From: Kara669@aol.com
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 02:06:10 EST
Subject: submission
Source: direct

Title is "Child of Yesterday"
Author is Aislinn Carter
Timeline:Season 7,in place of Requiem.Alternate universe from then on.
Summary:A child that Scully gave up 15 years ago finds her, and Scully and M
ulders' lives are changed forever.A secret from the past rears it's head, pr
oving that fate really doeas exist.A look into their lives from then until d
eath.
Spoilers:I don't know...Most of them? I don't have time to go through a list
.Sorry.
Category:MSR, children,future, eventual character death(don't worry, it's fr
om old age).
Disclaimer:I definitely don't own or have any rights to Fox Mulder,Dana Scul
ly,Walter Skinner,yadda yadda yadda and any of the other established X-files
 characters mentioned in this story. Fox,1013,and most especially Chris Cart
er and all his writers and whatnot own them. I'm just borrowing them for a l
ittle while.The character of Jessica belongs to me, along with anyone else 
who I created specifically for this story who is new to the x-files universe
.I don't intend any copyright infringment, and no profits will come from thi
s except my own personal satisfaction.Suing me would be pointless. I have no
 money.
Post it anywhere, just let me know at kara669@aol.com, and please keep my na
me on it.Thanks.

Feedback:Please,yes.Let me know what you think, love it or hate it, at Kara6
69@aol.com.This is my first feedback, so be easy on me!

May 4, 2000

  Dana Scully wasn't often tempted to resurface old memories.  She didn't li
ke to think of what she had done all those years ago, her biggest regret, wh
en she was just 21. She didn't like to think about her father, or her horrib
le abduction, or the awful way Melissa died. She hated to think about her ba
rren womb, and she despised thinking about Emily. She was in her 36th year,
heading closer and closer to that horrible big 4-0. Her chances, under norma
l circumstances, of conceiving would about now be slimming.  But it didn't m
atter anyway. She would never have a child. The in-vitro with Mulder hadn't
worked. She had hoped, and prayed, but once again, her faith had been in vai
n. There would be no baby.  
     She had never told Mulder, of course.Or anyone else, for that matter. N
ot her parents, not Missy or Bill or Charlie.They would have been so disapoi
nted. She had only told the people necessary to help her, professionals, peo
ple who had no personal interest in her.After that, she tried hard to put it
 out of her mind, and with each passing year, the memories faded. Until rece
ntly, it was just a dull, grainy picture in the back of her mind, a fleeting
 image that she managed not to dwell on.  When she found out about her infer
tility, the memories had briefly and painfully resurfaced, as they did when
Emily died. But she shut them out. It was another person, another life. 
     But oh, how she wished she could go back, do it differently...
     Stop that, she scolded herself, as the elevator let her out onto the ba
sement floor of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Don't think about it, don't re
member...
     But why now, after all these years? Why had she been constantly thinkin
g about it in the past few weeks? Why wouldn't it let her alone?
     Dana sighed and walked down the hall to the office she shared with her
partner, best friend, and the would-be father of her child, Fox Mulder. She
was still somewhat pissed off at him.She had recently been informed by Skinn
er that Mulder had hid a degenerative neurological disorder from her, probab
ly caused by the surgery cancer man had ordered on him all those months ago.=
 He had been receiving treatment for it, and suddenly, it disappeared. She h
ad her suspicions, but she didn't tell anyone, and Mulder kept it to himself
 as well.But she was almost certain that cancer man himself had found a way
to cure his supposed son of whatever ailment he himself had caused. His last
 gift, a way to try to make up for his misdeeds. She was more relieved than
she would let on that Mulder hadn't suddenly and suspiciously died, only for
 her to find out what he had died from, what he had kept from her. They had
argued about it terribly, but put it behind them, as they always did. She wa
s so happy Spender had did this, but it still couldn't bring back everything
 else he had taken from them.Her children, her sister, Mulder's entire famil
y.What they had done to her was bad enough, but they had done it to restrain
 him. They had destroyed Mulder, as much as she had tried to prevent it.She
would kill for him, she would die for him, but cancer man had been right: sh
e would never let herself love him. Too much pain was associated with Fox Mu
lder, too much of a chance of more pain. And as much as she did love him, wi
th all her heart, she would never, ever admit it, or make any move to change
 the status of their relationship. That was up to him, if he felt the same w
ay. She suspected he did, but that was a line neither would cross. It was to
o late. Nearly 8 years.Nothing would change now, and that was fine with her,=
 and, she suspected, fine with him as well.
     He had his feet up on the desk when she entered, munching on sunflower
seeds, nose buried in a manilla file. He glanced up when he heard the clicki
ng of her high heels, and a slow grin worked its way across his face.
  "And where have you been?It is now..."he lifted his arm to look at his wat
ch. "Oh, my God, it's ten after nine. Ten after nine, Scully! A whole ten mi
nutes late! You go, girl. I guess my slothy ways are starting to rub off on
you."
    She shoved his feet off the desk and perched in their spot. "You're funn
y."
     "And you love it. I'm the highlight of your day, the cream of your crop
, the cherry on your sundae, the-"
     "Why are you in such a good mood?" she asked, suspiciously. "Please, pl
ease don't tell me it's a big X-file. I've only just recovered from our rece
nt tramping around in Missouri. That whole Genie thing creeped me out. I'd p
refer to stay in D.C. a while, if it's o.k. with you."
     "Fine by me." He stood up and handed her the file, leaning over her sho
ulder as she perused it. "Fifteen year old girl was found wandering around t
he Potomic around midnight night before last.She had I.D. on her, but she wa
s in a trance-like state until yesterday morning. Kept saying she was lookin
g for her mother. Around 6a.m. yesterday, she finally snapped out of it, hav
ing no idea how she got to D.C. She's from Long Island."
     "So? You call this an X-file, Mulder? She was probably doped up and did
n't want to admit it."
     "The police thought of that. Gave her a tox screen, had her with a shri
nk. Bunch of medical and psychological tests.Perfectly healthy, normal teena
ge girl, from all appearances. But last night, she went into a trance again,=
 and tried to escape social services. She was screaming for her mother. The
thing is, her mother's been dead since she was two."
     Scully's interest was piqued. "Do we have a history on her? I don't see
 one here."
     "It's in the fax machine. Detective Madison at the P.D. just sent it."
Mulder reached over and grabbed a paper off of the fax machine tray. "Jessic
a Corrine Montgomery, 15 years of age. No place of birth, which is strange..=
oh, she was adopted at 2 days old, but there's no record of a birthplace or
of her biological parents.Parents were Turner and Candace Montgomery, mother
 died of breast cancer when she was two, father had a heart attack when she
was six, raised by paternal grandmother, Helane Montgomery...grandmother die
d two weeks ago, at which time she was placed with a cousin. They reported h
er missing yesterday morning, and have been contacted.Detective Madison put
a personal note, that the cousins want to give custody to the state."
     "Nice people." Scully bit her lip. "Okay, since it's in D.C. As long as
 I don't have to go to Long Island."
     Mulder stared at her. "What's wrong with Long Island? You got Manhatten
, you got the Hamptons. You got Splish Splash!"
     She frowned. "What?"
     "Water park. I have a cousin on Long Island with kids who I visit ever
now and then. They like to make me take them to the water park. It's cute. T
hey have fun, and I get to be a big kid."
     Scully smiled faintly, resisting the urge to burst into tears. What a w
ondeful father he wouold have made to their child. Now, she was sure, he wou
ld never be a father. He was married to the X-files, and to her. He would ne
ver leave either one them.
     "You always act like a big kid, Mulder. All right, come on. Let's go se
e this girl."
     "Great." he grabbed the file from her and ushered her out of the office
, chattering all the way up in the elevator."I personally think this might b
e something paranormal,or a past life or something. Maybe a spirit living th
rough her with unfinished business. What do you think? Or maybe it's some so
rt of brainwashing technique..."
     Scully managed to tune him out most of the way there, keeping her mind
a blank. A fifteen year old girl, just like...No, better not to dredge it up
 again. Forget, Dana. Just forget.
     The girl was being held in a social services facility close to the F.B.=
I building, so it was a short drive. They pulled up to the building, a four
story brick affair with a discreet brass plaque next to the door, saying D.C
. Social Services. They went in , showed their badges, and were escorted to
a comfortable office in which sat an attractive, fifty-something woman with
dark hair, bright eyes, and a puzzled frown. She was gazing at a file in fro
nt of her, but looked up and managed a smile for the agents as they walked i
n.
     "Agent Mulder, I presume? Detective Madison called that you were coming
. And who is this?" she smiled at Dana.
     "This is my partner, Agent-"
     "Pleased to meet you. Let's get down to business here, Agents. I've got
 a young girl here who keeps on having these horrible episodes, and yet no s
igns of a psychological order can be detected. I managed to break into her a
doption records - which wasn't easy. The mother had some government contacts
, and the records were completely sealed, except from Jessica. She would hav
e been allowed full access to them when she turned 18, or in the event of a
medical emergeny, at which point her guardians could access her mother's med
ical history. The mother's full medical file is in here, and she included a
family medical history.There are no abnormalities, no psychological orders o
f any kind. No illnesses, or diseases. And Jessica is fine all the rest of t
he time. I've been told you specialize in the paranormal. I have to admit,I
don't believe in that sort of thing, and I don't think you'll find anything
here. But you're more than welcome to look into this, and to talk to Jessica
, provided you don't upset her." She looked at Dana. "I'm so sorry, terribly
 rude of me. I'm Catherine Harless. I didn't get your name, Agent..."
     Dana smiled. "Scully. Agent Dana Scully."
     Catherine's smile faltered. "Dana..Scully? But..." she looked at the fi
le in front of her. "I don't understand. How can you be...? Dana Katherine S
cully? You're her?"
     Dana felt a sudden chill, an inkling of terror."How did you know that?"=
 she whispered.
     "Why, it's right here in the file, dear. Under biological mother. Dana
Katherine Scully, father William, mother Margaret. It's all right here.  Did
n't you know? Is that why you're here?"
     She felt the shock wash over her, the fear and nausea and horror and jo
y. Was this true? Was the baby she gave up all those years ago just a few ro
oms away, close enough to touch and to hug? The baby she had though so many
times of finding, her last chance to be a mother, her only living biological
 child? Was it true?
     "I can't...I can't...I can't really breathe too well." she gasped. She
saw Mulder out of the corner of her eye jump up and kneel beside her, rubbin
g her back. "Please...some water, please."
     A cup of water was placed in her hand, and Mulder kept his hand on her
back while she sipped. She placed the cup on the desk and took a deep breath
. Glancing at Mulder, she could see that he didn't know what to think. Was i
t another Emily, or a child she had indeed given up? What was going on?
     "Mrs. Harless, could you give us a moment? We need to have a word, then
 I'd like to be taken to...to Jessica." Dana said hoarsely.
     "Of course." Catherine said quietly, then slipped out of the room, shut
ting the door softly behind her.
     "Mulder, sit back down. I have a long story to tell you." she whispered
.
     The shock in his eyes increased, but he sat back down in his chair. "Sc
ully, is it true? Did you give a baby up for adoption?"
     She licked her lips. "Well, when you told the judge during the fiasco w
ith Emily that a physical exam would show I'd never given birth, it would ha
ve been a lie. I have given birth, although I don't remember it too well.I h
ad a baby, when I was 21, and I gave her up for adoption. And I have regrett
ed nothing more than I regret that."
     "Oh, Scully..." he said softly.
     "It happened when I was 20, the fourth of July holiday. A friend of min
e from school dragged me home with her to the Hamptons - hence why I hate Lo
ng Island - for summer vacation. There was a huge party somewhere on the isl
and - I don't remeber where - for the fourth, and we went, and drank and dan
ced and had more fun than we should have. I slept with someone, some guy. I
didn't know his name, or if I did, I don't remember it. It was the greatest
sex of my life, I remember that, but that doesn't matter anyway. We got sepa
rated later on, and I wouldn't know him again if he was right in front of me
. My friend never remembered him either, which isn't a surprise. There were
hundreds of people there, and every one of us was drugged up or drunk. I did
n't think about pregnancy, although I guess I should have. But a month later
, my period skipped, the morning sickness started, and I was pregnant.
     "I was so ashamed. Me, Dana, the levelheaded, good girl. The future doc
tor, the child genius who got drunk, got laid, and got knocked up. I knew I
couldn't tell anyone. I took night classes once I started showing, so I woul
dn't see anyone I knew, and I got an off campus apartment after Christmas, s
o I wouldn't have to be in the dorms. I think most people assumed I had tran
sfered. I didn't visit home at all after Christmas, saying I had too much sc
hoolwork. I kept to myself, and arranged through some dicreet friends of my
fathers to have the baby put up for adoption. A couple was selected, I met t
hem and was satisfied that my baby would be well cared for, and two days aft
er she was born, I personally handed her over to them." Dana sniffled, and w
iped a tear from her cheek. "I knew I couldn't have a baby. I was too young,=
 barely 21, and I had a strenuous career to look forward to. I told myself I
 would have more babies, that someday I'd get married and have a big family,=
 but only after I had saved enough lives. But there was no marriage, and the
re will be no babies. I hardly even saved any lives." she looked into her pa
rtners eyes. "I could have raised her, Mulder." she said mournfully. "There
was no reason for me to give her up. I could have raised her, and we could h
ave been happy."
     Mulder held out his arms, and she fell into them. He stroked her dark r
ed hair while she sobbed into his shoulder. "It'll be okay now, Scully. She'=
s found you. You found her. Someone up there saw how sad you were, and decid
ed to give you someone to love. It won't be like Emily, honey. You heard wha
t the lady said. Jessica is comepletely healthy. The only thing off about th
is is her trances that led her to you, but that's been known to happen. She
needed a mother, you needed a daughter, and your minds must have reached out
 to each other. And you found each other. You have a child, Scully. You can'=
t raise her, but you can love her. And she can love you."
     "Oh Mulder!" Scully wept. "I have messed up so much. Please don't let t
his get messed up. I want my daughter back. I've wanted her back for 15 year
s. Don't let her get taken away from me, please."
     "I will not let this one get taken from you." he said fiercely, hugging
 her tighter. "I will never let that happen again."
     It was another few minutes before she could pull herself together, and
they summoned Mrs. Harless back to the room. Scully explained the situation
to her, and expressed her desire to get custody of the girl. It would be dif
ferent this time, different from Emily. There was a clear government record
stating that Dana Katherine Scully had given birth to Jessica Corrine Montgo
mery fifteen years ago. Getting custody, especially with the legal guardians
 giving her up, would not be a huge battle.
     Mrs. Harless led them up a short flight of stairs to a small dormitory
on the second floor. Two little girls played with dolls on the floor, and a
young teenager sat in front of the television, flipping channels. But Dana k
new Jessica the minute she saw her.
     She sat on her bed, knees tucked into her chest, writing in a black spi
ral notebook. Her hair was long and straight, and was a pale combination of
reddish brown and strawberry blone, not seeming able to make up its mind wha
t color it was. She had her mothers lips, and the small smile as she wrote w
as no doubt the same as Scully's. She had the same shape face, more prominen
t cheekbones, though, and a nose that must have been her fathers. It was big
ger than Dana's, but not unpleasant, She was a beautiful girl, and as she lo
oked up and Dana saw her bright green eyes, that opinion was even further en
forced.
     They locked eyes with each other, each silently examining the other. Je
ssica set down her notebook and slowly stood up. She came over to them, cont
inuing to stare at Dana. Tilting her head, she smiled a little more.
     "Are you my mother?" she said softly. "Did they find you for me?"
     "No. He found you for me." She jerked her head in Mulder's direction. "=
And yes. I am your mother. How did you know? How did you know where to find
me?"
     Jessica shrugged faintly, suddenly very pale. "I don't know." she said
faintly. "I dreamed about my mother, that she wanted me to find her,and then
 I was in D.C. Are you angry I found you?" she asked in a small voice.
     No." Dana said in a choked voice. "No, I'm very glad you did. I regret
very, very much giving you up."
     Jessica smiled. "I know. I've always known."

     After a few minutes, Mulder and Catherine tactfully left the two alone,=
 taking the other girls in the room downstairs with them. As soon as the doo
r closed, Scully's daughter launched herself into her mothers arms and they
held each other tight, each sobbing. When they had calmed down, they sat on
Jessica's bed together, telling each other everything about themselves, abou
t their lives. Dana made Jessica relate her entire life, horrified at what h
er child had gone through. Even though her grandmother had loved her, the wo
man had always been frail and sickly. Hardly the ideal parent. Then she had
died, and Jessica had been sent to live with an elderly cousin of her father
's, a woman and her husband who had no desire to keep a teenage girl they di
dn't know around. Once she started exhibiting strange behavior, they were mo
re than happy to relinquish custody to the state.
     "But that means I can live with you, right? If you want me to, that is.=
" she said quickly.
     Dana smiled. "If I had known, I would have gotten you back years ago. I
n fact, I requested that should you be in need of another guardian, that I b
e contacted. I guess that was overlooked. It won't be easy, but I won't rest
 until you live with me." she pushed a strand of her daughter's chameleon ha
ir back. "You are my child. We belong together. And I am so sorry for everyt
hing. I can't turn back time. I can't change the past. But I can make a futu
re, one for you and me."
     Jessica smiled. "I'm glad. I knew I would find you. You're in the F.B.I
.?"
     Dana nodded.
     "And that man, is he your husband?"
     Dana bit her lip. "No. He's been my partner at the F.B.I. for nearly 8
years. He's my best friend. We work together on a unit in the bureau special
izing in that paranormal. That's why we were investigating your case. The mo
st miraculous of all coincidences."
     "You're not married?"
     "No. I'm married to my work,I guess. I could never abandon it, or Mulde
r."she said softly. "But I will abandon everything for you. You are my last
chance to be a mother, when you should have been my first. You'll be my enti
re life now, Jessica. My entire world."
     Jessica shook her head. "I'm very independent, very self sufficient. Pl
ease don't give up everything for me. Not your work, and especially not Agen
t Mulder. You two have a bond. I noticed that right off. I won't let you spo
il that, or make any drastic changes in your life, because of me."
     Dana pulled her daughter into a hug. "I'm going to love you very much,
you know." she whispered.
     "Just as much as I'll love you."

     Mulder drove Scully home that night, after mountains of paperwork had b
een filled out and countless appointments had been made. It wouldn't be that
 hard for Dana to get custody of Jessica, but it wasn't going to be easy, ei
ther.Just because Catherine Harless seemed to like Dana, there were still st
ate and government formalities to consider. A custody hearing would have to
take place, observations would have to be made,and interviews would be requi
red. But this time, they were both fairly certain that Scully would have her
 child.
     The ride home was fairly quiet. Dana's emotions were too raw, and even
this short separation from Jessica for the night was painful. They had cried
 upon parting, with Dana promising to be there first chance tommorow. Now, g
uilt and regret boiled up inside of her, as well as rage that she allowed he
rself to give up such a beautiful, precious child. A part of her was curious
, and somewhat frightened, of how Jessica had found her. But, as Mulder said
, they had both needed each other, and fate had brought them together.
     Mulder pulled up to her apartment buliding, and placed the car in park.=
 He turned to her and smiled softly.
"If you need anything tonight, you know I'm only a phone call away."
     She swallowed hard, debating within herself over what she was about to
say, but deciding to go with it. "Could you come up, maybe just stay until I
 fall asleep? I don't think-" her coice caught on a sob. "I don't think I ca
n be alone tonight. I'm in a lot of pain. I still can't believe its real, an
d I guess I'm afraid it might all go away."
     Mulder hesitated, then nodded. "Of course. Tommorow's Saturday, so we d
on't have to work. If I crash on the couch, it won't interfere with the morn
ing or anything. Are you sure?"
     Dana nodded.
     "O.K." Mulder shut the car off.  He and Scully made their way slowly up
 to her apartment, again not speaking. Once inside, she went into her nedroo
m and reappeared with the black boxers and gray t-shirt that she kept for hi
m for the times he spent the night. Times when she was scared, or lonely, or
 just couldn't seem to get Emily or Melissa out of her head. Times when she
just needed him to hold her tight, or even just to stroke her hair or hold h
er hand. Times like when she told him the in-vitro hadn't worked, and they s
uccumbed - for the first and last time in their 8 year history - to the thei
r feelings of loss which culminated in their desire, ending with a night of
passion that was never, ever discussed again.It had been just a few short we
eks ago, but both of them had buried it so deep that it may as well have bee
n a decade ago. Neither was willing to cross that bridge, not knowing what i
t would do to them. 
     Mulder changed in the bathroom, while she threw on a pair of silk short
s and a long t-shirt, then climbed into bed. He joined her shortly, turning
out the lights and laying down next to her.It had been an unspoken agreement
 for some time now that he was to sleep in the bed when he stayed the night.=
 She needed it. They both needed it.
     He wrapped his arms around her, and they settled into the comfortable e
mbrace. She could feel his warm breath on his neck, could feel the warmth of
 his hand on her stomach, his body heat surrounding her. "Want to talk about
 it?" he asked quietly.
     Dana swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry." she said hoarsely. "I should have
told you. I should have told you so long ago. It was just that it's such a p
ainful memory. I locked it away, pretended it didn't happen. It wasn't that
I didn't trust you, or that I felt it was none of your business or anything.=
 It's just not something I allow myself to dwell on. I told no one. I should
 have told you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, especially after I fou
nd out I was barren, or after Emily.I was ashamed. Ashamed that I had thrown
 away my only chance at motherhood, even if I hadn't known it. I'm sorry."
     "Don't you dare apologize. This was your demon to fight. If you had nev
er told me, it would have been your decision, and none of my business. I'm j
ust glad you have her back. And I will do everything in my power to make sur
e she stays with you forever. No one will be taking this child." He placed a
 light kiss on her cheek.
     "Thank you, Mulder." she said tearfully. "Good-night."
     "Good night, Scully. Sweet dreams."

     Getting custody of her daughter was a fairly easy process. A few short
weeks later, Jessica was settling into Dana's spare room, which she had tran
sformed for her child's arrival. She found out that Jessica's favorite color
s were blue and gold, so she had bought everything for a bedroom consisting
of gold moons and stars against a blue background. She bought Jessica everyt
hing she could possibly think of, and Mulder did his own damage as well. The
 day Jessica moved in, he showed up at their door with a state of the art ho
me theatre for Jessica's room, and a sheepish grin. Surround sound, DVD/CD/V
CR, and a sub woofer to make any teen envious. Jessica squealed and hugged h
im  tightly, and Dana gave him a thin smile and a sarcastic 'thanks so much'=
. But secretly, she was thrilled. Mulder and Jessica had clicked almost as i
nstantly as she and Jessica. It wasn't his own, biological child, but it was
 a child whose life she hoped he'd be a part of. And from the looks of it, h
e planned to be.
     Dana took a brief leave of absence from the bureau, and was nervous abo
ut returning to work and having Jessica stay home alone until she got home.
But the girl hadn't been exaggerating about her self-sufficiency. Most night
s, dinner was on the table when Dana - usually with Mulder in tow - came hom
e at five or six. She had drastically reduced her office hours, and any and
all work that she and Mulder could do at home, they did. Sometimes when they
 went on an out of state case, Jessica came with them, but she usually staye
d with her new grandmother, who adored her. 
     Dana had told her family about Jessica a week after finding her. Bill,
Tara, and Mathew happened to be at Mrs. Scully's for a visit then, and she c
ontacted Charlie to come out with his wife , and they brought along their tw
in boys. Mulder accompanied her to her mother's house, and held her hand as
she told her family what had happened all those years ago. Margaret had crie
d terribly, distraught that Dana had felt she couldn't confide in them, that
 she felt she had to give up her child. Bill had just looked disgusted with
her, as he often did, but Charlie was very sympathetic. After they all calme
d down, they became excited about meeting Jessica. So they all went with Mul
der and Dana to the social services building, and Jessica got to meet her ne
w family.
     The weeks turned into months, and the summer flew by. Jessica had just
been 15 in April, before she found her mother, so the family held a birthday
 picnic for her in August. She had finished her freshmen year with a tutor,
but now, Dana had enrolled her as a sophomore at the local high school for t
he fall. They spent the summer bonding, getting to know one another. But Dan
a also had other things on her mind.
     Whether the in-vitro had actually taken, or whether it had been a mirac
le from their love-making, she didn't know.  All she did know was that she w
oke up one morning shortly after Jessica moved in with her in May, and ran i
mmediately for the bathroom. When her illness peristed, she visited a doctor
, who confirmed her pregnancy. Dana argued with the doctor for a good hour o
r so, before finally admitting defeat. Shocked, she went home and gazed at h
er nacked body in the mirror. There it was, just the tiniest of differences,=
 a slight change in her breasts, a different look about her body. Only a mon
th along, and the subtle changes, changes consistent with a pregnancy, were
already there. She couldn't believe it, it was impossible. But there it was.
She kept it to herslf for months, too afraid of it going away if she said an
ything, too afraid that she was dreaming. Her daughter had been a dream come
 true, and now she would be a mother yet again, this time from start to fini
sh. How her luck had changed so perfectly, she didn't know. But she knew the
y deserved it. They all deserved it.
She and Mulder were so completely wrapped up with Jessica that summer that t
hey neglected their work on the X-files. They did enough cases to keep Skinn
er happy, but the consuming quest it had just been was now just a job, an wa
y to pay the bills and buy Jessica yet more new things.Dana didn't know what
 would happen when the baby came. She didn't even know how to tell it's fath
er. But the time came when she had to tell, one day in the middle of August.=
 She had started to show, and Jessica had commented on it one day when Dana
lifted her arm to reach for something. Her shirt had gone up, revealing her
pouchy tummy, and Jessica had laughed and teased her that just because she h
ad been eating like a teenager lately, didn't mean she would always look lik
e one. That night, she took Mulder out to tell him.
     Their reationship still hadn't changed. They were closer, certainly, bu
t on a friends level, or a level of pure unsexual matrimony. It was always t
here, hidden just beneath the surface, the insatiable attraction that had co
nceived their baby, but they always kept it firmly hidden now. They worked d
uring the day, putting in their time at the F.B.I., and they spent their nig
hts with Jessica. Tonight, though, Dana took him down to the Potomic, and th
ey walked along the river in the bright moonlight.
     They talked about nothing at first.Then, she led him to a bench and the
y sat down. She took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky.
     "There's an awful lot of stars out tonight, aren't there?" she said sof
tly. He gazed up at the sky and nodded.
     "Yeah, which is a little unusual for summer. Beautiful, though."
     "I've wished on so many of them. So many wishes. And now, some of them
have come true."
`    "You have your daughter." Mulder said with a smile. "That certainly cam
e true."
`    "Mmm." she bit her lip. "I have something to tell you. I was afraid to
say anything, afraid that it would go away if I did. I was afraid it wasn't
real, just a cosmic joke on my part. But at this point, I have to concede th
at I'm not dreaming."
     "What is it?"
     She looked deep into his hazel eyes. "Something worked, Mulder. Maybe t
he in-vitro, or that one night, but something worked. I'm pregnant."
     His face was blank for a moment while that sunk in. Then his eyes widen
ed. "You're pregnant? From me?"
     "There wsn't anyone else, so yeah. Of course."
     He blinked. "So...I'll be a daddy. Is that what you're saying?"
     "I am."
     "I thought you gained a few pounds, but it never crossed my mind...My G
od, we're having a baby. When? When's it due?"
     "January eighth."
"January...So you're about four months pregnant."
     "Yes." Tears came to Dana's eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I di
dn't want to jinx it."
     "Shh." Mulder pulled her into his arms. "Shh, it's all right. It's okay
. We're having a baby, Scully. That's all that matters. Jessica will have a
sister or brother, and we will have a child.Nothing else matters."
     "Nothing?" Dana said in a small voice, her face buried in his shoulder.
     She felt him tense up, and he sighed. He gently pulled away from her, a
nd looked down at her, cupping her face in his hand. He smiled. "I guess we
have been a little shut off with each other, lately." he said, knowing immed
iately what she meant.
     "I'm not asking for anything more than what you want to give." she said
 hurriedly. "We never had a solid agreement for what would happen with a bab
y. I can't ask you for anything, Mulder."
     "Yes you can." He took a deep breath. "I guess we always knew it was in
evitable. We can't go on like this forever, existing somewhere between frien
dship and lovers. I'm not saying we should get married or anything, just bec
ause of the baby. I mean, I'd marry you in a second if I thought it was what
 you wanted. But I suspect you'd like to start out real slow. We don't want
to ruin anything, although I don't think that's possible. I think we were me
ant to be together. Neither one of us has ever really looked at anyone else
in years. We need each other.There is no one else in the world I'd rather sp
end my life with but you, and I'm willing to do whatever you want - whatever
 it takes - to make sure we stay this way, you and me, together for the rest
 our lives."
     Dana sniffled and gave him a tremulous smile."Should we pick out china
now? I have a feeling we'll be needing it one day soon."
     He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "We do this the way you want it don
e. As slow as you want. I'm content to wait, as I've waited for years. But I
 don't mind waiting now, because now I know that you'll be my wife someday."
     "I know." she whispered. "I think I've always known."
     Mulder leaned towards her, and gently placed a soft kiss on her lips. T
hey stayed there for a few moments, locked together, feeling each others war
mth. They broke apart, gazing at each other. By unspoken agreement, they sto
od up, hands clasped tightly together, and walked together into the night.

     Jessica was at her mother's computer when they got back to Scully's apa
rtment, feet up on the desk, looking for all the world like she belonged the
re. Her long hair, mostly on the blonde spectrum now from the summer sun, wa
s pulled into a messy bun, and she was dressed for bed in a low cut white ta
nk top and powder blue pajama pants with 'flirt' printed down the leg. She i
dily snapped on a piece of gum as her green eyes perused whatever it was she
 was looking at. Not for the first time, Dana marveled at her daughter's app
earance. As emotionally wrought as she had been when first brought here, she
 had settled into the teenage daughter role with ease. Dana was contantly af
ter her to pick up her room and clean up after herself, or to lower her musi
c, or not try on her mother's clothes and carelessly discard them on the bat
hroom floor. She had been dressed in plain, simple clothes when they first m
et, but once her mother and Mulder started taking her on shopping trips, her
 wardrobe had ammassed into a collection of styles that Dana saw on young gi
rls everywhere. Not that Jessica followed the crowd, because she didn't. She
 traveled to her own drum, rather like Mulder, and didn't seem to care what
anyone though about her. And rather than turning people off with that qualit
y, everyone she met seemed to love her. The kids her age in the building had
 been quick to adopt her into their circle, and it was as though she had liv
ed there forever.
     Scully was also amazed at how beautiful her daughter was, and at how di
fferent she could be from her mother. Her eyes were so green, and while gree
n eyes were common in Dana's family, Jessica's were greener  than any she co
uld remember seeing. So many of her feautures were just like Scully's, but t
hen there were those things about her that were familiar, and yet at the sam
e time, completely foreign. She wasn't as cool headed as her mother, which w
orried Dana when she left Jessica and Mulder alone. They were each like a lo
aded gun, and she worried that they might get one another into mischief. The
 got along so well, like brother and sister. Mulder was just immature enough
 around Jessica, and she was just like him in the maturity department. Dana
sometimes felt overwhelmed by their silliness, but they would always get her
 to join in on the laughs. She was glad Jessica and Mulder got along. When J
essica had asked to be baptized just a few weeks ago, Mulder had stood with
them as her Godfather (Bill's wife Tara, always a good friend of Dana's, was
 the Godmother). The three of them were like a family, and now, with the new
 baby, their family was complete.
     Jessica glanced up as her mother and Mulder walked in. "What's up, Gilb
ert and Sullivan?"she said with a huge grin. Lately, she'd given them paired
 nicknames. Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Siskel and Ebert. Tom and
 Jerry had been yesterday, Romeo annd Juliet (to Dana's embarrassment) the d
ay before.
  Scully threw her small handbag on the couch and sat down, Mulder plopping
down next to her. "Come sit with us, Jess. We want to talk to you."
     Jessica got up and sat down warily in between them. "What'd I do?"
     "Nothing at all. We just have some news for you, and I'm not sure how y
ou're going to take it."
     "Well, just tell me."
      Dana took her daughter's hand. "Sweetie, you know how I told you I cou
ldn't have children anymore?"
     Jessica nodded.Her mother had one day sat her down and explained not on
ly the delicate subject of how she had been conceived, but all her work, and
 everything that had happened to her and Mulder in almost 8 years. Jessica h
ad been slightly skeptical, but she pushed her doubt aside and embraced what
 she knew was the truth. 
     "Well, I didn't tell you - there didn't seem a point - but about four m
onths ago, Mulder told me he had obtained one of my eggs from a government f
acility. After I found out it was viable, I asked Mulder to be the sperm don
or so that I could have a baby. But the in-vitro, I was told, didn't work.I
was devestated. This was just a few weeks before I found you."
     "That sucks, Mom." Jessica said softly. "I'm really sorry."
     "Thanks, sweetie, but it's okay. I found out a few months ago, but I wa
s too afraid to say something, too afraid that It wouldn't be real. But it i
s real. The in-vitro worked. I'm going to have a baby in January. You're goi
ng to be a big sister." Dana took a deep breath. "And we want to know how yo
u feel about that."
     Jessica opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. "And Mu
lder's the father?" she asked quietly.
     "Well, it's a toss up between the pizza man, me and A.D. Skinner, but..=
." he grinned as Scully shot him a nasty look. "Yes, I am the father."
     "So why aren't you guys getting married?" Jessica whined suddenly. "Com
e on, let us be a family. I want a dad, and I know this kid is gonna want hi
s parents together."
     Scully flushed and Mulder snorted on his laughter.  	"Sweetie, it's n
ot really that easy." Mulder patted Jessica's other hand. "We're not promisi
ng you anything like that, Jessica. But if things go the way I plan, I'm hop
ing to get your mom down the aisle by Frebruary, March latest."
     Scully gasped in indignation. "Oh, really? Do I get a say in this?"
     "Nope." They smiled at each other.
     Jessica was ecstatic. "Oh my God, I knew it. You guys totally love each
 other. Oh Mommy, thank you for everything!" She threw her arms around her m
other. "Thank you for a home and a family and a baby brother or sister and a
 mom and probably a dad and everything! I love you so much. I love you both
so much." she pulled them both to her, and the three of them sat like that,
with their arms around each other, as a family.

     Dana's family was ecstatic when she told them, although Bill was charac
teristically less than thrilled that Mulder was the father. But as time went
 by, everyone threw themselves into preparing for the baby. Mulder went with
 her to doctors appointments, lamaze classes, even baby shopping. He wanted
to be in on the baby shower, but Margaret Scully and Jessica put their colle
ctive feet down. Margaret couldn't believe her good luck, acquiring two gran
dchildren in less than a year.
     As involved as they were in this new baby, Scully and Mulder were also
deeply involved in each other. Every repression emotion or desire they'd had
 for 8 years came to the foreground, and they made love again one day in Sep
tember, while Jessica was at school. It wasn't much longer before they discu
ssed living options.Each of them only had two bedrooms each, and with the ne
w baby, they needed at least three. After much consideration and debating ab
out whether or not it was too big a risk, too big a step for them, they made
 a down payment on a well-sized four bedroom home in Alexandria. 
     It was a few weeks before Christmas that their carefully constructed wo
rld was shaken once again.
     Dana was huge by now. Nearly eight months pregnant, she could barely mo
ve without Mulder's assistance. Her doctor had ordered early maternity leave
, so she stayed home and watched soaps, while Mulder worked and Jessica went
 to school. It wasn't ideal, but she wasn't about to do anything to put thei
r baby in danger.
     One weekend, Dana sat on the cold leather couch in Mulder's apartment,
watching as he and Jessica cleaned out closets and packed things up. They we
re all moving to the new house in about a week, and all that needed to be pa
cked and sorted now was Mulder's stuff. So Dana sat back and watched in amus
ement as they ran around being silly, not really getting much done, while Ch
ristmas music played in the background.
     "Come on, guys." she whined. "I want to spend Christmas in the new hous
e, but at this rate, we won't even be spending Easter there."
     "You hear your mother, Jess? Lazy, lazy. She can't work, so she has to
slave drive us." Mulder grinned at Dana. She rolled her eyes.
     "Well, she's missing all the fun." came Jessica's muffled voice from th
e hall closet. "Look what I found." She came up for air, holding a pair of t
attered, almost sparkly bell bottom jeans. They were horrible, revolting eve
n, and Dana laughed as Mulder looked on in horror.
     "Oh, God. I haven't worn those since 1976, at least. They're horrible.P
lease throw them out."
     "And lose that blackmail? No way. Jess, pack them up." Scully said happ
ily, her hand on her huge stomach.
     "Ewww.I found your old Lava lamp. It's all congealed and disgusting."
     Mulder laughed. "I haven;t used it in years, but I can't bring myself t
o throw it out."
     "Oh, too bad I don't have that problem." Jessica placed it in the box g
oing out to good will. Dana laughed.
     "Thank God. Thank you, sweetie. You've done Mommy a big favor."
     "Hey."Mulder pouted, then grinned.
     "What's this? It's awful." Jessica wrinkled her nose as she held up an
old maroon jacket with a black tiger on the back.
     Mulder looked at it with confusion for a moment, then smiled. "Ahhh. Th
at was a souvenier from a particularly rowdy party I went to one summer. Thi
s beautiful girl I met left it on me after I passed out. Beautiful girl. Not
 as beautiful as your mom, of course-" he turned to grin at Scully, but saw
her staring at the jacket with a look of horror."Hey, what's wrong?"
     "Let me see that." she said shakily. "Jessica, bring it here."
     Jessica,confused, brought the jacket to her mother.  Dana caressed the
once silken fabric, them looked at a tag on the collar. All at once, her wor
ld turned upside down, and they could tell by how white her face turned.
     "What is it?" Mulder asked, concered.
     "This girl who had this jacket, did you sleep with her?"
     "Mom!" Jessica screeched.
     "Did you?" 
     Mulder frowned. "Yeah, I did. We were both so drunk. It was...a fourth
of July party, i think."
     "What year? Where was it?"
     "Oh, Scully, I don't know what year. It was on Long Island, I think, be
cause I remember being with my cousins. Why?"
     Scully sat up straighter, and held up the jacket. "The initials on this
 jacket are D.S. I wrote them in there myself. I lost this jacket the night
Jessica was conceived."
     "That's your jacket? How did I get your-" Mulder stopped short as the i
mplications of the words set in.
     There was silence in the room. No one moved, no one blinked. Jessica st
ood next to her mother, Mulder stayed crouched by the junk falling out of th
e closet, his eyes riveted to Scully. They stared at one another, until fina
lly, Jessica had the courage to speak.
     "Does this mean what I think it does?" she said in a voice barely above
 a whisper.
     Mulder swallowed thickly. "It means that Tequilla may have introduced y
our mother and me, and not Scott Blevins."
     Dana was shaking. "I can't remember...I just can't picture his face...i
t could be..."
     Mulder jumped up and ran into his seldom used bedroom. They heard him s
lam open his closet door, then rummage around, cursing when things fell on h
im. A few minutes later he was back, holdng a very large, very dusty photo a
lbum. He sat next to Scully, and tore through the pages until he stopped at
a page marked 'July 4th, 1984 East Hampton, New York'.Below that caption wer
e pictures of a huge party at a house near a beach. Twenty-three year old Mu
lder was in many of them, arms slung around a guy around his age. "That's my
 cousin Tommy. Him and his sister still live on Long Island. I visit them...=
" Mulder said absently, scanning the pictures. He came to one one, and his f
ace turned just as white as Dana's. "Oh, shit." he said softly.
     "What?What?" Scully said impatiently, trying to get a look.
     He looked up at Dana and Jessica. "I swear to you Scully, I haven't loo
ked at these pictures probably since I put them in here, probably in sixteen
 years. I didn't remember...I met you and I had no recollection, even with t
hat goddamned perfect memory of mine."
     Dana ripped the heavy album away from him, her gaze falling on a pictur
e at the bottom of the page. "Oh, My God." she breathed.
     It was a group picture, as many of them were. It was dark out, but some
one must have had a flash on the camera, because everyone was seen clearly.
Mulder and his cousin were in the picture, doing shots. Mulder's arm was wra
pped tightly around that of a slim redhead, her face partially blocked by an
other person. She was laughing, looking every bit as inebriated as Mulder, a
nd was practically sitting on his lap.She wore the maroon jacket now sitting
 on the couch next to her. Even with half of her blocked, Dana had no doubt
as to who that girl was.
     "That's definitely me." she said shakily."That's me, and that's you, an
d I know it wasn't that kid Tommy that I slept with. There was only one guy
that night, the same guy I started doing shots with and ended up rolling aro
und with-"
     "In the back shed, on a pile of sheets that we stole from the clothesli
ne." Mulder finished off. She looked up at him and nodded in stunned silence
.
     "And that's how I got pregnant." she said softly, tears running down he
r cheeks.
     Mulder was having trouble breathing. "So that means that Jessica...Jess
ica is quite probably my child."
     The words hung in the air.
     "We'd have to take a blood test to be sure, though, wouldn't we?" Jessi
ca asked quietly."I mean, no offense, but you guys were so drunk that you co
uld have hooked up with other people and not known it, right? We have to mak
e sure."
     "We can go down to the F.B.I lab." Dana said, still not believing this
was actually happening. "I will not wait for Monday."
      "Well, let's go." Mulder said. He reached down to help Scully up, and
placed his hand on the small of her back as he led her to the front door."Gr
eatest sex in your life, huh?"he whispered, repeating the same words she had
 spoken the day they found Jessica.
     "Shut up." she hissed, opening the door and walking out.
      "Mulder?" Jessica said, coming up behind him. "I just want to let you
know, no matter what the test results are..." she hesitated, then smiled. "I
 already consider you my father. We are a family, and I don't need a test to
 confirm that. You're my dad, no matter what."
     	Mulder took her hand. "And you are my daughter. Nothing can ever cha
nge that."
     	They walked out together, the three of them, as a family.

     The holidays were a happy occasion that year. They were completely move
d in by Christmas Eve, Dana having had made arrangements for the house to be
 painted, fixed, and furnished weeks ago. All they had to do was unpack, and
 they did that the day they moved in. By Christmas Eve, it felt as though th
ey had always been there.
     Dana's entire family came out for Christmas that year, to spend the hol
iday in their new house. Her mother showed up first, earlier in the day, and
 couldn't help but be deliriously happy for her daughter. A year ago, she ha
d had nothing. A friendship with Mulder that had no chance of going anywhere
, a barren womb,a job no one took seriously, and the prospect of a lifetime
of lonliness. Now, she had a house, a daughter, a baby on the way, and she h
ad found love in the deep rooted friendship of her best friend. Mulder's wor
ld no longer completely revolved around the X-files; now, it revolved around
 his family. In fact, he had been inching his way away from the X-files, and
 now spent time helping to profile for the behavioral sciences unit.He had f
ound the truth already, he had found out what happened to his sister. He was
n't even that interested in the X-files anymore. He had other interests now.=
And while it was difficult and a little strange for him to begin to release
his decade long quest, he knew that it was time. He couldn't be Spooky forev
er.
     They greeted Margaret warmly and showed her the house, then led her to
the living room and sat her down. Explaining that they wanted her to be the
first in the family to know, they told her about everything they had recentl
y found out about Jessica's conception, culminating in the results of the la
b test. Fox Mulder was, without a doubt, one hundred percent Jessica's biolo
gical father.
     Margaret was, understandably shocked by this. But once it sunk in, she
started to cry, saying how absolutely thrilled she was that Mulder was the f
ather. "I always told Dana you two were fated for each other. I knew it. I k
new it the moment I met you, Mulder, I could just tell.You two were meant to
 be together."
     Mulder smiled and wrapped his arm around the very pregnant Scully "If I
 weren't so happy about it, I'd be a little scared that our lives seem to ha
ve been planned to intersect by whatever powers that be. But I am happy, so
I won't question it."
     Scully gaped at him in mock shock. "Fox Mulder not question something?
You really have changed."
     "That's all thanks to you and our daugther." he said happily.
     The rest of the family showed up a few hours later. Bill, Tara and Math
ew came first, Tara already showing with the child she would give birth to i
n five months. Charlie, Candace, Devon and Steven came next, the boys boundi
ng around with an energy that was no doubt the reason their parents hadn't h
ad more children. There were hugs and kisses all around, and the aunts attac
ked Jessica with "oh, how pretty she is!", and "Look how she's grown!", and
the ever popular "Do you have a boyfriend yet, Jessica?" As annoying as it w
ould be to any other teenager, Jessica ate it up.
     After the bags had been put away for the visit, Dana and Mulder sent th
e boys to the den to play and ushered everyone else into the living room. Th
ey sat on the loveseat with Jessica between them, the rest of the family spr
awled around the spacious room, and told them what they had just told Margar
et. "I know it's such an impossible thing to believe, such an improbable eve
nt. How could we have had that night together, then met just eight years lat
er and not even known each other? My only answer to that is that we were jus
t...so drunk. So young and so drunk. The fact of the matter is, Mulder and I
 met  sixteen years ago, we made a child, and we forgot each other. It's a c
ommon enough occurence among young adults. I gave Jessica up, which I will n
ever, ever forgive myself for, and life went on. I made the very conroversia
l decision, as we all remember, to leave medicine and join the F.B.I. Why di
d I make that deicsion? To make a difference, or divine intervention? Who kn
ows? All I know is, a few years later, I was assigned to debunk the work of
the bureau's biggest problem agent. The same agent who fathered my child. It
's just fate, I guess. It's a twist of fate that worked out in my favor.In o
ur favor.We're very, very happy about this. I have the life I dreamed of, a
life that was stolen from me, and returned. I know it's a shock, but this is
 for real, so..." she trailed off.
 Her sisters-in-law stared at them, trying to comprehend what had just been
said. Her brother Bill had a frown on his face, no doubt pissed off that yet
 another link had popped up to Mulder. Charlie was smiling, having had liked
 Mulder immediately, in part becasue Bill hated him. The room was silent.
     Finally, Charlie spoke up. "We are so happy for you. This is so amazing
.And you're right, it is fate. It has to be. Dana, you finally have the fami
ly you always wanted. Congratulations."
     This seemed to break the ice, and there was more hugs and kisses and la
ughter. They were up for hours talking. Finally, everyone headed off to thei
r respective rooms. Margaret was in the guest room, and Jessica was in the t
rundle bed under hers, having given up her bedroom to Bill, Tara and Matt. C
harlie and his wife and kids were in the den. Everyone slept soundly, until
they were woken at 7 a.m. to the sounds of excited children screaming in the
 living room. The boys had found the presents that had been placed under the
 tree after they fell asleep.
     Jessica was the first one down there, still in her pajama pants and a t
ank top, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She glared at the twins, who were egging
 little Mathew on to start opening presents. "Don't you guys know how to sle
ep? It's barely seven."
     "So are we!" piped up Steven, the smart ass. "But Matt's gonna be three
 soon."
     Jessica stared at him for a moment, then shook her head, smiling."You'r
e a little punk, you know that?"
     "That's what my daddy says." he said cheerfully.
     Margaret came into the room, and wrapped Jessica in a tight hug. "Merry
 Christmas, my sweet girl." she whispered. "I'm so very glad you found us."
     "So am I, Grandma." Jessica whispered back, hugging her just as tightly
. 
     The rest of them trickled in, looking tired but not as irritated as Jes
sica had. Her parents came in last, her father supporting her mother, and he
 led her over to the loveseat. Once everyone was settled, the children were
permitted to open their presents, and they did, tearing into them with gusto
.
     Jessica wasn't much better, eagerly going through her presents like the
y were water and she was in a desert. She'd stop occasionaly to hand her par
ents gifts for them, but she mostly concentrated on what was likely the larg
est amount of presents she had ever gotten.Her parents watched her fondly, g
lad to be able to give her this.
     The presents trickled away, and Devon began complaining that Jessica se
emed to have more to open than them. "We all have 16 years worth of gifts fo
r Jessica. "Aunt Candace said, smiling at her new niece. "She won't be so lu
cky next year."
     They laughed, and Jessica made a big show of searching for more present
s. One caught her eye, a small gold wrapped box. She picked it up and read t
he tag. "Aww, to Jessica and Mom, love Dad." she grinned at her parents, and
 perched on the arm of the loveseat, next to her mother. "Here, open it."
     Dana took the package, glancing quizzically at Mulder, who just smiled
enigmatically. She slowly unwrapped it, revealing a black velvet box. She op
ened that, and gasped, drawing the attention of the entire room. Nestled ins
ide was a beautiful - and somewhat large - diamond engagement ring.
     "Oh, Mulder, it's beautiful!" she looked up at him, a luminous smile on
 her face. "Is this a proposal?"
     "It depends." He took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left
 ring finger. "Is your answer yes?"
     "You know it is. Yes. Yes,yes, yes." she kissed him deeply, and laughed
 when her family gave a collective 'aww'.
     "It's about time." Margaret huffed. "8 years together, two children, a
house, and no ring. I was almost scandalized."
     Mulder grinned. "Sorry, Mrs.Scully. You know how your daughter and I lo
ve to flought convention."
     "Well, if you detest convention so much, I hope you'll finally decide t
o call me Maggie. I've been telling you for years Fox, Maggie. It's an easy
word. Maggie. Drop this Mrs.Scully nonsense."
      "Only if you stop calling me Fox." Mulder said teasingly, and everyone
 laughed.
     There was congratulations all around, and hugs and kisses.It finally di
ed down, and everyone began to clean up. Jessica stayed on the couch with he
r parents, her head on her mother's shoulder, gazing down at her parents int
ertwined hands, the diamond glistening brightly. "One question Dad." she sai
d.
     "Yeah, sweetie?"
     "Why was it written out to both of us? The ring was for Mom."
     Her father smiled at her. "No, it was for you, too. If anyone wanted us
 to get married more than we did, it was you. You don't understand, Jessica.=
  You brought us together. Even with the baby, I don't think our relationshi
p would have progressed to this level, at least not by now. You made our liv
es so much better. We were living these miserable existences, and you saved
us, Jess. You made us a family. If you hadn't found us, we'd still be denyin
g our love, still be living in those dreary apartments, still be 'just partn
ers'. We'd still be the laughingstock of the bureau - not that we really car
ed, but still - and we'd still be so alone. But now, we're never going to be
 alone again. And that's because of you. So that's our big present to you th
is year, sweetheart. A real, true, legal, conventianal family." Jessica gigg
led. "Hope that's not too boring for you. We'll try to be a little strange s
ometimes, just to keep things intersting, I promise."
     Jessica wiggled in between them, and hugged them tightly. "I couldn't a
sk for anything more."
     
     The day passed fairly uneventfully, aside from the wedding talk, since
everyone felt they had to contribute their advice. Scully and Mulder just li
stened with a smile, almost appreciating it. Everyone was so happy for them
that they really didn't care if everyone else did try to plan their wedding.
     Walter Skinner showed up at dinnertime with his girlfriend, as Mulder a
nd Scully had insisted.Spurred by Mulder and Scully's courage to defy their
superiors and have a relationship, Skinner had made it known to his long tim
e secretary, Kim, that he would like to pursue an acquaintance with her. She
 admitted to having similar feelings, and two months later, they were alread
y very much involved. They showed up at the house, holding hands and smiling
.
     Skinner already knew about Mulder's fathering of Jessica, but he was su
rprised and very pleased to hear of their engagement. He also had some news
for Scully and Mulder.
     "Here's the thing," he told them,in a private conference in the kitchen
. "I just found out I beat Kersh for Deputy director." he held up his hands
as they started to congratulate them. "Thanks, I know you're happy for me. T
hat's not the point. I now have full control over the X-files, as well as yo
u two. I can assign you anywhere I want. I've noticed that you both seem to
be removing yourselves from the files, and I can't say I blame you. There's
so much more for you to concentrate on. And Mulder, you originally became in
volved with the X-files becasue of your sister. You've found the truth, you
know about the conspiracy. All you haven't been able to do is expose that, b
ut you know what? I don't think you'll ever really be able to expose it. The
y have too many safeguards, and now you have a family to worry about. Before
, they could only use Scully to hurt you. Now, they can use your children."
     "What are you suggesting, sir?" Scully asked quietly.
     Skinner took a deep breath. "I was paid a visit by our good friend Kryc
ek recently. He had with him the body of the last member of the original syn
dicate. Spender."
     Mulder felt a momentary pang. C.G.B. Spender, the man who may have been
 his biological father, or at the very least, Samantha's. The man who had ke
pt them form killing Mulder, then tried to kill him himself, then prevented
it, over and over again. The man who killed his own son, Jeffrey. Could Muld
er mourn that man? Could anyone?
      "How did he die?" he asked.
     "I had an autopsy performed, with Krycek in custody, of course. He had
an irreversible neurological disorder, most likely caused by the brain surge
ry he and you underwent. The same disease, in fact, that you had. But becaus
e of his age, and the bad state his health had been in to begin with, the di
sease couldn't be controlled. He died, and Krycek brought him to me as proof
. He told me it was over. Oh, there are still those out there who will come
after you to protect themselves and their interests, but they won't start an
ything unless you do. The truth can't be exposed, Mulder. But it should be e
nough that you know it, that the conspiracy is only a shadow of what it was.=
 If there is a colonization, there isn't much we can do to stop it. So we sh
ould enjoy the time we have, and the lives we can make for ourselves. Don't
you agree?"
     Mulder nodded slowly. "I do agree. Once, I would have fought your opini
on, insisted that the truth was all that mattered. But things are different
now. I have a reason to live. I have loved ones to protect. It isn't just ab
out Scully and me anymore. It's about the children. We chose our path in lif
e, but I will not make my crusade their's, or their end. It had to end somet
ime, and I think now is a good time."
       "So you want to be reassigned?  Those in Behavioral Sciences are sayi
ng good things about you. And Scully, you know there is always a job for you
 at Quantico. It's up to you two."
     "I don't know..."Scully said, running her hand over her belly. "The X-f
iles has been our life. I mean, there are cases in there that don't involve
aliens. There are safe unexplained cases. I would feel a little disloyal aba
ndoning them."
     "I never thought I'd see the day thay Mulder's all for re-assignment, a
nd Scully is doubtful."Skinner said in disbelief.
     "Well, would anyone be replacing us?"Scully asked.
     "Actually, I've given that some thought. There's an agent in the New Or
leans field office, Monica Reyes. She a complete believer in the paranormal,=
 and she's done some very good work. I've met her, and I'm impressed."
     "Would she have a partner?"
     "Of course. There's an agent I had in mind, John Doggett. He's worked w
ith Reyes before. Complete skeptic, but that will balance out nicely, won't
it? It'll be just like you two. Of course, I'm hoping they don't satisfy the
 office pool the way you two did." he said, grinning.
     Mulder smirked."We'll have to think about it." he said. "We've had so m
uch change in our lives, in less than a year. It'll really take some thought
."
       "Well, it's not a decision that needs to be made right away. Scully h
as all her maternity leave, and you'll be taking time off, I'm sure.Think it
 over, let me know." He nodded at them, and left the room.
      They looked at each other, frowning. "I guess we have a lot to think a
bout." she said softly.
     "But we have other things to think about right now." he placed a hand o
n hers over her stomach. They smiled at each other, and went to join the oth
ers.

     They spent New Year's Eve together, just the three of them. They spent
the day putting the finishing touches on the baby's room, done in soft shade
s of neutral green. Jessica had begged them to find out the sex, but they wa
nted to be surprised.
      They watched the ball drop in Times Square, and at midnight, Scully an
d Mulder shared a kiss much different from the year before. Last year, it ha
d been a hesitant kiss, a kiss between friends who had no intention of becom
ing anything more. Now, it was a kiss between lovers, a kiss of love and pas
sion and the promise of a lifetime together.
      "The world didn't end." she whispered, echoing his words from last yea
r.
     "No, it didn't." he grinned. "Even if it is the real millenium."
     They all went to bed around 2 a.m. But it was only a few hours later th
at Jessica was shaken awake by her father.
     "Jess?" he whispered. "I'm taking your mother to the hospital. Do you w
ant to come?"
     "Is she having the baby?" Jessica mumbled sleepily.
     "Yeah. Come on."
     They drove to Georgetown Memorial, and Jessica watched as her parents w
ere rushed into a delivery room. Her mother had told her she could be in the
re if she wanted, but that had been a bit much for her. So she called her gr
andmother, as she had been instructed, and Margaret rushed right down. She w
aited until after the sun rose to call Skinner, who showed up an hour later.=
 When the baby still hadn't been born by nine, she called her parents' weird
 friends. The Lone Gunmen showed up not too long after, and they all sat and
 waited. Jessica started to get nervous, but Margaret assured her that it to
ok hours to give birth.
     At around noon, just as Jessica was starting to fall asleep, her father
 came into the waiting room, wearing scrubs and a goofy grin on his face. "H
ey, you're all here!" he said happily. "Great, that's so great."
     "How's Dana? How's the baby?" Margaret demanded.
     "Dana is terrific.Just terrific. I think she may have broken my hand, a
nd she may hate me, I'm not sure, but she held that baby in her arms and she
 just glowed. Beautiful. More beautiful than I've ever seen her."
     "Well? Is it a boy or a girl?"
     "Well, that's the thing. It's a boy."
     Jessica jumped up and down and hugged her grandmother. "Oh, I have a li
ttle brother.Yay!"
     "Both of them."
     Jessica stopped jumping and looked at her father. "Heh?"
     Mulder grinned. "Two. Two boys, completely identical. There was only on
e egg, but it probably split, I don't know. And I don't know why it wasn't d
etected months ago. The doctor said one was probably hiding the other. I don
't care how it happened. We have 2 babies, guys. Two beautiful boys."
     Margaret held a hand to her heart."Oh my God. She's had twins! My daugh
ter had twins!"she said to the people waiting on the other side of the room.=
They nodded with respect and went back to their conversation.
     "Jesus Christ, Mulder." Skinner said, earning a reproachful look from M
argaret. "That's unbeleivable. Completely unbelievable.
     "How is the lovely Scully?" Frohike asked. "Is she okay?"
     "She's great, but I think this probably means you can't hit on her anym
ore. You know, being as how she's the mother of my three amazingly beautiful
 children and my future wife."
     "You have all the fun." Frohike grumbled.
     "She wants to see Jessica first.Come on, honey, Come meet  your brother
s."
     Jessica followed her father, leaving behind the beehive of conversation
 their loved ones were now engaged in. Sje held his hand. "Oh, Daddy, this i
s so, so great. I have never been so happy in my entire life."
     Mulder stopped short and put his hands on her shoulders. "I have. I was
 this happy the day we found you, and I was even happier when I found out I
was your father. I'm just as happy now. We really are a family now, homey. A
ll of us. But you were our first baby, you remember that. You were our first
 miracle." He pulled her close for a hug, and she returned it.
     "I know, Dad. Thank you. Now, come on. I want to see them!" she tugged
him down the hall, and he followed, laughing.
     He showed her Dana's room, and followed her in. Her mother sat up in be
d, looking so incredibly exhausted, but more happy than that and still beaut
iful. Her smile was wide, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked down
at two baby boys in her arms. One was sleeping, one was flailing it's arms a
round. Both had downy tufts of light brown hair, and they were beautiful, li
ke her father said. So beautiful.
     "Hi, Mom." Jessica said softly. She leaned down to kiss her cheek.
     "Hi, baby.Oh, look at them. Look at your little brothers."
     "They're perfect." she said. Her mother smiled at her. 
     "They're going to love you, Jess." she said.
     "I hope so."
     "Ms. Scully? Are you okay in here with them?" A middle aged nurse came
in, smiling at the new mother.
     "Oh, just fine. I want to keep them right here with me forever."
     The nurse laughed. "Well, for a little while longer. Then they have to
go in the nursery, and you need to get some sleep." she glanced at Jessica.
"And who is this? Your sister, Ms. Scully?"
     "No, this is our daughter, Jessica." Mulder said proudly. "She'll be si
xteen in April."
     "Well, hello. Excited about your brothers?"
     "Completely."Jessica said.
     The nurse left, and Scully looked at Mulder, suddenly terrified. "Mulde
r, I want you get Skinner to put a guard near the nursery. Better yet, I wan
t you to stand there all night. I don't want them left alone. Please." she b
egged.
     Mulder smoothed back her hair. "Honey, no one is coming to get them. No
t this time. It's over, you know that. They are completely healthy, complete
ly human, and completely ours. Don't worry. I'll talk to Skinner,though, and
 see what he can do, if it makes you feel any beter."
     "Okay." she said nervously. Then she looked down at her new babies, and
 smiled. "Our little miracles. Just like you, Jess. Miracles."

     The babies turned the house upside down. They were christened in March,=
 and by then, there was no confusing them at all. William Andrew, or Billy,
as they called him, was the mischief maker, the one who always cried, always
 had to have attention, and always made noise and messes. Samuel David, or S
am, was quieter. He would just gaze around with the bright blue eyes he and
Billy shared, taking in his surroundings. Mulder joked that he was just lear
ning how he could make more mischief than his brother.    
     They began to plan the wedding, and at the same time made a decision ab
out their proffesional futures. There was no getting around it; their prioro
ties had changed. Doggett and Reyes were assigned to the X-files, while Dana
 took an indefinite leave of absence, and Mulder went back to behavioral sci
ences. It wasn't long before he was their golden child again, and he was tol
d that if he kept it up, he'd make assistant director in no time.

     They threw a huge Sweet Sixteen for Jessica in April. She had never fel
t so loved before, and cried most of the night, thanking her parents over an
d over again. Like them, her life had changed so perfectly, so drastically.
She was more happy than she had ever remembered being. The elderly grandmoth
er who had raised her had loved her very much, but this was different. This
was a mothers love, and a fathers love, and the love she could already feel
from her baby brothers. This was a family.
      They were married on July 4th, their 'anniversary', in the D.C. Botani
cal gardens. Jessica was her mother's maid of honor, Candace,Tara,Kim, and t
wo old friends and a cousin of Dana's were bridesmaids. Skinner was the best
 man, Charlie, Bill, and the lone gunmen ushers, and Devon, Steven and littl
e Mathew shared ring bearer. The daughter of Mulder's cousin Tommy, to whom
they somewhat owed this occasion, was the flower girl. The babies were held
by Margaret, who stood just near the altar. It was a beautiful ceremony, and
 they wrote their own vows.
     "Dana, when I met you, you were so young and innocent. You were so eage
r to help people, and I wanted so badly for you to be able to do that. But y
ou were assigned to me, assigned to spy on me. And then we became best frien
ds, almost instantly.
     "I don't know when I fell in love with you, whether it was  the minute
I met you, or a minute after that. You were my Scully. I had to protect you,=
 but at the same time, it was because of me that you were always in danger.
I have so many regrets, and your sorrow and pain are only a few of them. But
 I couldn't let you go. I should have, but I couldn't. I loved you too much.
     "We finally knocked down those walls, or maybe fate did it for us. If I
 had known that going to a simple party with my cousin would result in a bea
utiful wife, and three fantastic children, I wouldn't have fought going so m
uch." There was a scattered chuckle. "But I did, and we had our night, and w
hat we made came back to find us. She brought us together, and made us a fam
ily. And today, I pledge my eternal devotion to you, Dana Katherine Mulder.
I promise to love and protect you forever, and hope that you continue to put
 up with me,for all the days of our lives. I love you, and I love our childr
en, so, so much. Nothing is more important to me. Nothng."
     "Fox, I've followed you for almost nine years, and I will follow you fo
r the rest of my life. You are my best friend, and my greatest strength. The
re is no one in this world I could have wanted more to be the father of my c
hildren. Fate did bring us together, and it will keep us together, because y
ou are my destiny.I used to think you were crazy, and maybe you are. But tha
t's okay, because we can be crazy together.
     "Every time I was in danger, every time I needed you, you were there. W
ithout fail. And I have no doubt in my mind that you will always be there fo
r me, as I will be for you. So today, I pledge my eternal love. My love, my
faith, and my life. You and our children are my life, and I could never love
 anyone more. If I live to be a hundred, you will always be my greatest love
. I want for us to always be exactly as we are, but I know we won't be. Our
love will change and grow, as we will with it.I can't wait to see what the r
est of our lives will be like, especially because I know I'm spending mine w
ith you.
     "So I take you as my husband, Fox William Mulder. To love and cherish f
or all the days of my life. You are my life, you and the children, and I cou
ld not imagime my life without you."
     They were married, and the final partnership that had been set in motio
n 17 years ago was complete.

     The years passed, with the twins growing into rambunctious little boys,=
 and jessica becoming a lovely young woman. She graduated high school, and d
ecided to attend her father's alma mater, Oxford. They were sad to see her g
o so far away, and she did become very homesick. She came home after her fir
st year, and instead got into Harvard, which made her family so proud they c
ould barely speak. Mulder told everyone withing range about how smart his da
ughter was, how she was just perfect.
     Dana decided she really did miss teaching, so when the twins were four,=
 she finally went back to work at Quantico. She loved it, especially since c
lasses ended early enough so that she was always on time to get her boys fro
m pre-school. Her work was nowhere near as important as her family.
     Mulder occasionaly helped out on an X-file, but he caugt more criminals
 in his new work than he ever had aliens, so he stuck with that. Then one da
y Agent Doggett came to him with a case, which ended up with them in a gover
nment cold storage facility. That's where he found the eggs of thousands of
women the government had abducted. This time, the lid was blown off the cons
piracy. Mulder's name was never mentioned, and no one knew he had helped, so
 he was safe. But Agent Doggett was so repeatedly attacked that he finally l
eft the bureau, and was entered into Skinner's own personal witness protecti
on program. A few years later, he returned, with a different, name, face , a
nd life, to be re-partnered with Agent Reyes. No one knew but her and Skinne
r, and the Mulder's. Many years later, they would be intrumental in naming e
very single person involved in the government conspiracy, destroying the lie
s and ending the farce. But it would be a very,very long time coming.
     After the eggs were found, the women were located and told that any fer
tilization processes they would want to undergo would be on the government.
Hardly anyone knew that it was the government behind it, largely because the
y had ways of cleaning up their own messes, but everyone had heard about the
 warehouse where all these ova were found. Among them were, of course, Dana'=
s ova.
     Now they had the option of more children, and they took it. It was like
 a dream, how perfectly their lives had suddenly gone. The twins were 6 when
 Melissa Victoria was born. Scully was 43, but the pregnancy was easy, the d
elivery quick, and a darling girl with reddish blond hair and hazel eyes cam
e into their life.They thought that would be it, but Dana insisted on one mo
re. "Just one more," she said. "I never thought I would ever have even one."
     So at 45, she had little Olivia Grace. Dark haired and green eyed, she
looked exactly like her father.
     Their little family was complete, and life went on. Skinner and Kim wer
e married three years after the Mulder's, and they, too had a brood of their
 own: Tyson, Elyse, Kevin and Maria. The children grew up together, and one
day in the future, little Elyse Skinner would marry Billy Mulder.
     Tara had her baby the May before Mulder and Dana got married, a girl na
med Sasha. They would have another child, Christina, two years later. Predic
tiably, Charlie and Candace did not have any more children. Their sons were
more than enough, and they couldn't imagine how Dana and her husband handled
 all those children. 
     Dana was 48 when she went through her mid-life crisis. Jessica was 27 b
y then, and had three years earlier received her masters in psychology, like
 her father. She had breezed through the F.B.I. academy, like her mother, an
d now worked in her father's department. Mulder had been Assistant Director
for a few years by then, and his protege', his personal favorite in the depa
rtment, the now 34 year old Mason Hudson, had fallen head over heels for the
 young Mulder, and they were engaged to be married. Dana, feeling her age an
d the fact that she would probably someday soon become a grandmother, decide
d to have another baby.
     Mulder agreed to this only because he, too, was beginning to feel out o
f date. Little Christopher Tyler was born just before Jessica's wedding, dar
k haired and blue eyes, the baby of the family.
     They stood together after the wedding, posing for a family portrait, an
d anyone who had met Dana and Mulder say, fifteen years earlier, would not h
ave believed their eyes. There was Dana Mulder, 48 years old, still slim eve
n after six pregnancys. Her hair had neither grayed nor thinned, but had lig
htened to a reddish blonde. Her eyes were still a vibrant blue,and the only
lines on her face were those she got from laughter, and indeed her life had
been filled with laughter. She held a newborn baby,  sleeping peacefully, an
d her husband stood next to her. At 51, Mulder was still almost the same man
. He still worked out regularly, and he held himself tall and proud. His haz
el eyes were sharp as ever, his dark hair still thick, even if his temples h
ad started to gray, and his face unlined. Had their lives comtinued the cour
se it was set on, they would no doubt look vastly older, or maybe would not
have looked like anything at all, for they likely would have been dead. Perh
aps it was like that in another reality, but in this one, they were happy.
     Their children were around them, so beautiful and vibrant. The bride, 2
7 year old Jessica, smile brilliantly, her dress a dream, just as her life h
ad become. As beautiful as she had been when they found her at 15, she was s
o much more now. A slender figure, flawless peaches and cream complexion, an
d deep emerald green eyes. The slightly large nose she had inherited from he
r father had long since become assymetrical with the rest of her face, and i
n fact could now be called delicate. Her long hair still couldn't tell what
color it was, and changed throughout the year from reddish blonde to reddish
 light brown. She was the most beautiful out of all of them, although her pa
rents would have never told her so (her ego tended to match her father's). B
lissfully happy, she had a job she loved, and a husband she loved even more
than that.
     The twins were eleven, not yet the men one of whom would marry Skinner'=
s daughter, still the boys their parents loved so much. They were tall and l
anky, like their father, with light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Bill
y's eyes had been filled with mischief practically since the day he was born
, and he wore a silly grin that bordered on a grimace, with his eyes crossed
. Sam was laughing at his twin brother, his best friend, and they had their
arms around each other.Identical, best friends, yet infinitely different.
     Melissa was five that year, and she, along with Olivia, had been a flow
er girl. Her strawberry blonde hair was a halo about her freckled face, a sw
eet smile on her lips, her hazel eyes lit up. Dana and Mulder both agreed th
at Melissa looked the most like her namesake, but even more like little Emil
y. Little Emily, who they had not forgotten. The pain had never really gone
away for Dana, but she felt as though Emily lived on in the sister who looke
d so much like her. She would be 18 now, probably her sister's maid of honor
. But she had not been meant to live, and Dana had accepted it a long time a
go. She could look at Melissa, and while she felt longing for her long lost
sister and daughter, she mostly felt love for her little girl.
     Olivia was the complete opposite of Melissa, more like Billy than any o
f them. She had stuck her tongue out a bit, and had wrinkled her nose up at
the photographer. Her dark hair was disheveled, and hidden in her green eyes
 was the desire to be running around getting dirty. Dana had her hands full
with that one, and could never understand how she and Melissa could be so di
fferent, or how Billy and Sam could be so different. One was Mulder, she sup
posed, and one was her.But different as they were, Melissa and Olivia were a
lso the best of friends.In fact, Melissa treated Olivia as her own little gi
rl, always worrying about her. They loved each other so very much.
     The Mulder's stood together, a happy family. Dana and Mulder had now be
en married eleven years, and while they did occasionaly fought like married
couples do, they were more in love than ever, and their love deepened every
year. They didn't agree on everythiong, but they agreed on that. And they ha
d their beautiful bride to thank.
     Dana would look at her oldest child, all grown up, and while she mourne
d the years they hadn't had with her, she rejoiced in the life Jessica had g
iven them. She would look at her and flash back to that day all those years
ago, when she had walked into a bedroom at social services and saw a beautif
ul child who belonged to her, a beautiful girl who more than made up for the
 children she had lost. But she found them,too. They had all found each othe
r.
     Dana would think a lot about the years that had passed by. She could ha
rdly believe it. She could remember screaming at Mulder in their basement of
fice like it was only yesterday. "Will this never end, Mulder, this continuo
us quest for the truth, your self deluded belief that the truth is anything
but what we see?" And then she remembered saying to him what she had really
wanted. ""Don't you ever just want to stop? Put up a white picket fence and
settle down and stop?"
     She remebered being abducted, and she remebered Mulder finding her in t
he hospital after her sister died, after she was killed by a bullet meant fo
r Dana. She remembered almost dying from cancer, and discovering she was bar
ren, and finding, loving and losing little Emily. The X-files had been close
d, reopened, closed and opened again. Spender had killed his son, he had kil
led Diana Fowley, and he had driven Mulder insane. She remembered Mulder con
vincing her to investigate the case of a young girl, a case which would beco
me one of the greatest gifts of her life. She remembered the day she told Mu
lder she was pregnant, and the day they found out he was Jessica's father, a
nd the Christmas Day he proposed. She remembered the twins being born, and t
he look on her 16 year old daughter's face when she first saw them.
     She and Mulder had chased aliens for 8 years. They had seen things that
 she could only pray her children would never come close to seeing, and she
had experienced things she sometimes wished she could forget.She had danced
in Mulder's arms at a Cher concert for a mutated man (Walking to Memphis was
 still 'their' song), they had posed as the husband and wife they would some
day become to find a killer in a nauseatingly pefect planned community. They
 had survived what could not be survived, and they had given it all up for t
heir ultimate dream; a family. This family. 
     And now she stood on her daughter's wedding day, and could feel nothing
 but happiness, pride, and love.
     
     Years passed, as they have the tendency to do. Jessica had her first ch
ild, a girl she named Emily Marie, two years after her wedding. Dana and Mul
der visited her, shocked at being grandparents, and at the same time, thrill
ed.Emily had dark blonde hair like her father, with a hint of red, but she h
ad her mothers bright green eyes. She was beautiful, and Dana was just so gl
ad to have someone else to love.
     The children grew up, and they enjoyed every minute of it. Dana, her fa
ith restored, thanked God every night for giving her what had been taken. So
metimes she was so scared that she'd wake up and it would all be a dream, an
d she'd be back in her little apartment in Georgetown, and Mulder would be c
alling her to go chase an alien, and she'd be barren and alone. She savored
every minute with her fmaily, just in case it did turn out to be a dream.Not
hing came before them, not ever. And she watched them grow up, the children
she never thought she'd have, and before they knew it, little Christopher, t
heir final baby, was off to college. 
     Olivia was 21 then, and off at college herself. As Dana had predicted w
hen they were children, Olivia and Melissa had remained the best of friends,=
 even if Melissa was incredibly over protective of her. Melissa was 23, and
working on her masters in journalism. She looked so much like her aunt that
it scared Dana, but she had none of the flightly tendencies that the first M
elissa had exhibited.She was very much like her mother, as was Sam, and Oliv
ia and Billy were just like their father. Christopher and Jessica were a lit
tle bit of both.
     The twins were 29, and Billy had married Elysa Skinner a few years beof
re. They had a one year old boy, Jason, who looked exactly like his blonde h
aired, blue eyed mother. Billy was in marketing, making funny commericals an
d sales pitches, and he was brilliant at it. Sam had gone into medicine like
 his mother, and like Jessica, had joined the F.B.I. Jessica had left the bu
reau after the birth of her second child, and at 45, she now had five childr
en of her own:Emily, Samantha, Michael, Brandon and Valerie. Mason still wor
ked there, but Jessica wanted to be solely devoted to her children. Still be
autiful, she was nethertheless no longer the darling child they had found al
l those years ago, and was now instead  their much loved daughter who, along
 with her siblings had given them more happiness than they felt they deserve
d.
     Mulder had retired years ago, and he and Dana still live in the house t
hey had bought before the boys were born, even though it had been added on t
o in years passed. He was 69, she was 66, and they were now completely gray,=
 although still fairly unwrinkled. Mulder had gone gray gracefully, but Dana
 wouldn't hear of it and kept her hair the strawberry blonde it had become b
efore it turned gray. They could be mistaken for a couple in their forties,
and often were. Dana had retired as well, and they spent their golden years
enjoying each other, and their chidren and grandchildren. Now, with Christop
her gone, it was just them.
     The years had gone by so quickly,it seemed.One day they had been on an
X-file, the next they were bringing their youngest child to college.Their 30
th wedding anniversary was next year.So many,many years. So many people gone
, and so many people gained.
     Walter Skinner had died just after Jason had been born. His wife had mo
ved to Florida, and all his children were grown. Dana's brother Bill had die
d five years earlier, but they had drifted very far apart, so she didn't fee
l his loss as much as she had their mother's. Margaret Scully had died not t
oo long after Skinner.She had been so old, and had such a long life, but Dan
a still missed her terribly.
     She still thought of Melissa and Emily often, and Mulder thought of Sam
antha.They were forever young in their minds, never allowd to grow old.When
Dana remembered Melissa, she could see a youthful woman, smiling brilliantly
. Always so young, just like the child Emily would always be.
     She could remember a time when she too, had been young. When she and Mu
lder had been so young and innocent. She looked back now, and couldn't belie
ve that she had ever been that young and innocent. So much promise, so much
life. And she had lost it far too quickly. Even with how happy she had been
these past 30 years, she could never get back that innocence.
     She knew Melissa and Emily waited for her on the other side. So did eve
ryone else. Ahab, Bill, Maggie, William, Teena and Samantha. She could see t
hem waving at her in her dreams. "Don't worry, Mommy." Emily said. "We'll be
 right here."
     Sometimes she wondered if that bastard Spender had snuck his way in, or
 Krycek. Of Krycek and Covarubbias she had heard nothing about since the day
 he brought Caner man in, and dissappeared. In fact, except for the incident
 that  returned her ova to her, their lives had been free from the X-files.
Doggett , now living under his rightful identity since he had usurped the go
vernement years before, had married Reyes, and they had left for God knows w
here.Byers and Langly had gone their own way after Frohike's death ten years
 ago. They still heard from them occasionally, and she knew Byers had gotten
 married and had two children, but she had never met them. No one they knew
from those days was around anymore.Not even the enemies.
     She sat with Mulder on the porch swing one late September day, just a f
ew weeks after they had brought Christopher to school. Everything around the
m had changed, but they were still the same people. Still Scully and Mulder,=
 the scientist and the nutjob. Still amazingly in love, still best friends.
     "It's hard to believe, isn't it?" she said, as they watched the sun go
down." Our last child has flown the nest. A child we never thought we would
have."
     Mulder reached over and took her hand. "I don't know how we got so luck
y. Even today, i can't believe that I'm Jessica's father. I can't believe we
 found all your eggs, just waiting there for us. There was a stroke of pure
luck if I ever saw it."
     "It was fate." she said quietly. "Fate - or God. "
     "Yeah, one of them woke up one day and said, aww, shit. We've been torm
enting Mulder and Scully for 8 years, when we should have been after the oth
er guys. Who fucked up the plan? Oh well, now we have to make up for it doub
le time. Hmm, okay. I've got it. Make their lives perfect, and I won't feel
so guilty anymore."
     She laughed. "You're such a weirdo."
     "But I'm your weirdo." He kissed her gently, and she layed back in his
arms.
     "We are so, so lucky." she said softly. "I once hated the fact that I h
ad been assigned to the X-files. But where would my life be now if I hadn't?=
 Maybe I would have gotten married, but I can't imagime I could have loved a
nyome the way I love you. And our children are so perfect. And children I mi
ght have had with someone else probably would have been boring,"
     "That's one thing my offspring definitely are not."
     "Your OFFSPRING? What, did you sire them, Sir Mulder?"
     "And I had so, so much fun doing so."
     "Yeah, you and that test tube." she teased.
     "Ouch." he winced. "Got me right in my manhood."
     "Oops. I'll need that later."
     They laughed together. Then she touched his cheek. "I thank God eevryda
y for sending you to me."
     "So do I." he whisperd.
     "It turned out just the way I wanted. We finally got the normal, wonder
ful life I dreamed of."
     "The life we both dreamed of."
      She hoped the people they had loved and lost could see them. She hoped
 her father and Melissa knew how happy she was, and she hoped William could
be proud of his son, and Samantha happy for her big brother.She knew they we
re waiting, somewhere beyond the veil. How long until they met again, she di
dn't know. What she did know was that she wanted to spend as many years on E
arth as possible, with her wonderful family, who she loved more than anythin
g. They were everyhting she had ever dreamed of. And when, one day, the veil
 was parted for her, she would make sure everybody knew.

     It was a warm day in April. Her birthday. Jessica Mulder-Hudson stepped
 out of the limosuine she had hired for the occasion, her low heels sinking
deep into the earth. Her nurse hurried to help her, but she shrugged her off
.She could do this herself.
     A hundred years. It had been a hundred years ago today a precious littl
e girl had been born because Fox Mulder and Dana Scully had met at a party,
got drunk, and without knowing it, had set themselves on a path towards dest
iny.Jessica had never imagined, as she cried at her adoptive grandmothers fu
neral, that she would be standing here today, on her one hundreth birthday,
having spent more of her life as Jessica Mulder than as Jessica Montgomery.J
essica Montgomery had died the day she saw her mothers face. Then she had be
en Jessica Scully, who hadn't died but had simply merged with Jesscia Mulder
. Even after seventy-three years of being Jessica Hudson, she would always t
ruly be a Mulder.
     She walked slowly to the graves, gingerly kneeling down, not caring how
 dirty her dress got. There it was. "MULDER: Fox William and Dana Katherine.=
 October 13, 1961-July 4, 2066 and February 24, 1964-July 4, 2066.Together F
orever." It was a lovely stone. Jessica had been satisfied with it.
     Her parents, too, had made it to one hundred, and beyond. They had died
 together on their 65th wedding anniversary, and 82 years after Jessica had
been conceived.They had been found in bed together, and near as they could f
igure out, they had gone to sleep the night before and never woke up.Jessica
 thought that one of them had died, and somehow the other had sensed it, and
 died as well.She was glad they had died together. She coldn't imagine one o
f them without the other.And she knew they wouldn't want to live without eac
h other anyway.
     
  It was just she and her sisters left, now. Olivia and Melissa lived togeth
er in their parents old house, their own husbands having long since died, as
 well as a few children, and their progeny scattered. They were still the be
st of friends, Melissa still overprotective of Olivia. The twins had died in
 their eighties, and poor Christopher had died so young. It had broken their
 mother's heart when, not too long after the birth of his daughter(he alread
y had a son), he had been killed in a car crash. Jessica knew the son had di
ed long ago, but her niece lived not far from her, and they spoke occasional
ly.
     There had been a family reunion just a few years ago. Only her cousin D
evon had passed on, the rest of her cousins were alive, and many of their ch
ildren, grand children, and great grandchildren. As for the Mulder's, well,
there were many of them. For a woman who had once never been able to have ch
ildren, Dana Mulder and her husband had left quite a legacy for themselves.
They had 6 children, although only 3 were alive now. Jessica had five childr
en, all still alive, and they had given her thirteen grandchildren, and thir
ty-four great-granchildren. Billy and Elyse had three kids, culminating in t
en grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Sam had only one child, who
had two, and those two had six. Melissa had given birth to three children, b
ut only her daughter had children, four of them. She now had ten great-grand
children, and Olivia had two kids, eight grandkids, and twenty-three great g
randchildren.As for Christopher's daughter, she had never married, but had a
 daughter, who had a son.
     All these people had assembled, close to 200, most descendants of Scull
y and Mulder. She told her parents this now, speaking to the photo she'd had
 mounted and protectively covered on their tombstone. It had been taken befo
re they found Jessica, very shortly before. From the date, Jessica could onl
y assume the twins had been conceived, and their relationship had already be
gun to change. they were at work (she actually knew that her aunt Kim had ta
ken the picture), and they sat together on Mulder's desk, their arms around
each other's shoulders, smiling brightly. They had been so, so  very young,
not as happy as they would become, but happy with each other. So young, she
thought sadly. So young and beautiful.
     But she didn't mourn them, as she hardly ever did. She celebrated their
 life instead. She rememebred so clearly the day she found them, when her mo
ther walked into her room, with her father close behind. She knew immediatel
y who her mother was, and to this day she couldn't explain what had brought
her to D.C., in a trancelike state. For a fleeting moment she had hoped Muld
er was her father, but after a few minutes, she figured that couldn't be the
 case. And then they found out, all those months later, after he had become
her father anyway.
     She had been young then, too, just a child. A lonely child.And they had
 given her a home, and a family, and so many brothers and sisters, and so mu
ch love.She knew that it had forever weighed on her mother's conscience that
 she gave her first born up, but Jessica could almost be glad she did.What i
f she hadn't, and things had worked out so much differently, and probably wo
rse? She hadn't suffered with her grandmother, and she firmly believed that
everything had happened exactly the way it was supposed to.
     She finished telling them about the reunion, as she had been unable to
visit for several years and hadn't yet told them. She looked up at the sunny
 sky and smiled.As old as she was, as gray as her hair was and wrinkled as h
er skin had become, two things remained the same; her green eyes, and her sm
ile.
     "I know you're watching me, and I'm glad. I love you both very, very mu
ch. Tell the boys I miss them, and tell everyone else I'll no doubt be joini
ng you within the next few years. I think of you all the time, and the love
you gave me, and how the years passed far too quickly. You told me all the t
ime that I brought you together, that I made you a family. And maybe I did.
But you kept our family together. You gave us all that love, and the love be
tween you inspired us. I thank you for that. I thank you for giving me a lif
e I never dreamed of, as much as you said the same thing to me. I'll see you
 soon."
     She got up and walked back to her car. The nurse tried to help her in,
but she pushed her aside. She turned for a last look at their grave, quite c
ertain she would never see it again. She squinted in confusion, then smiled
softly. There they were, standing there silently, Scully and Mulder. Just th
e way they had looked the day she met them. They nodded to her, smiling, and
 she knew the veil had been opened for her.
     
     Jessica Corrine Montgomery Scully Mulder Hudson died at the close of he
r 100th birthday, with a smile on her face.Like that of her parents', her li
fe had been well lived, and it was all because of two people who had given h
er more love than she could have ever imagined, and more happiness than she
had ever dreamed of.It was because of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, whose live
s had begun together so sadly, and had ended as one of the greatest love sto
ries, and one of the best friendships.
     And for their desendants, they had left their legacy of love. For gener
ations, the names Scully and Mulder were spoken at family gatherings, their
sacrifices always to be remembered, their lives to always be revered, and th
eir love always to be cherished.