From: "Dream Cole" Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 22:37:17 -0600 Subject: xfc: NEW: Beloved - The Dream Series (PG) Source: xfc Title: Beloved Author: Dream Cole E-mail: dreamcole@hotmail.com Archive: Just let me know. Rating: PGish. Classifications: V, MSR (Okay, MSM), S Spoilers: None. But I'm ignoring any episode that said Scully could not have children. So you can say it didn't happen or there was some miracle between then and now. This is kind of a continuation of the Dream Series, although it is quite obvious what happened. If you are interested in reading the others in the series, please e-mail me and let me know. Summary: A lot has changed... Disclaimer: I don't own em. I'd like to, but I don't. Beloved "See Gen, this is where baby David sleeps. He was really sick when we first got him, not like you, and he didn't stay with us long. And do ya see that big sign? It says... Daddy? What does it say again?" Six-year-old Dream turned to look at me standing from a few steps back. "Do you remember what I told you, hun? The name David means "beloved". So the sign says "Beloved - we love you". "Oh, yeah, I knew that. That's what it says Gen. Because we love David, even though we can't see him anymore," Dream said matter-of-factly. Then, leaning over into the baby carriage, she placed a kiss on the cheek of her four-month-old baby sister. Baby Genesis giggled in response, waving around her little arms and legs. "Daddy, can we buy flowers for mom?" Dream looked up eagerly, her bright blue eyes hopeful. "I think that's a good idea hun. Let's go!" "Daisies, okay dad?" "Of course." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Mom, mom, mom -- look what we got you!" Dream could hardly contain her excitement and ran screaming around the apartment, looking for her mother. She held the daisies clumsily in her hand, a few petals falling off as she waved them around. I found my wife in the study, complimenting her eldest daughter on the choice of flowers she had picked out. I lifted the sleeping Genesis out of the carriage and sat down with her on a nearby chair. The most beautiful sight in the world, I had always thought, was that of a sleeping baby. The way my daughter's eyelids fluttered, her eyes moving ever so slightly during her dreams. The wisps of dark brown hair that covered her head. Her little fists, gripping so tightly around my giant fingers. "Mulder?" I looked up to the sound of my wife calling his name. She looked tired, probably had been working too hard. "Will you get the kids sorted out? I need to lie down for a bit." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Hon, can I hold you for a while?" I called out to my wife who was busy in the other room, working, as usual. She wordlessly moved over to the couch I was lying on and joined me. She stretched out against me and let me put my arms around her. We snuggled like we used to when we were younger. We held each other for a long while, letting the silence comfort us. "The kids should be sleeping by now," I thought aloud, breaking the silence. "Do you want to talk?" "About what?" "I'm not sure. It's probably nothing. You just seem to be wearing yourself out again and..." Scully cut me off. "I'm fine. There's a new case that they need my help on and the killer just seems to be gaining confidence, won't back off. I guess I'm just putting a lot of effort into it." I didn't say anything. I just took himself back a couple of years, to when disaster struck. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Dream had been close to her third birthday. Scully had been pregnant and there was something wrong with their unborn child. Things hadn't been going right to begin with. Our darling daughter had been stuck in the terrible two phase and it was wearing out both of us. Everything was "no" or "I can do it myself". Another child was the last thing on our mind. Then there had been the doctor's telling us that our unborn baby was abnormal and that an abortion was our best course of action. How killing a child could ever be the best course of action, I never could understand. It hadn't mattered in the end. Scully had miscarried. I'd never forget finding her lying in bed, the blood all over the sheets, and the scared look on her face. The drive to the hospital, the doctor telling me that "this was for the best" and "there was nothing they could do". And then my wife's following withdrawal from everything. The cold look in her blue eyes as she looked at me. As if I was to blame for the death of her baby. Our baby. David Jonah Mulder. We named our beautiful baby boy after prompting from Scully's mother. But we just agreed to what she said and tuned her out, trying to absorb every essence of our child before he had to be taken away. His cold face tinged with blue was overlooked. The blood stained blankets that he was wrapped in was ignored. All we could see was his blue eyes and red hair. His heart wasn't functioning properly and had died. Had left us. David -- Beloved. Jonah -- Peace. We didn't feel that peace for a long time. We buried him... and a part of Scully with him. She wasn't the same for a long time after that. Slept a lot more, played a lot less. Dream was affected too. She didn't understand anything. Just that she had been told that she was getting a new baby brother and then suddenly she wasn't. And with that 'suddenly' came a lot more changes. Her mom didn't smile as much. Her dad was too busy for anything. Soon Scully changed again, but not back to before. She couldn't ever go back to before. She became a workaholic. She came home for mere fractions at the day, living at the office every opportunity. She worked on cases that they were given, worked on extra cases, didn't stop and didn't try to remember. She buried the hurt under the paperwork, and she left her daughter behind too. It was our boss that came to me, bringing the situation to reality. He forced us both to take a week long vacation, preventing us from even entering the office. The first few days we looked up case files online, ignored the problem and each other. Until our three year old daughter reminded us. Scared us actually -- she hit her head against a table and had to get stiches. Six of them. Being back in that same hospital, having another child in trouble, shook us up. We had to pay attention to our daughter, to our reality. And we had to face our past. They took a trip to the grave to say goodbye. On the way we bought flowers from a store. Dream picked them out -- lilies. Lilies for purity and death. We placed them next to the stone. Such a small grave. Too small for a body to rest. Graves should be larger, people shouldn't die at such a young age. It was too much -- I couldn't take anymore and fell to the ground crying. My wife held stronger for longer. Until she read the stone. "Beloved -- we love you." Love. We loved him. And he had left us. She too sank to the floor sobbing. I held her in my arms and we held on to the one child we had left. That was our wake up call and things changed. We took off some extra time from work and doted on Dream. We lived, we loved and we grew closer. And with that came the peace that had left us. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Honey, are you still with me?" My wife was pulling on my shirt, trying to find out why I had grown so quiet. "Yup. Sorry, just thinking." "About?" "David," I said quietly. I was always afraid to bring him up, but at the same felt that it was necessary. He would not be forgotten -- I wouldn't allow it. "My sweet boy. David Jonah. I wish..." Scully trailed off, caught up in memories. "I know. I wish too. Things could have been different. But what about Gen?" "Genesis..." Scully sighed. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* It was a while before either of us wanted a child. To go through that pain again... It wasn't until Dream was five years old that Scully got pregnant. We were both scared to be honest and went to the doctor more than necessary to make sure that the baby was normal. She was. She was perfect. Still is. This birth was harder than the others. Our new baby girl was determined to do things her way. She waited until SHE was ready to come out... and she put up quite a struggle too. Our daughter was strong, self-sufficient and healthy. What more could we ask for? Genesis Cara Mulder. Genesis for beginning. Which she was -- a new beginning for all of us. Cara -- Irish for friend, Italian for love. A new friend for Dream, for our family and someone we would love, we could love. Genesis, Gen for short, was different from Dream in appearance. Green eyes and brown hair -- remind you of someone? Yeah, she's definitely a daddy's girl. And we're inseparable already. I don't work, not really. I worked while Scully was on her maternity leave but now she's doing the work and I'm being a stay-at-home dad. Just for a while. I'll pick up a bit of work some time down the road. But for right now there's no place I'd rather be than with my daughter, watching her grow, teaching her and just loving her. Dream gets along with her new baby sister. She was excited from the start and we couldn't pry her away from Gen's crib for the longest time. She would bring her books and "read" to her new sister and would talk to her every day about how her day went. Then there's the refrigerator -- covered with pictures that Dream drew of her and her sister. Every day there's a new one, we might have to hide some in her memory box. It's good to see them getting along. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Things are good, aren't they?" I asked my wife, looking into those soulful eyes of hers. She paused to think for a bit, then smiled. "Yeah. They're really good." I squeezed onto her tighter. My two daughters are sleeping, safe and sound, and the woman I love is in my arms. Things are definitely good. THE END Author's note: I know, I cheated and jumped ahead 3 years... but I had written myself into a corner and needed to find a way out, so I apologize. I know it's been a while but it's been busy and only recently have I been inspired to write. Please... feedback... don't make me beg.