Title:    Perfect Happiness (Part 1/4) 
Author:   Abigail 
E-MAIL:   littlemiss_spookymulder@hotmail.com 
Rating:   PG-13 
Category: MSR
Classification:  MSW-F
Keywords: Angst, Character Deaths, Story
DISCLAIMER:  All characters from the X-Files belong the Chris 
Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting.


Summary:  Mulder comes back. 

Timeframe: This story begins in November of 2001. Forget every 
S9 episode after that time. I didn't see any of season 9 prior to 
writing this, so events will not be true to Season 9. All I knew was 
that Mulder was gone, so I made it um...better, in a way...

Acknowledgments: Thanks to all my readers on the boards. To 
Erin for "Meredith" ideas, to Hillary and Trekkie, devoted readers, 
and to Kate and Anna for the continual asking of more fic and 
countless (and I mean countless as in many many truncated 
messages filled with BLOW UP BILL!) requests that I blow up 
Bill.

Feedback is as precious as perfect happiness.

Xxxxxxx

'Since Mulder's been gone, I've felt a void in my life, in my heart, 
that can only be filled with his return. I want him back, for little 
William's sake, and for my own. I miss him so much that it's hard 
to sleep at night, knowing that he's not there beside me. We only 
lived together for the two days before he left, and yet, I feel as 
though our family is not complete without him. Oh, I love him. I 
want him. I need him...'

9:45am: A baby's cries broke into Dana Scully's thoughts. She 
looked up from the journal she had been writing in, and she slowly 
stood up and walked towards the noise. When she reached the 
bassinet, Scully picked up William and made an attempt to quiet 
him.

"Shh, sweetie. It's okay. Go to sleep, Mummy's here...I'm here," 
she cooed softly. As if he understood what was being asked of him, 
William stopped crying and he turned his blue eyes up to his 
mother.

Scully smiled down at her son, and she was sure that she saw him 
smile back. She took in his tiny features: big, round eyes, a small 
nose, a mischievous, pouty mouth, and a nearly bald head. His 
eyes began closing under her scrutiny, and within a minute or two, 
he was sound asleep.

Scully, still cradling Will in her arms, moved to sit on the edge of 
her and Mulder's new waterbed. They'd purchased it before he left, 
before they knew that he was going to be leaving.

She laid the sleeping child in her lap, and lifted her thumbs to 
gently trace his face. She moved them over his closed eyelids, and 
she gingerly touched his pouty lips. William instinctively opened 
his mouth and tried to suck on her thumb. She smiled and began 
speaking to him.

"You look so much like your daddy," she whispered. "Someday, 
you're going to grow up to be like him. And he's going to be here 
to watch that happen."

Scully stood slowly, as not to wake Will. She carried him over to 
the bassinet, and gently placed him in it. Then she went back and 
laid on the waterbed. She buried her face in the soft pillows, trying 
to catch Mulder's scent, a scent she had loved for so long. She 
breathed in deeply and sighed sadly.

Suddenly, she felt tears beginning to come to her baby blue eyes. A 
small part of her wanted to brush them away, and yet the bigger 
part told her to have yet another good cry. As tears quickly filled 
her whole being, she crawled under the covers on Mulder's side of 
the bed. She lay her head on the pillow, and started to sob. She felt 
as though the pain would never go away, and knew that it 
wouldn't, at least not until Mulder was back, laying in the bed 
beside her, holding her, loving her.

Just before she fell asleep, Scully remembered that her mother was 
coming over in a little while to watch William so she could have 
some time away.

But she didn't care. She wanted Mulder.

As Scully cried herself to sleep, the faint sound of William's 
musical mobile filled the air as it began moving slowly on its own.

XXXXXXX

1:07 PM...

"Dana? Dana, wake up."

Scully vaguely heard the voice calling her away, away from her 
wonderful dreams. Mulder had come back, and they were in her 
apartment. He had been telling her how much he missed her and 
loved her, but now all she could hear were those dreadful words: 
"Dana, wake up."

Suddenly, Mulder disappeared in a haze, and everything became 
black. Scully felt a hand on her shoulder, and she slowly opened 
her eyes.

"Mom?" she said, sitting up. "What are you doing here?"

Margaret Scully smiled. "Dana, I came and knocked, but no one 
answered, so I let myself in. Do you still want that away time?"

Scully laid back down. She carelessly tossed off the covers and 
looked up at her reflection in the mirrors that were part of the top 
of the bed, taking in her red eyes. Her tear-stained cheeks.  She 
slowly rolled over and set her feet to the floor.

She expected to find her mother by William, but instead, Maggie 
was staring up at the mirrors.

"Honey," she asked. "What are those for?"

Scully's head flew up to her mother's, to see if she was joking, but 
Maggie's face showed genuine confusion. She spoke softly, with a 
hint of a lingering sarcasm. "To read the New York Times 
backwards."

Xxxxxxx

Meanwhile...

1:07 PM...

Fox Mulder sat on a plane headed for DC. He fiddled aimlessly 
with the bag of airline peanuts that the stewardess had given him at 
the beginning of the flight. Only a few more hours, he noted, 
looking up at the digital clock overhead. He returned to the 
unopened peanuts and tore the wrapper. As he was about to eat 
one, he noticed a young girl sit down beside him. She turned and 
smiled.

"Haven't I seen you before?" she asked.

"Depends. I see a lot of people," he answered. He wasn't really in 
the mood to talk, all he could think about was getting home, but he 
wanted to be polite, and besides, that kid did look kind of familiar. 
"Where are you from?"

"Alexandria, Virginia," she replied. She thoughtfully studied him, 
twisting a blonde curl around her finger, then she continued. "I 
think I know where I saw you! You stayed in my neighbor's 
apartment sometimes, didn't you? I could never forget you two." 
she winked.

But Mulder didn't hear anything after the part about living next 
door to Scully. He stared at the girl for a moment, then asked, 
"You live next door to Dana Scully?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "And her baby William. She's so pretty, 
but so alone. I baby-sat for her a couple of times after you left. 
Oh," she put her hand to her mouth. "I don't want you to think that 
I spied on you, but one morning I saw you leave and you never 
came back. Why's that?" said the twelve-year-old. A smile crossed 
her face. "Are you going home to her?"

Mulder smiled. "Yes. Yes I am."

She grinned. "You'll make her so happy!" she exclaimed. "Oh, by 
the way, I'm Meredith Brown. It's nice to meet you..."

"Mulder."

"Mulder." The young child started chattering endlessly about her 
vacation to Vancouver, to which Mulder wasn't really paying 
attention, until the flight attendant came through, telling them to 
prepare for landing. He watched as Meredith bade him goodbye 
and ran to sit with her parents.

Mulder wondered to himself how Scully was going to react to his 
coming back. He hoped he would still be welcome. But, from what 
Meredith had told him, it would be a wonderful reunion.

Xxxxxxx

3:14 PM...

Scully paused for a moment on her walk to catch her breath. 
Although the weather was fairly warm, even for early November, 
she felt a never-ending chill, one that had possessed her for nearly 
five months. As she continued to walk, she found her thoughts 
once again wandering to Mulder: where he might be, what he was 
doing, if he was in danger, if he was thinking about her right at this 
very moment. Scully hoped with all of her might that the answer to 
her last thought was yes. Suddenly, she felt the cell phone in her 
pocket vibrate. She immediately took it out and answered.

"Scully."

"Dana, come back quickly. It's important."

Xxxxxxx

Meanwhile...

3:17 PM...

Maggie Scully picked up the phone and dialed her daughter's cell 
phone. When she had picked up, Maggie spoke. "Dana, come back 
quickly. It's important."

Her daughter's voice sounded worried. "Is everything okay?"

Maggie heard the baby's soft cry, then suddenly it stopped. "Yes, 
we're fine," she answered with a little shake in her voice. She 
looked toward the couch. Sitting on it was Fox Mulder, holding 
baby William. His son's hand wrapped around his thumb, Mulder 
had a look of sheer amazement in his hazel eyes. He seemed to be 
enchanted by the little child he was so carefully holding.

"Mom?" A confused voice questioned.

Maggie answered, "We're fine. There's someone here to see you."

Mulder looked up, and then back down at William. He gently ran 
his fingers down the baby's face. Now if only he knew what to do 
when Scully got back...

Xxxxxxx

3:23 PM...

Scully hung up her cell, wondering who would want to see her. 'It's 
not like I've really had too much contact with anyone since Mulder 
left.' she thought to herself. As she began her walk back home, she 
felt the sadness that came when she thought about him once again 
erupt into an unstoppable force.

"Stop it, Scully," she said to herself in a futile attempt to hold back 
her feelings. "Don't do this to yourself."

A passerby must have heard her speaking because he gave her a 
weird look. Scully didn't see him, and if she had she would have 
just ignored him in her grief. As hard as she tried, she couldn't 
shake the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. As tears slowly 
filled her eyes, she quickened her pace so no one who passed her 
would know that she was crying brokenheartedly.

She, Dana Scully, in a world full of people, felt completely and 
utterly alone.

Xxxxxxx

Meanwhile...

3:23 PM...

Maggie hung up the phone. She had to admit to herself that she 
was pretty surprised to see Mulder showing up at Dana's front 
door. When he left, she had almost felt hatred towards him, 
because she felt as though he had abandoned her daughter and their 
son.

But one look at his face melted her heart into a red puddle. He had 
looked so vulnerable and not in control of his feelings, a look that 
he normally didn't sport. Knowing that he expected to find her 
daughter, Maggie had sadly told Mulder that Dana had gone on a 
walk and would be back later.

The look on his adorable face had changed quickly, and it had told 
her that he had planned on going out and looking for Dana. But, 
luckily, she had convinced him to come in and sit down while she 
tried Dana's cell.

Now she watched as he sat on the couch, looking like a child on 
Christmas, who knew that the gifts were going to be brought out at 
any minute. But the gift he waited for was much more important 
that a simple toy. It was her daughter, his love. Will cooed happily 
in his father's arms, and Maggie thought she saw a tear come to 
Mulder's eye. Suddenly, she knew just what to do.

Maggie turned fully around and spoke in a soft voice to Mulder. 
"I'm going to go, Fox, if that's okay."

Without taking his eyes off the baby, Mulder murmured, "Okay."

Maggie shifted her weight to both feet and walked away. As she 
reached the door, Mulder spoke again. "Mrs. Scully?"

"Yes, Fox?"

There was no response for a moment, then a teary-voiced Mulder 
replied, "Thanks for everything."

She nodded, more to herself than to him, and left.

Mulder looked down at his son, his miracle. He touched the child's 
face gently. He got up and walked to the stereo. He found some 
good music and turned it on. Then he sat back down and 
anticipated the arrival of Scully. He actually felt a little nervous. 
What if she didn't love him anymore? What if things had changed? 
What if...

There were so many questions, and he only hoped that the answers 
would prove to make all three of them happy and content. He 
loved her so much, and he couldn't believe that he was finally back 
with them. And he hoped it would stay that way...Forever...

XXXXXXX

4:05 PM...

Scully finally reached her front door. She pulled out a key, 
intending to unlock the door. But when she put the key in the lock 
she found that it was already open. When she got the door open, 
she heard someone banging around in her kitchen.

Figuring it was Maggie, Scully called out, "Mom?"

No answer. Just another bang.

Scully slowly drew her gun and walked towards the kitchen. She 
saw a shadow, and she jumped, pointing her gun. The shadow 
drew nearer. She took in a sharp breath and hurried to it.

Out walked Mulder, holding baby Will in one arm. In the other 
was a bottle. When he saw the gun he started, nearly dropping the 
baby. When he regained control, he spoke softly, "Hey."

XXXXXXX

Scully's grip on the gun slowly dissolved, and it dropped to the 
cream-colored carpet with a dull thud. She began walking up to 
him, a look of pure shock in her eyes. She stopped a few feet from 
him and buried her face in her hands. As tears streamed down her 
face and left a wet spot on the floor, Mulder laid William in the 
bassinet and came back to Scully.

She stopped crying when he cupped her face in his hands and 
wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She placed her hands on his broad shoulders, as if to feel that he 
was really there. Then, Scully took Mulder's hands in her own. She 
held them tightly between them. He squeezed them back.

She began crying again, and Mulder put his arms around her, 
pulling her to him. When she was enveloped in his arms, he softly 
kissed the top of her head. He brought his fingers up, and ran them 
through her auburn hair. Scully pulled away for a brief moment. 
She gave Mulder a weak smile before pressing his forehead against 
her own. It was a symbol of their partnership, their unity, and their 
love for one another. Scully's right hand came up and cradled the 
back of Mulder's neck.

Mulder whispered gently, "Oh, Scully, I've missed you so much."

Scully took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "You don't know 
what it's been like, Mulder. I was so alone."

Mulder leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. "I think I 
know how you feel," he replied after he had kissed her. "Scully, 
I'm so glad to be back."

XXXXXXX

Mulder pulled away from Scully. He took her hand and led her to 
the bassinet. As they looked down at the now sleeping William, 
Scully breathed, "He's starting to look more and more like you 
every day. I think he has your mouth."

He smiled. "Well, at least it wasn't my nose he got."

Scully looked at him with love in her eyes. "I like your nose," she 
said, pressing her pointer finger to his nose.

Mulder beamed and took her finger. He put a soft kiss on it, 
causing Scully to blush, which Mulder thought made her look even 
prettier. He turned back to the baby and murmured, "And yet he 
still looks suspiciously like Assistant Director Skinner!" He 
touched Will's bald head.

Scully smiled. "Well, he's all yours, Mulder. Just tell me, are you 
staying here with me forever?" she asked with a hint of 
hopefulness in her eyes. "Please say you are."

Mulder shrugged. "I don't know," he said, looking away.

Tears instantly smarted Scully's eyes. She knew it was too good to 
be true.

Mulder grabbed her shoulder. A gleam entered his eye. "Scully, 
I'm joking. I can stay as long as I want."

Scully felt her heart skip a beat. "Oh Mulder, don't ever do that to 
me!!! I just can't believe that you're here."

He gazed into her eyes and then looked back down at their son. 
"Well, I'm back, and I don't have anywhere to live. Have any 
ideas?" he joked.

Scully giggled. "Well, I still have that waterbed, and it's big. I 
think I could make room for you," she raised one eyebrow.

Mulder looked into Scully's eyes, the eyes he loved. She turned 
suddenly. "I'll go get us some champagne."

He felt her brush against him as she made her way to the kitchen. 
He smelled her hair, her ivory skin, and the feelings he had not 
been able to express for so long were once again awakened, just as 
they were when he woke up in that hospital after he had been 
brought back to life to find her holding his hand. Only were they 
aroused more so, because he never had to leave her again.

When she returned with the champagne and two glasses, he sighed. 
"Scully, I must admit, you really turn me on."

Scully laughed softly, a sound that was music to his ears. "Oh, you 
think you're turned on now??? Just wait till later."

A little while later, they were sitting on the couch drinking 
champagne. Scully excused herself to go to the bathroom, and 
Mulder saw his chance. He bolted to the stereo and turned on his 
all time favorite song, Creed's 'My Sacrifice.'

When Scully returned, he held out his hand. As the opening to the 
song came on, he said, "Care to dance?"

She almost melted into the floor at the sound of his voice. It was 
deeply sensual and full of love. She took his hand and they began 
slow dancing.

Hello, my friend, we meet again It's been awhile, where should we 
begin??? Feels like forever Within my heart a memory A perfect 
love that you gave to me Oh, I remember

When you are with me, I'm free I'm careless, I believe Above all 
the others, we'll fly This brings tears to my eyes My sacrifice

As the next verse began to play, Mulder put his mouth next to 
Scully's ear and softly sang along to the words.

We've seen our share of ups and downs Oh how quickly life can 
turn around In an instant It feels so good to realize What's in 
yourself and within your mind Let's find peace there

When you are with me, I'm free I'm careless, I believe Above all 
the others, we'll fly This brings tears to my eyes My sacrifice

I just want to say Hello again I just want to say Hello again

Scully's heart melted when she heard him sing those words. She 
knew he meant them. She knew she could say them too. As they 
continued to dance, she got up on her toes and put her own mouth 
to his ear and whispered, with her voice full of emotion, the 
beautiful words to a song that described them so well...

When you are with me, I'm free I'm careless, I believe Above all 
the others, we'll fly This brings tears to my eyes

Cause when you are with me, I'm free I'm careless, I believe 
Above all the others, we'll fly This brings tears to my eyes My 
sacrifice My sacrifice

I just want to say Hello again I just want to say Hello again My 
sacrifice...

Scully looked up to see Mulder's face right next to hers. He leaned 
in and passionately, sweetly, kissed her. When they were done, 
Mulder raised his eyebrows. "Well, Will's asleep, and it's getting 
late. I think it's our bedtime, Scully," he winked.

Scully just smiled and took Mulder's hand, leading him into the 
bedroom.

As they closed the door, the sound of William's musical mobile 
faintly filled the air as it began moving on its own...

XXXXXXX

3:03 am...

William's cries interrupted Mulder's sleep. He gradually opened his 
eyes. He looked to the right and saw Scully sleeping beside him. 
Her head rested on his shoulder, and her right hand was on his 
chest. His own right arm was around her shoulders.

He smiled sleepily. That was exactly the way they had fallen 
asleep together. But now someone had to get up, and it would be 
him, he figured, since she obviously wasn't going to wake up.

He reluctantly took her hand from his chest and placed it on her 
torso, then he gently slid his arm out from under her. She stirred a 
little, but didn't wake. Mulder crawled out of bed, and immediately 
felt a slight chill. He grabbed his pants off the chair where he had 
left them earlier, and put them on over his alien boxers. When he 
was warmer, he made his way into Will's room.

In Will's room, Mulder leaned over the bassinet and examined his 
son. As soon as William saw his father, he stopped crying. He 
looked up at Mulder and gave him a smile. Mulder reached in and 
picked up the baby, along with his security blanket, given to him 
by Agent Doggett. Mulder held the child tightly to his bare chest as 
he warmed a bottle of milk and started feeding it to Will.

When he was full, Mulder sat down in the rocking chair next to the 
cradle and made a futile attempt to make his son sleep. William 
evidently didn't want to go back to dreamland. He kept making 
noises and pulling on his father's chest hair.

"Ow!" Mulder whispered loudly in response to his son's incessant 
tugging.

 Instantly Will's face scrunched up and he looked as though he was 
going to cry loud enough to wake the whole apartment building. 
Mulder began to bounce Will up and down as he cooed softly. "It's 
okay, buddy. You don't want to wake up Mommy, do you? Let's go 
to sleep okay?"

William quieted. Mulder let out a sigh of relief. He supposed that 
the bouncing motion made him tired, or maybe it was his voice. 
But whatever the reason, a few minutes later, he was breathing 
delicately, clearly in slumber again. Mulder gently laid him down, 
and went back into the bedroom, wanting to get some rest.

But when he got there, he noticed that Scully had rolled over and 
was now in the very middle of the bed, making it very hard for him 
to get in without waking her. Mulder watched her sleep, her chest 
rising and falling with each breath, looking so peaceful. He didn't 
have the heart to wake her up and make her move.

So, he took a spare blanket out of the closet, and went back to the 
rocker. He silently lowered himself into it, and put the blanker over 
himself. Within a few moments, he felt himself falling asleep. His 
last thought was that he was very lucky to be home again with the 
two people that he loved most.

XXXXXXX

A stream of light entered through the window and rested on 
Scully's face. She slowly woke up, and was surprised to find that 
she could stretch. She looked over, expecting to see Mulder, but 
his side of the bed was empty. She found herself more than a little 
disappointed. She hoped that he at least hadn't left the apartment. 
Scully was about to get up when she felt a chill.

She pulled the sheets up to cover her underwear-clad form, in an 
attempt to stay warm. She wanted to get up and get dressed, but 
she didn't want to freeze while doing it.

Finally, after minutes of debating with herself on what to do, she 
stood up and quickly wrapped the sheet around herself. She was 
just about to run over to her dresser and grab her clothes when 
Mulder walked in, wearing only the same pair of pants he had 
worn the day before.

"Good morning," she said as he stepped up to kiss her. While their 
lips were still connected, he reached out and put his arms around 
her. Just as Mulder started to slide the bedsheet down, Scully broke 
the kiss.

"Mulder!" she said with feigned indignance in her voice.

"What?" he replied playfully.

"I need to get some clothes on," she said.

Mulder grinned and raised his eyebrow. "No, you don't, Scully. 
You look best in a bedsheet early in the morning. No wait," he 
stopped for a second and then continued. "Scratch that. If you have 
to wear anything, you look best in a bedsheet."

She was somehow able to manage a perfectly straight face. "Oh, 
that was funny," She pulled away from him and started to walk 
over to her dresser. But before she was four feet away, Mulder 
grabbed the trailing end of the bedsheet, effectively holding her in 
place. He started tugging gently on it, pulling her towards him, 
inch by inch.

Scully gripped the bedsheet tighter, and looked longingly at her 
dresser. She decided she had two choices. Number one, she could 
drop the sheet and walk away. No, she wouldn't do that. He would 
be much too happy.

Number two, she would just have to go to him and try to distract 
him long enough so that she could get some distance between 
them. She picked number two.

"Come on, Scully. You know you want to come back here," 
Mulder teased as he reeled her in. She went limp enough so that he 
could get her back to him. When her back was touching his chest, 
he put his arms around her waist and held her tightly to him. She 
squirmed a little, then stopped.

She turned and faced him, making a hollow effort to wrap the sheet 
tighter around herself. It was now or never. "How come you 
weren't in bed this morning?" she said alluringly as she ran her 
finger down his chest.

He took in a quick breath. But then he saw the gleam in her eyes. 
He grabbed her hand and put it to his lips. When he had taken them 
away, he replied, "I'm not falling for it."

So Scully tried the hurt animal approach. "But Mulder, I'm cold," 
she said shakily, looking at him with her best puppy dog eyes.

Mulder wasn't about ready to give in. "I'll make ya hot as Las 
Vegas weather," he sang, imitating Missy Elliot, as innocently as 
he possibly could, while trying to open the sheet more.

Scully smiled. He was so cute when he tried to be innocent. He 
probably didn't realize how great he looked in just a pair of pants 
and a bedhead. She couldn't resist his charm. She gave in, opening 
the bedsheet and letting him into it. "Okay, you win," she said 
softly. "But I really am cold, and Will's going to wake up in a little 
bit." She took the corners of the sheet and closed it around both of 
them.

Mulder put his arms around Scully. He gave her a soft kiss on the 
lips. Before she left his embrace, he spoke. "You don't have to be 
embarrassed, Scully. I don't care what you look like, and I 
definitely don't care if you have to walk around in your underwear 
for a minute to get dressed," he winked at her, making her laugh. 
"You're always beautiful to me."

She beamed at him. "You always know the right thing to say to 
me, Mulder," she kissed his nose.

Mulder grinned at her again. "I love you." He kissed her again and 
let her go.

Scully both surprised and delighted him by dropping the bedsheet 
to the ground before she went to get her clothes.

An astonished Mulder watched as Scully walked away in her 
underwear. Without taking his eyes off her, he picked up the 
white-as-snow bedsheet and tossed it to the bed. He watched her as 
she began rummaging around in her drawers, and then her closet, 
looking desperately for something to wear.

Mulder grinned when she couldn't find anything. 'She's so cute 
when she's panicking,' he thought as he smiled amusedly.

Scully could feel Mulder's eyes on her as she was searching for 
clothes. She silently cursed herself for having taken all her clothes 
down to the basement to get cleaned. Like she could run down to 
the basement in her underwear and a bedsheet to get them. She was 
about to grab what she had conveniently tossed on the floor last 
night when she felt something soft being laid around her shoulders.

 Scully turned slowly. It was Mulder, laying his robe around her. 
The navy blue fabric was warm and inviting. It smelled of him, and 
she immediately calmed.

"Thanks, Mulder," she whispered as she closed his robe around 
her.

Mulder brushed a strand of soft auburn hair out of Scully's face. As 
he looked into her eyes, he felt a sudden urge to hug her, and he 
gave in.

In his arms, a slightly confused Scully put her arms around 
Mulder's neck. She pulled away just enough so she could see his 
face. "Are you okay Mulder?"

He stared deep into her deep blue eyes. "Yeah. I'm just glad to be 
home," he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

Scully just sighed and ran her fingers through his brown hair. Yes, 
it was good to finally have him back.

Suddenly, William began fussing, breaking their moment. Scully 
pulled away, intending to go care for the baby. But Mulder stopped 
her.

"I'll get him," he said happily, walking away. She followed 
cautiously, hoping to see a moment between father and son.

When she arrived in Will's room, Mulder was sitting in the rocker 
with his son, rocking back and forth slowly. Will had stopped 
crying and his eyes were fixed upward. Mulder stood and gently 
laid the child back in his bassinet.

He sat back down and patted his lap, giving Scully a smirk that 
meant "come here."

She shook her head vigorously. "Mulder, not in front of the baby!"

He smiled ruthlessly. It was like her to be just too modest. "He 
needs to start seeing us together, Scully, or he's not gonna know 
we're his parents!"

She smiled down at him, not a usual occurrence. "Ok, you've 
convinced me." She came over and perched on his knee. He 
grabbed her hips and gently pulled her until her back touched his 
chest.

She leaned back until their cheeks were touching. Mulder took her 
hands in his, and he felt the ring on her finger. "You're still 
wearing my ring?" he asked sweetly.

She sighed. "I never forgot your promises to me, and I never will." 
She took the ring off and held it up, looking at it more closely.

It was a simple gold band to a regular person, but inside the band 
was the inscription 'I'm always in your heart. Mulder.' Mulder 
leaned forward and read it out loud. He took the promise ring out 
of her hand and placed it back on her finger, and then he kissed her 
hand.

She leaned back again, and Mulder held her hands in his. They 
intertwined their feet, and they stayed that way until Scully had to 
leave for work.

XXXXXXX

As soon as Scully was out the door, Mulder turned and walked 
quickly to the coffee table, picking up Scully's white portable 
phone. He pressed a number on the speed dial, and a few seconds 
later, a young girl's voice answered.

"Hello, Brown residence. Meredith speaking."

"Hi, Meredith? This is Fox Mulder."

Mulder could almost feel the warmth in her voice as she replied. 
"Oh, hi, Mr. Mulder. What do you need?"

"I need you to help me for the afternoon. Do you think you're up to 
it?"

Meredith's voice was friendly and willing. "What do you need help 
with?"

XXXXXXX

About a half hour later, there was a knock at Scully's door. Mulder 
looked up from feeding William. He stared down into the baby's 
eyes, feeling a special connection with his child. He stood and 
carried the still-eating baby to the door.

When he opened it, there stood Meredith, holding a purse and a 
large box under her arm. "Sorry that took me so long," she said as 
she walked in and set the box on the coffee table. ""I couldn't find 
everything you needed for awhile there." She held out her hand. 
"Now, where's my money?"

Mulder just stared at her for a second before placing Will in her 
arms. As she stroked the baby's face gently, Mulder pulled out a 
twenty-dollar bill. He pressed it into her hand. She smiled 
triumphantly and sat down at the couch. Mulder sat down beside 
the girl and took his son back as she opened the box.

"I've got scented candles, regular candles, bubble bath, and of 
course," she giggled, pulling out a bottle of white wine, "my dad's 
favourite. It's good. I've had some before. You'll love it."

Mulder was confused. He hadn't asked for anything, he just wanted 
her to baby- sit and tidy up the place. He said as much, and a 
compassionate look entered Meredith's eyes.

"I've been through a lot with Dana and I just thought that it would 
make everything more special. I want her to be happy."

Mulder smiled warmly at Meredith. She understood things so well 
for just a twelve year old. Somehow, he felt a connection with her 
that he couldn't understand. As he handed Will over to her, he 
noticed her blonde curls and hazel eyes, her full, pouty lips, and 
her smile as she held Will. She looked a little like William in a 
way. He thought- no, it couldn't be.

He mentally shook his head as he stood up and readied to leave. 
When he reached the door, Meredith spoke. "I'll have everything 
ready, Mr. Mulder, when she gets back." Mulder nodded and left.

When he was gone, Meredith felt a strange feeling, a connection of 
some sort, to Fox Mulder. When he had sat down next to her, she 
noticed his brown hair and hazel eyes. Somehow, it just felt weird. 
Like she knew him, or something. She thought- no. It couldn't 
be...it just couldn't be...

XXXXXXX

FBI Field Office Basement...

Doggett looked up from his paperwork to see Scully walk in, 
looking like she was on a cloud. She had a dreamy smile on her 
face, and she seemed surprisingly happy. She sat down next to his 
desk and smiled at him.

"Hello, John," she said happily. "Anything interesting to work on 
today?"

Doggett frowned inwardly. She never, ever called him John. And 
she hadn't spoken in that tone since Mulder left. "Agent Scully, are 
you feeling all right?" he asked, reaching up and feeling her 
forehead for signs of warmth.

Scully just took his hand off her forehead and giggled. "I'm feeling 
great. Better than ever!"

Doggett turned away, back to his work. "Good."

Scully spoke again with a hint of mystery in her voice. "Guess 
what?"

Doggett answered, "What?"

She leaned over and whispered in his ear. He pulled away quickly. 
"What?!?!?!"

She spoke it again, louder this time. Standing up, she said loudly, 
"Mulder's back!"

Doggett's eyes widened. "Really? When?"

Scully started pacing the office floor. "Last night. And he's 
staying! I wish I could go home," she added quietly to herself.

Doggett muttered under his breath, "I BET you do."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Scully just smiled again. "I wonder if Kersh will let me leave 
early?" She frowned suddenly, having just realized what she said. 
"Oh, wait...."

Doggett nodded. "...Yeah. Kersh being the main word there."

Scully sighed discontentedly. "Oh well." She stopped pacing and 
sat down next to him. "So, what do we have to do today?" she said 
monotonously, putting her chin in her hand.

"Well, aren't YOU excited today. Yee Hah."

"Shut up."

Doggett picked up the case file that he had been looking at. 
"Nothing too big, Kersh has put us on background check duty this 
week."

Scully didn't even blink. "Exciting."

"We're going to be paying a few visits today. Now, I know you 
don't want to be taken away from your Muldah, but this needs to 
be done. Normally, I would go by myself, but Kersh directly asked 
that you and I go. I don't know why exactly."

Scully just nodded, accepting their situation. "Where do we have to 
go?"

Doggett answered, "Well, a woman named Jenna Rich needs to be 
checked out, for one thing or another. She lives here in DC, so I 
thought we'd just go there today."

"Yes, but I need to be back at my apartment by 6."

"Why?"

"I have an engagement. It's important to me."

Doggett raised one eyebrow. "Important, huh? Okay, Agent Scully, 
don't worry. You'll be back with plenty of time to get ready for 
your "engagement." Now, back to the case file..."

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile... 2:23 PM.

Mulder unlocked and opened the door to his car. He climbed in 
and looked at everything he had bought. But in his hand was the 
most important item for the night: a small, white box. He fingered 
it for a moment before gently placing it on top of the things in the 
backseat.

 As he started the car and began his journey back to his apartment, 
he contemplated his excitement, his doubts, and finally his undying 
absolute faith that everything would be perfect.

XXXXXXX

Back at Mulder's Apartment...

Meredith sat back on the couch, surveying her work. So far, it 
looked good. Now it just needed two special people...

Suddenly, Will's cry interrupted her thoughts. She went to the 
bassinet, and as she was picking up the baby, she noticed a black 
photo album laying on the shelf.

Still holding William in her arms, she went to the shelf and picked 
up the album, taking it to the couch. She sat down and with one 
hand turned the album over.

The front had simply one word on it: Mulder.

Meredith opened to the inside cover. It read: To Scully, may you 
always remember. Made by Meredith.

Meredith smiled. She remembered making that, four months ago. 
She had been baby-sitting Will when she came across a big stack 
of pictures on the shelf. When she looked through them (hey, 
Scully told her to make herself at home!) she noticed that they 
were all of Mulder and Scully together, beginning in 1993 and 
ending in 2001.

She decided to make something special with some of them. So she 
went to her apartment and found a black photo album. She cut and 
pasted and worked for the rest of the day, and when she was done 
she was quite happy with it.

The very first picture was her favourite. It was of Mulder and a 
very pregnant Scully. Mulder was standing behind her with his 
arms around her neck. He peeked out with his big puppy dog eyes. 
Scully must have been enjoying it, because she was grinning. She 
had her hands on his, and they looked very happy.

Meredith smiled. She wished she could see Scully's face when she 
saw the apartment. But of course they would want to be alone...

Alone! Meredith suddenly remembered that she needed to drop 
Will off at Maggie's house before they got back. She went to the 
phone and dialed Maggie.

"Mrs. Scully? We're ready..."

XXXXXXX

1592 Grand Post Avenue, Washington, DC, 5:02pm...

Doggett and Scully finally arrived at the home of Jenna Rich, who 
had been purchasing quite a lot of medicine for one person.

"Ok, Agent Scully," Doggett said. "You ready to go in?"

Scully let out a quick breath. "Yah."

They got out of the car and made their way towards the house. But 
before they reached the door, a young woman answered. She had 
light brown hair and spoke with a slight British accent.

"Hello, who are you?"

A tiny little girl peeked out from behind her mother. She had short 
blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked at them for a moment, and 
then smiled at Scully.

Scully, feeling a motherly instinct inside, smiled back. A few 
minutes later, the two agents were seated on the couch with the 
little girl, Mariah, in between them. She had taken a great liking to 
Scully, obviously.

"So..." said Doggett. "We've noticed in our records that you've 
been buying quite a lot of medicine for one person. Can you please 
explain why?"

Jenna answered. "First you must know, I have a rare disease..."

Scully was only half listening. Her mind kept wandering to 
Mulder. Before she had left, he had told her to be at Meredith's 
apartment door by six for a special date. She got the tingles inside 
just thinking about it. She looked at her watch absentmindedly. 
5:45!

She stood suddenly. "Agent Doggett, I need to leave now for my 
appointment."

Doggett just stared at her. "Appointment?"

"Yes, the one I was telling you about. With that guy that had 
special powers."

Doggett grinned, knowing that she meant Mulder's power over her. 
"Oh, that one. Okay, would you like the car or do you want to take 
a cab?"

"I'll take the car, if that's okay."

"Okay Agent Scully," he answered. As she was leaving, he spoke 
again. "Tell me how it went, okay?" He spoke as a good friend.

She smiled in a friendly way. "Okay, I will. Goodbye, Ms. Rich. 
Goodbye Mariah."

The girl waved. "Bye Agent Scully! Come back and play with 
me."

"Okay."

As Scully left, she realized that she hadn't dressed for the occasion.

XXXXXXX

Mulder's Apartment , 5:07 PM...

Meredith answered the door to find Mulder standing there with an 
armload of bags and stuff.

When he was inside the door, he handed her four dozen red roses 
and a single white one.

"Aww, Mulder, you shouldn't have," Meredith said jokingly.

But Mulder didn't even crack a smile.

She stopped smiling and spoke seriously. "You're really nervous 
about this, aren't you?"

Mulder just nodded and looked away.

"Sorry."

"That's ok."

"So," she asked, "You have everything?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah."

"If you want, you can go to my apartment and change and get 
ready. I want to surprise you."

"That sounds good. Here's the stuff," Mulder said, handing her a 
box. "I'll just keep this white one."

Meredith took the box from his hands. "Okay. What do you want 
me to do with these?" she said, motioning to the red roses.

"Surprise me."

XXXXXXX

Mulder stood by the door to Meredith's apartment, wondering 
when Scully would arrive. To his total joy, a minute later, Scully 
appeared down the hall. He watched as she walked toward him.

Scully finally arrived at her apartment floor. As she walked down 
the hall, she spotted Mulder, standing there in a black tux and tie, 
holding a white rose. She walked toward him, and noticed that he 
was watching her every move.

 She knew she should have gone out and bought that black sparkly, 
short, low- cut dress she'd seen last week....

She finally met him at the door to Meredith's apartment.

"You're late," Mulder joked lightly.

Scully was serious. "Sorry, Mulder. Doggett and I got this case, 
and I..."

Mulder just stood there, listening to her explanation. He lost her 
after a moment, though, and so he just watched her mouth, her 
facial expressions, and her feet as she uneasily shifted her weight 
from one foot to the other.

Scully stopped talking and snapped her fingers in front of his face. 
"Mulder...what are you doing?"

Mulder shook his head. "Nothing..." He held up a dress in a bag, 
and a pair of shoes. "Here, I bought you a little something special 
to wear tonight." He smiled, handing it to her.

She took it, and when Mulder held the door open for her, she 
walked into Meredith's apartment.

She was so happy, she didn't even ask what they were doing in 
their neighbor's apartment.

XXXXXXX

As Scully entered the bathroom in Meredith's apartment, she 
pulled the dress out of the bag. She held it out and gasped.

It was the same dress she had seen in the store the other day! She 
held it up to her and saw that it would fit her perfectly. She quickly 
changed, did her hair and then looked at herself in the mirror.

'Oh my god,' she thought. 'Mulder has great taste in clothes.' She 
looked at the low cut and short length of the dress and changed her 
mind, laughing silently to herself as she walked out to meet him.

XXXXXXX

Mulder caught a quick breath when Scully came out of the 
apartment. She looked beautiful in the dress and shoes. Her auburn 
hair was piled atop her head with a few loose tendrils hanging 
down her face. In her hand she held her other clothes.

Scully walked out nervously. She hoped she looked okay. She had 
checked herself over and over again. But all of her nerves faded 
away in bliss when she saw the look on Mulder's face: Sheer 
amazement.

He took the clothes out of her hand, and said, "You look positively 
beautiful, my lady." He ceremoniously handed her the white rose.

"And you don't look so bad yourself," she smiled, touching his tie. 
He put his arm around her, leading her to the elevator. On their 
way, he knocked softly on the door to Scully's apartment, letting 
Meredith know that they were leaving. He heard another soft 
knock and knew that she would have things ready.

"Mulder, what was that noise?" Scully asked. "And why did we 
just pass my apartment?"

"Um...You heard nothing, and I have no idea why."

"Mulder..."

"Scully..."

Scully looked into Mulder's hazel eyes. She saw the love, the 
desire and the mirth. She knew he had something planned. And for 
the first time she wondered why she hadn't noticed the apartment 
thing before.

"Let's go, Scully," Mulder said, changing the subject. "We don't 
want to miss dinner." And they left just in time. Just as they 
entered the elevator, Meredith's parents arrived home.

XXXXXXX

Meredith peeked her head out the door to Scully's apartment. She 
watched the couple walk away, and then she saw her parents.

Mrs. Brown stepped forward. "Honey, what are you doing at 
Dana's?"

"Nothing, Mom. Just helping get things ready for her date."

"With who, Meredith?" This came from her dad.

"With Fox Mulder. He came back."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Meredith's mom replied. "Jack," she 
motioned to her husband. "Why don't you get a bottle of the good 
wine, your favourite? We can give it to them as a gift." Meredith 
gasped.

"What's wrong, hun?"

"Um...Nothing..."

Jack Brown walked into their apartment, and a few minutes later, 
he came out. "What happened to the wine? It's not in there."

"Nothing, Dad."

XXXXXXX

7:35 PM...

Mulder put his hand on the small of Scully's back as they walked 
back to the apartment. On the handle of the door was a white and 
gold ribbon, Meredith's sign that the apartment was empty...and 
waiting for them.

Mulder opened the door and let Scully walk in before him. He 
couldn't see the inside, but he heard her gasp softly.

Scully walked into the apartment and couldn't help but gasp in 
amazement. The entire apartment was decorated with candles. 
They were all lit, and with the lights off the place looked very 
romantic. She noticed a bottle of red wine sitting on the dining 
room table. She saw a trail of red rose petals leading all the way 
down the hall. They stopped at her closed bedroom door.

Mulder watched as Scully curiously followed the trail of rose 
petals. When she reached the bedroom door, however, he stopped 
her and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.

"Not yet," he whispered. "Go ahead and take a bubble bath and 
relax." Mostly he just said this because he wanted to see the 
bedroom first.

XXXXXXX

Scully slipped into the warm bubble bath, the faint scent of 
lavender candles filling her senses. She leaned back and sighed. 
She wondered what Mulder could be up to right now. But she was 
too happy and tired to care very much. She stayed in the bath for 
nearly half and hour, contemplating dinner.

It had been a blissful evening, Mulder constantly complementing 
her hair, her dress, and just her in general. She had noticed that he 
seemed a little nervous, though, something that didn't happen often 
with him. They talked about nothing in particular, just life before 
he was back.

Scully finally dragged her self out of the bubble bath and slid into 
Mulder's bathrobe, the first thing she grabbed. When she walked 
out of the bathroom, she saw Mulder sitting on the couch holding 
two glasses and the wine. His shirt was unbuttoned, the tie off 
somewhere. She smiled when he looked up.

He stood, never taking his adorable hazel eyes off her. He took her 
hand. "Ready?" he whispered.

"Yes," she said back, softly.

He led her towards the bedroom door, opening it as he went. She 
saw, on the bed, a ton of rose petals had been used to make a heart 
on the quilts. She put her hand over her mouth in astonishment.

"You did this Mulder? For me?"

"Well, I did think up the idea, but you should really give the credit 
to our little neighbor. She fixed this all up for us as a gift."

Scully didn't say anything, just stared at the heart.

Mulder sat down on just about the only part of the bed that wasn't 
populated with rose petals. He patted his lap, and she sat down on 
it. He took her left hand and fingered her promise ring gently.

"You like that ring, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied, her eyes on his. "It has never left me."

Mulder smiled, but the confused, nervous look was coming back. 
"Well, um...There's something I'd like you to do..."

Mulder pulled out the little white box. Scully smiled. "Anything."

He took her wedding finger and slid the ring off. He placed on the 
same finger of the other hand.

Scully almost started laughing, but stopped herself. "What now," 
she whispered.

Mulder opened the little white box, very slowly. Inside, laying in a 
blanket of white cloth, was a beautiful ring. It was gold, and the 
band was full of alternating ruby and diamond hearts. He handed it 
to her, but before she could put it on, he stopped her.

"Look inside," he smiled.

She turned the ring over so she could see the inside of the band. It 
said, in script, 'Will you Marry Me?'

Tears of joy filled Scully's eyes. She handed the ring back to 
Mulder so he could place it on her finger. She put her ivory arms 
around him and whispered into his ear, "Yes, Mulder. Of course I 
will."

After the ring was on her finger, Mulder kissed her hand and then 
her lips. "I've waited so long for this night," he said softly, trailing 
kisses across her face and down the side of her neck.

Scully sighed contentedly. "Hmmm...I love you Mulder."

"I love you too."

They leaned back on the bed when the phone rang. Mulder was 
about ready to let Scully get up when she gently pushed him back 
down.

"Mulder, it can wait a little longer..."

XXXXXXX

~~~She was standing in front of Mulder, between them...she saw 
her brother, Bill, take out the gun...she had to save Mulder...It was 
coming towards him.... 'No!' she screamed, jumping in the 
way...she felt the bullet penetrate her chest...~~~

Scully awoke with a start. It was just a dream, just a nightmare. 
She felt Mulder, sleeping soundly next to her. He was on his 
stomach, his arm across her. She sighed and looked at the ring on 
her finger. He was her fiancé', her best friend, everything she ever 
wanted.

She leaned over and turned on then radio. The song that came on 
was one she knew well. It was Wherever You Will Go by The 
Calling.

She remembered the last night that Mulder had been with her, 
when Will was just a newborn...

~~~'Oh, Scully, I don't want to leave,' he whispered in her ear. 'I'll 
miss you too much.'

'I know, and I'll miss you more than anything,' she said as they sat 
together on the couch, Will in Mulder's arms.

He leaned over and sang a few lines to the song, as it played on the 
radio. He had told her that no matter what, he would come 
back...then he gave her the promise ring... ~~~

 XXXXXXX

7:07 am...

She must have fallen asleep again...she looked around the 
bedroom. Something was missing. Mulder wasn't in bed. She 
stretched lazily and got up. When she reached the kitchen, she 
found Mulder walking around with Will, feeding him a bottle.

'He looks so good,' she thought as she walked up behind him and 
put her arms around his waist.

He turned and smiled. "Good morning, Scully."

"Morning."

"Do you have anything planned today, Scully?"

"Um...I have a meeting tonight. And I have to work."

"Oh," Mulder frowned. "When are we going to tell your family?"

Scully shrugged a little. "How about tomorrow night? We can have 
them over for dinner. And just tell them."

"But Scully, does Bill have to come?"

"Yes, Bill has to come. As much as you two hate each other, he's 
still my brother and he deserves to know."

"But can't we just call him? Then he can't hit me!"

"No, Mulder...it'll be fine, my mum's a great referee."

"Ah, yes," Mulder laughed. "If it all comes down to it, we can 
always have an organized fight. I can see it all now, your mum, 
refereeing it...just like WWF! Oh, excuse me. I mean WWE!"

"Mulder...you're crazy!"

"But it's a good crazy right?"

"Oh, yes, Mulder..." She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"Scully," Mulder whined. "Don't tempt me...I know you have to 
leave," he said, kissing her cheek.

Scully left him standing in the kitchen and went to take a shower. 
When she came out, all ready to go, she found Mulder watching 
Roadrunner and Wile. E. Coyote on Cartoon Network with 
William.

She snuck out quietly, so she wouldn't disturb them.

XXXXXXX

At the FBI Field Office...

Doggett watched as Scully entered the building. She looked a little 
happier than usual, even happier than the day before. He was 
standing by the metal detectors, waiting for her.

Scully entered the building and passed through the metal detector, 
it making its usual beeping sound. But by now the security guard 
knew that there was nothing wrong. She'd been passing through 
like this for seven years now, and it always beeped.

After she had passed through, she saw Doggett and walked up to 
him, beaming. "Ready to go?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes, Agent Scully," he answered. "I'm ready if you are."

"Of course I am." She giggled, very un-Scullylike. "Who are we 
visiting today?"

"Um..." Doggett flipped through the papers he held in his hand. "A 
man who's been hurting animals. Exciting."

"Okay."

"Are you all right, Agent Scully?"

"Oh, yes," she sighed. "Perfectly fine." With that, she waltzed out 
the door, Doggett following her.

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile...

Mulder sat in the apartment, watching TV and feeding Will. When 
he was full, Mulder stood and went to take the bottle to the sink. 
But the ringing of the phone stopped him.

"Mulder," he picked up.

He heard a voice on the other end. "Mr. Mulder, I have some 
important news to tell you, concerning your sister."

"And who is this?"

"Mr. Mulder, I would suggest not asking that question right now. I 
will come to your home to speak with you."

Will started crying and Mulder kept talking as he tried to comfort 
the child. "Well, I'm kind of watching my son right now, do you 
think we could just talk on the phone?"

The voice kept speaking in a monotonal kind of way. "Mulder, this 
may not be a secure line, at least not for this. I will come over in 
one half hour. Be ready." The voice hung up.

XXXXXXX

A half hour later...

Mulder heard a knock at the door. He picked Will up out of his 
bassinet, and carried him with him. He looked through the peep 
hole and saw a face that was completely unrecognizable to him.

He opened the door cautiously. "Well, what did you want to say?"

The man smiled a little. "You gonna let me in?"

"Uh, sure, why not?" Mulder held the door open and the dark-
skinned man walked in slowly.

"Mr. Mulder, you already know your sister was not taken by 
aliens. But something was taken from her. You found her diary, I 
believe, with all the stuff about the tests?"

"Yeah," Mulder answered, bouncing Will up and down gently.

"When she was thirteen years old, CGB Spender had her ova 
taken, so it could be used later on. No one had any use for it until 
about thirteen years ago, when it was used by a fertility agency to 
create a child."

Mulder blinked a few times. "Why would he take her ova?"

"So she could live on. He knew she was going to be taken, by the 
walk-ins. He anonymously donated it to a fertility agency. He 
loved her like a daughter."

"Well, what child did he create?"

"Let's just say, she's very close to you. I have to leave now, 
Mulder."

And before Mulder could ask another question, the man quickly 
showed himself out.

XXXXXXX

Later...

Scully and Doggett had just finished their fifth visit of the day. 
Nothing new. A pretty boring day. As they climbed into the car 
together, Doggett noticed a new ring on Scully's finger.

"What's that Agent Scully?" He asked.

Scully looked down at the ring. She slid it off her finger and 
handed it to him. "Read the inside."

Doggett looked at the script on the inside band. "Congratulations, 
Agent Scully!" He wanted to hug her, but didn't know how she 
would handle it. So he just handed the ring back. She slipped it 
onto her finger.

She smiled. "Yeah," she said dreamily. "Would you like to come to 
dinner tomorrow night? We're going to celebrate with my family, 
and we'd love to have you come."

Doggett nodded. "Sure. Of course I'll come."

XXXXXXX

Later that night...Scully's apartment, 11:30 PM...

Scully finally got home. She opened the door and walked in to find 
Mulder sleeping on the couch, wearing only a pair of jeans, Will 
sleeping on his bare chest. With Mulder's every breath, William 
rose and fell peacefully.

She set her suitcase down, and went to her room. Once she was 
changed, she came back into the living room.

Mulder woke up. "Hey," he said sleepily. "How was the meeting?"

Scully sighed. "The longest meeting in FBI history. Well, the 
second longest." She smiled and he smiled back.

He sat up a little, still holding Will, so she could sit down. Once 
she had sat down she put her hands on his shoulders and pulled 
down until his head was in her lap.

She put her hand on his hair and ran her fingers through its brown 
length. "So, when do you want to get married?"

Mulder looked up at her. "How about tomorrow? Let's just elope 
and not tell anyone." He joked.

She smirked. "I don't think so, Mulder. My mum wouldn't really 
appreciate that. I'm serious. How about June?"

"But Scully, it's only November. I can't wait that long!" he said 
with the big puppy dog eyes.

"Ok, how about April?"

"I guess I can wait that long. I might have some problems, but I 
can wait."

"But Mulder," she smiled down at him. "We already live together. 
It's like we're married anyway."

Mulder sighed. "Ya, I guess you're right. But I want the title. Mr. 
and Mrs. Fox Mulder. So, the future Mrs. Dana Mulder, what time 
is your family coming tomorrow?"

"How about 6? And by the way, I invited Skinner and Doggett 
over too. I thought they'd want to have a share in this."

Mulder smiled. "What was Skinner's reaction to all of this?"

"Well, aside from being completely surprised that you were back, 
the only word he had to say on the matter was "Finally.""

Mulder laughed. "There's Skinner for you." He looked at the clock. 
11:45. "Only about eighteen hours till Hurricane Bill hits us."

"Oh, Mulder..."

"What? I'm not joking. You might have a hard time cleaning the 
blood out of your carpet. If he goes after me I'm gonna get him 
good."

"Our carpet, Mulder. It's ours. And besides, nothing bad is going to 
happen." She got up, dropping his head onto the couch with a loud 
thud. She picked up their son and headed for bed. "Oh, if 
something does happen and you get blood everywhere, you're 
cleaning it up!" She called over her shoulder.

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

XXXXXXX

The next morning...at Scully's home, 8:58 am...

Mulder woke up to hear the sound of the radio coming from the 
kitchen. Scully was humming softly to the song on the station. He 
thought it was "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston.

He rolled over and pulled the sheets over his head so he could 
sleep some more, but then he remembered: Bill day. The day he 
was so excited for but also dreaded like nothing else. The more he 
thought about what could happen, the more awake he became. So 
he rolled off the bed, the floor breaking his fall.

After finally figuring out how to unroll himself from the tangled 
mass of white sheets that he was somehow stuck in, he went into 
the bathroom to take a hot shower.

As he stood in the shower, letting the hot water travel all over him, 
into his hair and down his back, he thought about how far he and 
Scully had come. When they met, he had immediately felt 
something different about her from all the other women he had 
ever had interest in. Their relationship had moved slower than any 
other he had encountered.

He had never really loved Diana, or Phoebe or any of the others. 
Those relationships had all been based on the physical aspects. But 
his and Scully's was completely different. He hadn't known for a 
long time if she returned the feelings he felt for her, so he hadn't 
known what to do. At first, the only physical contact they had 
shared was a touch of a hand, or maybe a hug. But soon it had 
evolved into something more. Not much more, but enough to make 
him stop calling those 1-900 numbers and getting those magazines.

It became a kiss on the forehead, although Mulder usually wished 
that she would put her red lips about six inches lower. He knew 
right away that he loved her, but he was scared of pushing her 
away. They were best friends, and sometimes he felt that it would 
never be anything more. But, then in the very back corner of his 
mind, he knew that everything would be all right.

Finally, after years and years of waiting and progress on their 
relationship, the physical side of it happened. He had wanted it for 
so long, and it only seemed to strengthen their relationship. Unlike 
his other interests, she still loved him and he still loved her. And 
now he would have her forever.

Mulder came out of his remembering when the shower water went 
cold on him. Yelping, he jumped out of the shower and dressed in 
his jogging sweats.

When he made it into the kitchen, Scully was still humming softly 
and making breakfast, wearing just his shirt. It came about halfway 
to her knees.

"Good morning," He said, moving to help her with the pancakes. 
He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist, putting 
his hands on her stomach.

 "Shh, Mulder," she whispered. "This is about the first time Will's 
slept all night, and I don't want him to wake up. So please keep it 
quiet."

But Mulder wasn't really listening. He was too busy pressing soft 
kisses to her neck and shoulders. "Um hum...keep it quiet...ya..."

Scully turned suddenly, making him pull his head back to keep 
from getting hit. "You ready for today?" she asked.

"Yep. I've just gotta drag out my old punching bag..."

"Mulder..." she playfully smacked him upside the head.

"Ow, Dana, that hurt," he whined, sounding very much like a little 
kid that had candy taken away from him.

"Oh, so you're calling me Dana now...does that mean I get to call 
you Fox when I feel like it?"

"Whatever you want..." he put his arms around her again and 
kissed her cheek.

"Mulder...er, Fox...Please try to contain yourself. I want this to be 
perfect. And I was thinking, to keep you and Bill from killing each 
other, why don't we go out to eat, maybe at Red Lobster, and tell 
them there?"

"Sounds good. You can call your mum from work and tell 
everyone to come. And how about I pick you up from work? 
There's some people I really would like to piss off. Kersh, mainly, 
and..."

She put one ivory finger to his lips, silencing him. "You do that. 
Come get me at four. And bring Will." She looked up at the clock. 
"I have to go to work, but here's some breakfast if you're hungry." 
She handed him a plate of pancakes. "Oh, and later, do you think 
you could call the Brown's and see if they'll watch Will for a 
couple of hours tonight? Pay them twenty if they will, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Will do."

Scully tried to pull away from Mulder to go get ready for work, but 
he tightened his grip around her waist and wouldn't let go. She 
pulled, but he was just too strong for her.

He tugged her closer to him and kissed her on the lips before he let 
her leave his embrace. "I love you, Dana."

"I love you too, Fox. But I really have to go." She walked away, 
her hips slightly swinging from side to side, seductively.

She was doing it on purpose. They both knew that they didn't have 
time for anything this morning, or for that matter, the whole rest of 
the day.

He sneaked up behind her and playfully smacked her butt as she 
entered the bedroom.

 She jumped about a mile. "What was that for?" she asked, holding 
it.

"You know what you do to me, Scully. And you know what you 
were doing."

"Why Fox Mulder, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking 
about. Oh wait...you mean this?" She started for their bathroom, 
swinging her hips from side to side, a little more this time than last.

"Ya," Mulder whispered, feeling the heat rush to his face.

Scully must have noticed it, because she started giggling, her face 
turning bright red in her laughter. Before Mulder could do 
anything, she darted for the door but spun around at the doorway. 
"I'm going to get you back for that little spanking, you know."

"That's what I'm counting on."

XXXXXXX

At the FBI Field Office...10 A.M...

Doggett sat down behind the desk that he and Scully shared, and 
watched as she entered the room. She still had that happy look on 
her face. It was almost like it was frozen on her.

"So, what are we working on today?"

"Well," he replied, "Another "check." From our offices, which is 
better than going out. Or maybe it isn't..."

She laughed a little. "Well, what are we waiting for? We'd better 
get out there."

As she walked out, Doggett sported a dumbfounded look. He 
wished she would always be this agreeable. Maybe she would be 
now. He remembered how she was just a few weeks ago, how to 
some agents she was known as "The Ice Queen." He wondered 
what they'd call her now...

Or even after the wedding. What then? She'd probably be known 
as "Mrs. Spooky." But he doubted she would really care. He found 
his mind wandering to the future, his future, her future, and the 
future of the X-files. He had no hesitance in knowing that there 
would be more Mulder children. And after a while she would want 
to leave the Bureau to be with them.

The only other person he had was Reyes, but she was out of the 
country visiting her dying grandmother, and she wouldn't be back 
for at least a month or two.

Scully poked her head back into the room. "Coming, Agent 
Doggett?"

"I'll be right with you."

XXXXXXX

About 3:30 P.M., Scully's home...

After Scully had left, Will had woken up, so Mulder had taken him 
into the living room to watch TV.

Now they were both dressed and ready to go pick up Scully and 
see everyone at the Bureau.

Mulder stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking over 
both himself and his son. He decided that they looked pretty good. 
He noticed how much Will looked like him, with his hazel eyes 
and pouty lips. He smiled into the mirror, and Will did the same, 
giggling.

As he walked to the phone to call the Brown's, he turned Will 
around and bounced him up and down.

"Daddy loves you, William. So does Mummy."

In response, Will babbled, "da...da...da...da..."

Mulder gasped in surprise. "Did you just say da-da?"

Will just said it again. "da....da..."

"Oh, wow! Your first word!!!" Mulder said with childlike joy. 
"We've got to tell Mummy! But first, the Brown's."

He decided to just go over. He had never met Mr. and Mrs. Brown, 
and feeling a protection over his son, he wanted to talk to them 
before he left Will there. When he reached the door, he knocked 
softly. He heard footsteps coming to the door, and a moment later, 
Meredith answered.

"Oh, hi Mr. Mulder."

"Hi, um...are your parents home?"

"Ya just a second," Meredith answered. "Moooooooooomm! Mr. 
Mulder's here to see you!" she yelled.

A moment later, Mrs. Brown appeared at the door. "Hello, Mr. 
Mulder. What can I do for you. Oh, and please, come in."

Mulder walked in and sat down next to Mrs. Brown on the couch. 
"Mrs. Brown-"

"Oh, you can call me Lela."

He began again. "Lela, I was just wondering if you could do me a 
favor. You see, Dana and I are going out to dinner tonight with her 
family, and we were wondering if you could possibly watch Will 
for a couple of hours."

Lela looked at Mulder's puppy dog eyes and decided her daughter 
was right. You just couldn't resist doing what he wanted.

Meredith came up and sat across from them in the recliner. "Oh, 
yes, Mum. Please can we?"

Lela smiled. Meredith loved little William almost like a brother. 
She never minded playing with him, holding him or baby sitting 
him. They had never been able to have kids, so they had adopted 
Meredith when she was a newborn. She couldn't help but notice 
that she somewhat bore a resemblance to William and his father.

"All right. We'll do it."

"Thank you so much. Can I drop him off at about four thirty?"

Meredith cut in. "Yes, sure. I can't wait to play with him."

Mulder stood. "I'm very sorry, but I have to leave now. I'll be back 
later, and thanks again."

Meredith stood as well. "I'll walk you to the door if I can hold 
him."

Mulder handed her the infant and they walked to the door together. 
They just stood outside the apartment for a few minutes, and 
Mulder just watched the girl play with his son. She was so good 
with him, and he was always happy when she held him. Once 
again, he saw the resemblance between the two children.

A few minutes later, Mulder and Will were in the car on their way 
to the office. Mulder was still thinking about Meredith and his son. 
And then the thought slapped him in the face like a bunch of 
bricks.

Meredith...twelve years old...nearly thirteen years ago...

He needed to have a talk with Mrs. Brown...

XXXXXXX

At the FBI Field Office...4:03 P.M...

Mulder cautiously walked into the office, feeling like complete 
stranger in the place that he used to feel so at home in.

Balancing Will in one arm, Mulder picked up a visitor's pass from 
the security guard standing by the metal detector. As he walked 
away to find Scully, he vaguely heard the guard snicker, "Ole 
Spooky's baaaaaaaack..."

He just ignored the looks and stares and the whispers as he made 
his way to the basement office.

When he reached the door, he looked at the nameplate hanging on 
it. Special Agent Doggett, Special Agent Reyes and Special Agent 
Scully, it read. He almost felt a twinge of jealousy that his name 
wasn't on it, right next to Scully's. But now wasn't the time to think 
about that, with Hurricane Bill only about two hours away.

He had been looking at the sign and daydreaming for so long that 
he didn't know the door had been opened and Scully was standing 
in front of him, her hands on her hips and a smile lighting her face.

"Ready?" he simply asked, putting his free hand on her shoulder.

"Um...yeah, I think so," she answered. "All we have to do is go 
out and get me a new dress for tonight."

"But, Scully, with you that could take hours."

"It won't take long, Mulder. And besides, don't you want to see me 
model them?"

A mischievous look entered Mulder's eyes. He dropped his hand 
and put it around her waist instead. He dropped his eyes as well. 
"As long as I get to come in the dressing room...You might need 
some help..."

"Mulder," she lowered her voice. "Not here."

"Sorry. So, where's old Doggie Dog at?"

"He's running a test on some fluid we had to get earlier. But don't 
worry, Mulder," she smiled. "You'll get to see him later."

"Oh. Yippee. I can't wait. Just remember Scully, we're not the best 
of friends, so don't be expecting us to hug and be all butt-
buddyish."

Scully smiled slightly. "Mulder. You can get along for one night, 
can't you?"

Mulder fake pouted. "I don't know..."

Scully reached behind Mulder and smacked his butt. "You'd 
better," she tried to say sternly, to no avail.

Mulder feigned a look of total surprise. "Scully, why I'm appalled. 
And in the office too!"

"Well, just a minute ago...never mind."

She took Will out of Mulder's arms and started walking for the 
elevator. As he ran to catch up with her, holding his butt with both 
hands, she whispered, "Told you I'd get you back!"

XXXXXXX

A Little While Later...

"Scully, I thought you said this wouldn't take long..."

A voice emerged from the dressing room. "Mulder, I've only been 
in here five minutes! You have no patience."

Mulder cracked his neck and moved Will to his other arm. "Well, I 
can't help myself. Hurricane Bill is going to kill me in about an 
hour!"

"Okay, okay. I'm coming."

A moment later, the dressing room door opened and Scully walked 
out. She was wearing a navy blue strappy dress that came down to 
about two inches above her knees. The bodice was fitting, and the 
v-neck revealed just the right amount of skin.

Mulder just stared at her, thinking she looked awesome.

"So," she twirled around slowly. "How do I look?"

Mulder didn't say anything for a while. He just looked her up and 
down and few times. Finally, a single word escaped his throat. 
"Wow."

"So you like it," Scully smiled. She liked the look on his face: 
sheer amazement.

"Oh ya," was all he said back. He turned Will to face his mother. 
"How does Mummy look, buddy?"

William just smiled and giggled a little.

Satisfied with the reaction, Scully turned and went back into the 
dressing room. A few minutes later, she emerged holding the dress 
over her arm.

"Ready to go, Foxy?" Scully put her arm around Mulder.

"Foxy? I thought you only called me that in..."

Scully put her finger to his lips to silence him. "Not here, Mulder."

"Sorry."

XXXXXXX

Later, at Red Lobster... 5:45...

Mulder and Scully arrived a little early. They saw a few people 
they knew, who all seemed very surprised to see them there, and 
together.

After a few minutes, they spotted Doggett and Skinner.

"Agent Scully, you look very beautiful," Skinner said, coming up 
to talk. Doggett followed suit.

"Watch it boys," Mulder said, taking Scully's hand. "This one's 
mine."

"Mulder! It's great to see you!" Skinner said, taking Mulder into a 
hug. Doggett just smiled, not wanting to get too close.

"I'm both very happy for the two of you," Doggett added. "I'm sure 
you'll have a great life together."

Mulder smiled, actually feeling halfway friendly toward the man. 
"Yes, we will."

Scully looked over and spotted her mum and Bill walking into the 
restaurant. She poked Mulder in the side and whispered in his ear.

"Hurricane Bill at 6 o'clock."

Mulder's smile quickly faded. He fumbled with his tie, which he 
wore with a gray dress shirt and dress pants. "How do I look?" he 
asked.

She whispered so only he could hear. "You look fine. Relax." She 
fingered his tie with one hand.

When they were all seated, Mulder and Scully on one side and 
Skinner and Doggett on the other, Scully waved to her family, and 
soon all six of them were seated and had their food.

"So," Maggie said. "How have things been for you, Fox?"

Mulder replied, "Things are going great. I'm just really happy to be 
home with my family." He nodded to all of them, but especially 
Scully.

Scully beamed, but her fork stopped halfway to her mouth. She 
could have sworn she saw Bill make a gagging motion with his 
fingers.

"How have things been since you arrived back?" Skinner 
questioned.

"They've been just perfect," Mulder answered, nudging Scully a 
little.

Scully started to giggle softly, but quickly stopped herself. She just 
turned her eyes to him, and they shared a "look."

Needless to say, the rest of the table noticed.

From his seat across his sister, Bill noticed the look the couple 
shared. There was something different. He didn't know what it 
was, but there was definitely something going on between them.

The table ate in silence for awhile until they were disrupted.

"Ow! Who's kicking my leg?" Maggie asked loudly.

Mulder's face immediately turned a dark shade of red.

Scully's face was red too, but from silent laughter. She gently 
jabbed Mulder's leg with her heel, and his foot found hers.

Sitting there eating, Bill wanted to throw up. He could bet all the 
money in the world that if he looked under the table, he would see 
a game of footsie going on between his sister and Mulder.

Mulder. The name he hated most. When he heard about the dinner, 
he thought it would just be family. But no, Dana had to bring along 
her boss, her partner, and...him. Bill continued to eat in quiet 
anger even as the rest of the table continued to converse around 
him. No one seemed to know or care that he wasn't joining in.

Scully smiled as Mulder kept rubbing his foot up and down her 
leg. She guessed that maybe it was some kind of reassurance. But 
then, it was Mulder. She couldn't expect that from him.

They talked about work, William, Mulder's return, and just their 
lives in general until Bill looked over at his sister's hand.

He spoke up. "What...is that?" He pointed to her engagement ring.

Scully glanced at her finger and her eyes widened a little. "Oh, we 
were just going to tell you, weren't we Mulder?"

Mulder cleared his throat, a sure sign that he was getting nervous. 
"Uh...yeah."

Skinner and Doggett threw each other a look that meant, 'I thought 
they knew.'

Scully looked over at her mom. "Mum, two nights ago, Mulder 
proposed to me. We're going to be married in April!"

Maggie gasped. "Oh Dana, I'm so happy for you! I knew this 
would happen! You don't know how long I've been waiting for 
this!" She reached over and hugged her daughter. The two women 
became engrossed in a discussion about the wedding, and of course 
the beautiful ring.

Mulder looked at Skinner and Doggett and rolled his eyes jokingly. 
The three men shared in laughter, leaving Bill alone.

'I can't believe she's actually marrying him! After everything he's 
put her through, she still loves him. Son of a...'

Maggie suddenly turned to Bill. "Oh, Bill isn't this wonderful?"

Bill put his napkin on his plate and stood up with a bang. The 
whole table's eyes were on him. He didn't even try to force a smile 
as he said bitterly, "Just peachy." He walked out of the restaurant.

Scully excused herself and followed her brother out the door.

"Bill, I..."

"Dana, I don't even want to hear it. He's put you through so much, 
but you still love him? Geez, Dana, what's wrong with you?!"

Scully frowned. A light snow began to fall over the siblings, and 
she felt the chill of the weather. "Bill, I love him. I always have. 
What I've been through, I've been through by choice. I could have 
left. But I didn't. God, Bill, why can't you just be happy for me, 
just this once?" She moved up to touch his arm, but he pulled 
away.

"You're stupid, Dana." He turned and started to walk to his car. At 
the doors, he spun around. "Have a great life, by the way. 
Congratulations on making the biggest mistake of your life. You'll 
regret it." He got into the car and drove away, leaving Scully with 
hot tears standing in her blue eyes.

How could he say that to her. She brushed the angry tears away 
and was about to walk inside when she felt something being laid 
around her shoulders. She turned around to see Mulder, slipping 
her coat on. He gave her a little smile as he pulled her into his 
arms.

"It's okay, Scully," he murmured, gently raking his fingers through 
her auburn hair. They just stood in each other's arms, neither one 
saying a word, as a light snow drifted over them. Maggie Scully 
watched the display through the window as Skinner helped her into 
her coat.

The night may not have gone as the two had planned, but in the 
end, they'd always have each other.

XXXXXXX

About 9 o'clock, Scully's apartment...

"I hate him!"

Mulder sat on the bed with Will in his arms. "Aw, Scully, it can't 
be all that bad. Besides, he has no say in what we do anyway!"

Scully emerged from the bathroom, an angry scowl on her face. 
"Mulder, it is a big deal. Bill has never approved of you, and I'm 
just sick and tired of him trying to act like he's my boss!"

Mulder just got up and put Will in the bassinet. He sat back down 
on the bed and patted the spot next to him.

She came and sat down, and he put his arm around her shoulders. 
"Scully," he said softly. "Bill doesn't matter. All that matters is us." 
He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek, pulling her so she was 
lying down next to him.

Scully looked up at him and smiled a little. She got up and crawled 
under the covers, and he followed her.

She lay down on her side, and he lay next to her, spooning himself 
around her body. He put his arms around her and hugged her 
tightly to him. He rested his chin on her hair.

"That's all that matters in the end," he whispered as slumber began 
to claim them. "And in the end, we'll always have each other."

END OF PART 1