TITLE:  Find the Future Series: Chapter Three

AUTHORS:  xphilernj and Fibbie (aka FBIWhistleblower)

E-MAILS:  xphilernj@aol.com and FBIWhistleblower@aol.com

WEBSITES:  https://donnilee.xf-redux.com/xphilernj.html and 
http://members.aol.com/xphilernj/fbiwhistleblower.html   

DISTRIBUTION:  Please ask first!

RATING:  At least, no one under the age of 13, please, due to 
some curse words.  If rating changes, a 'CONTENT WARNING' will 
be included.

CATEGORIES:  S, MSR, H, A 

KEYWORDS:  AU, Mulder/Scully married

SPOILERS:  All episodes up to Requiem and before Mulder's 
abduction.  Then ventures off into an unknown future.

SUMMARY:  Here comes trouble with Thanksgiving around the corner.

DISCLAIMER: Fibbie - Sorry CC, we just couldn't help ourselves, 
but we will return them when we're good and ready.  nj - Shhhh, 
don't tell anyone.  We'll sneak them back in before midnight. 
(Maybe...)

* * * * * * *

Chapter Three 1/2

* * * * * * *

"'urkee"
by xphilernj and Fibbie

* * *


November 23, 2005
Mulder Residence
Wednesday before Thanksgiving


Mulder had just finished the last few lines of a chapter he had 
been working on.  The draft for his latest book was due by the end 
of January and with the upcoming holidays, he grabbed bits of time 
alone when he could.

His son's footsteps drifted through the open door to his office 
just as Mulder shut his computer down.  He turned to see William 
standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Buddy, finished watching your video?" 

William nodded.  "Daa ... deee,"  the three year old whined.  

"Will, please don't whine.  You know we've talked about this 
before.  Haven't we, Buddy?"  Fox Mulder questioned as he got up 
and knelt before his impatient son. 

"Yesss, Daddy.  'ou don't yike it 'en I do dat,"  William replied, 
sticking out his very Mulderesque bottom lip and lowering his head. 

"That's right, Buddy, I don't like it when you whine," Mulder 
lightly scolded.

"I, sowee, Daddy." 

"Okay, Buddy.  Now, what did you need?" Mulder asked, as he 
brushed a lock of light brown hair from William's brow.

"Daddy, 'en Matty get 'ere?  I 'anna pay 'if Matty." William 
questioned his father, looking up, but still pouting.

Mulder sighed for the fifth time and gathered his already fragile 
patience.  Needless to say, it had not been the only time today 
they had had that conversation.  He had been delegated, by his 
harried wife, to keep their very impatient son busy so she could 
finish the last minute preparations for their family dinner.  
Scully's family, Bill, Tara and Matthew, were due almost anytime.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Mulder couldn't help but wonder 
if this was the kind of frustration Walter Skinner had felt every 
time he sat in front of his A.D., attempting to justify some 
outrageous X-Files case, usually without prior permission.

It was at times like these, with his own son, when Mulder felt a 
deep, abiding wonder, admiration and kinship with his ex-boss' 
extraordinary patience.

"Will, I'm not sure when they'll get here, but it shouldn't be 
much longer.  Hey Buddy, how'd you like to help me with a big 
decision about something that's very, *very* important?"  Mulder 
asked William, hoping to prevent any further questioning.  

William nodded as his little face lit up; he loved helping his 
much-adored "Daddy".  "Okaee, Daddy.  I hep 'ou."

"Great.  Come on, Buddy, let's go into the den."  

Mulder stood up and held out his hand.  William eagerly slipped 
his small one into his father's big one and both headed out on 
their mission.

* * * * * * *

Dana Mulder watched from around the kitchen wall as Mulder talked 
to William.  With a grin, she shook her head when she realized her 
husband had yet again dodged another extensive pouting session. 
She was more than familiar with the famous Mulder pout and its 
effect. Scully might never tell him, but that plump, pouty lower 
lip was one of the very first things that had attracted her to her 
partner-husband.

Scully turned back into the kitchen, checked the roast, carrots 
and potatoes in the oven, glanced at the clock and then pulled the 
vegetables out of the refrigerator.  Since she had already cleaned 
and prepared the veggies ahead of time, all she had to do was make 
the salad.  Securing it with plastic wrap, she returned it to the 
fridge.

A commotion from the den drew her attention and she slipped quietly 
up to the doorway and peeked in, being careful not to interrupt the 
intense conversation.  Scully quickly covered her mouth with her 
hand to forestall the giggle that was tempted to erupt.

Father and son were vigorously debating the merits of watching 
football or Sponge Bob Squarepants.  Unfortunately for Mulder, 
Sponge Bob was winning, hands down.  

Scully knew that Mulder was privately and overwhelmingly grateful 
that Barney, that awful purple dinosaur, was no longer the number 
one video addiction of pre-schoolers everywhere.  She clearly 
remembered the day when her Mom had offered her vast collection 
of Barney videos to them for her youngest grandson's enjoyment.  
Maggie had bought and kept them at her house for Matthew's visits 
when he was William's age. 

Scully also remembered the panic face, which only she could read, 
and the vein that had quite visibly throbbed on her husband's 
temple at the suggestion.  Mulder had very politely declined his 
mother-in-law's offer, insisting that she keep them for some time 
in the future when William would eventually stay overnight at 
Memaw's house.

Scully was certain Mulder had barely avoided an aneurysm over 
that one!

Scully was jerked out of her reverie at the sound of knocking at 
the front door and she immediately headed in that direction.  
The sound of footsteps scrambling through the den behind her had 
her laughing as she opened the door.

* * * * * * *

Father and son skidded to a halt behind Scully as she opened the 
door.  William could barely contain his excitement, pulling on 
Mulder's pants and jumping up and down.

"Hey, Bill.  Come in, please," Scully said rather cooly but still 
hugged her big brother and planted a kiss on his cheek, then 
closed the door against the cool fall air.

"Hi, Dana."  Bill hugged his little sister, then stepped back.  
"Good to see you.  You look good."

"Thanks.  Where's Tara and Matthew?"  

"Oh, they're out by the car.  They saw Mom coming up the drive."  
Bill replied and then glanced at William and Mulder.  "Hey, 
little guy.  You're getting so big.  How're you doing?"  Bill 
bent over to look at him eye to eye.  

"Fine," William shyly replied as he inched closer to his Daddy 
while clutching his leg, clearly not comfortable around his 
uncle.  As much as he'd tried not to show it, Mulder was certain 
his son could feel the tension between his "Daddy" and his 
"Uncle Bill."  Of course, Bill's expected remarks didn't help 
matters, even if William didn't truly understand their meanings.

"Well, we know whose son he is," Bill snidely commented as he 
stood.

"Bill."  Scully warned.

"Mr. Mulder."  Bill addressed Mulder, nodding his head and 
ignoring his sister.

"Bill.  Please, just call me Mulder.  Nice to see you.  Would 
you like to see where you will be staying or would you rather 
wait until later?"  Mulder cordially addressed Bill, secretly 
hoping he would take the offer, and then picked up his son.  
William had reluctantly let go of his father's pants leg and 
then threw his little arms around his Daddy's neck as he was 
lifted up.

Bill turned back to Scully, completely ignoring Mulder.  "We 
can wait 'til later."

Laughter and excited greetings could be heard from the front 
yard.  Scully opened the door to smiles and giggles.

"Hey, Matthew.  Look at you.  You're so big," Scully said as 
she hugged him.

"Hey, Aunt Dana."

"Matty!" Will called excitedly out to his cousin, barely able 
to keep from jumping out of his father's arms.

"Hi, Will.  Hi, Uncle Mulder," Matthew said, greeting both 
father and son with a smile.  "Wanta go play, Will?  Is it 
okay, Uncle Mulder?" Matthew asked as Mulder knelt and placed 
William back on his feet.

"Hello, Matthew.  It's nice to see you.  And, yeah, it's okay.  
Hey Buddy, why don't you show Matthew your room?" Mulder gently 
coaxed William.

"Okaee.  'mon Matty."  William looked up at his cousin and 
smiled and then both boys rushed from the room.  "I yike 
'urkee legs. 'ou yike 'urkee legs, Matty?"  His excited 
chatter echoed down the stairway.

Mulder chuckled, stood just as Tara and Maggie walked through 
the door.  He watched as Scully greeted both women and then 
patiently waited.

"Fox,"  both women said in unison when they turned from Scully 
to see him grinning.

"Hello, Tara. Hi, Mom," he softly replied, hugging both women.  
Mulder glanced over at Bill and could clearly see the disgust 
and anger on his face.  Mulder ignored him and ushered the women 
into the den.

"Are you coming, Bill?" Scully asked with a smirk, turning and 
leaving a fuming Bill Scully standing alone.

"Should've stayed at a hotel," Bill muttered under his breath 
as he reluctantly followed them.

* * * * * * *

Dana, Tara and Maggie were looking through the latest Mulder 
family photos.  There was laughter and a lot of oohing and 
aahing over various cute and adorable father and son antics.  
Scully proudly cooed over pictures of William.

Bill sat staring sullenly at the football game playing on the 
television and visibly cringed each time Mulder or William was 
mentioned.  He shifted restlessly, as if trying to find a more 
comfortable position.  

Mulder watched the scene before him, feeling content and happy.  
A smile played at the corners of his mouth when, from the 
stairwell, he heard William and Matthew giggling and laughing 
over the latest Sponge Bob video.  He sighed and shook his head 
when he spotted Bill squirming and barely containing his 
frustration. 

Mulder stood and addressed the women.

"Ladies, I'm going to get a glass of iced tea.  Can I get you 
something?"

"Thanks, Mulder.  I think I would love some iced tea too," Scully 
answered with a smile.  "Mom? Tara?" 

"Yes, thank you, Fox," Maggie replied.

"Yes, that would be nice," Tara softly said.

"Great," Mulder said, then addressed his brother-in-law.  "Bill 
would you mind helping me in the kitchen?  I'd really appreciate 
it," Mulder said with a disarming smile.  

Bill's venomous look grated on Mulder's nerves, but he made a 
point to hide it.  He watched as Bill stood, stuffed his hands 
in his pockets and huffed out a sigh.  Mulder took in a deep 
breath and headed to the kitchen.  Bill followed slowly behind.  

Mulder opened the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of tea, 
setting it on the island counter.  He then opened the freezer 
door and looked back at Bill still standing in the doorway.

"Bill would you mind getting the glasses out of the cabinet over 
the dishwasher?"  Mulder said over his shoulder, then pulled the 
ice container out and set it next to the pitcher of tea.

Without a word, Bill reluctantly did as asked, but was obviously 
not pleased about being alone with Mulder.

Mulder went to the sink, washed and dried his hands, then began 
filling the glasses with ice.  He noticed Bill had moved to the 
screen door leading out to the backyard.  He sighed and paused 
for a moment, glancing at Bill's profile.  Then, he filled the 
glasses with tea and set them aside.  

Mulder turned with his arms folded, leaned against the counter 
and lowered his head.

"Bill, Dana and I have been married for four years now," Mulder 
began.  "She is the happiest I've seen her in a very long time.  
Hell, we both are.  I can't speak for her but, I believe we've 
finally found the life we both had longed for and deserve.  We 
have a beautiful little boy who is the biggest joy in our 
lives."  

Mulder paused, with a glance toward Bill.  His brother-in-law 
hadn't moved, other than the muscle in his jaw which was 
getting a good workout from grinding his teeth.  

"With the exception of my mother, William, Dana and her family, 
by extention, are the only family I have.  I want my son to know 
his mother's family.  I want him to grow up knowing that there 
will always be someone that he can count on."  Mulder sighed and 
turned to the kitchen window.  Before he could utter another word, 
Matthew and William entered the kitchen.

Both boys stopped and looked between their fathers and then at 
each other.  William sidled up to his father and tugged on his 
pants leg.

"Daddy, can Me and Matty haf sumpin ta dwink? Peez?"  William 
asked as he looked up at his father.

"Of course, Buddy.  How about some juice?"

Both boys yelled their approval along with laughter and giggles.

"Can we take them back to William's room, Uncle Mulder?" Matthew 
asked while jumping up and down.

"Oh no, Matty," William started with a stage whisper.  "Moma 
don't yike no dwinks in tha woom."

Mulder grinned at his son and then corrected him.  "William 
it's, 'Moma doesn't like drinks in the room.'"

"Moma dozen lllike drrinks in tha rrroom."  William looked at 
his Daddy expectantly.  "Did I say it rrright, Daddy?" 

"You did good, Buddy,"  Mulder replied, ruffling his son's hair.  
He pulled two small juice containers from the refrigerator, 
opened them, stuck in the attached straws and handed the drinks 
to William and Matthew.  "You boys go sit at the breakfast table 
until you're finished."

"Thank you, Uncle Mulder," Matthew uttered, carrying his juice 
to the table.  He climbed up on one of the chairs to wait for 
his cousin.

"Tank you, Daddy," Will said as he took the drink from his 
father, then said, "Daddy, was that rrright?" William asked, 
looking to his father for approval.

"Th ... ank.  Thank you."  Mulder repeated.

"Th ... ank you, Daddy."  William grinned and with both hands 
holding his juice turned to join Matthew at the table.

"You're welcome.  Just be care ..."  Before he could finish, 
William tripped on a stray shoe lace, squeezed the container 
and spilled his juice on the floor.  

"Uh ... oh."  William stammered anxiously, staring at the 
puddle on the floor.  

Mulder grabbed a handful of paper towels.  He walked over to 
William, carefully took the drink from his son's hands and set 
it on the table.  Then he handed him the paper towels and gently 
prodded him to clean up the spilled juice.  

"Daaa ... deee,"  William whined and then quickly eyed his Daddy, 
pouty lip firmly in place.

"William," Mulder said sternly, but gently.  "Get to it, Buddy.  
The quicker you finish, the quicker you can join Matthew at the 
table," he encouraged his petulant child.    

William threw his hands up, sighed loudly and then knelt down 
on the floor, and as quickly as his little hands could, he 
cleaned up the spill.

When he finished, William threw the soiled paper towels into 
the garbage without being told to do so, then turned back to 
his Daddy with an impish grin.

"Okaee, Daddy?" the child asked his father, walking slowly to him.

"Thank you, Buddy.  You did good."  Mulder knelt beside his son, 
wiped his hands with a damp kitchen towel, and then quickly tied 
the loosened lace on his shoe.  He brushed an errant lock of hair 
off his William's forehead, then patted him gently on the bottom.  
"Go on now and be careful, okay?"

"Okaee."  William hugged his Daddy and then joined Matthew at the 
table.

Both boys began whispering and laughing, being extra careful not 
to spill their drinks.

Mulder stood, threw the hand towel on the counter and turned to 
see Bill staring in what he thought might be awe.  He picked up 
two glasses of tea and handed them to Bill.  Then he carefully 
juggled the other three and motioned with his head for Bill to 
follow.

"Mulder, just a minute," Bill quietly spoke.  He glanced over 
at the boys, walked closer to Mulder and lowered his voice.  
"You were good with him.  With both of them, actually.  I 
suppose I'm a bit surprised."  

Mulder gave Bill a quirky grin, nodded, sat the glasses down 
and spoke seriously.  "Look Bill, all I want is to make Dana 
and William happy and to keep them safe.  All I ever wanted, 
since I fell in love with your sister, was a chance to be a 
husband and father.  She has graciously granted my first wish 
and blessed me with the second.  You can ask your sister.  I 
didn't change overnight.  I understand your concerns, but Bill, 
she is happy.  I live to give her everything she could want or 
need and deserve.  She's the very air I breathe.  So is our son.

"I don't know what else I could say or do to make you 
understand or accept the life we now live.  I can only hope 
that one day you *will* see what I see now:  a very content 
wife and mother, and a beautiful, happy little boy."

Bill looked at Mulder for a moment and then shook his head.  

"You speak eloquently now of how you've changed, but it's gonna 
take a lot more to convince me.  Even though you have this place 
and money, I still don't believe you're good for my sister or my 
nephew."  Bill glanced back at the boys and then lowered his 
voice even more.  "In my book, you're still a sorry 
son-of-a-bitch."

Mulder blinked at Bill, decided that discretion was, indeed, the 
better part of valor, and changed the subject. "Let's get these 
drinks out to the women." 

Bill nodded, smiling smugly to himself, turned and started back 
to join the rest of the family.  

Mulder picked up the glasses once more and followed behind in a 
bit of a quandry.  He shook his head.  He would have to share 
this last bit of revelation with his wife later that evening.

Maybe, there was hope for a Happy Thanksgiving, but then again, 
with Bill Scully around ...

* * * * * * *

End of Part One


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* * * * * * *

Chapter Three 2/2

* * * * * * *

'urkee
by xphilernj and Fibbie

* * *


The Year 2004


As Fox Mulder's 2004 New Year's resolution, and with the help of 
the Gunmen, he had started a search for the perfect place to 
settle down and raise a family. 

Very specific conditions were placed by Mulder on their massive 
search: privacy, plenty of wide open spaces, enough acreage to 
accommodate several dwellings.

The most important stipulation of all, however, was that Scully 
was not to know about any of it.

The latter condition, as it turned out, was the most difficult of 
all to keep. 

With the hush-hush conversations between Mulder and the Gunmen, 
quick shut-down of computers, hanging up in the middle of phone 
conversations and clandestine meetings, Scully was ready to 
string them all up and hang them out to dry. 

Mulder felt bad for the deception because Scully's patience was 
clearly wearing thin.

On March 3rd, after three long months of stomping around the 
countryside of northern Virginia, they found the perfect place:  
one hundred and twenty-five acres of prime real estate, complete 
with two lakes and a large, very old, very beautiful farmhouse.  
There was more than enough room for Mulder, Scully and William 
... with room to grow, hopefully.

On March 15th, the papers were signed.  After four months of 
renovations to the main house, roads carefully planned out and 
built, agricultural clean-up, landscaping and five lakeside 
cottages constructed and furnished, Mulder was ready.

* * * * * * *

Quick thinking and careful planning had the Mulder family on the 
road for their first family vacation.  "It's a surprise, Scully.  
If I told you where we were going, it wouldn't be a surprise," 
Mulder had told her and would not relent on his silence.

Passing the Culpeper, Virginia highway sign and taking the exit 
had finally proven to be too much for Scully's overwhelming 
curiosity. 

"Culpeper, Mulder?  What's in Culpeper?  Have you ever been here 
before?  Mulder, what are we doing here?"  The rapid firing of 
questions had Mulder grinning and shaking his head, continued to 
crunch on his ever-present sunflower seeds and glancing in the 
rear view mirror to see William taking in the scenery with wide 
eyes.

"Patience, Scully," Mulder's jovial tone did not seem to quell 
her propensity for wanting all the facts before hand.  The 'I' 
in F.B.I. had become her motto years ago.

From the back seat came his son's impatient voice.  "Aw we dare 
yet, Daddy?"

Mulder glanced in the mirror once more, grinned and then replied, 
"Almost, Son."

William sighed, leaned his head against his car seat and stared 
out the window again.

* * * * * * *

The dirt road lead to an old rustic arched gateway.  Above the arc 
in ornate iron lettering was, M & S.  Hanging underneath was a 
crude weathered sign bearing the address: 1013 Starbuck Drive.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scully's mouth open and 
close.  Her eyebrow raised.

Mulder grinned as he followed the road, about a quarter of a mile, 
then made a right turn.  The Land Rover traveled another 600 feet 
and came to a stop before, what appeared to be, a newly renovated 
white two story southern-style farmhouse.  

"Mulder, what is this?  Who lives here?"  Scully asked, eyes 
squinted and clearly agitated by Mulder's continued silence and 
constant smirk.

"Come on, Scully."  Mulder said as he slid out of the Rover and 
opened the back door to retrieve his son.  "Come on, Buddy, let's 
get you out of here."

William patiently waited as his Daddy unfastened his seatbelt, 
helped him out of the kiddie carseat and took his hand as they 
joined his Moma.

"Mulder ..."  Scully's tone left nothing to the imagination.  She 
was beyond impatient.

Mulder slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, 
handing them to her and grinning.

"Go, go and open the door."

"Mulder, what are you talking about?  Who lives here?"  

"We do."

"Wha ..."  Scully's startled response was cut short by Mulder's 
kiss and her son's giggles.

"Just open the door, Scully.  Please."  He pleaded.

Stunned, Scully slowly took the sidewalk up to the steps and onto 
the porch.  She hesitated for but a second and then stood before 
the door and slipped the key into the lock.  She glanced back as 
Mulder and William came up behind her, turned the key and opened 
the door.

"Mulder," came Scully's soft response to the vision before her.  
She stepped further into the foyer, turned and with wide, watery 
eyes she looked first at her smiling son and then to her husband.  
"Mulder, it's beautiful.  How?  When?  I ..." a hiccupped sob 
escaped and her hands covered her mouth. 

"Do you like it, Scully?" Mulder asked as he stepped in front of 
her and at her nod he nervously continued.  "We had talked about 
finding a place away from D.C. to raise William and possibly 
having his 'Gamma' and 'Memaw' close by.  The guys helped me look 
for and find this place.  I know it drove you crazy and I'm sorry 
for being so secretive but I really wanted to surprise you.  Do 
you really like it, Scully?  You will have to do the decorating 
'cause you know what my apartment looked like and ..."

Scully stopped his rambling with a kiss.  Her arms draped around 
his neck and letting go of William's hand, his wrapped around her 
waist.  She withdrew slightly and whispered.  "I love it, Mulder.  
I love you."

Small hands tapped Mulder's leg.  He looked down to see his son's 
smiling face. 

"I wanta hug too!" William exclaimed.

Mulder and Scully laughed as Mulder picked him up and hugged him 
tightly.  Scully reached around her two men and laid her head on 
Mulder's chest. 

"Is dis my howz, Daddy?" William asked.

"Our house, Buddy.  Do you like it?" 

"Yup.  I yike it," William replied and then snuggled into the 
crook of his Daddy's neck.  

"We're home.  Really home." Mulder said as he kissed the top of 
Scully's head, and then their son's forehead.

On August 23, 2004, the Mulder family had finally come home.

* * * * * * *

Present day
Wednesday, late afternoon
Mulder Residence


After a couple of hours of terse conversations, offensive glances 
and Bill's anxious fidgeting, Mulder had decided to put Bill out 
of *their* misery. 

Piling into their respective vehicles, with Maggie hitching a ride 
with her son-in-law, they made the three-quarter mile trek to where 
Bill, Tara and Matthew would be staying while visiting.  Scully 
stayed behind with William, to Mulder's disappointment, to finish 
the dinner she had planned for them all.

"Mom, I don't think Bill wants to be here,"  Mulder quietly said.

"Fox, don't worry about Bill.  The important thing is that we're 
all together, thankfully, another year.  Give him time, Fox, he'll 
come around." 

"I don't know about that, Mom.  It's been four years and still 
nothing's changed.  Sometimes, I wonder, if I had stayed away, 
things would have been different ... better for ..."

"Different ... better, for whom, Fox?  You, Dana, William?  Yes, I 
agree it would have been different, but I don't see how it would 
have been better.  William wouldn't have the father whom he 
absolutely adores, and Dana would not have the love of her life, 
the other half of her soul," Maggie stated quietly with a glance in 
his direction, her hands primly folded in her lap. "You wouldn't 
have my daughter and your son, and I've never seen you so happy in 
all the years I've known you.  And, Dana is finally happy ... truly 
happy for the first time in a very long time.

"Fox, in case you hadn't noticed, Bill is a very stubborn man and 
will have to work through his doubt about you on his own.  All you 
can do is continue to love my daughter and grandson, just as you 
always have.  That's *your* job.  There isn't anything more that you 
can do.  Stop worrying about Bill.  That's *my* job."  Maggie 
finished with a smile.

Mulder smiled back and reached out and squeezed her hand.  "All 
right, Mom.  I'll try."

"Good," Maggie said with finality and patted his hand.

* * * * * * *

At the fork in the road, Mulder took a left, passed Maggie's 
cottage and came to a stop at the next one.  As he exited the 
vehicle, he could hear Matthew's excited voice.

"Uncle Mulder, this place is so cool!" Matthew excitedly said and 
then turned to his father.  "Isn't it great, Dad?"

Bill silently cursed the Mulder name and put on a false smile for 
his son's benefit.  "Yeah, great," he spoke aloud and then to 
himself. *Just great.*  Bill slammed the Jeep's hatch after 
unloading the luggage and huffed with iritation. 

Mulder ruffled Matthew's hair and smiled.  He reached into his 
pocket and withdrew a set of keys, handing them to Matthew.

"Here ya go, Matt.  Why don't you go open the door for your dad?"  

"Really, Uncle Mulder?"  At his, fast-becoming favorite Uncle's 
nod, Matthew turned to his Dad with pride.  "Come on, Dad.  I'll 
open the door for you."  Matthew grabbed his suitcase and another 
small one and headed for the front door.

Mulder turned to Tara when he felt her hand on his arm.

"It's a beautiful place, Fox.  Thank you for inviting us," Tara 
said with her soft voice.  "And for that."  She nodded toward her 
son with an appreciative smile.

"Don't mention it, Tara.  He's a good boy.  And, it's a pleasure 
to have you all here.  I know Scully has been looking forward to 
this for a long time," Mulder replied and briefly touched her 
shoulder before continuing.  "The house was just cleaned and 
stocked.  If there is anything and I mean anything that you need, 
just let us know.  I'm gonna head back to the house.  I'm sure 
Scully could use a break from William. We'll see you around 6."

Tara chuckled.  "Thanks, I'm sure we'll be just fine.  You go 
before Dana comes looking for you."

"We'll see you later," Mulder said as he climbed back into his 
Land Rover and headed back to the their home.

* * * * * * *

Later that night, while William slept safely and peacefully down 
the hall, Scully curled up against her husband's sated body.

Mulder closed his eyes and sighed with contentment.  His family 
was safe. 

His family.  

That would always be his greatest source of strength and 
happiness.  He smiled and gently pulled Scully closer.

* * * * * * *

End of Part Two

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