From: "Ram" Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 18:06:15 +0100 Subject: Submission: After 2 - After The Beginning (1/1) Source: direct Title: After 2 - After The Beginning. Author: Joey R. Rating: PG-13 for sensitive and mature topics. Category: MSR, angst - couldn't resist. Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. I wish they were but they're not. If I were you, I wouldn't waste your money suing me because I've spent all my money on X-File merchandise. Spoilers: Emily. Summary: Sequel to 'The Morning After'. Archive: Please do. Let me know where, though. Feedback: All welcome at Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk or Joey_r83@yahoo.com - feedback cherished and will be rewarded with a yummy Mulder clone. Flames: If you can find the time to write them, I'll try to find the time to read them. Dedication: Fanfic writers and readers. Note: This story has nothing to do with any other stories written by me. Visit my fic@ www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/1240/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Love is, above all else, the gift of oneself ~ Jean Anounilth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________ After The Beginning By Joey R. ================== After The Beginning (1/2) Their morning ritual of waking up together was still going strong, even after three months of being together. There had not been one morning where they had woken up in separate beds, which they were happy about - even though they'd come close to being caught out once or twice. Their relationship was almost discovered by both Mrs. Scully and Skinner when they happened to call one apartment and the wrong person had picked up and answered the phone. On this Friday morning, however, things were a little different. Mulder, not Scully, woke up first and decided to treat her to breakfast in bed. They had a meeting with AD Skinner scheduled at ten o'clock. The meeting was to involve them, the X-files and Special Agent Diana Fowley. Scully was nervous and worrying about whether or not they'd been found out and how Diana Fowley was concerned. Mulder knew she was more upset about Fowley being involved than the threat of them being found out. They both knew they would manage to stay together, even if they were found out. They had all ready discussed it. If the worst came to the worst, Mulder would stay with the X-files and Scully would either be reassigned to Quantico or go back to practicing medicine at the local hospital. He was even prepared, if it came down to it and if it meant they could stay together, to leave the X-files and investigate the paranormal without the Bureau's resources. He fixed her some toast, tea and orange juice and carried it through to the bedroom. She was still sleeping, finally managing to stop tossing and turning and having nightmares. " Dana, Sweetheart," he murmured softly, settling the tray down on the bedside table and climbing on the bed beside her. " Dana, Honey. It's morning." " Mmm," Scully stirred when he rested a hand on the small of her back. She opened one eye and looked at him. " I don't want to wake up." " I'm afraid you have to," he sighed, lying down beside her and lovingly nuzzling her neck. " We've got a meeting." " I know but it's nice here," she protested sleepily. " It's just the two of us for ever and ever and ever and it's fun." " I bet it is," he chuckled. " But we have to go to work and the real world." " No," she shook her head and turned so she was on her back. " I want to stay here, I don't want to leave the apartment. I don't want you too, either." Her blue eyes were beginning to clear from the sleepy mist that had clouded them. She gave him an innocent look. " Stay with me. Here, all day, every day." " You know that's a very tempting offer," he grinned down at her. " But how about we compromise?" Mulder suggested. " You wake up, eat the breakfast I painstakingly prepared for you and then come to work with me. The I'll spend the whole weekend together in this room if that's what you want." " I guess it'll have to do," she sighed, closing her eyes. Moments later, she opened her eyes again. " Did you just say you made breakfast?" " Don't look so surprised." He acted insulted. " I can make breakfast when I want." " Yes, when you want," Scully sat up and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. " But usually all you want to do in the morning is try to prevent me from making breakfast." " I just think you're tastier," he kissed her quickly but gently before picking up the tray and putting it down on the bed. She rolled her eyes and bit into a slice of toast. He grinned triumphantly at the lack of response and bit into his own piece of toast. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X A few hours later, Mulder and Scully had showered and dressed and were waiting to be called into AD Skinner's office. Mulder felt her tense as soon as Diana Fowley entered and placed a hand on her arm, trying to reassure her. Scully looked down at his hand and then up into his eyes, warning him about the physical contact. Mulder didn't reply. He just moved his hand from her arm to her hand. He squeezed it lovingly, ignoring Fowley's presence completely. Scully stifled a smile at the annoyed expression Agent Fowley wore but her relief was short lived. The door to the office opened and AD Skinner appeared. " Agents." It wasn't what he said, it was the way he said it. Mulder and Scully stood, letting go of each others hands as they did so and followed Skinner and Fowley into the office. They sat down when Skinner told them, with Scully nearest the door and Mulder in the middle. Skinner looked from one to the other and back again. " Do any of you know why you're here?" Skinner asked with an expressionless face. " No, Sir," Mulder and Scully answered. " I believe it has something to do with a reassignment," Fowley commented with a smug smile in Mulder and Scully's direction. The partners traded worried glances before turning their attention back to their superior. " It may involve reassignment," Skinner nodded, noticing Mulder and Scully's looks. " Agents Mulder and Scully, I know what you're thinking but you're wrong. You aren't going to be separated. Agent Fowley, however, may be reassigned to the X-files division, temporarily." " You mean all three of us?" Mulder spoke up, his brow furrowing as he thought of the tension it would cause - at work and out of it. He didn't want trust Fowley and he knew if they were put in a situation where there was the three of them in one office, she would try to come between Scully and himself - especially if she found out about their personal relationship. " Sir, I don't think that situation would work out, for any of us." " I wasn't aware that was the situation, Sir," Fowley chimed in, looking even more annoyed than she had in the waiting room. " There's a change in plan, Agent Fowley," Skinner explained, with a slight edge to his voice. He was about to continue when Scully's appearance caught his attention. " Agent Scully? Are you all right?" Scully looked up. Her eyes were slightly dazed and she found it hard to breathe. She kept feeling sharp pains in her stomach and her vision had blurred but she had tried to hide it since it had started before the meeting and she hadn't mentioned it then, not wanting to cause a fuss. she told herself. " I..Excuse me," Scully stood up and started walking as quickly as she could to the door. She didn't make it that far, though. She became too dizzy and collapsed. Luckily for her, Mulder was right behind her and he caught her in his arms before she fell to the ground. He lowered her to the ground, cradling her head as Skinner called for an ambulance. " Come on, Dana. Stay with me," he encouraged, feeling desperately for her pulse. He found it but it was irregular and getting weaker. His heart skipped a beat when she closed her eyes. " Sweetheart, please." " Mulder," Scully' eyes opened at the term of endearment. " You..You just blew it." " I don't care anymore," he whispered, meaning it. " I don't...I can't breathe properly.." She felt her eyelids growing heavy and tried to fight it. " Mulder..." " Shh," Mulder blinked back tears of fear. " Just hang on, we're gonna get you to a hospital and find out what's wrong, okay? Just hold on?" " No." Her voice grew weak and Mulder had to strain to hear her words. He noticed a very faint, very forced smile playing with her lips." I.. You' re..never...making breakfast....not again." Mulder grinned despite his worry. She was trying to be strong, trying to be teasing and reassuring despite her growing weakness. He watched her close her eyes and time slowed, almost to a halt, whilst they waited helplessly for the ambulance to get there. He felt a tear stream down his cheek, his eyes and his throat stinging as he let stubbornly to her. " No.." He bent down and kissed her forehead, a fear of losing her painfully gripping his heart. " Hold on, Dana. Please." End of Part One. After The Beginning (2/2) {Author's note: Sensitive material ahead - talk of pregnancy and miscarriage. I also have no medical background so the story may not be accurate, details and realistically wise.} In Mulder's eyes, it had taken a decade, if not longer, for the ambulance to get there. He held Scully tightly, crying silently and not caring who saw. She was his life, he'd built his future around her. And here she was. Lying unconscious, half on the floor and half in his arms, with some mysterious illness. Remembering Diana was in the room, he looked up and glared at her. " If I find out that you and the smoking bastard had anything to do with this, I'll kill you," he vowed before turning his attention back to Scully. Diana looked shocked for a moment, than she muttered an excuse and left the office. Skinner was about to follow her when the paramedics finally arrived. He held Mulder at bay, giving them room to check her for any sign of injuries. The head paramedic looked up. " What's her name?" He - identified by his name tag as Anderson - asked as his colleague took a pulse reading. " Dana, Dana Scully," Skinner answered, knowing Mulder was in no state to answer as he couldn't concentrate enough to remember his own name, never mind someone else's. " I'm her boss, do you know what's wrong?" " I can't be sure.." Anderson responded. " Has her next of kin been notified?" " Her mother's been called and Agent Mulder is her partner," Skinner replied again. " Professionally and personally." " Okay, we're going to have to take her to the hospital immediately. Mr. Mulder, would you like to accompany her to the hospital?" Anderson asked as they lifted Scully onto a stretcher. " Yeah," Mulder nodded, the shock obviously catching up with him. " Do you..Do you know what's wrong with her?" " I suspect she's having a miscarriage," Anderson answered calmly. " What?" Mulder's eyes widened. " That's not possible, she can't have children. She's sterile." " Well, that's the only explanation I can come up to until we reach the hospital," was the reply. Mulder followed and climbed in the ambulance beside her. He sat opposite her and held her hand tightly. " It's going to be okay, Dana." He whispered to her, fighting back tears. He turned his attention to Anderson. " Is there..Is there any chance, if she is pregnant, that you can save the baby?" " If she is pregnant, which is the only explanation I can come up with, than I can promise you we'll try everything we can to save the baby. We might not be able to save the child but we'll try." Anderson looked at him sympathetically. " I take it you want children." " We never thought it was possible, we never.. we never spoke about it. I know she'd love to be a mother, though," Mulder looked at her, his expression pained. She's already lost one child. I don't think she could cope if she lost another." " Did she miscarry before?" Anderson asked. " No. Her daughter was three. She'd been adopted at birth and was dying when we found her," Mulder closed his eyes and tightened her grip on her hand. " I can't lose her and I will if she loses this child." " We'll do everything we can," Anderson checked Scully's vitals. " Do you have any idea what could have caused it?" Mulder asked. " It may just be that she's stressed and has high blood pressure and needs sedating. It may be that the fetus is in an awkward position and is putting pressure on an artery which would require surgery. I think it's most likely the later since there hasn't been any sign of blood loss, that and your partner has been under stress which hasn't helped ease the situation," Anderson answered. " I won't be sure until we've got her to the hospital and have done a scan." " Okay." Mulder stayed silent for the rest of the ride. He held Scully's hand, refusing to let go, until they reached the hospital and she was whisked away from him in to A&E. Mulder wasn't alone for long, though. Margaret Scully rushed into the reception area, her brown eyes wide with worry and concern for her daughter. She rushed immediately to Mulder, her eyes searching his. " Fox? What is it? Is Dana okay?" Maggie demanded frantically. " I don't know." He shook his head. " They think she might be having a miscarriage or that the baby's position could be putting tension on an artery or something. They're doing tests.." " Miscarriage? Baby?" Maggie's eyes narrowed. " She can't have children. And then who's the father?" " I am." He moved slowly over to the chairs and sat down, his shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. " We.. We've been together for a while, three months. Maybe, maybe that's why this happened, because she was under pressure to keep us quiet. It's my fault." " I don't believe that for a moment, Fox," Maggie sat beside him and her voice softened on seeing how distraught he was. " You were under pressure to keep your relationship silent too, weren't you? And if it's been going on for three months, she would have mentioned if she was uncomfortable with it." " I asked her about it a while ago. She said she wanted to keep us secret so we could stay with the X-files and stay together at work. She didn't believe I want to be with her more than I want the X-files, I guess." He lifted his head at the sound of footsteps approaching and was on his feet as soon as he recognized the approaching person to be Anderson, the paramedic who had brought her in. " Is she okay?" " Mr. Mulder, I'm guessing this is Mrs. Scully?" Anderson looked to the nervous woman beside Mulder. " Yeah. Is she going to be okay?" Mulder pressed. " It is what I suspected, she is pregnant. It's not a miscarriage, though. I t is the position of the fetus putting pressure on a main artery. She's being taken to the operating theater now and I suspect it'll take around an hour. A doctor will be out to talk to you soon, I have to go back out, I'm on duty," Anderson explained. I hope everything goes okay for you." " Thank you," Mulder shook his outstretched hand. " And thank you for helping her." " It comes with the job," Anderson grinned charmingly before leaving Mulder and Mrs. Scully to a long and intense wait. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X Three hours later, Mulder and Mrs. Scully were approached by a young doctor who introduced herself as Dr. Morrison. " Mr. Mulder and Mrs. Scully? I'm Dr. Morrison, I was in the theater with Dana." Dr. Morrison shook their hands. " Is Dana okay?" Maggie asked, her heart pounding in her chest. " And the baby?" " They're both fine," Dr. Morrison smiled. " Your daughter is in recovery and we're going to keep her there for tonight, just to make sure her condition is stable. In a few days, we'll move her to a private room where she will be able to rest for a few days until she can go home." " Can we see her?" Mulder asked, beating Maggie to the punch. " Only for a little while. She's still under the anesthetic we gave her during surgery," Dr. Morrison explained. " She probably won't regain consciousness until tomorrow but I see no reason why you shouldn't say goodbye to her." Mulder and Mrs. Scully followed Dr. Morrison to the recovery unit where they saw Scully, lying motionless on the standardized hospital bed. Dr. Morrison left them alone and they each took a side. " She looks so peaceful," Maggie sighed. " Like she's sleeping," Mulder agreed, taking her hand. " You think she can hear us?" " I think so," Maggie looked up at him and smiled encouragingly. " Why don't you break the news?" " You don't want to?" He looked at her, confused. Maggie shook her head, indicating that he should tell her before their time was up. " Dana, Sweetheart. I've got something to tell you. It's gonna be a shock, I know but you're pregnant. There's no other way of saying it. We're going to have a baby." He paused before looking back to Mrs. Scully. " You think she'll be happy about it?" " I'm sure she'll be as thrilled as we are, Fox," Maggie smiled. " And I'm thrilled that the two of you finally got together. It's about time." " Thank you," Mulder smiled at her, obviously relieved and delighted that she approved of his relationship with her daughter. They left when they were approached by Dr. Morrison, with both of them kissing Scully and promising to be back soon. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X A FEW DAYS LATER. It was finally here. The day they'd been waiting for. The day Scully was allowed to go home. A lot had happened since she was taken in to hospital and had come round after surgery. She'd talked with her mother and Mulder and they'd decided to stop even trying to hide their relationship and were going to go house hunting as soon as she was strong enough. Until then, they were going to stay at Mrs. Scully's house so they could be together and there was someone to look after her whilst Mulder was at work. Mulder and Mrs. Scully came to the hospital to take her home and help carry the cards they'd gotten from Skinner and The Lone Gunmen and other friends and family. Everyone had been surprised but thrilled for the couple, knowing that they were very much in love. How Scully was able to have a child was still a mystery to them all, including the doctors who reported no sighs of Scully being sterile, except for in her medical records. Mulder and Scully didn't really want to know how, though. All they cared about was their future together, with their child, their miracle. End of Part Two. The End.