From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 2 Oct 2005 23:25:10 -0000
Subject: NEW:  Flight Into Egypt 7:  Going Home 00 of 13 by Vickie Moseley
Source: direct

Reply To: vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com


Title:  Flight into Egypt 7:  Going Home 00 of 13 
Author:  Vickie Moseley
Summary:  Colonization has been averted; the 
agents are no longer wanted criminals.  It's time for 
the 'Hales' to go home.  But what awaits them when 
they encounter their old lives?
Category:  MSM, babyfic, William
Rating:  Free for all (E for Everyone)
Spoilers:  Takes place after The Truth
Archive:  yes
Author's notes:  This is part 7 of my take on what 
happened after the motel scene in Roswell.  It 
would help tremendously if you read the first 6 
parts of the series which are located on my website 
http://vickiemoseley.freeservers.com/flightintoegypt
.html
I will be posting this story in chapters, one per night 
until they are all posted.  If you are like me and too 
impatient to wait for Works in Progress, you are in 
luck.  This story is complete and will be available at 
my website in the next day or two.  Even if you read 
it as posted each night, cruise over to the website 
and check out the cool artwork for each chapter.
Deep and abiding affection and undying gratitude:  
To Lisa, for her tremendous artwork and for beta 
reading and general cheerleading.  Kisses and 
chocolate Mulders (complete with little bandages) 
to Mary Kleinsmith for beta reading and gentle 
nudging.  Happy dancing Mulder clones to Dana 
Katherine Scully Mulder for translating this entire 
work into Portuguese and simulcasting it in Brazil.  
And last but not least, for super fast polishing, thank 
you (Aloha) Chuck!  You four are the greatest!


Flight into Egypt 7:  Going Home
Chapter 1 The Arrival
by Vickie Moseley

Hale Residence Backyard
Memorial Day, 2005

Ten-month-old Missy was squealing as Megan 
pushed the infant swing a little higher.  Sammi was 
content to sit on a blanket on the lawn, helping the 
youngest Hawthorne, Stephen, build an intricate 
castle out of Duplo blocks.  Off to the side, away 
from small children and windows, Josh Hawthorne 
was teaching William how to throw a curve ball, 
with the middle Hawthorne, Patrick acting as 
catcher and giving advice.  The men were busy with 
the grill, a new one that Mulder had just purchased.  
Scully and M.C. were in the house, putting the 
finishing touches on the Memorial Day barbeque 
that was fast becoming a tradition between the two 
families.

"So you're going to be gone two months," M.C. 
stated again, for the sixth or seventh time that 
morning.

Dana smiled indulgently and touched her friend's 
hand.  "Just two months," she reiterated.  "We 
haven't seen my family since Mom came out last 
year.  My brothers really want to meet the kids.  Bill 
and Charlie have never even met William and he's 
four years old now."

"But two months?" M.C. repeated.  "I mean, when 
we go to visit my family in Chicago, I'm lucky if I 
can tolerate them for two weeks!  And don't get me 
started on Joe's side."

"I know, it seems like a long time, but we have a lot 
of loose ends that need to be tied up.  We have to 
meet with lawyers, settle with insurance companies, 
basically get our identities straightened out.  And 
then there's the wedding."

"Ah, yes, the wedding.  So Ellery is the best man 
and you're the matron of honor, right?" M.C. asked 
as she picked up a knife and started slicing tomatoes 
and onions for the burgers on the grill.  "It's so 
romantic, you know -- your boss marrying his 
secretary."

"Well, Walter and Kim didn't start seeing each other 
until he wasn't her boss anymore," Scully reminded 
M.C.  "And even then, I don't know that Kim 
thought he'd ever pop the question."

"Of course, I've met Walter, but what's Kim like?  I 
mean, he seems pretty set in his ways.  I'd hate to 
have to train him to be a husband!"

Dana laughed.  "She already trained him to be a 
boss, what more could she need to do?  Kim is 
really sweet; she was a good friend to us when we 
were at the Bureau.  Besides, they deserve each 
other.  Kim is very easy going, quick to smile.  
Walter needs that in his life.  I'm very happy for 
them both."

"So let me get this straight -- you, Ellery and the 
three kids, your brother Charles and his wife with 
their two, your brother Bill and his wife with their 
two kids and Maggie all in one house.  Dana, even 
our house wouldn't hold all those people!"

"We'll all only be at Mom's for a couple of days, 
MC.  Tara's father lives in Prince George's County, 
Maryland, so they'll stay with him most of the time.  
As for us, we have a place set up, too.  Walter and 
Kim closed on their house last week.  Since 
Walter's lease isn't up until the end of August, we're 
going to sublet his apartment in Crystal City and 
he'll move into the new house."

"Great idea!" MC said with a grin.  "When dealing 
with extended family, it's always best to have a nice 
'fortress of solitude' to hide in."

Outside, the topic of conversation was similar.

"Two months.  Your mother-in-law seemed like a 
real sweetheart, but two months?  Are you sure you 
want to do this, Hale?" Joe asked, flipping a burger 
and almost landing William's hot dog in the dust as 
a result.  He caught it with the spatula just in time.

"Maggie's not the problem.  Dana's brothers will be 
there for a couple of weeks, too."

"Even that Bill character you've mentioned?"  

Mulder nodded.  "And his wife and their two kids.  
Geez, we didn't even know Tara was expecting.  
She found out just after we, uh . . ."

"Took off like Bonnie and Clyde?" Joe provided.  
Mulder shot him a sour look and tilted his head 
toward the kids.  "Sorry, Hale, couldn't resist," Joe 
chuckled.  "So what about the other brother, the one 
you say you never met.  How could you two be 
married twelve years and never meet her brother?"

Mulder licked his lips at that one.  "Charlie and his 
wife lived over seas all this time," he finally said 
with a shrug.  "When he did come home, we were 
usually on a case."

"Well, it sounds like a hell of a vacation to me," Joe 
said dubiously.  "Sure you don't want to stay here 
and let me teach you how to fly fish?"

"Actually, Joe, I'm looking forward to going back.  I 
may not want to spend a lot of time with Bill, but I 
would like to meet Charlie and his family.  Besides, 
I know Maggie misses the kids.  It's going to be 
different.  A lot has changed since the last time we 
were there.  I think I can go back now, at least for a 
while.  But don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll be 
ready to come home when it's time."

Dulles International Airport
May 31, 2005

"Tell me again why we decided to take a flight on 
the day after Memorial Day weekend, Scully."

She frowned at him.  It had been a long, tiring 
flight.  Helena's airport was calm and relaxing 
compared to Denver, where they had to switch 
planes.  William had relished time on the airplane, 
demanding to sit in the window seat so he could 
look out at the clouds.  Sammi had slept most of the 
time, but Missy was not at all pleased and had 
whimpered and sucked her thumb, refusing her 
father's offers to play.  Scully's lap was numb from 
holding the baby and waiting for the high-pitched 
screams she was certain they would be forced to 
endure.  But Missy never screamed, she just refused 
to take her nap and now she was even crankier than 
she'd been on the plane.

"Mulder, I'm still trying to figure out what 
possessed us to try and take a pre-schooler and two 
infants on an airplane without the Fifth Armored 
Division as back up," she growled.  

"Well, I can see where Melissa inherited her 
'grouchy' genes," he muttered under his breath as he 
switched the finally sleeping infant to his other 
shoulder.

"I heard that," Scully replied as she stormed off in 
the direction of the baggage claim area, Sammi on 
one hip, William clinging to her free hand.  "You're 
not getting out of this one, buddy," she shot back.

"Wait a minute.  I remember an adult discussion 
where we weighed the pros and cons of driving just 
over 2200 miles with three kids, which even if we 
drove straight through would take just shy of a day 
and a half against dragging everyone through a 
couple of airports for a period of about 10 hours."

"I remember someone interrupting my bubble bath 
by joining me and somewhere in the extremely 
short introductory conversation, that person told me 
he'd booked flights already and we were flying into 
Dulles, my least favorite airport in the entire 
continental United States!"

"I got a good deal on the tickets," he countered with 
a gleam in his eye.

"You got a good deal, all right.  And it's the last 
good deal you can expect until we have a bedroom 
all to ourselves at Walter's condo," she replied with 
a sweet smile.

Mulder drew in a deep breath and plastered a 
matching smile on his face.  "At least we'll have 
some place to hide out when Big Brother Bill 
arrives."

They had just passed the various construction 
barricades (because Dulles Airport would never 
truly be finished) and rounded the corner to the 
baggage claim when William pulled free of Scully's 
hand and ran shouting down the concourse.  
"Gramma!  Gramma!  We're here!"

Maggie, beaming, swept the little boy up into her 
arms.  "William!  Look at you!  You've grown two 
inches since your last picture!" she exclaimed as she 
accepted the numerous kisses from her youngest 
grandson.

William wiggled himself free and latched onto 
Maggie's hand.  "Gramma, the girls are big, too.  
Look, Sammi can walk!"  He pulled at his mother's 
hand to let the baby down.  Sammi looked at her 
grandmother with wide blue eyes and immediately 
nestled into the crook of her mother's neck.

"She's a little shy around people she's not familiar 
with," Scully explained contritely.  "By the end of 
the week, she'll be glued to your hip."

"Oh, I remember.  You never were fond of 
strangers, either," Maggie said with a fond 
expression.  "Not sure what to make of all this, are 
you, sweetheart," she cooed to the tiny girl who 
intermittently snuck a peek at the woman trying to 
get her attention.

"Ma-ma-mama!" cried Missy, awake from her too 
short nap.  Mulder jiggled her and stroked her hair 
but the young lady was not to be dissuaded.  "Ma-
ma-mama!"  A quick pass of the twins and soon 
Missy was settling down and Sammi was content in 
her father's arms.

"You two are pros," Maggie said, hugging her 
daughter and then Mulder.  "They've grown so 
much since the pictures from Easter.  Oh, I finally 
found a frame for that family portrait you sent.  I 
just love it."

Mulder had been keeping an eye on the baggage 
carousel while they were talking and spotted the 
first of their luggage.  "Um, Maggie, could you . . ."  
Sammi eyed her suspiciously as her father handed 
her over, but didn't bat an eye when she was finally 
in her grandmother's arms.

Mulder pulled a cart off the long line and started 
tossing bags onto it.  "I hope I have enough room in 
the car," Maggie commented as she watched the 
luggage pile up.  "Oh, I remembered to bring the car 
seats, Dana."

"Thanks, Mom," Scully said, relieved.  "That saved 
us a lot of trouble.  Three car seats are just not that 
easy to lug around."

"Don't worry about space, Maggie," Mulder chimed 
in.  "We reserved a minivan for the duration.  We'll 
just have to go over to the Lariat counter.  You and 
Dana can take the twins in your car and Will can 
ride with me in the rental."

Maggie nodded and then stopped.  "So, what do I 
call you now?" she asked.  Her perplexed look 
caused Mulder to tamp down on any smart remark 
that comment might have generated.  

"Joe calls me Hale, MC calls me Ellery.  But that's 
how they know me.  I don't expect you to change, 
Maggie.  You've always called me Fox."

"But when I visited last summer -- "

Mulder blushed and focused on the tile floor.  "It 
was still . . . we were still getting used to the idea 
that we weren't being hunted.  But how can I walk 
into the Bureau to pick up Walt for lunch or maybe 
just to say 'hi' and expect all those people who know 
me as Fox Mulder to start calling me Ellery Hale?  
It just wouldn't work."

Maggie smiled at him.  "OK, Fox," she said with a 
quick nod.  "We need to get home.  I have 
hamburgers and hot dogs waiting for you to put on 
the grill."

"Daddy likes to burn meat, Gramma," William told 
her solemnly.

"I remember that, Will.  Let's go to my house and he 
can burn some meat there."

I-95 heading to Baltimore, Maryland
4:15 pm

"Where did you and Mommy live?" William asked 
breathlessly as he watched the tall trees and the set 
back houses along the I-95 roll past.

"Mommy and I lived in different parts of the city of 
Washington.  Grandma lives in Baltimore, which is 
a city all by itself," Mulder explained.

"Did you live by Uncle Walter?"

Mulder shook his head and stifled a chuckle.  
William's curiosity was probably the most telling 
factor in his genetic background.  "You know, we'll 
go visit Washington tomorrow and I'll show you 
where Mommy lived and where Daddy lived and 
then where Mommy and Daddy worked -- how does 
that sound?"

"And the zoo?" the little boy pressed excitedly.  
"And the baseball game . . ."

"We may save some of that for another day so the 
whole family can go.  Tomorrow it can be just you 
and me -- just the guys.  Mommy and the girls can 
get some rest after all the excitement of the plane 
ride." 

Maggie Scully's residence
Baltimore Maryland

The place hadn't changed much in four years, at 
least as far as Mulder could tell.  Four years.  It 
seemed like a lifetime.  He smiled down at his son 
as the little boy expertly unhooked the clasp on the 
car seat and climbed out of the Ford Freestar to 
stand next to him.  It was a lifetime, to William.

"Wow, Gramma's yard is about as big as ours," the 
child exclaimed as he eyed the rolling lawn and big 
maple and oak trees.

"She has a swing in the backyard, too, buddy.  I'll 
show it to you later.  Right now can you give your 
old man a hand and grab your duffle bag on the top 
there?"

Between the two of them, William and Mulder got 
the luggage in from the car.  "Where?" Mulder 
asked Maggie, who was holding the screen door for 
him.  

"You and Dana have Charlie's old room and the 
kids are right across the hall," she said, following 
him upstairs.  He got to the first door on the left and 
dumped the luggage on the floor for sorting later.  

"So Charlie had a queen sized bed, huh?  Funny, I 
don't remember that," he teased Maggie when he 
looked over and saw a new bedroom suite that 
replaced the twin bed he remembered being in that 
room.

Maggie grinned and lightly smacked his arm.  "Fox, 
you know better," she replied.  "I don't think you 
and Dana would have been very comfortable on that 
little twin bed.  One of you would have landed up 
on the floor and I know for a fact that my daughter 
is a bed hog!"

"You got that right," Mulder shot back with a 
repressed chuckle.

"Got what right?" Scully asked from the doorway, 
carrying Sammi in her arms.  "Where are the 
diapers, she's soaked.  Oh, Mom, new bedroom 
suite?  Looks great."

"I'll take her," Mulder offered.  "You go help your 
mom get the meat ready and I'll be down to fire up 
the grill."

Maggie and Dana checked on William and Missy 
before heading into the kitchen.  Maggie had a 
playpen set up in the family room and William had 
climbed in it to entertain his sister.  They were in 
the middle of engineering an intricate structure from 
plastic blocks.

"He's so good with the babies," Maggie commented 
with an awed smile.  "He must get that from the 
Mulder side.  You four fought like cats and dogs."

"Oh, don't worry, Mom.  He has his moments.  Just 
a few weeks ago I overheard him talking with 
Stevie Hawthorne about the best places to sell baby 
sisters on the internet," Dana said smugly.

"Dana!" Maggie replied in shock.

"I don't think he would ever actually put them up 
for sale, Mom.  I think he was just checking out his 
options."

"Maybe you and Fox shouldn't let him play on the 
computer quite as much," Maggie advised firmly.

In the kitchen, Maggie opened the refrigerator and 
pulled out the makings for salad, handing them to 
Dana.  They quickly went to work.

"How are the Hawthornes?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, they're fine.  Daniel is home from Iraq now.  
He's still at LeJeune, but he had a month's leave.  
Meggie is looking at colleges.  I don't know what 
I'm going to do if she goes off to school very far 
away.  We really depend on her for babysitting.  
MC and Joe are fine.  The whole family was over 
Monday night for a barbeque.  They're going to 
keep an eye on the house for us.  Which reminds 
me, I have to call and tell them I have Millie 
holding our mail so they don't have to pick it up."

Maggie smiled.  "Be sure to tell them I said hello 
when you talk to them."

Mulder joined them, carrying a much happier 
Sammi.  "I'm putting the little mermaid here in the 
playpen so I can start up the grill."

"Good idea."  From her place at the island counter, 
Dana had a perfect view of her three children 
playing somewhat contentedly in the family room.  
"I'll keep an eye on them."

The two women were quiet for a moment, until 
Maggie looked over at her daughter.  "So, Mr. 
Skinner and Kim are getting married the 25th?"

Dana smiled.  "Yes.  Kim said she really didn't want 
to get married in June, but it was the only weekend 
available at her church.  Something about a 
cancellation with another couple's wedding."

"Oh, dear.  Did a couple break up?" Maggie asked.

"No, a couple eloped," Dana grinned in reply.  "I 
guess the bride's father suggested it as a joke and 
the bride and groom called his bluff.  They ran off 
to Vegas and got married in a wedding chapel.  Kim 
said it's been the talk of the congregation for 
weeks."

"That poor mother," Maggie sighed.

"Mother?  Why 'that poor mother'?  Those kids just 
saved that family a ton of cash, Mom," Dana 
answered without thinking.

"That mother was cheated  --  Never mind," Maggie 
said tersely and turned to rummage in the 
refrigerator again.

"Cheated how, Mom?"

Maggie leaned against the counter and shook her 
head.  "I promised myself I wasn't going to go in to 
this," she muttered.  

Dana didn't think she was supposed to hear her 
mother's comment, but decided that she wasn't 
going to let it drop.  "Mom.  How do you feel 
cheated?" she asked, trying hard to keep the 
'investigator' out of her voice.

Maggie looked up at Dana with tears on her lashes.  
"When you girls were little, your father and I used 
to joke about how much you were going to cost us.  
We always dreamed we'd have to pay for lavish 
weddings with hundreds of guests.  Of course, as 
Missy got older and more . . . well, one time your 
father even said we might have to shell out for a 
wedding in Hawaii, on a beach somewhere.  But 
after she died -- "  The words caught in the older 
woman's throat and Dana ached to hold her in her 
arms.

"Mom," she said, stepping closer, but Maggie held 
her hands out, stopping her.

"No, listen to me.  I know it's foolish, I know it's 
selfish, but I thought with you, at least, I'd have a 
chance to see one of my daughter's married.  But 
you went ahead and did it behind my back.  Now, 
you can tell me all about your problems and how 
you had to run away, I understand all that, but Dana 
-- "

"Mom!" Dana all but shouted to be heard over her 
mother's diatribe.  "We aren't married!"

Suddenly the only noise in the kitchen was the ice 
machine in the refrigerator.  

Maggie recovered first.  "But the rings -- you're 
both wearing rings."

Dana looked down at the gold band on her left 
hand; smiling as she remembered the day Mulder 
had placed it on her finger.  Finally, she looked up 
and met her mother's stare.  "It was for our cover.  
When we moved to Montana, we wanted to appear 
as normal as possible to raise the least amount of 
suspicion.  Mom, at that point, we had no idea if 
there were bulletins out on us, our pictures on the 
10 Most Wanted.  We didn't know if we'd find some 
never heard of actors portraying us on that FOX 
show one Saturday night, with John Walsh telling 
everyone to call if they'd seen us!"

Maggie's legs were just barely holding her up so 
Dana took her mother's arm and steered her to one 
of the chairs at the breakfast table.  "Mom.  It's not 
what you think.  We just never got around to -- what 
I mean to say is -- "

Maggie looked at Dana with tears streaking down 
her cheeks.  "Why wouldn't Fox want to marry 
you?" she asked in a small voice.  "I don't 
understand.  Is he afraid of the commitment?  After 
all these years -- "

"Mom, it isn't Mulder," Dana said with a sigh.  
"Please don't blame him."

Maggie's frown deepened.  "What are you saying?  
That it's you?  You don't want to get married?  
Dana, you have children, you brought three children 
into this world and you don't want to marry their 
father?!"  The older woman started to rise in an 
effort to put as much distance as possible between 
her and her daughter.  Dana caught her hand before 
she got very far.

"Mom, please, listen to me.  Please," Dana pleaded.  
Maggie looked down at their hands and bit her lip.  
Finally she sat back down.  

"So, I'm listening.  Explain to me why you'd ignore 
everything your father and I tried to teach you," she 
said, her voice steel, her expression hard though the 
tears still continued down her face.

Dana swallowed.  In the back of her mind she 
remembered Mulder's words.  'It's time,' he'd said.  
But it had seemed too late and she didn't want to 
risk what they had, what they still had.  How could 
she make her mother understand that? 

"Mom, Mulder and I are fully committed to each 
other.  We love each other completely.  There is 
never going to be a day when I don't want him next 
to me.  That's marriage, isn't it?  That's what it's 
really all about.  Why do a few words and a piece of 
paper make that more than it already is?  We have a 
life in Montana.  People there treat us as a married 
couple -- "

"But you aren't married, Dana," Maggie said with a 
desperate sigh.  "You aren't legally married.  And 
you know what that means for those babies in 
there," she said, just barely getting out the words 
before her tears choked off her voice.

"I just don't see what the difference is," Dana said, 
her own tears flowing freely.

"You have lived on the edge of society, Dana.  You 
and Fox were in horrible trouble.  Mr. Skinner told 
me all about it when Agent Doggett and Reyes 
returned from New Mexico.  He told me there were 
orders to execute Fox.  I understood why you went 
off with him without a word.  I can understand why 
you hid as you did, why you had to, just to keep 
William safe.  I know all that," Maggie's words, low 
but effective, poured out of her.  "But Dana, all that 
is in the past.  And you have a beautiful son and two 
beautiful daughters.  Don't you think they deserve 
better?  What will they say, when they're old 
enough to understand?  Because right now, Dana, 
I'm looking at you and I don't understand.  I don't 
understand at all."

"Mommy, I'm hungry!  Hey, why are you and 
Gramma crying?"  William stood in the doorway to 
the kitchen, concern written clearly on his four year 
old face.  

Hurriedly both women wiped their eyes, but not 
before Maggie had a chance to catch Dana's gaze 
one more time.  "This isn't finished," she whispered.  
"Hey, William!" she said, happily turning her 
attention to her grandson.  "Let's see if your dad has 
the grill going and we can carry out the hot dogs 
and hamburgers to him.  How does that sound?"

"Goodie!" the small boy exclaimed, clapping his 
hands.  But as Maggie turned to get the food out of 
the refrigerator, William walked over to where 
Dana was busily slicing tomatoes and laid his hand 
on her arm.  "Mommy?" he asked worriedly.

She wiped at her eyes again.  "Onions, William.  
You know how slicing onions always makes 
Mommy cry," she said with a forced smile.

The small boy could just peer over the countertop 
where she was pointing to a plate of sliced onions.  
When he looked up at her again, she knew he didn't 
believe her.

"It's OK, sweetie.  We were just talking," Dana said, 
reaching down to hug her son.  "Nothing's the 
matter.  It's all right."

He nodded solemnly as he melted into her embrace.  
His grandmother's voice pulled him away.

"Ready, William?  Let's go watch your dad burn 
some meat," Maggie suggested.  As the two left the 
kitchen, Dana sagged against the counter in relief.  
How much had he heard, she couldn't help but 
wonder.

continued in part 2

Going Home:  Chapter 2 Mulder and William go to 
DC

Maggie Scully's residence
Baltimore, MD
May 31, 2005
8:30 am

"I'm all dressed!" William announced proudly as he 
stood in his grandmother's kitchen.  He had on 
heavy jeans and a long sleeved shirt under his 
favorite Yankees sweatshirt.  

Maggie looked over from her seat at the dinette 
table across from Mulder and tried hard to stifle her 
laughter.

"Um, sport, it's going to be in the high 80's," Mulder 
squeaked out after almost choking on his coffee.  
"See what Daddy's wearing?"  Mulder was attired in 
lightweight chinos and a short sleeved white and 
green striped polo shirt.  "C'mon, I know Mommy 
packed some 'hot weather' clothes in your bag."  As 
the two 'men' headed up the stairs, Mulder could 
hear Maggie's chuckles all the way to the second 
floor hallway.

They returned in minutes, William now in an olive 
green cargo shorts, a matching tee shirt with orange 
trim, and leather sandals on his feet.  "You look 
very nice, William," Maggie assured him.  She 
motioned him over to her and ran her hand through 
his soft chestnut hair, straightening errant locks.  
"You look so much like your Daddy," she said 
fondly.

"I'm surprised the girls aren't up yet," Mulder said, 
finishing off his coffee.

"Probably jet lag.  They had quite an adventure 
yesterday," Maggie replied.

"They were up, you weren't," Scully said accusingly 
from the doorway as she homed in on the 
coffeemaker, bleary-eyed and still wearing her robe.  
"They woke up with the birds.  I gave them some 
cereal and they went down for a nap."

"Dana, I can watch the girls today, if you want to go 
with Fox and William," Maggie offered.

"Not on your life, Mom," Scully said, sliding into 
one of the dinette chairs and sipping her coffee with 
a sigh.  "Mulder promised me a day to rest after all 
the running around and getting ready for this 
massive expedition, and I am taking it!" 

"You'd think you planned and executed D-Day," 
Mulder laughed.  The answering glare he received 
shut him up quickly.  "Well, 'Ike', Maggie, I think 
we'll take our leave.  C'mon, William, we're off to 
discover the wilds of the Federal Government!"

"But I want to go see Washington, Daddy," William 
protested.

"Same thing, sport," Mulder replied as he gave 
Scully a quick kiss.  Taking his son's hand, he 
headed out the door.  "I have my cell phone," he 
called over his shoulder.

"Yeah, it might actually work here," Scully shouted 
after him with a smirk.

"He's a good man," Maggie said, taking a sip of her 
coffee.  

"I've been saying that for years, Mom," Scully 
replied with a wry smile.

Mulder buckled William into his car seat in the 
captain's chair directly behind the front passenger 
seat of the minivan.  "Where to first, buddy?"

"I wanna see your house," William replied after 
very little thought.

"I didn't live in a house, William.  I lived in an 
apartment building.  And we can't go in because I 
don't live there any more.  But we can drive past it 
and I can show you where I used to play 
basketball."

William smiled brightly and clapped his hands.  
"Yeah, Daddy!  Let's go!"

2630 Hegal Place
Alexandria, VA

Mulder pulled up to the curb and parked the car.  
"There it is, buddy.  That's where Daddy used to 
live."

William struggled with his seatbelt, finally 
unlocking himself from his safety seat.  "You lived 
here?  In this big house?"

Mulder chuckled as he helped Will out onto the 
sidewalk.  "Well, it wasn't just me, William.  See 
each of those windows up there?"  He pointed out 
the windows in each floor of the structure.  "There 
were two windows facing this side of the street in 
my apartment.  So count over every other window.   
That's an apartment, like we lived in last year before 
your sisters were born, remember?  So how many 
apartments were on each floor?"

William thought hard and counted the windows.  
"Four?" he asked slightly unsure.

"That's right" Mulder encouraged him with a big 
smile.  "And there were four apartments on the 
other side of the hall.  Eight apartments on each 
floor, five floors -- "

"A lot of apartments," William said in awe.

Mulder chuckled again.  "Yes, there are.  And the 
apartment I had only had a living room, a kitchen, a 
tiny bathroom and one bedroom.  So the apartments 
are pretty little when you think about it."

"One bedroom?  Where did I sleep?" William 
asked, a frown darkening his face.

Mulder toed the sidewalk.  "I lived here long before 
you came into the picture.  After you were born we 
all lived at your Mom's apartment in Georgetown."  
Mulder decided not to go into the fact that the three 
of them only lived there together a very short time.  
It was a tale best told to an older audience. 

The door of the apartment complex opened and an 
elderly woman with a wire shopping basket on 
wheels tried to exit.  Mulder hurried to the door and 
held it for her.  She looked up at him, startled.

"Agent Mulder?"

"Mrs. Sullivan?" Mulder responded to the older 
woman's inquiry.

"It is you!  My goodness, how long has it been?" the 
older woman's face lit up with recognition and 
happy surprise.

"It's been about 4 years, actually," Mulder said, 
carrying the shopping cart down to the sidewalk.  

"And who have we here?"

Mulder beamed with pride.  "This is my son, 
William.  William, say hello to one of my old 
neighbors, Mrs. Sullivan."

William smiled shyly.  "Hi."

"Oh, he is a charmer," Mrs. Sullivan said with a 
wink.  "Just like his father, I'd dare say."  Mulder 
blushed slightly at her comment, which, by the 
twinkle in her eyes, had been her intention.  "So, 
you finally settled down.  With that pretty little 
redhead, I assume?"

Mulder's blush grew but he nodded.  "Yes, Dana 
Scully.  We have William and twin daughters, just 
turned one year old."

"Oh, that's lovely," the older woman said fondly.  
"Well, you tell her I said hello.  It's so good to see 
you, Agent Mulder.  You aren't thinking of renting 
here again, though, are you?  I don't think you'd all 
fit in one of these apartments."

"No, no, Ma'am," Mulder said with a wry grin.  "I 
was just showing William the old stomping 
grounds.  His mother and sisters are back at his 
grandmother's house in Baltimore.  We're just out 
visiting."

"We flew on an airplane," William interjected.

"That must have been very exciting," Mrs. Sullivan 
said seriously.  She turned to take hold of her cart.  
"It's been wonderful seeing you, Agent Mulder, but 
I have to get to the market.  If I don't hurry, I'm 
going to miss my soaps!"

"Can we drop you?  We have the car right here," 
Mulder offered.

"Oh, no, my doctor wants me to walk.  But if you 
stay in the area long, do stop by again.  Maybe 
bring your wife and daughters next time?"

"We'll certainly try."

They watched the older woman walk down the 
street, then Mulder looked up at the building again.  
"William, see the second row of windows from the 
top?  Now count over four windows.  Those two?  
That was Daddy's apartment."

William squinted against the sunlight glaring from 
the windowpanes and then looked up at his father.  
"Did you like that apartment, Daddy?"

Mulder was deep in thought staring at the windows, 
unable to detect the residue of tape that should have 
been there.  Maybe the current resident was better at 
glass cleaning than he had been?  

"Daddy?"

"What, son?"

"Did you like it there?" the little boy repeated.

Mulder thought about his answer.  "Sometimes.  
When your Mommy would come over and have 
pizza or watch a movie with me.  But to tell you the 
truth, Will, I like our house by the Old Man much 
better."

William beamed at his answer.  "Me too, Daddy.  
Me too."

They walked down to the park where Mulder used 
to take his morning runs and then over to the 
outdoor basketball courts.  Kids were playing but 
Mulder didn't see any faces he recognized.  Will 
started growing impatient and finally they returned 
to the car.

"Mommy's house next," William directed.  

"Yes, sir," Mulder replied with a mock salute, just 
to get his son to giggle.

Scully's apartment building looked exactly as it had 
the last time Mulder had seen it.  It was 
disconcerting, remembering those last moments, 
holding her and William tightly against him, kissing 
them both one time, moving to the door and then 
coming back to kiss them both again.  He felt an 
ache in his chest build just at the memory of that 
day four years before.

"Which windows were Mommy's?" William asked 
innocently.

Mulder had to swallow to get his voice to work.  
"Third floor, right on that corner," he said, pointing 
out the three windows on the left side of the 
building.  "The window on the corner was 
Mommy's bedroom.  That one next to it was your 
bedroom.  And the other window is the living 
room."

"You mean you and Mommy's bedroom," Will 
corrected.

"Yeah, of course," Mulder replied, clearing his 
throat.  "C'mon, it's getting close to lunch time.  
Let's see if Uncle Walter wants to join us and get 
hot dogs on the Mall."

"Yes!  Hot dogs with Uncle Walter!" Will agreed, 
pumping his little arm in victory.  

Watching his son's enthusiasm, the dark shadows of 
the past slipped away and Mulder's smile returned 
to his face.

J. Edgar Hoover Building
Federal Bureau of Investigation
11:15 am

"I never realized how hard it is to find a parking 
space around here," Mulder grumbled just under his 
breath.

"There's one, Daddy," Will exclaimed, pointing 
across the street.

"That one's too hard to get to, Will," Mulder 
explained patiently.

"Do what Mommy does and turn in a big circle," 
Will directed.

"You can do that in Mr. Airy, Will.  In Washington, 
a whole lot of people would get mad at you," 
Mulder reasoned.  "Besides, I see a spot right up in 
the next block."

They parked and got out of the car.  The 
Washington heat had cranked up a notch and 
Mulder was glad he wasn't in one of his old Armani 
suits.  Will skipped happily at his side as they 
walked up to the enormous white stone and glass 
building that had been his life for so many years.

The door at the visitor's entrance had a placard 
explaining that public tours had been discontinued 
for the immediate future due to retooling, but 
Mulder opened the door and walked up to the guard 
at the metal detector.  He was surprised when the 
uniformed man greeted him warmly.

"Mr. Mulder and little Mr. Mulder!  Good to see 
you again, Sir," the guard said congenially and 
handed over two visitor's badges.  "Assistant 
Director Skinner has asked that you meet him in his 
office.  Same place he used to be, sixth floor, right 
next to the bullpen.  You remember the way, don't 
you?"

"In my sleep," Mulder replied.

"Nightmares?" the guard chuckled.

Mulder grinned and nodded.  They moved through 
the metal detector, which William found just as 
fascinating as the ones in the airport, and headed for 
the elevators.  Will's eyes were the size of saucers 
as he looked at all the men and women in suits 
hurrying about their business.  He also seemed 
eager to see which of the people passing them had 
guns on their belts.

"Did you wear a gun, Daddy?" he asked as they 
walked the hallway toward Skinner's office.

"Yes.  I had to wear it all the time I was on duty.  
Your mother had one, too."

"Was Mommy good at shooting?" Will asked.

"Too good," Mulder replied dryly, rotating his left 
shoulder.  "In this door here, Will."

"Agent Mulder!  Oh, I'm sorry, uh, Mulder!" a 
flustered Holly from Records greeted him as soon 
as they walked in the door.

"Holly!  What a surprise!  Hey, don't tell me . . . "

"Yup, I got promoted," Holly grinned.  "AD 
Skinner plucked me out of Records.  Can you 
believe it?  I assaulted the man years ago and now 
I'm his administrative assistant.  What a world, 
huh?"

Mulder smirked.  "Well, the second year we were 
partners, Scully . . ."  He was about to go into his 
story of Scully shooting him, but remembered a 
small person at his knee, listening with rapt 
attention.  "Yeah.  Anyway, it's great to see you.  I 
assume we'll be seeing you at the wedding."

"I'm one of the attendants," Holly shrugged but her 
bright smile betrayed how proud she was to be 
included in the festivities.  She leaned down so that 
she was eye level with the boy at Mulder's side.  
"And this must be Master William.  AD Skinner has 
told me so much about you," she said with an 
ingratiating smile.

"Hi," Will replied, hugging his father's leg.

Holly looked up at Mulder again.  "Kim wanted me 
to tell you that she's tied up all day with 
preparations for a big meeting the Director has on 
Capitol Hill.  But she wants you to bring Agent, er, 
Dana and the kids back next week so she can give 
William a tour of the building."

"Will would really like that, I'm sure," Mulder 
replied.

"Holly, is that my newest recruit?" boomed a voice 
from the inner doorway.  William turned toward the 
voice and sheer joy spread across his face.

"Uncle Walter!" he squealed and propelled himself 
into the Assistant Director's arms.  Skinner hugged 
the boy warmly, picking him up and shifting him to 
his hip.  

"Will, you have grown so much!  How are your 
baby sisters?  Still trying to eat your toys?" Skinner 
asked seriously.

"Mommy says they're getting teeth, but it's a 
constant bother!" Will exclaimed to the sniggers of 
Holly and Mulder.

"Constant bother, huh?" Skinner repeated, shooting 
a glance over to Mulder.

"Yeah.  Like when Daddy leaves his running shoes 
on when he comes in the house when it's raining.  
Mommy says that's a constant bother, too," the boy 
elaborated.

"Well, your father was definitely a constant bother 
when he worked here.  I'll have to congratulate your 
mother for finding the right words," Skinner replied 
with a smirk.  Mulder rolled his eyes, but wisely 
kept out of the conversation.

"Can you come get hot dogs at the mall with us, 
Uncle Walter?" Will asked excitedly.

"At the mall?"

"'On' the Mall," Mulder corrected at his former 
boss's confused look.  "Will hasn't seen the Capitol 
or any the monuments yet, so I thought we'd go 
over to the Mall for a hot dog and walk around a 
bit."

"Great idea!  Holly, I'll be back in an hour.  If Kim 
calls . . ."

"You have your cell phone," Holly supplied.  "Have 
fun, you three!"

Hot dogs and drinks in hand, the three strolled over 
to a park bench not far from the Museum of Natural 
History.  Mulder helped Will balance his drink on 
the seat before turning his attention to his own meal.  
Skinner finished his hot dog with a contented sigh, 
leaned back and watched the interplay of father and 
son.

"So, how're the new classes?" Skinner asked as Will 
proceeded to wolf down his lunch, taking the 
peculiar route of starting to eat his hot dog in the 
middle and working his way toward both ends in 
turn.

"I really liked teaching clinical, surprisingly.  I was 
sure I'd suck at it," Mulder admitted.

Skinner let out a snort.  "Mulder, I can't honestly 
think of a single thing you ever 'sucked at', 
paperwork and ass kissing notwithstanding, of 
course."

Mulder grinned at the compliment.  "Of course," he 
readily agreed.  "But seriously, taking on the full 
load wasn't as bad as I'd thought.  I'm home less, but 
Scully has the girls and Will in a playgroup from 
church and now that she's writing journal articles, 
she's happier, too.  The college is already making 
noises that they'd like to get her over to teach, when 
the girls are a little older.  Things seem to be 
settling down for good."

Skinner wadded up his hot dog paper and tossed it 
in the nearby trashcan.  "So, the idea of maybe 
coming back, finishing what you started, never 
passes your minds?"  He wouldn't meet Mulder's 
eyes as he recited this obviously well rehearsed 
speech.
 
"We found Sam, Walt.  She's gone, and has been a 
very long time.  As for the rest of it, last summer 
pretty much ended the threats we were worried 
about.  We know we have friends taking care of us, 
at least working on our behalf out there.  It was time 
to graduate to other things."  Affectionately he 
ruffled his son's dark hair.  "More important things."

"You know, we still get cases," Walter said evenly.

"I'm sure you have plenty of agents -- "

"That's just it.  With the new emphasis on terrorism, 
there aren't any agents willing or able to look into 
cases that offer no rational explanation."

Mulder took a napkin and wiped at the corner of 
Will's mouth, where mustard gave the child a 
crooked yellow mustache.  "Hey, wait a few years 
and you can recruit this one," he said, jokingly.  
"Seriously, Walt, thanks for the left-handed offer, 
but we aren't interested.  Scully and I are happy in 
Montana, we have three little people who depend on 
us every minute of the day--there just isn't room for 
liver eating mutants in our daily schedules 
anymore."

"Well, if you ever find a few spare minutes in the 
day -- "

"I plan on using them to sleep.  Or other more 
constructive endeavors," he said with a malicious 
grin.

"What I'm saying is that the Director himself 
instructed me to offer you a job -- strictly consulting 
basis only.  But your expertise in this area is 
outstanding."

"Look, if you ever come across something that just 
grabs you by the short hairs, call me.  Otherwise, 
well, some things are better left unexplained, ya 
know, Walt?"

"What are 'short hairs', Daddy?" Will chimed in at 
that moment.

It was Skinner's turn for a wicked grin, but Mulder 
seemed nonplussed.  "Those are the little hairs at 
the back of your neck that the barber trims with the 
shaver, buddy."

"Oh," said the boy with a carefree smile.  "Let's go 
see the pointy building over there," he added, 
waving toward the Washington Monument.

"You learned that skill of explaining on the fly on 
reports you sent to me, you know that don't you?" 
Skinner growled in low tones so as not to be 
overheard.

"Nah, I picked up that skill at Oxford.  When I was 
working under you, I was at the top of my game," 
Mulder tossed over his shoulder as he hurried to 
catch up with his son.  

Wednesday June 1, 2005
Maggie Scully's residence

Mulder was wiping off the outdoor furniture when 
he heard Maggie call out from the foyer.  "We're 
back!  Dana, Fox, they're here."  It had been decided 
by Scully that taking the children to the airport to 
greet Bill and Tara's plane was just too much 
excitement, so the Mulder-Scullys had stayed 
behind to finish preparations for the family reunion 
to take place over the next few days.

Mulder waited until he heard Scully's footsteps on 
the stairs, where she had been making up the extra 
beds, before venturing back into the house.  He'd 
spoken to Scully the night before and had vowed to 
keep his distance from Bill as much as possible.  It 
was his partner's hope that he could avoid any 
unnecessary confrontations, although secretly 
Mulder knew that would be the most extreme of 
possibilities.

"Oh, my God, look at you!  You look wonderful!  I 
love your hair!  Dana, you have to keep it long, it 
makes you look like a teenager!"  Mulder 
recognized Tara's voice as he pulled open the 
backdoor to enter the mudroom and head toward the 
kitchen.

"Is this Julia?  Oh, Tara, she's beautiful!  May I hold 
her?"  

Mulder had to smile as he remembered Joe 
Hawthorne's reaction every time his wife, MC, had 
asked to hold a baby.  He was pretty sure Scully 
was content with their three, but they'd also 
mutually agreed never to say never again.  

"Oh, my, she's so light!  You forget how little they 
are," he heard Scully exclaim as he washed his 
hands in the sink.

"So where are the kids?" Tara asked.  "Thank you 
for the pictures, by the way.  I love the one of you 
and Fox holding the twins with Will behind you and 
his little hands on your shoulders.  That is just so 
precious."

"Yeah, too bad the first time we actually get to see 
the kid is from his pictures.  As I seem to 
remember, the only time we've seen Billy has been 
in his pictures."  That voice could only belong to 
Bill Scully, Jr.  Mulder forced down a flinch and 
finished drying his hands, still listening intently.

"Will, Bill.  We call him Will," Scully corrected 
evenly.

"What did I call him?" her brother asked, feigning 
innocence.

"You called him Billy.  Please don't confuse him.  
We call him Will or William, not Bill."

"But he's named after Dad, right?  I mean Dad was 
called Bill."

"He's named after Mulder's father -- William, and 
although Mulder's Dad was also called Bill, we, the 
boy's parents, are calling him Will," Scully said in a 
tone that gave no quarter in the argument.

Mulder decided it was probably all shot to hell 
anyway, so he might as well make his entrance.

"Hello," he said, forcing a smile.  Tara looked up 
and beamed at him, stepping forward to take him 
into a quick hug.

"Fox!  It's so good to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you, too, Tara."  Mulder disengaged 
from the hug and looked over at Bill, who was 
making no effort at all to extend his hand.  "Bill," 
Mulder nodded, also refusing to offer his hand.  

"Mulder," came the terse reply.

"Mulder, meet Julia Annamarie Scully.  How old is 
she, Tara?"

"Seven weeks on Friday," Tara said proudly.  

Mulder turned to peer at the tiny infant in Scully's 
arms.  "Scully, her eyes look a little like the twins, 
don't they?"

Scully looked closer.  "Yes, I think those are 
definitely Scully eyes," she said.  

"I'm just so excited that she'll have some girl 
cousins!" Tara gushed effusively.  "My brothers 
haven't been much help in that department.  The 
only one who's even tried has two boys and with 
Charlie's two boys, well, the pickin's were looking 
pretty slim.  I mean, when we didn't know that you 
two were alive or anything and with William's 
adoption -- "  She quickly lapsed into embarrassed 
silence.

Maggie walked in at that moment, hand in hand 
with a young tow-headed boy of about seven.  " . . . 
and you can go out in the backyard and play with 
your cousin Will," she was telling him.  She stopped 
talking when she noticed the strained quiet in the 
foyer.  "Is everything all right?"

"Sure it is, just saying hello.  Well, let me help you 
with the bags," Mulder offered, breaking the 
tension.  He reached for the larger of two suitcases, 
only to find Bill's fist already tightly wrapped 
around the handle.  He looked up and caught the 
challenging glare from the older Scully, so he 
wisely chose the smaller of the cases.  "Maggie -- 
er, your mom has you two and Julia and Matty set 
up in your old room, Bill."

"That's where we always stay," Bill intoned gruffly.

"Good, then you can lead the way," Mulder said 
dryly, waving Bill in front of him.  They headed up 
the stairs to the backdrop of women's voices 
proclaiming the growth of young children.

Bill shoved the door open and dropped the bag in 
the corner.  He turned and took the other bag from 
Mulder's hand.  "I suppose you're staying here," he 
said evenly.

"Just for the night.  Tomorrow we're moving to a 
place in Crystal City," Mulder said, not rising to the 
bait in Bill's tone.

"Yeah, Mom said you had money," Bill said with a 
sneer.

"Actually, we're subletting from our old boss, 
Walter Skinner.  He's moved into his new house and 
he has three more months on his old lease," Mulder 
replied, using the same even tone as before.

"I just don't get it.  Haven't you caused this family 
enough grief?  Why in the hell didn't you stay in 
Montana and let Dana come back home to be with 
her family?"

Mulder stared at the other man for a few breathless 
seconds.  He knew Bill was talking about more than 
just a visit, that he'd assumed his sister would come 
back east for good.  Mulder just wasn't ready to get 
into that battle, but he wasn't going to walk 
completely away from it, either.   "Scully is my 
family, Bill.  And if you ask her, I think she'll tell 
you that I'm her family, too."  Without waiting for 
any rebuttal, Mulder stormed out the door.  

End of round one and even Mulder had to admit it 
had been a tie.

end of part two

Going Home:  Chapter 3  Waiting for Charlie
.
Maggie Scully residence
June 1, 2005
8:15 am

Mulder awoke to find Scully wrapped in his arms 
and something warm cuddled against his back.  
Turning so he could look over his shoulder, he 
found that William had migrated from his cot by the 
window and was now sleeping soundly in his 
parents' bed.  From her vantage point in the 
playpen, Missy smiled up at him and tossed her 
stuffed rabbit, just missing him.  Sammi was still 
sleeping peacefully in the crib that blocked the 
closet door.

Mulder lay there a few minutes, trying to figure out 
the best escape route that would wake the fewest 
number of individuals currently sharing his sleeping 
space.  He opted for waking the one least likely to 
demand he go down and make breakfast.

"Scully," he whispered in her ear.  "Scully, can you 
move over a little, love.  I'm stuck."

A muffled grunt, and her reaction was to stuff the 
pillow more firmly under her cheek and turn so her 
back was now toward him.  For good measure, she 
scooted over a little more so that her bottom was 
nudging his stomach.

"Scully, it's an emergency," he whispered.  
"Bathroom," he added, hoping that would cause the 
desired effect.

She turned over again, this time on her stomach, but 
he caught her shoulders shaking and knew he'd been 
had.  

"You've been awake all along," he accused as she 
finally slid over so that he could crawl over her and 
out of the bed.

"You're just too easy, sweetheart," she said, not 
bothering to stifle her giggles.

"Mamama!" shouted Missy and soon another honey 
blond head popped up in the nearby crib.  "Da-da-
da-da-da!" echoed Sammi.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," moaned William as he felt 
the mattress move and his personal bedwarmer 
leave the premises.  "What's for breakfast?"

Mulder returned quickly from his mission with the 
room down the hall and scooped up both girls, 
much to their delight.  "Let's go downstairs and see 
what Gramma Maggie has in the cupboard.  I bet 
we'll find something to eat," he told William.

"Make coffee?" Scully requested as she trudged off 
toward the bathroom.

"If it's not already made.  You get your caffeine 
addiction honestly, Scully.  I've noticed your mom 
has the same problem."

In truth, the coffee maker was just finishing its 
cycle as Mulder carried the girls down the steps 
with Will bringing up the rear.  Maggie was at the 
counter, buttering an english muffin while Tara was 
seated at the dinette with a blanket modestly 
covering most of her upper body.  Mulder 
recognized the fashion statement and knew a very 
young lady was already getting 'breakfast' under the 
cover of the blanket.

"Gramma, what's for breakfast?" Will asked loudly 
and Mulder cringed.  

"Will, don't startle the baby," he said quietly, 
pointing to Tara and the blanket.

Will immediately turned to look at his aunt and his 
expression changed to one of awe and 
understanding.  "Sorry, Auntie Tara.  Are you 
feeding Baby Julia mommy milk?"

Tara grinned.  "Yes, William, that's all she can eat 
right now."

"I know.  Missy and Sammi used to drink mommy 
milk all the time but now they can eat Cheerios, like 
me," he said seriously.

"I bet they like that," Tara said, trying not to 
chuckle.

"Well look what Grandma happens to have in the 
cupboard," Maggie said, holding the cabinet door so 
that William could see what was inside.

"Cheerios!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands.

"Want to help me get the bowls and spoons?" 
Maggie asked.

"Sure, I'm a good helper," he told her and quickly 
pushed Maggie's step stool over to the cabinet, 
counting out the bowls.  "Daddy, do you want 
Cheerios?"

"Sure, buddy.  I'll have Cheerios this morning."

"What about Mommy?"

"I'm betting she'll want one of those english muffins 
your Gramma has there."

"I'll have some Cheerios, William, if there's 
enough," Tara chimed in.

"Oh, I have a whole unopened box if we go through 
this one," Maggie assured her daughter-in-law.  

Will dutifully counted out enough bowls and carried 
them to the table, where Maggie had already 
deposited the requisite number of spoons.  Soon, 
Mulder had a handful of dry cereal placed on each 
of the twin's high chair trays, with a sippy cup of 
milk, and Will, he and Tara were eating cereal from 
the bowls.  Maggie smiled at them all.

"I'm starving!" came the sound from the doorway.  
Matthew Scully walked into the kitchen and sat 
down at the table.  "Are those Cheerios?" he asked, 
turning up his nose.

"I have other cereal here, Matty.  What would you 
like?" Maggie asked, although she was already 
reaching into the cabinet for another box.

"Raisin bran," the young boy said with a firm shake 
of his head.

"Just like your father," Maggie said with a wink to 
Tara.

"You'd think all that bran would help your father's 
disposition," Tara muttered under her breath, with a 
quick glance over at Mulder before she returned to 
eating her breakfast one handed.

Mulder dipped his head in acknowledgement of an 
ally, but didn't say a word.

Scully was the next to surface, freshly showered 
and dressed.  She helped herself to coffee and one 
of the muffins, dropping a few more pieces of cereal 
on Missy's tray when the baby had started to reach 
for her brother's bowl.

"Morning Mom, Tara, family," she said with a wink 
and smile to Mulder as she reached past him to 
ruffle their son's hair.  She pulled up a chair next to 
her partner and sat down.  "What's on the agenda 
today, Mom?"

"Well, Charlie and Karen's plane doesn't get in until 
4:30, so I thought we could go over to the new 
outlet mall and check out the sidewalk sales."

"They have 'another' mall here, Daddy?" Will 
exclaimed, wide eyed.

Mulder stifled a laugh at Tara's confused 
expression.  "Will and I took in the Capitol Mall 
yesterday with our old boss, Walter."

"This is a different mall, Will," Maggie assured the 
little boy.  "Like the one in Helena that you took me 
to when I visited you last year.  It has toy stores and 
book stores and stores where I can buy you and 
your sisters new clothes."

Now it was Mulder's turn to look confused.  Scully 
placed her hand on his forearm.  "Mom wants a 
family portrait.  She's hoping we can find matching 
outfits for the kids.  At least the little ones.  I don't 
know if Ben and Nate are willing to go along with 
the idea."

"It would be fun if we could get matching polo 
shirts for the adults.   For my Dad's birthday last 
year my brothers and their wives and Bill and I had 
our pictures taken with matching shirts.  It turned 
out really nice," Tara said happily.

Mulder chewed on his lip a moment, wondering 
where this strange custom might have come from 
but Scully was pressing her heel onto the top of his 
foot and he chose to refrain from making a 
comment.

"I have the appointment set up with the 
photography studio for next Monday at 1 pm.  They 
promised it wouldn't take more than an hour.  I told 
them we have small children in the party and they 
said they had the perfect photographer for working 
with kids.  I've seen her work and it's really 
fantastic," Maggie said happily.

"Next Monday at one.  OK, I think we can handle 
that," Mulder said, silently dreading the day.  It had 
been torturous enough having just the five of them 
sit for a portrait at Christmas, he didn't want to see 
the chaos that having five additional adults, an 
infant, a young boy and two teenagers would 
invoke.

"Did Walter say when we could move in," Scully 
asked as she headed for another cup of coffee.

"I still don't see why you can't all stay here," 
Maggie groused from her seat at the table.

"Mom, at Walter's we can have a room to ourselves 
and we won't be eating all your food.  Besides, by 
the time Charlie, Karen and the boys get here, you'll 
be glad we're not underfoot as well."

"You are not underfoot, Dana," Maggie said firmly.  
"I like having you all here."

"We will be here a lot, Mom.  We just won't be 
sleeping here.  And with the current bed situation, I 
think that's a good thing.  Anyway, what did he say, 
Mulder?"

"He gave me the key, said we could head over any 
time we want.  He's alerted the doorman to expect 
us in the next day or two.  I don't see why we can't 
go over this evening after dinner."

"That soon?" Maggie asked, frowning.

"Mom," Dana replied, an eyebrow giving fair 
warning that the matter was not up for discussion.

"Let's get the kids ready and we can take on that 
mall," Tara suggested helpfully.  Mulder shot her a 
smile.  Tara seemed to be the perpetual peacemaker.  
Since she'd been a part of the family longer than he 
had, he respected her ability to put quarreling 
parties at ease.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea.  Fox, do you want 
to join us?" Maggie offered.

Mulder immediately took on his panic look and 
Scully kicked his leg and snickered at him.  "Mom, 
I think Mulder wants a day to just lounge around the 
house, don't you?"

"That sounds really nice," he admitted.

"Well, Bill will probably sleep until 10 or so, so it 
should be quiet here," Tara said and Mulder couldn't 
decide if she was giving him a 'heads-up' warning or 
just dispensing information.

"I'll remember to be real quiet," Mulder assured her 
and she smiled and nodded.

Even with three women working full speed, it still 
took about an hour to get everyone out the door.  
Mulder sighed in relief as he heard the tires on the 
minivan pull out of the driveway.  He got up and 
poured another cup of coffee and sat down at the 
table to read the Washington Post for the first time 
in almost 5 years.

After reading the paper, Mulder took his coffee 
outside to the patio and just sat in the sunshine.  He 
itched to go fire up Maggie's computer, the one he 
and Scully had given her for Christmas so she could 
receive the countless photos and emails that Scully 
sent her to help her feel in touch with the family in 
Montana.  But the computer was in the office that 
had once belonged to Scully's father and Mulder 
knew instinctively that Bill would hit the ceiling if 
he found his sister's partner messing with any of 
Captain Scully's personal effects.  It was better just 
to enjoy the warmth and humidity that was a 
summer morning in Baltimore.

He'd dozed off until he heard the back screen door 
slam.  Sitting up, he saw Bill looking around 
blearily, coffee cup firmly in his right hand, paper 
in his left.

"Oh, I thought everyone left," Bill said dryly.

"Not everyone," Mulder replied.  "Your mom, Tara 
and Dana took the kids shopping for clothes."  He 
made a point to call his partner Dana around her 
family but it still seemed like he was referring to 
someone else.

"Yeah, Tara said something about a family 
portrait," Bill huffed as he settled in at the patio 
table and spread out the newspaper.  "That'll be a 
cluster-fuck if there ever was one," he growled.

"Your mom searched for a photographer that's good 
with kids," Mulder said, mentally kicking himself 
for continuing the conversation.  He'd promised 
Scully he would give Bill a wide berth and here he 
was, in direct engagement.  She'd kill him if she 
found out.

"Mom means well.  We tried something like this a 
couple of years ago, when Matt was a toddler.  Just 
Charlie, Karen, the boys and Tara, Matty and me.  
Of course, at the time we thought we were the only 
kids left."  Bill looked over at Mulder and tilted his 
head, waiting for a reaction.

"Well, I think I'm going up to take a shower," 
Mulder said suddenly and left faster than might be 
considered polite.

When Scully arrived back at the house, a little past 
noon, she found Mulder in the bedroom on the bed, 
reading an old romance novel.  She held back her 
laugh as she sat down beside him.

"Mulder, you keep unfolding like a flower," she 
teased as she pulled the book from his hands.

"I was hiding.  It was the only form of 
entertainment available in this room," he said, 
pulling her down for a kiss.  After a moment, he 
noticed she was alone.  "Where are the kids?"

"Downstairs.  The girls are in the playpen in the 
family room and Will is helping Mom and Tara 
make lunch."

"Peanut butter and jelly?" Mulder grimaced.

"There's lunch meat for those of us with more 
refined tastes," Scully assured him.  "Why didn't 
you just turn on the TV in the family room?"

"Bill was down there.  I thought it might be safer up 
here," he admitted.

Scully stood up and pulled him by the hand to his 
feet.  "Don't let Bill bully you around, Mulder.  You 
have every right to be here."

"Not in his opinion," Mulder replied.  "Besides, 
why antagonize the guy?  We're only staying here 
till this evening, I figured I'd stay out of his way and 
maybe we can avoid any 'sorry son of a bitch' 
declarations for a while.  Or at the very least, 
postpone them."

"You aren't the only one he does this to," she said, 
hugging him for a moment.  She looked up at his 
face.  "It's probably the main reason I refuse to call 
William by the nickname Bill."

Mulder shot her a confused look.

"It's too close to what we called our beloved older 
brother behind his back:  Bully.  Oh, yes, Bill has a 
long history of family oppression and I'm getting 
just a little tired of it."

"And here I thought I was the only member of this 
partnership to have a dysfunctional childhood," he 
teased back.

"It wasn't dysfunctional, Mulder.  It was fairly 
common back then.  But Bill never quite grew out 
of that stage."  She tugged on his hand, leading him 
toward the door.  "But Mom is downstairs now and 
even Bill knows better than to antagonize her."

"Smart man," Mulder agreed with a grin.

Scully was true to her word.  As long as Maggie 
was present, Bill acted civilly, if not overly friendly 
toward his sister's partner.  Lunch passed in excited 
conversation between Tara and Maggie about the 
upcoming portrait, with Scully chiming in about the 
other items they'd picked up at the mall.  As with 
most lunches with women just back from 
'gathering', the men were left to silently add up their 
now burgeoning credit card charges.

It was early afternoon and Mulder was hoping to 
sneak into the family room and see if the Yankees 
game could be found on ESPN.  To his 
consternation, Bill had beaten him to the set.  
"Mom!  When are you gonna install that damned 
Dish!" he yelled as he tried and failed to locate his 
preferred channel.

"When I start spending more than thirty minutes in 
front of it each night watching the news," was her 
terse reply from the kitchen.

"Damn.  Well, we have a choice between the Braves 
in Chicago or Houston in Milwaukee," Bill 
muttered, somewhat in Mulder's direction.  Both 
men issued matching sighs.

"Wait, there's soccer," Mulder pointed out before 
the channel switched again.  Bill shrugged 
apathetically and flopped down on the big recliner, 
most likely his father's chair.  Mulder settled in on 
the sofa.  At least he was secure in the knowledge 
that Maggie was just a few feet away in the kitchen.  
He felt like a total idiot, or worse yet, an 8 year old 
constantly wanting to stay close to his mommy, but 
it did make him feel less uncomfortable to know 
that his partner and her mother were there to hear 
any altercations.

By mid afternoon, Bill was dozing and Mulder was 
falling asleep.  It was quiet and peaceful.  He could 
hear Matthew and William playing in the backyard.  
The girls were probably down for their naps.  He 
had no idea what was going on in the kitchen but it 
seemed to entail a great deal of chopping, stirring 
and an occasional clank of metal pots and pans.  

He was just drifting off to sleep when he felt the 
cushions on the sofa dip.  A small hand brushed the 
hair off his forehead and a soft kiss was placed right 
below his left ear.  He shook off his drowsiness, but 
without opening his eyes, he pulled his partner onto 
his lap.

"I thought you were asleep," she whispered so as 
not to wake up the sleeping bear in the recliner.

"Just about.  In my dreams, this delicious nymph 
came by and started kissing me," he whispered in 
reply as he opened his eyes to smile at her.

"A cute nymph?" she asked with a raised brow over 
the twinkle in her eye.

"The cutest.  Damn sexy, too.  Excuse me, I want to 
get back to her," and he promptly closed his eyes, 
feigning sleep.

She took that as her cue and started kissing him all 
over his face and neck.  He was thoroughly 
enjoying himself, about to embark on returning the 
attention when a growl from the recliner startled 
them both.

"Get a room!" Bill slurred.

"Get a life," Scully quickly responded, but the mood 
was broken and Mulder felt her tense in his arms.

"Then go upstairs," Bill countered.  

"We can't.  The girls are upstairs taking a nap in our 
room," Scully shot back, her arms crossing her 
chest.  "And besides, this isn't your room, either, 
Bill."

Mulder groaned at that last comment.  He 
recognized it for what it was -- a shot across the 
bow.  "Scully . . ."

"Well, it's more my room than yours, little sister," 
Bill said with a lowered voice that made Mulder 
want to hide behind the sofa.

"Since when?" Scully challenged.  

Mulder looked around the room, noting where sharp 
and heavy objects might lie within reach and 
wondering if either combatant would focus on him 
if he tried to remove them.

"Since you ran off and played dead for two years, 
that's when!" Bill spat.  "What, you think you can 
just waltz in here like nothing happened?  Do you 
know the grief you caused this family -- the grief 
HE caused this family?  How you can even show 
your face in this house is beyond me!"

Scully's eyes narrowed and Mulder knew whatever 
silence there was in the room was simply the eye of 
the hurricane passing over.  The back half of the 
storm was about to unleash.

"You sanctimonious son of a bitch," she seethed.  
"How dare you sit there in our father's chair and talk 
to me like that.  I did what I had to do to keep my 
family safe and I would do it all again if need be.  
You have no idea what I went through, what Mulder 
has gone through, because if you did you'd be down 
on your knees in gratitude.  We saved your life, you 
asshole!  Your life and the lives of your family."

"By bustin' him out of prison?" Bill laughed, but 
there was more menace than hilarity in the sound.  
"Oh, that's rich.  What are you going to tell me, 
Dana?  Gonna try to tell me about how he was 
abducted by aliens, how he died and then was raised 
from the dead?  Mom might believe that load of 
shit, but I'm not buying it for minute!"

"You were never here to see any of it, Bill!  You're 
just like Dad, never there when you're needed!"  
The shock of her words hit her before the last 
syllable had left her mouth.  Mulder reached for her 
shoulder but she shrugged away, her hand to her 
lips as if hoping to stop any more heresy from 
escaping as she ran from the room.  Bill stood in 
stunned silence and then glared at Mulder before 
leaving the room, but turning in the opposite 
direction as his sister.  Mulder heard the screen door 
slam at the same time as hurried footsteps sounded 
on the stairs leading to the second floor.

Tara stood in the doorway, chewing her lip.  "What 
was that all about?" she asked cautiously.

"Sibling rivalry?" Mulder tried for a joke but 
realized it was hopeless.  "You better go find Bill.  
I'll talk to Dana."

"This is going to be a long vacation for us, isn't it, 
Fox?" Tara offered with a sad smile.

Mulder took a deep breath and nodded.

Scully was throwing clothes into one of the 
suitcases when he made it up to their room.  The 
babies were still sleeping, but she didn't seem 
concerned about waking them as she grabbed diaper 
wipes and toys and shoved them in bags.  He caught 
her hands, but she pulled out of his grasp.

"We're going home," she said through clenched 
teeth. 

"And not see Charlie?  And skip out on Walter and 
Kim at their wedding?  And who exactly is going to 
tell your mom?" he asked quietly as he sat on the 
bed, watching her frantically clear the room of their 
possessions.

She swallowed several times and then sat down next 
to him on the bed.  "He makes me . . . there are just 
times I want to . . . "

"Shoot him?" he asked in perfect deadpan, but his 
eyes gave him away.

"No.  I don't like him that much," she shot back, but 
he'd succeeded in getting her to calm down a little.  
"Mulder, I can't stay under the same roof as that 
man," she said tersely.

"I know.  I understand.  But this isn't just about you 
and Bill.  This is about William, Missy and Sammi.  
This is about Charlie and his family, Tara, Matty 
and Julia.  But mostly, this is about your mom, 
Scully.  She's been through so much and all she's 
asking is for us to get along for a couple of weeks."  
He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her 
to him.  "I know it's hard, but we have to find a way 
to make it work."

She nodded slowly.  "I know, Mulder.  And you're 
right."  She punched him lightly on the arm when he 
grinned at her.  "Don't get a big head about it," she 
warned.  "But quite frankly, this house just isn't big 
enough for Bill and me.  I think we need to get over 
to Walter's apartment as soon as possible."

"It sounded like you were making enough food to 
feed the Seventh Cavalry, Scully.  I think we're 
morally obligated to stay until after dinner."  

"OK, but the minute the dinner dishes are done, 
we're out of here!" she growled.  He smiled at her 
angry expression and kissed her on the nose.  She 
kissed him back, on the lips.  He put his arms 
around her, pushing her back on the bed and 
proceeded to kiss her with all the passion he could 
muster.

"Da-da-da-da," sang Sammi as she stood up in the 
playpen.  

Scully pushed against him and reluctantly he let her 
up.  "Who needs a dry diaper?" she cooed as she 
picked up the cherub faced little girl, still warm 
from her nap.

"Mama, mama," called out Missy and Mulder 
picked her up, carrying her over to lie her next to 
her sister on the bed.  

"So, Scully, wanna race?  First one finished with the 
diapering wins?"

"You are so gonna lose this one, Mulder," she told 
him.  This time, she was right.

"Dana, I wish you'd reconsider.  Charlie is going to 
be heartbroken if you're not here," Maggie pleaded 
with her daughter as Mulder took the last of their 
luggage out to the minivan.

"I wish their plane hadn't been delayed, too.  But 
Mom, we're just going to Arlington.  Crystal City 
Place is no more than an hour away and we will 
always be traveling opposite rush hour.  I promise 
we'll be back here tomorrow before 11 and we'll all 
have lunch and then do something together, maybe 
take the kids to the park."

"I hate it when you kids fight, I always have," 
Maggie choked out through her tears.

"I know and I'm really sorry.  But believe me, this is 
for the best.  You have the number of the condo and 
you have my cell and Mulder's.  If something comes 
up or you need to confer with us on plans, just give 
us a call."

"He's stubborn, but he loves you," Maggie insisted.  
"He's just being a big brother."

Scully gave her mother a resigned smile.  "We'll see 
you tomorrow, Mom.  I promise."

"The kids are all buckled in," Mulder said 
sheepishly.  "We better get going."

Maggie gave her a hug and kiss.  She waved at 
Mulder, who was standing by the car in sight of the 
children.  She stood on the porch and watched them 
as they pulled out of the driveway and down the 
street.  Only when they turned the corner did she 
finally step back into the house.

continued in Chapter 4
 

Going Home:  Chapter 4 Family

Crystal City Place
Apartment 1210
Arlington, VA
9:30 pm

The doorman had been most helpful, giving Mulder 
directions to the underground parking space and 
coming down to help them with their luggage.  
William was impressed with the elevator and 
decided that he would be the official elevator 
operator for the time they lived in the condo.

Not much had changed since the last time Mulder 
and Scully had stepped foot in their former 
superior's home.  The personal effects were gone, 
but there had been few of them before.  His desk 
was missing, but aside from that the place still 
housed a good deal of furniture.  Skinner had 
assured Scully that the furniture was staying with 
the apartment.  Kim's furniture was now in the new 
house and what she didn't have, they intended to 
purchase.

When they walked into the second bedroom, they 
were all in for a surprise.  A youth bed, complete 
with Thomas the Tank Engine comforter and two 
cribs were neatly arranged along the walls, along 
with a changing table.  There was a note on the bed, 
in Kim's handwriting.

"Just wanted to make sure you had everything you 
and the children needed to be comfortable.  When 
you're done with these items, Walt and I hope to put 
them to good use -- at least one of the cribs.  Enjoy 
your time here.  Love, Kim."

"Think Skinner's knows she's thinking of starting 
their family?" Mulder asked with a wink.

"I'm thinking it was probably Walter's idea," Scully 
replied with a knowing look.  "He's waited this 
long, I don't think the man wants to waste any more 
time."

"Sounds like she's in agreement," Mulder said with 
a nod.  "Well, this means we don't have to set up the 
portacribs," he added, putting the items in the closet 
along with the now empty luggage.  "We can take 
these back to your mom's tomorrow."

Scully walked out of the room, but not before 
Mulder heard her heavy sigh.  He finished 
unloading diapers and wipes and followed her out to 
the living room where she stood at the French doors 
looking out on the lights of the city.

"Scully?" he asked and put his hands on her 
shoulders.  She shrugged out of his hold and 
stooped to pick up one sleeping baby from the end 
of the couch.  "Get Missy for me, please?" she 
asked.  Missy was sleeping soundly on the other end 
of the couch; with Will half under the coffee table.  
"They just dropped the minute we got in the door," 
she said affectionately as they carried the infants in 
to place them in the cribs.  

Scully, we will talk about this, Mulder vowed to 
himself.  For the time being, he let her fuss with the 
children, tucking them in and leaving on the 
nightlight in their room.  Meanwhile, he discovered 
his own little 'welcome home' gift -- a six-pack of 
Rolling Rock in the fridge and a box of microwave 
popcorn on the counter.  He put some popcorn in 
and set the timer, pulling out two of the beers and 
opening the tops.  He leaned against the countertop, 
watching the popcorn bag expand through the door 
of the oven and was startled when he heard the 
chime of the intercom with the front door.

It took him a minute to figure out how to use the 
intercom, but finally the doorman's voice came 
through.  "Mr. Mulder, this is George down at the 
front door.  There's a Mr. Charles Scully down here, 
says he knows your wife.  Should I let him up?"

Mulder tensed for a second.  Charlie was here?  Had 
he come to take his sister back to their mother's 
house?  It was almost 10 o'clock at night and the 
man had been trapped in airports all day long?  
What was he doing at their apartment?  

"Mr. Mulder?" came George's voice again, 
questioning.

"Uh, sorry, this is a confusing contraption here, 
George," Mulder covered for his delay.  "Yeah, of 
course.  That's my, uh, my wife's brother.  Please, 
send him up."

"Sure thing, Mr. Mulder.  He's on his way."

Mulder still had the two beers in his hand when he 
heard the knock at the door.  He opened it to find a 
man about his height with dark auburn hair, like 
Scully's sister, but the same blue eyes Mulder knew 
from his partner and their own children.  

"OK, to hell with Bill and what he thinks, you're my 
kind of guy, Mulder," Charlie said affably as he 
extracted one of the beers from the former agent's 
hand.

Mulder had to laugh, and immediately knew the 
other man wasn't there to abscond with his partner.  
"Charlie, I presume."

"The one and only, at least in this family.  Thanks 
very much for naming the kid after the mean 
brother, by the way," Charlie said with a smirk as 
Mulder led him into the living room.  "Wow, when 
Mom said you guys had a nice set up, I wasn't sure 
what to expect.  This place must rent in the six 
figures!"

"We're just subletting it, from our old boss, 
actually," Mulder said, settling on the sofa.

"The guy who's getting married.  Yeah, I heard.  
Still, I wish we could have snagged a deal like this.  
Instead I have to put up with all the 'bill-shit'," 
Charlie said, chugging down a third of his beer.  
"Rolling Rock.  Good stuff."

There was a shuffling in the hallway and suddenly 
Scully, clutching a tissue and sporting red-rimmed 
eyes appeared in the doorway.  "Charlie?" she said, 
surprised.

He stood up and opened his arms and in the time it 
took her to run across the room she was hugging 
him for dear life.  "I'm so glad to see you, 
Chuckles!"

"You too, Dynamite," he said affectionately and 
hugged her harder.  

"What are you doing here?  Where are Karen and 
the boys?" Scully asked, still holding on with both 
arms.

Charlie pushed and wiggled and finally had her 
sitting next to him of the couch, not letting go of her 
hands.  "Back at Mom's.  I wanted to see you.  I 
wanted to make sure you're OK."

"I'm fine," she said, with a quick glance to Mulder.  
"Really," she said defiantly, but she still had to sniff 
back some tears.

"Don't let him do this to us, Dana," Charlie said 
quietly.  "Don't let Bill ruin this reunion for us."

"How about another beer, Charlie?" Mulder asked, 
seeking an escape so that brother and sister could 
have a little time.

"Uh, better make that a soft drink, I have to drive 
back," Charlie said with a lop-sided grin.

"One water, coming up.  I think that's all we're 
equipped for right now," he explained.  "Unless you 
want toddler apple juice."

Charlie grimaced.  "No, I've lived past those days, 
thankfully.  Water sounds fine.  Thanks."

Mulder took his time with the water, even finding a 
jug in the cabinet and filling it with some water to 
place in the refrigerator.  He found a bowl in the 
cupboard and dumped the now finished popcorn in 
it.  Finally, he made his way out to the living room 
to find his partner looking calmer, but not 
completely relaxed.  Charlie smiled when he saw 
Mulder and reached for the glass.

"Thanks," he said, taking a sip and putting the glass 
down on the coffee table.  "So, you're the big hairy 
monster Bill's always telling me about," he grinned 
in Mulder's direction.

"Well, I don't know about 'hairy'," Mulder scoffed 
with a twinkle in his eye.  

"Don't worry.  Bill and I have been on opposite 
ends of the world for a long time.  He was the 
oldest, the responsible one.  I'm the irresponsible 
baby of the family."

"Irresponsible, my eye!" Scully disagreed.  "You 
were married at 18 -- "

"Because we had to, if you remember," Charlie 
interjected.

"You worked your way through college, entered the 
Navy with a Commission -- "

"But I'm still not the same rank as Billy boy.  Don't 
think that doesn't irk to have to salute my own 
brother," he chimed in again.

"Charlie, you have a wife who adores you, two sons 
any man would be proud to call his own -- Ben was 
just accepted to Annapolis.  Mom told me last 
night."

"They're good kids, but most of that is Karen's 
doing.  I'm just the guy who shows up every three 
months or so."

"Charlie is a submariner," Scully explained.

"So that's why we never saw you," Mulder finally 
got a word in.

Charlie laughed.  "Well, that and we really didn't try 
too hard to get home," he said, chewing on his lip.  
"We came home for Dad's funeral -- the kids were 
younger and it was a rough trip.  After that, we sort 
of never got around to it."

"You sent flowers," Scully reminded him.  "When 
Missy died, after Emily, even at Mulder's -- "  She 
stopped, unable to speak of the time when she'd 
buried her partner.  Mulder grabbed her hand and 
squeezed it, pulling her closer to him.  She leaned 
into him for a moment before speaking again.  "We 
missed you, Chuckles."

"But you've been back recently," Mulder said, 
thinking of Bill's comment about the family portrait.

"Karen talked me into it.  Especially after you two, 
uh, well, dropped off the face of the earth."

"Charlie, we had no choice -- "

"Dana, believe me, I'm not here to place blame or 
judge.  I've done some stuff in my time that I'm not 
very proud of and some things that would take 
several hours to explain.  I'm just glad it's all 
resolved and you two can come home again.  I just 
wish . . . "

"Charles Benjamin Scully, don't you dare try that 
guilt shit on me," Scully growled suddenly from the 
protection of Mulder's arms.  "Don't you dare come 
here and -- "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa down Nellie!" Charlie 
interrupted throwing his hands up in surrender.  
"Don't shoot the piano player!  Geez, Dana, I'm not 
the bad guy here, remember?"  He waited to see if 
the fire had dimmed in his sister's eyes before he 
continued.  "Look, I of all people know what a 
sanctimonious asshole Bill can be."

"If you're looking for someone to disagree, you're in 
the wrong apartment," Mulder offered.

"But there are others to consider," Charlie 
continued.

Scully got up from the couch and paced over to the 
glass doors leading to the balcony.  "Did you and 
Mulder compare notes or something?" she hissed, 
but it didn't have the anger of her earlier statements.  
She sighed, but finally turned to face them.  "I 
suppose you have a plan?"

Charlie grinned, ear to ear.  "Well, I can't claim all 
the credit.  Mom had a part in it, too.  Friday night, 
we're going out to dinner, just the six of us.  Bill, 
Tara, you two, Karen and me."

"Why can't your mom come?" Mulder asked, 
realizing that it might have sounded like a whine.  
"Your sons are old enough to watch the kids."

"Because it needs to be just us -- just the six of us.  
Mom has agreed to stay home with the kids.  Ben 
and Nate are great guys, don't get me wrong, but 
they haven't had much experience with diapers and 
bottles and infants younger than a year old.  I'm sure 
Tara would feel more comfortable leaving Julia 
with Mom than with my sons.  I know I would," 
Charlie admitted.   "Besides, Mulder, when Bill sees 
that he's the only one still holding on to the grudge 
he thinks we're all supposed to have against you, 
he'll drop it.  Bill is a 'team player'; he hates being 
the odd man out.  He'll get with the program.  And 
besides, if we're in a restaurant, well, he's always 
Mr. Proper.  He wouldn't dare kick up a fuss."

"There's a new place in Baltimore I read about when 
we were making the airline reservations," Scully 
said thoughtfully.

"You're actually agreeing to this?" Mulder asked, 
trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice.  "I 
mean, this is your family, but earlier tonight -- "

"I know, Mulder, but what Charlie is suggesting 
makes sense.  And what you said earlier is true, too.  
We owe this to our kids.  Will, Sammi and Missy 
have just as much right to be members of this 
family, to grow up knowing their cousins and their 
aunts and uncles, as Bill's kids.  I'm not going to let 
my squabble with him stand in the way of them 
knowing their family."

"OK, if you two think it's doable, I'm game," 
Mulder relented.  "But I'm scoping out the exits the 
minute we get there, just in case." 

Ruth's Chris Steak House
Baltimore, MD
June 3, 2005
7:30 pm

Thursday and Friday had passed in relative peace, 
primarily due to the fact that a couple of Bill's 
friends from high school were also in town and he 
had golf dates both days.  Mulder spent time with 
Charlie, learning to appreciate the younger man's 
sense of humor as much as his common sense 
approach to dealing with two teen aged boys.  
Scully finally got a chance to bond with her sisters-
in-law.  Mulder loved catching sight of her, happily 
playing with her new niece or holding one of their 
own children.  The look on her face at being able to 
share the trials and tribulations of motherhood with 
her family was worth all the heartache and years it 
had taken.  

Maggie was completely in her element, playing 
with the babies, listening intently to the younger 
boys descriptions of the wild life in her own 
backyard and cracking jokes with her older 
grandsons.  Mulder was definitely glad they'd made 
the journey to spend time with her and the rest of 
his partner's family.

As Friday night approached, Mulder was relaxed 
enough to think that maybe the evening had been a 
good idea.  On Maggie's suggestion, they decided to 
try a popular steakhouse.  She knew one of the 
managers and arranged for a table for six on a 
usually sold out Friday night.  

"I love steak," Karen hissed as Charlie held her 
chair for her to sit.

"I had so much of it growing up.  I'm probably 
going to get the seafood," Tara said with a shrug.

"Don't you get enough of that in San Diego?" Scully 
asked, unwrapping her silver and settling her napkin 
on her lap.

"Dana, there is never such a thing as too much 
seafood.  I could go straight seafood any day of the 
week.  It's your brother who demands his red meat.  
When he's at sea Matty and I eat a lot of fish and 
meatless dishes."

"Well, they are better for you," Scully agreed.  "But 
seafood is sort of expensive in Montana.  It has to 
be shipped in."

"What's your house like?" Karen asked.

Scully smiled, remembering their not so little house 
by the mountain.  "It's in the country, on the state 
road.  The nearest town with any shopping, Mt. 
Airy, is about 15 minutes away; it's 45 minutes the 
other direction to Helena, where Mulder teaches.  
The yard is about 2 acres front and back, at least 
what Mulder can keep from returning to the old 
growth forest," she said with a grin.  "It's on the side 
of a mountain, but the peak is right behind our 
house.  It's beautiful at sunset."

"Sounds like heaven," Tara sighed.  "How many 
rooms?"

"Well, we built on last year.  It was three bedrooms 
but now we have four.  We have an office 
downstairs and upstairs we have a master suite with 
a full bath.  In the living room there's a fireplace 
with a carved wooden mantel.  I think you can see 
the mantel in the pictures we sent you at 
Christmas."

"Oh the one with the mirror over it, yes, I 
remember.  That was so pretty!" Karen exclaimed.  
"I hope someday we can come out and see it."

Scully smiled as she looked at her sister-in-law over 
her menu.  "We'd love to have you out," she said.  A 
kick to her shin and she smiled again.  "Someday."  
Her glance shot over to her partner who was 
listening intently while appearing to consider his 
'red meat' options.

Bill was indeed on his best behavior and even 
managed to not growl during the dinner 
conversation.  Most of the time they talked about 
children or the housing markets in various parts of 
the US and Japan, where Charlie and Karen were 
currently stationed.  If anyone had been passing by, 
they might mistake the group for college friends.

Mulder watched the interaction between Charlie and 
Bill.  It was fun to use his previously rusty 
psychology tools again and the two men were the 
epitome of sibling rivalry.  Charlie and Scully had 
been right; Bill did like to dominate the 
conversation, just as his opinion was always the 
correct one.  Mulder was cautious when he voiced 
his own opinions, usually couching them in 
objective terms to avoid antagonizing the self-
appointed 'head' of the family.  It was tricky, but no 
harder than any time he'd been working with other 
agents at the Bureau.  He turned his head once to 
see his partner gazing at him with gratitude and 
admiration.

The women begged off dessert, but everyone 
accepted coffee.  After very little argument, the bill 
had been split three ways.  They were enjoying their 
coffee when Bill tapped his water glass.

"I guess this is the best time to give you my little 
surprise," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Surprise?" Charlie asked, shooting a look over to 
his sister.  "What surprise is that, Big Bro?"

"Do you remember Robbie Hickman?"  

Scully nodded, Charlie did so but more slowly, his 
face a mask of caution.

"Well, he's a real estate broker now.  He was in my 
foursome at golf yesterday and today.  Anyway, he 
has some property in Ocean City, beach front 
property."

"You're buying a house in Ocean City?" Karen 
asked, a confused expression on her face.

"Hell no!  I doubt Mr. Moneybags Mulder could 
afford these places," Bill said with a glance over to 
his sister's partner.  "No, I'm not buying anything.  
We're renting.  All of us.  For a week starting 
Sunday night."   

"Who, exactly, is 'all of us'?" Scully asked in the 
voice that Mulder was certain to turn brutally hard 
if she didn't get the answer she wanted.

"You, Mulder, Charlie and Karen, Tara and I, all the 
kids and Mom," Bill said, very pleased with 
himself.

"All 14 of us.  In one beach house," Karen said 
slowly, as if hoping that she'd heard wrong.

"It's got 6 bedrooms, four of the bedrooms have 
double beds, one has two sets of bunk beds and the 
last one has a day bed with plenty of room to set up 
portacribs.  Each couple gets their own room, the 
babies can sleep in another room and Matty, 
William and the older boys can bunk in one room.  
Mom gets her own room.  It's perfect.  And the best 
part is, it has it's own beach.  Just walk right out the 
back door, down some steps and you're on the 
ocean."

"I hope the back door has a secure lock," Tara said 
worriedly.

Mulder looked over at Scully, trying to gauge her 
reaction.  Aside from the shock of Bill's 'surprise', 
she didn't seem overly enthusiastic about the idea.

"I don't know, Bill.  All of us in one little house -- "

"Little?  This is the friggin' Playboy Mansion, Dana.  
There are two living rooms, two and a half baths, 
the place is usually split up with people renting only 
one half but we get the whole thing for five days at 
a measly $1200.  Split three ways that just $400 a 
piece.  You can't stay at a hotel in Ocean City for a 
week for 400 bucks and you know it!  Plus, we can 
eat most of our meals in and save on that, too.  
There's a full kitchen with all modern appliances, 
plus a gas grill and a deck overlooking the ocean.  I 
saw the pictures, I'm telling you, this is too good to 
pass up."

"We're already renting an apartment in the city," 
Mulder interjected. 

Bill shot him a sour look.  "Yeah, well, we can't all 
rent condos in DC," he huffed.  "Look, it's going to 
be great.  The kids will have a great time.  Charlie, 
there's more in Ocean City for Ben and Nate to do 
than there is at Mom's--the boardwalk is just five 
blocks away.  And Dana, you know William will 
love being that close to the ocean!  He can pick up 
seashells or build sandcastles with Matty -- "

Mulder flashed back to a dream he faintly 
remembered.  He and a small boy about Will's age 
building an enormous sand structure on a beach 
somewhere.  The sand structure was a spaceship . . .

"So, it's all set.  I signed the papers in the 
clubhouse," Bill was saying when Mulder returned 
to conversation from his musings.

"You what?" Charlie exclaimed, choking on his 
coffee.

"I said I signed the papers.  It's all set," Bill said, a 
scowl taking over his previously happy expression.  
"Rob couldn't wait on this, Chuckles.  He had to 
know today.  Another party cancelled at the last 
minute and he had to fill the spot.  That's the reason 
we're getting it so cheap.  Ordinarily this place goes 
for twice that amount."

Mulder blew out a breath through pursed lips.  
Scully was breathing heavily beside him and he 
wondered how long it would take before she 
exploded.  Karen looked stricken and Charlie was 
looking a little sick.  Tara was sitting in stunned and 
embarrassed silence.

"So, what's the problem?  I get this great place and 
everyone's acting like I just torpedoed your ships."

Mulder bit his lip, knowing that what he was about 
to do was not going to please his partner and most 
likely wouldn't even ingratiate him to either of her 
brothers.  "I think it sounds nice," he said quietly.

Charlie shot him a fierce look and all Mulder could 
do was shrug.

"I guess it would be nice to be by the ocean for a 
while," Karen agreed reluctantly.  

Scully looked wide-eyed at her sister-in-law, as if 
she'd just seen her for the first time and she had 
three heads.

"It would be easier on your mom," Tara chimed in.  
"I mean, she wouldn't feel like she has to wait on us 
hand and foot if we're in neutral territory.  Not that 
her house isn't neutral territory, of course . . . what I 
mean to say -- "

"We understand what you're saying, Tara, and 
you're right.  We could each pull our weight in the 
kitchen, maybe get Maggie to go out on the beach 
and relax," Mulder said, saving the poor woman 
from dying of humiliation.

"Charlie?  Dana?  Whaddya say?" Bill asked, 
crossing his arms as if declaring victory.  

Scully, with her tongue worrying the inside of her 
cheek, looked over at her partner.  He needed no 
refresher course in unspoken communication to 
know that he was in for an earful when they were 
alone.  But after a moment, she nodded slowly.  "I 
guess we're going to Ocean City.  When do we get 
possession?"

Bill beamed at her.  "Three o'clock on Sunday.  We 
pick up the keys from Rob's rental office when we 
get there.  If we go to 11:00 Mass at St. Francis we 
can head out directly after that and be there in time 
for dinner.  Dana, can Mom ride with you in your 
minivan?"

"Sure," Scully said with a quick nod.  

"Then we're all set.  The place has everything, bed 
linens, towels, dishes, cookware, a washer and 
dryer, dishwasher.  There's even a hot tub on the 
patio under the deck."

"Oh dear, I hope it has a tight cover," Tara 
muttered, again looking worried.


Crystal City Place
11:30 pm

"Scully, you have to talk to me sometime," Mulder 
pleaded as he crawled into bed next to his partner.

She turned on her side facing away from him.

"Look, it's not like I came up with the idea, you 
know."

She shot him a heated glare over her shoulder.  "No, 
you just had to join in on the bandwagon," she 
accused.

"He'd already signed the paper!  He would have 
been stuck for twelve hundred bucks!  Then he 
would have had another reason to hate me," Mulder 
exclaimed, flopping on his back with his arms under 
his head.

Scully rolled over so he could see her clearly when 
she spoke.  "I never saw you as a coward."  Then 
she flipped so her back was to him again.

"Now wait just a minute," Mulder seethed.  "I was 
just trying to keep the peace and you know it."

"What happened to standing up to him?"

"Scully, you're the one who wants to stand up to 
him," Mulder reminded her.  "I just want to get out 
of this vacation with my skin intact!"

Scully fell back onto her back.  "Did you see the 
look on Charlie's face?  I thought he was going to 
bust a spleen!"

Mulder chuckled with her, wondering not for the 
first time where she picked up such a strange idiom.  
"Yeah.  Hey, this won't set them back too far 
financially, will it?  I mean they probably weren't 
expecting to have to shell out $400 and with Ben 
going to college in the fall -- "

"First, Ben gets a full scholarship to the Naval 
Academy, so they don't have to pay a dime for his 
education and second, Karen's the only grandchild 
of a very wealthy family. She's got a nice trust fund 
that they can dip into whenever they need it.  It's not 
as large as your financial statement -- "

"That's 'our' financial statement," he interrupted, 
leaning over to kiss her shoulder.  "Oh shit, that 
reminds me.  I had an appointment set up with a 
lawyer on Thursday.  I'll have to reschedule now."

"A lawyer -- why?"

"I want to make you and the kids beneficiaries on 
the accounts," he said.  "I meant to do that last year 
when we were finally free to use our real names, but 
it's so much easier to do it face to face.  I have to 
sign a bunch of papers and such.  You're more than 
welcome to come along."  He leaned over her and 
whispered in her ear.  "I know how paperwork is 
such a turn on for you, Scully."

She struggled to hold back her smile and pushed at 
his shoulder.  "Oh, yeah, it's a wonder we didn't 
have mad passionate sex on your desk the first time 
I had to reconcile one of the expense reports you 
decided to make a work of fiction."

Mulder started placing kisses on her jaw and along 
her neck.  "Darn that Walter, taking the desk to the 
new place already."

"Guess we'll just have to make do with this horribly 
comfortable king sized bed," Scully purred as she 
started to return his favors.

"It's a dirty job -- "  The rest of his cliche was lost in 
the heat of the moment.

continued in Chapter 5

Going Home:  Chapter 5 Beach House

Beach House
Ocean City, MD
June 6, 2005
6:30 pm

It had been worth it.  It had been so worth it.  
Mulder smiled contentedly from his Adirondack 
lounge chair as he watched Ben and Nate play 
frisbee with Matt (as he preferred to be called) and 
Will on the sand.

Mulder would remember till his dying day the look 
on Bill Scully, Jr.'s face when he and Scully walked 
into St. Francis Church with their children.  Mulder 
knew Bill expected him to stay at Maggie's house 
while everyone attended Mass.  Well, he didn't stay 
home in Montana, he sure as hell wasn't going to 
stay home in Baltimore just because Bill Scully 
expected him to!  Even Tara had a surprised look on 
her face as Mulder led his family into the pew and 
then held the twins so that his partner could kneel 
and pray for a few minutes before the Mass began.  
When he opened up the hymnal and sang, without 
even really needing to see the words, the opening 
hymn, he thought Bill was going to explode and 
Charlie was going to bust a gut.  

Although Mass had been fun, well, except when 
Missy decided to chew on the collar of his polo 
shirt, leaving it a sopping wet thing against his 
neck, the drive out to Ocean City had been 
wonderful. The twins had fallen asleep, even 
William grew drowsy on the long ride and Mulder 
and Scully finally had Maggie all to themselves, 
just for a little bit.  The three of them talked about 
adult things, the kind of conversations he and his 
partner had on a thousand car rides through their 
time at the Bureau.  It made him remember why 
he'd stayed on the road with her all those years.

The beach house was the icing on the cake.  He was 
almost shocked to find that the house was 
everything Bill had promised and then some.  It sat 
apart from other houses on the beach, giving it the 
appearance of having more land than it actually did.  
Mulder couldn't figure out how it had escaped some 
developer's condo plans, but he wasn't going to look 
a gift horse in the mouth.  When he walked with 
Scully out on the beach for the first time, Will 
holding on to his leg and watching the churning 
water with trepidation and the twins holding 
Scully's hands, he felt like he'd just come home 
after a very long absence.  The salt spray, the 
seagulls, the lull of the pounding surf at high tide 
transported him back to his childhood on the 
Vineyard.  He was so happy he felt as if he might 
cry.  When he looked over at his partner, her eyes 
told him she understood as tear tracks streaked 
down her face.  He leaned over and kissed her.

It hadn't taken long to get the twins interested in 
seashells, even though they seemed more interested 
in them as chew toys.  Will finally ran to the surf 
with his father, letting the water lap at his bare toes.  
Once he figured out that it wasn't going to eat him, 
he let himself enjoy the waves as his father did.  
They spent the first night playing on the beach, 
joined eventually by Charlie and his family.  Ben 
and Nate insisted on building a fire and after putting 
the small children to bed, the adults came out and 
sat by the blaze, watching a million stars sparkle 
above them.

When the sun rose over the ocean, there was a soft 
tap at their door.  Mulder opened it to find Charlie 
in shorts and running shoes.  "C'mon, old man.  
Race ya on the beach!" he said with his trademark 
smart-ass grin Mulder had come to know in the last 
couple of days.

"You're on, youngster.  Let me get ready, I'll be 
down in five minutes."

Mulder found not only Charlie, but Ben and Nate 
ready to take a run down the beach.  They started 
out at an easy lope, but after a mile, broke out and 
the two young men gave the two older men a run 
for their money.  When they returned to the house, 
sitting on the deck to let the ocean breeze cool the 
sweat from their bodies, Mulder turned to Charlie 
and socked him playfully in the shoulder.

"That was a set up!" he declared breathlessly as he 
gratefully accepted a bottle of water from Nate.  

"Nah, Uncle Fox.  Dad just didn't want to be left 
behind all by himself this time," Ben assured him.  
Mulder graciously accepted his new nickname.  It 
was somewhat better than what Matthew had been 
calling him -- Mr. Mulder.

"They run my ass ragged all the time.  I just figured 
you needed to see what you're in for in about 10 
years," Charlie said between gasps for air and sips 
of water.

"Hey, I'll be an old man by the time Will can run 
that fast.  He'll have to push me in a wheelchair," 
Mulder said, shaking his head and wiping his face 
with the hem of his Knicks shirt.  "C'mon, let's see 
if we can work the high tech coffeemaker I saw in 
the kitchen."

Breakfast came and went, each member of the 
family slowly making their way to the kitchen to the 
smell of coffee and in search of sustenance.  When 
the dishes were being put in the dishwasher, Matt 
asked if he and William could hunt for shells on the 
beach.

"I was just headed out that way," Maggie said and 
grabbed her sun hat and a couple of empty sand 
buckets from near the door.  "C'mon, boys.  Let's go 
play!"

Scully leaned against the counter next to Tara and 
smiled.  "This was a good idea," she confided.

Beach House
11:15 am

Mulder had found a quiet spot in the downstairs 
family room, an old leather sofa not unlike his from 
the apartment on Hegal Place.  He'd started out 
reading a battered copy of Harry Potter and the 
Prisoner of Azkaban, a book he'd wanted to read for 
a while but had never found the time.  After the 
second chapter, he'd drifted off to sleep.

Pounding footsteps on the wooden stairs to the 
lower level and his son's tearful entreaties woke him 
suddenly.

"Daddy!  Daddy, Matty called me a bad name!" 
Will hiccupped around his sobs.

Mulder sat up and then held out his arms to the little 
boy.  Will quickly fell into his father's embrace as 
Mulder pulled him up on his lap.

"Hey, there, buddy.  It's all right.  Now, what 
happened?  What did Matty call you?"  Mulder 
could just imagine what kinds of language a child 
who had grown up in military housing might be 
capable of peppering in his language.

"He said I was a bastard!  And he said Missy and 
Sammi are bastards, too!" Will cried and hid his 
face in his father's shirt.

"He was just calling you names, Will.  I bet he 
doesn't even know what that word means," Mulder 
consoled.  Will hid his face and cried all the harder.  
"Let's go talk to Matty," he finally said, in the hopes 
he could calm his son.  

He carried the boy up to the kitchen where there 
was a tense silence.  Mulder looked around, noting 
that Bill and Matt were the only occupants of the 
room and that tears were streaking down the older 
boy's cheeks, too.

"I spanked him," Bill said evenly.

Mulder started to say something in the boy's 
defense but Bill held up his hand to stop his words.

"I spanked my son for calling his cousin a name.  I 
thought, wrongly, that he was just being a bully.  I 
come to find out, not only was it not a wrong name, 
I've been lied to all this time."

Mulder opened his mouth and then closed it without 
a word.  He felt his stomach drop to somewhere 
around his knees.

"You never married her?" Bill accused angrily.  
"You knocked her up, left her with a baby she had 
to give away, took her from her family in the dead 
of the night, got her pregnant again and you never 
married her!"  The last few words were shouted so 
loud that the others came running.

"Mulder?" Scully asked as she came in from the 
deck.  "What's going on?"

"Take Will outside, Scully," Mulder said tersely.

"No, what is all the yelling about?"

"You're not married, that's what the yelling's all 
about!" Bill bellowed at the top of his lungs.  "What 
the hell are you doing with that ring on your 
finger?" he shouted, grabbing her left hand up to 
show them both before dropping it like a hot rock.  
"Is lying all you know?"

Maggie, Tara, Charlie and Karen appeared from 
various parts of the house.  Maggie looked 
frantically from her son to her daughter and her 
daughter's partner.  Mulder was deathly pale, 
clutching his son to his chest, holding his hand over 
William's little ear as if hoping to keep the boy from 
hearing the words flying through the room.  Dana 
was beet red, shame coloring her cheeks.

"Bill," Maggie said, holding out her hand in an 
effort to calm him down.  "You don't know what 
they've gone through -- "

Bill wheeled on his mother, his eyes widening in 
horror.  "You knew?  You knew they weren't 
married and you let them act like they were?" he 
whispered, betrayal thick in his voice.  "You let 
them sleep together under your roof like it was 
nothing?"  He looked around at the other faces in 
the room.  Charlie was showing shock, as was 
Karen.  Tara had tears streaming down her face and 
her hand to her mouth.  Bill shoved his way through 
the throng of people crowded in the kitchen and 
stormed out of the back door.  After a heartbeat, 
Tara ran after him.

Maggie turned to her daughter, shaking her head 
slowly.  "I knew this would come out, Dana," she 
said bitterly.

Mulder finally found the strength to move.  He 
hugged Will tightly to him and then handed the boy 
over to Maggie.  With one look at his partner, he 
turned and headed up the stairs to their room.

"Mom -- " Scully started to speak, but Maggie 
jerked her head toward the stairs.  With a quick kiss 
on her son's cheek, she followed her partner.

Mulder was tossing a few items in one of their 
suitcases.  He was rather intent on his work, or he 
chose to ignore her as she came into the room.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" she asked, 
taking a pair of running shorts out of his hands.  He 
grabbed the pants back and shoved them in the 
suitcase.

"Back to the condo.  Where I belong."  He spoke 
tersely, his anger coloring his tone.

"Mulder, what do you want to do -- get married to 
make Bill happy?  That's a pretty damned poor 
reason -- "

He zipped the case shut and turned on her, grabbing 
her by the arms.  "You're right, Scully.  Marrying 
me to please your brother would be a horrible idea."  
Sarcasm dripped off every word.  "I would never 
want you to do anything that you didn't want to do."  
He grabbed the case off the bed and headed out into 
the hallway.

She tugged at his arm before he got to the stairs.  
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Nothing, Scully.  Just like always, I'm talking to 
the wind," he huffed, pulling his arm away from her 
grasp.  "Kiss the girls for me.  I'll call when I get in 
tonight."

"Mulder!  You can't go like this!  This is insane!" 
she called after him as he made his way through the 
main floor of the house, heading toward the door.  
She caught him at the car, as he tossed the case into 
the back seat.

"Get your purse.  I need you to drive me to the 
rental car place in town. I don't want to leave you 
stranded," he said evenly.

She crossed her arms, her temper flaring.  "No, you 
just want to leave me," she spat.

He rested his head on his arms atop the car roof.  
"No, I don't want to leave you," he said tiredly.  He 
turned his head so he could look at her.  "But I can't 
sleep in the same house with you and not sleep in 
your bed, Scully and that's the only thing that would 
appease Bill.  I haven't done that for over two years 
and I can't start now.  So let me go back to the city -
- "

"We'll go with you," she said, tears streaming down 
her face.

"No, you and the kids stay.  If we all go back now -- 
no, we can't do that.  It would kill your mom, 
Scully.  Can't you see how this is tearing her up 
even now?  If I'm out of the picture, Bill won't have 
a focus and the kids can get to know their family."

"I don't know that I want them to get to know those 
people," Scully whispered.  "I don't want you to 
leave us."  

He lifted his hand to her cheek, brushing a tear 
away with his thumb.  "I could never leave you, 
Scully.  If you haven't figured that out by now, 
nothing I say could possibly convince you.  But I 
can't be the object of Bill's anger.  And I won't let 
him ridicule the way we've chosen to live our life 
together.  So I think it's best for me to go.  You'll be 
home in a few days.  We'll be together soon."

Her face crumbled as she reached out to embrace 
him, clutching at his back as she had many times 
before when she thought she was about to lose him 
forever.  "Please be there when we get back," she 
begged.

He smiled, even though he knew she couldn't see 
him, and kissed the crown of her head.  "I will be.  I 
love you, you know that."

She nodded her head against his chest.  "I love you, 
too," she said, muffled by his shirt.

He kissed her again and then pushed gently at her 
shoulders.  "Go, get your purse.  I want to get the 
other car and then you can come back here and fix 
the kids some lunch."

"What do I tell Will?  He's going to want to know 
where you are," she said, tears threatening again.

"Tell him -- tell him I went to work.  He 
understands that.  Just tell him I had some work to 
do in the city and I couldn't stay out on the beach."

She nodded weakly, wiping at her face.  He nodded 
toward the house and she took off at a trot toward it.

Charlie was standing in the foyer, watching them 
through the screen door.  "Is it true, Dana?" he 
asked timidly.

She bit her lip and nodded, looking away.  "I have 
to get my purse."

"Where're you going?" he asked, grasping her wrist 
lightly.

"I'm taking Mulder to the Lariat office in Ocean 
City to get another car.  He's going back to DC 
today.  We'll be joining him at the end of the week."

Charlie looked like he wanted to say something, but 
simply shook his head and walked back to the 
kitchen.  She found her purse and quietly left the 
house.

Crystal City Place
8:35 pm

On his way  back to DC, Mulder shoved his pain 
into that part of his mind he'd almost forgotten.  He 
knew he loved Scully and he knew Scully loved 
him.  He knew that they were as strong, if not 
stronger, than they'd ever been.  But he also knew 
that much of what Bill had yelled at him was true -- 
he had ripped her from her family in the dead of the 
night, forcing her to run away with him.  So what if 
they were able to retrieve their son, so what if he'd 
made her a good life in Montana?  They were still 
living a lie, even now, when they were able to come 
back and face the truth.  That hurt him more than 
anything.

After their midnight disappearing act, Maggie had 
packed up Dana's apartment and his and put 
everything in storage.  She'd been paying $125 a 
month for items probably best left on the curb for 
the trash pick up.  So, since he was in a frame of 
mind to clear out the old, he drove directly to the U-
Store-It, located in Georgetown.

The first thing to meet his eyes when he opened the 
wide garage door to the unit was his old couch.  He 
couldn't help but smile as he let his finger trail over 
the worn leather.  He thought about shipping it back 
to Montana, but wondered if it was worth it.  Better 
yet, he'd see if Walter and Kim might have a family 
room or den they could put it in.  He'd call Kim and 
see if she'd be interested in looking over the 
furniture.  He and Scully had all the furniture they 
needed in Montana.  What Kim didn't want and 
Scully didn't think they could ship back to 
Alexandria, they would donate to the Salvation 
Army or Maggie's parish.

It was the boxes on top of his old desk that caught 
his eye.  Four banker style boxes, sealed with duck 
tape.  Two were marked Dana's Desk, two were 
marked Fox's Desk.  Those were loaded into the 
back of the rental car to be sorted through back at 
the condo.  He was really surprised to find his and 
Scully's suits, all of them, in large U-Haul 
cardboard closets.  Whatever else had been in their 
dressers, Maggie must have donated to the poor, but 
she'd kept all of their suits.  Almost as an 
afterthought, he grabbed several of the drycleaner's 
bags and hooked them on the clip in the backseat of 
the car.  With one last look at their belongings, he 
closed the door to the unit and locked it.  

When he arrived at the condo, George was there to 
help him with the suits and boxes.  After dumping 
his treasure on the dining room table, Mulder 
immediately stripped and headed for the shower, 
rinsing off the dust and grime.  While toweling off, 
he stood by the phone, trying to decide if he was 
ready to call and wish his children goodnight.  The 
phone rang as he was just about to reach for it.

"Mulder," he said.  It felt odd and yet so natural to 
answer the phone that way again.  

"Good, you got there safely.  I was worried."  He 
smiled when he immediately recognized his 
partner's voice.

"Yeah, I even made good time."

"Then why didn't you call sooner," she chided.  Her 
voice sounded strained, he knew she'd probably 
been crying again.

"I'm sorry.  I stopped at the storage place.  I'm going 
to call Kim, ask her if she wants any of that 
furniture.  My stuff was crap but you had some 
really nice things.  I thought if there were a couple 
of pieces you want to take back to Montana, we 
could see about shipping them by rail."

"Yes, I would like my dresser and armoire.  And 
how about your couch?"

"I thought I'd see if Walter wants it.  I don't have 
room for it at home."

"You could put it in the office," she suggested.  
"But if you're ready to part with it, sure, see if 
Walter would like it."

"Scully, your mom kept all our good clothes," 
Mulder said.

"Wow.  I wonder if I can squeeze into any of them 
now," Scully mused.

"You're still tiny," he assured her.

"I've given birth twice, Mulder.  I don't think I'll be 
seeing a size 4 any time again.  But your suits 
should still fit.  And they definitely wouldn't be out 
of style."

"Oh yeah, I'll be the Professor in the Armani.  That 
should get me a raise or two from the 
Administration," he joked.

"Still, you should keep some of them.  We could 
pull them out, just for each other."

"Me in Armani and you in . . . nothing?" he 
suggested coyly.

"I like that idea.  Or me in one of your dress shirts 
and you in . . . one of your ties," she shot back in 
whispered tones.

He crowed with laughter.  "I knew it, Scully.  You 
were always hot for my ties!"  He sighed, wishing 
she were beside him rather than three hours away.  
"So, how're my little buddies, all of them?"

"Will was a little upset that you left, but I explained 
that you had work, like you suggested and that he 
could talk to you tonight.  He seemed to accept that.  
Missy woke up cranky, but I think it's just the 
tension in the house.  Bill hasn't spoken to anyone 
except Tara for the whole day, not that I have 
anything to say to him.  Sammi is taking it all in, 
she's been playing with Karen and Charlie, but I 
think she misses you."

"How's my other buddy?" he asked tenderly.  "The 
one who doesn't think she can fit in to a size 4 
anymore."

"She misses you horribly.  She can't understand 
why we're talking on the phone and not holding 
each other.  She hates her brother at this moment -- 
"

"Scully, hey, none of that," he said when he heard 
her voice crack.  "It's just till Friday, love.  We've 
been separated for almost a whole year!  We can do 
four days, can't we?"

"But I never wanted to do four minutes," she 
whispered.  "I never want to be alone for another 
second," she continued until all he could hear was 
her choked sobs.

"Scully, Scully, listen to me.  It's all right.  Really.  
It will be all right.  We just need to let Bill have 
some time.  Look, you dry your eyes and let me talk 
to Will, OK?"

The rest of the phone call was spent listening to 
good night kisses cast over the line and repeating 
one bedtime book, remembered not so much by an 
eidetic memory but by near constant repetition over 
the last two years.  Finally, he wished his partner 
good night, again telling her he loved her and 
hearing the same from her.  With a heavy heart, he 
placed the phone back on the charging unit.

The boxes on the table whispered to him as he 
walked past them to get a beer from the fridge.  
With nothing else to keep him occupied, he opened 
his Rolling Rock, dug a paring knife out of one of 
the kitchen drawers and neatly sliced through the 
tape on one of the boxes marked with his name.  
With some trepidation he peeled back the lid and 
peered inside.

He smiled fondly at the contents.  No monsters 
here, just the contents of his old desk.  He found his 
address book, mostly blank pages except for Sen. 
Matheson.  Matheson had lost his last election and 
was currently vying for a seat on the appellate court 
in Massachusetts.  Mulder silently wished his 
former mentor luck.  

There were bills now three years past due, a notice 
that his subscription to the Magic Bullet was due for 
renewal in June 2001, a few old magazines that he'd 
kept for the articles.  Hopefully it was Scully who 
had cleaned out his desk while he was in hiding in 
New Mexico, because he didn't see a single 
Celebrity Skin in the box.  

Since the first box had been so innocuous, he 
decided to tackle the second one.  Here he found the 
contents of the bottom drawers of his desk.  His gun 
locker, empty, but still useful.  They had a new gun 
locker for their weapons in Montana, and he'd been 
damned happy to have them the previous summer 
when a super soldier had kidnapped the twins.  But 
they didn't need two lockers, perhaps Skinner would 
know someone at the Bureau in need of a good one.  

Under the gun locker was his family photo album.  
Because of the size, it was wedged into the bottom.  
He tugged on it and something fell out of the 
binding.  A small velvet bag with a silk cord tie.

His heart stopped.  Of all the nights to find this bag, 
he had to find it when the issue was so close to his 
thoughts.  With numb and stumbling fingers he 
loosened the silk strings and pulled open the small 
bag.  Holding his palm under the opening, he 
upended the bag, spilling the contents.

A perfect one-caret diamond ring in a platinum 
setting sparkled as beautifully as it had the day he'd 
bought it.  Tucked in the bag was the receipt for the 
ring, kept so that the jeweler would size it to fit the 
intended owner's finger.  The ink on the receipt was 
starting to fade, but the image was still clear enough 
to read.  February 12, 1997.  Mulder thought back 
to the moment he stepped into the little jewelry 
shop on Wisconsin in Georgetown.  He'd just left 
Scully off at her apartment, secure in the knowledge 
that she intended to fight her cancer.  He still 
couldn't say what had come over him, but he'd 
stopped the car and walked to the store without 
conscious thought.  He found the ring, the perfect 
ring, in a selection of more than fifty other equally 
beautiful diamonds.  He pulled money out of his 
trust fund to pay for it.  And then, ever the coward, 
he'd hidden it in the back of his family album, 
waiting for the day when he could gather the 
courage to give it to Scully, to ask her to be his 
wife.

Carefully dropping the ring back in the bag and 
laying it aside, Mulder opened the first of the boxes 
marked with Scully's name.  In another life, he 
would have been hesitant to open the box.  Days 
gone by when he found her hospital room empty 
and curiosity borne of guilt caused him to read a 
journal written directly to him but never meant for 
his eyes.  But now he felt bolder by years as more 
than just her work partner, as her life partner as 
well.  

Most of the box was similar to what he'd found in 
the first box.  Her address book, a 2002 calendar 
with William's and his birthdays marked with 
circles but with times listed only for William's 
pediatric checkups.  Flyers for take out food, 
another bad habit she'd picked up from him.  The 
normal detritus of a busy professional woman who 
had become a single mother through no fault of her 
own.   His heart ached as he looked at a snapshot, 
taken by a Polaroid camera, of William in the arms 
of a shopping mall Santa.

He found an album, just as he'd had in his own 
desk.  He was startled when he opened the cover to 
find a note to him written in her florid style on the 
back of the cover.

"Mulder,

I know how much it hurt you to leave us.  But you 
have always been with us in our hearts.  I've 
collected this album for you, so that you may know 
your son as he was while you were gone.

Happy Father's Day

Scully"

His throat closed up and he found his vision 
swimming with unshed tears.  With tender care, he 
turned the pages, wiping the dampness from his 
cheeks from time to time so that none of it would 
fall and mar the images beneath his trembling 
fingers.  Pictures of William as he remembered him 
-- a tiny bundle of arms, legs and head wrapped in a 
blanket that he had picked out on a whim.  Later 
pictures of William sitting in a car seat, William 
resting in the lap of Walter Skinner, friend and 
protector.  William with Monica Reyes and John 
Doggett, looking at a Christmas tree.

Mulder closed the book as it ended, with a picture 
of William holding a huge chocolate Easter Bunny, 
all brown drool and happy three-tooth smile.

How could she have given him up?  Rather to see 
him happy, healthy, than snatched from his family 
as Samantha had been.  He realized in that moment, 
as he never had before, the full weight of her 
decision.  Scully was simply trying to ensure that 
the past did not repeat itself in their lives.

Mulder laid his head down on the cover of the 
album and cried himself to sleep. 

to be continued in Chapter 6

Going Home:  Chapter 6 You Can't Go Home 
Again, Can You?

Crystal City Place
June 7. 2005
8:15 am

He was in the car, heading to some crime scene.  
Scully was asleep beside him and he smiled over at 
her affectionately.  At a red light, placed 
suspiciously in the middle of nowhere, he reached 
over and was about to brush a lock of her hair 
behind her ear when his cell phone rang.  He 
snatched his hand back as if burned and grabbed for 
his phone, deep in his pants pocket.

Wait.  He never put his phone in his pants pocket 
when he was driving -- did he?

In that second, he came fully awake, finding himself 
not in the driver's seat of yet another non-descript 
rental, but in Walter Skinner's former kitchen.  
Displacement and adrenaline rushed through his 
body as he found himself continuing to dig for his 
phone, which he finally retrieved from the pocket of 
his cargo shorts.

"Hello."  It had taken almost a year for him to stop 
choking on his name as he answered his cell phone.  
Fortunately for both he and his partner, most of the 
time it was Scully on the other end, so the 
occasional 'Mulder' that had popped out had never 
caused any problems.  Now that he could use his 
own name again and not the alias they'd been living 
under, he was finding the new habit hard to break.

"Mulder?"  Even half asleep and disoriented from 
his location Mulder recognized the baritone of his 
former superior. 

"Yeah, Walter, sorry.  I was asleep," he answered, 
wiping drool from his chin.  "What's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you were still planning on 
coming back to the city for the fitting this afternoon.  
It's really not necessary.  I can tell the tailor -- "

"Too late, Walt.  I'm already here," Mulder 
interrupted him.

"You came back from the beach?  Wow, that wasn't 
long.  The babies OK?  William?"

Mulder swallowed hard.  He hoped his children 
were OK, after all they were with their mother.  
Still, it was the first time he'd been away from them 
in three years.  He swallowed back the hurt he was 
feeling and took a deep breath.  Their separation 
was just temporary, he promised himself.  "Nah, 
something else.  I'm here by myself.  Look, I'll 
come get you about 12:30."

"Mulder, did something happen?"

"I don't really want to get in to it right now, Walt.  
I'll be there at lunchtime.  Look, I'm gonna get a run 
in, take a shower.  I'll see you at the office, OK?"  
He hoped that would cut off further prying 
questions, at least for a while.

"Yeah, sure.  Whatever you say.  See you in a few 
hours." 

He ran, he showered and then he stopped by the 
little cafe that was just around the corner for an 
omelet and some coffee.  It felt like old times, 
alone, sitting in a corner booth reading the 
Washington Post.  Old, old times.  Back in the days 
before he had started spending all his waking hours 
either at Scully's apartment or she at his.  He didn't 
miss those lonely times one iota.  

There was a grocery store just a block from the 
condo, and realizing that eventually his family 
would be coming back, he decided to stock up on a 
few things.  Besides, he was almost out of Rolling 
Rock.  Six plastic grocery sacks and $88 later, he 
trudged back to the condo and put away his larder.  
By the time he'd finished stashing the last of the 
groceries in the cabinet, it was time to go see 
Walter.

He started for the car when he caught his reflection 
in the glass of the patio doors.  He'd tossed on the 
same type of clothes he'd worn the day before at the 
beach:  tee shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.  No, he 
was not going to walk into the Bureau wearing 
sandals.  He turned around and headed back to the 
bedroom to change.

In less than ten minutes, he was hurrying out the 
door wearing one of the suits he'd retrieved from the 
storage unit.  Luckily, a pair of wingtips was also in 
one of the boxes he'd found.  As he walked past the 
glass door a second time, he smiled ruefully at his 
reflection.  It really did feel like old times.

A visitor's badge was waiting for him at the guard 
station.  He clipped it on his label and smiled at the 
guard, a different one from when he'd come up to 
visit Walter with William.  The guard offered him 
directions to the Assistant Director's office, but 
Mulder waved him off with a "Thank you, I know 
the way."

Holly looked up and then recognized him.  She 
smiled up at him.  "Talk about a blast from the 
past," she said.  "Take a seat, the Assistant 
Director's got one more appointment and then he's 
free as a bird."  She stood and picked up some files 
from her outbox and headed for the door.  "You 
look really nice, Agent -- er, -- "

"Mulder, Holly.  No 'Agent'.  Just Mulder," he said 
with a wicked grin.

"Still, you just looked -- wow, like you never left," 
she said wistfully and hurried out the door, but not 
before he could see the blush rising to her cheeks.  
What was that all about, he wondered.

A tall dark skinned man, wearing a suit that didn't 
quite match his frame, came into the office and 
looked around.

"Holly just left for the stacks.  She'll be right back," 
Mulder told him.  

When the man turned toward Mulder, it was 
obvious he was young, and equally obvious he was 
nervous.  New agent, his whole posture screamed.  
"Have a seat," Mulder offered, nodding toward the 
other end of the couch he was sitting on.

The young man licked his lips, looked around again 
and finally nodded.  He sat down and immediately 
began fiddling with first his badge and then his tie.  
Suddenly he looked over at Mulder.  "Oh, sorry, 
Jerry Wright," he said, extending his hand in 
greeting.

"Fox Mulder," came the reply, and Mulder accepted 
the handshake.

Wright nodded and looked away, only to do a 
double take a second later.  "You wouldn't be 'the' 
Fox Mulder, would you?" he asked, his voice 
breaking just a little.

Mulder snorted.  "I'm pretty sure there isn't another 
one," he said. 

"Fox Mulder, X Files Division Head for 9 years, top 
profiler of the BSU for 3 before that.  Recruited out 
of Oxford.  The guy who wrote the Monty Props 
monogram -- that Fox Mulder?" Wright recited as if 
it were all memorized in exacting detail.

Mulder chuckled again.  "Yeah, I guess so."

"Wow," Wright said, giving Mulder a long look.  
"Wow."  He leaned back against the couch, looking 
slightly bewildered.  Finally, he turned back to 
Mulder.  "I heard you were dead."

"You know what Mark Twain had to say about 
that," Mulder quipped.

Wright looked more befuddled but remembered the 
reference.  He laughed.  "Reports of my demise are 
greatly exaggerated," he quoted. 

Mulder didn't say anything, just touched his nose.  
Wright's smile got even bigger.

"I mean, we heard all about you at the Academy.  
We had to study a couple of your profiles.  You had 
a partner -- "

"Have, I still have a partner," Mulder said fondly.  
"Dana Scully."

"Yeah!  That's the one!" Wright said, not missing a 
beat.  "Smart as a whip, they said.  A doctor, was in 
line to be head Pathologist -- "

Mulder's head jerked up at that.  That was 
something he hadn't heard before.  Scully had never 
mentioned --

"Yeah, I heard tell she'd be hired on the spot for the 
Head of Forensics today, but of course everyone 
thinks -- "

"She's not dead either.  As a matter of fact, we have 
three small children."

"You don't say," Wright said cheerfully.  "Wow."

At that moment, the door to the inner office opened 
and Walter Skinner's shining pate appeared.  
"Where's Holly?" he asked, directing his question at 
Mulder.

"Filing.  Stacks," Mulder replied with a shrug.  

Skinner turned his attention to young Agent Wright.  
"Agent Wright, I didn't expect to see you back so 
soon," he said dourly.

"I just had a couple of things I needed to run by 
you, sir," Wright said, standing tall, almost at 
parade attention.

Walter sighed.  "Mulder -- "

"I'm perfectly comfortable right here, Walt," Mulder 
grinned.  

"This better not take long," Skinner growled at the 
agent, stepping aside to let the young man enter the 
room.  "Mulder, don't touch anything," he quipped 
as he closed the door.

Mulder's grin got all the bigger and he leaned his 
head back against the couch, absolutely content to 
do nothing but wait.

Holly came in, they chatted for a while about 
Mulder's kids and how life in DC was treating her.  
After about a half an hour, Agent Wright made a 
hasty exit from Skinner's domain.

"Nice to meet you, Agent -- em -- Mr. Mulder," he 
said politely as he hurried out the door.  

Skinner was a few seconds behind him, pulling on 
his suit jacket.  "Holly -- "

"You're in a meeting out of the office," she smiled 
up at him.  "And you have your cell phone if 
anyone _really_ needs to get hold of you."

"You're the greatest," Skinner said with an easy 
smile.  Mulder looked at the man for a moment, 
amazed at what he was seeing.  "What?" Skinner 
asked gruffly.

Mulder smiled and shook his head.  "Nothing.  It's 
just nice to see you so . . . happy, Walt," he said 
with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, welcome to the club," Walter replied 
and they headed toward the elevator.  As soon as it 
was evident that they were alone, Walter turned to 
his friend.  "So, who threw the first punch, you or 
Bill?"

Mulder closed his eyes and leaned back against the 
wall of the elevator.  "Neither.  But enough words 
were thrown to outweigh the need for punches."

"Mulder, you can't let Bill Scully get to you -- "

"He found out we're not married," Mulder said 
quickly.

Skinner dropped his eyes to the floor in sympathy.  
"How did he find out?  Scully didn't tell him, did 
she?"

Mulder opened one eye to regard his friend.  He 
smiled, relieved that Walter seemed to be taking his 
side, unlike Scully's family.  "No, I don't think Dana 
said anything.  Actually, I can't figure out who 
spilled the beans."

Walter whistled low.  "How did Scully's mom take 
the news?"

"Not that well," Mulder answered.  "I left.  I knew it 
would just get worse if I stayed around."

"Mulder, that doesn't sound like you.  This is your 
life, yours' and Scully's.  It really shouldn't matter if 
you're married -- "

"The only thing Scully had left of her old life was 
her faith.  She's been attending Mass every Sunday 
since we got to Montana.  Her Church is telling her 
that living with me and not being married is a sin.  
It's the way she was raised.  Hell, her younger 
brother married a girl after he got her pregnant.  We 
have three kids together and no ceremony.  That's 
what Bill's pissed about."

"So, if it's important to her, get married," Walter 
said, as the elevator doors opened.  "Did you 
drive?"

Mulder shook his head.  "I took the Metro.  And for 
the record, I've asked her to marry me, repeatedly."

"So what's the hold up?" Walter shot back, digging 
his keys out of his pants pocket and hitting the 
remote door switch with his thumb.

"She hasn't said yes," Mulder bit out, immediately 
regretting the heat behind his words.  "Sorry.  It's a 
bit of sore point."

"You have to know that Scully -- "

"Walter, I admit to being a bit dense about my 
partner's feelings for me for the first seven years of 
our relationship, but I am very secure in the 
knowledge that she loves me and she's in this for 
the long haul."

Skinner nodded in agreement.  "So, I reiterate, why 
didn't you just punch his lights out and be done with 
it?"

Mulder shook his head again.  "It's her family.  She 
has to come to terms with this.  Scully would tell 
you that we're married, she has told me in no 
uncertain terms that she considers us married, 
married since March 6, 1992, as a matter of fact.  
But she has to explain that to her family.  That is 
her place, not mine, to make them understand.  I 
don't think busting my knuckles on Bill Scully's jaw 
is going to bring about enlightenment."

"True, but there would still be a certain amount of 
satisfaction," Walter pointed out with a wicked grin.

"So what had young Agent Wright so tangled up in 
knots?" Mulder asked, deftly changing the subject.

"Wright's a good agent.  Green as they come but 
bright.  A case came through Violent Crimes and he 
picked up on the fact that it might be a serial."

"Profiler?"

"He has the makings of one.  Like I said, he's a bit 
green."

"Hey, when is our appointment at the tailors?" 
Mulder asked as his stomach growled loudly in the 
closed space of Skinner's Buick.

Skinner cocked an eyebrow.  "We have enough time 
to appease that monster," he teased.

Lunch was good, Skinner took Mulder to a deli that 
had opened up not far from the Hoover. They 
decided that after their appointment with the tailor, 
Skinner would take Mulder by the new house.  The 
fitting was completed in record time, Mulder would 
be in a black tux with black tails, Walter in grey 
jacket with tails.  Walter's cell phone went off as 
Mulder was changing back into his own clothes.

"Damn it, I can't even take an afternoon," Skinner 
groused.  "Do you mind if we run past the Bureau 
on the way out to Falls Church?" 

"Not at all.  You sure you don't need to get back to 
the office?  I understand if you have work to do this 
afternoon."

"No, it's just some forms I forgot to sign.  They're 
due in the Director's office by 5 and if I don't get 
them there, I have not only Holly, but Kim on my 
ass."

"Not to mention the Director," Mulder quipped with 
a raised eyebrow.  

"He's the least of my problems, believe me," 
Skinner deadpanned.

Mulder followed his former superior back to his 
office.  Skinner sat down, waving in the general 
direction of the two chairs lined up in front of his 
desk.  The former agent gave his friend a sardonic 
grin as he slid down into his usual seat.  The forms 
requiring signature also seemed to require some 
review, so Mulder quickly sought out something to 
occupy his mind.  He picked up a folder he found 
on the edge of the desk blotter.

"Mulder?"  He looked up to find Walter staring at 
him, a quizzical look on the older man's face.  "Did 
you just go into a fugue state on me?"  There was 
humor in Skinner's voice, but not in his eyes.

"Sorry.  I was just -- "  Hastily Mulder returned the 
file to its place on the desk.

"Pretty interesting, isn't it?" Skinner asked, leaning 
back and crossing his arms.

Mulder shrugged.  "No trauma to match cause of 
death.  I'm sure a tox screen -- "

"A few pages toward the back is the full tox screen.  
Over the counter antacid, no other substances."

"Death by Rolaids," Mulder muttered, pulling on 
his lip.  "But the organ failure -- "

"You read the ME's report?"  Mulder nodded.  "Do 
you think it's possible that the heart and lungs could 
be 'cooked' with no external trauma?"

Mulder grinned and shook his head.  "Boy, are you 
asking the wrong person," he said.  "Are you 
finished signing the Constitution, yet, or do we need 
to convene another Continental Congress?"

"I've been done for five minutes.  I was trying to get 
your attention," Skinner said coolly as he stood and 
gathered the papers he'd just signed. 

As they started for the door, Mulder stopped and 
looked back at the file.  Skinner watched him and 
finally nodded.  Mulder went back and pick up the 
file, flipping pages.   

"It's not protocol, but would you like to take that 
back to the apartment, read it over a little?  Agent 
Wright could use some help on where to proceed."

Mulder dropped the file to the desk.  "I -- No.  I 
think that's probably a bad idea," he said, but his 
eyes were full of indecision.

"What could it hurt?" Skinner asked.  "Just take the 
file, look it over.  Give the kid some pointers.  We 
do actually hire consultants around here.  They 
make pretty good money, I'm told."

"Don't need the money, don't need the trouble," 
Mulder said lightly but he still hadn't moved from 
his spot next to the desk, his hand hovering over the 
folder.  With an obvious effort, he dropped his hand 
to his side and sprinted out the door after his friend.

Beach House
Ocean City, MD
June 7, 2005

Scully sat on a chaise lounge on the deck, shielded 
from the sun by a large umbrella.  The twins slept 
peacefully next to her in their playpen, William was 
out on the beach with Matthew, both little boys 
following their cousins Ben and Nate, as they 
searched for shells and driftwood.  Will was having 
a great time, and the older boys, to their credit, 
didn't seem to mind the littler ones tagging along.  
The uproar of the previous day appeared to be all 
but forgotten.

Except by her.  Every time Scully closed her eyes 
she could see the hurt, the helplessness and finally 
the resignation on her partner's face as he got into 
the new rental.  As they'd kissed goodbye she 
couldn't shake the feeling that it was one of those 
times she shouldn't have let him go.  

It could hardly be considered ditching.  She knew 
exactly where he was, could call him at any time.  
But she felt strongly that there were things she 
needed to sort out, feelings she needed to put into 
focus and she sensed he was giving her time to do 
that.  Even if she didn't really want to go through 
the process, it was something that needed to be 
done.

The adults had spent the previous night and the 
morning walking on eggshells, taking care of the 
children, ignoring each other.  Maggie had tried 
talking to Bill but it had ended in slammed doors 
and silence.  It was hard enough to think of all that 
the argument had dredged up, much less deal with 
the emotions left in its wake.  Still, after sleeping in 
a cold bed and waking up alone, Scully knew she 
had to take matters back into her own hands.

She found Bill in the living room, trying to get the 
ancient VCR to work.

"We need to talk," she said firmly as she turned off 
the television set.

"I don't see much that needs to be said," Bill replied 
tersely.  "You've made your bed -- "

"Cute choice of phrase Bill, but you're not going to 
win this one," Scully replied.  "Look, I don't give a 
rat's ass if you don't approve of my life.  I haven't 
for a very long time."

"Well how about Mom's approval?  Or Dad's?" he 
shot back.

She cracked a bitter smile.  "As if you are the 
authority on Dad's thought processes.  In case you 
didn't notice, Dad died 11 years ago.  And I don't 
remember anyone electing you to take his place."

Bill's eyes narrowed.  "Someone had to."

Scully huffed.  "No, Bill.  No one had to.  
Especially not you.  You and your perfect life, your 
perfect marriage.  You have no idea what I went 
through to finally get to a place where I wasn't 
comparing every life choice to what Mom and Dad 
wanted for me, what you and Charlie had done 
before me.  Well, guess what?  When I finally let 
myself get past the walls I'd built up, I discovered 
something.  What Mulder and I have is stronger 
than what Mom and Dad or even you could ever 
know!  And if you can't handle the fact that we're 
happy, that _I_ am happy, then I see no reason for 
you and I to have any further contact."  She turned 
on her heel and left him with his mouth hanging 
open.

Tara was in the kitchen and by her wide-eyed 
expression; she'd overheard every word.  "Dana, 
you don't mean that.  Please, I don't want to lose 
you.  You're the only sister he has -- "

Scully stopped and wiped at the tears tumbling 
down her cheeks.  "I can't.  I can't be around him.  
He has to change, Tara.  This time I'm not going to 
be the one to give in.  He has to change."

"I know, I know," Tara said, reaching out to take 
her sister-in-law into a hug.  "Just please, please 
don't give up on him.  Give him some time."

Scully pushed out of the embrace, shaking her head.  
"How much time does he need?"  When Tara 
couldn't answer, Scully nodded.  "I have to get the 
kids ready.  We're going back to DC."

Charlie was standing in the doorway to the deck, 
looking perplexed.  "Dana, William is all the way 
down the beach with the boys and the girls are 
napping.  You don't have to leave now, do you?"

"Who's leaving?" Karen asked anxiously, hot on 
Charlie's heels.  "Dana, you aren't leaving, are 
you?"

Scully felt as if her back was against a wall and she 
had no defenses left.  "Listen, all of you.  I just want 
to get my children and go home."

"All the way to Montana?" Karen asked.

"No, back to Mulder," Charlie said knowingly.  

Without even looking at her brother, Scully turned 
and walked toward the stairs.  "Tara, could you 
watch the girls while I pack our things, please?"

She was stuffing clothes in one of the duffle bags 
when she heard the door open.  She looked up and 
saw Charlie.  She went back to her packing.  "I'm 
really not in the mood for this, Charlie," she said 
through gritted teeth.

"Why didn't you go back with him yesterday?" 
Charlie asked, sitting down on the foot of the bed.

She shot him a glare, but it softened when she saw 
his openly curious expression.  "Mulder wants the 
kids to know their family.  Our family, I guess.  He 
wanted me to stay so that they could stay."

Charlie nodded, taking that information to heart.  
"OK, then let the kids stay."

"What?" Scully snorted.  "No, I don't think so."

"Dana, Mom is here, Karen, Tara and I are here.  
You don't think Bill would ever do anything to hurt 
-- "

"Of course not!" she objected immediately.   

"Then let the kids stay.  It's just for a couple of 
days.  Will is having a blast; Ben and Nate think 
he's a hoot.  They were telling me some of the stuff 
he's been coming up with.  For a four year old, he's 
one sharp cookie."

Scully smiled proudly.  "He's reading, you know."

"I know.  He was telling me the ingredients on the 
bag of Cheetos at lunch.  I had no idea how much 
sodium was in those things!"

For the first time in 24 hours, Scully laughed.  

"You can trust us with your children, Dana.  They're 
our family, too.  And when was the last time you 
and Mulder had a little time together by yourself?"

She shook her head.  "You always have been able to 
surprise me, Chuckles.  I was certain you'd come up 
here to convince me to stay."

Charlie feigned shock.  "Me?  Surprises?  Never!  
Besides, I thought you were a fool to let Mulder 
leave by himself yesterday."

She shot him a narrow eyed glare.  

"I'm serious," he said firmly.

"You aren't upset that we aren't married?  I mean 
you and Karen -- "

"Are us, and you and Mulder are totally different.  
Dana, Mom has given me a brief but concise run 
down of all that you two have gone through.  
Whereas Bill might not have listened, I did.  As far 
as I'm concerned, you're married where it counts," 
he said, pointing first to his head and then to his 
heart.  "What everyone else thinks really shouldn't 
matter."

She walked the two steps so that she was right in 
front of her brother and leaned down to hug him 
tightly.  "I love you, Chuckles."  She released him 
and stood back.  "Why couldn't you have been born 
first?"

"You know, I've asked Mom that all my life," he 
said with a wicked grin.  "But I'm not sure birth 
order is the only thing going against Bill.  I have a 
theory."

She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.  
"Yes," she encouraged.

"I think Mom dropped him on his head a time or 
two before we all got here."

Scully laughed again and then shook her head.  
"OK, that's it.  I'm out of here."

Charlie caught her arm, stilling her movements.  
"One thing, Dana, you have to tell me before you 
go."

She swallowed, waiting for the onslaught.

"Where did you stash the extra diapers?  You aren't 
leaving here before you tell me!"

to be continued in Chapter 7