From: Laura Bontrager Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 23:03:45 -0500 Subject: xfc: FW: NEW: Crickets (1/1) Source: xfc Title: Crickets (1/1) Author: RocketMan >lebontrager@iname.com< Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to CC, 1013, and Fox. No fringe is intended. SPOILER: Requiem--I promise you're not going to cry. I promise it's good. I promise there's not a lot of angsty Mulder gone stuff. =-=-= Crickets =-=-= The hum of her fridge and the soft whishing of the dish washer was lulling, but she fought sleep to hold on to the contentment a while longer. The heavy warmth across her belly and the smell of baby lotion had wrapped her in a blanket of lazy joy. As night was deep and dark around her, as the lights from the street shone in on her bedroom, Scully could lay on her back with the baby to her chest and just breathe. Breathe in the new life and the love and the peace she had found the moment her child's eyes had blinked open and looked into her own. Oh God, she loved this, she loved it. She was meant for this, for the gentle relaxation of listening to the crickets' symphony and the baby's dream murmurs. She was made to lie in the dark while her child slept against her, while the nighttime made rustling movements, while the smell of powder and clean linen and lotion wafted around her. She kissed the top of her little girl's head and stroked the downy hair that curled around her ears. It was dark and raven, like the night itself, and the baby blue eyes made a startling contrast. She was a beautiful child; Scully could not let her go. Could not stop touching her small hands, her pouty lips, the soft hair, the round cheeks, the way her daughter seemed to grin and laugh about everything. She thanked God for this. She thanked Mulder for giving it to her, wherever he might be. She prayed he would return to see this, to be a father to his daughter. She could hear the crickets again, now, giving a horrendous racket in the usual stillness of the night. They seemed to be in contest with each other. She heard a faint click in the house, and she stiffened, blinking slowly in the dark. The baby stirred and whimpered at her mother's sudden panic, and Scully stood up, cradling her daughter close. "Shh, sweetheart. Momma's here. It's okay." For a moment, Scully simply stood there, unwilling to put the baby down to investigate the noise, but afraid to take her daughter with her. Her heart pounded, her hands clenched around the two week old who would begin to fuss for milk in about thirty minutes. "Scully?" She nearly collapsed when he walked into her bedroom, eyes just as dark and feral as the night. She could still hear the crickets having a concert outside her bedroom window and the baby stirred against her. "Mulder?" He came into the dark room, his hands palm up as a measure of goodwill or something. She wanted to cry; she wanted to run away. She clutched the baby closer, causing her to let out a whimper that Mulder heard. She saw him stop, very still, staring at her. "What. . .what. . ." Scully didn't try to stop the tears, merely walked forward, cradling their daughter, and met him in the middle of the room. His eyes were wide and frightened, nearly comical. She pulled one of his hands out, then carefully placed the child into his slack grip, causing him to startle and clutch his daughter with a tight grip. He looked at her in amazement, then at Scully. "This. . .this is mine?" he whispered. She nodded and the tears became too overwhelming and she couldn't see anymore, couldn't find his face in the darkness until he pressed his lips to hers and cried. "Oh God, oh God," he whispered into her mouth. She laughed and hugged him so tightly she couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, the baby couldn't breathe. It was wonderful. She could start anew with him. It was wonderful. "Her name?" Mulder whispered tightly. "Anything....anything you like," Scully said and laughed again. The crickets were rejoicing. She understood the signs now. The whole of creation was back into its rightful place. The world rejoiced. =-=-= end adios RM