From: donnilee@juno.com Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000 21:23:36 -0500 Subject: RE: "L is for Lullaby" by Donnilee Source: direct DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT FRIDAY EVENING 9:00 PM We stripped and got into bed without preliminaries. Then he looked at me for a long while, just looked. His hands finally began to roam over my body. He tested the new weight of my swollen breasts, smiling when I moaned immediately upon his touch. He kissed and stroked me everywhere. He was not rushing, yet there was an urgency in his touch, a need to brand me as his possession. A year ago I would have fought that, but now, I wanted to be his, totally, in every way. I welcomed his possession. He was thinner than he used to be, but my hands running over his chest and back soon discovered that his skin was still taut and muscular, smooth as velvet and stretched over rock hard muscles that somehow had not atrophied during his long confinement. I couldn't stop touching him. The hisses and moans as he responded to my touch inflamed me and made my long neglected body simmer with heat as my body temperature soared. His eyes were a little wild as he returned to my breasts and lips to suckle and explore as though it was the first time all over again. He worshipped my now protruding belly as though it was the holy grail, showering it with wet open mouthed kisses. In many ways, for us, it was a holy grail, a miracle. I caught his eye as we panted softly, wanting this to last forever. He looked primitive, erotically wild and untamed. I didn't want to tame him. I wanted him to take control and take what he needed. Being possessed by Fox Mulder, I decided was not going to be a hardship. His eyes were smoldering, his cheeks flushed, his long hair hanging at a crooked angle over his forehead and he looked like some wild succubus come to take what I offered. The look he gave me then took my breath away. He fingered my soaking folds and groaned. He drove me wild with his ministrations and then returned to suckle my breasts again as he positioned himself between my thighs. He pushed into me and I felt my whole body sizzle with the electric feel of it. The tremors began in my core and spread out to the top of my head. This was going to be so good. XXXXXXXXXX Oh God, what was happening to me? Despite my promise to myself to go slow and be totally gentle, I felt raw and dangerous. I wanted her with a single minded passion that I had never experienced before. Her red hair was like a fire halo around her head. Her cheeks and chest were flushed. Her rounded tummy was surprisingly more of a turn on than I ever would have imagined. Perhaps because of what it represented, it made me a little dazed every time I touched it. This was going to be so intense. I could feel it already. I reached down to test her readiness between her firm thighs and groaned when my fingers encountered her folds. They were swollen and damp, luscious and full. I went wild feeling her velvety slick walls, pumping my fingers into her until she was writhing beneath my hand like a cat in heat, keening with the pleasure. I returned to suckle her breasts. The sultry sounds emanating from the back of her throat made my blood rush and burn through my body. Even that first night, there had been some uncertainties between us. Now there were none. Her uninhibited sensuousness was my total undoing. I crawled between her legs, feeling wild and took some deep breaths to try and slow my pounding heart. She just looked up at me, her blue eyes wide and smoky with desire. Desire for me! And I was lost. I entered her with one sure stroke and felt a groan come up from the depths of my soul as her hot sheath contracted around me, welcoming me. She smiled at me then, quite proud of the sound she had drawn from me and I felt my heart jump. I loved this woman with every particle of my being. For a moment, I was too shaken to move, but then found her gaze again and murmured, "It's not possible to feel this good without flying apart." She bucked her hips against me and I sank deep into her, holding my torso above her belly, which was rounded but not huge yet. I placed my hands near the top of her belly along her sides and began a slow even dance of thrusts, trying to savor every moment. I soon couldn't maintain my slow pace and increased my speed. She grunted with each thrust and yet she chanted, "Harder, harder, Mulder, oh yeah, hit me hard." Through the haze of my arousal I still had a trickle of fear. I didn't want to hurt the baby. As if she'd read my mind, she murmured, "You won't hurt anything, just let go. I began to snap my hips, diving my aching flesh into her over and over again as I felt the walls of her core pulse around me. I got dizzy when I heard her begin to whimper and she gasped. "Mulder, oh, what's happening to me? Oh you're killing me. Never been this good. Oh, god, right there, yeah, right there, keep going, don't stop." As if I could stop at this point! I pulled my knees up for a little better leverage as her legs left the bed and wrapped around my hips. She went stiff in my arms and then shouted my name in a long, drawn out moan as she contracted around me. I groaned again as an arc of electricity flashed through my body making every pulse point throb. My head, my neck, my groin, felt like they were going to shatter with the intense pleasure. I heard myself chanting her name as I emptied into her over and over, unable to stop my shaking body from pushing into her even when I was through and had no more to give her. I shuddered to a stop and was still, struggling to regain my breath. Somewhere I summoned the energy to roll away from her and gather her up to my chest. One of her legs draped lazily over my thigh and her head landed on my shoulder, an arm thrown over my abdomen. We were both sweating, but I shivered as the cool air registered in my open pores once again. She grabbed the comforter and pulled it over us and snuggled into my side. This was what life was all about. This was it. It just didn't get any better than this. I was lying in bed with the woman I love in a post-coital haze feeling her warm, tiny body pressed against mine. I hadn't felt this level of contentment ever in my life. When my heart rate slowed and my breath came back I said, "Scully, despite what's going on and what's to come, I don't think I've ever been this happy." She looked up from my shoulder and kissed me gently. "Me either. We were made for each other, Mulder. I don't know why I denied it for so long." I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight. "All we can do is keep going from here." "Like we always do, Mulder, like we always do. Together, we're unstoppable." I smiled. She had to be the most amazing woman I'd ever met. "I love you, Scully." "I love you too, Mulder. Don't ever doubt it." XXXXXXXXXX Morning came early, despite 8 hours sleep and we rose and headed for the shower. Again, we explored each others bodies and I sternly told him that I had to fatten him up. He joked that I just wanted him to be as big as I was. It felt good to be relaxed and good to laugh. I realized I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed. We dried off and I found a robe for him and some clothes for later. He was surprised to find that I had half his wardrobe in my apartment. I had smiled sheepishly and blushed when he discovered the row of suits and the piles of tee shirts and jeans and sweats that were tucked away in my drawers. He'd asked the question without a word by simply looking at me with his inquisitive expression. "They ... they smelled like you," I finally admitted. "My dirty little secret. When I was so lonely I couldn't stand it and when I missed you so bad, I would pull out some of your clothes and take them to bed with me. Your cologne lingers on a lot of them and if I could smell you, I could fall asleep when nothing else worked." His eyes had gotten suspiciously wet, but he didn't cry. He just folded me into his arms again. He murmured in my ear, "Ah, Scully, you have no idea what you do to me." We dressed and headed straight to the lab at work. I wanted to have one of the technicians draw the blood there. My own doctor would ask too many questions that I was not prepared to answer. I simply told the tech I needed two 35 cc blood samples to run some of my own tests because I was a high risk pregnancy. No more questions were asked and I was given the sample. Being a doctor, no one questioned my desire to run extra tests on myself. I had asked for the extra 5 c.c.s just to be on the safe side. I didn't want some bounty hunter coming after me saying there wasn't enough. The other vial was in fact to run some of my own tests. We proceeded to the Gunmen's place and they ran some of the sample through their banks of bizarre equipment that neither Mulder nor I had ever understood. I had asked them to check the DNA strands, the immune enzymes and several other things. They said they would get back to us. XXXXXXXXXX HOOVER BUILDING SATURDAY MORNING 10:00 AM We tried to sneak into the Hoover Building without being seen but had no luck. Agents deluged us with awe and well wishes. Mulder shook more hands than he wanted to and tried to be gracious to all. There were still plenty of people around although it was a Saturday. The Hoover Building never slept, so to speak. We could hear all the whispers as we walked away. Mulder placed his hand on the small of my back and I felt a warm glow at the familiar gesture that I had missed so much in the last six months. We made it to Skinner's office finally and Kimberly buzzed him to let him know we were there. Skinner admitted us immediately. He told us to take a seat, but then pointed to a cabinet on his wall and discreetly jerked his thumb upwards. We looked up to see only a fire alarm. We assumed he was letting us know that there were either cameras or listening devices installed there and we must be careful. We nodded, acknowledging his warning. "How are doing, Mulder?" "O.K., still a little dazed and confused." "I'll bet. Will you be returning to your apartment?" "I'm going back there this afternoon to get some more stuff. But I will be staying with Agent Scully for now. I may sublet my apartment." Skinner nodded. "Normally, this would be a problem where the Bureau is concerned. However, I have discussed all this with Kirsch and believe it or not, he is willing to make an exception for you two." I detected a hesitant note in his voice. I glanced at Mulder and then asked, "But there are conditions, correct?" Skinner smirked at my getting right to the point. "Yes, unfortunately. I tried to explain to him the unusual circumstances with you two. He knows of Scully's pregnancy. It became too obvious to hide about a month ago, and we let it out that she was pregnant. But no one knew exactly how far along she was." Mulder swallowed. "Does everyone know who the father is?" Skinner shook his head. "Kirsch does, now. I had to tell him, otherwise I couldn't justify the request for special circumstances to keep you two working together. I know that neither one of you wants to run the X-Files without the other." We both nodded. I sighed. Mulder was exceptionally quiet for him, but I could understand it. He wasn't sure what was going to happen and wasn't really prepared to deal with it yet. I couldn't blame him. He spoke up finally. "Sir, whatever you and Agent Scully decide is fine with me. Frankly, I can't think about all this just yet. I'm not ready to come back here. I need to some time to be acclimated again. My body is still weak and I need to build up my strength before I attempt to go back out in the field. I could handle some office duty but that's about it right now." Skinner addressed him kindly. "Mulder, no one expects you to come back to work right away. Most people don't even know you're back yet. I figured you'd want to some private time, for yourself and with Agent Scully." He looked at me now. I asked the question I dreaded. "So we can stay together and work on the X-Files together, under what conditions?" Skinner swallowed heavily and then said in a low, soft voice, "You have to get married." I knew my eyes flew wide open. I didn't dare look at Mulder. We hadn't ever discussed that, obviously. We'd only been together once for God sakes before he was taken. How would he react to that? It was too much for him to have to think about right now. I immediately lodged a protest. "Sir, that's ridiculous! He just got back, they can't expect him to make such a huge decision at this time!" Then I saw Skinner smirking in Mulder's direction and finally chanced a look at Mulder. I gaped at the expression on his face. His hand was wrapped around his middle, trying to suppress his laughter. When I met his eyes, he let it loose and laughed a full throated belly laugh. In between his guffaws, he gulped out, "Oh, Gee, ... what a ... hardship! ... I don't ... know if I could ... handle that!" He was obviously being extremely facetious. Skinner and I both began to laugh with him and I felt a weight lift off my chest that I hadn't even known was there. Mulder finally got his mirth under control. "This wasn't the way I wanted to approach Scully about it, but what the hell? Since when does anything work out for us the way it does for normal people." Skinner beamed and began to examine in desk blotter in minute detail as if it held the answers to the universe. Mulder turned to me again. "So Agent Scully, want to tie the knot?" I could do nothing but chuckle. This was unbelievable. I shook my head in wonder. He knew it wasn't a denial. "Mulder, we should talk about this," I said, automatically feeling my impulse to be logical and think things through. He shook his head. "No we don't. I love you, Scully. You're going to be the mother of my child. I planned on asking you to marry me anyway. I just didn't think last night was the time. We had enough other things to discuss. Plus, I wanted to go out and get a ring and do it right. I also didn't want you to think that I was asking just because of the baby. It had crossed my mind even before that night in Oregon." Skinner cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should discuss this in private." He was obviously embarrassed that he was a witness to this discussion. Mulder smiled. "It's O.K., you're going to have to know our decision and you have to tell Kirsch anyway, right?" "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to witness the whole process, Mulder." I smiled, strangely not feeling embarrassed that Skinner was looking on. He had become a very good friend over the last six months. I honestly didn't know what I would have done without him. "It's, O.K.," I replied. Knowing that Mulder had thought about it before I was pregnant, hell, before we'd slept together eased another kernel of doubt that I didn't know was there. I knew he loved me. But getting married was a whole other kettle of fish. Just because you wanted a relationship, didn't mean you wanted the ultimate commitment right away. We hadn't even really had time to establish our new intimate relationship. But then again, we didn't really need to. We had been establishing it for the last seven years. Our intimacy was just a natural extension of the intimate relationship that already had existed. He was smiling that toothy smile at me that made my stomach do flip flops. It started to fade and I realized that I hadn't responded. I saw Skinner tense up as if the mood was about to change. I smiled softly at Mulder and saw both men relax. Then, just to carry on the unconventionality of our relationship, I asked. "Mulder, would you do me the honor of being my husband?" He and Skinner both howled with laughter. Skinner said, "That's so...so, Scully!" They both laughed harder at that. Mulder was out of his seat in a flash and pulling me up and into his arms. He rocked me quickly back and forth and planted a jerky kiss on the crown of my head. Then his voice dipped into a lower register than before. "Yes, Scully, I would love to be your husband, more than anything in the world." I tipped my head up and he cradled my face between his palms and leaned down to kiss me. It was soft, chaste kiss. He went to deepen it and I pulled back, nodding my head toward Skinner. Mulder glanced at him, shrugging sheepishly. "Ooppss." Skinner chuckled. "O.K., sit down again, there's one more thing." We sat and I asked. "Another condition?" "No, another decision," he replied. "What?" He said one word. "Doggett." I gasped. In all the confusion and excitement of the last evening and this morning, I had completely forgotten about my new partner. I felt a small wave of guilt that I had not even phoned him to tell him of Mulder's return. Despite our rocky start, we had become tentative friends and had developed a working relationship. It would never be anything like the one I had shared with Mulder for the last seven years, but it was workable. He had even reassured me that he would never try to take Mulder's place. He was the only one, other than Skinner, who had known that Mulder was the father of my baby. I'd ended up telling him after we had a heart to heart where he apologized for the way he had tried to manipulate me when we first met. He had told me that his insinuations about Mulder confiding in women at the Bureau had been a ruse to see what I would say. He had felt contrite and admitted that he had not had any idea just how close we were at the time. Mulder had a puzzled look on his face. He looked at me. "Doggett? Who's that?" "Agent Doggett," I said blandly. Mulder nodded slowly. "And who, pray tell, is Agent Doggett?" I swallowed hard, knowing how this was going to sound, no matter how I said it. "He's my ... partner ... Mulder." The look of hurt that flashed over his face was almost more than I could bear. I immediately began to heal the wound I had just inflicted. "No, Mulder, it's not like that!" "You chose another partner?" He sounded so hurt and lost. "No! Will you listen to me? Please!" He nodded, but frowned, trying not to look as hurt as I knew he felt. "Mulder, he was the head of a task force that was set up to search for you when you first disappeared. He was assigned by Kirsch." "There was a task force?" Skinner piped up at this point. "Yes, and Doggett was the head. He's an ex-cop from New York City. Tough, but honest and fair. And of course, he's a skeptic." Mulder nodded and looked at me to continue. I took a deep breath. "We didn't get along at first. And that's an understatement. He tried to manipulate me and Skinner into telling him things. We didn't trust each other at all and Kirsch had put the pressure on both Skinner and I NOT to link your disappearance to the paranormal or alien abduction. He went so far as to threaten our jobs." "You've got to be kidding!" "No, he didn't want us to 'embarrass' the Bureau." "Poor baby," Mulder uttered. Skinner interrupted again. "Mulder, we thought Doggett was Kirsch's lap dog at first But in a very short time, it became apparent to him and us that Kirsch was just using him. Kirsch knew that there was no way he could get out of this without mentioning certain weird occurrences and I refused to lie and sell you out." Mulder almost smiled at this, expressing his gratitude with a look. Skinner continued. "I talked to him and made him aware of my suspicions, that Kirsch was going to use him as a scapegoat and probably ruin his career. I told him that Kirsch knew he wouldn't be successful UNLESS he checked out the alien theories and then he would nail him. "Then we sat back and waited to see what he would do. He surprised us both when he decided to listen to Scully and check out her suggestions. He didn't know whether to believe her or not, but he went with her instincts and he bucked Kirsch. He gave him a report fully explaining all the weird shit that happened surrounding our search for Gibson Praise." "Gibson Praise?" Now Mulder really looked confused. "Look," I said. "We'll explain that later. Suffice it to say, that Kirsch busted him down, broke up the task force and assigned Doggett to the X- Files. I guess he figured to an ambitious guy like Doggett, that would be a horrible punishment." Mulder asked, "And it wasn't?" "Not really. He wasn't happy at first, but then I came in the following Monday to find that he had sat in the basement all weekend and read every one of our files." "Every one?" Even Mulder sounded impressed. "Every one. So despite his discontent about his assignment, he was obviously taking it seriously." "I guess so. Sounds like a decent guy." This was said with reluctance like he was conceding but only because he knew it would be ungracious not to. "Mulder, he's an O.K. guy. We don't see eye to eye. Neither of us could protest Kirsch without ending up in worse shape than we already were. I couldn't risk losing my job and the Bureau resources I would need to search for you. And he couldn't risk his job either, he loves being an agent. And frankly, I think he has come to enjoy our investigations, although we've only done about four real X-Files investigations." Mulder hung his head. "So, you have a new partner." I sighed. "Mulder, I have two partners. And you know as well as I do that no one could ever replace you. He didn't even try. He knew it from the start that he would never measure up to you in my eyes. He knew the X- Files were your baby, your life." "You're my life, Scully." I felt tears clog the back of my throat. "It wasn't always that way." "No, you're right. But it's that way now." I nodded. "Mulder?" "Yeah?" "On our first case, I didn't think he would, but he watched my back. He didn't believe the evidence of what we were seeing, but he didn't hesitate to back me up. He was attacked by this creature that I'll tell you about later. And he was injured, and still came after me. He saved my life, Mulder. He scared the thing off and we both were able to shoot at it. I'm sure we hit it but it got away." "Later, I was taken hostage by some religious cult and they put some huge parasite into my spine. I'd left him out of the loop and he came looking for me anyway. He saved my life Mulder. He cut that thing out of me and got me out of there, right from underneath their noses. They would have killed me, or that thing would have. That's another story for later." Mulder reached over and took my hand in his. "Then I owe the man my thanks. If he kept you safe, then I can hardly hate him now, can I?" He paused. "No matter how much I want to." We both grinned at this. Skinner had been silent again for some time, but now he interrupted again. "The decision, which isn't really ours is whether Agent Doggett will remain on the X-Files and assist the two of you, or whether he will be transferred. Knowing your back, Mulder, he may immediately apply for a transfer to another department." I looked at Skinner. "Or maybe not." Both men looked at me now. "I think he's come to enjoy the unconventional nature of the X-Files." Skinner nodded. "Maybe, but we will ask him first what he wants to do. I'm asking you two what you want. Then we'll go from there. I will back you two up with whatever decision you make and I will go to bat for you with Kirsch. You know I will, but I don't have the pull that I used to." Mulder said, "Let us get back to you on that. I'd like to meet the guy first. Only then can I make an educated decision on whether I think I could work with him or not. And I will try to respect whatever decision he wants to make for himself." I spoke up again, another thought occurring to me. "Mulder, if he decides to stay, I don't want to set up a competition situation here. There is none. Do you understand that? Do you understand that no one can take your place. If he stays, we all need to work TOGETHER, not compete with each other or it would never work." He nodded. "Let's think about it some more. I want to meet the guy, as I said. It might be nice to have someone else to help out, now that I think about it. We'll see." I felt myself soften at his concession. He wasn't dismissing Doggett outright. But I knew that they both had personalities to be reckoned with. It could go either way. Either they would respect each other right away and be willing to feel the situation out, or they would hate each other right away. Only time would tell. PART 5 (NC-17) FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT 1:00 PM - SATURDAY We packed more of Mulder's clothes into several suitcases that he had. He grabbed his computer and some other items that he thought he might want for work. When it was all piled by the door, we took a break and ordered some Chinese food delivered. He made a call to his landlord, explaining that he was thinking of subletting the apartment. The landlord had no problem with that. Mulder had been a tenant for years and he knew that he was a FBI agent. He was surprised to hear he was back and welcomed him. Mulder turned to me while on the phone and gave me a strange look. When he hung up he looked at me again and said, "Scully, you paid my rent?" "Yeah, of course I did. I didn't want you to lose the place. I didn't know when you might be back. Sometimes I came here and slept, just to be near your things. It comforted me sometimes. I felt close to you here." He gathered me into his arms again, seemingly at a loss for words. "I'll pay you back." "Don't worry about it." "Of course I'll worry about it!" "Don't, you can make it up to me other ways." He pulled back and waggled his eyebrows at me. "Oh, what other ways would those be?" I smiled my most predatory smile and enjoyed the look of sudden desire that swept over his features. I was amazed that I could effect him this way. I'd had no idea if our one night of passion so long ago had been about saying good-bye, had been a fluke, or if it was seriously the culmination of the inevitable. Apparently it was meant to be, because all we had to do was see each other again and it was obvious that neither of us had gotten anywhere near satisfying our need for one another physically. He mock growled at me and I chuckled. "We should wait for the food," he said. "I don't want to start something and then have to stop." I agreed and we went to sit on the couch. We talked idly for a while, making plans about what to do for the next couple of days. We needed to go see my mother. She was going to be doing cartwheels. She loved Mulder almost as much as I did. Well, not that way! But she treated him like a son. Even Bill had mellowed his opinion since he'd seen my devastation in the wake of his disappearance. Maybe it was because he'd been gone. But Bill had actually taken the time to listen to some stories I had to tell. He actually listened when I told him of Mulder's infinite capacity for compassion and helping the underdog. I described his loyalty and dedication. Bill was particularly pleased when I railed against how protective Mulder was of me. He'd always been under the impression that Mulder manipulated me into going with him into dangerous situations. I explained that in fact, he infuriated me by ditching me over and over simply to avoid taking me into danger. Bill had said it was a red letter day. He actually agreed with Mulder's behavior on that one. I'd given him a dirty look and he'd just laughed. I needed to call Doggett. I'd asked Skinner to let me do it. I wanted him to hear things from me. It was the least I could do. He'd proven himself to be a fair and intelligent investigator. And although he was as much of a skeptic as I used to be, he respected me and didn't dismiss my opinions. The food arrived and we ate in relative silence. It was a comfortable silence. We stole glances and smiles throughout our meal and just enjoyed being in the same room together. Funny how losing someone you love makes you realize how many things in life just aren't nearly as important as you always thought they were. Being with Mulder, having his baby, being a family and being loved; these were things that were important. Yes, our jobs were important but they weren't the MOST important things. As long as we were together and willing to stop hiding and express how we felt, things would be O.K. We finished eating and threw out our containers. Mulder placed his garbage out, not wanting to stink up the apartment as he didn't know when he would be back. We were cuddling on the couch when he began nipping little kisses along my shoulders as he sat behind me. I hummed at the skittering sensation that they caused to dance down my spine. He chuckled and began raising my shirt over my sweater over my head. I stood up and did an impromptu strip tease for him that had him panting and hanging his tongue out, making me laugh like a school girl. I felt giddy. I'd been afraid that perhaps my pregnancy would turn him off. After last night, that fear vanished. I realized, quite to my surprise, that it actually turned him on. He seemed fascinated with the fuller weight and sensitivity of my breasts. I had warned him not to get too attached because they would go back to normal eventually, although I did plan on breast feeding if I could. He'd smiled indulgently and announced that he knew that but he was going to enjoy the changes in my body while they lasted. And when I returned to normal size, he would rediscover that body all over again too. He always seemed to say just the right thing. I was surprised at how husky my voice was when I said, "Mulder, lose the clothes. I want to be screwed on this couch." He'd jumped up laughing and shaking his head. He began stripping right there in front of the couch, tossing his clothes in a haphazard pile. He said, "It's almost surreal hearing you say those things. I dreamed about them for so long. I keep pinching myself to make sure this is real." He led me over to the couch and gently positioned me on all fours, my weight balanced on my forearms which rested on the arm of the couch. He sucked my juices from between my legs until I was squirming with anticipation. He finally positioned himself behind me and teased my entrance with the head of his engorged member. I shuddered remembering how good this felt last night. The anticipation was half the fun, but the reality was even better, I realized as he slowly pushed inside me. Feeling my walls stretch to accommodate his not inconsiderable girth, I moaned and shivered at the feel of it. Once embedded, he stopped and ran his fingers over my back. I pushed back against him, urging him into action. In response, he bent forward and lifted me up somewhat so that I kneeling on a forty-five degree angle. He placed his left hand on my breast and squeezed, eliciting another moan. His right hand wandered over my belly in comforting, warm circles as he began to thrust gently in and out. I was overwhelmed by the rippling waves of sensation coursing through my body as he slowly built my arousal to a fine, sharp point. He whispered, "Don't hide from me, Scully, let me hear you. It's such a turn on." I let go the last little bit of sound that I was holding back by biting my lip and started to make unintelligible sounds as he sped up his strokes. He let me fall forward to balance on the arm of the couch and grabbed my hips. He began stroking me hard and fast. Then I felt him lean over and put his hands next to mine on the arm of the couch. His torso bent over my body this way, his chest skittered against my sweat slicked skin with every thrust, making me shiver with warm tingles. It also positioned him so that he was stroking from above me. I began murmuring nonsense about how he felt like he was in so deep and how full I felt. He began grunting with the effort. This new angle hit the magic spot inside me and I screamed his name as my orgasm washed through me like a slow motion pulse, hot and hard and satisfying. I pulled him over the edge with me and he jerked into me losing his rhythm as he spurted hot semen inside my core. It felt so hot and I almost swooned at the sensation. He remained in that position for almost a minute, panting and regaining our bearings. Finally, he pulled gently out of my tunnel and I moaned at the loss. He helped me to my feet. Without saying a word he led me to the shower. We cleaned up, dressed and headed back to my apartment. Once there, I called my mother and made plans to go to her house tomorrow. She had cried and hooted and hollered when I told her of Mulder's return. She was still thanking God for answering her prayers when I hung up. XXXXXXXXXX MAGGIE SCULLY'S HOUSE 11:45 AM - SUNDAY MORNING We arrived just before noon at my mother's house. As I entered the door after a quick knock, my mother came careening around the corner from the kitchen and launched herself into Mulder's arms. He almost staggered under the blow to his body but managed to rock back on his heels and regained his balance, lifting her feet off the floor, chuckling at her exuberance. She rained little peck kisses all his face and he flushed with embarrassment. He was not used to this kind of affection from his mother. I finally pried her off him, "Ma, that's enough." She stepped back grinning like a Cheshire cat and looked him up and down. And then in true motherly fashion, the first words out of her mouth were, "Fox, you're too thin. I'll have to see what I can do about fattening you up!" We both chuckled and deposited our coats on her coat rack. We made our way to the dining room table where she had made a chicken and vermicelli casserole. We both ate ourselves sick while Mulder answered my mother's questions, most of which centered around his health. She didn't ask him about his experiences away until after we'd eaten and settled down with coffee and crumb cake to finish off our lunch. Finally she asked, "What happened to you, Fox?" He looked at me as if asking how much he should say. I shrugged my shoulders, telling him it didn't matter to me. As if echoing my thoughts, my mother said, "Whatever you are comfortable telling me, Fox, is all right with me. I don't mean to pry, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." As if to judge her reaction he said, "I was taken by aliens." Her eyes widened but she didn't contradict him. She merely nodded, encouraging him to continue. He sighed. "I know that sounds fantastic and I know you probably don't believe in them, but they are real, trust me." She nodded again. "They tested me, did experiments and from what I could gather made a very thorough search of my immune system and brain activity." He paused. "How much did Dana tell you?" I startled a little bit at the use of my first name, but then remembered that he'd always used it around my mother. She answered, "She told me you were dying from some mysterious decline in your nervous system." He nodded. "Well, I'm not anymore." Her eyebrows raised. Mulder chuckled. "You always remind me so much of Dana when you do that eyebrow thing." My mother scrunched her brow. "What eyebrow thing?" We both chuckled. He shook his head slightly and dismissed it, continuing with his story. "They did hurt me but I later learned that this was not their intent. They needed to study me in order to figure out how to control the decline in my nervous system. Certain ... things ... were activated in my body from being exposed to certain other things." My mother smiled. "Oh, that's crystal clear." This was said blandly with a twinkle in her eyes. Mulder smiled again. "Sorry, I just feel weird telling anyone but Dana about this." "It's O.K. Like I said, whatever you want to tell me." He looked at me again. I said, "Tell her the truth. She'll either believe you or not." He nodded and proceeded to tell her about the artifact activating his brain, about his stay in the hospital and his later battle with his nerves controlling his muscles. He told her about the torture but left out the truly gruesome parts of it. Then he ended by telling her that he had a chip in his neck like Dana's. He didn't tell her about the blood or the deal he'd made to save me the anguish of being taken like he had been. Maybe I would tell her about that later, but I didn't feel that now was the time. She accepted his story with an amazing amount of calm, never displaying any surprise of disbelief, although I knew she must have had some disbelief. When he was finished she merely said, "I wouldn't tell Bill this story. He won't believe you. I'm not saying to lie to him, but why create the tension between you again." "Again?" Mulder asked. I spoke up. "Bill's opinion of you has softened considerably since you left. He was willing to finally listen to me about what our relationship was about and how you really treated me. I told him that you respected and loved and protected me and he believed me, finally." Mulder's mouth was hanging open. All he said was, "Well, I guess miracles never cease." Mom laughed at that and I decided it was time to turn the subject to happier things. "Mom, we have to tell you something else." "Yes? What is it?" She sounded worried, suddenly. I smiled to reassure her. "No, this is a good something else." She waited patiently. "O.K., tell me." I took a deep breath. "We're going to get married." Mom sat stock still for about three second and then broke out into a winning smile. She looked at my hand. "No, we didn't get the ring yet. We just decided yesterday." I figured she didn't need to know that it was a condition of the Bureau in order for us to continue working together. I didn't want her thinking anything other than that this was because we loved each other. Bill didn't need to know either. I also had a little niggle of fear that he felt obligated to marry me because of the baby. Despite what he'd said, our intimate relationship was an awfully new thing. We never had time to become a 'couple', but then again, we'd been one in every way but the physical way for a long time. Then Mulder surprised me when he said, "I have a ring." I whipped around to face him. "What? Your mother's rings?" I knew he'd taken them when she had died. He smiled that mischievous smile that he has. "No, I wouldn't give you my mother's hand me downs!" "I wouldn't look at it that way! Your mother had beautiful jewels!" "Yes, and they are all yours if you want them." I swallowed. "So, you have another ring?" He smirked, enjoying making me squirm. I glanced at my mother and she looked entirely too amused by this whole thing. I almost shouted, "What ring?!" He chuckled softly. "I bought you a ring." "When could you have done that? We just decided to get married yesterday!" "I didn't say when I bought it." I sat in stunned silence. After a beat or two, he looked down, seeming embarrassed. "I bought it ... almost a year ago." I gasped. "Why?" That was dumb question! He looked at me and chuckled again. "Why do men usually buy diamond rings?" I swallowed hard. My voice was a very wimpy sort of whine. "Mulder, just tell me. Don't make me beg this story out of you." He grinned, looked at my mother and back at me. "I was going to ask you to marry me." He looked away briefly. "But I ... chickened out. I was going to ... try to take us to another level ... but the timing never seemed right. I've been in love with you for a long time, Scully. These feelings aren't new for me." I stood up out of my chair and motioned to him. He stood and took me in his arms, burying his head in my shoulder. I said, "So you really aren't just doing this because of the baby." It was a statement, not a question. He pulled back. "Of course not! I told you that!" "I know but there was still that kernel of doubt." He kissed me softly. We sat back down and turned to my mother who was watching us like a hawk. Her face lit up suddenly. "O.K., now that we've settled that, When?" I shook my head. "We haven't worked out the details, but it will be soon. I want to be married before the baby comes. And, " I gave her a stern look of warning. "I want it to be simple and uncomplicated!" She smiled another one of those smiles that always worried me. "Mom!" "Oh, O.K., whatever you want. I'm just delighted that you're baby won't be born out of wedlock. Congratulations, you two. You don't know how happy you've made me." I knew that would make her bulb glow. We discussed possible wedding plans for the rest of the afternoon. My mother agreed to call Father McCue and see what his schedule looked like. We then returned home exhausted. XXXXXXXXXX DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT 4:00 PM - SUNDAY We puttered around the kitchen, making coffee, deciding what to eat for dinner, and stealing kisses and hugs from each other as we went about our business. I felt a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, I wasn't sure if I'd ever felt it. I'd seen some women who were pregnant, look haggard. But Scully glowed. Her lush, full breasts were wrapped in a new maternity bra that she had purchased to accommodate her larger size. Her belly stuck out noticeably but not enough yet to impede her graceful movements. She smiled and me and returned to refrigerator. She looked ... happy. I knew we still had lots to deal with but I so hoped for a decent future for us. I still didn't feel like I deserved her or her love. But I had determined to lay my heart at her feet and never keep anything from her ever again. I realized how my omissions had hurt her and I was going to learn from my mistakes for once. Scully had called her ... partner, as soon as we got home and asked him to come over. She'd said nothing except that I was back and unharmed for the most part and she wanted us to meet. I wondered if he'd ever been in her apartment before. I wondered if he had a key for emergencies. Then I shook my head to clear it from this line of thinking. I was not going to be a jealous asshole. I knew Scully loved me and there was no reason to be jealous. I trusted her. After all, it had taken me seven years to break through her barriers. How much could he have possibly done in six months? The doorbell rang and Scully moved to answer it, leaving the spaghetti boiling on the stove. I moved to stir it before following her into the living room. I heard her murmured greeting and her invite for him to come in. I stepped into the living room and stopped. There he was. He was about my age. His eyes were penetrating and I had the eerie feeling he was looking right through me. I shook it off, seeing his uncertainty. He certainly wasn't afraid, just unsure of how he was supposed to react. I glanced at Scully and saw the tension in her face. She was worried about how I was going to react. Well, I thought I'd best take care of that right away. Be a good sport, Mulder, I told myself. I stepped forward and stuck out my hand. "Agent Doggett, nice to meet you." He visibly released a breath he was holding and grabbed my hand in a firm grip. I glanced at Scully again and she was smiling. Mission accomplished. I'd do anything just to see that smile on her face everyday. That smile said, I'm proud of you, I'm proud to be with you, and I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to be worthy of that smile. He nodded. "You too, F..uh, Mulder, right?" "Yeah, I don't particularly like my first name." He grinned at that. "Weird, I always wished I had a name like Bret or Spencer or Wolf." I cocked my head to the side, wondering out loud, "Why the hell would you want that?" He chuckled. "John is such a common name. I always wanted to be unique." "Didn't work out for you, huh?" He actually laughed and I was glad he hadn't taken it the wrong way. "No, no it didn't. I seem to have become my father, despite my best attempts not to. I'm so normal I disgust myself sometimes!" We shared a chuckle and Scully waved us to the dining room table. I heard her draining the pasta and excused myself. "Have a seat, John. I just want to see if she needs any help." He nodded and I went into the kitchen, helping her put the sauce in a bowl and then carried it out to the table along with the pasta. She appeared with an empty glass, asked what he wanted to drink and then disappeared again. She reemerged with our glasses, giving me an ice tea, herself an orange juice and John a glass of milk. I'd always marveled at the variety of beverages that always seemed to grace her refrigerator. We made small talk and settled into coffee again after eating an apple pie that Scully had defrosted and popped in the oven. She said that she made them every year and froze them for later. Something else I'd never known about her. It was delicious. I found that I couldn't eat much at one sitting though. My stomach had obviously shrunk and it would be some time before I could eat a full meal again. Finally, John addressed the reason he was here. "So, I assume you asked me over here to discuss my future with the X-Files." Right to the point. I guess I couldn't fault him for that. I could see that although he'd been nothing but polite, he was unsure of me and my opinion. Scully asked, "What do you want, John?" He looked at her, his face softening a bit. I felt a flash of irritation but quickly tamped it down. "I'm not sure, Dana." Dana? He called her Dana? I cleared my throat. "He calls you Dana?" They both turned to looked at me, he looked unsure again, she looked almost remorseful. She reached out to take my hand on top of the table. "Mulder, we've always called each other by our last names. At first, well, I know why we did it at first, but it didn't work, did it?" I shook my head, seeing her point. "And now, our last names are almost an endearment when we say them to each other. We're just so used to it, but other people aren't. It's not as if John has had any liberties that you haven't had. I want you to be clear on this. I've told John how I feel about you. He's fully aware of my feelings for you and he's never tried to take your place, either as my colleague or as my partner. But we are partners and we have come to care for each other as friends. Not close like you and me, but we respect each other. I wouldn't want you to call me Dana now. Scully and Mulder are who we are to each other. You understand?" I nodded, swallowing thickly. God, I loved this woman. I looked at John again. "Look, I'm sorry. I've only been back a couple of days, not even. I'm still feeling my way through all of this. I don't mean to sound like a prick. I don't mean to give you the impression that I don't like you. I don't know you well enough to like or dislike you. But I do know that you've watched Scully's back out there and you've been a good partner to her. I wanted to thank you for that." He tried to hide the look of surprise that flashed across his face, but I caught it. Obviously, Scully hadn't expressed this to him directly. "Uh, thanks," he uttered, looking at Scully, then returning his gaze to me. I continued. "So, we've been asked to talk to you and find out what you want. I wanted to meet you and make sure we didn't immediately rub each other the wrong way." He smiled at that. "Same here. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was shocked when I realized Dana was pregnant. Then I was even more shocked when I found out you were the father. I won't lie to you about that. I'd known you two were close. Your eerie sort of connection with one another was almost legendary in the Bureau, but I didn't realize you were THAT close." We both chuckled at that. He went on. "It was then I realized why Dana had been so insulted when I insinuated that she didn't really know you as well as she thought she did." He examined the table cloth at this point and I looked at Scully. She mouthed, "Later." I nodded. That should be an interesting story. "So John, do you want to transfer out or do you want to stay on?" Let's get this show on the road, I thought. He was silent a moment. "I don't want to be a third wheel. If I stay, I've got to know that you guys will treat me as an equal partner. I know that a threesome is an unusual situation." We both smirked at his choice of words and his eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He chuckled, "I didn't mean it that way." "I know," I replied, suppressing a chuckle. "Go on." "I realize that you two have been together for seven years and no one can come in between that bond. I don't expect to and I wouldn't want to. But I won't be left out of the loop either. I won't be able to work under those circumstances, if you were to feel you couldn't be forthcoming with me and clue me in on all aspects of the cases we were investigating." He paused. "If you think you can work with me, Mulder, I'd like to give it a try. I like the X-Files. I didn't think I would at first, but now I've gotten a taste for them and I see what Dana fell in love with. They are a challenge you won't find anywhere else. And they are never dull." We both smiled at him. "No, dull they aren't," I quipped. "I can always transfer out later if we find things get too awkward or any one of us isn't comfortable with the situation. But I would like to give it a try. Of course, I'm not sure what the Bureau thinks. I'm not entirely clear on that. I mean, three people as partners? The expenses would definitely go up and I don't know how the Bureau feels about having three agents on the X-Files." Dana cut in here. "I think they will be O.K. with it. Once upon a time, they didn't want to spend an extra dime on us if they could help it. But over the years, Mulder and I have proved that we were worth the money. We have a higher solve rate than any team in the Bureau, despite the weird nature of our cases. They can't just dismiss that out of hand, although they do occasionally get upset with our unconventional means of investigation. Plus, we'd still only need two hotel rooms!" We all laughed at that. He remarked, "You'd be treading on thin ice, there." Scully smirked. "No we won't. We're going to get married." He was obviously surprised by this statement. "You are? And they're still going to let you work together?" I cut in. "Yes, in fact, they made it a prerequisite. But we were planning on getting married anyway." No use in having him think we were doing this just to stay working together. I wanted to present a united front to this guy, despite my waning misgivings. He shook his head in amazement. "Well, if the Bureau doesn't kick, I'd like to give it a try and see what happens." Scully smiled. "I want to also. I think it will work out O.K. I really do. You agree to give us some privacy now and then when we need it. And we'll agree to not to keep anything from you that concerns a case. But we may need to keep some personal experiences between us. You need to know that. But it won't be because we are trying to HIDE anything from you. If we keep it from you, it's because it's personal, between us." "Because it will be a 'couple' thing." It was a statement, not a question. I smiled, liking the sound of him referring to us as a couple. It sounded strange, but I liked it. I could definitely get used to that. Scully nodded. He stood and said that he had to be going and he would keep in touch. Scully reminded him that we would be out for at least another week. She told him to call if anything came up thought that he wanted help with. We were all shaking hands, when I felt a draft sweep down the hall and into the foyer as we stood at the front door. I whirled around just in time to see a clone of Doggett walk around the corner. Doggett reached for his weapon, which was secured to his belt, despite his casual clothes of jeans and an oxford shirt, but I touched his arm briefly in warning. "Hexla?" I inquired. Doggett's gaze whipped back and forth between me and Scully. I slowly moved her behind me when he didn't answer. I nodded at John and he understood, taking Scully's arm and drawing her into the living room away from the man. He looked a little panicked. I knew how unnerving it was to look at a clone of yourself. I'd been there, done that. "Why are you here?" "You know why I'm here," he replied, sounding exactly like Doggett. "Are you Hexla?" He smiled an evil smile at Doggett and I watched John rest his hand on his weapon, but he didn't draw it. I regretted that I didn't have my Sig with me. I had no idea where that had gone. I had packed my Baretta 9mm, automatic pistol though when we went to my apartment. It was my personal weapon. It was in the bedroom, still in one of my suitcases. After leering at Doggett, obviously trying to intimidate him, he cocked his head slightly to the side, shuddered and metamorphosed into the bounty hunter right before our eyes. I heard Doggett gasp and glanced to see Scully grabbing his forearms to steady him. He nodded at her, saying he was O.K. for the moment and she let go. The alien chuckled. "No, Hexla sent me. I am Hemplar." "O.K., Hexla promised me that no harm would come to Scully." The alien nodded. "This is true, as long as I get what I came for." "I'll get it." Before I took a step, I pointed to the kitchen. "It's in there." He nodded. I moved slowly into the kitchen, feeling fear creep up my spine. They all looked alike, but somehow, I had been hoping it was Hexla who would come. Not that he wasn't as dangerous as the rest, but he was the one I had made the agreement with. I had no way of knowing if this one would abide by that agreement. I walked to the fridge and yanked open the door. I took a deep breath when I noticed my hand shaking as I reached for the tube of blood, propped carefully in the butter tray. I turned to see him standing in the doorway. A half counter separated the kitchen from the living room and Scully and Doggett could both see me over the counter. He backed out of the doorway to let me through. I walked arm's length away from him and he held out his hand. "Wait." A look of anger crossed his face. "Hexla also said that the listening devices would be removed." His face relaxed. "Yes, it is so." He turned and walked to Scully's fireplace. What looked like a static electricity spark flew from his finger as he touched the mantle and I saw a flash of metallic land in his palm before he closed his fingers. It was deposited in his pocket and he walked calmly into the bedroom. I motioned for Doggett and Scully to stay put. Neither seemed inclined to follow me. I followed Hemplar into the bedroom and watched as he removed another device from under her dresser and then one from the underside of her toilet tank. Boy, they must have been hidden, we'd never seen them. I saw the open window where he had entered and closed it to keep the cool breeze out. He nodded and proceeded back into the living room with me on his heels. He turned. The ones in Skinner's office and your office will be removed by tomorrow. You have my word. "Forgive me if I don't trust your word, Hemplar." He peered at me silently for a moment. "I tell the truth. I have my orders. I don't know what else to say. I will follow my orders." I nodded and held out the tube of blood. He took it gently from me and cradled it in his palm as if it were gold. He actually looked excited and took a deep breath and looked over at Scully. "Thank you. You will not be bothered anymore." He pulled a small metal box out from the inside of his jacket and carefully slipped the tube into it, closing and latching it. He then cradled the box in both hands. She nodded firmly but I could see the fear swimming in her eyes. Her voice was surprisingly smooth as she asked, "What about my baby, will you leave it alone too?" He didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "I do not know the elders plans. I'm sorry. But I can say this. They look forward to the birth. They may even protect your children. They will be anomalies. They will be the first hybrids that are born naturally. They will not want harm to come to them." "Them?" I asked. My voice actually cracked and I had a flash of embarrassment that I soon forgot as he turned and smiled at me. I thought Scully had an enigmatic look, but this topped it by a mile. I pressed again. "Them? Does that mean Scully will be able to have more children?" I saw Scully, wide-eyed and ready to cry at this possible revelation. I held my breath waiting for the answer. Doggett was silent this entire time. I could tell he didn't dare move. Hemplar looked between me and Scully, the same amused, enigmatic smile on his face and said simply, "You will see." He approached Scully and she tensed. He looked at her. "I will not hurt you." He reached out and touched Scully's stomach with both hands. She flinched but held still. His eyes closed and I saw Scully relax. He opened his eyes and stepped back. Then made an announcement. "There will be two. Maybe more later, but definitely two." "Hybrids?" I asked. I wondered how far I could push this and how much information he would give us. I wouldn't risk Scully or Doggett, but the more information we had, the better prepared we could be in the future. None of these bounty hunters had ever been this chatty and I wanted to take advantage of it. "Your children, the children made of you and your life mate's combined genetic material will be special. They will be immune to viruses and they will also have special abilities, like you." He nodded to me. I still didn't know what my special abilities were. I was almost afraid to find out. "Can you tell us what those abilities will be?" He shook his head. "I can tell you no more." Scully asked. "When you said two, do you mean I will have another after this one?" He actually smiled and said, "No, I mean you are carrying two now." She gasped. "That's impossible! The sonogram would have showed that!" He walked to the door. As he turned back to us a final time, he morphed again and now Skinner stood before us. "I will complete my mission now. The devices will be gone by tonight and before your boss returns Monday morning." He glanced at Scully again. "There are definitely two." So saying, he opened the door, still cradling the small box with the blood and closed it softly behind him. I rushed to Scully as she nearly swooned. Doggett caught her up under the arms from behind and handed her gently to me as I wrapped her in a tight embrace. He looked totally stunned and just stared at us, waiting for the moment to pass. Scully began to cry silently and I cooed gently to her as she soaked the front of my shirt. "Shhh, it's over now. We did what they asked. Everything's going to be O.K. I'm right here and I'm never leaving you again." She hiccuped, "He said ... He said ... and I'm not that big! He said ... he said ... and none of the tests showed ... he said ..." She was getting hysterical. I cooed to her the best I could. She needed to calm down. My own heart was racing, but I ignored it, seeing her distress. "Shhh, I know what he said. We'll talk about it after the shock has worn off, O.K.? We'll have them check you out again tomorrow. Right now, let's just be grateful this is over for the moment." Twins? Could Scully really be having twins? Holy shit, this whole experience was getting weirder by the minute. I almost felt like I must be leading someone else's life! She hugged me tight. I looked at Doggett over her head. He said, "Would you like me to go now?" I could hear all the unanswered questions floating behind that one question. His tone suggested that he was testing me to see if he would be told what was going on here. Was I going to keep him in the loop? So it had begun already. I pried Scully head gently away from my chest and tipped her head up with my fingers on her chin. "Are you O.K. with having company still?" She sniffled and nodded. "Yeah, just let me freshen up a little. Boy, this has turned out to be long day." I smiled at her and let her go. I took a deep breath and motioned him to sit. He took a seat in the arm chair next to the couch. I sat on the couch adjacent to his chair and sighed. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know or need to know. I just wasn't sure if she would be up to going over it all right this minute." He nodded. "I understand. I won't lie to you, that shook the hell out of me. She'd told me about these creatures that look like a man but could look like other men. He looked like you when he tried to take Gibson Praise. He leaped off a cliff and somehow got up and walked away. I didn't believe her. I'd seen you with my own eyes. But I knew something wasn't right. I believe her now." He put his head in his hands briefly and then wiped them down his face. "Jesus!" His breath was shaky. I felt surprisingly calm. I was relieved that at least this part was over. I felt confident, for no particular reason, that they would leave us alone for a while now. At least until the baby was born. Maybe this was some of the 'intuition' I had been told about. I didn't want to live in constant fear of our child being taken, but it seemed that was my destiny. The alien's words were still tumbling around in my head. Plural, children. Special how? I was too overcome to figure this all out right now or even think logically about it. John looked at me and said, "That was fucking creepy, seeing myself." I nodded. "It ain't no picnic, is it?" He nodded, trying, I knew, to hide his fear that was still coursing through him. He fidgeted in the chair, finally resting his hands on his knees to keep them still. "How the hell can you stay so calm?" I smiled a mirthless smile. "I look calmer than I am, although right now, I am relatively calm." I paused. "As opposed to a minute ago." He smiled at that. I knew that wasn't enough for him. "John, I've seen more than you have." He locked his gaze on mine then, questioning. "That's not an insult. It's just a fact. I've seen things that would curl your hair, and believe me, that morphing son-of-a-bitch is the least of it." He shook his head mildly. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" He asked this as it he weren't expecting an answer. It was a question to himself. "Still want to stay on?" I asked. I couldn't help the smirk that landed on my face. He peered at me and chuffed out a breath. "Yeah, yeah, I still do, believe it or not. I'm a little shook up now is all." "Yeah, Scully was the same way the first time her rigid belief systems were shattered in the blink of an eye." He smiled at that. "Yeah, that about sums it up doesn't it?" "I don't say this, John, to be superior, or to make you feel inadequate. No one is adequate against these creatures, but we do what we can. They wanted Scully's blood. I didn't know she was pregnant. They told me if I didn't get it for them, they would TAKE it and I didn't want that to happen. I knew that if they took her, they wouldn't just take her blood. They wouldn't be able to resist doing more tests on her. I'd just been through that and it wasn't a stroll in the park, let me tell you." He nodded sagely. "I'll bet not. I must confess, I've never been convinced of the whole alien abduction thing. I believed that Dana believed it, but I really didn't, deep down." "And now?" "And now, as you said, my whole belief system is in turmoil. I'll have to reevaluate my beliefs in a lot of areas." I nodded, understanding. "It won't happen over night. It will be gradual." "I don't know. That little experience was fairly sudden." We both laughed at that as Scully emerged from the hallway. She'd obviously washed her face, and had pulled her hair back in a scrunchy. It was longer than when I left and I longed to run my fingers through it but now wasn't the time. I liked it when she wore it down. She came and sat next to me, leaning into my side. I put my arm around her shoulder. I found it surprisingly easy to talk to John Doggett. I was now glad that he had been here. I had actually felt good that he was there to shield Scully while I dealt with Java the Hut there. Had he not been here, this discussion would have been much more difficult. Trying to convince him of some of the things that had happened would have been damn near impossible. Just like it had been with Scully and we didn't have that kind of time now. I wanted him to know, suddenly. I wanted him to know so that he wouldn't dismiss the danger to Scully and our baby. If I wasn't around, I wanted him to be there. That thought shocked me a little. I'd always been so possessive of Scully. I'd always been so sure that I was the only one that could protect her. And even I failed miserably at that most of the time. But I was finding a new found sense of security in my relationship with her. Our intimacy had opened up yet another door of trust and comfort. I trusted her. I didn't need to trust him, not totally. I realized with sudden clarity that I wasn't threatened by him. I had no fear that he would come between us. Nothing could come between us now. Me and Scully were destined to be together. People may come and go in and out of our lives, but we would always be a team, in all ways. There was a certain freedom in this knowledge. Rather than feeling bound up by it or restricted by the fierce commitment we had toward one another, it was rather, a freedom. I could act now without the fear of losing her, as a partner, a friend, a lover or a mate. Whether I deserved her or not, she was mine. And I was hers. No questions, no conditions. We loved each other for free, unconditionally. We talked with John long into the night. We even shared why we were so shocked when the alien had said 'children.' Scully told him about her abduction, her subsequent barrenness and the miracle of this pregnancy. He sat in stunned silence through most of it but I knew that he was listening raptly, fascinated, if not totally believing. Finally, Scully and I were both yawning and John took his leave, telling us to call him if we needed anything and us saying the same. He belatedly congratulated us on our upcoming marriage and as he left, I knew that this weird little, three-person arrangement was going to work. EPILOGUE (NC-17) LATER SUNDAY EVENING I was exhausted. I was laying nude in bed, with Mulder curled around me like a giant heating pad. I felt like I was melting into the mattress. Despite my exhaustion and the lethargy in my limbs, I couldn't sleep. Mulder nuzzled his nose into my hair and I sighed deeply. His voice rumbled into my ear, the vibrations of his chest skittering down my back. "Are you O.K., Scully?" "I'm fine, Mulder." He winced and I felt it. I really had to come up with some other phrase. Six months away and those particular two words still bothered him. "I just can't sleep," I added. "Hmm, me neither. Try, I know you're exhausted." I rolled back and he scooted away from me, making room for me to turn over. We lay facing each other and he absently twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. "I can't stop thinking about what he said. I don't want to believe him, because I'm afraid I'll be setting myself up for another colossal disappointment." He knew I was talking about that one little word that had sparked a fire storm in both our brains. 'Children', as in plural. "I know. But they've always been one step ahead of us, those bastards. As much as I hate to admit that, I somehow also don't think he was lying. But he was a lackey." "A lackey?" "Yeah, he obviously wasn't an elder. He was even acting under Hexla." "Elder?" I asked him. "That seems to be what they call the ones who make the ultimate decisions. Hexla told me that he had convinced the 'Elders' to keep me alive and convinced them of my worth. I think he's some sort of 'second in command.' He didn't say directly, but I think he probably argued that without me, your baby would be the ONLY one they would ever see for a long while. And they want this baby born healthy." "That scares the shit out of me. I'm so afraid that I'll have this baby only to have it ripped away from me. I lost Emily and I really don't think I could go through that again and remain sane." "I know. I have the same fear, but I also have a nagging feeling that I'm missing something here. They want both of us to live and if what Hemplar said is true, then they want us to have more children. We can't do that if we're dead. And we WON'T do that if they take the first one away. The result would be the same if they took either one of them away, if there is indeed two. I think they know that. They know that you will not be a brood mare for them. And I won't let that happen. If they were to take one child, I wouldn't risk having another one for them to take. They know that. I'd have myself fixed first." "Fixed?" "Have a vasectomy." "Oh." She grinned at my choice of words, knowing that was what I meant. "This is the beginning of a brand new life for us, Scully. And I refuse to live it in fear. We will cross bridges as we come to them. We have enough to worry about without trying to predict the future." "I know, but I thought my head would explode when I heard him say 'children'. Christ, my heart raced out of control." "I know, mine too. I tried to get as much information as possible, but I didn't want to piss him off." "Thank you for that. I kept thinking he was going to get violent any minute. I wished I'd had my weapon. I killed the other one with my gun, ya know?" "You did?" "Yeah, I aimed right for his Adam's apple and angled up a bit. I was on my ass at the time, so pointing up wasn't a problem. The bullet must have gone right through the right spot in the back of his neck, because he dissolved at my feet. I didn't even think it would kill him. I was just trying to slow him down so that I could get Gibson out of there. Gibson tried to warn me through the door that it wasn't Skinner. That's who he posed as, but it was too late. He grabbed me and yanked me into the room. Threw me across the room. I went airborne." He wrapped me into his arms once again. "Jesus, Scully. I'm so sorry. It's amazing you weren't killed, or you didn't lose the baby." I nodded.. "I know. I thanked God for that for quite a few days afterwards." We cuddled for a few minutes. I rolled into him and felt the erection that he was chivalrously ignoring for the past ten minutes. I knew he didn't want to push me. I also knew he was starved for intimacy. So was I. I think he found it a little hard to believe that I could be as horny as he was. I reached down and wrapped my hand around his pulsing shaft. He hissed through his teeth. I began to stroke him slowly and firmly. He moaned. "Oh, Scully, God, we don't have to do this if you're not up for it. I know you're tired." "Yes I am, I'm also horny." He barked out a laugh. "I never thought the day would come when I would hear Dana Scully say she was horny." I giggled and pumped him a little harder. He moaned again. I levered up onto my knees and pushed him onto his back. I bent over and took him in my mouth. "Scuulllyyy!" His hands sought out my hair and he thrust himself gently into my mouth as I sucked him firmly and continued to use my hand to pump the bottom of his shaft. I snaked my hand between his legs and he spread them to give me better access. I cupped his sacs gently and rolled his balls gently between my fingers. "OH, ho,ho! Scully! So good! That's just right. Just right." I kept this up, feeling my center grow slick and moist. When it began to throb, I sucked once more, hard and he bucked up, retreating into the mattress, panting. I straddled his legs and slowly guided him to my entrance. His hands flew to my breasts. "Are you sure you're ready? Do you need me to do anything first?" he asked. I love this man. He had absolutely no idea how turned on he made me just with a look, just with a moan. Rather than answer, I slid myself steadily down over his shaft, letting a groan shudder out of me. I sank down all the way until he was stuffed inside and my protruding tummy lay gently against his abdomen. His hands began to play with my breasts and tease my nipples. I began to ride him slowly. I was shortly drowning in a sea of sensation that only this man could provoke from my body. I was light-headed and dizzy in a delicious sort of way. I felt my body flush with heat from my core to my head and the beginning of my orgasm coiled at the base of my spine. He sat up slightly and shoved another pillow behind his back. This elevated him enough so that he could reach forward and suckle my breast without me having to lean forward. Did I mention that I love this man? As soon as that hot, wet mouth latched on to my breast, I keened with the pleasure of it, a high-pitched whine emerging from my throat. I sped up, lifting and letting myself fall, faster and faster, harder and harder. He felt so good filling me up to the brim. Upon hearing my whine, he sucked harder. I moaned, he laved my nipple with his tongue. I groaned. He sucked me even harder, pulling more of my breast into his mouth and swirling his tongue around my nipple at the same time. I broke apart. I screamed his name. I dug my fingers into his shoulders as my body spasmed with unbelievable pleasure. He let my breast go with a slight, wet sucking sound and flopped back onto the bed. My hands balanced on his pecs and he thrust up into me hard. Once, twice, three times. And then he shouted as his release overtook him. "Oh Yeah, Scully! Oh, God, I love you!" I continued to flutter around his shaft as we both returned to awareness and I gingerly rolled off of him and cuddled up to his side. He gently rolled me onto my back and kissed me softly and tenderly. "I love you so much, Scully. That was incredible." "Yes it was. I'll never get tired of the way you feel inside me." He grinned. "I hope not, because I plan on taking up residence there!" I chuckled then yawned. He kissed me softly again and said, "Sleep, I'll keep watch." I smiled at him tenderly. "You should sleep too." He hummed a little. "Not yet." I reached over and handed him my journal. "Here, if you're not going to sleep, read this. I need to sleep now though, I'm exhausted." XXXXXXXXXX I drifted asleep but woke some time later when I heard a faint buzzing sound. My ears were like cotton and I emerged slowly from my half sleep state to feel the vibration of his chest against my belly. He didn't know I was awake and I peered down at him. He had moved down the bed so that his head rested gently against the side of my belly. His hand was making soft, soothing circles over the top of my belly. And he was singing! So soft and quiet that I had to strain to hear him. His soft baritone floated up to my ears. He was singing a lullaby! One I'd never heard before, but it was unmistakably a lullaby. "In Switzerland, across the sea, The yohowodel all day long. When mother's rock their babes to sleep, They sing this little song. Olee, Olee, Olee, aaaaaa! You can hear the echo say, Up in the mountains so high! And sleepy little eyes of blue, Peeping at the skies of blue, Up in the heaven's so high! Go to sleep, my babe, Yaloholoholoho -- Yaloholoholoho oooodeeeee. Sandman will blow, And star dust will fall. Olee, Olee, Olee, aaaaaa, good-night!" I let the tears silently roll down my cheeks as I listened to him sing to my belly. It had to be the sweetest thing I'd ever seen him do, and I'd seen him do some pretty sweet things. And he could yodel! Who knew? He hummed and kissed my belly and then let his head fall down, closing his eyes. He had a soft smile on his face. We had lots of obstacles to face yet. But at this moment, the man I loved was singing a lullaby to the miracle baby in my belly all was right with the world. THE END. EMAIL WELCOME AT: DONNILEE@JUNO.COM FOR OTHER STORIES BY ME, GO TO: http://www.angelfire.com/ak3/kimpa/