From: Ten Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 22:39:08 +1000 Subject: "A Fuller Canvas" (1/2) by Ten Source: xff TITLE: "A Fuller Canvas" (1/2) BY: Ten E-MAIL ADDRESS: kristena@ocean.com.au CATEGORY: V; MSR; mild MT; Angst RATING: PG-13 SUMMARY: Mulder wakes up in a world far different to that he was taken from. TIMESPAN/SPOILER WARNING: Post "Requiem". Mulder's POV. MulderRetrieval assured! This is the third in a trilogy, but they may be read as standalones. The other stories are: "L.A. Story" - set after "Hollywood A.D." "Not-So-Wishful Thinking"- set after "Je Souhaite". And I'm toying with another set after this. Also, "Fight Club" did not happen in this universe. ARCHIVE INFO: It goes to Gossamer through xff. Can be archived anywhere as long as my name, addy and disclaimer stay intact. FEEDBACK: Love it. Brings joy to my world! THANKS TO: Suzanne, Judie, Debbie, Gerry and Mac. My website for all my X-Files fanfiction, thanks to the wonderful Skyfox, is at http://tenxffic.iwarp.com DISCLAIMER: The X-Files, the episodes referred to, Mulder and Scully and all other characters from the show belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, no profit will be gained. Characters not recognised from the show are mine. The X-Files: "A Fuller Canvas" (1/2) By Ten, June, posted July 2000 xXx There were sounds. Measured, mechanical noises. Beeps. Voices. He opened his eyes. The light was bright, but manageable. Sheets and blankets. Two arms were lying on top of the material, and he assumed they must be his own. The skin was pale, apart from discolorations in places. There were marks and bruising around his wrists. He went to flex his hands, but his attention was diverted to his left. There was a woman sitting in a chair near the bed. Actually, she wasn't sitting - a man was helping her out of the chair. The woman had red hair and was very pregnant. The man was wearing a suit and had blonde hair and a beard. Both were focused on their task. The man in the bed wondered who they were. His eyes closed and he didn't prise them open again. He was so tired. The woman said something, and he felt her fingers on his arm briefly. But he couldn't rouse himself. Then there were footsteps, voices, and the door closed. He lay there in the warmth, remotely curious about who his visitors had been. And where he was. But it felt safe. He could breathe. He wiggled his fingers and toes experimentally. He could move. That seemed very important for some reason... He was able to open his eyes at last. The man and the woman were gone. There was another man in the room though. A bald one with his back to the bed, staring out a window. The man in the bed watched the motionless man, but couldn't place him either and didn't feel inclined to ask, so resumed his examination of himself. There was something stuck in the back of his right hand. An IV drip. And cords or wires coming out of one sleeve and the neck of his gown. There was something around his neck that he couldn't see. Slowly and quietly, so not to disturb the bald man and his thoughts, he drew his right hand up to investigate. Doing something covertly behind this man's back felt very natural. A necklace. And there was something on the necklace. A pendant. His fingers fumbled awkwardly with it. Tiny. Shape of...a cross? The red-haired woman. This was hers. As if the cross was an oddly-shaped key, it opened something in his mind. A brushstroke on an otherwise blank canvas. He could see the woman looking at him with love and worry. He looked down at his foot, scuffing it on the floor. "We're all packed." "Happy hunting." She was trying to sound chipper. "I hope so." "I still want to go with you." "You know why you can't," he said firmly. "We're lucky you weren't abducted again while we were out there. Skinner will be with me. Not that he's half as cute to look at." "I can still be with you." And with that she reached around behind her neck and unclasped her necklace. He went to protest, but one look at the expression on her face, and he bent down mutely for her to secure it around his neck. The kiss that followed was intense, desperate and passionate as they clung to each other. He tried to analyse the memory instead of surrendering to the feelings it was evoking. It had been a while ago at least, because in it her hair was shorter than here in the hospital room, and when their bodies were pressed together in the embrace, her abdomen was flat - not pregnant, or not so noticeable yet. Something wasn't right about that, but he couldn't work out what. Another brushstroke swept across his canvas. An earlier memory. The woman coming to his door - a motel room - cold and sick and actually freely admitting that to him. She did not protest when he pulled down the blankets on his bed. She crawled right in and he lay on top of the covers and spooned up against her back, trying to warm and comfort her and just to feel their love. They were - or had been lovers. He wasn't sure which. He had been afraid for her. They talked. Or rather, he did most of the talking and she listened. He wanted her off the case and off the X-Files. Not out of his life, he soon hastened to clarify, but there was no justification or renumeration for her losses during their work. The personal costs were too high. They lay there in silence for a long time, then she turned around in his embrace. "Get in here in the warm," she ordered, and he smiled and shifted under the covers, into her arms. She nuzzled his neck, pulling at his t-shirt and undoing the button on his jeans. "Scully?" Her smile had a sultry edge. "Didn't you hear me, Mulder? I told you to get in here in the warm..." "But...You're not feeling well." "The vertigo has gone. And I'm not cold anymore. I'm nice and warm. But I want to feel HOT." "Well, here I am being a perfect gentleman because we're on a case, and you're the one breaking the rules!" He let her break them and drag him along. The man in the bed felt his breathing and heart quicken, and not just because of the details filling his mind. Scully. He knew who he was and he knew who she was. And she was pregnant. Mulder was very glad that he was lying down. It saved a shocked collapse. He had been looking for the UFO in the Bellefleur woods with Skinner. There had been a bright light and faces and then nothing. He had become an abductee. However, he swept that aside. Scully was pregnant. But she had been told that she was sterile... Joy suffused him. His child. They were going to have a baby - Or were THEY? Scully was definitely pregnant, but how long had he been gone? All these thoughts flashed through his mind in a matter of seconds. His eyes flew open as a nurse hurried in the door. Skinner turned around from the window and looked at her as she hurried for the bed. "What - what's wrong? What's hap-" The older man's face registered shock at seeing Mulder awake. "I didn't..." The nurse reached the bedside. "Sir, it's all right. You're safe." She said to Skinner: "His vitals went up out at the desk." Obviously not enough to set monitors blaring, but noticeable enough. Skinner leaned over him on the other side of the bed, all concern. "Agent Mulder?" The nurse gave Skinner a pointed look. Mulder realised that she was poised to ask the standard 'reorientation' questions, and Skinner had just given the answer to one away. But he didn't care about that. "Where's Scully?" His voice was clear enough, though laden with some degree of croak. "In the cafeteria. I'll go get her." With that promise, Skinner disappeared out the door like he was on a motorcycle. Mulder returned his desperate gaze to the nurse. "How long?" "They'll just be a few minutes. Well, Doctor Scully will come as quickly as she can, but -" "No!" he growled in frustration. "How long have I been GONE?" She hesitated, then reiterated, "You're safe." He realised that she didn't want to tell him - or she didn't have permission to tell him - until Scully or the doctor was there. Oh shit - had it been THAT long? Or perhaps they wanted to see if he had an idea himself. "Agent Mulder, please try to stay calm. The monitors at our station showed the increase in your heart rate and breathing." Mulder glared at her. He wasn't having a heart attack or setting off any alarms, but he would if someone didn't ANSWER HIM! "*How long?*" he demanded, struggling to sit up. Screw the orientation questions, screw his blood pressure, screw everything but the truth. Had he been gone so long that Scully had fallen in love with someone else - like that blond man? - and was now having his child? An outcome Mulder could not deny her, not after all she had suffered. He knew of her desire to become a mother, to have a normal life, and how she had suppressed those wishes because of what had happened to her and so she could remain with him in their quest. And now this...an outcome he had even pushed for on occasions, trying to make her quit the X-Files and get as far away from him as possible, as much as it would kill him. The nurse was trying to keep him down. "Agent Mulder, please -" Everything blended together like paint being mixed, and he passed out. xXx This time when awareness returned, he had a fuller canvas to study. He lay there with his eyes closed, little daubs of new information filtering in. Scully's voice. Low, but none-too-happy, blazing at some unfortunate person. Her hand was holding his. He couldn't pick up all that she was saying, but it was clear that she didn't know he was awake. Mulder kept his fingers still. He couldn't face her yet. He had to compose himself. And think. He heard a door close. He tried to replay the image he had seen of Scully being helped out of her chair. Her hair was longer, but he hadn't gotten a good enough look to see if there was any grey in it. Though hair dye would hide that clue. Her lower torso was definitely bigger, but he couldn't tell if her face had any additional lines. Uh oh. 'Doctor' Scully. The nurse had called Scully by her medical title, not her FBI one. That happened occasionally, usually when his partner had just come up with a way to save him when everyone else was giving up, and the med staff would call her that as a sign of respect. But what if Scully wasn't a Special Agent anymore? The blond man. He *was* an agent. Michael Bonin. Unmarried. They had been on a few raids with him years ago. A decent kind of guy. Scully could do a lot worse. Mulder ran the image of his first awakening over and over in his mind. Had Bonin been touching Scully in an overly-familiar way? He couldn't remember. In the motel room in Oregon, Scully had admitted to vertigo and chills. Had that been an indication of the pregnancy? That would mean that it was his baby, not Bonin's. But he'd never heard of those symptoms for pregnancy before. Sounded more like the flu. God, this was killing him. All he had to do was open his eyes and let Scully know he was awake, but could he stand to know the truth? Or could he have just a few minutes of being lost in her eyes and pretending that everything was as it had been before he left, or the way that he wanted it to be: that Scully was expecting his child and he had been returned in time for the birth... As he was debating his options and battling his fears, he heard the scraping of a chair, and Bonin spoke. "Sure you'll be all right, Scul?" Scul???? "Yes. Thanks for staying." "Not a problem. I'll go talk to Skinner and study the reports. More should be in by now. Good luck." Scully had let a guy call her 'Scul'? This did not sound good. At all. Footsteps. Door opening and closing. Just the two of them left in the room, he hoped. Or rather 'two and a half', so to speak. He heard Scully shift in the chair and give a slight grunt of discomfort. Her fingers gently played with his. "Come on, Mulder," she said softly. "You've come this far. Just a little more." How could he resist? And if he didn't do this now, the nurse would turn up again as his vitals got more and more stressed, and he would kill the next person who interrupted them. He offered up a silent prayer and opened his eyes. END PART ONE (OF TWO). TITLE: "A Fuller Canvas" (2/2) BY: Ten E-MAIL ADDRESS: kristena@ocean.com.au xXx Scully was sitting up close to the bed, leaning on it, and the swell of her abdomen was hidden by the mattress and her arms, which were resting on the blankets next to his left arm. He had a few seconds to study her before she realised he was awake. Her face was fuller - not fat, but pleasantly rounded, like in their first year of partnership. Before all the angst and cancer and stress had whittled her down. Good. He hadn't wanted her - or the baby - to suffer because of his abduction. Her hair was also similar to how she had worn it in their first two years of partnership: down around her shoulders and slightly turned under at the ends. She looked beautiful. A bit pale and tired, but no man lost in the desert could have received a better drink of water than this. There was no more time for examination. They were staring at each other. Scully gave a little gasp and then her face opened up with all the colours of her own canvas as she smiled. "Hey..." she said. They could always pack a lot into one small word. "Hey," Mulder replied. He could almost imagine that it was just like any other time he had woken up in a hospital. Almost. Because he knew he had not dreamt or hallucinated Scully's condition. Her hand was now tightly entwined with his, but her arms were still hiding her bulk. "We've been waiting a long time." Her voice wavered a little. "I'm sorry..." She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. "You couldn't help it. You're here now. You're safe." She had said 'We'. As in she and Skinner and the Gunmen? Or she and their child? Mulder gave the room a quick visual sweep. Empty apart from him and Scully. She offered him a drink, but he didn't want one, then she hesitated, and Mulder knew she was torn between buzzing for the nurse to fetch the doctor, or waiting a few minutes to have some time together. She took a deep breath. The look on her face was a classic 'there's so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin...' look, and he beat her to it. "I can't remember anything much after going into the woods with Skinner. Apart from a light. A few fragments." "It's okay. We can go into that later. You were found on a gurney in a hallway here at Georgetown two days ago. Conveniently, no one knows how you got here, and the security cameras were 'down'. Physically you seem to be fine apart from some bruising. No evidence of tests or implants." Nothing obvious, anyway. "The other Oregon abductees have turned up in hospitals in D.C. too. Just like you. We're looking into it." Again, who was she referring to when she said 'We'? And he felt puzzlement and curiosity about the abductees all turning up here instead of in Oregon. Her pregnancy and the timeframe were issues that had the lion's share of his attention though. It was just a matter of voicing them. "I'll tell you more when I know more myself," Scully said, referring to the abductees. "Now's not the time. Right now you need rest." Adrenalin or nervous anticipation was keeping him very much awake. It was time for the one million dollar question. He couldn't hold off any longer and he didn't know if Scully was going to bring it up herself at the moment. The doctors might have cautioned her against giving him too much to absorb at once. But he had to know. "How long was I missing?" Her hand was stroking up and down his forearm. Mulder wasn't sure if it was to soothe him or her. And when he asked his question, her hand moved more rapidly. He braced himself. "You've been gone for six months, Mulder." "Six?" He took in a deep breath. Was that what he had heard? *Please* let it be what he had heard... Scully said hastily, "I know it seems like a lot, but -" He had to be sure. "_Only_ six months?" She blinked. "That was long enough, but yes. Mulder -" Mulder dropped his head back against the pillow. He remembered watching Scully play with Teresa Hoese's baby. How his heart felt cut in two. How he had wished that this was their child. His sorrow that his quest had meant they couldn't become parents, the wish that he had an additional wish with the genie so that he could have done something about that... And a desperate urge to find that smoking son of a bitch before he died and get the whereabouts of Scully's ova out of him. Also, some tiny hope, because Teresa had been an abductee, yet she had a baby. Was it natural or adopted? Teresa had different implants and experiences than Scully though, so perhaps her fertility hadn't been affected. He had meant to ask when Scully was out of earshot... And now, here... This was his baby. He wasn't too late. "Mulder, what's -" Scully was thoroughly confused by the delighted grin that was spreading across his face. He was still a little concerned about Agent Bonin's role in Scully's life and in a state of some shock, but they were overridden by confirmation of one of his hopes. "I'm going to be a father..." Scully stared at him. "How on earth did you kn-" "I peeked. Earlier." She shifted her arms so that she was still holding his hands but he could see the proof positive. "Never could resist opening your presents early, could you?" she asked wryly. "Hey it took *us* seven years... I'm just glad I got here before he or she decided to become unwrapped." He rolled over onto his side and reached out eagerly, his hands still in hers, and she immediately put them to the bump. Or perhaps 'hill' was a better word. "You should feel something soon. Babe's pretty active at this time of day. Been keeping me up at night and definitely takes after you. Never still. It's like he or she has a basketball in there." He stroked and waited and very soon was rewarded with some movement. "Oh wow..." "That's the feet. And there's the back. And the head." She moved their hands to the appropriate spots. Mulder shook his head in wonder. "How long until you're due?" "We've got another one and a bit months to go." He had been returned in time. But six months were gone. Irretrievable. His smile faded. Not just six months of his life, but of Scully's, and of his child's development. The first stirrings, the kicks, the cravings, the morning sickness, buying of toys, decorating the nursery... "I'm sorry I missed the meantime." "You're here now. That's the main thing. I never gave up on you." Her eyes were determined, with tears hovering. "I made a lot of video tape diaries for you." "Are you both - I mean -" "Both healthy and growing bigger every day. And much happier now." She brought one of his hands to her lips and then to rest against her cheek. "This is definitely our child, yours and mine. No hybridisation, no abnormalities. I had the tests done by my doctor, and also by contacts of the Gunmen." Mulder sighed with relief. They had conceived naturally against all odds, however with all the viruses and ordeals they had gone through on the X-Files, there had still been a very real risk that those things could have a negative effect. Gratitude and happiness bolstered him, pushing aside encroaching tiredness. Scully was looking surprised that he hadn't zoned out yet, and that he wasn't showing any signs of doing so. Reluctantly she looked at her watch. "I'd better get the doctor in. And I'm usually ready for a lie down in the afternoon too." By the looks of Scully, she probably hadn't had those naps since he had turned up in the hospital. "I'm not tired," he reassured her. "This is quite an energy buzz! But I'm sure I'll crash soon. Better let you get some rest too." Then as Scully was reaching for the call button, he remembered something he hadn't asked. "Boy or girl?" Distracted, she didn't press the button. "I wanted to be surprised. I wanted us to know together." There was a silence. Mulder decided he had better have a drink. Then after that he reluctantly freed one hand to reach up and finger the necklace. Scully looked at it. "Perhaps it was a mistake giving that to you. The last time I gave it away...she died... And then you disappeared." "Hey, the necklace always comes back to you. Just glad I was still attached." She managed a watery smile. "I guess." She thought for a moment. "It's bizarre. When I was abducted, it was left behind. This time you were abducted, but you had it -" "- and I still left something behind..." He possessively patted her protrusion. Then he sobered. "Scully... Um. These last six months. I saw Agent Bonin in here..." "The X-Files division is still open," she explained. "I'm the agent in charge, and Bonin is one of the field agents. He was assigned as my partner after you were taken. I fought against it, but as Skinner pointed out, I needed help to find you, especially with..." She looked down. "Soon after I found out I was pregnant, I asked Skinner if we could bring a few more agents into the section and allow me to take a more supervisory role." "But that pain-in-the-ass auditor was riding us for spending way too much money already..." "After what Skinner saw when you were taken..." Scully swallowed. "A ship. He saw a spaceship take off." She paused to see how this news would affect Mulder. He nodded slowly, and motioned for her to continue. He would handle what Skinner saw later. He had enough to absorb for now. "Skinner had data from the infra red sensors the two of you had set up. And all those people disappeared from Bellefleur. Skinner went to bat for us. Pulled in all his connections and favours." "And got the section expanded?" "Yes. I would still investigate anything I felt that could possibly lead to you - and I did - but I could not risk our baby in the field on anything else. Especially since in the first few months I was fainting and getting the chills, which was pretty worrying seeing as they're not your run-of-the-mill pregnancy symptoms. So I couldn't be as 'active' right from the start anyway. But I had to keep things going for when you came back." "I'm glad. Even if it had closed, I'd just be happy with this." He gestured at them. "You, me and the wip." Her forehead kinked. "'Wip'?" "Work In Progress." She gave him the look, then laughed. "Anyway, we've had a lot of success with the X-Files division, but telling you about that can keep for now. Our investigations may have even got them to hand you back. I hope so. Anyway - the doctor needs to see you and you need rest so that you can come home to us." She reached for the call button. Tiredness had at last caught up with him, even over his elation, but he had one more question. He wasn't sure how to word it though. "So, Bonin..." "What about him?" Realisation hit her. "Oh, you idiot!" She gave her abdomen a wry look. "Your daddy is a prize idiot, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. And I haven't." Relief spread through him. He shrugged and pouted. "Well, Scully. A guy's away for six months..." "No. It took you years to break down my defences, despite being my soulmate. Okay - once or twice I'd tear up in front of him, but I wouldn't even let him hold me. There was only one person I wanted to hold me - though I let Mom, of course. Bonin has been very concerned about me. And, in my condition, sometimes chairs like this are near-impossible to get out of without help..." "He called you 'Scul'." "When he was first assigned, there was a slight problem of what to call me. 'Scully' was, well, it was 'your' name for me. It just didn't feel right to have another partner calling me that. Though you always made it sound like so more than my surname. As for 'Dana' - you and I hardly ever called each other by our first names, yet we were so close, so letting another guy use it didn't seem right. The upheaval my hormones were going through probably wasn't making me the most rational person on the block either. So he suggested 'As' or 'A.S.' for 'Agent Scully' -" /Which could easily be corrupted to 'ass',/ Mulder thought darkly. Though if Bonin had been stupid enough to try that, more fool him, and God protect him from Scully's wrath. "- but then since his name is Bonin, we came up with Skull and Bones." Mulder stared at her. "Never thought you were the type of girl to go for nicknames." "Neither did I, but it seemed the only viable option at the time. He had to call me something. He's a kind and good man, Mulder, but professional. And he knew there was no way I'd go for anything with him, no matter how temporary. He could see how desperate I was to find you. You were between us, always with us, in more ways than one." She finally succeeded in buzzing for the nurse and informed her to send the doctor in. Then Scully turned to Mulder. "I'll see if I can get out of this chair and go to the bathroom before he comes." She indicated the door to the private bathroom, which he looked at through heavy eyes. "You'd better enjoy some uninterrupted sleep in here while you have the chance, Fox. I'm up a lot at night to either do this or because Junior is having a party. And once he or she arrives..." "I wouldn't miss a day." They gazed at each other for a long moment, then Scully started manoeuvring herself up. "You need any help?" "I've worked out a way to do it myself. Just that if someone else is in the room, it's usually quicker to get them to help." Mulder reached up to touch the cross again. "I'd better give this back to you." She shook her head. "Keep it on. At least for now." He nodded. "And when I give it back to you, would you also accept a ring?" She halted as she was rising out of the chair. Her smile went very broad. "Only if I can give you one too." "Deal." They kissed to seal it. xXx Mulder had just been discharged from the hospital. Maggie had wanted them both to come with her to her home, even offering to then go out for a few hours to give them time alone (but to be armed on both ends with mobile phones just in case). But Mulder and Scully had decided to go to Scully's apartment for now. Maggie was mollified when they told her they would soon need her help to plan for several things: a wedding, choosing a house, and the packing and moving of two apartments full of possessions. Scully, as his complete Power of Attorney, had been using his savings and investments to keep paying the rent on his apartment in his absence. Choosing a house was not going to be that difficult. Dana had been studying the Washington Post for months, wanting to move closer to her mother, but not wanting to give up either apartment until Mulder was back. She had her eye on several suitable houses now - keeping up with the real estate while waiting beside Mulder's bed - and had made appointments for inspections later in the week when Mulder should be recovered enough to come along. Maggie was thrilled that they were going to get married too. They had been practically engaged anyway when Mulder disappeared. She was going to take them to the mall tomorrow and then do some shopping nearby while they went to a jeweller's. Mulder and Scully managed to help each other out of the taxi, amid much joint amusement, and Mulder could easily carry his small overnight bag. As they entered her apartment, Mulder touched her head and said, "I like your hair like that." "I wasn't sure if you would. I was almost going to get Mom to cut it at the hospital, because I was worried that you'd wake up and not recognise me." "It wasn't the hair that floored me. You look wonderful." Scully looked at her ample abdomen. "I look -" "Wonderful," he reiterated firmly and honestly. "Miracles are always beautiful things. Okay, this one might be heavy too, but well worth it in the end." She gave him the look, then smiled, but sobered. "How are you about all this, Mulder? I mean, it's certainly a lot to take in." "It's what I wanted and wished for. I want kids. I want this child, and the fact that you're her or his mother and I'm the father..." He smiled in joy. He couldn't wait for his baby's colours and personality to fill themselves in, a blend of him and Scully and their ancestors and just its own unique self. "Looks like we're finally collecting some gains after all our losses. Trying to wrap my head around so many missing months is hard, but I'm glad I got back in time. Typical of me though. That auditor told me that if I spent so much time and money looking for aliens, that I should narrow my search down to wherever they were. Well, I did, and I can't remember a damn thing about it, and look what it cost me." He looked down at their joined hands. "I didn't know. I never would have -" Scully stepped in when he faultered. "Mulder, that's right. You *didn't* know that people were being taken who had the same abnormal brain activity that you experienced. That you were the one in danger, not me. And you didn't know about the baby. But you're back now." She tugged gently at his hand. "Come on, time for a joint nap. I've been looking forward to one for a long time." It was strange but wonderful to have Scully lying beside him in this advanced state. He had to be reassured that where he had his hands and arms was comfortable for her. "You'll be handy to have around when my back aches and I want a massage." "What - Frohike wasn't available?" he asked innocently. She elbowed him. "Ouch!" "That was the baby kicking you," she replied just as innocently. They drifted for a while, then the baby started 'dribbling the basketball' again. Scully murmured into Mulder's chest, "These were the times I really missed having you here. Not being able to sleep meant more time being alone. Though you didn't quite leave me by myself." She touched her belly. "Seven years together, then just when we got together, they took you..." "I'm back. I love you," he whispered to her, and kept whispering to her as she finally broke down against his chest and cried. xXx Half an hour later: Scully had just come back from a bathroom break and was resettling in the bed. Mulder asked something he had been wondering about for the last few days. "So, when do you think we hit the conception jackpot?" "It looks like I was around six weeks pregnant when you were abducted. I had no idea because ever since my abduction - and especially since my cancer treatments - things haven't exactly been 'regular'." "Six weeks." Mulder thought back. "That would put it..." "Our first time. The night of the premiere of 'The Lazarus Bowl'! L.A. - city of the Angels. Appropriate that we made our own there. That earthquake might have shaken one last egg loose." It had certainly added to an already fantastic experience. "Or - very soon after we got back from L.A., we had the 'genie' case. Junior could have been conceived on your couch once it was over." Mulder considered that. "Hmmm. Perhaps Jenn gave us one last - and backstab free - wish. Or used some of that energy she had to 'disburse'." He remembered that the jinniyah had seemed surprised when told that Scully was infertile. Had she already known through 'genie vision' or something that Scully was pregnant? After all, she had said, "Your greatest wish has already come true." Scully was speaking, interrupting his musings. "So, if we have a girl, should we name her 'Angela' or 'Jennifer' as a thank you? I did go and see Jenn a week or so after you went missing, actually." "Yeah?" "I wanted to know if there was any way she could... If she still had... But she couldn't." "Thanks for trying, anyway." Scully seemed recovered from her crying jag, somewhat unburdened. Mulder knew that they would both go through these up-down moods occasionally after everything that had happened. They needed to let the feelings out. "Want to watch some TV?" Scully asked. "Yeah, but it's so comfortable in here. I don't really want to move." "So we can just have it on from here. I got a TV and VCR unit put in here a few months ago." Mulder looked and saw it. "God, I must have been tired not to have noticed that when we came in here!" She grinned. "That set up saved me getting up and staggering out into the living room when I couldn't sleep. The remote is over on your side." Mulder found it over on the bedside stand. "Oh, and I think you'll approve of the video that's still in there." Mulder turned the set's power on, then pressed play, intrigued. It came on in the middle of a scene. He recognised it instantly. "Ed Wood!" He grinned. "I found it...comforting." She started reciting the dialogue. Mulder sat up and stared at her. "How many times have you seen it?" Scully gave a sheepish smile. "Lost count." He lay down next to her again. "That makes me sad." "It made me feel close to you. And I'm not sad anymore." She was crying once more, but Mulder knew why. He gently wiped away her tears. "I used to watch that movie when I was alone and bored. I don't think I'll be watching it again." He turned the video off, and put the TV onto a sport station, mainly as background noise. A sudden thought struck him. "Have you bought 'The Lazarus Bowl' video? Or DVD?" "Bite your tongue!" "Rather nibble on yours..." She gave him a coy look. "Well, I have got another craving..." "Okay - I've been waiting for this! What does my lady wish me to fetch for her? I'm sure I can reach the fridge and the cupboards without problem. Ice cream? Cornflakes? Or both together?" Her mouth started moving sensuously along his collarbone. "You." "Should have seen that one coming." "Speaking of which..." "Right away, my lady. Right away." And he set about rediscovering her body and all the additions to her palette, and then, when they were ready, merged them into a single, seamless artwork as if their colours had never been apart or opposite. THE END (PART TWO OF TWO). Still toying with the idea of writing another vignette set after this...