But then
after only a few more minutes, she noticed an elderly
couple move away from a park bench and there he was,
sitting there by himself, reading a book under a park
light.  It was really him.

Scully's heart began to thump and she had trouble
catching her breath after standing from her seat on the
ground.  She brushed the grass from her jeans, giving
herself a few moments to gather her thoughts and decide
how to proceed with what could be the most important
conversation of her life.  She had thought about
virtually nothing but this moment since she'd read
Mulder's book and now that she was smack dab in the
middle of it, she felt almost paralyzed.

Scully walked closer to the bench where Mulder sat, but
making sure she stayed out of his line of vision, still
barely able to believe she was seeing him sitting
there.  And just as she got closer, the band took a
short break and the park seemed suddenly silent and she
could hear nothing but her heart pounding.  She slowly
walked toward the area behind his bench and all of a
sudden, two young women walked up to Mulder and began
to converse with him, Scully not close enough to hear
what they were saying, but close enough to see that
they were obviously flirting, doing their best to
interest him.

Scully held back, her breath shortening, her mind
fearing she might have to just stand there and witness
Mulder respond to the attentions of someone else.  But
he didn't, barely giving the women a glance, his less
than enthusiastic response quickly sending them on
their way.  Instead, he returned his interest to the
book he was reading, seemingly caring less that the two
women found him interesting, or available.

Finally, she moved around the opposite end of the
bench, quietly sitting down, Mulder not even glancing
in her direction.  "This seat taken?" she asked
quietly, the sound of her voice startling him where he
sat.

"Scully?  My god, what are you doing here?" he said,
sincerely shocked to see her sitting next to him.

"Oh, I just finished the latest M.F. Luder novel and
wondered if you'd read it," she smiled at him.

Mulder looked down, smiling a knowing smile, realizing
that deep down he knew she'd find him.  "Um, no, but I,
uh, heard it was great," he smiled to her.  Their eyes
met and they just looked at each other for several
moments, Scully finally glancing away.  "How'd you find
me?" Mulder asked, moving a bit on the bench to face
her.

"I used to work for the FBI, remember?" she answered
back.

"Oh..." he smiled to her, starting to say something
else, but stopping when the band began to play again,
suddenly making their interchange seem way too public.
"Let's walk," Mulder said as he stood, reaching out for
her hand.  And she took it, letting him help her up.

After they'd walked far enough away from the din of the
music and the crowd, Mulder spoke, "You look great."

"Liar," she chuckled.  "I'm about as jet-lagged as I
can get."

"Well, you look great," he told her and meant it, still
not believing that she was there with him.  They walked
a little further, the crowd and the concert now barely
discernable to either of them.  "Will with you?" Mulder
finally asked as they found another bench to sit on.

"No.  He's staying with friends," she told him simply.

"He know you're here?" he asked quietly, wondering what
she had told him.

"Yes... but not why," she answered just as quietly.

"Why are you here, Scully?" Mulder finally asking.

Scully thought for a moment, wanting to explain
everything the way she really felt it, wanting him to
know how she felt about him.  "I, um, went to your
hotel in St. Louis, but you'd already gone," she
started.

"I waited, Scully... for weeks...," he reminded her.

"I know.  You had just left the morning I came looking
for you," she explained.  "I, I needed time... Richard
had only been gone six months and it seemed more like
six days to me.  I guess I felt guilty, in some way, to
be so happy to see you."

"That was happy to see me?" Mulder chuckled, his view
of the memory of her reaction to him not being all that
'happy'.

"Well, I was," she smiled.  "God, Mulder, I'd lived for
years believing you were dead.  It was all too much to
absorb... I, I was so worried about how to tell William
the whole thing, wondering how he would react.  I was
just very mixed up, Mulder, and I waited one day too
long to try to explain things to you, I guess."

"So, you came here to explain things?  Explain what,
Scully?" he said to her, still unsure how she really
felt, what she wanted to tell him.

"I wanted... I want to... to... try again," she managed
to tell him, the emotion clouding her voice.

"That's why you came down here to find me?" Mulder
asked softly, hoping that what he was hearing was
actually what she was saying.

Scully looked up from her hands to meet his gaze and
nodded, trying to give him a soft smile but not sure
how she must look at the moment.  "Yes," she told him
simply.

Mulder moved closer to her and she was gathered into
his arms before she even realized what happened.
"Jesus Christ, Scully... You didn't have to make me
work so hard for that," he said as he held her.

"I've missed you so much, Mulder," Scully said into his
sweater as he held her.  "So much..."  Mulder moved
back from her a bit, relaxing his embrace and looked at
her, his eyes telling her what he was feeling.  Then,
he bent to kiss her and she could feel her heart pound
as their lips met, a feeling she thought she would
never know again.  "Don't let go of me..." she sighed.

They kissed several times, the feeling of Scully's
nails against his scalp sending sensations through
Mulder that he figured he'd better put a hold on before
they got out of hand.  They were still in public.
"Where are you staying?" he asked softly against her
ear as they continued to hold each other.

Scully looked at him, knowing what he was really
asking.  "The Beach House Resort," she told him.

"Let's go get your things..."

HOME OF FOX MULDER
NEWELL BEACH, NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
The next morning

"Good morning," he said as he sat down beside her on
the old glider that rested on the deck of his
apartment.

"Yes..., it is," she smiled back to him, her smile his
permission to give her a soft kiss.  She had woken
early and was sitting in the glider, enjoying her
coffee as she listened to the lap of the ocean waves.

"You made coffee?" he said, reaching for her cup to
take a sip.

"I hope you don't mind that I went through your
cabinets.  You actually have food.  I'm impressed," she
teased.

"Carry out isn't as easy to get down here," he smiled
to her, taking another sip from her mug.

"There's more coffee in your kitchen," she chastised
him jokingly.

"But I like drinking yours," he told her before bending
for a longer kiss.  Scully returned his kiss, her thumb
stroking the bone of his cheek as they lingered.  "When
I woke up and didn't find you in the bed, I, well, I
thought maybe you had changed your mind..." he told her
gently.

Scully almost couldn't believe what he'd just admitted,
but then realized why he'd thought that.  Had it been
him who had gotten up first and she found the bed empty
beside her, she probably would've thought the same
thing.  "I won't leave you, Mulder... I promise," she
told him sincerely, reaching up to give him another
kiss.

Mulder nodded, his look giving her the same promise.
They sat there in silence for several minutes, Scully
pulling the spread she had on her lap up around her
shoulders.  Mulder moved closer to her and put his arms
around her, snuggling into her and the spread.  "Cold?"
he asked against her ear as he held her.

"Not anymore," she smiled to him.

"Last night was..." he started, trying to tell her how
overwhelmed he was at being with her again after
thinking he'd never even see her again.

"Yeah, it was," she smiled to him and reached up to
kiss him again.  He tightened his embrace and lifted
her fully into his lap, neither of them stopping their
kiss.

After a couple of more minutes, Mulder slid an arm
under her knees and the other around her shoulders
before he stood, Scully sliding her arms around his
neck as they headed back into the house, to the
bedroom.

He laid her on the bed and quickly crawled in next to
her, both of them still in their robes.  "I can't
believe you're here with me," he whispered to her, his
arms and legs wrapped around her, hers around him.

"I know...  I know..." she whispered back, kissing the
strong bone of his jaw.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" he asked, almost believing
it might be and he'd wake up alone.

"This isn't a dream..." she reassured him and,
probably, herself.

Mulder slid his hand into the gap of her robe, finding
her fully nude underneath.  "Mmmmmm, just skin... You
plan this?" he teased her, his hand rubbing over her
bare back, across her bottom.

"No... I just didn't put anything on when I got up,"
she told him, her hand slipping into his robe, over his
side and down to his backside.  "Did you plan this?"
she teased back.

"I've been planning this for years, Scully.  Thinking
about our times together got me through many bad days,"
he told her, his voice now more serious.

"Have you been with anyone?  I mean, didn't you meet
anyone in all these years?" Scully asked him
tentatively, her fingers working on untying the belt of
his robe.

Mulder began working on her belt as well, moving to
give her a soft kiss before speaking.  "I've had a few
meaningless liaisons here and there; I am a man,
Scully," he started.  "But I've never really been
interested in a relationship... I guess I thought I'd
already had mine..." he told her, Scully knowing that
he meant her.

"Mulder, I didn't move on until I was told you had
died," she told him, somehow feeling he was judging her
for moving on without him.  "It was a long time before
I began seeing Richard..."

"I understand, Scully.  Really... I do.  I don't blame
you," he told her and meant it.  He knew she had to
have been lost and lonely in a new place all alone with
a young son to care for.  He truly didn't blame her.
"Believe it or not, I'm glad you had someone..."

"And I have you now," Scully told him, moving her hands
to help Mulder slip his robe all the way off.

"That you do," Mulder smiled to her, helping her with
her robe as well.  "And I'm about ready to have you..."
he teased in his best lascivious voice.

Scully chuckled, enjoying being around Mulder's silly
sense of humor and enjoying the anticipation of being
with him again.  She couldn't believe how good they had
been together the night before, the nine year absence
not seeming to make a difference.  She had been nervous
at first, but when they had finally undressed each
other and made it into the bed, it felt like it always
had when they were together so many years before.

"You feel so good," she told him when he pulled her
fully against him as they lay facing each other on
their sides.  "You've stayed in good shape," she
smiled, admiring the hard muscles of his chest, the
firm feel of his abdomen.

"As have you, Scully.  When I first saw you again on
the beach, I couldn't believe how little you'd
changed," he told her, moving over her to turn her to
her back.  "I've always loved the way you look,
Scully... always... always so beautiful..." he told
her, barely whispering next to her ear when he moved
further on top of her, nuzzling her neck.  His hand
moved to her breast at the same time he kissed her and
he shuddered when her hands stroked his back, down over
his bottom.

"I'm glad we found each other again," she whispered to
him before kissing his neck, her lips finding their way
to his.  They kissed for several long minutes, Mulder
rubbing himself against her, Scully responding to the
feel of his erection against her mound.  She reached
down to touch him, take him in her hand to stroke him a
few times before helping him to find her center,
wanting him inside her.  She bent her knees and opened
her legs around his hips as he entered her, the feeling
of his penetration eliciting a moan, "Mmmmm, Mulder..."

"Yeah... you, too, Scully... you feel so good," he told
her as he began to move in and out of her, his hips
slow and strong.  Scully moved her legs up further,
locking her ankles just behind his bottom as he
continued to rock against her.  Scully pulled her head
up from the pillow wanting just to kiss him again and
again, not letting his lips get away from hers.  She
held on as he slowly lowered her back to the pillow,
their lips never losing contact, Mulder's body flush
against Scully's as he continued to move within her.
He could feel her getting close, her abdominal muscles
tightening beneath him, her breath shortening.  He
pushed harder against her wanting her to go before him
but he was having difficulty holding back much longer.

"Mmmmmm, right there, Mulder," she managed to tell him
as she worked to take herself where she wanted to go.
"Uhhhhhhhhhh," she sighed as her climax hit, her soft
tissue clamping him inside before it began to pulse
around him like a velvet glove.

"Sculllllyyyy..." he moaned, moving faster within her
as she came down, her breath panting against the
sensitive skin of his neck.  She tightened her arms
around his neck, moving her hips more firmly against
him as he continued to move, wanting him to let go.
After a few more moments, his movements quickened, but
became more erratic and she knew he was getting close.
He thrusted several more times, then letting loose
inside her, his hips grinding against her with every
surge of his fluid into her, finally emptying himself.
"Jesusssss," he sighed when he was able to catch his
breath enough to speak.

Scully held his face with her hands, willing him to
look her in the eyes.  "I love you, Mulder," she told
him openly, wanting him to hear the sincerity in her
voice, see the passion in her eyes.  "I. Love. You."

"Scully, god, I've never stopped loving you... never,"
he told her before moving off of her, lying on his
back.  "C'mere," he said, opening his arms to her,
Scully snuggling into his side, Mulder pulling the
spread up over them.

"Mulder, I want you to understand something," she
started, feeling he felt that even though he had always
loved her she had stopped loving him at some point in
her life and moved on.  Scully moved up to look at him,
wanting him to be able to see her.  "I never stopped
loving you..."

"But you loved your husband.  I know you, Scully.  You
wouldn't have married him if you didn't," Mulder told
her, his hand softly smoothing against her back.

"Yes, I loved Richard... I did.  He was a wonderful
man.  But I loved him in a different way than I loved
you.  I never stopped loving you, Mulder," she told him
softly.  "You never left my heart."

Mulder looked at her and could see the earnestness in
her eyes, see her need for him to understand.  He gave
her a soft smile and nod, affirming that he did
understand and believed her.  Scully laid back down
next to him burrowing against his side, laying her head
on his shoulder, wrapping her leg over his.

"What now, Scully?" Mulder asked after a few minutes.

"You want breakfast?" she asked softly, missing his
real point.

"I mean, what are we going to do with our lives?"

"Well, I have to go back to St. Louis.  Beyond that, I
don't really know... What do you want to do?" she asked
tentatively, wondering if he wanted to make a life with
her and William or wanted to stay where he was.

"I want to be with you... and our son," he answered.
"So, whatever we have to do to accomplish that..."

"Do you like living down here?" she asked him after a
few more moments.

"Yeah, but I'm not married to it.  I can write
anywhere... especially if I'm with you," he told her
sincerely.  "And I want to know Will."

"And I want you to... I'm just not sure how to tell him
about everything that has happened," she explained.

"You want to tell him together?" Mulder asked.

"I've thought about it... but I think, initially, it'd
be better if I talked to him alone... to let him get
used to the idea before he meets you," she told him,
hoping he'd understand.

"I think that's fine... I think you know what would be
best, Scully," he told her softly, realizing he would
have no clue what might be best for William and
suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.

Scully moved up to look at him again, giving him a soft
kiss before speaking.  "I want to get back tomorrow and
I'll talk to him when I get home," she told him.

Mulder nodded and gave her a soft smile, "We'll get the
next flight."

Continued in Pt. 3

HOME OF DANA SCULLY
LADUE, MO
Late the next night

Their flight from Los Angeles had been delayed, so they
had arrived at Lambert Field in St. Louis just before
midnight so Scully decided to pick William up the next
morning and take him to school.  Mulder wanted to get a
rental to use for the time being, but Scully wouldn't
hear of it, getting a cab for them instead.

"Mulder, I have three cars in my garage," she told him,
almost embarrassed.  "There's no reason for you to rent
a car."

"Let me guess," he teased.  "Your wagon... a mini-van,
maybe an SUV..."

"I thought you knew me better than to ever think I'd
drive a mini-van, Mulder."

"SUV, then," he grinned at her.  "Am I right?"

"Yes," she admitted reluctantly, trying not to smile at
his little game.

"So, what's the other one?" he asked, wanting to tease
her, seeing her reluctance to tell him.  "Come on, what
else?  Lexus?  A Jag?  It's gotta be some kind of
luxury car.  Come on, Scully."

"A Porsche..." she confessed.

"Your husband had a Porsche?" Mulder asked, wondering
about the man who Scully had chosen to be married to.

"No, it's mine.  I got it shortly after we got
married," she told him.  "Richard teased me about it,
but we used to take long, wonderful drives in it and I
just haven't had the heart to get rid of it.  But it
somehow didn't seem enjoyable anymore and I just hadn't
been able to get past his death... I haven't driven it
since he died."

"Oh," Mulder ineptly replied, feeling bad that he had
kidded her about something he didn't realize was so
personal, what her car had symbolized to her.  "I'm
sorry, Scully.  I didn't realize..."

"It's okay, Mulder.  Really.  I can talk about Richard
without falling apart.  At least, now I can," she told
him.

After they'd arrived at Scully's house, Mulder had sat
his luggage just inside the door, figuring he'd stay
just long enough for them to eat a late bite and using
one of Scully's cars to go find a hotel room.  Scully
had put together a couple of sandwiches and made some
tea and they sat down at the small breakfast nook in
the kitchen to eat.

"Tell me about your life now... how you ended up
here... married," he asked her as they began to eat.

"You want the details or just the Cliffs notes?" Scully
asked, taking a drink of her tea.

"Whatever you want to tell me," he told her, slipping a
lock of her hair behind her ear in an age-old motion.

"Well, I quit the FBI the day Skinner told me you were
dead," she told him flatly.

"Really?"

"Really...  I never went back.  A couple of months
later, I found out about a program here where I could
earn another specialty, so William and I packed up and
I completed the program in Pediatrics and began working
at the hospital," she began.

"That where you met your husband?"

"No, we met through mutual friends.  Things went slowly
for a long time... he asked me to marry him on my
birthday and we were married a few months later," she
continued, her fingers idly stroking the back of his
hand where it laid on the table.  "We were only married
for a little over two years before... well, before."

"You've never really told me what happened to him,
Scully," he asked carefully.

"He, um, was killed in a car accident," she began,
wanting to tell him about what her life had been.  "He
had taken William to a class at the Science Center
after school.  I was at work.  He went to pick up
dinner while William was in class and I later found
out, had driven downtown to pick up my favorite
chocolates because I'd had a bad day at work."  Mulder
could see by the look on her face that it was becoming
difficult for her to finish.

"It's okay, Scully.  You don't have to tell me," he
told her softly, moving closer to her and gathering her
in his arms.

"No, I want to... He, he called me just before and
he... he had told me he loved me... I don't know why he
said it; we weren't the mushy type.  But he had and I
started to tell him I'd loved him back, but I didn't...
someone walked up within hearing distance and I
didn't...  I didn't say it..." she confessed and her
voice broke. Mulder figured she hadn't told what she'd
just said to him to anyone before, knowing she kept her
emotions sometimes too much in check.  He held her as
she cried and he didn't say anything, just trying to be
there for her and let her have the time she needed.

Finally, when she had quieted, he spoke, "Thank you for
telling me that, Scully."

"Thank you for asking, Mulder.  I'm sure it isn't easy
for you to hear about my husband," she told him,
dabbing at her tears with her napkin. "He was a good
man, Mulder.  And he loved William very, very much.  He
was a good father to him."

"I'm glad.  I'm glad you and Will had him and that you
were happy and had made a life for yourself and Will,"
he told her sincerely.

"Mulder, William loved Richard, but he never forgot
about you.  We talked about you often," she reassured
him.  "And no matter what influence Richard had on
William, he is so much more like you."

"Really?" Mulder asked, finding himself feeling nervous
about how his son viewed him.

"He loves astronomy... science fiction... his favorite
food is pizza," she smiled to him.  "He plays
basketball, but loves baseball more.  And he reads
everything he can get his hands on."

"And I bet he loves his mother as much as I love her,"
Mulder said, overcome with the realization that by this
time tomorrow, he would have met his son, a 9 1/2 year
old boy who didn't even know his father was alive.

"Oh, Mulder," Scully sighed, her arms slipping around
his neck, holding on tight.

"I'd better go, Scully," Mulder soon said, finding his
body starting to respond to her proximity.  Mulder
figured it might be more appropriate to get a hotel
room.

"You can stay here tonight... if you want to," Scully
had told him.  "We'll play things by ear tomorrow..."
He put his things in one of the guest rooms, but after
they had both showered, they settled into Scully's bed
together, her lying on her back, Mulder on his side
facing her.

"You okay?" he asked, sensing she seemed a bit off key.

"I'm nervous, I guess."

"About us?"

"Yeah, sort of... how things will go with William...
with you," she confessed, snuggling closer to him.

"What are you going to tell him?" Mulder asked, his
hand soothing her back as he held her.

"The truth," she told him, not knowing what else to
say.

"It'll work out, Scully.  He knows you love him and
that's everything," he told her before he kissed her; a
kiss she returned, her intensity increasing.  "I love
you, Scully... I hope you know how much," he told her,
kissing her neck, her shoulder, slipping her top pajama
button open to kiss the top of her right breast.  He
finished the remaining buttons, and moved his mouth to
her nipple, then sucked it into his mouth, his hand
moving over her stomach, her abdomen. His palm slid
into her panties, moving against her curls and she bent
her knee, opening herself to him, wanting to feel his
touch.

Mulder continued to stroke her, knowing she was very
aroused by the sounds she was making and the way her
body was moving under him. "What do you want,
Scully..." he said, wanting to make her relax and just
let him make her feel good.

"You're batting a thousand thus far, Mulder," she
mumbled, her breath quickening as he slipped a finger
inside her.  Mulder moved down her body, kissing and
licking his way down to the vee between her legs.  She
bent her other knee and when he was positioned between
her legs, she laid both her legs over his shoulders.

"Oh, god, Mulder..." she sighed, the feeling of his
lips and tongue against her soft flesh absolutely
wonderful.  He licked her, flicked his tongue against
her clitoris, sucking on it as he slipped a second
finger inside her, moving them in and out of her.
Mulder took her clitoris in his mouth and sucked hard
as he moved his fingers into her more deeply, rubbing
the top of her vagina firmly.  Suddenly her hips bucked
and her gasp sounded almost like a scream in the
silence of the dark bedroom.  He felt her inner muscles
grab his fingers, and then begin to pulse as he
continued to suck her hardened tissue.

"Jesus..." she said when she was finally able to speak.
He continued to stroke her lightly as he moved up over
her to look at her.

"Good?" he smiled, happy that she was obviously able to
put their current situation out of her mind for a while
and let go.

"God, I've missed that," she said, lifting her head
from the pillow to kiss him.  He moved over her and she
helped him to enter her, neither of them moving because
of the tremendous sensations they were both feeling. He
continued to look into her eyes until, finally, he
began to move, her eyes closing at the sensation.

Mulder's orgasm was intense, his body trembling on top
of her before he gradually came down.  They were laying
in each others' arms, moving their bodies slowly
against the other, their hands moving lazily over each
other's sex-warmed skin. "That felt really good," he
told her sleepily.

Scully just watched him as he'd moved off of her, his
chest moving as he continued to breathe hard from his
efforts.  "If you knew how sexy you were, Mulder, you'd
be impossible to get along with," she told him,
reaching to caress his abdomen. She kissed his chest,
snuggling in closer to him, suddenly feeling so tired
she could barely keep her eyes open.

"I'll let that slide," he said in response to her
comment, spooning up behind her after she'd turned on
her side.  He kissed her neck, "See you in the
morning..."

"Love you," she managed to mumble as she fell off to
sleep, hoping her son would love his father as much as
she did.

HOME OF DANA SCULLY
LADUE, MO
The next afternoon

"Can we drive by the stadium, Mom?  They're putting the
Christmas lights up," William told her after he'd
gotten into the car after school.

"How about we save that for this weekend," she told him
as she drove, trying to pay attention to the traffic
but having a difficult time concentrating.  "We can
order 'Imo's' for dinner, though.  How's that?" she
smiled to him while they were stopped at a light.

"Yessss!  Can Aaron come over?" he asked excitedly.

"No, honey.  Not tonight.  I, um, need to talk to you
about something," she told him matter-of-factly.

"Did I do something wrong?" William asked innocently.

"No, honey.  No.  It's something good, actually," she
said to him, forcing a smile through her internal
turmoil.  She couldn't believe she was as nervous as
she was feeling, seemingly tongue-tied over talking to
her own son.

Mulder had left most of his things in one of the guest
rooms at Scully's house, but they had decided it would
be best if he got a hotel room for the night, maybe a
few days, depending on how Scully felt about the
situation.  Mulder trusted her judgment.

"Did you have a good day at school?" she asked William
after they had arrived at home and had sat down with
their pizza.

"Yeah, sure, Mom," he answered off-handedly, his mouth
full of pizza.

Scully took a deep breath and figured she'd just better
get on with what she had to do, knowing waiting would
achieve nothing.  "William, you remember me telling you
that your father and I used to work for the FBI, don't
you?" she started.

"Yeah, Mom.  You and my first dad," he noted.

"Yes, William, your dad, Mulder.  Your father.  Anyway,
sometimes our jobs were very dangerous back then.
There were bad people who wanted to hurt us," she
explained.

"But not now, right Mom?" William asked concerned.

"No, honey.  Not anymore.  We're safe and the bad men
are gone.  But many years ago, just after you were
born, there were people who wanted to hurt us,
especially your father," Scully continued, losing her
taste for her pizza.  "And he had to leave us so that
all of us would be safe.  Do you remember me telling
you about that?"

"Yeah.  That's when he died, right Mom?" William asked,
his attention on his mother.

"Well, William.  That was when I was told your father
had died," she told him.  "But you see, William, it was
necessary for the bad men to think that your father was
dead so that they wouldn't try to harm him or his
family-- you and I.  Do you understand?"

"Well, I guess if he was in heaven, they couldn't hurt
him," William answered, his insight bringing a smile to
Scully's face.

"Exactly, honey.  But, recently, well, William, I found
out that your dad only made people believe he had died
so that the bad men wouldn't hurt us," she said slowly.

"You mean..."

"Yes, William, your dad Mulder is still alive," she
told him, looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

"My dad Mulder is still alive?" he asked, his voice
quiet, but calm.

"Yes, honey.  He only pretended that he was killed to
protect us," she confirmed.

"My dad's really alive?" William asked again.

"Yes, William.  He is."

Scully just watched William, knowing the wheels were
spinning in his mind, seeing that he wanted to say
something.  Finally, he spoke, "Did you know, Mom?  Did
you know he wasn't really killed?" William asked
tentatively, wondering if his mother hadn't told him
the truth all along.

"No, honey.  No.  I was told by the FBI that your dad
had been killed.  I didn't know he was alive until very
recently.  That's why I went back to Australia... to
find him," she told him. "I wanted to find him before I
talked to you.  You know, he wants very much to see
you, William."

William couldn't seem to look at her, taking a drink of
his Sprite before he answered.  "He remembers me?"

"Oh, William, of course he does.  He's never forgotten
you," she smiled to him.  "He only did what he did to
protect us... to keep us safe.  And now that we are
safe, he wants to see you."

"He wants to see me?"

"As soon as you're ready."

THE NEXT AFTERNOON
Scully had a fitful sleep, up several times checking on
William, despite the fact that he seemed to be sleeping
quite well. William hadn't said anything more about
what she had told him until she'd tucked him in to
sleep.

"When is my dad coming to see me?" he had asked as he
crawled into bed.

"How's tomorrow sound?" Scully asked softly, sitting
next to his hip on the bed.

"Tomorrow?" he asked quietly.

"He's anxious to see you, William," she told him
sincerely.

"Is he going to stay here with us?" he asked then,
surprising her.  But after what he said soaked in, she
realized she should have anticipated his question.

"What would you think about that?" she asked slowly.

"Are you married to him, too?" he asked.

"Remember, William?  We talked about this several years
ago.  Your dad and I never really had the chance to be
married," she explained, remembering when she had
talked to him about it when she and Richard planned to
marry.

"Does he love you like Daddy Richard?" William asked.

"Yes, William, he does... and I love him," she slowly
admitted to him, hoping he'd understand.  "And he wants
a chance to be a father to you..."

Continued in Pt. 4

HOME OF DANA SCULLY LANCASTER
LADUE, MO
The next afternoon

Scully jumped like she had been shocked when the door
bell rang, the family room quiet except for the muffled
sounds coming from the television as William played his
new 'Alien Busters' video game.  William didn't seem
quite himself at breakfast, but he didn't seem as
outwardly nervous as Scully knew she was inside.  She
had called Mulder late the previous night, after her
conversation with William and found herself almost in
tears as she related her conversation with him to
Mulder.  Even though he hadn't openly admitted how
nervous he was about seeing his son, she knew Mulder's
jokes and retorts were no more than thinly disguised,
coping mechanisms to counteract his anxiety.

"Hi," Scully said when she'd answered the door, William
still in the family room with his new game.

"Hi," Mulder replied, walking tentatively through the
open door, his apprehension very apparent to her.
Mulder looked around, not immediately seeing William
anywhere.  "Where's Will?"

"Um, in the family room.  He has a new video game he's
enthralled with," she smiled to him.  She noticed he
had shaved his goatee and cut his hair, making him look
almost as she'd remembered him the day he left almost
ten years before.

"I suspect I'd be more interested in that than I would
be in a father I'd never met if I were him, too,"
Mulder tried to joke, but Scully understanding his real
meaning.

She moved closer to him, taking hold of his hand before
speaking, "Mulder... he's your son, just the same as he
is mine... he's ours.  He will love you," she told him
trying to keep her emotions in check; she was probably
as nervous as he was.  "It'll be okay.  Just be
yourself and he will love you..."

Mulder followed Scully into the family room, William
sitting on the floor in front of the large screen of
the television, playing his game.  "William..." Scully
said softly, getting her son's attention.  William
immediately stood; looking at his father, recognizing
him from the pictures Scully had shown him many times.

"This is your father, William," she said, her voice
almost shaking from her apprehension.

"Hello, Will," Mulder said not really knowing what else
to say.

"Hi," William answered, holding out his hand as he'd
been taught to greet any stranger.

Mulder returned his handshake, bending slightly to
William's level before speaking, "Can I give you a hug?
It's been a long time since I've done that," Mulder
smiled to him.  William didn't answer verbally, but
allowed Mulder to give him a soft hug and returned it,
Mulder noted, as a kid might the affections of an
elderly aunt.  But what could he expect; his own son
didn't know him.  When Mulder stood, Scully noticed the
tears in his eyes even though he was unable to look at
her.

"You look like me," William said out of the blue,
Mulder and Scully smiling at his observation, cutting
the tension in the air a bit.

"But you have your mother's eyes," Mulder told him,
seeing the beautiful blue hue behind his son's long
lashes.  Mulder looked at Scully and she gave him a
slow smile, both of them so apparent in their son.

"Um, you two okay for a few minutes while I make
something to drink?" Scully asked, looking at each of
them to make sure it was okay to leave them alone
together.

"Hot chocolate, please," William said, still standing
there while Mulder moved to sit on the overstuffed
couch.

"Whatever you're having is fine with me," Mulder added.

"She'll have tea.  She always drinks tea," William
quipped, looking at his mother for confirmation.
Scully smiled to both of them, leaving them alone, not
knowing what would happen next, but knowing that she
loved both of them beyond words.

"I, um, hear you're a Cardinal's fan?" Mulder said,
starting the first real conversation he'd ever had with
his own son.

"Everybody in St. Louis likes the Cardinals," William
told him, wondering how someone couldn't already know
that.  "Well, except Mom.  She likes the Yankees."
Mulder felt his throat tighten, the realization that
maybe some things from his former life with Scully were
still part of each of them.

William and Mulder talked for several more minutes,
neither of them really knowing how to relate to each
other, but getting along decently enough.  "What have
you two been plotting?" Scully asked as she walked in
with William's hot chocolate and a couple of mugs of
tea for her and Mulder.

"Mulder wants to see the Science Center," William told
her excitedly.  "Can we go?"

"Um, yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Scully said,
glancing at Mulder, giving him a proud smile.  "You
know, William, maybe Mulder could drive you there after
school on Monday..."

"But, Mom, we won't have time to tour the space
exhibit," William objected.

"Yeah, Mom," Mulder mimicked and William's surprise at
Mulder's comment making Scully laugh.

"I guess I'm outvoted.  Is tomorrow afternoon better?"
Scully smiled to William.

"Yeah," Mulder and William answered simultaneously,
then giving each other a high five.  Scully smiled,
almost unable to believe where she found herself; in
her own living room, watching Mulder and their son
enjoying each other's company.  In her wildest dreams,
she could have never imagined her life being where it
was... never.

After the three of them had played a long game of
'Clue', Scully had gone out to pick up take-out, giving
William and Mulder more time together.  Things seemed
to be going well, almost too well, but she was glad
that William had seemed so comfortable.

Later, when she'd gone in to tuck William in, she could
tell he had something on his mind.  "Everything okay?"
she asked him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Yeah, sure," William answered off-handedly.

"William..." she said, a warning in her voice that let
him know she didn't exactly like his answer.  "Come
on..."

"How come my name's 'Mulder' when you aren't married?"
he asked innocently.

Scully was taken aback at his question, never expecting
that to be what was bothering him.  She wasn't sure
what she expected, but that question wasn't it.
"Well... he's your father and he, um, had to leave us
before we were able to be married.  We've talked about
this before, William."

"But where's he gonna live?" William then asked, Scully
realizing what he really wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, yet.  Where would you like him to live?"
she asked tentatively.

"I don't know, but if he picks me up from school, my
friends might ask me who he is 'cause they think
Richard was my dad."

"Honey, Richard was a very good father to you and he
loved you very, very much.  But he was your step-
father.  Your friends know that," she said sensitively.
"A lot of your friends have step-parents, William."

"But they think my real dad died," he said, Scully
finally understanding what the real issue was.

"William, as always, the best thing is just to tell the
truth," Scully began.  "You've told your friends your
real dad was an FBI agent; they know he had a dangerous
job.  They will understand that his job required him to
play like he had been killed... and that's essentially
what happened, honey."

"Do I have to tell 'em Monday?" he asked after a few
moments of silence.

"No, honey.  I can pick you up from school and you can
take your time telling your friends.  How's that?" she
asked him tenderly.  He nodded and Scully kissed him
before turning out the light, feeling herself sigh a
breath of relief after she'd walked out of his room.
She'd thought things had gone too easily.

She found Mulder in the family room, sipping a beer as
he tried to play William's new video game.  "Having
fun?" Scully smiled to him as she entered.

"Will can play this thing?" Mulder asked, tossing the
controller aside, totally unable to figure his son's
new game out.  "He's a boy genius."

"Yeah, I've tried to play a few of those things with
him, too... they make my head swim," she chuckled as
she sat down next to Mulder on the couch, reaching for
his beer and taking a sip.

"You okay?" Mulder asked, seeing a distant look in her
eyes as she sat beside him.

"William has a lot of questions," she sighed.

"Yeah, I was wondering what was taking you so long to
tuck him in," Mulder admitted.

"He's afraid his friends won't understand," she told
him, snuggling into his side, laying her folded knees
in his lap.

"Well, it might be hard to explain that you dad has
come back from the dead," Mulder came back with.
Scully gave him a look, not in the mood to kid around,
knowing that her present situation was a very serious
one, especially to her son.  "I'm not making light,
Scully.  I tend to say inappropriate things when I'm
nervous enough to throw up."

"No kidding," she replied deadpan, laying her head back
on his shoulder.  "He's also wondering where you're
going to live."

"I understand that concern," Mulder told her, not
knowing himself how things were going to develop.
"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, really.  Actually, I think he'd like to have
you around, but..." she started, Mulder reading her
like a book.

"He wonders why his parents aren't married," Mulder
finished for her.

"Yeah, something like that," she confirmed.

"Then let's get married," Mulder said, shifting her to
look at her.

"Mulder, just because William wants to be able to tell
his friends that his dad is married to his mom is not a
valid reason to get married," she told him honestly.

"Scully, that reason is about dead last on the list of
reasons why I want to marry you," he told her.  "I've
known since, well, I think since you were abducted,
after you returned, that we'd always be together...
somehow.  Getting married is just kind of figured in
there."

"Seriously?" she asked, surprised that Mulder had ever
really given serious thought to being married.

"Look, Scully.  I want to be with you and Will and I
want to figure out the best way to do that... for all
of us.  If it were just you and me, well, maybe that
piece of paper wouldn't be so important. But it isn't
just you and me," he told her and she only nodded and
he could tell she didn't fully understand what he was
trying to say.  "Scully, you do know that I love you,
right?  I mean, if I didn't love you with everything
that I have, I wouldn't want to get married just for
Will."

She looked up at him and touched his face with her
palm, giving him that soft smile that told him
everything.  "And I love you, Mulder... I always have."

"Even if I was your husband?" he teased.

"Husband...wow," she sighed, the enormity of the word
sinking in.

"Yeah," he agreed, understanding her emotion.  "Well, I
guess I'd better go..." he said, standing from the
couch, picking up his empty beer bottle from the table.
"See, I can even clean up after myself."

"You're leaving?" she asked, her disappointment
obvious.

"I... didn't think you'd want me to stay," he said.
"Under the circumstances."

"Yeah, I guess having you here in the morning might not
be the best thing... yet," she confirmed.  "But, we
could, um, watch a movie or something... eat some
popcorn," she smiled, snaking her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her
against his body.  "Or maybe make out on your couch..."
he smiled.

"Make out?  I haven't heard that word in thirty years,
Mulder," she chuckled, her hands rubbing slowly over
his back.

"Meaning's still the same," he smiled, bending to press
his lips against her neck, his hands sliding down to
cup her bottom.

"That it is..."

HOME OF DANA SCULLY AND FOX MULDER
LADUE, MO
Two weeks later, Saturday night

Mulder had gotten a motel room until they decided what
to do and he had made arrangements to have everything
in his apartment packed and shipped back to the U.S.
When they went back to Australia to visit, and they
would they both decided, they would find a place on the
beach, not stay in Mulder's cramped apartment.  He had
been with William and Scully everyday, but returned to
his hotel room each night.

Scully had talked to her mother and told her the news
about Mulder, her mother almost hysterical with joy
that William had his father and that Scully wouldn't be
alone anymore.  Margaret and her husband had flown in
from Vancouver for Thanksgiving and the holiday had
gone well, Scully and Mulder doing their best to cook
some of the meal, most of it being done ahead of time
by the local grocery store.  William loved spending
time with his grandmother and he liked his new step-
grandfather as well.

"Dana, I want to talk to you," her mother said, calling
her into the kitchen from the family room where they
all had congregated after dinner.

"What's up, Mom?" Scully asked, picking up a small
carrot from an appetizer tray her mom had prepared for
later.

"Sit," her mother told her firmly and they both took a
seat at the table.

"Am I in trouble?" Scully asked jokingly, but actually
wondering if her mother was upset about something.

"I'm going to ask you something and I'm not prying,
honey," Margaret started.  "But have you and Fox had
any time together since he's come home?  I mean alone
together?"

Scully was surprised to feel herself blush, but felt
her cheeks warming at her mother's question, knowing
full well what she meant.  "Um, not really," Scully
answered, feeling that since they hadn't been together
since the night they had gotten in from Australia, she
was only fudging the truth a bit.

"I want you and Fox to go to his place and Sam and I
will stay here with William tonight," her mother told
her insistently, seemingly not giving her a choice.

"Mom... I appreciate your gesture, but we're trying to
take things slowly with William," Scully explained.
"Mulder hasn't stayed here and um, well..."

"Then it's time you two had some time together, Dana,"
her mother told her again.  "You need to work on your
relationship with Fox just as the two of you do with
William.  Don't neglect yourselves, Dana."

Scully thought about it for a few moments and
remembered how frustrating it was to send Mulder home
each night and how close they'd come several times to
doing the deed on the couch in the family room.  "You
sure you don't mind?" Scully then asked, imagining
Mulder naked next to her in bed, feeling her cheeks
color again.

"Oh, of course not, Dana.  Sam just loves William and
I'll bet, William will barely notice you're gone,"
Margaret smiled, Scully hoping she was right.

"You think William knows where we're going and what
we're going to do?" Mulder said, wagging his eyebrows
at Scully as he drove towards his hotel.

"Mulder, for god's sake, he's nine years old," Scully
replied, not wanting to even entertain thoughts about
William growing up; not yet.

"Your mom knows," he teased.

"She suggested it, Mulder," Scully told him plainly.
"And I don't think William even cares that we aren't
there since Sam and Mom were taking him to the movies
and to Ted Drews for ice cream.  He's probably
forgotten our names."

"You've done a great job with him, Scully.  He's a
fantastic kid," he told her, reaching for her hand.  "I
wish I could've been a part of all of that."

"Mulder, please don't say that.  It's done.  It's not
something that can be changed," she told him.  "We just
need to focus on everything yet to come and be
satisfied with what we have."  Mulder nodded and gave
her a reassuring smile, pulling into the parking garage
of his hotel.

Mulder's room was nice, a small suite with a little
living room with a couch and TV and a mini refrigerator
and microwave in the corner.  The view from the bedroom
was beautiful, looking west out the twentieth floor
over the sparkling lights of the city.  "Nice view,"
she commented as she sat her small overnight bag on the
bed, tossing her jacket into the closest chair.

"Yes, it is," he said, walking up behind her, slipping
his arms around her waist as he kissed her neck.

Scully turned the instant he did and began kissing him
for all she was worth.  "God, I want you," she said
between kisses, barely able to catch her breath.

"That's not a problem.  I ain't plannin' on leavin',"
he told her, his hands already moving to the buttons of
her sweater as he continued to kiss her.  After a few
moments, Mulder moved her away from him, taking her
face into his palms, giving her only a glance before
kissing her.  They continued to kiss and it became
harder and more heated, both of them panting through
their nose until Scully pulled away to breathe.

Mulder buried his face in her neck, softly chanting her
name.  "I've missed you so much... These two weeks have
been absolute torture, Scully," he whispered, his
emotion staining his voice.

"I know, Mulder.  I know," she said, kissing his cheek,
his neck.  Mulder moved back to be able to see her
again, the meaning behind the look in his eyes very
obvious to her.  He kissed her again, lifting her to
his chest, her feet dangling against his shins.  They
were both kissing like they were trying to make up for
the last nine years, let alone the past two weeks,
walking slowly toward his bed.

Even as he carried her, Mulder kissed her passionately,
almost forcefully, his gait half-stumbling.  Finally,
he set her down on her feet, their lips barely parting
even as he did.  It was Scully who pushed his jacket
over his shoulders and began to pull his sweater from
his pants.  Mulder only stopped kissing her long enough
to pull her cardigan over her head without regard for
the rest of the buttons.  Scully reached behind her
back and unfastened her bra even as Mulder was reaching
for the button of her pants.  "God, Mulder," she
panted, grabbing for the button of his jeans, now
noticing his sizable bulge.  Mulder's lips latched on
to a nipple, his suction taking a sizable portion of
the end of her breast into his mouth.

Scully pulled down the zipper of Mulder's pants, her
hands trying to pull them down as quickly as she could.
Suddenly, Mulder moved her hands away, pulling his
pants down himself, not wanting to waste any more time.
As Scully watched him, she hurriedly pulled off her
pants and panties, kicking them off her feet.  Mulder
pulled his boxers and pants down, his penis springing
free, Scully reaching for him as she pushed him toward
the bed, both of them falling back on top of the
spread, Mulder's legs hanging over the edge of the bed.

"Mmmmmm, Scully," Mulder managed as she crawled up over
him, her breasts pressed against his chest, as she
kissed him and kissed him.  Mulder grabbed and squeezed
her bottom as she lay atop him, her groan caught in his
mouth.  Mulder then grabbed her shoulders, rolling her
off of him, his body moving over hers in one move.
"God, Scully, I can't wait," he moaned, kissing her
neck, his groin nuzzling hers.

"God, me either.  Mulder...," she panted, reaching for
his penis to help him put it where she wanted it.  He
pushed into her quickly, hard, both of them grunting
from his action.

Mulder's back arched at the feeling of her warm, tight
canal, him tightening himself trying not to come at
that very moment.  "Scully, I... I..." he stuttered
barely able to speak.  "I'm not going to, uhhhhh, last
long."

Scully began undulating against him, wanting him to
move, needing him to move.  She held onto him low on
his hips and pulled her knees up so that her feet were
sitting on top of his bottom.  He shifted on top of
her, moving his knees closer to her thighs which put
more pressure on her pelvic bone.  "Oh, Mulder.
Yesssss, there. There," she gasped, his pubic hair
making sweet friction against her swollen clitoris.
The smack of flesh against flesh echoed in the bedroom
as they were both almost desperate to make each other
come.

Mulder shifted against her again and thrusted harder
and deeper, her body arching underneath him as her
climax hit, her pelvis jerking underneath him as he
continued to pound into her.  "GodIloveyou," she
managed to tell him after she was on the downside, his
orgasm hitting just as she was able to focus and lift
herself up to kiss him as he yelled her name.  He
emptied into her with several more erratic, forceful
thrusts, his body collapsing over her afterward.

"Scully, Scully, Scully," was all he could say, his
voice muffled into the flesh of her neck.  He balanced
himself on his forearms and his hips continued to move
sinuously against her until his penis slipped out but
she could still feel its warm wetness moving against
her folds.

Mulder held himself over her, the full length of their
bodies pressed together, both of them still moving
slowly against each other.  His eyes never left hers
and they looked at each other without speaking for
several long minutes.  "I love you, Scully," Mulder
finally said, holding her face between his palms.  "I
never stopped loving you."

Mulder moved off of her rolling to his side next to her
as she lay on her back.  They were still lying across
the bed, never having made it to lay lengthwise. "That
was worth waiting for," he said, drawing his finger
against her skin from her breastbone to her pubic hair,
causing her to shiver.

Scully moved to kiss him, her arms wrapping around his
neck, her leg hanging itself over his hip as they faced
each other.  "I would have to agree," she said plainly,
nuzzling further into him to hold him.  Finally, they
moved into the bed and covered each other before
falling into a sated sleep.

The next morning, Scully roused slowly, the familiar
feeling between her legs bringing a small smile to her
face.  She stretched as she rolled to her side, trying
to wake, Mulder still asleep, his mouth half-open.
Scully smiled to herself, thinking how unbelievable it
still was that she had him back. She moved over
quietly, slowly taking his nipple between her lips and
beginning to softly suckle.

"Scully... what are you doing?" Mulder drowsily
grumbled, still not opening his eyes.

"Giving you a wake-up call," she chuckled to him.

"You're chipper this morning," he said, finally able to
open his eyes to look at her next to him.

"Yes, actually, I am," she smiled, moving up to give
him a quick kiss on the lips.  "I feel really good."

"You do, huh?" he looked at her and smiled.

Scully lay back down against him, her head on his
shoulder, her leg draping across his.  "Mulder, we need
to do something about our living arrangements," she
finally said.  "I don't want to be alone anymore and I
don't want you here alone either."

"At least you have Will," he reminded her.

"I know and I can't stand the thought of you being here
without us."

"What do you want to do?" he asked, letting her decide
how to handle things with William.  Even though he felt
things had gone well between them the last two weeks,
he knew Scully knew best about how to deal with his
reintroduction into his son's life.

"We'll talk to William as soon as Mom and Sam go back
to Vancouver.  I want you home," she told him, holding
him as tight as she possibly could.

THREE DAYS LATER
"You like the Yankees, too?" William asked as he helped
Mulder unpack his clothes, noticing his baseball cap.

"Well, yeah, Will, I do," Mulder answered honestly.

"But you can't be a Yankee fan and a Cardinal fan at
the same time," William pointed out.

"Sure I can.  Yankees are American League, Cardinals
are National," Mulder tried to convince him.  "Now
we've got two teams to like."  William pondered that
for a moment and finally nodded, seemingly convinced
that Mulder's idea would be okay.

"You don't have much stuff for an old guy," William
observed, Mulder's few boxes having finally arrived
from Australia.

"I've lived fairly simply," Mulder smiled to him.

"Well, Dad, I'm not sure it'll be so simple around
here," William said, not even realizing how profoundly
his word had just affected Mulder, Scully walking into
the room just as he'd said it, hearing it, too.
"Mom'll make you do chores.  That's what she does to
me."

Mulder moved to William and bent down to take him in
his arms and hugged him tight before he even realized
what he'd just done.  When he'd let him go, Mulder
looked at him sincerely.  "Will, I want you to know
something... I love you, son.  I just want you to know
that," Mulder said, Scully barely able to watch their
interchange.

"Yeah, I know.  Mom told me," William replied, then
noticing the tears in his dad's eyes.  "It's okay, Dad.
It's okay," he said, hugging Mulder in return.  Scully
left the room, unable to contain her emotions, not
letting either of them know that she had witnessed
their conversation.

"I, um, I'd like you to be my best man... for the
wedding," Mulder told him.

"Best man?" William asked, not fully understanding what
that meant.

"Yeah, you'd stand up with me and your mom at the
wedding.  You'd be a part of it, too," Mulder told him,
hoping William was accepting parents' wedding as well
as he seemed to be.

"Awesome.  Do I get a tuxedo like yours?" William asked
hopefully.

"Um, yeah... yeah," Mulder confirmed, relieved that
William wasn't abhorred by the idea.  "Come on, Will.
Let's get the rest of this stuff unpacked," Mulder
said, ruffling his son's hair as he stood.

"You get everything unpacked?" Scully asked when the
two of them came downstairs a little while later,
finding her in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom.  Did you know that my Dad likes the
Yankees?  Just like you," William said innocently,
Mulder's eyes immediately making contact with Scully's.

"I know, William.  How do you think I became a Yankees
fan in the first place?" she smiled, moving over to
Mulder, slipping her arm around his waist.

"And I get to be best man?" William told her excitedly,
Scully smiling to Mulder, relieved that he had talked
to William about the wedding.

"But I'm the only one who gets to kiss your mother,"
Mulder teased, giving Scully a long kiss on the lips.

"Oh, brother," William said, rolling his eyes, starting
to head for the family room.

"Hey, William.  Aaron wants you to come over for
dinner.  Go get your coat," Scully said to him, looking
up at Mulder with a smile.

After Mulder walked William to his friend's house down
the street, he imagined that Scully had something on
her mind.  When he got back in the house, he found her
bundled in her coat complete with scarf and hat,
slipping on her gloves.  "There's an extra scarf and
hat in the closet, Mulder.  You're gonna need to dress
warm," she smiled to him.

"I fully expected you to be taking your clothes off
when I got back, Scully, not putting more on," he
smiled to her, but getting the things from the closet.

"Come on, Mulder," she said, gathering her purse and
her car keys.

"Do I get to ask where we're going?" Mulder asked,
following her toward the door to the garage.

"Ever ridden in a Porsche?"



END