From: Ten <kristena@ocean.com.au>
Date: Thu, 01 Aug 2002 21:29:15 +1000
Subject: "Snapshots" (1/5) rated R by Ten
Source: xff


TITLE: "Snapshots" (1/5)
BY: Ten
E-MAIL ADDRESS: kristena@ocean.com.au

CATEGORY: S; AU; MSR (married); some angst; some H
RATING: High R for consensual adult situations (mostly
dealt with in innuendo instead of great detail.)
SUMMARY: Dana and Fox celebrate ten years of marriage and
think back over family memories.
TIMESPAN/SPOILER WARNING: This is set in Macspooky and my
"Daniel/Couch" series. It can be read as a standalone:
This series and universe diverted from the show after the
events of "Emily" in the fifth season. Mulder and Scully
have bred and wed, then bred some more. See the notes
below if you want more explanation.

NOTE: This story is set in 2008, with Mulder and Scully
looking back on ten years of marriage. Some plot threads
from the 'between time' have been more fully dealt with
in the other vignettes and stories or will be in ones
that are still to be written. For example, the full tales
of Maggie's second marriage (around 2006) and Sam's
reappearance are in the 'still to be written' category.

In this alternate universe the woman that CSM brought to
Mulder in the diner in 'Redux' was the real Samantha.
Mulder is able to make contact with her again in 2000 and
they reunite in 2001.

Maggie's remarriage: In 2005, Maggie meets up with Rob
Harper again, someone she used to know in school. Rob was
in love with her, but after high school she married Bill
Scully. By the time she and Rob run into each other
again, they have both lost their spouses and fall in
love. It leads to marriage a few years later.

The usual sexual endurance disclaimer still applies here.
Namely: The sexual endurance of this Mulder has been
enhanced for the pleasure of Scully and the readers - and
the writer. Don't expect this at home. We don't want to
cause any unrealistic expectations re: males of around
this age, but hey, it's nice to dream! And it is only
fair to let them catch up with and make up for missing
time.

ARCHIVE INFO: It goes to Gossamer through xff. Can be
archived anywhere as long as my name, addy and disclaimer
stay intact.
FEEDBACK: Always great to know who's out there in the
ether!
THANKS TO: Mac, Gerry, Debbie, Suzanne, Vickie, Sally and
Judie for all of the help. And to readers of this series
- sorry for the wait!

My website for all my X-Files fanfiction (including all
the Couch series), thanks to the wonderful Arria, is at:
http://bitter-moon.com/tenxffic/index2.html
With a mirror site at:
http://tenxffic.tripod.com

DISCLAIMER: The X-Files, the episodes referred to, Mulder
and Scully and all other characters from the show belong
to Chris Carter, the writers of the episodes, 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 or Mac's.


The X-Files: "Snapshots" (1/5)
By Ten November 2001 - August 2002

xXx
Summer 2008
Mulder Townhouse
Old Town, Alexandria
Evening:

Fox wandered around the ground floor of his house,
checking his watch. What was it with females? Both Dana
and Sam were late. Dana had said she would come down in
five minutes. That was fifteen minutes ago. Well, the
next time that she wanted to 'come', he'd make her
wait...

As he went through the hallway, Daniel appeared at the
top of the stairs. "Mom says she'll be right down."
Father and son exchanged knowing 'yeah, right' looks.
Danny came down the stairs, the image of his father as a
child, only with blue eyes. "Aunty Sam still isn't here?"

Fox shook his head. "I tried her cell, but it wasn't on."
Maggie and her second husband, Rob, weren't due back from
visiting his daughter for a few more days, so Sam was
filling in as babysitter. Or childsitter, since the boys
were no longer that young. Danny was nine, Brett was
nearly seven years old and Keir was now six. Sam's
husband and children were off visiting her in-laws at the
moment, so she had offered her help for the night. "She
can't be far off," Fox told his son.

"Hope not. I'm starving!"

"I know. Your brothers look like they're about to start
eating the furniture. Or the pets. She's probably been
held up at the take-out."

Danny took his mind off food long enough to notice his
father's very dressy attire. "Wow, what's going on? I
thought you were just taking Mom to the same place as
usual."

"We are. But I thought it would be nice for both of us to
dress up a little. We might go dancing later." Then Fox,
after making sure the coast was clear, leaned over and
whispered in his son's ear just why tonight was so
special.

"It is? Wow!" Danny then endured a brief hair-ruffle. "So
why aren't you taking *me* out?"

At that moment Dana appeared and the doorbell rang. Danny
headed for the door and Fox was free to admire his wife.
He held his hand out and she gracefully came down and
took it. He only got the chance to give her a look to
tell her how beautiful she was, because Sam came in,
hauling bags of Chinese take-out. She was mobbed by the
three Mulder boys, who were trying to snag the bags in
amongst the greetings. Sam and the kids all talked at
once while moving in the direction of the kitchen.

Sam blew her brother and sister-in-law a kiss on the way
past and yelled over heads and the noise, "Sorry I'm
late. Have a great time. I'll take care of them! Hey,
that one's mine, not yours! I know, I'm famished too!
Flukie, get out of the way!" she cried out as the dog
joined the action.

"Mmmm, that smells great," Dana said, looking like she
was tempted to stay home.

"Here, Mom!" Keir tossed her something just before the
group vanished into the kitchen.

Dana caught the small object. A fortune cookie. She
laughed and put it in her bag. Then she turned to her
husband and indicated her cocktail dress. "Is this what
you had in mind when you told me to wear something
special?"

"Perfect."

Their wedding anniversary was in a few more days. Since
it was the ten year milestone, they had decided to renew
their vows, this time in a church wedding with family and
friends present. Then everyone would go onto the
reception and celebration.

When Fox and Dana had told their sons about these plans,
Danny asked, "Does that mean you have another honeymoon?
And do we get to come?"

"We will and you can come," Dana replied. "At the
ceremony you boys can give me away too."

"We get you back though, don't we?" came from Brett. He
said it in a joking tone, but looked momentarily worried.
He had inherited Dana's more serious nature to a large
degree, though he was tempering it more and more with
shows of definite Mulder-wit. Who he had gotten his great
singing voice from, however, was either a mystery or a
throwback to a previous generation.

So Fox and Dana's decision to marry again had kept Dana
busy with plans and preparations. But Fox insisted that
tonight be kept free for the two of them to go out.
"It'll be good for us to have a break before 'showtime',"
had been his excuse, but he had other reasons. Today was
also an anniversary of sorts for them. He was sure that
it had slipped Dana's mind in the rush, and he looked
forward to reminding her.

xXx

Restaurant:

"And will Sir and Madam actually be staying for all three
courses tonight?"

Fox grinned. "We'll do our best. You know how it is."
They did. He and Dana often came to this restaurant to
eat - it was one of their favourite places, not only for
the excellent food, but for sentimental reasons. They
looked forward to their nights out here, but sometimes
they ended up cutting their visit short. It was never
intentional, but being out on their own for the evening,
knowing that the boys were being looked after... Well, a
look or a touch could suddenly put them both in the mood
for dessert... Their own brand of dessert. So they would
hurry off to a nearby hotel room for the rest of their
evening out. It wasn't like they couldn't afford the cost
of the half-eaten meal or the hotel fee.

("Oh Fox, I feel so guilty - the chef is going to think
we don't like his cooking!"
"Well, if you hadn't licked your spoon like that...
Drives a man wild.")

The restaurant staff - and the hotel staff - had gotten
used to Mr and Mrs Mulder's visits. Their booth was
always a secluded one, but close enough to the door for a
quick getaway if needed. Fox knew for a fact that bets
were placed at the restaurant as to how long the couple
would 'last'. A few memorable times they had left even
before the entrees arrived. And once before the *menus*
had arrived...

Or he and Dana would just not show up at all and one or
the other of them would breathlessly phone to cancel
their reservation. "Um, something's...come up..." Indeed.

Though once when Brett and Keir were still very young,
Fox had come out of the bathroom at their house, all
dressed for the restaurant, to find his wife lying in her
good clothes on top of the bed - sound asleep. He had
stood there and smiled at the sight, then phoned the
restaurant to cancel. That done, he went and told Maggie
of the change of plan, then covered Dana with a blanket,
kicked off his shoes and crawled in with her. Asleep
within a minute. At least they'd get several hours of
uninterrupted sleep with Maggie and Sam babysitting. The
two women enjoyed each other's company, and Fox privately
thought that Sam reminded Maggie a little of Melissa in
personality.

Actually, the falling asleep part had happened more than
once. Even in a cinema... With three boys so close
together in ages, tiredness was a major factor in the
early years.

And the cancellations or cut-short meals weren't always
because of hormones. Sometimes duty called in the form of
work, or in the form of crises with the boys...

Now, Dana and Fox settled in their booth, chatting about
this and that. The menus came and they studied them
thoughtfully. Or at least one of them was doing so.

"Dana."

She looked up at her husband, to find him gazing at her.
"Yes?"

He smiled and asked, "Marry me again?"

She stared at him. "Well, I *am* planning on doing just
that very soon..." Then she realised. Today was an
anniversary too - the ten year anniversary of his
marriage proposal. And also ten years to the day that
they had found out she was pregnant, that they were
actually going to be parents, which had then led to his
proposal that same day in this very restaurant. Now she
knew why he wanted to go out tonight...

Dana blinked back tears and gave him a huge smile.
"Always, Fox. Always."

He leaned over and they kissed. When they parted, Dana
touched Fox's face and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Uh uh. Don't give me that look, otherwise we'll be out
of here in two minutes flat and we'll give another cook a
complex," he warned.

Dana tried to tone her look down to 'demure'. Her husband
knew he would get lucky tonight anyway.

After Fox's proposal ten years ago, Dana had bought
tickets to the Elvis Chapel, much to his delight. But
things did not work out as planned - they actually turned
out better. The partners ended up in the Virgin Islands
on a case and when the investigation fizzled out they
went sightseeing and shopping. A shop assistant suggested
they get married while there, and, the very next day,
they did. The opportunity to get married in paradise was
too good an opportunity to pass up.

Upon returning from the Virgin Islands and telling
everyone they were married and pregnant, Fox and Dana had
promised Maggie they would then do a 'repeat'. It ended
up coming about in a completely unexpected way a few
weeks later, when Fox came home from visiting the Gunmen
to find his wife modelling her wedding dress for Maggie.
The Scully women had been looking through the photos
again. Dana kissed her husband in greeting and started
describing to her mother what the ceremony had been like
and suddenly Fox found they were both repeating their
vows to each other while standing together in their
living room, with Maggie the one crying with happiness
instead of Dana. It felt just as real and meaningful as
the first time, and from then on Fox, Dana and Maggie
described it as their second marriage.

Now with the ten year anniversary approaching, they felt
it was the perfect chance to have a third wedding. So Fox
and Dana were going to take their sons, as well as Maggie
and her husband, Rob, over to the Virgin Islands for the
honeymoon. Then the Mulders were going to spend some of
the summer travelling, since the boys were old enough to
really remember and gain from the experience.

Though it remained to be seen whether the boys would
appreciate the travelling or instead do something like
constantly look for video arcades instead of the new
sights...

Fox had told Dana they would do the Elvis Chapel for
their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Or the next time
they were over that way. She agreed.

The waiter came with their drinks. Mulder sat watching
Dana. His lover and wife. And mother of not just one, not
even two, but a hat trick of happy, healthy boys. He let
his mind go back ten years in time.

xXx

1998:

He couldn't stop staring at her.

Pregnant. She was pregnant. With his baby. They were
going to be parents.

Okay, he was scared. But not 'she's got cancer she's
going to die' scared. This was a good scared. He could
deal with this.

This was the icing on the cake. Or the bun in the oven.

He'd knocked her up on the first go. She was three months
pregnant. They had gotten through the 'danger zone' in
the best way possible - total ignorance. There were still
risks with any pregnancy after that period, but it was a
relief to know they were over the first hurdle already.
And things looked fine.

Mulder and Scully were holding hands as they walked.
Normally they would not have been so open while out 'in
the open'. Trying to keep their relationship a secret had
been standard procedure.

But this news changed everything. They would tell Maggie
and Skinner within the next few days. There was the risk
that they would be split up at work, but Mulder had hopes
that he could argue for an expansion of the X-Files
division so he and Dana could still be in the same
department.

To celebrate their good news, he took her to a very nice
restaurant for dinner. "This is a step up from your
usual, Mulder."

"You deserve it."

Scully admired their surroundings. Mulder admired her.

Three months as lovers.

They had not talked about marriage during that time. They
had been too busy with work and enjoying their developing
togetherness. Mulder and Scully knew how they felt about
each other. Marriage was something that would be further
off down the track, one day when their lives hopefully
settled down...

Until this unexpected development.

But when should he ask? It had been on his mind ever
since they had stumbled dazed and ecstatic out of the
doctor's office. If he didn't do it soon, he'd be too
nervous to eat...

Mulder took a very deep breath. "Dana?" She looked up. He
often called her Dana now, but it was still 'new' enough
to get her attention. He could see from the look on her
face that she was wondering what was on his mind. "Will
you marry me?" Nervous, he kind of blurted it out, but no
one could doubt the sincerity and love behind his words.

She looked startled, then a beautiful soft smile lit up
her face. "Yes." Practically immediate, there was no
trace of uncertainty in her reply.

His lover, mother-to-be of his child, and now, fiancee.
And he knew that she knew his proposal was not just
because she was pregnant. The baby had just accelerated
its timing. And that was not a bad thing.

They grinned at each other, hands meeting under the table
and holding.

Dana ordered a larger meal for herself than usual. When
their food was placed in front of them she set to hers
with an appetite he had rarely seen in his partner
outside of the bedroom. Usually she sort of picked, but
now she demolished her courses with gusto. Mulder
realised that it wasn't just cravings or 'eating for
two', but because she was so happy. And he could tell she
was enjoying it. All of which made him even happier.

However, since she wasn't used to eating like this and
since she was still getting what they now knew was
morning sickness, he had a feeling she wouldn't keep it
down for long.

He was proven right, though fortunately Dana didn't lose
her meal until later on at home.

Home was a two bedroom apartment in the same complex as
Mulder's old one. He hadn't been able to stand No 42
Hegal Place anymore after the surveillance it had been
under and the events that led up to him gaining the cure
for Scully's cancer, so he had moved. Then six weeks
after Scully and Mulder returned from Emily's funeral,
Scully's apartment building burned down because one of
her neighbours had a heart attack while smoking in bed.
She moved in with Mulder, into his spare bedroom. It was
supposed to be temporary, but one thing led to another...

And to a slight situation. Mulder thought about their
boss. Skinner knew that they were living in the same
apartment since the fire but he did not for sure that
they were involved. Well, all because they were in the
same living space it did not mean that they were lovers -
not for the first while, anyway. Then when they did start
sleeping together, they had been careful - both agents
were professional at work, and found that Skinner did not
pressure them for details. Scully privately told Mulder
that their boss probably thought they deserved some
happiness after all the crap they had endured. Rumours
had always flown around about them being lovers since
they were first partnered anyway.

And here Mulder and Scully were, engaged and pregnant all
in the one day, it could be said.

On the way home they had passed a toy shop. Instead of
being something that would create upsetting memories, toy
stores were suddenly an Aladdin's cave, a joy. There was
so much Mulder wanted to buy, but Dana restrained him -
for the moment - down to a stuffed grey fox that she
picked out.

Eventually bedtime came. Since Scully had lost her meal
Mulder thought that she wouldn't feel like getting up to
anything, and he knew he would be more than content just
to lie there and hold. After so many years of rare, if
any, touching, cuddling with his partner was bliss in
itself. But he saw that she had slipped into a scanty
lace teddy.

She smiled at him, her expression leaving no doubt as to
what she wanted. "I thought I might as well put this on
while I can still fit into it."

Mulder walked up to where she was standing, beside the
bed. "I didn't go down on bended knee when I asked you to
marry me..."

"I didn't mind. It was perfect as was."

He went down on his knees, up close to her, hands sliding
up her thighs to the teddy's lacework and the lower
fastenings. She shivered in response - a very good shiver
- and pressed against his fingers. He spoke in a tone
that set off even more shivers, "Well, now I have a
different sort of proposal in mind..."

Her 'yes's flew thick and fast and loud.

Part 2

xXx

2008:
Restaurant

"Fox?"

"Sorry. Just thinking."

Dana gave him an x-ray look but then declined to comment.

Ten years...

She thought back to their first days as lovers. The first
time they had sex was on a Saturday night. They didn't
realise until the next day that they had wrecked Fox's
leather couch in the process. So after more fun, this
time in Dana's bed, they had gone couch shopping. After
finding the perfect one, but while still in the store,
Dana received a call on her cellular. She was being
summoned to do an autopsy...

xXx

1998
FBI Headquarters:

Scully got in her car and immediately phoned her partner.

"Mulder," he answered.

"It's me."

"Hey."

His voice had a quality to it that she knew she was
responsible for. That made her smile.

"Have you finished?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm about to come home." And it really was home
now, instead of just Mulder's apartment, somewhere to
stay while she looked for a place of her own.

When they ended the call, she realised how relieved she
was that the autopsy had been so straightforward. There
were no suspicious circumstances - the politician had
suffered a heart attack.

She also realised just how much she was looking forward
to getting back to the apartment. And not just for more
of the pleasure that she and Mulder had shared today and
that she had been initiated into last night...

When they had gone couch shopping she felt nervous. Where
did she and Mulder go from here? She didn't want this to
have just been a one-night-that-spilled-over-into-the-
next-day stand. She didn't think that he did either, but
neither of them had broached the conversation. He hadn't
even said he loved her, although she knew he did. And
vice versa.

So when Mulder located his perfect couch in the showroom
and asked what she thought, she replied, "It's your
apartment." And by his hurt expression at those words she
knew for sure that her fears could be put to rest.

"It's *our* apartment, isn't it?" he answered.

Then she got the autopsy call.

He leaned down and kissed her goodbye. In public.

They knew, but they hadn't said the words out loud yet.
Scully was determined to rectify that as soon as possible
when she got home.

When she entered the apartment, she could smell a meal
cooking. Mulder was a very good cook - mainly of
breakfast, and she was better at dinners, so that was the
way the cooking was usually shared. But from the smell
Mulder was getting better at dinners, which was fair
enough, as he was exercising his skill a lot now instead
of relying on quick fixes like pizza delivery. There was
reason to make the effort. It had been one of the ways in
which he had helped her and shown that he cared after her
own apartment burned down.

She got a few steps into the room and Mulder appeared.
Immediately they met in the middle and kissed, then
embraced. Their awkwardness of this morning was gone. "I
missed you," Scully said.

"Not if you aim carefully," he replied with a chuckle,
hugging her more tightly.

Neither was in a hurry to break the embrace. Scully
realised that admitting how she felt just now had come
easily. At last. She heard a sigh of contentment near her
ear and raised her head to look at him. "I love you,"
came from both of them, at the same time.

Grins broke out on their faces.

"Definitely an X-File," she said.

"And definitely the truth," he said.

Scully returned her head to his chest, but not to hide or
rest. Definitely not to rest. Instead her nose nuzzled at
his t-shirt. She brought her hand up and pulled at the
collar, exposing some flesh which she immediately set to
with her lips, sucking along his collar bone.

She felt his knees move. Either they were buckling or he
was squatting a little to give her more access.

"Scully... Oh, yes..."

She lifted her mouth long enough to be momentarily
logical. "How long until the food's ready?"

"Um... Ten minutes... Or fifteen... I think..."

Scully debated whether or not this was likely to be the
truth. Mulder probably wouldn't notice if his shoes were
on fire at the moment. Oh well, what the heck. "Time
enough for what I have in mind!"

It ended up that there was enough time. Then over dinner,
relaxed and content, they talked intimately, revealing
things to each other they never had before. That included
opening up more about their feelings for each other and
the first times each had realised they loved the other.

Then they showered together. The partners were enjoying
soaping each other up when suddenly Mulder stopped.

"What's wrong?" Scully asked.

"You've... The tattoo."

Or rather, that there was no tattoo. Not anymore.

Scully could tell that for a second he was wondering if
she was a clone, but there was clearly a red mark and
rough skin where the image had been. The skin there would
probably never be the same again, but that didn't matter.

"It didn't match who I was anymore. Perhaps it never did.
I broke the circle." That was all she said.

He had a puzzled look on his face, but she knew he was
also relieved, although trying to hide it. She still
wanted a tattoo, but had regretted that one very quickly
and was glad to get rid of it. Next time she would choose
something a lot more fitting and in much better
circumstances.

"Oh. Okay." Mulder's eyes became contemplative.
Contemplative and sexy... His fingers were caressing her
skin.

"Now what?"

"Now we finish our shower and get dry, because I want to
take you to bed and learn every inch of you."

"Every inch?" She could tell he was serious and she felt
her voice waver a little with anticipation.

"Of course. Amongst other reasons, I want to know what
spots cause the best reactions and from what you've told
me, there's no map. So we're going to have to make one,
and there's no time like the present to start."

He certainly accomplished what he set out to do. He
explored her, the tips of her fingers, the nape of her
neck, and so many other places that she wouldn't have
thought would have been a turn on. His fingers, his
hands, lips, tongue, nose...

Mulder was so patient and giving, not rushing for his own
sake, in tune with her reactions and words, watching and
listening and learning and experimenting. Slow and
tender. But when required, hot and heavy.

She never knew she could feel so good...

Then when they were moving together she kept up her
commentary, progressively louder, about how good he felt
and how good she felt. His hands were on the small of her
back and she could tell he could feel the contrast of
smooth and rough skin. It sort of summed up their lives.
But she only thought about that for a second. There was
plenty else to keep her mind occupied.

Afterwards they lay there, Scully's head on what she had
quickly dubbed her favourite pillow - his bare chest.
"Mulder, I'm so happy. You make me so happy."

There was silence. For a second she thought he had fallen
asleep, but then she realised that his heart was speeding
up and his breath hitched underneath her ear. She raised
her head and found he had tears in his eyes. The fact
that he had made her happy impacted on him as much as her
saying 'I love you'.

That next morning the alarm went off early. Mulder was
not amused upon seeing the time, but then Scully showed
him just why she wanted some leeway before they had to
get ready for work. She wanted to start her own thorough
map of his body, even if she could only learn the lie of
some of the land before duty called.

"Turnabout is fair play. I'm a fast learner, and I picked
up some things last night that I'd like to try my hand at
today, so to speak."

At one point she had him lying on his front, with strict
instructions not to move, and she was slowly and
sensually making her way down his spine. Mulder was
shifting and fidgeting, and not out of boredom. He went
as if to roll over and quickly received a playful slap
that halted the motion. "I told you not to move!"

He groaned and said, "But it's so hard... And I mean that
literally! I swear, any second now my legs are going to
pole vault clear over my head!"

Scully looked down and laughed. "Okay, you can get on
your side and take some pressure off."

That didn't completely alleviate the problem, but it was
a start.

And just in case they were already bored of the bed, the
new couch and all the additional furniture that Mulder
had bought as a surprise were delivered that night, so
they had even more spots to get creative.

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

'Get creative'. They certainly had... They'd made quite
the career out of it, in fact.

Dana reflected on how 'get pregnant' had already been
achieved by them during their first time together, but in
those first few months they didn't know that. And when
she had returned from autopsying the politician, their
greeting just inside the doorway of the apartment started
off a life-long habit of kissing each other hello (and
often goodbye) no matter where in the house the other was
at the time.

"Now you're awfully quiet," Fox said, putting down his
glass. "Remembering anything good?"

"How could I not? You've given me quite a few good
memories. And then there's the future to look forward
to." That made her remember something. "Oh, Keir gave me
a fortune cookie. Seems an appropriate time to open it."
Dana dug it out of her handbag and withdrew the fortune.
She read it, blushed bright crimson, and promptly doubled
up in howls of laughter. Laughter that showed no sign of
stopping. Tears were running down her cheeks.

Fox stared at her, then exchanged bewildered looks with
the passing waiter. "I'm glad you didn't react like this
to my marriage proposal. Either one of them. Did the boys
pull a joke or boobytrap the fortune or what?"

Dana managed to push the source of such hilarity towards
Fox. Eyeing her cautiously, he picked up the slip of
paper, which had a sentence and a little, pale line
drawing of a fortune cookie in the background. "This had
better be good," he remarked.

It read: Enjoy the good luck a companion brings you.

Fox blinked. That was it. That was all?

Then he noticed the way that the drawing was placed made
the l in 'luck' look like a different letter...

Oh. Ooooo...

He cracked up too.

"I do enjoy it. Very much!" Dana eventually managed to
say.

His sides were aching. "We are a pair, aren't we, Mrs
Mulder?"

"No argument there. Ten years..." Her eyes went to a
treasured gift she had received one Mother's Day. A
puzzle ring - four slim individual rings which together
formed a full ring in a Celtic design. The boys and Fox
had given it to her, a piece each. She thought about
their sons - not so much about whether they were behaving
for Sam at the moment though. Instead memories were
popping up.

Fox was doing exactly the same. "Remember that night
when..."

xXx

August 2005:

Knock knock knock...

"Daddy!" son number two called out from the other side of
the closed bedroom door.

"Daddy's in the middle of something..." Namely Mommy's
legs. Fox tried to make his voice sound as normal as
possible, which was no easy task. "What's wrong?"

"Can't sleep. I want a story please."

"Not yet... I'm telling Mommy a story... It's a grown up
story," he elaborated hastily before his son forgot the
'no entering closed bedroom without permission' rule. If
the door was locked, that wasn't a problem, but Fox
couldn't remember if he had done so. It was a struggle to
keep his voice from sounding breathless and somewhat
strangulated. "Go back to bed....pick a book... and I'll
be there."

Dana was lying beneath Fox, hand over her mouth, not so
much as to hold back moans of pleasure as her howls of
threatened laughter. The trouble was, her whole body was
convulsing with mirth, which put considerable pressure on
a part of his anatomy that was already having trouble
acting as a stationary bookmark between the pages. It
wanted to forge ahead with its favourite read.

Brett's voice was plaintive. "Will you come soon?"

"*Definitely*..." his father managed, even more
plaintively.

"Okay..." Their son shuffled off down the hallway.

Then Dana, oh so sympathetic to her husband's plight,
asked with admirable innocence considering her current
state and position, "How does the story end, Fox?"

"Like...this..."

They very quickly arrived at their 'happily ever after'.

Dana's voice came in gasps. "Oh yes... I never get
tired... of that story. It's got passion,
excitement...action... and romance, and... nothing beats
that climax... My hero!"

Fox reflected that it was his favourite bedtime story
too. Though he could remember back when he and his wife
didn't only 'read' it in bed. The couch, the hallway, the
kitchen table...

But if 'selective reading' was the price of having
children, then Fox happily accepted it. Besides,
occasionally the boys were being minded elsewhere and the
fun and games could resume, with literary endeavours all
over the place.

He and Dana lay there, trying to decide who had enough
energy to go get Brett back to sleep.

"He asked for you, not me," Dana reminded her husband,
who was in danger of dozing off. She suggested, "Go read
'The Three Little Pigs'... You won't have to fake the
huffing and puffing."

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

"And you're still just as helpful. All the times that
happened over the years..." Fox said.

"Poor baby," his wife said oh-so sympathetically.

Fox thought of the number of times that he'd been sitting
in his armchair reading the paper, and then a little
round face would appear at his shoulder, one of his sons
wanting 'up'. So he'd settle the boy in his lap and his
son would usually fall asleep, meaning that it would then
take ten minutes to try to quietly and gently turn the
page so not to wake him. Or Fox wouldn't dare try, so he
would instead have to read the same articles ten times
over or - more enjoyably - sit and watch the peaceful
angel face.

Or his sons would want to be read to, or read to him.
Sometimes one would come up, then another, then the other
and there would be no room for the paper. Dana would find
him covered in napping children and wriggling his toes to
keep the circulation going in his legs.

But often if she went to pick any of them up to put them
to bed, he would tell her it was okay.

And there were the times where he hadn't locked the
bedroom door and during the night had decided to see if
his wife felt like some ardent adventures...only to find
one or more of the boys curled up asleep between them. It
had certainly killed off any amorous intent.

He mused over those events while chatting and eating.
While he and Dana were waiting for their next course, he
started to say, "Hey, remember when we had that argument
over whether -" He stopped at the look she gave him.
"What?"

"Fox, let's stick to happy memories tonight, especially
since it's the anniversary of what turned out to be such
a wonderful day."

"Sure. Sorry," he said with a mock-contrite pout.

She laughed. "What about that Sunday morning..."

xXx

Late 2007:

Dana stretched happily as she came downstairs. Fox had
insisted that she have a lie in and long bath this
morning, while he took care of the boys. Her sense of
languidness wasn't just from the bath.

She could hear the television going in the living room,
the door of which was closed, and she went into the
kitchen to find her husband at the table with the
newspaper.

Fox looked up with a smile. "Good morning."

"It certainly is." Dana put her arms around him from
behind and said sultrily, "Though I'm surprised you can
speak after the workout you gave your tongue last night."

Keir popped up from under the table, a headband and
feather adorning his head. "Did you talk a lot last
night, Daddy?"

"Yes, son," Fox said smoothly, despite Dana being so
startled that her draped arms nearly put him in a
chokehold. "I was in a very... conversational mood."

Keir frowned disapprovingly. "Didn't you let Mommy talk?"

"Yes, but she was in a more... receptive mood. She wanted
to listen. A lot." Fox sipped at his orange juice to
cover his growing grin.

"Oh, that's okay then. 'Cause that can be rude." Having
said his piece, their son disappeared back under his
teepee tablecloth.

"I'm sure some people would consider what we did very
rude indeed," Fox whispered into his wife's ear, smirking
all the while.

Dana tightened her hand on her husband's shoulder and
hissed in his ear, "You didn't tell me that small
children were present!"

"Like you gave me warning that you were in a corruptive
frame of mind?"

And like she had done a headcount of the boys before
opening her mouth...

xXx

2008:
Restaurant

"Actually, you were the vocal one on the night in
question, Dana," Fox reminded her with the same look of
smugness he had been wearing at that time.

"Don't talk with your mouth f-" she started to fire back,
then stopped, realising that she was getting herself in
even deeper.

"Exactly. And there have been plenty of other times..."

xXx

Early 2003:

Dana was watching Danny playing with a friend's little
girl, Jemma.

Jemma said to him, "My daddy calls Mommy 'Sweetiecakes'
and 'Honey'."

"I've heard my daddy call my mommy 'Scully'," Danny
replied.

Jemma wrinkled her nose. "That's a funny name."

Danny shrugged, intent on loading his toy pick up truck.
"It was her name before she married Daddy. Sometimes she
calls him 'God' or 'my God'."

Dana reported the conversation to her husband a few hours
later, once she had recovered somewhat.

After Fox finished choking and spluttering, he said,
"That's it. I *told* you we should get our bedroom
soundproofed!"

"And as I told you, no soundproofing has yet been
invented that blocks outgoing noises but doesn't block
incoming. If one of the boys calls out because he's sick
or having a nightmare or wants something or is at our
door, I want to be able to hear him. Danny's too old for
a baby monitor now and the others will be soon enough.
We're just going to have to be quieter."

"I thought we were!"

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

They had nearly finished their meal by this stage. Dana
looked at Fox. "You're not exactly blameless either, you
know."

He said, "I suppose you're going to provide evidence?"

"You know me well. Even just last week, for example..."

xXx

Fox and Dana's bedroom:

Dana answered the phone. It was her brother, Bill. They
were still chatting five minutes later when Fox entered
from the connecting bathroom, dripping and clad only in a
towel. When he realised who the caller was, a very evil
expression came over his face. Her husband went over and
locked the bedroom door.

Uh oh...

Fox then proceeded to dry himself in front of her -
firstly by a spot of flashing, giving her glimpses of
bare thigh, bare ass... All the changes in wind currents
from flapping that towel around would probably give him a
chill. And it would serve him right.

Dana continued talking to Bill while watching Fox. It was
like a game or a challenge - her trying to hold onto her
professionalism and her end of the conversation while Fox
did increasingly erotic acts with the towel, brazenly
trying to crack her composure (and putting on a very nice
show at the same time). She had to watch him, because not
only was he very watchable indeed, but this was part of
the challenge. If she did not maintain her composure or
eye contact - with any part of him - he had won.

There was no doubt about it. Her husband was the
embodiment of the lyrics: "Sexy baby, you drive me
crazy."

She managed to keep her outer cool, but her tongue and
throat were dry by the end of the conversation. Other
parts of her were the opposite...

She put the phone down then wiped the smug grin off Fox's
face (and as a bonus parched her thirst - on many levels)
by throwing him to the floor and giving him a thorough
tongue lashing, making sure that she caught every
annoying little rivulet of water that the towel had
missed on his top half, then she brought his rampant
swelled ego back down to size while taking care of her
own needs.

A phrase that she had heard on a TV show once, as part of
a song, popped into her mind. "Come melt into me..." Very
apt description. Physics might say it was impossible, but
physics was not married to this man.


END PART TWO OF FIVE.

Part 3

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

Dana was warming to her subject. "Not to mention the 
time -"

"Then why are you mentioning it?" her husband asked wryly
and rhetorically.

xXx

2000:

While getting ready for bed, Fox was still fuming about
their next door neighbour's actions. "I can't believe he
just chopped the elm like that, without getting help -
it's bad enough that he brought down the fence. He could
have got our house. Hell, he could have hit Danny!"

Dana was trying to be patient. "Fox, he did it on a day
when he knew we were all away for the weekend. It's only
a *section* of the fence. It can be replaced." Though the
thought of Danny possibly sitting there playing at the
time... But he wasn't, and with everything that had
happened and was happening on the X-Files front this
year, dealing with the fence was something blessedly
normal. "Yes, he should have got professionals in to do
it -"

But her husband was off again. Even when they were under
the covers and lying on their sides, holding, he kept
grizzling about the irresponsibility and the damage and
what he would have done in their neighbour's shoes. He
was too distracted to notice his wife wriggling and
shifting about.

"And another thing - mmmmph!" Fox found himself gagged,
or rather 'stoppered'. His wife had just put the business
end of one of her breasts in his mouth in a perfectly
executed manoeuvre. "Hrmpgh, mmmmm..." His surprise and
indignance faded amazingly quickly and he did not waste
the presented opportunity, forgetting all about the
fence.

Dana tried not to sound smug. "I figured it used to work
with our son, it works with you...oooohhhh, and it
*definitely* works for me!"

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

"All that proves is how shameless *you* are," Fox
insisted. "And speaking of which..."

"Uh oh. I knew this one would come up sooner or later."

"Which?"

"The Saturday morning when I was pregnant with Brett and
armed with nail polish."

"That's the one."

xXx

Spring 2001
Around 6.30 am:

Exhausted, Dana quietly padded back into the main
bedroom. Danny had been waking up every few hours and it
had taken a lot to settle him down again each time. The
night had been unseasonably hot for this time of year, so
whether that was a factor or their toddler was having
nightmares or just going through a phase, she and Fox
couldn't tell for sure.

Or perhaps Danny wasn't happy about the talk that a baby
was on the way, seeing it as competition instead of a
future playmate... Dana touched her abdomen. The baby was
starting to show. His influence in the cleavage
department certainly was in evidence too.

She beheld her husband. He had gone for a run at dawn
before the temperature increased, then had a shower and
returned to bed. Fox was lying on his back, sound asleep,
wearing only lime green boxer shorts. He looked adorable.

Daniel had chosen those boxers. Dana had taken him into a
department store to choose a birthday gift for his father
last year, and Danny's eyes were caught by the colour.
Trying to convince him to at least pick boxers that were
a more conservative colour, Dana found that her gentle
coercions were met by utter stubbornness and the promise
of a major temper tantrum.

Gee, who could he possibly have inherited that from?

They had ended up getting the boxers. Then for Christmas
Fox 'retaliated' by 'helping' their son choose a bottle
of nail polish for her, in that very shade of green.

A lot had happened in 2000: the destruction of the
Consortium and Fox nearly dying in the process, saving
the world 'on the quiet' with the rebel aliens and those
'good' aliens going to war with the other aliens far away
in space. Those were just a few of the events... So it
had been nice to have some light relief at Christmas that
year. Early this year the X-Files division had found out
for sure that the aliens who had planned on colonisation
were no longer a threat. The rebel aliens who defeated
that faction had decided to leave Earth alone. Also there
was now a vaccine that provided lifetime immunity from
the black cancer.

And then Samantha came back into Fox's life...

Dana stood in the bedroom, barefoot and pregnant, and
pulled her mind from its wandering back to the situation
at hand. She found herself thinking how funny it would be
if she painted her husband's nails lime green to match
his boxers. Not his fingernails - his toenails. Payback
of sorts.

Fox would hardly sit still for that, but she could see he
was in his hour or so of deep 'dead sleep'.

Before she had time to think about what she was doing and
come to her senses, Dana made sure she had enough light
to work by, and went to it. As she expected, Fox slept
through her ministrations. The end effect was amusing and
very cute. She took a photo and was soon back in bed.
This time she hoped that Danny would keep sleeping. She
was exhausted.

She also couldn't wait to see the look on her husband's
face...

She didn't know how much later it was that she heard
Fox's gentle voice. "Dana? Dana..."

Still at least eighty percent asleep and having
temporarily forgotten her little joke, she murmured,
"Mmmm?"

"Skinner called. He wants me at work for an hour or two.
No big deal. I've got time to feed Danny before I go.
Beth's fine to have him for a while. You enjoy a sleep
in, love. You need it." Fox was ecstatic that he was
going to be a father again.

"Mmmm..."

Dana felt his lips on her cheek. His hand gently brushed
through her hair. She went back to sleep.

A while later she drifted near the edge of wakefulness.
Memories floated past her. Painting Fox's toes. Fox
saying he was going in to work...

Dana's eyes flew open and she yelled in alarm, "Fox,
you've got green toes!"

The bedroom was empty. "Oh no..." She got up and went to
check if Fox was still around. No, he was gone - he'd
left a note to confirm where he was and where their son
was. The car was gone too, which meant that he had
already dropped Danny across the road at their
neighbour's house and left.

Dana looked at the phone. Fox couldn't have noticed his
toes this morning, otherwise she was sure she would have
heard about it.

But what was the point of phoning him and telling him? No
one was going to see her handiwork. She would 'fess up'
when he got home.

After going to the bathroom she had some breakfast then
went and collected Daniel.

Upon returning, she saw the light flashing on the
answering machine. She pressed play. Danny reacted
happily to his father's voice, which said, "Hi hon! Was
able to sort things out quicker than I thought. I'm going
to have a swim here, so I'll see you at around -"

Dana tuned out at that point. Horrified, she looked at
her son. Oblivious, Danny kept eating the Popsicle that
Beth had given him.

Oh, not the FBI pool! Daddy is going to divorce me...
Dana thought. Though not if I catch him in time!

She swung into action but couldn't raise Fox on either
his cellular or desk phone or any other likely avenue.
Agent Coffrey from their division was going to try to
find him quickly, but it was probably too late. Fox must
already be at the pool. So instead of prevention, she
would have to go into damage control.

Though hopefully Fox would see the colour while removing
a sock and be able to quickly put the sock back on and
pretend that he had changed his mind about a dip.

But she knew her husband's luck didn't usually hold up
that well.

Perhaps he HAD noticed the polish and his phone message
was part of a diabolical revenge.

But it wasn't his style to do that to a pregnant woman.

Still, he was going to be pissed.

Yep, definitely damage control. Time to plan. Thank God
Mom was coming soon to take Danny to a picnic with some
of her friends.

Eventually all was ready - including the bottle of polish
remover on the sideboard and their son safely away from
the house - when Dana saw her husband stomping down their
back garden path from the garage. Quickly she went into
the living room.

"Dana!" Fox bellowed as he entered the house.

"In here!"

Fox came to the living room doorway, his face dark. Dana
lay on the couch in an extremely suggestive pose, wearing
a nightgown that was very very short and very very
translucent. It also highlighted her burgeoning breasts.

Husband was unmoved. "Do you think *that's* going to make
amends?"

"I guess I should have chosen the French maid outfit
instead."

"Don't change the subject."

"But it's my favourite subject..." She pouted playfully.

"Dana, you painted my toenails. Not just that, but you
painted them *lime green*."

"Well, that's more masculine than Barbie pink! Lime green
could be your signature colour. I didn't know you would
have to go in to work today! Or that you'd then decide to
take a swim, today of all days! Didn't you realise when
you took your socks off?"

"There are days when everything in the universe seems to
conspire against me. Today was one such day," Fox said.
"This morning I dressed in the dark to avoid waking you
or Danny. When I got out into the kitchen I just made
sure that I hadn't put on odd socks or shoes. Then Pete
Chapman and I were talking in the locker room while we
got changed, so I didn't notice my Kermit the Frog feet."

Dana was trying very very hard not to laugh.

"As I was walking out alongside the pool, Pete and I were
still talking. I could see that I was getting some
attention -"

"You usually do when you wear your Speedos, big boy..."
she couldn't help saying with a purr.

Fox ignored that and continued on with dignity, "Then I
could hear snickers but didn't know what was going on. I
thought that maybe you'd left some scratches on my back
or a hickey on me or something. I wish that were all.
Then I got up on a block to dive into the water, found
myself looking at a pair of lime green toenails and
realised they were mine. Not only that, but as I was in
my red Speedos, I looked very festive! Too bad it's not
Christmas!"

"Oh Fox, I'm so sorry..."

"You will be. I'm sure this is in the top ten of things
you're supposed to never, ever do to your husband."

She borrowed his puppy dog pout. "I'm pregnant. My
hormones -"

"Dana, pregnant women get strange cravings for food, and
in your case, sex. Toenail painting doesn't fall under
either of those categories. And that excuse does not get
you off the hook."

"But as you can see, I'm ready to be chastised." She ran
a hand over her thigh and the curve of her behind, and
battered her lashes at him invitingly.

Fox folded his arms. "Tom Colton was at the pool. Of all
people."

"Fox, please come here." She hoped he would. He was right
about her craving for sex while pregnant -she did get
very horny. If he'd just... It would kill two birds with
one stone.

He kept glaring at her from the doorway. "I'm not in the
mood. I've got to go upstairs and de-lime my toes. And
for the rest of my career I'll have to put up with J
Edgar Hoover jokes..."

Dana then decided to get even more devious. As the lyrics
of a song went, "I love it when you do that thing you
do." Well, Dana promptly did a raunchy little move that
always got her husband's attention. This was no
exception.

"Don't do that..." His voice started off angry then got
very distracted. Early on in their marriage he had told
Dana that when she did that move, his sperm always
started queuing up to leave.

"Don't do what? This?" She did it again.

"Dana..."

"All's fair in love and war. I don't want to make war
with you, Fox. I want to make love. Besides, you haven't
given me a kiss yet... Come on. You just need to get over
this bad mood. I'll make you forget all about it."

She proceeded to make her husband so mellow that
afterwards she was able to remove all traces of lime
paint from his toenails with the same ease that she had
removed all traces of grumpiness from his expression.

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

Fox looked at his wife. "You were SO lucky with that
one."

Dana grinned at him. "When you woke up, you looked down
at your toes and I could tell by the expression on your
face that I'd shagged you so well and thoroughly that you
couldn't even remember if you'd just dreamed about the
lime nails or not!"

"True. Though I knew I hadn't on the Monday morning when
I arrived at work."

She decided that a subject change was in order. "Oh, what
about the time that Danny..."

xXx

Early 2003:

It was open day at a school near where the Mulders lived.
Dana and Fox took Danny along for a looksee, planning
ahead for the beginning of their son's school education,
while the younger boys were being babysat for a few
hours.

In the large, toy filled kindergarten room, Dana went
over to examine an exhibit made by this year's students.
Danny's attention was caught by a colourful mural on one
of the walls and he 'dragged' his father over to it. Fox
picked his son up to give him a better look. Dana could
hear them talking about it.

A pretty young woman approached father and son. Dana
could see that she was wearing a name tag - a teacher.
And even from halfway across the room, Dana could see
that the teacher was clearly taken by Fox's looks. If she
had to profile the teacher's mind at the moment, she
would bet the woman was hoping that this guy would enroll
his son so she would get to keep seeing him. And probably
also hoping he was divorced or single... Fox's wedding
ring was currently out of sight, on the arm he was using
to hold their child.

Dana began to make her way over to them, having to
navigate around some toys and a table and a few kids
playing on the floor.

"I'm Fox Mulder," Fox said, extending his free hand. "And
this is Daniel." In adorable imitation of his father,
Danny stuck his hand out for the teacher to shake.

The young woman nearly melted on the spot. Two males who
were not only handsome, but beautifully mannered. She
practically cooed, "And what does your father do,
Daniel?"

"He makes Mommy very happy!"

This loud and proud declaration was of course heard by
the entire room.

"Lucky Mommy..." said a woman who was sitting at a
dollhouse with her daughter.

"He does all right too!" Dana couldn't help replying on
her way past.

Fox heard her, and his grin became even wider. "I'm not
complaining..."

xXx

2008
Restaurant:

"One of the best long term careers I've had in my life,"
Fox said. "That and fatherhood, of course."

Dana smiled. "And I tied them in together - happiness and
parenthood."

"That you did."

xXx

Late December 1998
Mulder Apartment:

Sleep-deprived but extremely happy, Fox returned from a
trip to the store and found the reasons for those
emotions were currently in an armchair. His wife was
nursing their three-day-old son.

Fox put down the groceries, shed his coat and gloves,
then went over to give her a kiss and stroke Danny's
head. He squatted down next to the armchair and watched
them. "How do you do that?"

Dana raised an eyebrow at him. "Do what?" she asked.
"Breastfeed?"

"No. It's just that every time I think that you can't
possibly get any more beautiful than you already are, you
prove me wrong."

She blinked, surprised. Having given birth so recently,
beautiful was probably the last thing she felt.

Fox reached out to touch her face and then Danny's tiny
fingers as he explained. "I've always thought that you
were a very beautiful woman. Then when we first became
lovers, I thought there was nothing more beautiful than
how you looked when we were... You know." He grinned at
the memories, even though there would be no more of that
for weeks. "Before, during and after. And when you'd
arrive home and come over to kiss me. Then when we got
married and you were standing on the beach in that
dress... When Danny was showing I thought you couldn't
possibly top that. I should have known better. Seeing you
with him now..."

They kissed gently, careful not to squash their still-
feeding son between their bodies.

Dana smiled at her husband. "I've got a theory."

"Oooo. About?"

"How I became pregnant against all odds."

Fox thought he already knew her theory. The scientific
side of her would say it was a random ovulation of an egg
that had fortunately avoided collection or sterilisation.
The religious side of her would say it was a miracle or
gift from God. He had always thought she viewed Daniel's
conception as a mixture of both.

But once again his wife surprised him.

"When we got together for the first time, I think that
our love was so strong that it had to physically manifest
itself - and I don't just mean as in the incredible
orgasms we gave each other," she clarified with a grin,
then became serious again. "We hadn't verbally said the
words at that stage, but we knew what we felt. Our love
was too great to be contained just by the two of us, so
it took physical form. And here he is."

"I like that theory. I like it a lot," Fox said quietly,
barely trusting himself to speak.

It looked like Dana was feeling as emotive. Her eyes were
bright as she fixed them on the baby. "And since I had
Danny, I realised the truth of something that Mom told me
a long time ago. You remember how I killed that garter
snake with the BB gun when I was a girl?"

Fox nodded. Maggie had told him a long time ago, but Dana
also had brought up the incident herself in the
intervening years.

Dana continued, "I felt awful. I was so upset at the time
and nothing Mom said could comfort me. I told her that I
was horrible for what I did and that I knew there was no
way she would forgive me or love me anymore. Mom replied
that I was her daughter and that she would always love
me."

His wife blinked hard, her voice becoming more choked. "I
understand now. I love Danny because he's my son and
because I didn't think I'd be able to have a baby, but I
love him even more because he's yours. Ours." Tears were
running down her face as she looked at her husband again.

He reached out and held his family.


END PART THREE OF FIVE.

Part 4

xXx

2008:

Fox and Dana were leaving the restaurant. The staff
almost gave them a round of applause for making it
through to the end of the meal. Dana had made sure to put
the fortune cookie message in her bag ("I want to get it
framed and put in our bedroom to commemorate this special
day.")

She knew that Fox had made plans for the rest of their
evening, so she waited in anticipation to find out what
they were. Between courses at the restaurant she had
phoned home to see if everything was all right, which it
was.

Her husband took them to a hotel that was not their usual
one. Their usual had been the nicest one nearest to the
restaurant, or the closest after that depending on
vacancies. This was more of a drive and more upscale. And
they were escorted up to a luxury suite. Dana and Fox
usually had overnight bags in the car on those nights
out, knowing how handy they would become during their
hotel visits. So the bellboy put those bags down now and
exited.

Dana stared around the suite. It was beautiful and filled
with flowers. She gave her husband a hug then asked
impishly, "And what would you have done if I'd turned
down tonight's proposal?"

"Thought that you'd come to your senses at last?" he
joked. "I told the boys that I might be taking you
dancing tonight. When they ask where we went after
eating, we can say that we *did* go dancing. There's a
stereo over there with a selection of music I think
you'll approve of."

They spent time dancing close and barefoot on the carpet,
laughing and enjoying the intimacy, before close became
closer and things started smouldering. Fox had already
arranged for a 'wake up call' to prevent them becoming
late just in case they fell asleep afterwards.

"Ten years," Dana said as they slipped between the
sheets.

"Ten years..."

"And you haven't gotten bored with me?"

"Bored?" He looked affronted at the very suggestion.

"Well, you know every inch of me..." she pointed out.

"I could never be bored with you or by you. Especially
after not being able to touch you for so long... Or being
able to show you how I felt..." His hands and lips were
on the move, to appreciative noises. "And I'll never be
sick of hearing you make that noise, and know that I'm
the one responsible for it. Any requests?"

She told him precisely what she wanted.

"If that's your plan, I'm your man."

"That is my goal, Fox in the hole!"

xXx

A Saturday in Winter, 2001:

Dana lay on the living room couch, reading while Danny
played on the floor. The morning sickness hadn't been too
bad today, but she was taking it easy anyway. She and Fox
had gone to the doctor's earlier in the week, where the
pregnancy was confirmed. So far, so good.

And to top off what was already an incredible week, Fox
had received a phone call from his sister. During the
Consortium's defeat and destruction in 2000, Fox found
out for sure that the woman the Cigarette Smoking Man had
brought to him in the diner when Dana had cancer really
was Samantha. This time Fox was also able to get her
location. He made contact with her again, but just like
in their meeting at the diner, she was frightened and
reluctant to re-establish a relationship with him. Fox
left his contact details with her, upset but relieved to
know that she was alive and had a family. That quest had
been fulfilled, even if not quite in the way he had
envisaged.

Dana lowered her magazine and watched Danny play, while
thinking about how Samantha had phoned a few days ago.
Events had made Sam re evaluate her decisions to shut her
brother out of her life. She and Fox talked for an hour
and Sam wanted to meet him when she came back to D.C.
early in the next week. She was still somewhat nervous
and uncertain, especially since it was bringing so many
emotions and memories to the surface, but it was a start.

When Danny was a baby the X-Files division had been
expanded, which proved very useful when the whole alien
factor came to a head over the last year. One of the new
agents was a man in his early thirties called Sebastian
Bahnsen. 'Bastian' was a friend of the Gunmen and on the
same wavelength as Fox when it came to the paranormal,
but without his burden of guilt and 'rush in and worry
about the consequences later' approach.

Fox and Dana came to trust him and have a great working
relationship with him. Fox had found his perfect
successor - as well as someone to hang out with and shoot
the breeze (and basketballs).

Lately the Mulders been spending time on consults and
training of X-Files agents while Bastian and Co took care
of the day to day running of the division. Dana had made
sure there was also a nice balance of scientists in the
division. They were all still monitoring the alien
situation, among other things.

The paranormal now had more credibility than it used to,
validated at last, though the average citizen had no idea
just how close they had come to being colonised. Grateful
people in power knew just how important the X-Files were.

The Mulders were planning on moving fully into consulting
work, contracted to the FBI and other appropriate
government agencies. The X-Files Division would certainly
call on them when needed, and they could still keep a
finger on the pulse of the X-Files through Skinner and
Agent Bahnsen and the other agents. The Mulders could
take on private cases if they wanted. Contracting
provided them with needed flexibility.

Fox and Dana did not have to work such relentless hours a
week anymore, apart from rare occasions that could not be
avoided. Family came first - they wanted to raise their
miracles themselves and enjoy this time and what they had
been given, especially now that they had made sure their
children's future was a lot safer and had answers to
quests that had driven them for years. They could sleep
in instead of saving the world or sacrificing.

Now that their family was growing, Dana was cutting back
her hours even more. She was going to see how the
consulting went. Part time autopsy work was an option, as
well as journal articles, which she could produce from
home.

Dana was just about to get up and take Danny upstairs for
his nap when she heard her husband come in the back door.
He entered the living room. Danny immediately held his
arms up and the toddler was scooped into his father's
grasp for a hug. Fox came over and kissed her with Danny
perched on his hip. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

Their eyes were shining. Pregnant again. Another baby.

Danny pressed his father into service with his block
building before Dana could tell Fox that their son had
missed his usual nap time so should be put to bed now.
But a few minutes of father-son time wouldn't hurt. Fox
sat on the floor and followed his son's lead. While doing
so, he looked over at Dana and told her that he had been
talking to their next door neighbour, Peter Stanton, who
had the other half of the duplex. "He said that he's been
offered a better position at his Seattle branch. He and
Mary are thinking seriously about it. They've got family
there and he said it would be good for the kids."

"When do they have to decide? It sounds good, but they
were great neighbours - yes, apart from the tree-dropping
incident. I hope our luck holds out with the next
ones..."

Fox smiled. "Well, I've got an idea on that count... But
to answer your question, they've got until next Thursday
to yay or nay."

"And my next question is, what's going on in that head of
yours?"

"We've got a growing boy with another on the way. And
perhaps a third soon after, if that vision you had comes
true," he said, bringing to her mind what she could
remember of her strange dream a week ago, by the end of
which she had realised she was pregnant again. "We'll
need more room. Perhaps not straight away while the kids
are young, but it would be good to have that option. We
could get a bigger house somewhere, or..."

"We could buy the other half of the duplex," she
finished.

"Exactly. Well, we both love this place, and it would be
handy. We wouldn't have to go through the stress and
upheaval of moving! Just renovation... If we expanded
through into the other half, the kids could have a room
each, and we could have a study each, which could double
as bedrooms for visitors. A bigger backyard..." The
Mulders could afford a mansion, but they had no need or
desire for one.

Dana nodded as she considered. "I like the sound of
that... You're not just a pretty you-know-what."

He smirked. "Be worth it to make sure that we don't get
any more trees dropped on us. And there's something else
to be considered if we did buy it. For starters, while
the kids are little, we could just put a door through on
each level to the other half, so that they would still be
two self-contained homes. Then Mom could stay there
whenever she wants, or Sam, or whoever is on babysitting
duty, especially when it comes near your due date. And if
we do end up with three kids very close together, I have
a feeling Mom will want the option of being at close
quarters on occasions while they're very young so that
you aren't in a permanent state of exhaustion."

"Or you, Mr Sensitive New Age Man."

"Hey, you carry them around for so long and then have to
give birth... Least I can do is my share."

"Too bad they haven't worked out a way to make a man
produce breastmilk..."

"You shoved a bottle my way at 2.00 am often enough,
woman, and I'm sure will continue to do so."

As Dana had once noted, when Fox got laid regularly, he
became a much nicer person. But there was more to it than
that. His tendency to be self-absorbed at times shrank
back an amazing degree once he and she had admitted their
love and acted on it, able to talk openly and honestly,
at last allowed to express their feelings without fear or
guilt or backing away.

And it went both ways. Her own character flaws and
stubborn denial had also reversed. Fox had opened her up
in many ways...

Speaking of which...

When Dana sat up, he said, "Are you feeling sick again?"

"No. Not sick. If you can put Danny down for his nap,
I'll be waiting for you in the bedroom... And I really
feel like doing page 32."

That was their sexual shorthand, like a code. She watched
Fox mentally flick through the pages of their favourite
sex guide and land on the position she wanted. He
whistled appreciatively. "Son, I hope you're ready to go
down, because Daddy would like to go down too, with
Mommy..."

He picked Danny up. Danny promptly sensed that bedtime
was imminent and started crying. The way he was crying
told them both that he was overtired, and that he wasn't
about to go down without a fight. Or rather, a tantrum.

As Fox took him upstairs, she could hear her husband
saying, "I know you don't want to go to bed. You must
think it's very boring. But believe me, kid, when you get
older, going to bed takes on a whole new meaning!"

xXx

2008:

They had ended up buying the other half of the duplex and
still lived in that house.

Now Fox and Dana were driving home from the hotel. "Did
you enjoy tonight, babe?" he asked.

"Well, I certainly fitted a lot in..." She gave him a
good leer, then laughed.

"The fortune cookie was right - enjoy the good luck a
companion brings you. We both got lucky!"

Dana shook her head in amusement. A little while later
they started talking about their sons. A comment of
Dana's led to Fox saying, "Are you insinuating that my
kids are badly behaved?"

She smiled. "They're boys. And they're your boys! Some
chaos at least is a given. They do have their good
points, of course."

"Which they all get from you, no doubt?" Fox asked in a
studiously casual tone.

Dana gave him a look. "Well, they've all got good timing.
Even before they knew how to tell the time! Danny being
born on Christmas Day. Brett having your sense of timing
when it comes to telling jokes. As for Keir..." She
thought back and smiled.

"Right from birth..."

"And he has always been your shadow. I think that's
because you're the first thing he saw. Imprinted."

xXx

2002
Main bedroom:

Fox came in quietly from Brett and Danny's rooms, careful
not to make much noise shutting the door. "They're both
asleep," he reported about their three year old and
eleven-month old.

"Good." Dana looked at her large abdomen. "And hopefully
this one will decide to follow their examples so that I
can get some too."

Having two babies under one year old as well as a
preschooler was going to be a handful. But they
definitely weren't going to send this one back on that
count.

Fox was still consulting and enjoying it. He needed such
an outlet for his drive to solve puzzles and investigate
and use his skills, while also allowing him to be there
for his family instead of working a zillion hours a week
or being away on field trip after field trip.
Occasionally he did some lecturing and was popular - his
style and passion for his subjects were a welcome change
for those attending his presentations. That was the
consensus regardless of whether the audience were agents-
in-training or college attendees. One of the students
told him he should write a book on the paranormal. Fox
thought he might somewhere down the track.

Dana was having time off for now. With three children so
close together she wanted to raise the kids without doing
a big juggle while they were young and so time-consuming.
Journal articles could still be factored in though. Like
with Fox's lectures, they went down well. There would
also be an occasional autopsy so she would stay certified
and keep her hand in. Being so good at them was another
reason, as well as providing an outlet for her own desire
to investigate and solve puzzles. When their children
were older she could go back into consulting or part time
in the autopsy bay. And her husband still relied on her
opinions and knowledge with his consults.

That was the plan, anyway. As usual, they would see how
things went and take it from there. Adaptability was the
key. Fox had even remarked that if Dana found she wanted
to get back into work quicker than they had anticipated,
then he could stay home and try to write the paranormal
book, instead of 'waiting until retirement to do it'.
Dana had replied that him alone in the house with three
kids would equal no book... He'd be lucky to get one
chapter done by the time they were all in school. Not to
mention the mess the house would be in. But the thought
had counted.

"I'm going to tiptoe downstairs for a snack. Any
cravings?" Fox asked, watching Dana try to get her little
body and huge abdomen comfortable in the bed.

"Just for sleep."

"I might watch some TV for an hour or so, then I'll come
up, okay?"

"Okay, but if anyone howls, you're on duty."

"Yes, ma'am." He picked up the baby monitors.

Fox went downstairs and got his snack, then promptly fell
asleep in the living room while watching the History
Channel. He went into his dead sleep. When Danny was
still a baby, Dana had fretted about what might happen
while Fox was in this state. "What if the baby starts to
choke and you're the only one in the room with him?" But
Fox had reassured her that although his dead sleep was
very deep, something seemed to kick in if major trouble
threatened, and he would wake up. And so it proved,
especially when it came to the kids. Parental 'disaster
prevention' radar. When told of this, Byers reminded him
of the time when Fox had slept through Daniel needing a
diaper change. "He was letting out a racket, but you
didn't get up."

"That's easy. He wasn't in danger. Subconsciously I knew
that you three Stooges were there and that you'd do it.
Though if you'd let him scream for much longer, I would
have woken up."

"Now you tell us."

And so it also proved when some nephews had taken
advantage of the dead sleep to start tying Fox up, saying
they were playing cowboys and Indians. As Fox explained
to Dana later: "On some level I knew that (a) it was only
kids tying me up, not a madman, and (b) that you were in
the house so I wouldn't be at their complete mercy or
stuck if anything happened, like a fire."

Fox woke up with a start. Living room. TV on. He stared
at the clock, absently noting it was about thirty minutes
since he had come downstairs. What was -?

Dana was screaming his name.

Oh God, Dana, the kids...?

Fox raced upstairs, still somewhat disorientated. Dana's
yells were coming from the main bedroom. He burst in.
Dana was alone, hunched on the bed.

"Fox, the baby's coming!"

"Now?" he stammered. She cried out and her face
contorted. Fox was relieved that Maggie was in residence
in the other half of the duplex, not far away at all. And
quickly accessible through the connecting doors they'd
had put in on both levels. "Okay, I'll go grab Mom and go
get the car round."

His wife was shaking her head. "He's COMING NOW!" She
cried out again in pain.

Fox was by this stage at the bed and saw that Dana was
not exaggerating. The baby's head was crowning. That woke
him up fast. He looked frantically for the phone - the
bedroom cordless, his cellular, her cellular, anything -
but no luck. The cordless wasn't in its cradle and it was
nowhere in sight. Great.

Dana was able to tell him that the cordless was under the
bed. She explained later on that she had knocked it under
there by accident when her water broke, then she hadn't
been able to reach it.

Cue a blur of activity. He phoned 911, then Maggie, while
giving Dana encouragement - "I'm here. Okay, you're doing
great. I can see the head. He's a redhead!" - and quickly
racing to the connecting bathroom for some clean towels
and to wash his hands.

Then Fox scrambled up onto the bed, in position, trying
not to think of what could go wrong. There wasn't much
point telling Dana to push. She was doing that and would
probably give him a death glare for stating the obvious.
And now Maggie was here too, so he wasn't 'alone'.

He kept up a running commentary, partly as a distraction,
and to give Dana a progress report, and he ended up
delivering his son. During all the activity, Maggie had
also been trying to keep watch for the ambulance's
arrival out the bedroom window so she could go and let
the EMTs in and guide them upstairs as quickly as
possible.

Dana and the baby seemed fine and the birth seemed to
have gone well, but it would be best to be sure, so Fox
wanted EMTs and a hospital in the equation in the
shortest possible order and wondered where the hell the
medics were. Surely they should have been here by now?

It turned out that the ambulance had been involved in an
accident on its way over and another one had to be
dispatched...

Finally, Fox, Dana and the baby arrived at the hospital
in the second ambulance and all proved to be fine. Maggie
stayed behind in their half of the duplex to look after
the elder boys.

In their private hospital room, husband and wife smiled
at each other and at the newest addition to their family,
touching him. Dana was rocking little Keir gently. "The
Scully colouring at last... Hello, little one."

"You okay?" Fox asked her.

"Yes. I have a feeling though... That he's our last
baby."

Fox nodded. "Me too. But three out of zero ain't bad,
love."

"That's true. We're so blessed."

"I've been thinking," Fox said as he picked the baby up.
"We broke the bed when we conceived him and we know what
date and time that was, seeing as it was very memorable.
And I'm pretty sure that he popped out nine months later
to the day, to the hour and perhaps even the minute!"


END PART FOUR OF FIVE.

Part 5
xXx

2008
Mulder Townhouse
Alexandria:

Fox and Dana put the car away in the garage and went inside.

They and Sam chatted while Sam got ready to leave, then came thank
yous and goodbyes. Sebastian Bahnsen was going to be Fox's best
man, but Sam was going to be his attendant - though not in a suit
and tie, she insisted. Then if Bastian got a case, 'best man'
would still be covered.

Fox and Dana went upstairs to check on their sons. The kids had
all bunked in together - a common occurrence. Each boy's bedroom
had a bunk bed and a couch, so often the younger boys would sleep
in the same room or they all did. Tonight they were in Keir's
room.

Brett was found to be reading under his covers, and the other two
woke up while his flashlight was being confiscated.

Dana didn't like Brett reading under the covers as it caused eye
strain. But Brett liked the 'atmosphere' of it. He was the son who
at aged three had asked his father for a glass of milk, received
it, then promptly poured it into a potted plant. "Hey! Why did you
ask for a drink if you didn't want it?"

Fox had received a withering look in reply and the emphatic
response: "The plant was *thirsty*, Daddy!"

Ahhh, memories...

Brett was also into rocks - crystals especially held his
fascination. So Fox and Dana weren't sure if they had a future
geologist on their hands or a son who took after Melissa, or it
was just a phase. Time would tell.

The book Brett had been reading was one of Danny's, about the Loch
Ness Monster. That reminded Fox of the time that their eldest had
gone through a Bigfoot phase. Danny had come into the living room,
dragging a loaded backpack and announced to his parents that he
was packed and wanted to be taken to Bigfoot territory as soon as
they were ready and could load the tent. He said he had gone over
everything he could find on the subject. The resulting ribbing
from his brothers did not ruffle him in the slightest. Those
traits were pure Fox.

Some of his 'Dana traits' were evident when his mother asked to
check his bag and found that he was thorough in his planning and
packing. The backpack contents included: several changes of
underwear, warm clothing, a canteen of water, forest survival
handbook, mini stereo/computer with games and enough candy bars
"for me and Bigfoot to share". Fox had been amazed that his son
could move the pack at all.

Dana's view of this was: "I can handle him wanting to chase
monsters, though by the time he gets his driver's licence and
doesn't need us to do the driving he'll be chasing girls instead.
That's more of a worry! Actually since he takes after you in
looks, the girls will start chasing *him*. That's even scarier."

Now, in Keir's room, Fox was pleased to see that his sports-mad
son had remembered not to leave his baseball lying around on the
floor after a few near-accidents. Then he turned and took a step
and was nearly done in by a toy truck instead... Keir apologised
around a yawn and offered to cook brownies the next night. Fox
took him up on that because the kid was showing signs of being a
good cook under supervision. It was just the resulting mess that
was the problem...

Finally Fox and Dana were out in the empty hallway and he gave her
a mock 'alone at last' look. She gave him a 'yeah right' look
straight back.

Though there had been times over the years when it was just them
in the house...

xXx

2007
Mulder townhouse
Summer:

Fox had taken the metro home. He came in the front door and was
greeted by his wife, but no stampede of kids or pets. Dana was
holding some printed pages that bore changes in pen, working on a
journal article. After their kiss, his wife walked back into the
living room and he followed her in puzzlement.

"Where is everyone? Where are my boys?"

"Mom and Rob took the boys to the movies. The dog is out the back,
probably burying his bone. So, we've got the house to ourselves
for the next few ho-"

There was a soft thud behind her. Dana turned around to find her
husband was now naked and draped seductively across the coffee
table. She blinked, impressed. "That has got to be a record!" she
remarked as she put the pages down out of the way and tried to
break a few speed records herself.

xXx

2008
Mulder townhouse:

There had been plenty of memorable homecomings over the years.

Like Dana getting into some sexy underwear, then peeking out the
window to make sure that her husband was arriving home alone. Then
she appeared to him once he'd shut the door behind him. "The kids
are -"

She didn't get to say the word 'out' before Fox scooped her up in
his arms without breaking his stride. "With you dressed like that,
I kind of figured they were!" (His other usual response in such
situations was: "Oh, that's too bad... Licence to be loud!")

Now the very eventful anniversary evening was drawing to a close.
The pets had settled themselves down for the night in various
locations, and the boys were in their beds. Dana and Fox checked
to make sure that all was secure and snug, then turned in
themselves.

Fox practically collapsed into bed. "You wore me out, woman!"

"And you're complaining? It's better to wear out than rust out,
Fox. I think I do a great job of keeping your parts functional and
well oiled."

He laughed. They curled up together and drifted easily and quickly
off to sleep.

xXx

2008
Church:

Dana was escorted up the aisle by her sons, who were all far too
subdued to cause any trouble. Or any more trouble than they had
already managed...

Because the pretty white dress - not a fancy gown, but a lovely
dress - was currently lying in the trunk of the wedding car,
splattered with mud. As Dana had alighted from the car, the boys
had gotten into a fight and one threw some mud at the other, who
ducked...Bullseye on the wrong target.

So Dana had changed in the church rest room into the only gear she
could find at short notice... And was now standing sheepishly
before her husband, guests and God in t-shirt and jeans. The t-
shirt had a little blood on it, because the fight had given Brett
a nosebleed, and "I'm a mother before I'm a bride..."

The priest was shaking his head. Maggie was cringing in her seat.
The boys were too scared to utter a sound. Fox was thinking, "How
us."

That was the point where Dana mercifully woke up...

xXx

2008
Mulder townhouse
Bedroom:

Fox woke up to find his wife sitting on the edge of her side of
the bed. "Dana?" He looked at the clock. Around four in the
morning. "What's wrong?"

"Tonight I've had not one, but TWO dreams about renewing our vows
and... Maybe we should just elope!"

"Dana, we don't have to get married again if you don't want to."

"I do want to. I'm just worried that these dreams are a sign!"

"Of what? What happens in them?"

Dana explained about the mud-dress that required a 'jeans and t-
shirt bride', then about the next dream. "As a treat, you gave
Keir a container of 'green slime' or 'alien goo'. You made him
promise not to open it until later, but Danny loosened the lid and
just when I was ready to leave for the church, he told Keir to go
and show me."

"Uh oh."

"Yep. 'Look, Mommy'. Trip. Splat. The need to shampoo my hair for
a week. It went everywhere... I tell you, I am NOT going to wear a
white gown! Or white anything."

"Babe, you're overreacting." The second after he said it, Fox
thought he really should have known better than to say that,
especially after so many years of marriage...

She glared at him. "We have three boys. I'll just have to make
sure that they're not in the house while I'm getting ready."

xXx

2008
The church
For real:

The car pulled up outside the church. Dana looked out. Her sons
were waiting for her on the front steps, with the Gunmen. The
Gunmen were ushers and had also been charged with making sure that
the boys didn't get up to any mischief or have anything stowed in
their pockets that could spell disaster. It had always been handy
to have a ratio of one son per Lone Gunman. Byers gave Dana a
thumbs up, meaning that all was well.

The boys remained where they were, as instructed. They had been
mollified at being 'barred' from the house by the knowledge that
they would get to see Mom in her finery before Dad did.

Her younger brother, Charlie, had driven her to the church. Both
of her brothers had been able to attend the wedding. Charlie
wasn't in the Navy anymore and Bill was now riding a desk at a
navy base instead of the waves after Tara had put her foot down
and insisted he spend more time with his family.

Charlie moved around to open the door for Dana, but she did it
herself. She wasn't in a veil or huge skirt. She was wearing a
long, green embroidered dress, the skirt of which only had a few
layers and no hoop, so it was easy to manoeuvre and alight in. No
train. The hem skimmed the tops of her shoes. It was *not* slime
green either, though if that situation had occurred, at least the
stain wouldn't be quite so obvious.

Dana felt a rush of satisfaction as she got out of the car. She
was only five minutes late. All was ready and all had been
scrutinised down to the last detail to make sure that nothing went
amiss.

Unfortunately she got a little distracted while congratulating
herself.

It was at that point that she shut the car door on her skirt and,
not realising, started to move. A tug and a tearing sound froze
her in her tracks. Dana knew instantly what she had done, even
before the looks of horror on the boys' faces and on the Gunmen
and Charlie. Whether a breeze had lifted a layer, or a fold of the
skirt had been not quite clear of the door...

Oh my God. I was so worried about the boys but they're being
complete angels and I've done myself in anticipating...

Too scared to look at the damage, Dana gave a nervous little laugh
that had an edge of hysteria to it. Suddenly all her famed coping
skills deserted her and she just stood there.

Danny, Brett and Keir raced to her. "Mom, Mom, it's okay!" They
opened the door and assessed the skirt.

"There's a crease and a tear and some grease -" one said.

Charlie said, "Do you have another outfit? We could drive home."

Brett said, "Mom, if we fold the skirt, like this, nobody'll even
see it!"

Dana dared to look down and noticed that the fold didn't even look
out of place. It looked like part of the design.

"But how can we keep it folded over like that?" Danny asked.
"Unless one of us can walk right up close to Mom, right there, to
hide it!"

"Gran's brooch! I'll go get it off her." Brett raced up the stairs
and disappeared into the church.

xXx

Fox looked up. Instead of seeing his wife floating down the aisle
towards him, surrounded by their sons, he saw son number two
racing up the carpet, saying as loudly as he dared, "Gran! Gran!"

Maggie got out of one of the front pews in a hurry and went to
him. "What's wrong, dear?"

Brett whispered in her ear and she quickly set off towards the
front entrance.

"Brett -" Fox began as his son started to follow.

"It's okay, Dad. Mom isn't running off!"

"Well, that's reassuring to know..." Fox murmured as Brett raced
off. Fox couldn't help but notice that Bill Scully Junior was
looking momentarily hopeful that Dana *had* ditched him.

xXx

Once the brooch was in place it actually looked quite good -
suiting the outfit and hiding the damage.

Relieved, Dana got her composure back. She and the boys moved into
their positions, the music started, and off they went down the
aisle. Her eyes locked with her husband's gaze and nothing else in
the world mattered.

Apart from the sound of the brooch coming adrift halfway up the
aisle. It hit the carpet as the fold unfolded itself...

Eyes widened. Mouths formed perfect 'O's. Keir hastily moved to
try to block the sight.

For a few seconds Dana was mortified. But then she realised it
didn't matter. She had three children that she was so very proud
of and a husband who loved her no matter what - things that once
were an unlikely dream for her. And this outfit, even damaged, was
still better than jeans and a t-shirt.

Being a mother of three boys, there were a lot of moments in her
life where she just had to laugh and say "What the hell" and keep
going regardless. This was one of those times. (Though she didn't
say the hell part in church.) Danny had picked the brooch up and
they could try pinning it again after the vows. The photographer
would just have to work around it until then.

"It's okay." Her smile showed everyone that everything really was
okay. It was so bright that it distracted from the dress. She and
Fox grinned at each other, gazes locked again. "Onwards!"

xXx

2008
Virgin Islands:

Fox and Dana had found that 'their' beach was just as beautiful as
they remembered. The water was the same stunning blue.

They, the boys, Maggie and Rob had flown over here together
several days ago. For the first few days Maggie and her husband
had the boys with them at their hotel. During those days Fox and
Dana spent some honeymoon time alone, exploring paradise and each
other. Then Danny, Brett and Keir moved to their parents' suite of
rooms for the rest of the vacation. They would all catch up with
Grandma and Grandpop during the stay at the resort.

The Mulder clan was playing in the water, laughing and shouting.
All except Dana, who was returning from a quick trip to their
parked rental car. She smiled as she took in the view. This was
the beach where she and Fox had exchanged their vows and
consummated their marriage.

Memories popped up of that consummation. She and her new husband
had been so eager that they hadn't even made it inside their
rented van. Fortunately they were the only ones in the vicinity at
the time.

It had been wonderful.

Dana looked at Fox and their sons. They were splashing and
wrestling and swimming. And she felt a glow in her body, almost an
ache in its intensity, that was even more wonderful.

When her mother and Rob came back from their sightseeing she would
get one of them to take some family photos. She would always
remember this but it would be good to have them when Danny, Brett
and Keir were grown up. For now she took a mental picture of the
sight, then hurried back to join her boys.


THE END (PART FIVE OF FIVE).


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

With thanks to Gerry Hill for having a dream about Mulder in lime
green boxer shorts and then sharing it - that set a scene bubbling
nicely in my brain!

And to Pete for the fortune cookie message - she actually got that
fortune at a restaurant, right down to the line drawing, and
misread it just like Scully did. Not only that, but Pete happened
to be at an X-Files fanfic writers and readers gathering at the
time, and was surrounded by smut writers...so she had the right
audience.

The line "Come melt into me" was sung in the Xena episode 'Bitter
Suite' by Ares (Kevin Smith) to Xena. We miss you, Kevin.

"Sexy Baby" song and "That Thing You Do" are copyright their
respective owners. No infringement intended or profit gained in
any song lyrics used in this story.

After I wrote this story, I thought I had better reread over the
Couch Universe stories to make up a timeline of what happened when
- especially to make sure the dating of the flashbacks was
correct. Before then, I had been using a timetable I had made up
several years ago with the boys' ages in each particular year.
While doing this new timeline I discovered that I had made
mistakes in the original timetable...so in some of the stories the
boys' ages don't match the year correctly or vice versa. Argh. I
think I've got it sorted out now!