Almost Home (15/?)
By Shoshana

February 23nd, 2001
Friday
10:00 p.m.
The Mulder Summer Home, Quonochontaug, Rhode Island

"You're sure we've never done this before?" Mulder asked, surrounded
by Scully's precious family photo albums.  "I feel like I've seen
most of these people before," he added.

"Yes, I'm positive, Mulder.  You've asked me about individual
photographs on my bookcase shelf, but I've never subjected you to all
this before."

They were sitting on the couch at the summer house, drinking tea and
enjoying the warmth of a crackling fire.  They'd spent the rest of
the afternoon sightseeing, returning just in time to watch the sunset
from the cliffs nearby.  

She glanced up from the volume in her lap and grinned.  "You have
seen quite a few of these people before," she agreed.  "I hate to
read more into that than there is... but I think your reaction to
sensual memories is a good sign."

He matched her grin, leaning over to kiss her cheek.  "I'm very
pleased to have vivid sensual memories of you, Scully."  He drew back
so he could stroke her softly with his forefinger.  Her face had
reddened slightly with his words.  

"You didn't recognize me when you came charging into your apartment
Monday night," she remarked doubtfully.

"Not at first.  I think I was too hyped up on adrenaline to give
your features proper attention.  Once I sat next to you on the bed
and relaxed for a few minutes--your voice, your touch seemed so
familiar to me.  It's only intensified with every passing day, 
Scully."

Scully pursed her lips in thought for a minute, then said, "I'd like
to believe you retained those memories, Mulder.  I really would.  But
my skeptic heart knows we've been together almost twenty-four hours a
day since Monday."    

"No, no, Scully.  You can't analyze this from a logical perspective.
I *know* these aren't things I hadn't just discovered about you.  I
can't imagine trusting you, spending Monday night in the same bed
with you, if I hadn't remembered you on some subconscious level. 
It's a positive sign.  Moreover, if the only memories I ever retrieve
from the past eight years are limited to the sight and smell of
you... well, I think I can live with that."

He kissed her on the lips this time, stroking her silky hair with
one hand while balancing several photo albums on his lap.

Scully's cheeks were glowing now, warmed by his flattery as much as
his heated kisses.  "I can still hope for more, can't I?  I'd feel
better if we knew what happened to you.  Mulder,  I hate to bring
this up now, but there's no better time.  We're going to have to go
back to Hoover so we can use the resources there.  I'm going to want
to get back to the office next week."

"No problem.  We'll just go when the fewest people are there.  If I
don't remember someone, I'll play it by ear.  We're on vacation,
Scully.  Not banned from the building itself."

"I know.  But Skinner's been bugging me to take some time off.  If
we start spending a lot of time in the basement he'll personally
throw us out."

"Do you trust him, Scully?" 

She shrugged her shoulders, still baffled by the enigmatic AD.  He'd
been so helpful to her all these months, allowing her access to all
the Bureau's resources, cooperating with the Lone Gunmen's requests
for specific information.  She didn't know what to think of Skinner
anymore.  He was more friend than foe at this point.

"I'm not sure.  Most of the time I trust him.  I think he might warn
me before I revealed too much to him.  He's done that before,
especially when you were in the psychiatric ward at Georgetown.  He
told me he was already compromised--before I told him information
Krycek might desire."

"We don't have to tell him everything, Scully.  Just enough to get
his help in certain areas.  I don't think there's any way we can keep
the memory loss a secret from him forever.  It will come out sooner
or later, in a meeting about a case, maybe even a casual
conversation.  I can prepare myself for that by spending hours of
time at the office.  Or I can just try to take things as they come."

He shifted the photo albums to the couch beside him so he could put
his arm around her.  He put his feet up on the coffee table and
leaned back against the cushions of the old, but sturdy piece of
furniture.  Scully relaxed against his side after shuffling her
volume to an end table.

"Tell me more about your dad, Scully.  I only found a few paragraphs
about him in my journal.  I know there's so much more than that;
things you've never told me."

"It's been so long since we've talked about Dad, Mulder.  I wish I
could remember what I told you about him, but I had to skim over that
part of your journal.  I was more interested in how recent events
could help me find you when I used it last year, not those from the
early years of our partnership.  Should I just begin from the
beginning?"

He leaned over to press a kiss to the crown of her auburn hair, "I'd
prefer to hear your version anyway, Scully," he told her softly.

She squeezed his hand gently and began, "My father used to read to
me from Moby Dick when I was a little girl.  I can't remember the day
I started to call him Ahab, I was so young when I nicknamed him that.
And in return he called me Starbuck, his good little sailor."

Scully entwined her fingers with Mulder's and drew tiny circles on
his thumb as she continued, "He was gone for months on end, but
seemed ever-present, always in our hearts and minds.  His letters
were read out loud by the youngest child, as soon as they acquired
the ability to plow through his plainspoken words.  I couldn't wait
to learn how to read so I'd be the one to have that privilege."

"He was gone a lot, but when he was home, he was really home,
Mulder.  He spent every minute after school was out for the day with
one or more of his kids.  He'd never actually pull us out of school
or anything, he was too concerned about all of us doing better than
he had.  Which was really silly, in my opinion.  He was a great
success in life; a naval captain, a good husband, a great dad."

She tilted her face up toward Mulder's so he could see her eyes were
filled with unshed tears.  "I wish you could have met him.  He would
have understood you, Mulder."

"How so?" he whispered softly.  He didn't need much volume to be
heard distinctly in the stillness of the beachfront home.  By this
time of night, very few cars passed by outside and most winter
residents had turned in for the night.        

"He was a dreamer, too.  He'd spend so much time on his own at sea;
he'd come back with fascinating stories, some from books, some all
his own.  Stories about the stars, and the sea, and monsters of the
deep.  He'd always tell me a story before bedtime when he was home."

"He'd tell you scary tales at bedtime?" Mulder gawked.

"They weren't scary when he was through telling them.  The hero
always succeeded, always slew the giant squid or octopus or whatever
he came up with that night.  My mother would warn him not to tell us
a particularly chilling story, and, of course, that was the one we'd
beg for.  It took me years to realize my parents were playing a
little game with one another; she never really meant to dissuade him
all."

"What happened at bedtime when he wasn't around?" Mulder asked
curiously.

"Mom had her own repertoire, Mulder.  More like Grimm's fairy tales
than anything else.  Sometimes she'd improvise and change the
endings, but we always called her on it when she did that."

"Who was the disciplinarian of the family?"

"They both were, in their own ways.  It was kind of difficult for
Mom.  She could never say 'Wait until your father comes home!' to us.
She dealt with sibling fights and rivalry like she did everything
else, with fairness and lots of good humor."

"Didn't you ever rebel against your parents?  Or did you leave that
all to your siblings?" he wondered.

"Well, I know you're aware of Melissa's vagabond ways.  She was
always a free spirit, even as a young child.  I was constantly warned
by my parents not to end up like her, especially when she dropped out
of college and cruised up and down the California coast with her
friends.  Bill and I never did anything like that.  We didn't want to
disappoint Mom and Dad."

Scully smiled up at him and continued, "Of course, that didn't stop
Charlie from becoming a hellion in high school.  I was in college by
the time I started getting calls from my mom about his behavior. 
After just a few minutes of pleasant conversation, she'd give a
resigned sigh and tell me 'You're not going to believe what Charlie
did at school the other day.'"

Mulder gazed down at her, lifting his hand to guide one stray
tendril behind her ear.  "Where's Charlie now?"

"In Germany.  He was in the Army for his hitch and now he's married
to a native girl there.  They have three kids, but I rarely see them.
It's just too expensive to bring the whole family over," she said
wistfully.

Mulder winked at her and stroked her cheek with his thumb.  "Maybe
we'll get them over here soon.  So we can get all the little cousins
together."

Scully beamed up at him.  "I'd like that.  Bill's family is
stationed in Maryland temporarily.  They may be transferred back to
the West coast at any time, but it would be nice to plan on having
everyone here for Christmas."  She paused a beat, then asked, "Would
that be all right with you?  Really?"

He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips, and responded,
"Scully, it's only February... so much will be resolved by then.  It
will be more than all right with me."

She returned his kiss, pulling his chin toward her own and lingering
a little longer than he had.  She smiled, then unhooked his arm from
around her shoulder.  He raised his brows, silently asking her why
she was moving toward the other side of the couch.

"Let's finish looking at one last photo album, Mulder.  You want to
be well prepared for Mom, don't you?"

"It's not your mom I'm concerned about, Scully.  You know that," he
answered goodnaturedly.

"Bill's nothing but a show off, Mulder.  He's all bluster, no
substantial threat to you."

"Yeah, but his little sister's never been knocked up by her alien
chasing partner before, has she?  I can imagine what he was like when
he heard about this."

She reached over and pulled his hand into her lap, twining their
fingers once again.  

"Look, I already told you--my mother has already given him a
lecture.  He's heard my opinion loud and clear, and he won't be
giving you any trouble on Sunday."

Mulder ran the pad of his thumb over the smooth, soft skin of her
hand.  He licked at his lips, pausing to choose his words carefully,
"I... Scully... I just want to prove to them I'll be a good father. 
Like your Dad was."

Scully ran her hand along his strong jaw line, smiling at him.  "So
that's why you asked me about Dad."  She bobbed her head knowingly
and continued, "I thought there was more than mere curiosity in your
request."  

Her thumb stroked his full mouth lovingly, and she pulled him down
for a quick caress of his lips.

"You'll make a fine dad, Mulder.  I know you love children.  You're
wonderful with children.  You already were... with Emily," she
whispered softly.  

Scully's eyes welled with tears once again; this time they strayed
down her cheeks with abandon.  Mulder closed the gap between them,
pulling her against him tightly.  She buried her face against his
chest, finally giving in to thoughts and emotions she'd entertained
often while Mulder was gone.  

She'd often thought about those few days with Emily, how Mulder had
played so well with her, how the little girl had instantly taken a
shine to him.  More poignantly, she remembered Emily in his arms at
the children's home, feverish with an illness the Consortium had
given her.  She'd pushed Mulder away before Emily had died; she could
never exclude him from her life again.  More than ever, they needed
one another--to deal with Mulder's illness, to provide a happy, safe
environment for their newborn child. 

Mulder mumbled softly against her hair, "I don't want anything to
happen to our child.  No experimentation, no genetic juggling acts. 
We'll protect our baby.  We'll find a way, Scully."

"I know," she sniffled against his shirt.  She pulled away from him,
trying to compose herself, brushing tears from the corners of her
eyes.  

Her sobs had all but tapered off now, and she addressed him with
more courage now, "Mulder, we don't even know the truth yet.  I
didn't have any contact with Krycek until you came home.  Maybe he's
just trying to scare us.  He could be trying to manipulate us into
allowing him access to the baby."

Mulder nodded contemplatively, then answered, "I got really bad
vibes from him, Scully.  I do think he's responsible for my
absence... why return me now?  You're not ready to give birth.  Maybe
there's some physiological reason someone would want the baby's blood
at this stage in its development."

"It could be mean that the antibodies which provide immunity from
the alien virus don't mature until a certain stage in the baby's
development," Scully mused.

"You know I'm not a biologist, Scully.  I understand the basics and
I trust you'll know the rest if we need to pursue this line of
questioning.  But... I can tell you this right now... I'm not so sure
I want to trust anyone with this kind of information.  If you want to
find out about the baby's immune system we better be careful when and
where we conduct tests," he warned.

"We'll be cautious, Mulder," she asserted.  "We'll find a doctor
through the guys.  They have lots of physican friends.  I don't think
that's a problem.  I do think we need the resources of the Bureau. 
All their resources, including their protection."

Mulder rolled his lower lip between his teeth and slowly shook his
head in agreement.  "We'll have to tell Skinner, won't we?" he
concluded.

"There's no one else.  I know he's felt compromised in the past, but
he knows the importance of our battle against the Project, Mulder. 
If he can't help us directly, at least let's give him the opportunity
to find someone who will.  Unless Krycek controls the entire FBI
bureaucracy--which I seriously doubt.  There *has* to be a way past
this, don't you think?"

She reached out for his hand and brought it to her face once more,
rubbing her cheek against the palm of his hand.

"Let's look at one more album, Mulder," she proposed.

"Oh no, Scully!  Not another one!"  

He had enjoyed this Scully family cram session immensely, but he
couldn't resist poking fun at her zealous efforts to bring him up to
speed on every aspect of her kinfolk.  She seemed to be
overcompensating for his lack of memory by showering him with trivia
about relatives she'd rarely seen or heard from the last eight 
years.  

Every single great-aunt or uncle had some fascinating story
associated with them, but they'd been perusing photos for hours and
Mulder wanted to give Scully one last birthday present before
midnight--if he didn't pass out by then.  Sleeping with Scully every
night had all but cured him of insomnia this week.  It was unusual
for him to go a whole week without nightmares, and he wondered
whether it was her influence or some other factor they didn't
understand yet.  

Whatever had been done to him by his captors had been so subtle, so
undiagnosable, not a trace was left behind.  Mulder feared he might
be a human time bomb, programmed to detonate after so many weeks or
months back home.  He planned to see a psychotherapist as soon as he
was able, perhaps as soon as next Tuesday.  

He'd had enough experience with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to
recognize its symptoms, and it disturbed him he had none.  The
inability to recall his captivity was almost as stressful as having
full knowledge of it.  In any case, it would help to discuss these
things with someone objective, someone who wasn't Scully.

She already had enough to worry about; he didn't want to burden her
with his wealth of insecurities.  She probably was already aware of
most of them, but he saw no reason to unload everything on her.  He'd
gone through voluntary therapy sessions before leaving Oxford and he
was willing to slog through it again if it would protect Scully in
the future.  

"Yes, Mulder.  This will the last, I promise!"  

Scully reached down into the soft-sided suitcase underneath the
coffee table and produced the goods.  She made herself comfortable
next to Mulder once again and allowed him to crack open the album.

"This is us!  These are from years ago!  How did you get all these
old clippings, Scully?" he asked.

He was already scanning each article with great interest.  This was
a virtual archive of their years together.  She'd managed to track
down almost every case which gained public recognition of some kind. 
Mulder knew only a fraction of their work was ever scrutinized by the
press, but this seemed like a complete record of their most high
profile cases, such as the Tooms case.

"I had a lot of help from our good friends.  I worked on this
scrapbook when I'd run out of leads on you the last few months.  I
started out with a shoebox full of yellowed newspaper articles I'd
saved over the years.  I decided to replace them with archival
quality copies so I could show the baby..."

Scully faltered, painful memories resurfacing with their
conversation.  She fought back tears so she could explain, "I was so
afraid you wouldn't be back for a long time, Mulder.  I wanted our
child to know what kind of man you were."

Mulder stroked her cheek gently with the back of one hand, then
assured her, "Don't cry, Scully.  I can't promise nothing will ever
happen to me but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere if I have
anything to say about it.  I have two of the best reasons in the
world to stay out of trouble, you know."

Scully managed a weak smile, checking her emotions through sheer
willpower.  There were so many things she wanted to tell him, all
capable of triggering dramatic outbursts.  She'd never been this
demonstrative before her pregnancy.  She'd been the epitome of self-
restraint on the job and it embarrassed her to have Mulder see her
this way now.

She produced one of Mulder's old handkerchiefs from her pocket and
dried her eyes, composing herself before she spoke, "I don't like you
to see me this way, Mulder.  I'm sure you realize how humiliating--"

"Shh, Scully," he whispered, as he tangled one hand through her
auburn curls.  He could feel the tension in her neck muscles and he
gently caressed her there while he spoke, "There's no disgrace in
facing your feelings.  You don't have to hide from me.  I know what
you've been through, Scully.  Samantha had been gone for twenty years
the year I met you.  I can't imagine five days without you now, let
alone five months."

Scully's head fell forward to her chest in relaxation as he smoothed
his hands over her shoulders, banishing all the tension there.  She
closed her eyes and Mulder was pleased to see her smile once again.

"I'm going to really enjoy reading through this scrapbook, Scully,"
Mulder said quietly.  He pulled her close to his chest, lacing his
arms around her growing waistline.  His hands stayed in one place
while his lips travelled downward, layering kisses from her forehead
to the sensitive skin beneath her jaw.  He paused there, mouth
lingering across her cream-colored throat.

"Why don't we go to bed now?" he whispered in her ear.

"All right," she responded, turning slightly, rubbing her cheek
against his unshaven chin.

"Upsy daisy," he requested, pulling first himself, then Scully, to
her feet.

She shuffled along beside him, the feeling in her legs slowly
returning.  He put his arm around her and they tackled the steps
together, laughing at their uncoordinated efforts to climb in unison.
Finally, they established a rhythm between them; their efforts
rewarded by arriving at the second floor landing.

Scully giggled, her hand still entwined with his, ready to take the
last few steps to the bedroom.  Mulder had other ideas, leaning over
to press kisses throughout her hair, then down her cheek, and on to
her rosy-colored lips.  He lingered there a few minutes... their
mouths engaged in deep, passionate kisses, their hands threading
through one another's hair.

They parted with some hesitation, and Scully took the first step of
three small ones leading to the second floor.  She took the second
step, then the third one, then turned in abject horror at the sound
behind her.  Not only was Mulder not following her lead--he was
crumpled on the landing, groaning in agony, palms clenched tightly
against his forehead.

fin

Almost Home (16/?)
By Shoshana

February 24nd, 2001
Saturday
2:00 p.m.
Westerly Hospital
Westerly, Rhode Island

Bill Scully, Jr. screeched to a halt in front of the Emergency Room
door and told his mother, "Mom, I'll park and meet you inside."

Maggie Scully slammed the door of the Lariat rental and yelled over
an incoming vehicle's siren, "He might already be in a private room,
Bill.  Find me when you're done."

Bill pulled away from the curb, far more leisurely now, shaking his
head.  His mom had insisted they fly into Newport and drive to
Westerly, Rhode Island.  She would have done so herself if he hadn't
offered to come along, so he'd done the right thing and accompanied
her.  This was just one more frantic hospital visit of so many his
mother had been forced to endure.

He was really tired of this.  Either his sister or her borderline
insane partner were always getting injured, on and off the job.  He
was thankful Fox Mulder had finally shown up to take care of his very
pregnant sister.  Bill still disliked the man, but his mother had
convinced him Dana would never accept anyone else as the father of
her child.

Dana had promised she'd come for Sunday dinner tomorrow, but this
latest development had delayed any happy reunion for now.  His sister
had called at eight o'clock this morning, dead tired after an all-
night bedside vigil.  She'd asked their mom to come if she could; she
couldn't stand the thought of Mulder waking up alone.  

Bill Scully walked over to the Emergency Room desk and quickly
discovered Mulder had been transferred to a private room upstairs. 
He was listed in fair condition and had been there since shortly
after midnight.  He'd been air lifted by Charlestown Search and
Rescue within minutes of the 911 call from his family's summer home.

Maggie intercepted her son in the hallway before he could enter the
room.  She took his hand and told him solemnly, "Fox hasn't regained
consciousness yet, Bill.  She'll only leave for a shower and some
rest if I stay with him.  Do you think you could wait outside?"

Her eyes begged his forgiveness for excluding him, but Bill knew why
it wasn't such a great idea for him to sit with his mom.  He'd never
gotten along with Mulder, a situation he was determined to remedy in
the near future.  This morning held no promise for conciliation with
his sister's partner, 'boyfriend,' whatever he was to her--Bill was
well-advised to fade into the woodwork of this small regional
hospital. 

"All right, Mom.  I'll talk to Dana, then I'll buy a few magazines
at the gift shop.  Would you like some coffee?" he offered.

"Sure, son," she said fondly, patting his shoulder with motherly
affection.  "Thanks so much for getting me here so fast.  The
prognosis is very good, Dana says.  No evidence of an aneurysm, no
unusual brain activity."

Bill heard the door to the private room open and close quietly
behind him.  He turned around and gave his obviously exhausted,
disheveled sister a giant bear hug.

"Dana, you go rest now... Mom will watch over Mulder, and *I'll*
watch over Mom," he assured her.

Dana Scully squeezed her brother's hand firmly, then spoke in a
tired, thready voice, "Thank you, Bill.  I'm going to do just that."

Scully's eyes were still red from tears shed earlier that morning,
but the latest news on Mulder's general condition had encouraged her.
It was unusual for a patient to sleep for over twelve hours, but not
unheard of.  There had been no traumatic injury; Mulder had simply
passed out on the second floor landing, remaining there until the
paramedics tied him to a gurney and flew him to the nearby hospital.

She kissed her mom on the cheek and walked toward the Nurses'
Station, ready to take them up on their offer of a shower and nap in
the staff locker room.  Mrs. Scully took leave of Bill and crossed
the hall to enter Mulder's room.  She was pleasantly surprised at the
absence of any monitoring devices.  There was an IV drip providing
nourishment and hydration to the sleeping agent, but no other tubes
present.

Maggie sat down in the upholstered chair next to Mulder's bed, still
warm from Dana's long, stressful watch.  She hoped her daughter would
get several hours rest now, confident her significant other was in
good hands.  Mrs. Scully understood why neither of them implicitly
trusted hospital personnel anymore.

Dana had recently told her about Mulder's hospital stay at
Georgetown Memorial.  She didn't usually tell her mother such
details, but her daughter had been trying to explain why Fox may have
been abducted.  Dana Scully didn't often answer her mother's probing
questions so openly, but her need for a confidante had been obvious
to her mom.  

"Hello, Fox," she said, taking his limp hand in both of her smaller
ones.  "If you're ready now... we'd appreciate it if you'd wake up,"
she joked.  

She chuckled softly to herself and lowered her hands to her lap. 
Before she could decide whether she would knit or read while waiting
for her daughter's return, a soft knock at the door signalled her son
with the promised coffee. 

*******************************************************************

8:00 p.m.
Mulder's hospital room

Dana Scully looked over at her mom from the seat beside her.  She
looked exhausted, having hopped on a plane at a moment's notice, then
driven from Newport to the hospital.  Miraculously, Scully had slept
for almost six hours in the staff locker room.  She'd been so dead
tired not even the chatter from employees in the lunch room close by
had disturbed her. 

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?" her mom answered, eyelids fluttering with fatigue.

"Go get Bill and check into a motel.  I'll be fine now."

Maggie Scully took her daughter's hand in her own and answered,
"Okay, Dana.  Why don't you check with the Nurse's station later? 
I'll call and let you know where we are."

They both rose from their chairs and Dana embraced her mom tightly,
telling her, "Thanks so much, Mom.  I wouldn't have made it without
you."

"He's going to be all right, honey.  I just know it," she soothed.

Scully glanced over at Mulder on the bed where he was still sleeping
soundly.  Occasionally, he'd mumble to himself--he was definitely
experiencing REM sleep, another positive sign of recovery.  She
wondered if he was having nightmares earlier; his face had scrunched
into a painful grimace for a few seconds, then he'd relaxed, his jaw
going slack as the fleeting moment passed.

"I'm certain of it, Mom.  The neurologist didn't find anything wrong
with him.  They have every expectation he'll come out of it tonight. 
I'll call you as soon as he wakes, okay?"

Maggie smiled and reminded her, "I don't care what the hour is, you
just call, sweetie."

Scully escorted her out to the waiting room so she could thank Bill
again.  They both understood how much she wanted to get back to the
room, taking their leave from her with little ado.  Scully strode
swiftly back to Mulder's side and stood beside the bed for several
minutes, holding his hand and wondering whether his dreams were so
important they'd taken precedence over his conscious, waking life.

She carefully sat next to him on the bed, avoiding the ever-present
IV.  "What's going on in there, Mulder?" she queried, stroking his
warm forehead.

The room they were in was cool and comfortable, but she felt
compelled to fidget with the thin thermal blanket which barely 
covered his torso.  She was adjusting it to conform to the long, 
straight line of his body when the hand not encumbered by an IV 
moved swiftly to cover her own.  Scully was startled temporarily, 
recoiling slightly at the unexpected movement.  Her eyes moved 
from his lower half to his face, catching the tail end of a 
self-satisfied puckish expression.

"Gotcha big time," he rasped.

"Oh, Mulder!" she exclaimed, shifting her weight so she could get
closer to him.  "Don't try to get up," she cautioned, pushing him
back against his pillows.  

She reached beside her and grabbed the device controlling the tilt
of the adjustable mattress.  She depressed the button and the upper
half of the bed rose slowly.  

Mulder grinned as he warned her in a scratchy voice, "Scully, I
don't think that's the 'magic fingers' control.  I think we'll have
to wait until we check into a cheaper motel."

Scully grinned back at him, then leaned over to kiss his dry,
chapped lips.  "Hold on, I'll get some water for you."  

She filled a cup with water and held the straw as he took a small
sip of the cool liquid, resuming her place beside him on the bed.

"Mom's here," she said before he could finish his drink.

"Really?  How long have I been out, Scully?  And where are we?" he
asked, looking around the room with curiosity.

"Almost twenty hours.  Westerly Hospital," she answered, smiling
broadly.

"Twenty hours!  No shit!  No wonder I had such great dreams!"

"You did?"

"Well, some of them were nightmarish, but they were all very
entertaining.  Scully, did we see a yacht in a trailer park last
year?" he queried, squinting his eyes in mild disbelief. 

"Yeah... we did," she drawled slowly.  Scully's eyes enlarged with
wonder, and her hands gesticulated frantically in the air, attempting
to ferret out the meaning of his question.  "But, Mulder... you
couldn't possibly know that... you haven't read anything about last
year in your journal!" 

Mulder stilled her frenetic hands with his own, then winked at her
suggestively, "Did we do it in the car on a balmy July Fourth night,
Scully?"

"Oh, God!  Mulder!  You've remembered!  Oh, God.  What else?"

Mulder's mood changed drastically as he retrieved images from his
catalogue of dreams.  "Scully... you're going to want to examine my
scalp for puncture wounds.  That's how they delivered the drugs when
I was taken."

Her lips parted, trembling with anxiety and frustration.  She licked
her lips nervously and clutched at his hands.  "They did?" she
finally croaked out.

Mulder wished he could erase his last comment no sooner than it had
left his throat.  He should have waited until much later to tell her
about his captivity.  She was probably exhausted, sitting up with him
all night while he dreamed about their last year together.  It wasn't
fair to lay this on her now.  He pulled her close to his chest,
battling with the IV line in their way.

"Scully..." he whispered softly in her ear.  "I only remember things
piecemeal.  It's like a crazy quilt of memories; all jumbled up and
thrown back into my head."  He sighed joylessly against her before
continuing, "I don't want you to hear all the bad stuff right away...
okay?  I'd rather tell you about taking long drives in the sticks or
seeing the sun rise on the beach.  I'll tell you everything--but not
today.  You're tired, aren't you?"

"A little.  I got some sleep while Mom watched over you," she said,
battling the impulse to break down in tears.

"Do you have to talk to the doctor?  Or do you want to lay down next
to me and sleep a little more?" he asked, rubbing his nose against
her freshly washed hair.

She considered this a moment, then said, "Let me call the nurse.  We
need to get this IV out of your arm and we need the doctor's
approval."  She leaned out of their embrace and stroked his cheek
with her forefinger.  "I didn't say anything about your amnesia,
Mulder.  I told the doctor you'd been held against your will because
of your occupation--nothing more than that."

"Maybe I'll learn more next time--" Mulder responded with
excitement, his mind still swimming with intriguing, but widely
scattered images of the past year.

Scully wrest free of his loose grip on her arms, pacing away from
the bed in anger.  Her back quivered slightly underneath the too
large sweater someone had let her borrow from the staff room.  

She clenched her fists tautly, and spat out her response with her
back to Mulder, "Next time?  You want there to be a next time?  Do
you have any idea what I've been through since last night, Mulder? 
If this is the price you have to pay for regaining your memories--"

She lowered her head into her hands, swaying unsteadily as she
sought to contain her exasperation.  Mulder scrambled off the bed,
his IV line tripping him up for a few transitory moments before he
unsnaked the line and wheeled the device across the room.

"Scully," he whispered tentatively, his free hand tracing the
contour of her shuddering forearm.

She flinched away, still infuriated at his comment.  Her deeply
ingrained medical training chastened her fit of pique when she
realized Mulder was trailing his saline solution behind him.  She
twirled around quickly, making a cursory visual inspection of the
damage done.  

Mulder maintained several inches between them, unwavering in his
placatory attitude or stance.  He braced himself for a lecture from
Dr. Scully, but none was forthcoming.  Her cheeks flushed with
embarrassment and an acute sense of how ridiculously undignified and
foolish she felt at the moment.

Mulder extended his hand to her, eyes pleading for absolution.  She
closed the distance between them, speaking softly and guiding him
back to bed, "I shouldn't have reacted like, Mulder.  You must be
elated to remember anything at all from last year."

She readjusted his IV line as they sat down next to each other on
the bed.  She continued, "I don't want to see you go through this
every time your body decides it's time to take a trip down memory
lane.  I didn't tell you before, Mulder... your vitals were extremely
weak on the way over here.  I was really worried about you."

Mulder's face fell instantly, supremely miserable she'd had to
endure another medical scare on his behalf.  He slipped his free arm
around her and said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Scully.  If I'd been
thinking clearly... I wouldn't have anticipated another incident like
this with such enthusiasm... I don't want to put you through this
again."

Scully threaded her arm around his waist and tilted her head against
his shoulder.  She lifted her eyes to meet his and told him, "I'm
sorry, too.  I shouldn't have blown up at you, but I *am* worried
about future episodes happening when we can't get medical assistance
so easily.  I'm going to become too pregnant to deal with every
eventuality--"

"Let's not worry, Scully.  We'll be more careful.  We'll keep the
cell phone handy, if it makes you feel better.  What makes you so
sure I'll have another attack?  Maybe the rest of my memory will
return during my regular dream cycle.  In any case, I feel more
competent to deal with your family now... I won't have to lie to them. 
And I remember who you are, Scully... every bit of who you are," he
whispered softly before leaning down to kiss her warm lips.

They lost themselves in a welcome moment of passion, chasing away
concerns about the future.  They broke off their kiss, hungry for
oxygen--both exhausted by their stressful argument.  Scully slipped
her head against his chest and waited for them to catch their breath.

She spoke quietly, but firmly, "Mulder, I'm going to get the doctor
now.  I know you'll be kept overnight for observation and I'm sure
you want to get rid of the IV.  I think they'll discharge you by noon
tomorrow if there's nothing else revealed by then."

"What about your mom, Bill?"

"I promised to call her, and I will--but not until the morning. 
They were tired from travelling and as long as you're doing well I
don't see any reason to wake her."  She lifted her head to address
him directly, "You know we'll be driving back to the summer house
with them--they'll probably fly back today."

"We could get rid of their rental and drive back in your car.  I
think I can be civil to Bill that long," he quipped.

"You really don't know Bill, do you?" she laughed back.

"I don't think I ever have--have I?" he said, searching his mind
for some concrete image of the man.

"No, you haven't.  Even if you remembered your few encounters with
him... you wouldn't really know the man.  I think you've spent a 
total of three hours in his presence, and that's only because you 
came out to San Diego when I was seeking custody of Emily."

Mulder flinched against her, guilt sweeping through him like a
poison.  Scully noted his pained expression and intervened, "Don't,
Mulder.  Don't blame yourself--you didn't create Emily and you
didn't hasten her death.  We have so much to look forward to and I
don't want you to dwell on the past."

"It's hard not to when I'm consciously trying to recreate it in my
mind.  These dreams I had all day... everything must have happened
after October 1999.  I didn't get any farther in my journal and even
though you've filled me in on Samantha and a few other things, I'm
still confused by some of the images.  Why did we go to an office
building looking for the Cancer Man's office?  There's more to that
story, isn't there?"

Scully placed her hands behind his neck, rubbing her fingers across
the nape of his neck.  Her right hand swept through his disheveled
hair, and she pulled him down gently for a brief kiss.  He could tell
this was a painful revelation for her; he almost wished he'd kept his
big mouth shut.

"Cancer Man offered me the Holy Grail, a cure for all diseases.  I
ditched you, Mulder, then I ran off to some resort in Pennsylvania
and almost got myself killed.  My 'informant' was conveniently shot
to death, probably by Spender.  The disk he insisted I take along
with me was blank.  You were royally pissed and wouldn't look me in
the eye--until we went to the bogus office Spender had set up for
himself."

She looked away from him quickly, but he caught a glimpse of self-
reproach in her eyes.  Mulder hooked his finger around the tip of her
chin and forced her to concentrate on his words.  

"That's the part I remember--speaking to you in an empty office.  I
also recall taking you to your apartment immediately afterward and
kissing you goodnight, Scully.  I couldn't possibly have been *that*
upset if things ended so positively." 

He smiled at her warmly, then watched the subtle changes in her 
face as her mood lightened.  Scully pursed her lips nervously, then
the corners of her mouth formed a pleased expression which reached
her eyes.
 
She ran her fingers down his arm, resting her hand around his wrist
lightly as she responded, "You're going to be insufferable,  Mr. 
Know-It-All... you know that?"

He grinned back and remarked innocently, "I thought I already was
insufferable."

"Just incorrigible until today, Mulder."

"That's me, earning new adjectives daily for your amusement," he
replied, caressing her forehead with a slow, warm kiss.

Scully yawned openly as he retreated a few inches from her--lack of
eight hours sleep had finally caught up with her.

"How about some more rest, sleepyhead?" he asked, turning his wrist
in her hand so he could entwine their fingers.

"Okay.  I'll go get the doctor.  Like I said, I don't think they'll
keep you past noon."  She glanced at her wristwatch.  "I think I
*will* call Mom.  It's only nine o'clock and she did tell me to call
her as soon as you woke."

Scully slipped off the bed, smoothing her wrinkled clothes, then
turned to give him one last kiss before stopping to use the mirror in
the attached bathroom.  Mulder discovered the remote control for the
TV set in the few seconds it took to make her presentable, and he
was busily clicking channels when she exited to find the doctor.

Several hours later, she was asleep in his arms, too weary to watch
any more of "Plan Nine From Outer Space."  Mulder was listening to
the film with only half an ear, watching her slumber peacefully. 
His mind wandered, settling on newly recovered memories from last
July Fourth--when their own fireworks display had lasted long into
the night.  

fin


Almost Home (17/?)
By Shoshana

February 25nd, 2001
Sunday
12:30 p.m.
US Highway One
Rhode Island

"So when are you two lovebirds gonna tie the knot?" Bill asked the
agents,  glancing to the backseat of the rental car.

"Bill!" scolded Maggie Scully, seated next to him in the front.  

Scully sighed with resignation, then lifted her wrist in the air to
check her watch.  "It only took you fifteen minutes to pester Mulder,
Bill.  I'm touched by your restraint."

Mrs. Scully turned to her son and added, "Fox just got out of the
hospital, Bill.  Leave Dana and him alone.  I'm sure you'll be one of
the first to know--after me, that is."  

Maggie half-turned in her seat, smiling at her daughter and Mulder. 
Mulder seemed embarrassed at her scrutiny, managing a forced smile in
return.

"If we're going to be together in this car for almost eight hours,
Mom, I might as well get the burning question over with, don't you
think?" Bill responded, glancing quickly at his mom.  

His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, unfazed by his
mother's reprimand.  He enjoyed putting Mulder on the spot about his
sister's pregnancy.  He was surprised they hadn't rushed over to a
local justice court and done the deed as soon as possible.  He 
would--if it were Tara in Dana's position.

"I agree," Mulder voiced from the back seat.

Scully shot him a glare, annoyed he might fall for Bill's taunts. 
She knew Mulder couldn't resist reacting to Bill, especially when it
involved the subject of marriage.  She knew why they hadn't wed
immediately; she'd resisted Mulder's proposal, hoping he'd recover
some of his memories.  He'd done so in the last twenty-four hours,
and there was a good chance he'd remember more of the last eight
years shortly.  

She knew nothing stood in the way of matrimony now, but she didn't
want to explain Mulder's memory loss to her brother.  Bill probably
still believed Mulder had been AWOL the last five months.  She didn't
feel the need to encourage his cynicism about her partner.

She also was concerned about something else, pressing her palm
across Mulder's mouth before he could utter another word.

"Mulder, I don't think this is the place," she warned.

He gently pulled her fingers away from his lips and entwined their
hands on the seat beside them.  "Scully, there's no way this car is 
bugged.  Your mom told me they didn't have time to reserve a rental.
No one knew Bill was going to rent it in Newport."

"Why all the paranoia?  Are you guys being followed around by
aliens?" Bill asked sarcastically.

"Bill, please stop.  You have no idea what Fox and Dana are going
through.  I probably know more about that than you do, and as your
mother, I'm going to have to ask you to ease off.  They don't deserve
this kind of treatment," Maggie advised her son.

"Look, there's a really simple explanation to why Dana and I weren't
married the day I got back from Oregon--" Mulder began.

"Mulder!  You don't have to do this," Scully interrupted.

"No, I do, Scully.  I want Bill and Maggie to know."  He'd just
started to call Scully's mother 'Maggie' that morning, at her
request.  It rolled off his tongue awkwardly, and he had to pause to
collect his thoughts.  After a beat, he continued, "I couldn't marry
Dana because I couldn't remember her."

Maggie turned all the way around in her seat as she let out a little
gasp.  She extended her hand to Mulder, and asked in a worried tone,
"What did they do to you, Fox?  Are you going to be all right?"

Mulder leaned forward and took her hand, squeezing once lightly,
smiling at her encouragingly.  "I'll be fine, Maggie.  We think it's
starting to reverse itself.  That's why I had this episode last
night," he explained.

"So how'd you recognize my sister last Monday?  I heard she was over
at your apartment when you came home," Bill asked curiously.

"It's really none of your business how he knew me, Bill.  He came
home to his apartment and I was there waiting for him.  End of
discussion," she snapped at her brother.

"Scully, it's all right.  I don't mind telling him, or your mother. 
I want both of you to understand that I had every intention of
marrying Scully from the very first night I got back.  No, I didn't
recognize her immediately.  In fact, I even pulled a gun on her when
I found her in my bedroom."

Bill and Maggie's mouths dropped open at this revelation.  Bill
stared in the rear view mirror, eyeing his future brother-in-law. 
Mulder was pleased to render Bill speechless, but didn't want to
upset Mrs. Scully, so he continued, "It took me about thirty seconds
to drop my weapon once I saw it was a pregnant woman.  I would never
harm Dana--both of you know that."

Scully stayed silent, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.  She
wasn't happy about Mulder's candor, but she knew she couldn't prevent
him from relating the story to her family.  He seemed to be getting
some pleasure out of making Bill squirm.  She was trying to stay
neutral, but she was relishing a little Bill Scully torture herself.

Maggie placed her hand on her son's shoulder, stilling his next
comment.  She had her own questions to ask.  "Dana, how can this be? 
How have you been coping all week if Mulder didn't remember you?"

"I remembered her," interjected Mulder.  He caught Scully's
frustrated glare and apologized, "Sorry, Scully."

"It's okay, Mulder.  I think it might be better if you explained it
anyway.  I'm the skeptic, right?  I think it's a lot easier for you
to explicate your own theories.  Not that I don't see some truth in
this one.  I do.  You go ahead and I'll listen, too."

Mulder reached over to take her hand, but directed his gaze at
Maggie and Bill.  "They, whoever held me captive, tried to rob me of
eight years of my life by wiping out my memories.  But the
subconscious mind must work in mysterious ways--I knew I was in
the right place, that I belonged with Dana.  I didn't recognize her
face immediately, but other senses told me who she is, what she means
to me."  

He turned to look at his partner fondly, who returned his attention
with a warm smile.  Maggie's expression was still serious; she wanted
to know more about the connection with his collapse the night before.

"You regained your memory?  What about your health?  Are you going
to have more incidents like last night?" Maggie inquired.

"I gained back some of last year's memories.  It's like a big jigsaw
puzzle.  The pieces keep coming back slowly, and I only remember 
stuff from the last year or so," Mulder responded.  He faltered on 
the question of his fitness, glancing over at Scully, entreating her 
to answer for him.

"We don't know if he'll have another episode, Mom.  We'll have to be
careful; stay near a phone, near civilization.  I'm afraid he's not
going back in the field as quickly as he'd like," she remarked,
lowering her eyes to their joined hands.

She hadn't broached this subject with Mulder, but she was sure he
knew the score.  He couldn't return to active duty for awhile, at
least until they were fairly confident he wouldn't have excruciating
headaches, followed by total blackouts.  

"Can you take a leave of absence?" Bill asked, his tone more
sympathetic, more accepting than before.

"I won't do that.  I'll work out of the office until we decipher the
medical problem.  I'm sure *we* will," he said, looking over at
Scully for confirmation.

Scully lifted her downcast eyes, offering Mulder a reassuring smile.
She had her doubts, but now was not the time to voice them.  She
didn't know how to prevent any more trips to the emergency room, at
least not yet.  She'd make him see a neurologist, perhaps get a
prescription for something to prevent seizures.  She didn't feel
qualified to make the decision herself, but knew Mulder would listen
to a specialist about this.  He wouldn't want to jeopardize her or
the baby by becoming seriously ill unexpectedly.

"You'll both be fine.  You always have been," Maggie said soothingly.

Scully leaned forward in her seat, grasping her mom's hands in her
own.  "Thanks, Mom.  I knew you'd understand."  She turned her head
to her now taciturn brother and said, "Thanks, Bill.  For trying to
understand.  I know it's hard for you," she added lightheartedly.

"I'm not a total jerk, am I, Mulder?" Bill joked, glancing first at
his sister, than in the rear view mirror at the man behind him.

"Honestly?  I don't remember anything about our previous encounters
with one another, Bill.  I have a few notes in my journal, but they
don't bias me about you one way or the other.  I'm sure I'll remember
you eventually, but I don't think animosity in the past is worth
worrying about.  I don't see any reasons we can't be friendly.  I
want to be part of Scully's family--I don't have anyone left in my
own."

Mulder's voice wavered on his final words, and he swiftly averted
his eyes from both Bill and his mother.  Scully caressed his hand
lightly with her thumb, wishing she felt bold enough to embrace him
in front of her relatives.  It wasn't often Mulder laid bare his
insecurities in front of strangers.  She knew he'd seen her mother in
the last year, but she wasn't sure that memory was available to him
yet.  She was positive Mulder hadn't seen Bill since 1998, when she'd
tried to adopt Emily.  

She'd seen Mulder show his emotions in the company of other men
before, but this was her brother, a man she was sure he wanted to
impress.  Scully wanted to take him in her arms, reassuring him that
Bill wouldn't think any less if he broke down into sobs there and
then.  She decided against it, sensing Mulder's need to maintain some
dignity after revealing a vulnerability of which only she knew.  

Mulder had been lost emotionally for weeks after his mother's
suicide, and despite his statements to the contrary, she felt the
discovery of Samantha's death had depressed him a great deal.  He'd
never felt more alone then at that time in his life, and she'd been 
so grateful he'd turned to her.  They'd become so close since New 
Year's Eve that year and she knew Mulder considered her his only 
family.  She'd accepted that role--even before they'd moved from 
friends to lovers she knew she'd never stray far from Mulder's 
company the rest of her life.   

Maggie Scully broke the uneasy silence with her tranquil voice,
"Fox, you'll always be part of this family.  You already were, before
Dana's pregnancy.  We're so happy you're back."

She reached across the passenger seat again and offered her hand,
which Mulder took gladly, grinning affectionately at his soon to be
mother-in-law.  He released her delicate hand, then leaned forward
and gently slapped Bill on his shoulder, saying "You're stuck with 
me, Bill.  Maggie said so."

Bill laughed and the two women in the car noticeably relaxed, both
delighted to see the testosterone level was in no danger of further
elevation.  Scully and her mother had discussed the merits of putting
Mulder and Bill Scully, Jr. in a sedan for the eight hour drive to DC
while the two men were out of earshot.  They'd cleared a big hurdle
by revealing why she hadn't wanted to get married right away.  Scully
knew what was next on the agenda, and she'd no way to prepare Mulder
for her mother's next words.

"Well, if there's nothing preventing you from marrying, Dana...
why don't we spend our time in the car wisely and discuss what kind
of wedding you'd like?" Maggie said cheerily.

Scully's first inclination was to groan and tell her mother she
didn't want to talk about this right now.  It seemed silly and
inconsequential compared to the problems she and Mulder faced with
the Consortium.  However, she and Mulder had already agreed *not* to
tell her mother about threats against the baby.  Mulder had kept up
his part of the bargain; he'd come clean on the memory loss, but he
hadn't breathed a word about Krycek's warning.  

She welcomed the diversion of discussing ceremonies, dresses,
caterers, and shoes with her mom.  Scully was certain Mulder would
doze off beside her after a few minutes of mother/daughter
conversation.  Bill would stay awake to the sound of sports radio,
which he was already struggling to tune in.  She might tell her mom
about the dangers they were facing later on, but now was not a good
time.

*********************************************************************
******
The Mulder Summer Home, Quonochontaug, Rhode Island
1:30 p.m.

Mulder and Scully scurried around the summer home, gathering their
possessions, then took measures to close the place down until next 
time they vacationed there.  Maggie and Bill had opted for a walk to 
the beach and would return within ten minutes, so they swiftly threw
out the little garbage they had made and recovered the couch and 
kitchen table.

Scully was upstairs, packing her bag, when Mulder came up behind
her, "Where's your ring, Scully?  I didn't see it on you today or I
would have pointed it out to your mom."

"Oh, dear.  It's down in the kitchen.  I took it off when we did
dishes last night.  Let's not forget it, Mulder."

She slammed her case shut and tried to move away from the bed, but
was penned in on both sides by two Mulder-sized arms.  She laughed
and squirmed against him as he refused to let her go.

"Mulder!  We have to go!"

"Everything's packed and ready to go.  All I have to do is set the
alarm.  Just one more kiss to make everything better, Scully," he
teased.

"Okay," she said, turning in his arms as he released his grip on
elbows.  

They kissed deeply, trying to create one last memory in this home
before leaving for DC.  Neither wanted to dwell on Mulder's traumatic
experience on the second floor landing, nor did they care to consider
how soon such an event might reoccur.  Hopefully, they'd put a stop 
to his violent headaches and prevent another trip to the hospital.

"Hello!"  Bill's voice bellowed from the first floor, signalling
they were ready to go.

The lovers broke their kiss and Mulder yelled back, "Be right down!"
He smiled down at Scully, gathering in how pretty she looked, even
after a long night at the hospital.  "Thanks, Scully." 

"For what?" she asked, slightly amused.

"For sticking with me through all of this."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know.  I can't imagine a day without you, Scully... and I
want you to know how much I appreciate you.  How much I love you."

He leaned down to kiss her once more, cutting it short when he heard
Mrs. Scully's voice call, "Dana!" from the front door.

"Let's go Mulder.  If we're lucky Mom will take a nap and stop
talking about great receptions she's known and loved."

"Oh, I must have slept through that part of your conversation. 
Conveniently," he said with a smile.

They grabbed their suitcases and headed downstairs.  Mulder set the
alarm and they all piled into the car.  Bill was about to pull away
from the house when Scully yelled for him to stop.  Mulder understood
immediately, reaching for his door, then running back to unlock the
house.  He was back in less than two minutes, Scully's ring shoved
into the pocket of his jeans.

"What was that all about?" Maggie asked as they pulled out of the
driveway.

"This," Mulder said, his chest still heaving from his brisk sprint.

He grabbed Scully's left hand, slipping the ring onto her finger
before she could protest.  She blushed at the attention she received
from both her mom and Bill, who had slowed the car down to peer over
his shoulder with interest.

Maggie snaked her arm around the headrest, beckoning her daughter to
let her see the ring.  She oohed and ahhed until Scully was
sufficiently embarrassed, burrowing her hand beneath her jeans.

"Mom, quit it.  It's just a ring."

She was a little exasperated with her mom's reaction, but secretly
pleased the gem had passed her inspection.

"It's my grandmother's ring," Mulder told Maggie proudly. 

Mulder was glad her mother was making a fuss over it, and was even
enjoying Scully's discomfort, though he knew he shouldn't.  She was
adorable when she interacted with her mother, especially about this
lighthearted stuff.  He'd pretended to sleep earlier so he could
eavesdrop on their conversation.

"It's beautiful, Dana.  Did Fox just give it to you?" Maggie 
inquired.

Scully reddened slightly, much to her discomfort.  She didn't know
why this was so difficult to talk about.  It wasn't like her mother
hadn't known about their romance last year.  Even her brother knew
now.  She felt Mulder's hand on her own, his fingers stroking her
knuckles tenderly.

"Yes," she gulped.  Her free hand moved to her stomach, resting
there comfortably.  "Last Thursday, at the summer house."

"Well, it's lovely.  We'll have to get you to a jeweler for wedding 
bands before the week is out," Maggie added helpfully.

"Mom!  There's no rush!" Scully protested.

Mulder chuckled beside her and Scully threw him a dirty look.  He
continued to smile and play with her hand as he said, "I knew Maggie
would be my best ally."

"Co-conspirator is more like it," Scully asserted playfully.

Bill had already pulled back on the road a minute ago after taking a
quick glance at the ring.  He fiddled with the radio, finding an
oldies station right away.  He looked in the rear view mirror and saw
Mulder yawning lazily, then heard his sister sleepily echo him.
He resisted the urge to yawn himself, sipping some of the coffee 
they'd bought at a minimart earlier in the day.

"You two get some rest.  You too, Mom.  I always sleep like a log
and last night was no exception," Bill said.

"Okay, son.  You wake me up if you need me to drive," Maggie
responded.  She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, truly
satisfied with her day.

Mulder tugged at Scully's hand to get her attention, then patted his
lap, hoping she'd take the hint and recline against him awhile.  He
knew he could sleep sitting up, but didn't want to see her do so. 
She had all that extra weight on her back muscles and she'd be more
comfortable lying down.

Scully didn't need much persuasion.  Even in the company of her
mother and brother, Mulder's lap made a tempting pillow.  She knew he
would brush her hair softly while she fell asleep against the rough
material of his jeans.

fin


Almost Home (18/?)
By Shoshana

February 25nd, 2001
Sunday
9:00 p.m.
Scully family home, Maryland

"Scully?  Scully?"

She opened her eyes slowly, disoriented for a few seconds.  She
could feel Mulder's calloused hand stroking her cheek, but couldn't
see very far in the dim light of the car's back seat.

"What?" she mumbled, attempting to sit up with difficulty.

"We're at your mom's house, Scully.  We're here.  You slept the
whole way."

"Oh, boy.  Help me up and out of here, Mulder."

Scully allowed him to lift her to a sitting position, too groggy to
protest his gentle efforts.

"She wants us to stay overnight, but I know you have an early
doctor's appointment.  What do you want to do?" he asked, helping her
out of the car.

"Gotta drive home," she said, leaning against him until the tingling
in her feet subsided.

"I'll drive," Mulder said glibly.

"You shouldn't," she cautioned.

 "I'll be careful, Scully.  It's only an hour or so.  I slept all
day.  Come on, we're supposed to come in for a few minutes."

They made their way up the porch steps and walked straight to the
kitchen where Bill and Maggie were bringing Tara up to speed on the
day's events.  Tara rushed to Scully, taking her hand solicitously
and leading her to a chair.  

"Wow, look at you, Dana.  You're as big as I was in my seventh
month," she said with wonder.

"I know.  The baby will be in the NBA by the time he's a teenager at
this rate."  She smiled at Mulder, who was leaning casually against
the kitchen counter.  He was already slugging down some coffee Maggie
had shoved into his hand the minute he'd entered the room.

"My spotless genetics," he quipped, drawing curious looks from the
rest of the family and a hearty laugh from Scully.  "Sorry, private
joke," he added, as he noticed the blank expressions around them.

"It's a long story, too long for now, Mom.  We better get going, I
have an early appointment.  Bill, did you ever find out how long
you'll be stationed here?" she addressed her brother.

"About three more months.  Perfect timing, uh?" he said, walking
behind her chair, then leaning down to give her a brotherly kiss on
the cheek.  

He patted her shoulders, then extended his hand to Mulder, who
juggled his mug to receive it.  "Take care on the road, buddy.  Hope
to see you pretty soon."

"I'm sorry you have to leave, but this means you *are* coming over
next Sunday, doesn't it?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mom.  I'll try to keep Mulder out of the ER on Sunday, just
for you."

Scully tried to get up by herself, but Tara was at her side in half
a second.  She grinned at her sister-in-law, truly grateful she could
share her pregnancy with her.  They would have to have a long talk
next Sunday after dinner.  Scully hadn't been able to wholeheartedly
participate in the birth of Matthew in January 1998.  No one had
faulted her for that; they'd all understood what's she'd gone through
with Emily.  

She'd tried to make up for it by being a good aunt over the years,
but her schedule was so hectic sometimes--she'd often missed Bill and
Tara's visits to her mother.  Now was the time to remedy that
situation.  It also served to take her mind off more sinister
subjects, ones she'd never reveal to her family unless their lives
depended on it.

Maggie shoved a care package into Mulder's arms, kissed both agents
goodbye and the family stood on the house steps in the brisk February
night to wave as they pulled out of the driveway.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, Mulder?" Scully asked, brushing her
hand against his as he steered toward the freeway.

"Bill didn't kick my butt.  Your mom likes me.  What's not to love?"
he answered.

Scully chuckled, moving her hand to the back of his neck to massage
his stiff muscles.

"My mom has liked you for a long time.  She's always defended you,
especially when you were missing.  I don't know how I would have made
it without her," she responded wistfully.         

"So, you going to call the minister she suggested?" Mulder tossed
out daringly.
     
"Mulder!  Weren't you sound asleep during our conversation?  It's
not polite to eavesdrop!" she teased him, moving her hand to his
shoulder and working the muscle there.

"Whoa, Scully.  You've got quite a grip, there," he said, shrugging
her away gently.  "I would *never* listen in on your private
conversations, would I?"

Scully looked at him dubiously, then ordered, "Drive, Mulder.  
Drive."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded.  Thirty seconds later, he added, "It was
only a rhetorical question--"

"I know, they're your specialty," she retorted.  

She traced her finger down his cheek, stopping at the corner of his
generous lower lip.  He turned his head slightly, kissing her
fingertip.  

"You're distracting me, woman," he joked, willfully keeping his
hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road.

"I can't imagine how," she said coyly, lowering her hand to her
stomach.  "Oooff!" 

"Baby kicking?" he asked, glancing over at her quickly.

"Just a little," she replied, fondly rubbing her belly.

"Our first OB appointment togeth--"

Mulder stopped midsentence, spooked by the bright lights flashing
into the rear window of the car.  The highway was otherwise deserted
this late on a Sunday night and a single vehicle had been following
them for several miles.  He'd ignored the sedan thus far--now it was
too close for comfort and undeniably tailing them closely.

"Mulder?" Scully asked as he accelerated the car, rapidly
approaching eighty-five m.p.h.  

"Hold on, Scully.  Hold on tight!" he exclaimed.

Mulder's white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel didn't slacken as
he attempted to outrun their pursuer.  He finally spotted an exit to
his right, swinging unhesitatingly off the road and navigating two
sharp curves at high speed.  They were in an affluent neighborhood
close to DC, one with lots of winding streets and cul-de-sacs.

Scully had clung to the seat cushions on their wild ride from
expressway to city streets.  She felt like the breath had been
knocked out of her temporarily; she  inhaled deeply, taking in
precious air.  She unclenched her hands, moving them to cradle her
belly protectively.

Mulder hadn't slowed down much, zipping down the unfamiliar roads,
purposefully getting them lost in the maze of upper middle class
homes.  He finally tore his gaze away from the rear view mirror to
check on Scully, decelerating the car gradually through the quiet
well-kept streets.

"Are you okay?" he asked roughly, slightly winded by his frantic
efforts to elude their chaser.

"Fine.  I'm fine, Mulder," she replied in a reedy voice.

He uncurled his right hand from the wheel, reaching over to cover
her smaller ones as they sheltered their child from harm.

"I'm sorry... sorry, Scully.  I didn't have much warning.  I'd
noticed him before but didn't perceive him as a threat.  Are you sure
you're okay?" he asked again, his heart rate decreasing with every
minute they cruised the silent streets of suburbia.

She shook her head from side to side, and moved one of her hands to
grip his own.  "I'm okay.  Just a little out of breath for a minute,
but I'm fine now.  Do you know where we are?"

Mulder peered out the window at a nearby street sign.  "I don't know
and I don't feel too comfortable about approaching one of these homes
at night.  Let's drive around and see if we hit something 
commercial."

They seemed to be out of imminent danger, so Scully tried to relax
in her seat.  Her pulse was still racing, much to her dismay.  Mulder
had removed his hand from her stomach and gone back to driving two-
handed, leaning forward against the wheel and reading every street
sign they approached.

Her hands started to tremble, a delayed reaction to the terror she'd
felt as they'd eluded the mystery car.  She wove the fingers of one
hand into the other, steadying them, concentrating on slowing her
respirations and getting complete control of her shuddering body. 
Mulder hadn't noticed how shaken she was by the experience and that's
how she wanted it to remain.

"Here we go, we're in Greenbelt, Maryland.  There's a sign back to
295.  Do you want to stop at a gas station first, Scully?" he asked,
pulling over to a curb away from traffic.  

"Sure.  Fine," she answered, a little uncertainly.

Mulder heard the quaver in her voice, so he twisted the ignition
key, killing the engine.  Scully wouldn't look at him; her eyes
stared at the dashboard indifferently.  She was bottling up all her
emotions so she wouldn't have to deal with them right away.  

His newly recovered memories, plus what he knew of her from their
week together thus far had heightened his senses, made her easier to
read.  He unbuckled his seatbelt, then leaned over and did the same
for her.  She remained motionless, the digits of her hands tightly
interwoven.

"I'm sorry," she cried, as he moved closer to her, enveloping her in
his arms.

"Don't be sorry, Scully.  I was really scared, too.  My hand is
shaking... see?"

He placed one hand against her cheek and she could feel his
fingertips quiver, as hers had when she descended from her adrenalin
high.  She unhooked her hands from one another, bringing one to her
face to still the tremor coursing through his fingers.

"Do you think it was Them?" she asked softly, pressing his palm
against her own.

"I don't know how they found us... it couldn't be anyone else. 
Maybe someone has an eye on your mom's house."  

Mulder was profoundly disturbed by the thought; surveillance of Mrs.
Scully by the Consortium was certainly unwelcome at this point.  They
expected peril to themselves, especially when they returned to DC--
but not anticipating risk to other family members was foolish, almost
unforgivable.  

He didn't want to upset Scully further, but he knew she'd want him
to be straight with her.  He dropped their hands between them and
leaned back a little so he could address her directly, "We have to
ask Skinner for protection for your family, Scully.  We can take
precautions for ourselves, that's part of our job.  I know you don't
trust Skinner completely, but I don't think we have any secrets to
conceal from him at present."

Scully brushed moisture away from her eyes--tears she'd resisted,
but couldn't halt entirely.  She blinked her eyes several times, then
answered, "I'm sure we can tell him what Krycek told us.  In fact, he
probably knows already.  He's waiting for us to come to him.  He's a
good man, but Krycek still has him cornered."

Mulder threaded his hand through her hair, tidying errant strands
their high speed chase had liberated.  "I agree.  He's still in a
vulnerable position.  But we don't have to lie to him about the
amnesia anymore.  That's a plus.  I think we should go see him after
your appointment tomorrow.  I'm sure he'll be surprised to see us
back so soon... but then again, maybe he won't if Krycek filled him
in on the Consortium threat."

"Mulder?" she asked, reaching for his hand once again.

"Yes?" he responded, leaning over to kiss her forehead.  He moved
his hips closer to hers and wound one arm around her shoulder.

Scully leaned her head against his chest and spoke softly, "You're
different, Mulder. You didn't only retrieve memories yesterday; you
got part of yourself back.  You seem so much more confident, with me,
with my family.  Can you feel it?"

Mulder rubbed his cheek against her hair gently, then leaned over to
caress her lips with one soft, slow kiss.  He drew back so he could
speak to her, "I feel better.  I'm relieved to remember last year,
but not anxious to land in the hospital every time my body decides
it's time for more reminiscing.  We'll have to stop by a neurologist
and get some medication, like you said."

Scully grinned at him, and his expression changed from serious to
curious.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in query.

"I never told you about the neurologist.  You must be reading my
mind," she said lightly.

"Oh, you think I'm telepathic, Ms. Scully?  Well, I'm pretty damn
sure what you're thinking about now--" 

"How much I'd like to go home?" she answered wearily.

"Bingo!  The lady wins a prize!" he said enthusiastically.  

He carefully moved away from her, placing her hand back on the
gentle slope of her stomach.  Once he was behind the wheel again, he
reached over and stroked his thumb over her lips one more time.  She
caught his hand before he could reach for the ignition and brought it
back to her mouth, placing kisses on each of his fingers.

"It's so good to have you home, Mulder."

He nodded in assent, reluctantly pulling his hand away.  "It's good
to be home, Scully."

*********************************************************************
******
February 26nd, 2001
Monday
2:00 a.m.

"No.  No, no.  Don't.  Don't.  Not now."

Mulder woke to Scully's muffled whimpering beside him, shifting from
his back to his side so he could rouse her as gently as possible.  He
wound his right arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his
chest.  His left hand sought out her smaller one, enveloping it
protectively, bracing for any sudden move on her part. 

He spoke softly in her ear, "Scully, wake up.  It's only a dream. 
Scully, please wake up."

She continued to sob in her sleep, repeating the same few words in
anguished supplication.  Her body felt too cold to Mulder--whatever
she was dreaming was affecting her physiology as well as her mind. 
He continued to plead with her but she was wholly unresponsive.

"Scully?  Scully?  Come on, honey.  Wake up!" he begged, louder than
before.

Frustrated with his unsuccessful efforts to bring her around, he sat
up beside her, then pulled her to an upright position between his
legs.  He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to stimulate
blood circulation as he entreated, "Dana, you have to wake up. 
Please, please, wake up!"

Mulder shifted her again, positioning her across his lap.  Her eyes
fluttered rapidly under their lids, then opened wide, finally
beginning to respond to his pleas.  He was relieved for half a second
until he realized she was disoriented and upset, still caught in her
nightmare.  

"Go away!  Take your hands off me!" she shouted, struggling against
the firm grip on her arms.

"Scully!  It's me!  It's Mulder!" he yelled back, desperately trying
to restrain her.  

Whatever was gripping her consciousness like a vise released her
suddenly--her eyes focused on her surroundings for the first time
since she'd opened them.  

"Mulder?" she said, scanning his troubled expression for answers. 

His concern diminished rapidly, and a relieved smile spread across
his face.  Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead and his hands
trembled slightly as he encircled her waist, pulling her against his
chest.  She was too shocked to resist--her mind processing the
situation as coherently as possible.

"Oh, God, Scully.  You wouldn't wake up.  You wouldn't wake up," he
murmured against her shoulder.  

He inhaled deeply and tried to relax; he was finally free from
distress now she was fully awake.  He breathed in her distinctive
scent--she smelled heavenly--the light dusting of baby powder after
her shower was still in evidence.

Scully was quiet, evaluating her shaky limbs and rapid heartbeat
with an alert, practiced eye.  She must have really scared him--his
body was quivering against hers, echoing her own unsteadiness.  She
leaned heavily against him, allowing herself the time to regain full
consciousness and full composure.

"It's never happened like this before, Scully.  I mean, I don't
know... I'm still missing all our time before last year, before we
became lovers.  But I remember last year, and I don't remember you
having nightmares this bad.  Not that I can't wake you from," he
stammered.  "God, I must sound like a blithering idiot, Scully."

"No, no.  You don't," she replied solemnly.  "I had some really bad
dreams while you were gone.  I'm surprised it took almost a week for
one to recur.  I should have warned you but I guess I was too
embarrassed to mention it."

"Have people tried to wake you before?"  He moved her gently as he
spoke, seeking out her watery eyes.

A blush was hidden beneath her flushed, tear-streaked face.  "Yes. 
My mom, twice.  The guys, once.  I fell asleep at their place and I
really scared them one night.  I should have warned you," she
repeated needlessly.

Mulder leaned over and kissed Scully's mouth gently, then allowed
her to shift her body weight between his legs again.  She reclined
there; her back against his chest.  His arms wrapped around her and
he nuzzled her cold, clammy neck, hoping to warm her up by raising
their body temperatures the old-fashioned way.  She seemed to agree,
caressing his bare thighs with long strokes of her slender hands. 
Well-manicured nails caught against his skin at random moments,
raising his blood pressure in a much more pleasant way than a scant
five minutes ago.

"Getting fresh with me already, G-Woman?" he teased.

She chuckled softly, then leaned her head back against his chest so
their mouths could meet again--with more heat, more longevity, than
their previous kiss.  Another one followed, and soon both of them
were breathless, parting only to replenish the oxygen in their lungs.
Scully ran her hand over Mulder's cheek before reluctantly scooting
toward the side of the bed.

"Nature calls, Mulder.  I'm *such* a pregnant lady," she said,
imitating the New York accent of an old lady she'd met in a deli just
a few weeks ago.  

Like most older women she'd come in contact with for over five
minutes time the last few months, the sweet and kind matron had
inquired when she was due, and then told her about her grandchildren.
She hadn't patted her tummy--to Scully's great relief.  By the end of
their conversation though, Scully realized she wouldn't have minded--
the woman reminded her of her Irish grandmother.  

She wished her grandparents were still alive at the time of that
conversation but now knew she'd been granted a much greater gift from
whoever was doling out wishes these days--Mulder was back--to share
these last few months of pregnancy with her, to make love to her, to
care for her.  The bad dreams might continue, might even worsen
before she gave birth, but she knew in her heart everything would
turn out well.

Scully leaned over to kiss his smiling face.  He was clearly amused
by her impersonation, but seemed more than willing to wait for an
explanation.

"I'll hurry back," she promised, returning his smile.

"Not going anywhere," he responded in a velvet tone, sliding
seductively against the pillows at the head of the bed.      

She licked her lips once, then hurried off to the bathroom, eager to
return as soon as possible to those sultry bedroom eyes.
 
fin


Almost Home (19/?)
By Shoshana

February 26nd, 2001
Monday
9:00 a.m.
Office of Dr. Myers

"Mulder, stop fidgeting!  You're driving me nuts," Scully scolded.

If anyone had the right to squirm at that moment it was Dana Scully,
not Fox Mulder.  Her bladder was 'optimally filled,' just as the
doctor had ordered.  'Optimally filled' so her bladder would move the
gas in the intestines out of the way of the ultrasound beam.  

As a doctor, Scully knew all the science behind every test she'd
gone through over the last six months.  That didn't mean she had to
enjoy them, particularly when the doctor was running twenty minutes
late and she hadn't visited a bathroom for an hour and half.  Mulder
refused to sit still in the waiting room, discarding one magazine
after another.  He was driving her crazy.  He also had the nerve to
excuse himself to use the bathroom twice.  

Scully knew it was irrational to expect him to adhere to the same
regimen she had to as a pregnant woman, particularly when it
pertained to diet or exercise.  Or not peeing before the ultrasound
examination.  She hadn't told him why she hadn't made her usual twice
an hour pilgrimage to the rest room.  He hadn't seem to notice, so
she just assumed he knew why.  

He probably was too distracted to remember anything she'd told him
in the last twenty-four hours about the test.  He was clearly more
nervous than she was about this doctor's appointment.  It was there
first one together and she was delighted to have him beside her.  She
just wished he'd settle down in his seat for longer than five 
minutes.

"Sorry," Mulder apologized, uncrossing his legs and bracing his
knees with his hands.  

Mulder threw her an tentative half-smile, and she pursed her lips,
trying not to laugh at his endearing restlessness.  His episode in
the hospital over the weekend and subsequent retrieval of assorted
memories from the previous year had increased his solicitude toward
her, if that were even possible.  He'd been so attentive to her over
the last week she'd sometimes felt like telling him it wasn't
necessary to constantly help her with the most fundamental of
movements. 

Scully didn't protest at first because she found herself
appreciating his overprotectiveness for the first time in their eight
year relationship.  She'd craved his company so much, for so long--it
seemed silly to complain.  She also had to take into account his
amnesia; he could be trying to compensate for not remembering their
life together.  

However, even after he'd regained enough memories from the last year
to feel confident of people, places and things he should know, their
encounter with a mysterious car on the highway Sunday night had
spooked them both.  Her nightmare this morning hadn't helped either. 
He'd had such a difficult time waking her, but he hadn't pressed her
for details of her dream.  He'd simply told her they needed to see
Skinner as soon as possible, elaborating no further.

"I talked to the neurologist's office this morning, Mulder," she
offered, trying to divert his attention from the long wait.

"Do I have an appointment already? he groaned mildly.  He'd seen
enough medical personnel on his own behalf over the weekend, and was
only glad to be in a doctor's office because Scully was the patient.

"Yes... it's a friend from medical school.  It won't take very long.
I had your records faxed over from Westerly hospital to Alexandria
hospital where coincidentally he practices.  All those tests we did
last week can be compared to your latest ones," she informed him.

"And Skinner?" he asked.

Mulder's eyes reflected genuine anxiety for her continued safety. 
He didn't know whether they'd be lucky enough to elude pursuit next
time they were chased down a dark highway at night.  Skinner was the
only person who could authorize personal protection for them at this
time, and they'd agreed it might be necessary not only for
themselves, but also their extended family.

"One p.m., his office," Scully responded.

She took his hand in hers and added, "We don't have to tell him
everything, Mulder.  Just about the car on Sunday night.  It's not
even necessary to mention Krycek's name.  We're justified in asking
for his help."

"I know, I know.  I'm the one who was so insistent about seeing
him."  He raised his hand to her lips gently, preventing her response
until he could finish.  "The more time I have to think this morning,
the more misgivings I have--but I do want to see him, and I do want
to protect your family."

"Mom can stay with Bill and Tara for awhile, Mulder.  They're on a
secure naval base.  I don't want to scare her though.  We have so
little information to go on at this point.  Have you talked to the
guys yet?"

"No, I forgot to call and tell them about our trip to the hospital,
Scully--" he voiced guiltily.

"I did," she told him with a self-satisfied grin.

"That's my Scully," he replied, leaning over to kiss her cheek.  

"We're going over there for dinner tonight."

"So... when were you going to tell me?  You certainly have my day
planner filled, Ms. Scully," he jested.

"I just like to keep you guessing, remember?" she said, smoothing
her hand against his own.

"I do now," he said solemnly.  "I seem to remember more every day
since Saturday.  Words and images come back randomly, then combine to
make sense ten, fifteen minutes later.  Sometimes the whole story
comes back at once, but that's only about certain activities, if you
know what I mean," he leered playfully.

"Mulder!" she said, glancing around the waiting room at the other
patients.

"What?  Scully, no one is listening!  Even if they were, they would
be so confused by our conversation they'd tune it out."  He put his
arm around her, then kneaded her tight shoulder.  "Relax, we're
having an ultrasound."

"Yes, I know we're having one.  I just wish they'd hurry the hell up
in--"

"Dana Scully," the technician yelled to the room at large.

"Yes," she responded enthusiastically, popping out of her chair
faster than she imagined possible at this point in her pregnancy. 
Scully was eager to see her baby's development once again.  Not to
mention her bladder was about to explode.

Mulder followed her into the examining room, then helped her hop up
on the table.  He then leaned against the nearest wall, arms crossed,
patiently watching the two women prepare for the procedure.

"Hi, Dana.  How've you been?" the technician asked while she helped
Scully lift her shirt and roll down her maternity pants.  She then
tucked a large paper drape into the waistband to protect the fabric
from the gel.

"Great, just great, Amy.  I haven't seen you since my
amniocentesis...  Amy, this is Fox Mulder.  He's the baby's father."

Scully beckoned him to her side while continuing to speak to the
technician, "Amy, you know I'm a physician so you gave me an
abbreviated explanation last time I was here.  You can give Mulder
the grand tour, so to speak, if you like."

Amy chuckled as she warmed the gel between her hands.  "It's nice to
meet you Mulder.  You'll have to excuse me from a handshake for now."

"Quite all right. Amy.  Why did you have to have an ultrasound
during your amniocentesis, Scully?"

"They monitor the insertion of the needle to gather amniotic fluid. 
It only took about thirty seconds, and I barely felt it.  I could see
the baby move on the monitor after the doctor withdrew the needle,
but I was so nervous about the results of the test I couldn't fully
enjoy it.  I did get a nice photo to take home with me.  I was too
embarrassed to tell you I'd lost it in my apartment," she replied
sheepishly. 

Scully squeezed the hand Mulder had offered her seconds earlier. 
This time was easier on her; she was confident the baby was healthy
after seeing the amnio results at sixteen weeks.  He smiled at her
and moved his other hand behind her neck, gently massaging there.

"It doesn't matter now, Scully.  I'm sure this will be just as
exciting," he assured her.

Scully shuddered involuntarily as Amy placed a puddle of gel in the
middle of the lower abdomen, about halfway between her navel and her
pubic bone.  There was no way to completely warm the substance in the
few minutes they had, but Amy had certainly done her best.  She used
the transducer to spread the gel over Scully's belly, from top to
bottom. 

The room fell silent as the image danced across the monitor.  Mulder
and Scully watched the blurry picture in awe, searching for
recognizable body parts.

"Look!" Amy pointed out finally, as the baby's position changed
slightly.  "He's waving to you."

The baby wasn't actually moving, but he did have his hand and arm
extended, a pose very similar to one stop-action frame of a movie.  

"Wow," was all Mulder could manage.

"Wow is right," Scully responded, smiling at Mulder's astonishment.

Amy grinned at both parents.  It never ceased to amaze her how
predictable people were.  No matter how well-educated or articulate
they were before the exam--they seemed to lose the power of speech at
the first sight of their developing child.  'Wow' was definitely in
their vocabulary, along with other common phrases such as 'Oh, God'
and 'Look at that.'

She'd been curious about Dana Scully's situation, aware only that
the child's father was also an FBI agent because she'd looked over
new medical information added to her file.  She could only imagine
what Dana had been going through--not knowing where he was, what
assignment he was on.  He'd probably done undercover work, just like
on those Discovery Channel shows.  That was how Amy explained his
absence in her own mind; she could never imagine this attentive,
gentle man missing the first months of his child's life for any other
conceivable reason.

"Okay, I'm going to print out a few copies of that frame.  Dr. Myers
should be in any minute.  I know you requested this ultrasound, Dana,
and so far I see no problems of any kind in fetal development.  I'll
let you ask the doctor any further questions you may have.  Don't
move an inch!" Amy warned goodnaturedly.

Amy left the two agents alone, gazing at the frozen image on the
screen.  Mulder stepped back from Scully a little and asked, "You
requested the ultrasound?"

"Yeah.  She concurred with my request, Mulder.  I was worried about
the size of the baby and... my size.  There's no harm done.  I was
going to have one done at eight months also, but I don't think we'll
need to.  I'm no obstetrician, but I'm pretty happy with the baby's
physical development.  I think Dr. Myers will be too."

Mulder smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek.  "Serves you right
for getting knocked up by a tall guy like me."

"Mulder!  You're impossible," she scolded. 

Dr. Myers opened the door to the room just as Mulder was moving from
cheek to lips for another kiss.  He pulled away quickly, startled by
her entrance.  One glance at Scully informed him of the close
relationship that had developed between the two physicians, no doubt
because Dr. Myers was noticeably pregnant herself.  Not as much as
Scully, but enough to show.

"Hey there, how are you doing, Dana?" asked Ashley Myers as she
moved the wand over Scully's belly.

Ashley was a brunette with Mediterranean features, a couple of
inches taller than Scully.  Her long hair was pulled up in a bun, and
her green eyes twinkled as she paid close attention to the image on
the monitor.

"Fine.  Just fine.  This is Fox Mulder, Ashley.  Mulder, this is
Ashley Myers.  We went to medical school together," Scully told him,
smiling broadly.

"You did, huh?  Why didn't you tell me?" he said, feeling slightly
out of the loop.

"Probably so she can say 'Gotcha!' when you head back home," joked
Ashley before Scully could reply.  "She was always pulling crap on
us, weren't you, Dana?" she added, grinning at her friend.

"*You* were the class clown?" Mulder asked incredulously.

"No, Ashley was.  I just tried to keep up with her," Scully 
responded.

"No, no.  I was trying to keep up with you, Dana.  But we'll never
see the end of this argument, will we?  Now, I wish I could be more
chatty today, but I'm very behind schedule.  I don't see a thing
wrong here, Dana.  Everything looks really good.  You don't want
another one at eight months, do you?"

"No, I don't think so.  I don't see the need for it now.  I think
we'll just go with whatever you think is best for the rest of the
pregnancy," Scully replied.

"Okay, sounds good.  I don't have to see you for another month. 
Keep alert for Braxton-Hicks contractions, however mild they are.  I
also want you to keep a diary of any unusual bouts with heartburn,
leg cramps, or faintness.  I know you're familiar with all the other
symptoms of late pregnancy, but those are the ones I'm most concerned
with, other than the contractions.  We'll give you something for all
those things if you they're too severe.  Won't we, Mulder?" she said,
surprising them both by addressing Mulder singly.

"Ashley!  Are you suggesting I'm a difficult patient who won't take
her meds?" Scully teased back.

"Yes, I certainly am.  One of the worst in my experience, and I can
see by the look on Mulder's face he agrees with me," she added.

Scully shot Mulder a mock glare.  "There's only one person who could
surpass me in crankiness, and you're looking at him, Ashley."

Mulder let out an indignant little huff, then replied, "I'll remind
you of this conversation when you're pleading for your epidural,
Scully."

Ashley laughed gleefully, delighted her friend had finally met her
match, in more ways than one.  They hadn't had very much time to
catch up with one another until lately, when Dana started coming to
her for her pregnancy.  She was happy to see Dana Scully was a
changed woman since her last visit; her smile was genuine, her eyes
sparkled with life, not worry and dimmed hopes.  The return of
Mulder, from wherever he'd been, was a joyous one for Ashley if it
made her old friend feel this great.

"I'm glad you two get along so well," she remarked dryly.  Ashley
extended her hand to Mulder across the examining table over Scully's
still-exposed tummy.  "Hope to see both of you next month, I gotta
run!"

Ashley squeezed Scully's right hand affectionately, before sending
both of them one last smile and rushing out the door. 

Mulder and Scully turned to one another immediately, both
suppressing laughter.  They both succumbed at the same time, as Amy
came walking in to help clean up Scully's slick tummy.

"Hey, I'm glad you're doing so well," Amy told Scully as she wiped
up the excess gel from her stomach.  "Those sonogram prints are
waiting for you when you check out, Dana."

"Thanks, Amy.  Thanks for everything," Scully said, hoping to convey
her deep regard for her.  The whole office had been so supportive of
her while Mulder was still missing.  She wouldn't have expected
anything less of her friend Ashley and the people she employed.

Scully adjusted her waistband and pulled her shirt back down with a
little help from Amy.  Mulder stood ready to help her off the high
table, and they left the room for the receptionist's desk.

"Wait here," she ordered Mulder, ducking into the nearest bathroom.

Mulder nonchalantly leaned beside the door, chuckling to himself. 
He had a hard time envisioning his Scully as a prankster in college,
much less graduate school.  Then again, he'd been more wild in his
undergraduate years than he was willing to admit to most of his FBI
friends.  

Phoebe had been the only person from those days to visit him at
work.  Thank God she didn't spill everything to Scully, he thought to
himself.  At least, he hoped she hadn't.  He still had no memory from
that year of his life and no warning when he'd have another episode
like the one the previous weekend.

Scully emerged from the washroom and Mulder wasted no time asking
her what was now plaguing his mind, "When's my neurologist
appointment?"

"Three o'clock, more or less.  My friend's on duty tonight at
Alexandria hospital.  We'll go over and wait until he has a few
minutes.  He promised to review your records before his shift, and I
believe him.  He's a real nice guy.  You'll like him."

Mulder smiled as they walked down the hall toward the receptionist. 
"In other words, he's an ex-boyfriend, don't be jealous of him."

"Hardly.  He's married to Ashley.  We were all in school together,
smart ass.  I'm not even going to remind you who I was seeing at the
time.  I think you remember... Oh, God, Mulder, I'm sorry.  What if
you don't remember?" she said, stricken by her faux pas.

Mulder stopped her from walking any further and put his arms around
her.  He kissed the top of her head and told her softly, "You already
told me about Daniel, Scully.  And I *do* remember the night we sat
and talked and you told me all about him.  It's coming back to me
slowly, at least the last year or so."  

"Do you remember what happened after I fell asleep on the couch?"
she asked, looking up at him beseechingly.

"Yes.  Yes, I do, Scully.  And I'm not likely to forget for the rest
of my life," he whispered, smoothing a stray hair behind her ear.

"Me neither," she responded.  Scully reached up and caressed his
cheek lightly, her thumb grazing the outside of his lips.  "I think
it's time we go visit our old office.  What do you think of that 
idea?"

Mulder turned his head slightly, kissing her palm as it rested
against his cheek.  "I think it's a good one.  A great one, actually.
I'd like to see if you've redecorated," he said lightly.

Scully groaned with humor, "No, Mulder.  Every scrap of paper has
been left in its disorganized place!  Except for the ones I added to
the mess.  Come on, G-man, it's time to go back to work."

fin


Almost Home (20/?)
By Shoshana

February 26nd, 2001
Monday
11:00 a.m.
FBI Headquarters

"Sure you're ready?  We can go somewhere else until our meeting with
Skinner."

Scully reached across the car seat for Mulder's hand, initiating a
playful war between their thumbs as she waited for a response. 

"No.  I want to go in.  I just needed a minute to collect myself. 
How about you?  Didn't you want to go somewhere for lunch, Scully?"
he asked.  

Mulder knew he should have suggested a bite to eat before but his
thoughts had been focussed on what lie beyond the elevator doors of
the Hoover building.  

"How about the cafeteria?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"You want to make a grand entrance or something, Scully?  Alien
hunter Spooky Mulder returns to FBI headquarters accompanied by his
very pregnant consort Dr. Dana Scully?" he joked. 

Scully looked over at him affectionately and rubbed her thumb over
his chilly palm.  "Sure.  I've been biting my tongue every time I've
heard snippets of conversation about us for five long months.  I've
had to endure stares, people clamming up whenever I enter the room,
and stupid, ill-mannered questions from support staff who don't have
a clue what our work is all about.  Yes, I'd like to make a grand
entrance.  I've had it with all the rumors, Mulder.  I want to show
everyone you had no intention of abandoning me, our child, or the X-
Files to fly off in a spaceship." 

There was a  trace of venom in her words, contempt for all the
morons who'd come out of the woodwork since Mulder had disappeared
last September.  Every trip to the bathroom, and she'd had to make
plenty of them since the beginning of her pregnancy, became a test of
her self-restraint.  Since November, women in the Hoover building had
freely commented on her condition while Scully used the facilities.  

Most had the good sense to shut up when she would exit her stall and
step over to the basin to wash her hands.  A few would apologize for
their thoughtless words.  Some would ask her how she was feeling, ask
her if there was any word about Agent Mulder.  Overall, they were
remorseful and Scully never encountered the same discourtesy twice.  

However, there were thousands of employees in the building and it
never failed to happen on one of her more miserable days, coinciding
with some uncontrollable, quite natural surge of hormones through her
body.  Those days she would wait until the gossip mongers had cleared
the restroom, then taken the stairs in lieu of the elevator--just to
get away from it all.

Mulder sensed the bitterness behind her levity and responded,
"Scully, we don't have to prove anything to these idiots.  I'm sorry
I treated the situation so lightly... I didn't realize--"

Scully shook her head and interrupted him, "It's okay, Mulder.  I
don't resent these people; it's human nature to gossip.  I just... I
just would like to act like ordinary people for once, even if means
risking our partnership."

"There's no chance of that, Scully.  Skinner would have said
something last Monday.  There's no reason to split us up; there are
other married agents.  They don't supervise each other, and I could
make a very good case why I don't supervise you anymore.  Especially
since you managed the X-Files while I was gone," he reminded her.

Scully smiled at his optimism, but remained doubtful.  She decided
to keep it to herself; there was no point in arguing about their
partner status.  What will be will be, she thought.  If the
bureaucrats decided to separate them as an FBI team, they would still
be together as a couple.  Their love for one another and their child
bonded them forever.

"Still want to eat upstairs?" he inquired.  Mulder smoothed down the
collar of her coat in the back, then twined his fingers through her
rapidly growing hair.  He never wanted her to have short hair again. 
Ever.

"Bring me something?  After all, I have a lot of paperwork to catch
up on in the office," she openly fibbed.

Mulder leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek, "Yeah, I
think I can swing that.  And Scully?"

"Yeah?" 

"We are going to act like ordinary people.  We're going to get
married and we're going to move and we're going to have a baby.  I
don't want to miss out on any more events in our life, even the minor
ones--like running out for ice cream at two o'clock in the morning
or..."  He gave her slender hand a caress with his lips, then
continued, "Or dashing off to the Bureau mess hall to get you lunch."

"You think you'll be able to handle it if you can't remember
someone?" she fretted.

"Sure.  I don't see why not.  I'm not always Mister Personality
around here anyway.  I remember last year and I don't recall being
too chummy with anyone other than the lab staff.  Seems to be me
we've already alienated everyone else, possibly as far back as
Antarctica.  Don't ask me for details of the OPR meeting though, I
only know what I read in my journal.  That's one reason I'd like to
spend some time in the office--let's take some files home with us.  I
want to review some of the cases dealing with the alien virus."

"That's exactly what I was going to suggest, Mulder.  I'm going to
be home a lot for the next few months.  I haven't had this much time
to study chemical analyses of what we've discovered for years.  Not
to mention the need to study our own blood--" she added a little
anxiously.

"I know," he interrupted.  "I didn't want to ask you to do this,
Scully, but no one else can.  We can't trust anyone else with the
information.  I don't want to take Krycek's warning seriously, but
I'm afraid we're going to have to.  We don't know who followed us on
the highway last night... or why.  I'd like to find out though."

"I think we have to use the lab when no one's around, Mulder.  I've
done it before, and I can do it again.  You don't have to worry about
asking me to do anything--it helps to work.  It takes my mind off
other things..."  Her voice trailed off at the end as she studied her
hands, clasped loosely in her lap.

Mulder lifted her chin with his forefinger and looked into her eyes.
"Hey, nothing's going to happen to you or the baby, Scully.  I
promise."  He leaned over for one chaste kiss, then told her, "Come
on, let's get going.  It will be one o'clock before you know it and
I'm looking forward to seeing Skinner again.  This time I won't be at
a disadvantage; I think he knew something was wrong last Monday but
was too polite to bring it up.  Maybe we ought to give him a chance
to ask me a few questions before we tell him about the memory loss."

"You think he already knows?" she asked.

"Yes, I do.  But it's just a hunch, Scully."

Scully gave a mild groan, accompanied by a grin.

"I know, I know.  But how many of my hunches have turned out to be
valid theories... tell me that?"

"Oh, once in a while..." she waffled.

"Scully... I may only remember last year, but I can name ten cases
off the top of my head when my first impressions proved to be true. 
You're just being difficult, aren't you?"

She smiled at him indulgently and responded, "I'm hungry, Mulder."

"Argh, woman," he growled affectionately.  "You never cut me a
break."  He leaned over and kissed her on the nose.  "Let's face the
music, sweetheart."

Scully laughed and popped her car door open.  Mulder did the same on
his side of the sedan, rushing around to help her climb out
gracefully.  They were soon in the elevator descending to the 
basement.

No one was in the car when they got on; not many people used the
lower floor for anything but office supplies and major copying
duties.  Scully got out her keyring and opened the door which still
boasted Mulder's nameplate.  He smiled at the addition of a second
one below, Agent Dana Scully, M.D.  How had he neglected to get her
one before?  

The office smelled musty from being closed up for the last few
weeks.  Scully doubted anyone but the cleaning crew had been in here
lately.  Her temporary partner didn't have a key anymore, but Skinner
had access to the office at any time.  She hadn't minded that at all;
if Mulder hadn't returned, he would have been her liaison to
important databases.  

She could still get around pretty well in her sixth month, but she
had a realistic expectation she might be confined to bed the last
month of her pregnancy.  If Mulder hadn't been back by then, she
would have done whatever she could from home to find him.  But he's
home now, she thought to herself.  She smiled to herself, basking in
the joy returned to her life since last Monday night. 

"What's so funny, Scully?" Mulder asked, amused by her Mona Lisa
smile.

Forest-colored eyes searched for any renovations or improvements of
note.  Everything looked pretty much the same, except for the
addition of another desk, crammed into the far corner of their
claustrophobic domain.  The partner's space, he mused.  Thank God
Skinner had found her someone untainted by the Consortium.  Of
course, he thought, there was no assurance her temporary partner was
clean.  He could have been waiting for the right moment to...

"Mulder?"

"Huh?"

"What are *you* thinking about?" she inquired thoughtfully.  "You
seem far away."

"Your partner Charlie.  I was having paranoid thoughts..." he
admitted a bit shamefacedly.

"Oh, don't worry about him.  The guys bugged his apartment the whole
time he worked with me.  He's completely clean," she told him
confidently.

Mulder grinned at her, then wove his arm around her waist.  She
didn't resist, though he knew she would have done so a year ago. 
There had been a hands off policy at work as soon as they'd started
sleeping together.

"Scully, you committed an illegal act!  I'm flabbergasted at your
temerity.  So... find out anything interesting about your temporary
partner?" 

He whispered his last sentence in a voice laden with prurient
interest.  Scully choked out an indignant laugh at his accusation.  

"Mulder!  He's a nice guy!  And no, I didn't listen when he had
women over, you pervert!"  She shuffled her feet a bit and looked
down at the floor shyly, "I left that task to Frohike."

Mulder chuckled at the visual image of his trollish friend, and
whoever else happened to be at the Gunmen's office, listening to
Charlie get some action.

"All in the interest of keeping you safe, of course?" 

"Of course," she replied, finally succumbing to a few giggles.

Mulder took her by the hand and they wove their way around his old
desk.  It had a sprinkling of dust from disuse, but was still pretty
much like he'd left it.  Scully had carved herself a workspace,
leaving his toys and other familiar objects at rest.

"You spent a lot of time down here, Scully?"

"Yeah, I didn't like to leave until eight or nine at night.  It
always made the nights go faster when I had just a few hours to kill
at home.  Or your apartment.  I started staying there more the last
few months."

"For the tub?" he guessed.

"Yeah, for that, and just to be there as much as I could..."  Her
voice wavered as she continued, "I wanted to be near you.  I couldn't
smell you in my apartment anymore..."

Tears brimmed in her eyes, and Scully felt slightly silly.  She'd
resisted crying all day, why now?  Perhaps because they were
absolutely alone now--she could let it all hang out if she wanted.

"Hey, come here," Mulder crooned, pulling her into his arms, then
gently wiping the wetness off her cheeks with his thumb.  "I'm sure I
did the same thing when you were gone.  God knows... I still can't
remember those three months.  Maybe I'm better off not retrieving sad
memories, Scully.  I was pretty terse in my journal entries... with
good reason, I'm sure."

"You know I'm not terribly sentimental, Mulder--but I felt like I
was going over the edge some evenings.  I couldn't talk to my mother
or the guys sometimes.  There were times when I was so alone..."

Scully tightened her arms around his back and leaned her cheek
against his chest.  Mulder shushed her before she could say more,
kissing her forehead several times before telling her, "Come on, why
don't you sit down?  It's getting close to noon and you need to eat
lunch.  I'll run upstairs and get something, okay?"

"Okay," she responded, smiling up at the crooked grin on his face.

She reluctantly moved out of his arms and navigated around piles of
manilla folders on the floor.  She carefully sat down in the
adjustable office chair, her latest bout with its stability fresh in
her mind.  Mulder stepped back to admire her, trying to remember when
she'd usurped his seat last--it must have been shortly before he'd
left for Bellefleur a second time.  He shook off the memory when she
smiled at him, clearing her throat with an understated 'harumph.'

"Chef's salad?  Milk?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Sure.  Extra milk... okay?"

"Okay.  I'll just be a few minutes.  This kind of service doesn't
come cheap, you know."

"What?"  

Her lips curled into a little bow as she realized he was teasing
her.  Mulder walked over to her and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Payment received," he whispered, before turning to leave.

Scully watched him walk to the door, then turn and glance at her one
more time before locking the door behind him.  He didn't have to do
that, she had her weapon with her--it was *their* office, for
goodness sake!  She appreciated it nonetheless.  It was getting
easier to accept his protection when he gave it without patronizing
words of caution.

Mulder strode over to the elevator doors and punched at the button
beside him.  Ten seconds later, the metal barrier parted and he
collided with a man slightly shorter than himself yet a good thirty
pounds heavier.

"Mulder!  Good to see you!  I just found out you were back!"
exclaimed the paunchy, but pleasant looking brown-haired man.  He
extended his hand in a such a friendly manner Mulder was forced to
reciprocate.

Exasperated by his inability to place this man from his past, Mulder
found it difficult to disguise his bewilderment.  He tried to erase
the confusion from his features, but the stranger had already noted
his befuddlement.

"Hey, Mulder, I know I've gained a lot of weight in the last couple
years, but surely you remember me?  Tom, Tom Colton.  Sorry if I
caught you off guard.  I just heard about you and Dana."

Mulder searched his memory frantically, settling on a case he'd read
about in his journal.  1993.  No wonder he couldn't recognize this
man; they'd worked on the Tooms case together but Mulder hadn't seen
a photograph of him among the ones Scully had shown him last week. 

"Oh, Tom.  Tom, I'm sorry.  You do look different.  You grew a
beard, didn't you?"  Mulder hedged a bet the beard was a new addition
to the man's visage.  "How come you have a Visitor's pass and not an
FBI ID on your lapel?" Mulder asked, attempting to evade scrutiny of
his own faulty memory by focussing on Tom's status as an agent.

"Didn't you hear?  I quit the Bureau about a year and a half ago and
formed a company with a few friends.  Security systems, personal
safety seminars, that kind of stuff.  We're still struggling, but I
think it will work out.  Didn't do much good for my personal fitness
regimen, though," Tom remarked, patting his extra girth.

Mulder grinned, then answered, "It suits you, Tom.  You look happy
to be a civilian.  To tell the truth, Scully and I spend so much time
out of town some months we never hear the latest buzz around the
water cooler.  I guess you were on your way to say hello to Scully,
weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was just visiting a few friends in the bullpen.  Hey!
Congratulations, Mulder!  I mean... I don't mean to be presumptuous--
" he stammered.

"No, no.  It's true.  Scully and I... we're getting married soon,"
he admitted.

"That's great!" he responded, offering Mulder his hand once again.

Mulder grasped his hand firmly, internally praising some unknown
deity for getting him through yet another awkward situation.  

He gestured with his hand toward the office door and said, "Go
ahead, Tom.  I'm on my way to pick up lunch, but I'll be back in ten.
I'm sure Dana would like to see you."

"I'll just be a minute.  Got a client interview at one p.m. but I
wanted to give her my best wishes.  Take care, Mulder.  It's good to
see you made it back... from wherever those *gray* Reticulans had
you," he quipped.

Mulder smiled and replied, "Thanks, Tom.  I don't know if they were
gray or not, but they were definitely Reticulans..." 

Tom grinned back.  "I know you're full of it, Mulder.  No matter
where you were, I'm glad you're back.  I'm glad Dana has you," he
remarked honestly.

"Thanks, Tom," Mulder replied, with equal sincerity.  "*I'm* glad to
be around now.  I'm going to fly before Scully has to wait much
longer for that great cafeteria food.  Take care of yourself," he
concluded, shaking Tom's hand for a third and last time before
running off to summon the elevator.

Thirty minutes later, Mulder felt like he'd just run an obstacle
course.  He managed to pin a frozen smile on his face from the moment
he emerged from the elevator on the second floor.  People waved
cheery hellos, some stopping him in the hallway to shake his hand. 
Spooky had never been so popular among Hoover employees before--
they'd generally avoided him like the plague.

He imagined once the search had been called off for Agent Fox
Mulder, MIA, the news had spread like wildfire.  Scully's pregnancy
was no secret, even though she'd secluded herself in the basement the
last few months.  No one believed the baby could be anyone else's--
she'd never been seen with any other men--at least not in the same
way everyone associated her with Mulder.

Mulder tried to be gracious, but finally had to tell some well-
wishers he was on a tight schedule and move along.  The line moved
swiftly at the cafeteria and he was eternally grateful those in line
to either side of him were total strangers.  If he had to converse
with someone he couldn't remember, Mulder was ready to leave the
building for the nearest McDonald's.

"Special delivery!" he shouted before entering the office.  He
looked around the basement hideaway, trying to spot Scully among the
familiar clutter.  "Scully?" he questioned when he didn't see her
scarlet tresses.

"Here," she voiced from the door.  "Another trip to the john.  So,
what did you think of Tom, Mulder?" she asked lightly.

"Boy, Scully.  That was a close one.  If he hadn't put on so much
weight... I mean I really didn't know who he was... he thought it was
his size, not my recollection of him.  I must not have seen him since
he left the FBI.  It's a good thing I ran into him, though.  It
prepared me for what lay ahead on the second floor.  There were a few
people I had to smile at like some goofy clown; luckily no one
thought it was odd I didn't know them by name." 

Mulder was obviously relieved to be in their out-of-the-way
sanctuary.  He set the bags down on an empty desk and pulled two
chairs over so they could eat on the flat surface.  Scully rummaged
through the food before sitting down, carefully placing her salad and
drink to one side.

"I'm surprised Tom dared to show his face around here after some of
the rumors he's spread in the past, Mulder.  He does seem to be a
changed man.  Since he got married..." 

She caught Mulder's eye as he was sitting down.  He sheepishly
responded, "I hope you don't mind that I told him we were getting
married, Scully.  I couldn't allow him to think--"

"It's fine, Mulder.  I don't mind.  In fact, I think my mother has
come up with March tenth as a possible date.  That okay with you?"
she asked coyly, tilting her head to one side. 

Mulder smiled and scooted his chair closer to her side.  "Yeah, you
know it is."  He took hold of her left hand and fingered the antique
ring she continued to wear.  "You sure tried to chase me away before
I regained my memory, Scully."  

His tone was light, but she knew how aggravated he'd been before
she'd green lighted the nuptials on their way back from Rhode Island.

"Humph," she replied with mock indignation.  "Just another case of
the two of us seeing circumstances through a totally different lens,
Mulder.  I'd never chase you away, but I would make you slow down and
think things out rationally."

He leaned over to kiss her cheek quickly, then agreed, "You always
have, Scully.  I hope you always will."

Mulder turned his attention to the hamburger and fries he'd brought
back for himself, tearing the bag apart and spreading a dozen napkins
across the table to capture the grease.

"You're lucky I'm past the queasy stage or I'd be out of here in a
flash," Scully teased.  She picked at her salad, fishing out the
pieces of cheese and egg with care.

"Did you get morning sickness?  I never thought to ask," he queried
before taking a huge bite of his burger.

"It was bad for a few weeks after I first found out.  It got better.
The dizzy spells went away as soon as I made sure I ate enough
protein.  I guess skipping meals probably contributed to that symptom
more than anything."

"We, I, thought you were sick, Scully.  The night you came to my
motel room... I wish we'd done something then," he reflected 
solemnly.

"We couldn't have known, Mulder," she assured him, running her hand
along his forearm.  

"No, but I wouldn't have left you here if I'd known you were
pregnant, Scully.  You have to believe that.  I don't think anything
would have made me leave you if I'd known.  Even a cloaked spaceship
in Oregon," he responded quietly.

Scully reached over and swiped her finger across his chin, capturing
a stray dollop of ketchup.  "I believe you.  But--" she sighed
pensively.

"Buh wha?" he mumbled around his fries. 

"I don't want you to stop trying to solve problems because of me, or
because of the baby.  That's what we do, Mulder.  It's our job to
save people's lives, and if we have to..."

"We have to look out for ourselves, too.  We've taken enough chances
for humanity, Scully.  I want to see you have a good life.  If that
means cutting back on the X-Files, or if it means finding something
else to do with my life, that's what I'll do."

Scully shook her head, "No, we can't give up on our work, Mulder.  I
agree... there may be less dangerous ways to go about it, but there
will always be pitfalls for us--because of what we know... because of
what we carry in our bloodstream."

She spoke with a tone of resignation which hurt him physically, tore
at his gut.  He wanted to make it crystal clear what his priorities
in life were now he was back home to stay.  Mulder never wanted her
to doubt his devotion, no matter what path they followed in the
coming months.  

"I'm not going to let you get hurt again, Scully," he responded
determinedly.  "Or the baby.  That's the whole reason we're here this
afternoon--to see Skinner... to explain what we think happened to me,
what we know happened the other day.  I don't think anyone else in
the FBI will take us seriously."

"Oh, really?"

The voice behind them startled Mulder and Scully; they reached for
their weapons instinctively and turned around.  

fin


Almost Home (21/?)
By Shoshana

February 26nd, 2001
Monday
12:45 p.m.
FBI Headquarters

"Relax, agents," Skinner chuckled.  "You might want to reconsider
sitting with your back to the door from now on."

Mulder and Scully cringed at his words, painfully aware of their
lapse in security.  The basement office seemed so comfortable; it was
easy to get complacent there.

"Sorry, sir.  In light of why we've asked you to meet with us today--
I feel very foolish letting down my guard," Mulder apologized.

"Please sit down, sir.  We're not late, are we?" Scully said,
checking her watch.  

"No, you're not.  I'd feel better talking to you down here.  I
believe this office was just swept for bugs," he remarked.

"How?" Scully sputtered.  No one was supposed to be using their
office while they were on vacation.

"Frohike, Scully.  I must have told him last week we were going to
use the office today.  How did *you* know, sir?"

"I happened to be in the neighborhood at two o'clock this morning,"
Skinner told them.

"Thanks, sir.  For not busting Frohike, that is.  I gave him
permission, after all," Mulder explained.

"Well, both of you are damn lucky I have a sense of humor," Skinner
replied with a small smile.  "What did you want to see me about,
agents?" he added, getting directly to the point.

"You probably already know about my stay at the hospital over the
weekend.  I imagine Human Resources got a fax from Westerly this
morning."

"Are you all right now?  Will this illness be affecting your fitness
for duty?" Skinner asked.

Mulder looked to Scully for guidance, uncertain how much to reveal.

"We're not sure yet, sir.  We're going to see a neurologist this
afternoon," Scully interjected quickly.

"I'd like a full report as soon as possible.  I didn't expect you to
go back to work right away, Mulder.  But I'd like to know if your
abduction will prevent that eventuality--so, please keep me
informed," Skinner told him.

"I will, sir," Mulder assured.  "My hospital stay isn't the only
thing I wanted to discuss with you, sir.  We drove back to DC with
Scully's mom and brother; we dropped them off at her home in Maryland
Sunday night."

"You drove?" Skinner inquired.

"Yes.  I felt fine by then.  I had plenty of rest in the hospital; I
felt okay.  It's just a short drive down 295 so we should have been
home in less than an hour but we were followed by a single vehicle
for several miles.  I didn't notice them behind us right away and I
managed to lose the tail by speeding up and taking the first exit I
could.  I don't think they caught up with us again," Mulder 
concluded.

"You never got a good look at the car behind you?" Skinner asked.

"No, I took off as fast as I could once I noticed headlights in the
rear view mirror one too many times," Mulder responded.

Skinner heaved a sigh, then relaxed his posture in the straight
chair he'd been sitting in.  He clasped his hands together and looked
from one agent to the other.

"The car following you was one of mine, Mulder.  I'm sorry... I
assigned protection to both you and your relatives as soon as you
returned a week ago.  I should have told you about this but--"

"They were FBI?  Since when do you have agents following us around?"
Scully inquired furiously.  

"Scully..." Mulder whispered, placing his hand over hers as she
seethed over what she perceived to be a violation of trust.

Scully snatched her hand away, resisting his appeal for calm.  She
wondered if Skinner had been protecting her since last September when
Mulder disappeared.  How many other agents knew of their predicament?
She didn't appreciate the infringement upon her privacy this
'protection' implied.

"How long have you had a tail on me, sir?  Since last fall?" she
snapped.

Undaunted by the steely glare accompanying her ire, Skinner plunged
ahead, "No, I haven't been keeping tabs on you since last fall, Agent
Scully.  There've been times I was tempted to--but I knew you had
three friends to do the Bureau's job--"

Scully blushed at this revelation, recalling how attentive the
Gunmen had been until Mulder returned just one week ago.  Their
vigilance must have included surreptitious round-the-clock
surveillance.  She didn't know whether to kiss them or kill them for
looking out for her.  

"Thanks, sir.  At least we know what happened now," Mulder 
placated.  

This was one time Mulder wanted to brownnose the AD, appreciating
Skinner's interest in keeping Scully safe, even if she felt her
privacy was invaded.  He understood her objections to not knowing--he
would have preferred to know himself.  However, he couldn't take
offense at Skinner's efforts; Mulder knew he would have done the same
thing himself.

Scully lifted her eyes from studying the vinyl floor beneath their
feet and added, "Yes, sir.  I'm sorry I lost my temper."  She looked
thoughtful for a moment then continued, "The protection was 
unexpected, but I guess I can't say completely unwarranted 
considering our situation.  You have agents assigned to all my family
members, then?"

"Yes, even the ones overseas, Scully.  They have no idea they are
being watched."

"Did you hear from Krycek, sir?" Mulder asked, anxious to get to
issues surrounding the baby's safety.

"Yes, in a way.  I bugged the bugger, so to speak.  He thought he
was controlling me, agents.  Little did he know."  Skinner gave them
a satisfied smile, and continued, "I have something to show you. 
It's not a pretty picture, and I don't want to upset Agent Scully..."

"I'll be all right.  If you have any worries at all, show it to
Mulder first, sir.  I'm sure he knows my limits by now," she assured.

Skinner reached inside his suit and pulled out a 5 by 7 glossy
photo.  It was black and white, but Mulder recognized the dead men
immediately.  

"You were bugging Krycek's apartment?" Mulder asked.

"Yes.  After he reappeared last fall, I found the right men to do
the job.  I'm sure you're familiar with them, so I won't name names,"
Skinner replied.

"Our friends?" Scully asked anyway.  

She held her hand out, expecting Mulder to hand over the photo, no
matter how gruesome.  She'd probably seen worse and she wasn't going
to be coddled if it concerned Krycek and his involvement with the
Consortium.  Mulder looked over at Skinner with resignation, then
shrugged his shoulders and handed her the piece of paper.  

"Smoking Man?  He wasn't dead?" she gasped when viewing the two
corpses.

"No.  He survived Krycek's assault on him last fall, with the help
of his nurse, but Cancer Man couldn't survive a bullet from our one-
armed friend.  It appears they shot one another during a heated
argument, and by the time I'd  mobilized a team to collect the
bodies, someone had cleaned up the mess.  Apparently, we weren't the
only ones watching Krycek.  Of course, this means we can't be sure
they are both dead--but the photographic evidence is pretty
damning..." he concluded.

Skinner then stood up and said, "That's all I have for you, agents. 
I'd still like to see you take more vacation time.  I think both of
you deserve it.  I'd like to know what the neurologist has to say
also."

"Sir, there's something we haven't told you yet," Scully informed 
him.

Mulder almost spoke, but thought better of it when her eyes begged
him to do otherwise.  He leaned back in his chair, hands interlocked
behind his head.  Memories from the last year and half had flooded
his consciousness the last few days, confirming what he'd already
discovered within minutes of 'meeting' Scully last Monday night--she
could convey so much, so well, with just a glance his way.

Mulder was beginning to feel like his old self--every new
recollection seized and held by electrical activity in his brain.  He
didn't think it would have been possible to recover so rapidly
without Scully's love and patience.  If it had been the other way
around--if she'd been the one to suffer such a devastating loss of
memory--he only hoped he could have given her as much or more tender
loving care. 

"What is it, Scully?"  Skinner asked anxiously.  

Skinner had sensed something different about Mulder last Tuesday
morning; he still wondered what had aroused his suspicions about him
then.  Mulder seemed perfectly normal today; he bore no visible
effects from his physical collapse over the weekend.  Why had he
seemed so distant his first day back?  

Skinner hoped to learn the truth of the matter but would be
summarily disappointed.  Scully had decided to conceal Mulder's
memory loss from their boss as long as possible, and Mulder would no
doubt agree with the wisdom of that choice when she explained her
remarks later.  She was more concerned about enlisting the AD's help
in finding and fighting the Consortium than trying to explain
Mulder's partial amnesia to her wary superior.  

"Krycek approached us last week in a neighborhood park and warned us-
-he told us the baby was unique--there were men interested in him..."
she stammered.

Scully was battling tears as she spoke.  Why was this so hard for
her?  She'd rehearsed this twenty times in her head while waiting for
Mulder to get her lunch.  Dammit, she thought to herself, pull
yourself together.  She lowered her eyes to the floor and blinked her
eyes in frustration.

"Scully?"

Mulder had moved beside her and taken her left hand between his own.
She was embarrassed by the attention, but determined to stave off a
full fledged bout of weeping in front of Skinner.  She reached inside
her jacket and extracted a tissue, then dabbed the wetness from under
her eyes. 

"Finish for me," she choked out finally.

Mulder turned to Skinner and continued, "Krycek seemed to think the
baby's immunity to the alien virus would make it the perfect test
subject.  He told us the Project was not totally disbanded--there
were parties dissociated from the Smoking Man who were aware of
Scully's pregnancy and our medical histories.  He said he was doing
us a good turn.  Naturally we didn't believe him, but--"

"It's plausible someone would be interested in the child, Mulder. 
That's why I've arranged for even more protection now than before you
returned.  I don't know what connection your release has to this
threat but I do take it seriously.  I know you're both capable agents
--I'd feel better if you'd respect my efforts and not try to escape
your protection, as you did the other night," Skinner told them.

"It won't happen again, sir," Scully promised, with a steadier,
stronger voice.  She smiled weakly, and continued, "We appreciate
what you've done in the past."

"All I've done is watch out for two of my best agents, Scully.  I
hope you and Mulder will come up with a solution to the overriding
problem you've been investigating all these years.  I know you can. 
I know you will."

Mulder was surprised to hear Skinner allude to colonization in this
way; he'd clearly become a believer since last autumn.  Not having to
argue this point with their AD would help navigate the rough road
that lie ahead.  At least Skinner didn't think he was looney tunes
anymore. 

"Thank you, sir," he told the AD, nodding his head in acknowledgment
of the older man's confidence in them.  "We'll try our best."

Skinner rose from his chair, evidently satisfied with their meeting.
He grinned briefly at the agents, both waiting for his final word of
the day.  "I know I can't keep you away from this office, but I'd
appreciate it if you conduct your research discreetly.  You're on
maternity leave, Scully, and Mulder, you better get yourself fit for
duty.  Go see that doctor and get a clean bill of health.  Then you
can see about going back to work.  I still think you both ought to
take it easy for another few weeks--"

"We will, sir.  We're not planning on going very far afield.  We
have plenty to do in the interim, though, and I promise you we'll be
careful if we use the FBI lab.  We may not have to go there--I think
I know an alternative," Scully answered thoughtfully.

"Don't hesitate to ask me for assistance, Scully.  I want you both
to know you're not alone in this.  It's far from over, in my opinion.
Take care of yourselves, agents," he concluded, slipping out the door
before either of them could respond.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Mulder told her 
immediately.

"I guess... for you at least," Scully responded, uneasy about her
loss of control in front of Skinner.  

Scully had managed to remain stoic around her supervisor and the
guys for the most part while Mulder was gone.  As her pregnancy
progressed, and Mulder's absence dragged on, she'd excused herself
more than once when in the company of her four protectors.  It was
more difficult to display her emotions in front of them than Mulder--
it always had been. 

She knew she'd return to being a more staid, less demonstrative
person once the baby was born.  It was the way she'd garnered respect
in the past, carefully restraining her reactions when among her peers
in the FBI.  The times she'd lost her temper, lost all that well-
practiced discipline which prevented her from exhibiting how she
truly felt, were always justified in her mind and heart.  

It was close to impossible to avoid displaying her heart on her
sleeve now--less than three months to go, she thought.  The baby will
be born soon and I won't have to worry about hormonal outbursts
anymore.  Then she felt the baby softly kick from within her womb and
she wished for more time to savor their child's growth--especially
now that Mulder was here to share this miraculous experience.

"Scully?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.  The serene look on
her face vanished when she turned her head.

"Yes?" she asked, as a smile bloomed across her face.

"When's that appointment with the neurologist?"

"Three o'clock.  It'll take thirty minutes to drive over to
Alexandria and it's--"  Scully glanced at her wristwatch quickly,
"close to two now."

"Good.  Just enough time," he told her, crossing the room and
throwing the deadbolt on the door.  Mulder sauntered slowly across
the office, then stood comfortably behind her.

"What do you have in mind, Mulder?" she asked, rolling her head back
against his stomach.  She smiled as he caressed her shoulders,
working out the tension their discussion with Skinner had fostered.

"Scully... please.  It's not what you might think--I have a fantasy
I've always wanted--" he pleaded.

"Mulder," she warned lightheartedly, "I don't think the desk is a
possibility in my condition--"  

She took his hand and gently pulled him around to her side.  He
chuckled softly as he knelt beside her, placing his free hand on the
slope of her belly.

"Scully, what would make you think I ever entertained a fantasy like
that?" he teased back.  He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed
each finger before entwining them with his own.

Scully smiled shyly, then told him, "I bet I can match every one of
your office daydreams with one of my own, Mulder."

"I bet you can--and maybe someday we'll exchange thoughts on that. 
But now--"  

Mulder took both her hands in his own and pulled her to her feet. 
She followed him cautiously as he walked backward, luring her toward
the filing cabinets.  He gleamed triumphantly when they arrived,
dropping her hands and entreating her in a low, gravelly voice, "Open
a drawer, Scully."

"You've lost your mind, Mulder.  *This* is your fantasy?" she
responded incredulously.

"Humor me.  It's harmless fun.  You heard what Skinner said--no
one's watching us--there's no surveillance cameras in our fire
sprinkler heads, no bugging devices at all."

He swept his hand over her arm, touching her lightly on her elbow,
then her wrist, before resting his warm fingers on her hip.  He
gently pushed her closer to the metal structure.

"All right, Mulder.  I'll humor you, but there better not be
anything worthy of a honeymoon video.  This is still the place we
work," she shot back.  

He leaned over and kissed behind her ear, then whispered roughly,
"This is the most innocent of fantasies, Scully.  Not everything is
rated Triple X in my mind."

"Okay, you win... I'm opening the drawer, Mulder," she said, slowly
inching the metal container along its tracks.

"Find a file, any file," he urged.  "Start skimming through the
contents."

Scully turned to give him a dubious look, but obeyed his seemingly
inane request.  She stood before him, his hand on her hip, his lips
caressing the crown of her hair.  He moved closer, slowly soldering
his lower body to her own.  

She felt his body heat, his growing arousal, as he snaked his arms
through her own.  He lowered his mouth to the back of her neck,
kissing her there while he removed the file from her still hands.

She gave it to him willingly, leaning back against the immovable
barrier of his torso.  He dropped the file back in the open drawer,
freeing his hands, moving them along her velvety curves.

His hands grazed lightly beneath her breasts, just enough to make
her wish for more of his gentle touch there.  He continued to rain 
small kisses over her shoulders and neck, never stopping too long in 
any one place.  

Scully felt a little weak, not quite ready to swoon, but strongly
shaken by his quiet, patient seduction.  She turned around slowly in
his arms, then lifted her hands to his face, sweeping his lower lips
with the pads of her thumbs.

Mulder smiled down at her, then imitated her gesture, bringing his
palms to rest on her cheeks.  Her face returned his joyous
expression, silently urging him to diminish the distance between 
them.

Mulder kissed her tenderly, soothing her lips with feathery touches
of his tongue.  She opened her mouth to him and they kissed deeply,
passionately, for several minutes, forgoing respiration as pleasure
diffused through their bodies.

When they finally broke the kiss, Scully placed her hands on his
chest, allowing a little distance between them.  She stroked her hand
from his breastbone to his collarbone, a bemused expression on her
face.

"That's it?  That's your office fantasy, Mulder?" she asked, no
trace of sarcasm in her soft inquiry.  

His lips curved up slowly, eyes darting over her radiant features. 
"Uh, that's the one I've had the most.  As far as I can tell anyway--
from the memories I recovered.  I'm sure I've been having the same
one since the day you walked in the door of this office, Scully.  I
know I thought you were beautiful the first day I met you because I
wrote it down in my journal.  Didn't you ever peek at my first
entry?" he asked seriously.

"No, no.  I, I avoided the first few years when we poked into your
personal diary, Mulder.  I didn't think there would be anything of
value to our search.  I--"  She lifted her hand to his face again and
softly caressed his cheek with her thumb.  "I thought you were
handsome.  I wonder how well I concealed that from you," she said
with a warm smile.

"Pretty damn well according to my first impressions.  I wrote
several weeks later that I was sure you'd leave the X-Files and
settle down with some guy before too long.  I suppose I was wrong,
wasn't I?" he asked, the timbre of his voice expressing doubts even
now, even after all they'd been through.

She clutched his hand possessively.  "Yes, you were, Mulder.  I
remember, I know, I would never have settled for anyone less than
you.  I didn't tell you... I denied it for years... I knew I'd never
leave your side."

He sealed her lips with gentle fingers, then replaced them with the
soft texture of his mouth.  They shared a few more kisses, then
pulled slightly apart, grinning with unspoken happiness.

"Time to face the medical music, Mulder," she told him, brandishing
her wrist in his face.

"Yes, Doctor Scully.  I agree.  Speaking of medical advice... will
you rest tonight?  Please?  I know we have a lot to do here, but by
the time we're done at the hospital--"

"Okay, Mulder.  We'll call it a day, but we're going to call the
guys and find a lab to use tomorrow.  We have to find answers to all
the questions we've posed.  We have to know why there's so much
interest in our immunity, in the baby's immunity, to the virus."

"All in good time, Scully.  All in good time," he whispered as they
crossed the room to leave for his appointment.

fin