From: xfilers Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 23:58:10 -0000 Subject: NEW FIC: ANGEL book2 1/1 Source: atxc Title: Angel, Book2 Author: Gabiabi Rating: PG-13 Classification: Romance/Angst Summary: This is a sequel of my fic Angel - I suggest you read that one first. Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize are not mine Feedback welcome at gabi_abi2003@yahoo.co.uk Angel: Book2 Friday, 30th December Dr McKenzie's office The rest of the week had passed quickly with no arguments to spoil the holiday spirit since Bill was not there. Scully hadn't been feeling very well though ever since she had fainted on Tuesday and Mulder and Maggie were both growing concerned about her health. She had been very tired and feeling weak and dizzy quite a lot of the time, so much so that Mulder had had to carry her to the bed one night after they had gotten out of the bath. Not wanting them to worry any more about her, Scully had reluctantly agreed to go and see her mother's doctor and she had made an appointment. Sitting in the waiting room, Scully's mind wandered away from her health and to what Mulder was doing at that precise moment. He had offered to come with her to the doctors but she had insisted that he didn't need to and had refused to let him come. He had been slightly put out at first and then his face had brightened as if he had remembered a secret. He had agreed to let her come on her own but he wanted to drive her in as he had something he wanted to do anyway. Glad that he had backed down she had gratefully accepted but now she was getting more and more curious as to what he was doing. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of her name being called and looked up to find that the practice nurse was standing in the doorway. Seeing that she was beckoning for her to go with her to the doctor's room, Scully stood up and followed her in. Her legs felt shaky beneath her and she knew that it was not only due to whatever illness she was suffering from; she was scared of what the doctor was going to tell her. She described her symptoms to Dr McKenzie and gave her a brief rundown of he r recent medical history. When the doctor heard that she had just been through a battle with cancer, she sat up straighter and took a lot more notice of the details Scully was giving her. She had initially thought that she would be dealing with nothing more than a simple virus or something similar but she knew now that it could be a lot more serious than that. Scully watched for a while as Dr McKenzie carried out all the normal tests and then ordered a few extra lab-tests but she soon grew bored of the whole procedure. As one who had had far too many medical tests carried out on them, she knew of the fear that would begin to bubble up if she allowed herself to think of all the possibilities. Her mind drifted back to Mulder and what he was up to, hoping that whatever it was she would find out about it soon. She smiled as she remembered his last few surprises - his Christmas gifts to her - and her smile grew even bigger as her thoughts turned to their very first date and the events immediately after it. So caught up in her memories again, the doctor had to say her name three times before she got her attention. She apologized for her inattentiveness but the doctor shook it off and told her not to worry about it. She then gave her the results of the tests she had performed and revealed the reason behind her symptoms. Scully looked at her with open mouth and a tear trickled from her eye as Dr McKenzie repeated the news. "Are you sure?" "Positive Dana...it couldn't be anything else." "Oh my God." "Is there anyone you'd like me to call Dana...I realize that this is a bit..." "No...No, it's all right. I'll do it...I need to do it." "Of course." "Can I go then?" "Sure...you'll need to make a follow-up appointment though." Scully nodded in agreement and exited the examination room, hurrying through to the admittance desk. After making an appointment she crossed the waiting room on even shakier legs than when she went in. Walking out of the revolving doors, she took out her cell phone and immediately pressed speed dial one. As she waited for Mulder to pick up, she thought about how she was going to tell him what the doctor had just told her. She'd barely had time to process the implications of the news let alone figure out a way to tell him before the ringing in her ear stopped and his familiar voice came on the line. "Mulder." "Mulder, it's me." "Hey Scully, where are you?" "I'm still at the doctor's office...well in fact I've just left, I'm standing outside it at the moment." "Everything's okay right? ...Right? ...Scully?" "It's fine Mulder. Can you come and get me?" "I thought you were going to get a cab back Scully, I'm kinda busy at the moment." "Please Mulder..." "Scully...what's wrong?" "Can you just come and pick me up...I need to see you." "I'll be there in five minutes Scully. Hang on." "Thanks." Scully hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket. Her mind was still concentrating on what the doctor had told her and she blinked back tears as she sat down on a nearby bench. She bit her lip and stared off into space whilst she waited anxiously for Mulder to arrive, knowing that she needed him there. Pulling her jacket more tightly around her, she wished that it was his arms embracing her that was keeping her warm but she knew that he would be there soon enough. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder hung up the phone almost even before she had finished saying thanks, worried that she'd had some bad news at the doctors. He handed the item in his hand back to the assistant in the shop that he was in and apologized for not buying. Rushing out of the door he promised that he would be back in and the sales assistant just look on, bewildered as he hurried out to his car. Flinging his bags of shopping onto the backseat, he swiftly turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out onto the street. Performing an illegal U-turn, he raced down the road and pulled to a screeching halt in front of the medical center. Just as he was about to go through the doors into the building, he heard Scully calling for him from across the street. He swiftly spun right round and, after impatiently waiting for a car to go past, he ran across the road to her. Gathering her up into his arms, he led them back to the bench where they both sat down side by side. Mulder took a good look at her face and reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek. "What's up? ...What did the doctor say?" "Oh, Mulder..." "Hey hey, don't cry...wait, are those happy tears?" "Yes...Mulder we're...we're gonna have a baby." "What?" "I'm pregnant Mulder...we're going to be parents." "Oh my God...that's wonderful...that's...I'm speechless Scully...I..." "I know...I couldn't believe it when she told me...but then we weren't exactly careful that first time." "I suppose not...I'm going to be a dad...you're going to be a mom. Scully this is the best thing ever." Mulder pulled Scully even tighter to him and they both just sat on the bench cuddled together as they tried to absorb the news. Eventually they got up and walked over to the car, holding hands and exchanging excited glances. Getting into the car, Mulder started it up and pulled onto the street, driving at a much more sedate pace than when he had arrived. He reached over to grasp Scully's hand as soon as he didn't need to use it anymore and Scully placed both of their hands on top of her stomach. Mulder gently stroked her abdomen and then just allowed his hand to rest there. "You know Scully...when you called I thought that it was something bad. I thought maybe the cancer had come back or something like that." "I have to admit that I've been thinking the very same thing...ever since Wednesday night when you had to carry me to bed. I just didn't want to think about it..." "Me neither...I didn't even want to accept it as a possibility so I didn't until you called." "Sorry about that...I just had to tell you as soon as possible and I didn't want to do it over the phone." "It's okay...I understand. I'm just glad that the roads were so empty, otherwise I'd have gone crazy." "Where were you anyway? ...you got there pretty fast." "I'm not telling you Scully, it's a surprise." "Mulder..." "Nope Scully...I'm not telling." "But...Mulder why are we stopping?" "You'll see...come on." Mulder parked the car and, after getting out of his side, he rushed round to open Scully's door for her. She laughed at him when he offered her a hand up, telling him that she wasn't an invalid and she could still manage to get out of the car on her own. He pouted at that but soon started grinning as he guided her quickly along the pavement and stopped in front of a shop window. "Aren't they perfect Scully? We need to get one." "This is why we stopped so quickly? Mulder...we have nine months before this baby makes an appearance, we don't need to start buying toys yet." "Come on Scully...we can buy two, one if it's a girl and one for a boy." "They ARE adorable...okay then Mulder. Let's go in." The two of them made their way eagerly into the baby shop, intending only to buy two of the teddy bears displayed in the shop window. One lot were dressed in blue and the other in pink. Once they got inside the shop however, they each started finding more and more things that they loved and wanted to buy for the baby and they soon had a basket full of toys and clothing each. They only stopped on their mad shopping spree when Scully's cell-phone rang. "Scully." "Dana...where are you?" "Oh, hi mom. Ummm...I'm with Mulder." "Did everything go okay at the doctors? I got worried when you weren't back...what did she say?" "Everything's fine mom. Actually...it's better than fine." "Dana...what is it?" "I don't want to tell you over the phone mom...Mulder and I will be back soon and I'll tell you then. Okay?" "Okay Dana...see you then." "Bye mom." Scully hung up the phone and awkwardly balanced her basket on her knee whilst she tried to put her phone back in her pocket. Mulder saw her struggle and took the basket out of her hands, walking over to the cash desk and placing both of them on the counter. They watched excitedly as the assistant scanned them and started packing them into bags. Mulder pulled Scully to him and laid his hand next to hers on her tummy, caressing the soft skin there underneath her sweater. The salesgirl smiled at the two of them as she finished ringing up the bill and told them the total bill. "How much...Mulder, we don't need half of that stuff." "Scully it's not a problem." "Is it your first?" "Yes...we just found out today. I think we went a bit over the top though...Mulder put down the crib, we don't need to get that yet." "Scully...you spoil all my fun." The salesgirl laughed as Mulder slunk back to Scully empty handed and pouted in a pretend sulk. Scully smiled too and took his hand in hers as they picked up all their bags and headed out of the shop. Placing all the carrier bags in the boot of the car, they got back in and started to drive home. Remembering Scully's side of her conversation with her mom, Mulder tapped her stomach to get her attention. "What is it Mulder...I was just about to go to sleep." "Are you going to tell everyone when we get back?" "No...WE are going to tell them." "Okay. No problem...I was just checking. I think they're going to guess when we go in with all that stuff though..." "Well we can just leave it in the car until we've told them then, can't we." "Sure." "Mulder...I've gotta warn you about something. Ummm...my mom's going to start talking wedding as soon as she hears this. Just so you know." Mulder nodded almost indifferently at that and Scully closed her eyes again to have a much-needed rest before they arrived back at the house. She knew that her mom and brother were going to go mad when they heard their news and she needed to keep up her energy in order to deal with their hyperactivity. She smiled in her doze as she felt the comforting weight of Mulder's hand resting on her abdomen and then allowed herself to float into oblivion. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Maggie had been ecstatic when they had told her their news, as had both Charlie and Jess. They had all oohed and ahhed over all the cute little baby things that they had bought. The twins had tried to steal some of the little toys thinking, or hoping, that they were more Christmas presents for them but Peter had been more interested in finding out how the baby had gotten inside his Auntie Dana's tummy. Once Charlie had given him the G-rated version of the birds and the bees talk he had spent all of his time trying to talk to it by lying across Mulder with his ear pressed to Scully's abdomen. Mulder and Scully had relished the attention but they had soon gone upstairs to celebrate a little bit more on their own before they all had to start getting ready for the New Year's Eve party they were going to. Bill had not been informed of the news; not only because both Mulder and Scully didn't want their happiness ruined by the negative attitude he was sure to have towards it but also because they'd had car trouble on the trip down from Tara's parents. This meant that they were running late and had arrived at Maggie's house a little over half an hour before they were due to go out. They had all arrived at the party only slightly late but had quickly got into the swing of things talking to everyone they met. They had been there for almost two hours by now and midnight was approaching fast. Scully was slightly apprehensive when Jess 'asked' her if she needed to go to the bathroom and, after she had politely refused, still ushered her away from the rest of the family to go anyway. She asked what was going on but Jess brushed off her question and took her time fixing her make up so that Scully felt obliged to stay in the ladies room with her. When they returned to the group, Scully looked around suspiciously and frowned in confusion at the funny looks everyone gave her when she asked where Mulder had gone. "Mom, what's going on? Where's Mulder?" "You'll see in a minute Dana...just be patient." "No Mom, tell me where he..." Scully trailed off as she followed her mother's pointing finger. Her gaze at last rested on the stage, which a minute earlier had been bathed in spotlights. It was now shrouded in darkness and, just as she opened her mouth to ask her mom again what was going on, music began to quietly drift out of the speakers. As the music got louder, the lights for the stage came back on and she gasped when she saw Mulder standing up there, mike in hand. She let out a chortle of laughter as she realized that it was nothing bad that had made him leave and then began to smile as his voice filled the hall. Over and over I look into your eyes You are all I desire You have captured me I want to hold you I want to be close to you I never want to let go I wish that this night would never end I need to know Could I hold you for a lifetime? Could I look into your eyes? Could I have this night to share this night together? Could I hold you close beside me? Could I hold you for all time? Could I have this kiss forever? Could I have this kiss forever, forever? The music went into an instrumental verse while Mulder unhooked the microphone from its stand and began to make his way down off the stage. The crowd parted to let him through and he made his way towards Scully. She smiled and blushed as he came to a halt in front of her and she realized that everyone had stopped their conversations to turn and watch the both of them. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a kiss on her cheek before letting her go and lifting up the mike again. The other party guests had formed a circle around the couple and all watched them as Mulder began to sing once more. I don't want any night to go by Without you by my side I just want all my days Spent being next to you Lived for just loving you And baby, oh by the way Could I hold you for a lifetime? Could I look into your eyes? Could I have this night to share this night together? Could I hold you close beside me? Could I hold you for all time? Could I have this kiss forever? Could I have this kiss forever, forever? Mulder bent his head down to give her a kiss as the last bars of the music faded away. She returned the kiss but just as she was about to bring her arms up around his neck to pull him closer, he pulled away. She looked confused and upset until she realized that he was bending down onto one knee and holding out a ring box in front of him. Her hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped in surprise and she watched as with shaky hands he opened the box and took out the ring. "Scully...I told you before our very first kiss that if I kissed you I would want to kiss you forever. So now I'm asking you, my Angel...would you allow me the pleasure of being able to kiss you for the rest of our lives? ...Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" The crowd fell silent to await her answer but they all let out a collective gasp of shock as they watched her pull her hand away from his. He had been about to place the ring on her finger but when she pulled her hand away he looked up, bewildered, and found that she was shaking her head from side to side in refusal. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder's heart fell as he realized he was being rejected and his fingers lost their grip on the ring. The nervous smile that had been plastered across his face ever since he had walked up to the stage slipped slowly away as realization sunk in. The ring fell to the floor and both of them watched as it bounced twice and then rolled in a circle before coming to a stop. Mulder stared at it lying on the floor and Scully reached out to Mulder with one hand. Ignoring her hand on his shoulder, Mulder got up off the ground and turned away from Scully. The crowd around them turned away from the two of them, wanting to give them a little privacy and all feeling sorry for the man who so obviously had just had his heart broken. The DJ started the countdown to midnight and everyone joined in - everyone that is except Mulder and Scully who were both silent and sad. Mulder pushed his way through the crowd away from Scully, looking for the nearest exit to escape from. Scully watched him be swallowed up by the raucous crowd before she could say anything to him. She tried to follow him but the countdown had just reached zero and everyone listened as the bells rang in the New Year. Suddenly people wishing her a happy New Year surrounded her and Mulder was lost from sight. Knowing it was useless to go after him since she would probably never find him in such a large crowd and not knowing what she could tell him to make the blow any less severe even if she did find him, Scully put on a smile and returned people's greetings. She quickly found her mother though who pulled her through the crowds to the ladies room for an explanation. Mulder had managed to get out of the hall before the chimes rang out and he had immediately called a cab on his cell-phone. He knew that he couldn't stay at the party for any longer and he didn't particularly feel like celebrating anyway. He could hear everyone shouting out his or her 'Happy New Year' salutations and he whispered the words softly to himself. He looked back as he said them, hoping that the sentiment would find his beloved and that he might catch one last glimpse of her before he left. Turning away he laughed at his stupid behavior, realizing that she wouldn't care to hear the words if she didn't even want to be with him. He whispered his last goodbye to her, knowing that this would be the last time he would see her for a while. Walking through the foyer, he started to push open the front door but he was stopped by a shout from behind him. "Mulder...Mulder!" "Charlie...hey." "Where are you going?" "Where do you think Charlie...away." "Don't go Mulder...Day wouldn't want you to leave." "Charlie did you not see her in there...she doesn't want me. I'm so stupid to think that she would ever want to marry ME." "Mulder, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding...there has to be some mistake or some reason or..." "Yeah, there was no mistaking the refusal in her eyes Charlie. ...Anyway, she has two to worry about now. She can't go wasting her time with me anymore, not now she's gonna have a baby to look after." "Mulder that's YOUR baby." "I know...I just...look, I can't stay here, not after that. Could you tell your mom thanks for having me? Tell her that it's been the best holiday I've had in a long time." "Mulder..." "Tell Scully I'll see her around...at work on Tuesday I guess. If we bump into each other but let her know that she doesn't need to worry about that - it shouldn't be too hard for her to avoid me for a bit if she wants to." "Don't you guys share an office?" "We did, yes...but after tonight, I don't think we'll be working together much longer." "Mulder don't do this...you need to talk to her and sort things out. As you said before - it's not just the two of you anymore." "I know and I want to have that baby with her SO badly...I love it so much already and I...but I just can't take being around her just now knowing that she'll never be mine...I'm sorry Charlie." "Mulder come on..." "There's my taxi...see you around." With that, Mulder walked out of the swing doors and crossed over to the taxi, his shoulders slumped and his head down. He got into the taxi and it pulled away from the kerb, leaving behind an open-mouthed and speechless Charlie. He watched as the taxi sped off towards its unknown destination and shook his head in disbelief. Turning to go back into the hall in order to find his sister, he instead found Bill standing watching the same car drive off with a smug smirk on his face. Charlie could feel the rage build up inside of him as he watched his brother's satisfied smile stretch even wider across his face when the taxi disappeared from sight. "You'd better hope to hell that you had nothing to do with this Bill because if you did, so help me God..." "I didn't have to do anything Charlie...looks like our sis has more sense than I had thought." "More sense...Bill what the hell is wrong with you? They belong together." "Yeah...right. In what sense do they belong together Charlie - Dana's way too good for him and he doesn't even know it." "Oh believe me Charlie, he knows it - not that I think it's true and Dana doesn't think so either. She loves him and he loves her - that's all they need. If that child is going to grow up without a father because of your selfish and petty hatred of Mulder..." "What child...what are you talking abut Charlie?" Realizing that Bill still hadn't been told about the baby and also that it wasn't his place to tell him, Charlie closed his mouth and started to walk away. He ignored Bill's angry shouts and questions that followed him into the hall and concentrated on finding Scully. Bill gave up trying to call his brother back and instead tried to process what he had just been told. His smile was replaced by a set grimace as he realized what Charlie had meant and that his nephew or niece would also be Mulder's son or daughter. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Maggie guided Scully into the powder room and sat down on one of the sofas provided there. She took her daughter's hand between her own two and dipped her head down so that she intercepted Scully's gaze, which was fixated on the floor. "Why Dana...why did you say no honey?" "Mom he doesn't want to marry me." "Dana how can you say that? Did you not see his face in there? He loves you so much and you just brushed him off." "I know he loves me mom...but he doesn't want to marry me." "Honey, why would he ask if he didn't?" "Because he thinks it's what I want...what you want. It wasn't because it's what he wants." "I don't understand Dana..." "I told him when we were coming home from the doctors that you would most likely bring up the subject of marriage. I'm actually surprised you didn't...but then maybe you did take it up with Mulder - convinced him that he had to propose to me."" "I didn't do any such thing Dana...why would I?" "The baby mom...because of the baby. I knew you wouldn't want it to be born illegitimate. So I figured once you found out about the fact that we were pregnant you would want us do something about it. I don't want to get married to Mulder just because of the baby. I didn't want him to propose just because he thinks that he owes it to me, or something. That's why I said no. ...He'll understand." "Oh Dana..." "What mom...would you want me to get married to someone who was only doing it for the baby I was carrying?" "No honey...I suppose not but..." "But what mom?" "Fox wasn't proposing because of the baby." "Yes he was mom...I told you, he thinks it's what you and I would want him to do." "No Dana...that's not why. He's been planning this since Wednesday - he even came and asked for both my permission and approval before he did anything else about it." "What?!" "That's what he was doing all those times he went away to do something in secret - he was at the jewelers choosing your ring when you phoned him from the doctors office. He had decided to propose long before you knew you were pregnant - had organized the where and when before you even made the doctor's appointment." "God mom...what have I done?!" Scully stared at her mom in horror as the reality of the situation sunk in. She realized just what she had done to Mulder - how badly she had hurt him and she let out a noise that was half gasp, half sob. Burying her face in her hands, she sank down onto the seat beside her mom for a brief moment before springing back up quickly and starting off towards the door. Maggie caught her arm just as she pulled the door open and she pulled her round to face her. "Where are you going Dana?" "Where do you think I'm going mom? I have to find Mulder and tell him I'm sorry...I have to tell him that it was all a mistake and that I do want to marry him. I need to know if he'll forgive me and take me back mom." "Of course he'll forgive you Dana...that man would do anything for you. That doesn't mean that you don't have to apologize and give him a proper explanation though Dana. What you did hurt him very badly and it's up to you to set things straight and make everything alright again." "I know mom...I know." With that Maggie let go of her arm and the two of them made their way through the crowded hall of partygoers until they came to the door out to the foyer. Before they could get through the doors though, they were halted by another hand on Scully's arm. Frustrated, Scully tried to just shake it off without turning around but the person kept a tight grip on her until she was forced to turn and face them. "Charlie...let me go Charlie. Please, I have to go get Mulder." "You might want this then Day...I rescued it from the middle of the dance floor." Charlie held out the engagement ring to his sister who took it gratefully. She turned it round in her hand to examine it properly since she hadn't got a close look at it before. She gasped at its beauty and fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she imagined Mulder picking it out in the shop and then being called away by her for what he thought was going to be bad news. When she spoke again her voice was hardly above a whisper. "Thank you Charlie." "No problem Day...I thought you might need it by the way you were hurrying across the hall." "I do...I will. As soon as I find him." "He left the party Day...he got in a cab and drove off. I asked him where he was going but he just said he was going away from here." "He could be anywhere by now...but I need to find him." "You know him best Dana...you'll know where he would go so go get him." With that all three of them made their way out into the foyer where they met up with Bill. He was still standing in the same spot as Charlie had left him, still pondering what he had told him. When he turned round and saw his sister standing there he smiled at her and walked over to stand beside her. "Glad you finally came to your senses Dana and refused him...maybe now you won't have to be bothered by him again. I'm so happy you realized that you are far too good for the likes of him before you made it official, before you..." Bill stopped speaking mid-sentence when Scully swung around to face him. His mouth dropped open and he didn't have time to react or duck before her fist made contact with the right side of his jaw. His head snapped sideways and a small amount of blood sprayed out of his mouth having bitten his tongue at the moment of impact. Maggie stifled a gasp but didn't even try to reprimand her daughter since she agreed with the sentiment behind the blow even if she didn't agree with the blow itself. "What the hell was that for Dana?" "That was for telling me that Mulder wasn't good enough for me...for telling me that the father of my unborn baby isn't worthy to be your brother-in-law. Well I have a news flash for you Bill...he IS going to be your brother-in law, just as soon as I find him." "Wh...what?" "I've had it with you Bill...if you can't accept the fact that Mulder and I are going to be together for as long as we are able...then I want to have nothing to do with you anymore. Now if you'll excuse me...I have to go find Mulder now and I don't have time to waste to listen to your bullshit." As Bill watched his sister stalk off to find Mulder, realization crossed his face as it dawned upon him that if he kept up his attitude towards Mulder then not only would he lose his sister...but also his niece or nephew. He watched her get into her car and pause to compose herself at the wheel, wiping tears from her eyes and clenching her fists to stop them from shaking, and at that moment he understood how much Mulder really meant to her. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully searched everywhere for Mulder that she could think of to look. She checked in both their apartments after a quick stop at her mother's house had shown that he had not returned there. She had even checked in a few bars that she knew he frequented and had called the bureau switchboard to ascertain whether he had gone into work. At a loss for anywhere else to look she dialed the gunmen's number, shaking her head at the memory that she had done the same thing just over a week ago. This time though, it was she and not her brother who had driven Mulder away. She sat in her car outside Mulder's apartment whilst she waited for one of them to pick up, hoping that he might return to his home before she even spoke to them. He didn't though and she soon found herself on the receiving end of a very raucous Happy New Year and congratulations coming from all three gunmen. "Happy New Year to you too guys...calm down though." "How can we be calm Agent Scully...two of our closest friends are getting married. Now if that's not an excuse to celebrate then I don't know what is. ...Come to think of it, what are you doing calling us? Shouldn't you be 'celebrating' with Mulder? I mean the two of you have plenty of reasons to celebrate." "Well Byers, you see..." "What is it Scully?" "I did something incredibly stupid and I hurt Mulder...badly. I don't know where he is." "What did you do...if it's not too private a matter to tell me?" "I said no." "You said no? ...You refused? ...You turned him down?" "Yes." "I'm sorry Scully...but why?" "I...it's a long story - one which I will explain later - but first I have to find Mulder and explain it to him." "Of course...so you're not getting married then?" "If he'll still have me then yes, we are...I just need to find him first. Do you know where he might be? I've tried everywhere I can think of" "No, I don't know...wait a minute. Did you check the hotel room?" "What hotel room?" "He didn't tell you...of course, it was going to be a surprise. He booked a hotel room for the two of you tonight. We helped with the arrangements and delivered some things that he asked us to deliver. He might be there." After finding out the exact details of the whereabouts of the hotel and the room number, Scully thanked Byers profusely and then hung up, eager to get to Mulder. She screeched her way out of the street and sped toward the hotel, hoping to reach him before he decided to leave or he fell asleep. She pulled into the parking lot and rushed to the front desk in order to get a key in case he didn't answer the door. She felt a fresh wave of guilt when the clerk told her that the room was registered to the Mulder-Scully's and she quickened her pace even more. Finally reaching the correct room, she unlocked the door and stepped inside to find an empty room. There was a bottle of champagne and a huge bouquet of roses standing on the dresser with an envelope addressed to 'My Angel'. She crossed over to the dresser and picked up the note, wondering whether Mulder had left it before or after her refusal. When she read it though she knew that it had been before and fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she re-read the words on the page. It read: 'My angel...I never thought I could get any happier than the day you told me that you loved me back in the way that I love you but you proved me wrong. Or should I say WE proved me wrong. My whole life amounts to nothing much and if I died tomorrow I would be remembered as a crackpot by all but a few. Now though...you and I have created the most wonderful and miraculous thing in the world and we now have a child to call out own. When I leave this world now I will be remembered as a father and husband and not just a lonely fool whose life mission was to hunt down aliens. Thank you Scully for giving me this amazing chance and thank you for making me that happiest man in the whole world. I couldn't imagine anything better. Love Fox. P.S. Check out the outfit I got - isn't it the cutest? Scully replaced the letter on the dresser top and scanned the room for the outfit that he had mentioned. Her eyes fell upon and small parcel lying on the bedside table and she picked it up. It had already been unwrapped and she knew then that Mulder had been to the room after she had refused for it had not been rewrapped very carefully. In fact the paper was torn and crumpled as if whoever had unwrapped it had been upset or angry. So absorbed in the parcel, she failed to notice the bathroom door opening slowly and Mulder silently coming out, his face tear streaked and his hair messy. She pulled the paper away carefully to reveal a tiny Knicks baby-gro complete with matching baseball cap. "Oh Mulder..." "What are you doing here Scully?" "Mulder! I didn't realize you were here...I was afraid that I'd missed you." "Why would you care if you had?" "Mulder...I...you..." Mulder had turned away from her as he had spoken, unwilling to look her in the eyes for fear that he might break down completely when he saw her pity. He looked at her though when he heard the first sob escape her mouth. Shocked to find tears streaming down her face he immediately rushed to her side and enveloped her in his arms, unable to resist. She buried her face in his chest as she tried to regain her composure but as soon as she did so he let her go and backed away from her. She reached out to touch his arm and took a step towards him. "Mulder...I know I hurt you and I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean to I just...would you let me explain why?" "Scully it's okay...I understand why you...you said no. You've got to think about the baby's future too now - I'd be a lousy father." "No...no you wouldn't. You'd be a great father and that is nothing to do with why I said no. I...I thought that you only wanted to marry me because of the baby." "What?" "I thought maybe my mom had told you to make things legitimate before the birth and you had felt that you had to propose. I didn't want you to feel that you had to." "Scully I love you and I proposed because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Now that there's a baby in the picture...well that's just one more perfect piece that would make our lives together even better." "I know that...my mom told me you had been planning this since Wednesday - that's when I realized what I had done and I knew I needed to find you." "Why?" "Because...because I DO want to marry you Mulder - now that I know that you really do want to marry me. I know I hurt you and I guess I'd understand if you had changed your mind but...I want to spend the rest of my life with you - if you'll have me." "If I'll have you? ...If?! Come here Scully." Scully moved across the two feet that separated them until they were once again embracing, only this time it was happy tears that filled both pairs of eyes. She tilted her head beck so that she could look into her eyes and, keeping their gazes locked, Mulder lowered his mouth onto hers. Their kiss quickly turned passionate and they made their way to the bed, which they both sank down onto. Clothing disappeared in the blink of an eye and was scattered all across the room as they continued their frenzied lovemaking. As they lay together over an hour later in an exhausted and satiated state, Scully snuggled closer in to Mulder's chest. Before he could wrap his arm around her though she pulled back away and propped her head up with her hand. She stroked her other hand along his jaw line and then looked away from him, almost ashamed about what she was going to ask. "Mulder I know I didn't let you before but...would you put the ring on me?" "I don't have it Scully...I left it in the hall." "No you didn't...well you did but Charlie found it and he thought I might want it. I put it in my pocket so if you can find my jacket then you'll find the ring." "Aha! I see through your cunning plan Scully...you just want me to go scurrying bare-ass naked across the room." "You've got me there Mulder! ...No but seriously...would you do it." "Of course I will Angel...here it is." Scully held out her hand for him to place it on her finger but instead he bent down on one knee at the side of the bed and took her hand in his. She sat up in bed and swung her legs over the side so that she sat facing him. He took a deep breath and then let it out shakily before asking her once again for her hand in marriage. At a loss for words, Scully nodded happily and their gazes locked as he slid the ring on her finger. He then lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the ring on her finger before allowing her to inspect it. Although she had seen it when Charlie had handed it to her, she still gasped when the diamond twinkled as she turned her hand this way and that to look at it from every angle. She slid off the bed so that she straddled Mulder's lap and the two shared a deep and loving kiss before pulling away and sitting in comfortable silence on the floor beside the bed, still in a tight embrace. "We'd better go tell your mom that she will have a wedding to plan after all." "I think she knows already Mulder" "Well then...does that mean we can just stay here together?" "Sounds good to me." "You know Scully...you really are my Angel." With that he stood up taking her with him and placed her on the bed before lying down beside her. He pulled the covers up over them both and spooned up to her back, both sets of hands gently caressing her abdomen. They lay there in peaceful silence for a while before both sets of eyelids drooped closed and they drifted of into peaceful slumber, dreaming of the beautiful child growing inside her and the wonderful life they would surely have together. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX End.