Chapter 1: Emily
Chapter Text
Melissa reaches out to Scully from beyond the grave - if anyone could do that, it would be Missy. Heck, she’d tried on more than one occasion to reach out to the other side while she was still alive. The irony of Scully occasionally being referred to as ‘Mrs Spooky’ was not lost on her, when in fact, her sister would have fit that persona much more than she does.
Missy wanted Scully to go to that house, to see that little girl. The similarities between Emily and Missy were far too eerie to ignore. Flicking through old family albums at Bill’s house only convinced her further. She looked just like her sister did at that age.
She felt almost a magnetic pull towards the young child, couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was so distracted through dinner with her family with thoughts of Emily, and her partner, Mulder circling through her brain. She’d tried to call him, she needed to hear his voice. Maybe he could give her the insight she so desperately wanted. But then he’d answered, sounding rushed, and slightly breathless, and she couldn’t say anything, suddenly not knowing what to say.
Scully had been excited to become an aunt, and she was thrilled for her brother, and Tara, but hearing the happiness and delight in her family’s voices was a bitter reminder that she could never have what they did. She wouldn’t ever get to know what it was like to expect a baby. She wouldn’t know what it was like to spend eight or nine months thinking about a life growing inside of her, falling in love more and more without having seen its face, and without knowing anything about it. She’d never experience what it was like to feel a baby moving inside of her, from the first flutters to the alien like movements of her belly as fists, elbows, or feet stretched and flexed, running short on room. She wouldn’t even experience morning sickness, or labour. Small mercies perhaps, but everyone always said it was worth it. She wouldn’t get to plan to welcome a new life, planning a nursery, stocking chest of drawers full of onesies, and adorably tiny clothes. There’d never be teeny tiny socks to get lost in her washing machine or dryer. There’d never be tiny newborn cuddles, soft downy hair, silky smooth baby soft skin, milky throw up or sleepless nights. She’ll never get to watch a part of herself live outside of her body, exploring the world, stretching their wings, and one day running off without her.
Her life would just always be less, just a prelude as Tara put it. Scully knows she didn’t mean anything by it, but that hurt. She’d never longed for children, for creating her own family, but it was sort of a given. She just assumed that one day, it would happen. But it won’t. And it’s only after hearing that news, seeing the happiness and excitement of those around her that makes her realise just how much she did want that.
Sleeping in Bill’s guest room that is being transformed into a nursery doesn’t help these feelings. She’d tossed and turned for hours, not long having fallen asleep when she’s woken by another call from Missy.
She would never normally knock on someone’s door just before 3am, but it’s been a hell of a day, and the lights are still on. If it’s strange to knock on someone’s door at that time of night, it might be even stranger still to be interrupting a meeting. Something doesn’t feel right.
Finding out that Emily was adopted really kicked up the swirling dust storm of thoughts in her head. Could it really be that her sister had had a baby and not told anyone about it? Had she been a surrogate? An egg donor? Something had to explain this, surely. Why else would Melissa be reaching out across the great divide?
As Scully compared the PCR results for Emily and Melissa, she was struck by an overwhelming wave of emotions. She wasn’t driving herself crazy, there was a reason for the similarities. These results showed a close familial genetic match, and given the context clues Scully had, she knew that had to mean that Emily was Melissa’s daughter. There was a 60% chance that Melissa was Emily’s mother. Emily was a Scully, a member of her family. Melissa wasn’t around, and couldn’t step in, but she was still watching out for her daughter, and she wanted her sister to be there for her, to help protect her. It made sense to Scully, and the hypothesis was both logical and easy to believe. She’d run additional tests, but Scully didn’t need to wait for the results of those tests before she knew what she had to do.
Her mom didn’t understand. She couldn’t. She thought Scully was acting out of grief, feeling a connection to her sister, and reading too much into things, that she couldn’t see the wood for the trees.
Scully’s concern for Emily grows as the San Diego Police detective relays details of mysterious bank deposits. That then leads them to Prangen Pharmaceuticals where she learns more about Emily’s medical history and the trials she was part of. The payments, the doctor’s story, and the injections having been prescribed for Roberta’s husband only depended her concerns and suspicions.
With great concern Scully found herself stepping deeper into the Sim’s family home, where she lays eyes on Emily standing on the stairs. She really did look like Melissa. The poor thing looks to be frozen halfway up the stairs, likely curious as to all the noise and chatter happening downstairs.
“Hi Emily,” Scully approaches her slowly with a friendly smile, and she crouches on the stairs in front of Emily. “My name’s Dana.” Emily regards her with big wide blue eyes, full of curiosity and unease. “It’s getting a bit noisy in here, huh?” Emily nods. “Will you show me to your room? We’ll gather some of your things, and then take you somewhere safe, quieter.”
Emily considers this for a moment, then nods, just as the raised voices reach a crescendo and she flinches.
“Daddy’s really mad.” She states with a worried expression on her face.
“Yeah, I think he is.” Scully agrees.
“Mommy’s gone. She didn’t come back.”
“I know.” Scully says sadly, tenderly smoothing her hand over Emily’s hair.
Emily sighs, glances up the stairs, then back to Scully. “This way.” She points up the stairs.
“Okay, let’s go. Will you show me the way?” Scully stands, and holds her hand out to the young girl who cautiously slips her hands into Scully’s then moves up the stairs. Scully’s relieved to move Emily away from the commotion of Mr Sim’s arrest, and hopes that gathering a few things together for Emily will help distract the girl and also buy them sometime for the police to take Mr Sim away, to hopefully ease the transition for Emily.
“My room.” Emily says as they enter her room, and Scully survey’s the room, smiling. While she’s had her concerns and her questions, particularly regarding Emily’s adoptive father, it’s clear that Emily was loved and provided for.
“Okay, will you gather your favourite toys and books? I’ll see if I can find a bag, and then you can show me some of your favourite clothes okay?”
Scully watches Emily clamber up onto the bed, crawling towards the head where several cuddly toys are pressed between the wall and her pillow. With Emily focused on finding her favourite toys, Scully turns to her wardrobe, hoping to find some kind of backpack or small suitcase perhaps to pack up a few things.
Scully finds a backpack, which she opens up and places on the bed, which Emily then sets her two favourite toys by with a cautious tentative smile.
“These are your favourites?” Scully asks, picking up each toy, giving each a playful look. One is a doll with a soft body, arms and legs, and the other is a stuffed whale. “I like whales too.” Scully grins as she places the toys back down.
“Alright sweet pea, can you show me some of your favourite clothes?”
Emily moves towards her closet, glancing up at all the clothes then looks back up at Scully.
“Go ahead. Choose something comfy maybe, or perhaps in your favourite colours, or a pretty pattern. What do you like to wear?” Scully asks her gently.
“This one,” Emily gestures towards a green sweater, then a purple one, and then rifles through a few more and giggles. “Tigger!”
“You like Tigger huh?” Scully asks, basking in that sweet little giggle.
“Yep!” Emily exclaims. “Tigger’s don’t jump, they bounce!” She exclaims, bouncing on the spot.
“Oh, well in that case, I think your Tigger shirt is a must. Anything else?”
Together they flick through a few items in Emily’s closet, Scully makes a suggestion which Emily turns down for being too scratchy, so Emily makes another choice herself after some encouragement. Scully sends her off to find a book or two, while checking through the chest of drawers for essentials like socks and underwear.
With a bag packed with some key items, Scully leads Emily out of the house and towards the social worker’s waiting car.
Scully helps Emily up into the car seat, and as she buckles her in, she notices that her necklace has caught Emily’s attention. She runs her hand over Emily’s hair, as Emily reaches out to feel the necklace. Scully’s own blue eyes watch her for a moment as she decides to give it to the girl. Emily grasps the crucifix pendant in her little fingers, smiling proudly now that it’s around her neck. It’s shiny, and pretty, and grown up.
As Emily plays with the necklace, keeping her little hands busy, Scully promises to see her soon, and then steps back, and watches as the social worker drives off.
Scully feels an emptiness as the car drives off, and a resolution of what she knows she must do now.
Scully tries to join in with some of the festivities with her family, but she can’t help the fact that her head is pulling her in other directions. Bill pulls her off to the side, having noticed that she was a million miles away. He thought the case was over, or her involvement with it at least. He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t believe that Melissa would have had a secret baby and called her from beyond the grave to tell her that. He tells her that’s the kind of antics he’d expect from her partner, but not her. Scully stresses that it doesn’t matter where the call is from, but that there’s a little girl that needs her help. Bill thinks it’s not about anyone else, but it’s about Dana. An emptiness, or void, or loneliness she’s trying to fill. And perhaps there is some truth in that, an undercurrent of sorts, but Scully knows it’s much more than that.
After returning from the jail where they’d found Marshall Sim dead, Scully finally returns home. She should go inside, make peace with her brother, and enjoy spending time with her mom and her sister-in-law, but she’s not quite ready for that yet.
First, she needs to speak with her best friend, if that’s what they are. Things are changing, they’re undefined, they haven’t really discussed what they are or aren’t, but ever since her battle with cancer and miraculous recovery there’s been an undeniable shift. She needs to hear his soothing voice, to see if he understands, or thinks she’s acting rashly or foolishly. She just needs him.
“Mulder.” Scully hears his familiar response as he picks up the call, and she finds it comforting, reassuring.
“Mulder, it’s me.” She says quietly after a deep sigh.
“Scully? Is everything okay?” He asks quickly.
“Yes.” She answers, but there’s something in her voice that casts doubt on the truth of her words.
“Scully…”
“I’m not hurt.” She reassures him, and hears him exhale. “I found…I have a niece.” She explains.
“Bill and Tara - they had the baby?” He asks, knowing her reason for spending Christmas in San Diego this year.
“No, no. This is going to sound crazy.” Scully tries.
“C’mon Scully, after everything we’ve seen, what’s a little crazy.”
“I found Melissa’s daughter?”
“Melissa? Your sister, Missy? You never said she had kids. I don’t think she did either.” He remembers some of their discussions as they waited for Scully to wake up when she was returned to them after her abduction. Surely he’d remember if she’d have mentioned having kids.
“I didn’t know.” Scully sighs.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“How? You’re sure?”
“I’ve had a couple of phone calls - Missy was calling me, telling me to go to her, that she needed my help. We traced the call to the Sim house. There’d been an assumed suicide, but it’s most probably a murder. A little girl’s mom - well adoptive mom. Emily, the girl, she’s just turned three, and Mulder she looks so much like Melissa. I ran a PCR test. It’s 60% likely that she’s Missy’s daughter. At the very least a close relation. It’s the only answer really. I’m running a more accurate test, but I know, Mulder, I know. She’s family.”
“And here I was thinking you were going to take some time off and rest, and you find yourself a case.”
“Yeah.” She breathes. “Mulder, the adoptive dad, he was arrested, and we just found him dead in his cell. Emily, she’s with social services now.”
“Scully…”
“She’s all alone now. She shouldn’t be. She should be with family.”
“Scully…”
“I think I want to adopt her.” She reveals, admitting out loud to someone she cares about what she’s been considering for a while now. She’d considered trying to foster her at least, but now Marshall is out of the picture…
“You think or you want to?” He asks carefully. This is a big commitment, and he’d hate for her to just be doing the ‘right thing’ because she thinks she should.
“I want to.” She confirms. “I want to adopt her.”
“Okay.” She hears him say, and waits a moment for a barrage of questions or sighs, or huffs, or jokes, but they never come. Just some rustling at the other end of the phone.
“Mulder?”
“Yeah, Scully?”
“You’re not going to try and talk me out of this?”
“Why would I do that?” He asks, his tone soft and tender.
“Because….”
“Are there reasons you think you shouldn’t?”
“Our work…”
“Work can be changed, Scully.” He reminds her. A job isn’t for life, but a kid is.
“I don’t want to lose our partnership.”
“Haha, Scully, you’re not going to get rid of me easily. Not anytime soon.”
“My brother is going to think I’m nuts. I think he already might.”
“Hah! Your brother is…”
“Mulder.” She warns.
“Don’t worry about what your brother thinks, Scully.”
“What do you think?” She asks him tentatively.
“You don’t need to worry about what I think, either.”
“Mulder, your thoughts are important to me.”
“Fine.” He inhales deeply, and she can hear his sigh rattling through the phone lines stretching across the country. “If this is what you want, if you already feel a connection, which I think you’re trying to tell me you do, and you think you can commit to this little girl, that you can love her.”
“I can. I do.”
“Them, I think you should do it. I think you’d be a great mom, Scully.”
Scully sighs, and her heart feels lighter hearing him murmur those words to her.
“Thank you.”
“Scully, I’ll be there by the morning.” He promises.
“Mulder, you don’t have to.”
“I know. I’ll be there soon. We should talk more in person.”
“Mulder,” She breathes his name feeling a surge of affection. “See you soon.” She tells him before hanging up, and looks back up at her brother’s house. The Christmas tree twinkles through the window, and the tears in her eyes blur her vision. Maybe she is getting a Christmas miracle after all.
Chapter 2: You Follow Your Heart
Summary:
Scully finds herself floundering in her first meeting with the social worker, unable to adequately explain exactly what she and Mulder are to each other. And Mulder arrives in San Diego just in time for Christmas, and can't resist the possibility of teasing Bill Jr a little.
Notes:
Thank you to everyone who gave kudos or commented in chapter 1. I'm so happy that several of you liked the first instalment - I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Chapter Text
Scully feels more swirling confusion as her brother tries to discount her hypotheses. Melissa certainly didn’t look heavily pregnant in October 1994. But that didn’t have to mean that she wasn’t Emily’s mother. She’d seen those PCR results, they were so similar they had to be related. She couldn’t believe any other option was possible. She reached for all the other plausible rational possibilities to try and explain it all away, and her brother shot down every single one. He thought she was creating a scenario to fulfil a dream. But with all the evidence in front of her, wasn’t that the more farfetched scenario? You can’t just imagine up a pre-schooler who looks exactly like your sister, and who needs to be taken care of. That was just implausible. She felt like she was 14 again, her older brother reminding her shamefully that she’s a foolish young girl, who still doesn’t understand how the world works, that she can’t just have what she wants. She knows that. The past five years have shown her that time and time again.
Susan, the social worker appears just as Scully is trying to ground herself and regain control of her thoughts and emotions. As soon as Susan says she’s here about the adoption, Scully can tell what her brother thinks. She doesn’t care. She needs to know what options, what possibilities she has.
Hearing that the social worker doesn’t think it’s wise to advise her to adopt to the judge feels crushing. Claustrophobic, bone deep crushing. She doesn’t understand. Who better to look after a young girl with a chronic illness than a medical doctor? Than someone who is family, with so much capacity and desire to love?
“You’re a single woman who has never been married, or had a long term relationship.” The social worker reminders her, and it feels like she’s rubbing salt in the wound. It shouldn’t matter what her marital or relationship status was, that didn’t prove how much she could love a child, did it?
“I…I…I have a…Mulder. It’s complicated but, he’s coming. He’s on his way here.” She gasps through her tears. “We’ve been partners four and a half years.” She frustratedly wipes away her tears. That has to count for something.
“Fox Mulder? Your work partner?” The social worker asks, raising her eyebrows.
“Yes…no…we’re more than that. It’s complicated.” Scully tries to defend their undefined relationship, but feels angry that she can’t even explain what they are to each other so that someone else might understand.
“And speaking of your work - you’re in a high stress, time intensive and sometimes dangerous occupation.” Scully swallows as she looks down. This feels worse than Bill Jr’s accusations earlier. She’s being told she doesn’t measure up, because of the choices she’s made. She’s put over four years of blood, sweat, tears, abductions, cancer, and loss into this job, and all she gets is more loss and grief. It’s not fair. She’s been desperately searching for answers to keep her country, and even the world sometimes a better, safer place, and the thanks she gets is…this. “One I sense you’re deeply committed to, and one which would overnight become a secondary priority to the care and wellbeing of this child.”
Scully pleads her case, trying to display her self-awareness, and her deep and profound desire for change. But she’s not sure it’s enough.
They wish each other a Merry Christmas, but she feels numb, void of all the usual festive cheer. She is a hollow vacuum, about to lose everything she could have ever hoped for. Melissa would know just what to say, what reassurance to give. They’d probably laugh at the way the social worker doesn’t get it, and neither does Bill. Missy would. Her heart aches as she sinks into the couch cushions. You follow your heart, and it’ll take you where you’re supposed to go.
Scully awakens to a light touch on her shoulder, and fingers skimming her cheek, pushing hair back off her face. She takes a deep breath and lets the familiar scent wash over her, calming her senses.
“How’d you find me?” She asks wearily.
“Friends in all sorts of places, Scully. You should know that, by now.” He smiles at her, and there’s a flicker of amusement in her eyes.
She hears a creak on the stairs and then smiles.
“Did Mom let you in? Because I know it wasn’t Bill.” She muses cocking an eyebrow at him.
“Like I said, friends in all sorts of places.” He repeats giving her a mischievous smile.
“Mulder,” She giggles, drawing out his name, as she holds her fingers up to his face, fingers skimming through his hair. She’s not sure when her compulsion to touch him like that first began, and as much as it was always supposed to be comforting or reassuring to him, it’s become more and more soothing to her. She sighs. “Thank you for coming.” Her voice cracks slightly, betraying the emotions she’s trying to hold back.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He tells her and leans closer towards her pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Now, do you have a bed here? Or do you want to scoot over and share this little couch? Both are really solid options, because you know the only Christmas present I need is the opportunity to piss of your big brother, by having him think I’m defiling sweet, innocent little Dana.” Mulder smirks, and his tone his light, but she can tell that he’s tired too. And so is she. So, so tired.
“There’s a bed upstairs.” She tells him as she burrows into the couch cushions.
“Alright then, you coming?” Mulder asks her with a twinkle in his eye as he reaches his hand out to her.
Scully sighs again, thinking about it for a second, and then she reaches out and slips her hand into his, allowing him to pull her upright, and together they ascend the stairs. Her brother’s inflexible attitude has irritated her enough that her inner antagonistic little sister voice wins out, and she actually kind of revels in the idea of wondering just how annoyed Bill will be if he thinks she’s snuck a boy he dislikes into the house just to defile her, even if nothing happens. There’s so much she wants to talk to him about, so much to fill him in on, but she’s practically asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.
Scully may not be feeling quite as much festive cheer as usual, but she still wakes early, wanting to be the first one downstairs in front of the tree. The house is quiet, all she hears is Mulder’s soft, rhythmic breathing, and she feels the soft thumping of his heart beating under her hand. Before she opens her eyes, she takes a moment to take stock of her senses. From the distinct, pleasant scent that comes from Mulder’s closeness, and the warm sturdy being she’s curled up against, she almost wants to keep her eyes closed, and nuzzle in against his side and return to sleep. But it’s Christmas morning. And tradition says she has to be down there before Bill. Slowly Scully opens her eyes, and finds Mulder’s deep green eyes staring back at hers.
“Morning, sleep well?” He grins.
“Yes actually, apparently I had a very comfy pillow.” She grins sheepishly, acknowledging the way she woke up practically wrapped around him. “Sorry about that.”
“Anytime Scully.”
“I know it’s still early.” She whispers, “But I like to be the first one downstairs by the tree.”
“Of course you do.” Mulder grins. “You want to relocate to the couch? I bet snuggling in a small space will be an excellent way to wind your brother up.”
“Mulder!” She half-heartedly admonishes.
Ten minutes later, they’re dressed, and sat on the couch, pressed together from hip to knee, and Mulder throws his arm around Scully as she leans against him.
She attempts to catch him up, on the case in general, but particularly about Emily, and he’s enamoured by the soft smile spreading across her face, as she tells him what little she knows.
“The social worker thinks my relationship status and occupation will hurt my chances.” She tells him, feeling vulnerable again.
“What? Why?”
“My occupation is ‘high stress, time intensive, sometimes dangerous.’”
“Well, okay, technically true, but if you’re really serious about adopting, and you want to make changes work wise, I could be on board with that. I know some people don’t think I play well, but I think this a bit different. I could make an exception.” He grins. “What about your relationship?” He asks.
“I am single, never married, and haven’t been in a long term relationship.”
“We’ve been together four and a half years!”
“I may have tried to say that. I don’t think being partners at work counts though.” She wrinkles her nose, wishing it was enough.
“We’re not just partners.” Mulder states.
“I know that.” Scully emphasised, “But I couldn’t really explain what we are to her.”
“Scully, if there’s anything I can do to help, tell me.”
“I don’t know.” She sighs and leans against his shoulder harder, and he presses a kiss to her forehead.
“We’ll find a way.” He whispers into her ear, and rests his free hand over hers.
Just moments later, Scully’s family descend into the living room, and as anyone would have suspected Bill Jr’s eyebrows have climbed his face nearly up to his hairline as he spots his sister huddled up all cozy on the couch with that irritating partner of hers.
“Dana!” He exclaims his surprise at the fact that she’s somehow smuggled a man into his house.
“Bill.” Margaret warns, and Tara places a grounding palm on his arm, shaking her head.
He huffs and glances over at the Christmas tree before turning back to them. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, you must be Fox Mulder? I’m Tara.” Tara introduces herself to her house guest with much more Christmas cheer than her stubborn husband.
“Merry Christmas sweetheart,” Margaret says moving towards the couch, where Scully gets up to wrap her mother in a hug.
“Merry Christmas, Mom. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Dana. You could have invited him from the start…” She hints to her daughter.
“Mom…it’s not…” Scully feels awkward, but quickly runs out of steam. She can’t really say what they’re not, when she doesn’t really know what they are, can she? She’s just glad he’s here, and that her mom had helped him find his way to her.
“Merry Christmas Fox, I’m glad you could join us.” Margaret smiles at Mulder fondly, moving to wrap her daughter’s lanky partner in her arms too, just as the door bell rings.
Chapter 3: Merry Christmas to Mulder and Scully
Summary:
I wonder who could possibly be at Bill's door on Christmas morning...?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Scully signs for the package, a folder of documents sent from the San Diego field office. She quickly opens them, expecting the folder to confirm that Melissa is indeed Emily’s mother. Only, it doesn’t say that. Bill was right…and wrong. It confirms striking genetic similarities between Melissa and Emily, but also talks about similarities with another set of DNA.
“What is it?” Margaret asks.
“Scully?” Mulder calls to her, concerned by the look on her face.
“It’s the DNA test on Emily and Melissa’s blood.” Scully reveals as she looks to her family. Margaret glances at Bill, and then back up at her daughter. Bill rises to his feet, curious to see what she has to say. Tara looks on from her chair, hands cradling her large belly. Mulder had clearly stood and started following her, as he stands close by, just off to her side.
“What does it say?” Bill asks.
“It says definitively that Melissa is not Emily’s mother. But that they found striking similarities between Emily and Melissa. So many that they…” Scully’s voice is wavering and she takes in a deep breath. “That they ran another test against a sample that they already had.”
“What sample?” Margaret asks, confused.
“What are you trying to say?” Bill asks.
Mulder has so many questions he could asks, but senses Scully’s need to finish, so stays quiet, but watches her intently.
“According to this,” Scully inhales, looking down at the paper again, making sure she understands the information, before looking back up at her family, taking a few shaky breaths. “I am Emily’s mother.” Her eyes stare straight ahead, wide, unfocused as she gasps.
“What?!”
“How?”
“But…?”
The chorus line comes from her family who are understandably baffled and confused.
The cogs are already whirling into action, clicking up through gears in Mulder’s brain as he moves to stand in front of Scully. He takes in her wild, transfixed, somewhat panicked gaze, and reaches a tentative hand out to her shoulder.
“Hey,” His tone is soft.
“Mulder.” She gasps.
“I know.” He nods, running his hand down along her arms, and taking her hand into is.
“I…I…” He stands patiently in front of her, rubbing soothing circles onto the back of her hand.
“I’m here, Scully.” He quietly reminds her, and her eyes snap to his, refocusing.
“Mulder,” She gasps. “I have a daughter.”
“I know.” He says with a quiet smile.
“It shouldn’t…it doesn’t…”
“But…”
“Yes…”
They speak only in hushed fragments, more communication passing between their emotion filled gazes and tender touches than out loud. Bill exchanges a look with his wife, and then his mother, and then goes back to watching Mulder and Scully’s strange communication, feeling very confused and lost.
“Abduction.” Scully whispers and Mulder nods.
“Has to be. It wasn’t long enough though.” He frowns.
“Long enough for egg retrieval or…I don’t know.” She screws her eyes shut, as if that will help fight of the onslaught of rapid firing thoughts in her head. Mulder steps closer to her again, and she presses her forehead against his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Scully.”
“Hmm?”
“For what they must have done to you. I hate them.” He wraps his arms around her, holding her closer still.
“Me too.” She admits. They’ve never fully talked things over, always glossing over elements of what happened. This is the closest they’ve come to letting the other know of the anger, frustration, resentment and hate over what was done to Scully’s body without her consent, or even knowledge. She shouldn’t be finding out the affects years after the fact. There weren’t words for how it made her feel. It made Mulder so angry, he wanted to punch someone, anyone, everyone that had a hand in whole cruel sick operation.
“What now?” She gasps against him.
“Has it changed what you want to do?” He asks her cautiously.
“No, of course not.”
“Then that’s your answer.” He tells her and she nods.
“Dana? Fox?” Margaret asks after the pair have quieted for a moment, and Scully turns her head to look at her mom, still safe in Mulder’s embrace.
“How is that possible?” She asks.
“We don’t entirely know.” Mulder admits. Though they are piecing facts together, it remains that there are still an abundance of questions.
“But, we do have some ideas. Remember what I was telling you the other day, Mom?”
“About your infertility?” She asks, and Scully nods. Bill and Tara both gasp, obviously Maggie had kept their conversation in confidence.
“Dana…” Bill says solemnly.
“Oh, Dana, I’m so sorry…” Tara starts.
Scully shrugs it off to the best of her ability. That’s not what’s important right now.
“During my abduction, they had…run tests, experiments on me. These experiments have left me unable to conceive. It is possible, and I think at this point, rather plausible that they had somehow harvested my eggs, or at least some of them, for additional experiments. I still can’t remember what happened, I just have the occasional flash of bright white space and lots of medical gowns.”
“The child’s father?” Bill asks, wondering if there’s anyway to know.
Mulder shakes his head, and Scully sighs.
“There’s no way to test for an unknown paternity. If there was a suspect…or contender, then we could run a DNA test, but the truth is we just don’t know who could be her biological father. Most of the abductees with similar stories to mine are of course women.”
“Though there are men that have been abducted, but with entirely different stories.” Mulder adds.
“So it’s a mystery.” Tara concludes.
“Yes.” Scully agrees.
“You still want her, don’t you?” Bill checks.
Scully presses herself against Mulder’s shoulder as she takes a deep breath, drawing strength from him. She pulls back from him, turning more fully to her family.
“More than anything.” Scully confirms. Mulder’s hand finds itself in its familiar position in the small of her back. “She’s my daughter.” Scully breathes, shaking her head slightly, barely able to believe it herself.
“What do you need, Dana?” Her mother asks.
“I don’t know yet.” She states honestly. “But I would like to go see her.”
“Of course you would.” Maggie soother, stepping towards Scully and rubbing her arm comfortingly.
“You know where she is?” Mulder asks her quietly, and she nods. “I’ll take you.”
Scully gasps. “I can’t see her on Christmas without a gift.” Her lip quivers. Her first Christmas, and she’s not even prepared with a present. She’s failing already. Logically she knows she’s not, that she didn’t know, didn’t suspect, but she still feels unprepared.
“Dana, come with me.” Tara says calmly, nodding her head out towards the hallway. “You’ll be hard pressed to find a shop open today, but we’ve several friends with kids, and I’ve started to keep a stash of goodies just in case. Maybe we’ll have something that you can take?”
Scully follows after Tara, feeling overcome with emotion.
“Do you know anything about what kinds of things she likes?” Tara asks, as she opens her present stash cupboard.
“Umm, she has stuffed toys, she had a bunch of books. Oh, Tigger, she likes Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh.”
“Ah there we go, you have some ideas, then. And she’s three?” Tara checks.
“Yeah, she turned three in November. The math…I know, the math doesn’t make sense.” Scully says, fumbling for an explanation she doesn’t have.
“But DNA - it doesn’t lie?”
“No, DNA doesn’t lie. She shares my DNA. That’s a verified fact.”
“There you go. And you work with the unexplainable every day, don’t you?” Scully nods, appreciating the way Tara is trying to be friendly and reassuring, knowing the exact things to say to remind her of the facts. And if there’s one thing Scully trusts, it’s facts. “Aha! I think this might work, what do you think?” Tara pulls out a Winnie the Pooh colouring book and a pack of crayons. “They may not be good at colouring inside the lines at that age, but I know a lot of kids her age like to colour.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. That’s a good idea. She likes the characters, and it’s good for fine motor control, as well as colour recognition.” Reminding herself of facts feels comforting, reassuring when she otherwise feels so very out of her depth.
“Look at you Momma.” Tara bumps her hip into Scully’s, trying to reassure Scully that she’s not quite as out of her depth as she no doubt feels.
“Thank you.” Scully says earnestly, wrapping Tara in a slightly uncharacteristically sudden hug.
“Anytime.”
The car ride was quiet. Mulder could sense she needed time to process, away from her family’s questions, so he gives her the quiet she needs. He frequently glances over at her, noticing the way she keeps her hands folded together, fidgeting so quietly, you’d probably not notice if you didn’t know her the way he did. He can tell she’s nervous, on edge, but it’s understandable with the discovery she made this morning.
He turns down the drive towards the children’s home, and brings the car to a stop. He waits for her patiently to come back to him, but when she doesn’t, he carefully reaches out, placing a reassuring hand on her thigh.
“Scully, we’re here.”
“Thank you.” She says, finally acknowledging him, quickly looking at their surroundings before meeting his gaze. He can tell there’s a swirl of heavy emotions underneath her composed surface.
“You’ve got this. You can do this.” He gives her a reassuring smile. “Do you want me to come with you? Or do you want to go in on your own?” He asks, willing to wait in the car, or go in with her; whatever she needs, he wants to be it.
Scully sighs. “I don’t know.”
“Here’s an idea - I’ll give you a bit of a head start, you go in on your own, and I’ll come and find you in a bit?”
“That sounds good.” She nods, and then her wide blue eyes look at him. “I’m going to see my daughter. I have a daughter.” Her tone is light, amazement and disbelief shining through.
“Yeah, you do.”
“It shouldn’t…it…I…I didn’t think I could have children, Mulder. But I already have one. A three year old little girl. My daughter.”
“This world’s a crazy place, huh?”
“The strangest.”
“Hold on tight, Scully.” He says softly, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. “There’s no getting off this ride…yet.”
“I really am glad you’re here.” She tells him earnestly, ghosting her fingers along his jaw.
“I know.” He states, he can feel the gratitude rolling off her in waves. “But Scully, quit stalling, go see your baby.”
“My baby.” She shakes her head. The idea that she has a baby, a child, is just so foreign and bizarre.
“Sculllly,” He draws out her name playfully. “Do I need to come yank you out of the car?”
“No,” She laughs. “I’m going.” She grips the wrapped colouring book and crayons in one hand, and goes to open her door, hand hovering just over the handle, but very quickly she turns back to him, a soft smile playing on her lips. Her bright blue eyes land on his dark green ones, a question shining back at her. She cups his jaw, drags her thumb across his lower lip and then covers his lips with her own. It’s soft, tender and quick, and she starts to pull away just as quickly as she kissed him, but not before Mulder springs to life, his fingers finding her neck, just at the base of her skull, pulling her towards him further.
And just like that, they share their first tentative kiss in the car outside of the children’s home where Scully’s daughter is currently being looked after.
Their lips part, and they slowly blink at each other, each wearing a soft smile. With pink cheeks, she ducks her head and then exits the vehicle, and he watches her go in amazement. Everything’s changing, and usually he doesn’t love change, but he’s not mad about this change. He thinks maybe it’s been a long time coming after all, and they both knew it would happened somehow, sometime. Merry Christmas to him indeed.
Notes:
Thanks to everyone who has left kudos or commented so far. I'm so happy that people are enjoying this so far. I started thinking of it, and it just had to be written. We're not even like 10% of the way through what I've written so far, though my momentum has still slowed a little, but I'm definitely still working away at it!
Chapter 4: She's a mini über Scully
Summary:
Scully sees Emily again, for the first time knowing she's her daughter. And Mulder meets her for the first time, intrigued by the similarities between mother and daughter. And, maybe there's a bit of development for our not quite a couple, but not quite not a couple...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Scully knocks on the door, as she pushes it open. They’ve assured her Emily is in the room, waiting for her, but she feels like there are tiny butterflies in her solar plexus stretching out their wings.
“Hi Emily,” Scully schools her voice into a warm, calm tone, even if she doesn’t feel entirely calm under the surface. Emily looks up from the toys she was studying in front of her, deep blue eyes and auburn hair turning to focus on Scully as she enters the room.
“Hi,” Emily greets her as she clambers to her feet. Emily looks cautiously between her own feet, and then up towards Scully, and a moment of shy contemplation washes over them both.
“I hope it’s okay that I came to see you.” Scully tries to cut through the silence, and Emily nods.
“You came back.” Emily says shuffling forwards, as if she’d not expected to see Scully again. Quickly, impulsively, Emily then lurches forwards, wrapping her small arms around Scully’s legs.
“I did.” Scully says as she bends and skims her fingers over the top of Emily’s hair.
“You came back, Dana.” Emily repeats as she releases her hold, and tilts her head up to look at Scully.
“Yeah,” Scully says as she crouches down closer to Emily’s level. “I told you I’d see you soon, didn’t I?” Scully reminds her with a smile.
Emily nods but cautiously studies Scully, tilting her head from side to side.
“My mommy’s gone.” Emily says sullenly. “And my daddy. They’re not coming back.” There’s a stony sadness on her face, but she doesn’t cry.
“I know. I’m really sorry about that, Emily.” Scully says, smoothing down Emily’s hair.
“All alone. But you came back.” Emily’s blue eyes study Scully’s matching ones, and Scully realises that yes, Emily does look like her sister, but she also looks like her. Emily has her eyes. Scully brushes a finger along Emily’s brow and then across her cheek, housing cheekbones like hers, no doubt. She’d felt a connection to Emily before, but to have Emily standing before her, knowing exactly why and what that connection is, well that’s something all the more powerful.
“I came back. I’d like to keep coming back, if that’s okay with you?” Scully says with a gentle smile and Emily nods. “Can I give you a hug?” Scully asks tentatively, and then Emily near enough throws herself at Scully’s crouching form, wrapping her tiny arms around Scully’s neck. Scully sits back on her knees, and wraps her arms around her daughter’s small body, leaning her head against Emily’s, and she closes her eyes for a moment to focus on the feeling. “Oh, that’s a good hug. You give good hugs.” Scully whispers against Emily’s ear.
Scully hadn’t been prepared for Emily to throw herself into her arms, so she’d dropped the present she’d bought with her, which catches Emily’s attention after a while.
“What’s that?” Emily asks without moving her arms.
“Oh, the thing I dropped?” Scully asks, and Emily nods against her neck. “Well, that’s for you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you wanna see?”
“Hmm.” Emily considers it.
“You’ll have to let go.” Scully says gently, and Emily shakes her head, burrowing in further against Scully’s neck and collarbone. “You don’t want to see?” Scully asks softly, running a hand up and down Emily’s back in soothing motions. “Maybe we can do it together, you can sit on my knee perhaps? I’ll keep hold of you. You’re safe.”
“Okay.” Emily murmurs and her grip loosens slightly.
“That’s it.” Scully soothes, and carefully pulls Emily’s arms from around her neck, turning her around, and sitting her on her knees. Emily grips the material covering Scully’s legs, not wanting to let go until Scully slips her arm around Emily’s waist, holding her palm to her stomach and pulling her back against her. “There you are.” Scully brushes her free hand over Emily’s head, and then pushes the present towards her. “Go ahead, you can open it.”
Emily reaches out for the wrapped present tentatively, tucking her little fingers along the gaps in the seams before she tears open the paper. A set of crayons plop out onto the floor, earning a tiny chuckle from the girl, who then pulls the colouring book the rest of the way out.
“Thank you.” She says meekly.
“You’re welcome.” Scully says pressing a kiss to the top of Emily’s head. “I hope you like to colour.”
Emily nods, and runs her fingers across the characters on the front of the book.
“Tigger!” Emily spots her favourite characters.
“That’s right, Tigger and all his friends. I thought you might like them too?”
“Yes.” She whispers.
“Maybe you can tell me about them? Or you can choose a picture and we can colour together?”
“Really?” Emily looks back up at her with wide eyes. “Colour with me?”
“Would you like that?” Scully asks her with a smile.
“Yes please.” Emily nods enthusiastically with her whole body and is already flipping through the book looking for the perfect page to colour.
Scully loosens her grip on Emily, who is clearly starting to feel more relaxed. Scully then makes a play of reaching for the crayons, but pretends she’s not quite able to reach.
“I get it.” Emily offers, laying the book open to the page she wants to colour, and scoots off of Scully’s lap to pick up the crayons. It takes her a second, but she manages to open up the box, and empties out some of the crayons, pushing them closer to Scully so she can reach. She plucks up and orange and a brown, and holds the brown out to Scully.
“That one’s for me?” Scully asks as she takes the brown crayon.
“Uh huh. You colour Roo.” She instructs Scully, pointing towards the small kangaroo. “Roo’s little. A baby.”
“Oh, very cute. I’ll colour Roo.” Scully agrees. “Who will you colour though?”
Emily grins up at Scully showing her the orange crayon in her open fist. “Tee Eye, Double Guh, Arrrr” Emily chants, and Scully can’t help but grin at Emily. That’s her daughter, her baby girl, grinning and singing about a beloved character. Scully thinks it’s adorable, and feels a surge of affection warming her heart.
Mulder walks in a couple of minutes later, finding Scully and Emily focusing on a colouring page on the floor between them.
“Hey,” Mulder quietly makes his presence known, and though Emily continues colouring, Scully looks up and offers him a smile.
“Hi.” She greets him as he crouches beside her, and turns back to Emily. “Emily, I’d like you to meet someone - an important friend of mine. I call him Mulder, but his name is Fox Mulder.”
“Hi,” Mulder says softly with a wave as he bounces slightly on his toes. Emily’s too engrossed in her colouring to give him much more than a sideways glance.
“She’s a little shy.” Scully says. Mulder watches Emily for a moment, catching Scully’s necklace dangling in front of the girls top. He glances down at the now multicoloured page in front of her.
“What are you colouring?”
“Vegetables. Rabbit is growing carrots and potatoes.” She explains the scene in front of her.
Inspired by the fact that Emily is now, he thinks, colouring a potato, or at least a vegetable patch, he decides to ask her another question.
“Have you ever seen Mr Potato Head?” Emily nods. “He looks like this.” Mulder pulls a silly face, puffing out his face and crossing his eyes. Emily watches him fully, and smiles at his silly face. “Doesn’t he?” She nods as she looks back at her colouring.
Mulder smiles, though it’s not quite a full smile yet. He looks between Emily and Scully, and his smile grows. “She’s a mini-Uber-Scully.” Mulder grins at Scully, finding the focus Emily has on her colouring not all that different to Scully’s own laser focus mid autopsy.
“What’s an Uuu - uber Scully?” Emily asks as she switches crayons, and begins colouring Rabbit.
“Mulder is just being silly.” She rolls her eyes at Mulder. “He calls me Scully, that’s my last name. I’m Dana Scully. He’s comparing you to me.” Scully tells her.
“He is?!” Emily asks amazed. “Why?”
“You both have blue eyes.” Mulder tells the young girl. “And similar hair.”
“Huh.” Emily says, regarding Scully with her head tilted to the side. “Your name is Fox Mulder?” Emily asks turning back to Mulder.
“That’s right.”
“Fox?” Emily asks, her little nose scrunches up. “Like the animal?” She asks.
“Yeah. Fox is kind of a silly name, huh?” Mulder asks with a grin. Emily just shrugs.
“Do you want to colour too?”
“Oh, can I? What should I do?” He asks taking an interest in her picture.
“You can do Winnie the Pooh. Silly old bear.” She smiles.
“And which colours should I use?” He asks her.
“Yellow. And a red t-shirt.” It figured that Scully’s child would stick to the ‘proper’ colours for the characters.
“Red, huh.” Mulder pulls a face as he looks at Scully who has been watching the exchange. Mulder frowns at the crayons sprawled on the floor, and as he hovers his fingers over what he thinks might be the red one, he glances up at Scully who shakes her head. He moves his fingers again until her sees her nod, and then picks up the crayon and starts colouring.
After a while, a staff member comes over to interrupt the three of them, placing a gentle hand on Emily’s back.
“Emily, can you say goodbye to your visitors, please? It’s almost time for dinner.”
Emily looks up to the staff member and shakes her head.
“Emily,” She warns patiently.
“No.” Emily says firmly.
“Come on, Emily…”
“Can you - can you give us a minute?” Scully asks, not wanting the situation to escalate if it can be avoided. The worker nods, and then retreats back to her corner and waits.
“Emily,” Scully begins, holding her hand out to Emily. “Come here.”
Emily steps towards Scully, glancing down at Scully’s outstretched hand.
“I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“I know sweet pea.” Scully murmurs as she holds her other hand out too, and Emily then falls into her arms. “I don’t either.”
Scully brings Emily in close, and stands up, with Emily in her arms.
“Would you like it if I come and see you again tomorrow?” Scully asks.
“Please, and Fox?” Emily asks, lifting her head from Scully’s shoulder to glance at Fox, who gives her a nod and a smile.
“Yeah, I can bring him along, if you’d like to see him too.”
“He’s funny.” Emily whispers.
“I think so too.” Scully squeezes her. “Is one of these beds yours?” Scully asks.
“Think so.” Is the mumbled reply she barely hears.
“Do you know which one?” Scully asks, but Emily shakes her head. “Ah, it’s okay, I think I do. I recognise someone.”
Scully moves towards one of the beds, crouches and sets Emily on the edge of the bed, and pulls out a familiar whale soft toy.
“This is yours, isn’t it?” Scully moves the whale in front of Emily, bops her on the nose with it, and then holds it out for Emily to grab, which she readily does. “Does your whale have a name?” Scully asks but Emily shakes her head. “I have an idea. Every time you feel alone, Emily, you squeeze your whale really tight…yeah, just like that. And when you do, remember that I like whales too, and I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow. Promise?”
“Promise.” Scully nods, and runs her hand over Emily’s hair. “We’ll see you really soon, okay.” Scully says warmly as she stands.
“See you tomorrow, kid.” Mulder ruffles Emily’s hair slightly, and she ducks out of his reach with a hint of a smile. Mulder wraps his arm around Scully’s shoulders and guides her out of the room, and they slowly head outside. Scully is glad to have Mulder there comforting her, but she wishes she could just take Emily with her. She sags against Mulder slightly as she swipes at her glossy eyes, and lets him steer her out to the car.
“You doing okay?” Mulder asks as they sit in the car, preparing to leave.
“Yeah. I know we have to, but I don’t like the idea of leaving her here.”
“Hopefully it won’t be for too long.”
“She doesn’t deserve to be somewhere like this, Mulder. I know there are other kids here, but she feels alone.” Scully says, nervously running her tongue along her top lip.
“She told you that?”
“I think she was trying to. She told me her mommy and daddy were gone. Not coming back. She said she was alone but I came back. She didn’t cry, but she seems quiet and withdrawn. I hope this doesn’t have a lasting effect.”
“And you’ll come back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that and…” He squeezes her shoulder reassuringly.
“As long as it takes.” Scully nods.
“Let’s get out of here,” Mulder says as he starts the car. “I’ll take you back to Bill and Tara’s, and then I’ll go find a hotel nearby.”
“No, Mulder, you don’t have to do that.” She pleads softly.
“Scully, did you see your brother this morning? I really don’t think he wants me invading, and I think maybe it’s best we interact in small doses.”
“He was pretty pissed, wasn’t he.” She smirks. “If you get a hotel, I want to be there too.” She says quietly.
“Okay, I’ll get a couple of rooms then come back for you.”
“No.” She says firmly.
“No?” Mulder questions, a questioning smile on his face.
“No. You don’t have to get two rooms.” She says quietly, shyly keeping her gaze on her legs.
“Just one room, then.”
“If…if that’s okay.”
“Scully,” She can tell he’s smiling before he even tilts her chin up to look at him. “You can share a room with me anytime you like. That’s always going to be okay with me.” He leans his forehead against hers, trying to convey all the things he can’t say. Her fingers find their way into the hair at the base of his neck, and she closes her eyes, savouring the intimacy of the moment before he pulls away and sets the car into reverse.
Notes:
I hope you this chapter with Scully getting to see Emily again, and Mulder meeting her for the first time. And the uh, not insignificant step our favourite undefined couple are taking.
I'll admit I don't spend much time with 3 year olds, so if Emily feels off age-wise, that'll be why.
Chapter 5: Partnership in Synchrony
Summary:
Mulder and Scully spent Christmas evening alone in their hotel room enjoying pizza, crappy tv movies, and they communicate on a much deeper level than usual - even if they need to borrow a few words.
Notes:
This one's for the MSR shippers...this one is Emily light, but she'll be back next chapter (this is her story after all, so she's never far away).
Chapter Text
Scully leaves the steamy bathroom to find Mulder lounging on the bed, a large pizza box beside him as he flicks through the TV channels.
“Hey,” He greets her with a grin, giving her a once over, hair still damp from the shower, and adorably oversized Christmas pyjamas to complete the freshly showered look. “Perfect timing, pizza just arrived! Want some?” He asks, helping himself to a slice and wiggling his eyebrows at her.
“Pizza for Christmas Dinner? Of course.” She grins, and takes a seat on the bed as she selects her slice of pizza. “Mulder, this isn’t your usual…”
“Nope.” He smirks. “Merry Christmas, Scully.”
“Thank you.” She feels like all she’s done since he arrived is thank him, and she wonders what he’s given up to come to her side. “What would you be doing tonight, if you weren’t here?”
“About the same. Minus the company. Meat feast pizza though, no semblance of a vegetable in sight, and some crappy films.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it, Scully.”
“You wouldn’t have anywhere to go? Anyone to spend it with?”
“I’m spending it with you, aren’t I?” He mumbles softly. She’s not entirely sure how to take it for a moment - is it that he really has no-one else, so he’s able to be here, or is it that she’s the one he would want to spend the day with? “Stop.”
“What?”
“I can hear you thinking.”
“No you can’t, don’t be absurd, Mulder.”
“But you are thinking, aren’t you? A little too much?” She scowls at him, for how well he’s learnt to read her. “I’ve already told you - I want to be here. Crappy TV, your favourite pizza toppings and all.” He playfully grabs her leg, squeezing and shaking it lightly. “I’m exactly where I want to be. Believe me.”
“I want to.” She tells him, as she studies him, as if she’s waiting for him to run off.
Mulder huffs and sighs. “I’m sorry. About that whole cheese and wine thing in Florida.”
“Mulder -“
“I know I get all obsessive, and compulsive and impulsive - all the -ives. I can be single minded sometimes, if I’m working on a problem and I think I’ve got a solution…”
“Mulder -“
“I came back, you know? But you were gone. I’m sorry. You just wanted to hang out, didn’t you?” He asks her.
“Yeah, I did.” She admits. “Maybe I shouldn’t have cursed your communication abilities, after all.” She smirks.
“Maybe you should. I can be an idiot sometimes. I hated the idea of obligatory socialising and silly icebreakers and communication mumbo jumbo at a teamwork conference, but I would have liked to hang out with you.”
“It’s okay, you’re doing it now.” The words are simple, but her tone is warm and sincere.
“Oh yes. Do you think the FBI rules about consorting apply on holidays?” He muses.
“When we’re off the clock I don’t really care about FBI rules.”
“Fascinating.” He muses. “I don’t much care for them when I’m on the clock.” He used to care, once upon a time, and then he discovered that following the rules didn’t guarantee a better outcome. It’s not that he tried to be deliberately reckless, he just wanted to do the right thing - the morally good thing, the thing that would get him closer to the truth, even if that meant throwing the rulebook out the window.
“How have you not been fired?” She wonders with a foolish grin.
“Ah, the trifecta of boyish charms, being too spooky, and hiding out in the Hoover basement.”
“For what it’s worth,” She says as she wipes the pizza grease off her fingers with a napkin, then lies on her side to continue looking at him. “I’m glad they sent me down into that basement.”
“I’m glad they sent you too.” He beams at her. “Everything changed that day, but you didn’t shut me down. I pulled you over into the dark side.”
Scully smirks and rolls her eyes at this. “Everything’s about to change again.”
“Hell of a day. How you doing with all this?” Mulder asks, checking in.
“It’s a lot to process. I thought I’d never have my own children, but now…I do. I understand the connection I feel now, but…” She trails off.
“But?” He encourages her to go on.
“It’s not that i don’t think she’s amazing, because I do.”
“I could tell.” Mulder smiles at her, and pushes her hair back off her face.
“But I’m also confused and hurt, and angry over the whole situation. I was an experiment, Mulder. My daughter was an experiment. That is not okay.”
“It’s sickening.” He agrees. “I’ll find out what happened Scully, if you want me to. If it would help.”
“I know.” She says, holding her hand out between them, and waiting for him to clasp it, which he quickly does. “I’m curious, but I’m also nervous about opening a whole new can of worms.”
“We’ll go at your pace. You say the words, and I’ll get right on it. And I will try not to incite violence, but no promises on that.”
“You’d do that?” She asks softly.
“I already have.” He admits, and her eyes widen. “I don’t think you understand the depth of…this.”
“Mulder…”
“I uh, go a bit feral when you’re in danger.” He admits sheepishly, creeping slightly closer to her, and pulling her into a hug.
“Why would you do such a thing?” She whispers.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“I think you already know.” He tells her, biting his inner lip, and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“You’re my best friend.” She tells him, her voice laden with emotions.
“Hmm. just how many friends do you kiss in the car, or snuggle with like this, Scully?” He teases her as he bends his knee and hooks it over her hips.
“Just you.” She grins.
“Well that’s a relief.” He smirks.
“Is it?” She asks, raising a curious eyebrow.
“Of course. I didn’t really want to have to duel for your favour.”
“My favour? How Shakespearean.”
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you - is not that strange?”
“Love?” She sucks in a breath, eyes brimming with emotion as she gazes at him.
“I’ve changed my mind. We should have gone to that seminar after all. We do need to work on our communication.” He jests, mostly.
“You’re right. We do.” She agrees. And then whispers. “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.”
“Scully.” He whispers her name as he presses his forehead against hers. He then kisses each of her eyelids, her cheeks, the tip of his nose and then her lips. This kiss goes deeper than their earlier one, their lips and tongues conveying what their words - original or borrowed cannot.
Finally, Mulder pulls back, takes a deep breath and recites: “You have witchcraft in your lips.” before descending on her lips again.
“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” She says, her voice thick with emotion.
“Love.” He echoes her previously unanswered question with a lazy smile, this time as a statement.
“Hmm, love.” She agrees, as he nuzzles against her.
“Merry Christmas, Scully.” He murmurs pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
“Merry Christmas, Mulder.” She says basking in their revelations. There is a lot to sort through. A lot to think, research, do and say, but for now, this is enough. This is all she needs. The safety in his arms, content in the knowledge that the depth of their feelings is in synchronicity like the rest of their partnership. Mulder wants more, of course he wants all of it with her, but they’ve got time, and it’s been a hell of a day with more than enough for her to process. He can be patient, for her.
When Mulder awakens in the morning he finds Scully resting with her chin on his chest, her palm resting next to her face, fingers lightly stroking his skin, and her blue eyes gazing at him.
“Morning.”
“Morning.” She greets him, ducking her head having been caught staring, but unable to stop herself from pressing her lips into his chest.
“Watching me sleep huh?” He teases and her cheeks blush slightly.
“All these years, you’ve told me you barely slept. I was just making sure.” She smirks at him.
“Did you sleep okay?”
“All things considered, yeah.”
“What time is it?”
“Nearly 8.”
“And how long have you been awake?” He asks.
“A while.” She admits, not wanting to reveal that it’s been almost two hours.
“Surprised all your thinking didn’t wake me up.”
“Mulder, how many times do I need to tell you that you cannot hear someone thinking?” She rolls her eyes at him.
“Oh, at least a hundred times, I should think.” He grins, as he runs his hand through her sleep mussed hair. “Any thoughts you want to share?”
“Hmm. I should call the social worker, update them on the DNA results. I don’t know if it will make a difference, I hope it might.”
“Have you considered how you’ll explain it?”
Scully sighs. “Yes, but I think anything I can say is going to feel far fetched. Even I have a had time understanding it all, Mulder. I was kidnapped -“
“Abducted.” He corrects, and she raises her eyebrows, shaking her head.
“Like that’s going to make it more believable.” She rolls her eyes. “I was kidnapped, have virtually no memory of the time I was away, but we know I was experimented on. Medically tested and probed and…” Scully scows, thinking of just what they did to her. “we had reason to believe they harvested my ova for some sickening unknown reason. My hormones, cycles and fertility were affected. The timeline doesn’t line up, but Emily is proof of everything they did. Three years later, I’m visiting my brother for Christmas, getting phantom phone calls from my sister who died a couple of years ago, and the calls are traced right back to the house of the little girl that somehow, just so happens to be my daughter. A daughter I didn’t know about because she’s the product of what happened while I was gone.”
“That about sums is up.” He agrees.
“It sounds absurd.” Her brows furrow and her tongue swipes across her top lip. “Even if it’s true, it sounds absurd.”
“But you have evidence.”
“Yes. Thankfully, there’s evidence confirming she’s genetically my daughter.”
“And we’ll show that to them.”
“We?” She asks a hopeful yet bemused expression on her face.
“I can be there, if you want me to be, when you meet with the social worker.” Mulder offers.
“I think I’d like that.” She gives him a soft smile. “But what if it’s not enough? What if it’s not enough to change her mind - her recommendation. What if there’s someone else that also wants her?”
“If there is, then where are they? They’re not here, are they?”
“I don’t know. If not an adoptive relative she knows, what about the woman who gave birth to her? She was born, she had to belong to someone before she was adopted.”
“They didn’t want her - didn’t keep her, at least. Now, the people that went after her parents - that’s who I’d be concerned about. I don’t think it’s an accident that both her parents are dead. Someone is interested in her. But not in the same way you are.”
“I’m worried about that too. What if the children’s home can’t protect her? I could protect her.” Scully is adamant about this. Fiercely and stubbornly so.
“And who’s going to protect you?” He asks her.
“I can protect myself. But also…you?” She asks with a smile.
“Always. I’ve always got your back.” He says as he rubs soothing circles over her back. “But I think we need to be prepared, just in case. If someone went to the lengths they did to kill her parents, it’s not going to be easy.”
“I’d considered that too. Even if it’s dangerous though, Mulder…there’s only one right thing to do. She needs someone to keep her safe, to look out for her, and love her. We can do a better job of that than a children’s home, can’t we?”
“I’d like to think so.” He agrees. “Now look who’s talking about ‘we’.” He smirks.
“I just…”
“Scully, don’t.” He tilts her head up as he leans down to kiss her. “I’m with you on this, remember.” He smiles and she nods.
“But you want to look into it?”
“I think it would be sensible for us to know her history, understand how she came to be. Don’t you?” He checks.
“Fine, yes. It makes sense, I suppose. I just care that she’s here, that she needs me now. It might help to know her history though.”
“So you’ll call the social worker, and I’ll call the boys. See what they can find out for us.”
Scully nods in agreement as she sits up, content with the plan for now. They’ll make their calls, work on some arrangements, and then later, they’ll go and see Emily again.
Chapter 6: Mr Potato Head
Summary:
Mulder and Scully go to visit Emily. Just some cute family fluff here.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey Scully, do you think Target will be open today?” Mulder asks as he slips into the car and starts the ignition.
“There’s one way to find out. Do you need something?”
“I just have an idea.” He grins as he pulls out of the space.
Luckily, the Target they found was open, and he all but drags her inside by the hand, weaving through aisles.
“Oh, who knew they made such adorable tiny clothes, Scully.” He grins as they dart through the children’s clothing section. Her eyes can barely take it all in before he pulls her further into the store, before finally coming to a halt.
“Aha! Found it!” He pauses in the middle of an aisle full of children’s toys aimed at pre-schoolers.
“Found what? Children’s toys? Well done?” She offers bemused by his behaviour. He will never cease to surprise and entertain her.
“No, this!” He exclaims letting go of her hand, and pulling a Mr Potato Head off the shelves.
“A Potato Head?” She asks in confusion.
“Yes!” He says proudly.
“I don’t get it. Why do you want this?”
“Because Scully, it’s not for me.”
“You’re getting it for Emily?” She asks, feeling touched.
“Yes. I have an idea, I think she’ll enjoy it.”
“She did seem to like your silly face yesterday.”
“Silly? I don’t know what you’re talking about, it was a perfect impression.” He grins. “Do you think she needs anything else, Scully? It was a bit cold, maybe another sweatshirt, or a blanket? Or a book, or a toy, or some candy? What do you think she’ll like? M&Ms?”
“Mulder…slow down.” She says softly with a smile.
“What?"
“This is all very…endearing and kind, but no need to go too crazy yet.”
“Right, I’ll save that until after we see the social worker.”
“Mulder…”
“I’ve got a good feeling about this Scully. I know there’s a lot of unanswered questions, but I think it’ll all be okay in the end.”
“I hope you’re right.” She tries to measure her expectations, but she wants to believe like he does.
“We’ll bring Emily here some day, let her go wild.” He says with a wink. “For now, this will do. And maybe some M&Ms for you.” He nudges her out of the aisle and all she can do is smile at him.
“Knock, knock.” Mulder calls out as he pushes open the door into a visiting room.
“Fox!” Emily says giving him a big smile, as she holds her whale.
“Hi there, little one. I’ve got someone with me, who really wanted to see you.”
“Dana?” She whispers, and then as he moves out of the way revealing Scully behind him. “Dana!” She exclaims with a bright grin as she runs towards Scully, lifting her arms up as she approaches her.
“Oh, that’s a nice hello.” Scully says warmly as she reaches down to lift Emily into her arms.
“I hugged my whale a lot. Really tight.” Emily reveals.
“You did?” Scully asks tenderly, smoothing her hand over Emily’s hair. “I hope he helped.”
“You came back again.” Emily tells her, speaking against her neck.
“I told you we would.” Scully says as she takes a seat on a chair, with Emily still clinging to her. While she is touched by the way Emily has taken a shine to her, and seems to trust and like her so easily, she feels a deep frustration at the situation, and having to wait for all the legal processes.
“Hey, Fox has something for you.” Scully tells her, which gets Emily to lift her head and look towards Mulder who has taken the seat next to them.
“You do?” She asks him curiously.
“Ta da!” He says presenting the box with a flourish.
“Potato head!” She grins at him.
“Of course.” He smiles. “You want to play with me?”
She eyes him curiously. “You want to play too?”
“Well, yeah!” He grins at her. “Or I could just watch you, but I think playing is more fun, don’t you?”
“I like to play.” She tells him, sitting on the edge of Scully’s lap, fully turning her attention to him.
“Of course you do.”
“My Daddy played with me sometimes. Not a lot. Too busy. I never had a potato head.”
“Now you do. This one can be yours.”
“Mine?”
“If you want it.” Mulder says seriously, and then gives her a playful look. “Or he can be mine, and you can just watch me play. Think that’ll be fun?” He teases her.
“Nooo. My potato head.” She nods, telling him decisively.
“Yours.” He agrees, opening the box, and holding it out for her to pull out the contents. “Let’s see, what have we got?”
Emily pulls out the large potato head. “Po-tay-to!”
He looks at her for a second, finding the way she exclaimed potato to be utterly adorable, before he finds his words again. “Oh, what a relief! I was worried it might be a banana.” He says with wide eyes.
Emily giggles at him, and Scully just quietly holds Emily, a hand calmly touching her back, reminding Emily of her presence. She’s already in love with the way Emily is interacting with Mulder. She thinks she could hear that laugh fifty times a day and never get tired of it. And Mulder, he’s just magnificent. She loves seeing him interact with kids, but with Emily, that’s something really special, she thinks.
“You’re so silly!” Emily tells Mulder, and shakes his head at her, disagreeing.
“He kind of is, isn’t he?” Scully agrees, meeting Mulder’s eyes and smiling at him.
“I like him.” Emily whispers to Scully as if she’s sharing a secret.
“Me too. A lot.” Scully whispers back, and Mulder smirks hearing her words.
“Come on, Miss Emily, anything else in the box or just this big ol’ potato?” Mulder asks shaking the box slightly and they hear it rattle slightly.
Emily reaches into the box, and pulls out a plastic bag full of accessories. She inspects the bag curiously before passing it to Scully, wordlessly asking for her help. Scully opens the bag, and then holds it open ready for Emily to look through the parts.
“What’s in the bag?”
“Eyes, lips, nose, ears, hat.” Emily explains, separating out the parts. Such a Scully thing to do he thinks as he watches Emily grouping the parts, he’d probably have left them in a big pile and just rooted through for what he wanted, but Scully would absolutely separate things into their own little groups before starting - like the way her autopsy instruments are always laid out just so.
“Awesome. Want to play a game?” Mulder asks her mischievously and she nods. “You give him a face, I’ll see if I can copy it - with my face.”
Emily giggles and looks down at the pieces. She pieces together a fairly ordinary looking face, but with some grumpy eyes and a moustache. She turns it round to show Mulder and he taps his finger on his chin.
“Hmm…how can I give myself a moustache?” He wonders. “Aha!” He says after a short pause. He turns away from Emily, and then turns back, holding a hand up to his face, waving his fingers as if they’re his moustache, and puts his free hand on his hip as he gives her a grumpy scowl.
She bursts into laughter and claps at his silly face.
“Any thoughts Scully?”
“Oh, several.” She chuckles.
“Out of ten?” He asks, quirking his eyebrow.
“Maybe an 8? Some room for improvement.” She mocks.
“Pfft.” He fake huffs, and crosses his arms.
“Again!” Emily pleads.
“Think you can go even sillier?” Mulder asks the young girl and she nods enthusiastically. “I’ll just have my self a little nap here, while you do your worst.” Mulder says leaning back and closing his eyes giving the occasional fake snore.
“Help me?” Emily asks Scully who nods.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Uhm, like this?” Emily snickers as she puts in the nose upside down.
“Ah, clever.” Scully nods with a smile, as Mulder fake snores again. She holds a pair of lips and sets them upside down, hovering over the potato’s chin as she looks to Emily. “Like this?”
“No. Up up.” Emily commands and nudges Scully’s wrist upwards, until she’s hovering towards the top of the potato’s head and Emily finally nods. Scully places the lips, and Emily turns them a smidge to a jaunty angle.
“Okay, what else?” Scully asks, as Emily looks over the accessories again.
Mulder continues to fake snore, tilting his head towards Scully and Emily, enjoying hearing the giggles from both mother and daughter. If he could keep Scully this lighthearted and smiley forever, he’d be a very happy man, he thinks. There’s just something extra special about a truly happy or giddy Scully, and though he loves all versions of her, he thinks a delightfully happy Scully is his absolute favourite.
“Fox!” Emily calls to him when she’s ready, and then pokes him in the side. “Wake up!”
“I’m awake!” He over dramatically clambers himself upright, and then looks down at the plastic potato, and his mouth gapes open. “Oh my…that is a challenge!” He gives Emily a funny look. “You think I’m going to do a handstand?”
“Can you?” Emily wonders curiously.
Mulder looks like he’s considering it for a second, and Scully, ever the practical one warns the pair that there will be no handstands inside.
“Probably not. But I may have an idea…Scully…” He beckons Scully to lean closer and whispers into her ear.
“Alright, close your eyes for a sec Emily.” Mulder asks, and shifts in his chair.
“I’m going to move you a bit Emily. But I’ll keep hold of you, and you’re safe, okay?” Scully whispers and Emily nods slightly.
“Okay, 1, 2, 3, open!” Mulder exclaims as he pulls a face. Scully has tipped Emily back so that she’s the one looking at Mulder upside down. Emily laughs as she takes in Mulder’s upside down silly face. She reaches out to pat his chin which seems like it’s where his forehead should be.
“Better?” He asks, and she giggles and wriggles on Scully’s lap.
“Yes!” She exclaims between peels of laughter.
“Told you I had an idea.” Mulder beams at Scully who is absolutely delighted to have a chuckling, squirming pre-schooler in her lap.
“It was a great idea.” She tells him, reaching out to cup his jaw with one hand. “Thank you.”
“Worth it.” He smiles and they both look down at Emily who has calmed down from her laughing fit.
“I like that game.” Emily says after Scully helps her sit back up properly. Emily glances out the window and is momentarily distracted by the swings. Both Mulder and Scully catch her looking out the window.
“You like the swings?” Scully asks.
“Yeah. Do you?”
“Oh, I used to. I’ve not been on a swing in a long time though.”
“Can we go outside now?” Emily asks, looking between Mulder and Scully.
“Oh, I don’t know if…” Scully starts to say, unsure what the rules are. She knows she’s lucky enough to just visit for now.
“Can we?” Mulder asks of the quiet care worker who has been quietly supervising the interaction.
She glances down at her watch and then looks towards the girl staring longingly out the window. “I suppose so. You’ve got about 25 minutes.”
“Great.” He beams and nudges Scully.
“Do you have a sweater or a coat, Emily? It’s a little cold today.” Scully warns. Of course, compared to DC it’s still rather warm in Southern California, but it’s not quite as warm as it had been when she’d first arrived in San Diego.
“I’ll grab something.” The care worker says, and quickly reappears with a small coat which Emily struggles into, and then asks Scully to finish zipping her in.
They move outside, and towards the swing set with Emily grabbing hold of one of Scully’s hands, and one of Mulder’s hands. The care worker trails behind them, giving them some space, but supervising from a distance.
Emily pulls away, and moves to the toddler swing seat in the middle. She grabs on to it, and attempts to climb up, but as she moves forward, so does the swing.
“Woah, careful there.” Mulder says, as his hands grab her and save her from falling. “How about I help you up?” He says as he lifts her up into the seat. “You ready?” He asks, before starting to push. Scully stands in front of the swing, occasionally grabbing out for Emily’s feet.
After a few minutes, Mulder slows his pushes, and Emily calls out to Scully.
“Dana, you swing too!” She points to the regular swing beside her.
“You want me to swing with you?”
“Uh huh. Here.” Emily points again and Scully moves towards her.
“You need a push too?” Mulder offers, and Scully smiles but shakes her head at him.
“I think I’ve got it, but thanks.”
Emily reaches out a hand to Scully so they can swing together, and she happily chatters away to both Scully and Mulder until their time is nearly up.
Mulder crouches in front of Emily, and rustles something in his pocket. He pulls out three M&Ms, pops one into his mouth, and slips one into Scully’s hand. Emily looks at him with her blue eyes eyeing him suspiciously.
“I don’t suppose you’d like one of these?” He asks and she eagerly nods her little head.
“Alright, put your hand out then.” He glances sideways, and then winks at her. “Don’t tell anyone. An M&M for little Em.” He tells her as he places an M&M into her hand.
“Yum!” Emily says and she slides the chocolate candy into her mouth.
“Thanks for playing with me today.” He tells her. “I had a lot of fun.” He gives her swing a very light push so she’s moving slightly again.
“Me too.”
“It’s nearly your dinner time, Emily. And we need to go soon. But we’ll come back and see you tomorrow.”
Emily sighs. “Tomorrow is so far away.” She starts wriggling, ready to climb out of the seat.
“You little adventurer,” Mulder playfully accuses as he helps lift her out.
She holds on tight to him, giving him a hug as he crouches back down, ready to let her go again.
“Come back and play tomorrow.” She tells him, and he ruffles her hair.
“Of course. More Mr Potato Head fun tomorrow.” He promises.
Emily then moves towards Scully, pushing her body against Scully’s knees, and Scully runs her hand over Emily’s hair.
“Tomorrow.” Emily huffs. “I’ll go with you tomorrow.” Emily tells Scully, and Scully feels her heart breaking. She lifts Emily up, and sits her on her lap.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to come with us tomorrow.” Scully tells her sadly.
“I’m ready.” Emily tells her, like she’s had enough in this temporary holiday home for children. “Take me home tomorrow.”
“Oh, I wish that I could, Sweetie.” Scully tells her leaning her head down against Emily’s. “I think you might have to stay here a little longer, but I’d like to take you home some day.”
“Jessie’s going home tomorrow.” Emily says, and then things start to make sense. She thinks maybe Emily doesn’t fully understand why she’s here, and how everything works. That maybe if one of the other little girls gets to go home, whether with her biological family or even a new placement, maybe that gives some of the other little ones false hope.
“I see.” Scully says with a sigh. “Fox and I have an important meeting tomorrow morning, Emily. But we’ll come back in the afternoon, and we can have a talk, and play some more, okay.”
“Hmm.”
The care worker finally approached them, a clear signal that their time is up.
“Emily, shall we go find that Mr Potato Head and put him somewhere safe? Then you’ll know where to find him if you want to play with him again tomorrow. Once we do that, we’ll wash up and then go find some dinner.”
“Okay, find somewhere safe for Potato Head.” She nods and squeezes Scully tightly.
“I’ll see you soon.” Scully promises as she lowers Emily to the ground.
“And Fox?” She glances back over to Mulder, who nods and smiles.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, too.”
“Remember what I said, squeeze your whale.” Scully says, trying not to let her emotions show.
Emily gasps. “Need to get whale and potato.” She tells the worker.
“We will.” She assures her. “I hear there may be pizza tonight. Do you like pizza Emily?” The care worker asks as she opens the door to let them in.
“Love pizza!” Emily exclaims. Of course she does. “Whale, potato, pizza.” They hear Emily chant as she then drags the worker with her inside.
“She’ll be okay. There’s pizza.” Mulder smiles at Scully who is biting the inside of her lip.
“I know. It’s amazing how quickly she recovers.” Scully muses as she stands up from the swing.
“She’s resilient, like her mother.”
“I wish the promise of a good meal cheered me up that quickly.”
“Let’s get out of here. You can have a bubble bath, and I’ll order some room service.” Mulder offers.
“That does sound good. I should probably call my mom and Bill though.” She says as he opens the car door for her.
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed this one! I had this idea very earlier on while thinking about this fic, and I just loved the idea of Mulder and Emily using Mr Potato Head to make funny faces and bring about cute little giggles.
Chapter 7: Maybe we should talk about this
Summary:
Scully meets with the social worker again, and Mulder has an idea.
Notes:
Just going to start this with a quick note to say I have zero clue about the actual ins and outs of adoption etc. I tried to look into it, but it seems mega complex and I'm not from the US so trying to figure out difference between states just had me baffled. So I started to research, but then got a bit overwhelmed and decided that we're leaning into fun and fluff so please suspend reality here for a bit. Also, this whole case is mega unique and kind of unprecedented so there's that too. And if anything feels off, just assume that Uncle Walter Skinner has called in some favours somewhere for his favourite agents.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next morning, as they wait for the social worker to arrive, Scully checks through the documents, and the notes she’d made dozens of times, and Mulder paces the hotel room as he gets a lacklustre update from Frohike.
“Well thanks anyway, Frohike. Keep us posted.” Mulder says as he hangs up and turns to Scully, who glances up at him. “Not much to report, Scully.” He frowns. “They’ve found the original adoption record, but the name used appears to be fake.”
“Fake? Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. But it seems like the people that bought her into the world are definitely trying to protect something.”
“But not her.” Scully frowns and shakes her head. “I just can’t understand how, or why, anyone would think it’s okay to create a life and then just not take care of that little life. It’s cruel and twisted.”
“You’re right. I can’t fathom that either.” He tells her coming to stand behind her and rubs her shoulders. “I’m not sure what their aims were, but I’m not sure child rearing was ever part of of their plans.”
“It’s not fair.” It’s not fair on the children, on the mothers, and it’s really not fair when there are women like Scully who are told their chances of ever getting pregnant naturally are slim to none, and then there are sick bastards playing God with stolen ova and creating lives with no intention of caring for those precious little lives.
“I know.” He agrees as there’s a knock at the door.
“The social worker!” Scully sits bolt upright, trying to prepare herself.
“I’ve got it.” He says moving towards the door.
“Oh…uh…I’m looking for Dana Scully?” The surprised woman says as he opens the door.
“She’s inside. Come on in.” Mulder says with a friendly smile, stepping back to allow her to enter.
“Susan, hi.” Scully greets her, scooting her chair back and standing to shake her hand.
“Good morning.” Susan responds as she takes the seat across from Scully.
“This is my…partner Fox Mulder.” Scully nods towards him. “I hope it’s okay if he joins us.”
“If you’re okay with that, then he’s welcome to.” Susan says with a kind smile as Mulder takes the seat next to Scully, scooting it closer to her. Susan gets her notebook out of her briefcase and then turns to Scully. “Now, Dr Scully, you said you had an update - some additional information you wanted to discuss?”
“Yes.” Scully says, taking a deep breath, and pulling out two sheets of paper. Mulder places his hand on her upper back in quiet reassurance. “I wanted to make sure you had all the facts, that you understand why I want to adopt Emily Sim, why I have this connection with her. I don’t know if it will help my case, I hope it might, but even if not, you should know.”
Scully licks her top lip, and slides one of the pieces of paper towards Susan.
“I received the results of a DNA test since we last spoke.”
“A DNA test?” Susan checks.
“Yes. I was assisting on the case of Roberta Sim’s death, and I noticed something that had raised my suspicions. I realise that the methods I took were unconventional, and I’m sorry for that, but I want you to know the truth.”
“Which is?” Susan prompts.
“This report confirms that Emily Sim is my daughter, genetically.”
“Your daughter? Dr Scully, you didn’t disclose that you’d had children, or that you’d given up or lost custody of a child at our last meeting.” Susan’s eyebrows raise, and then fall as her brow furrows in confusion, thinking this will really complicate things now if Dana Scully has previously lost custody of a child.
Mulder grabs Scully’s hand, and she looks to him with an appreciative smile for the comfort and reassurance he provides. She grips his hand back, then laces her fingers between his.
“I know. It’s um, complicated, and perhaps a bit unbelievable but, everything I’m about to say is true. Back in 1994, I disappeared.” Mulder nods in agreement, and rubs his thumb across her wrist. “I was kidnapped, and have very few memories from the time that I was gone, but I do remember bright lights, people surrounding me in medical gowns. I believe that they were running a series of tests, or experiments on me. When I was returned I was in a coma for a while, but eventually, I woke up. I went back to work, but some things had…changed. After some changes to my menstrual cycle, and undergoing subsequent checks I was told that I wouldn’t be able to have children. We have reason to believe that my ova, my eggs, were harvested.”
“Obviously, without her consent.” Mulder states.
“Right. I didn’t know about any of this until after the fact. As you know, I came here to visit my brother on the base, but came across the Sim case. At first, Emily reminded me so much of my late sister Melissa, and I had initially wondered if it might be possible that Melissa had somehow had a child we didn’t know about. Clearly, that’s not what happened. Given the circumstances, and the evidence, Emily was…is the product of one of my ova, and then at some point, likely as an infant, she was adopted by the Sims. We haven’t quite determined all of the information of her birth and early life, but Emily is my daughter. I didn’t know she existed until just a few days ago, but I would very much like to know her. I want to raise her. We already have a connection. We’ve visited her, and I think she would like that too.”
Susan looks down at the DNA test results, and then back up at Scully.
“Well, in all my years, I don’t think I’ve heard a story quite like that. We’d need to get that verified, probably run our own tests.”
“Of course, whatever you need.”
“And how do you fit into all of this Fox Mulder? You’re not about to tell me that you’re her father - the mystery sperm donor?” Susan asks with a quirk of her eyebrow.
“Hah, I should be so lucky.” He chuckles.
Scully raises her eyebrow at him, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
“What?” He asks her, catching the look.
“Well, it’s certainly not likely, but you did have that…experience in Puerto Rico. You never know.” She teases him. “But no, we don’t have any reason to suspect that’s the case.” Scully confirms to Susan.
“I’m just here for Scully, uh, Dana.” He smiles at her. “The little one’s pretty cool too.” He grins at the social worker.
“They get on really well.” Scully tells Susan, and then looks towards Mulder with a grin. “Probably because you’re so in touch with your inner child.”
“Well sometimes. Obviously the FBI wouldn’t hire me if I was a complete man-child.” He says for Susan’s benefit.
“Honestly, I can’t think of a better male role model or even father figure.” Scully says with a shy smile.
“Really?” Mulder asks Scully and her dazzling blue eyes meet his. “You’d be an excellent Mom.” He tells her earnestly.
“You spend a lot of time together, then? You certainly seem to be very close.”
“Yes.” They both quickly respond.
“Fox was a great source of strength for me while I was ill.”
“She couldn’t get rid of me.” He smirks, and then stage whispers to Susan “I was terrified.”
“I didn’t want to. You know that.” Scully reaches up and kisses his cheek.
Mulder watches Scully for a moment, and then glances back over at the social worker, and he bites his lip as he considers voicing a question he’s been pondering in his head.
“I know we haven’t really discussed this Scully, but I have a question for you, Susan?”
“Yes?”
“You do?” Scully asks tilting her head to watch him.
“Would it help Dana’s case if she wasn’t doing this alone?”
“Mulderrr” Scully breathes, unable to take her eyes off of him.
“If we add my name, if we do this together, will that help?” He asks, voice full of sincerity.
“Mulder, I can’t ask you to do that.” Scully holds her free hand up to his cheek, turning him to look at her. Her eyes are glassy, but she’s adamant she can’t ask him to tie himself to her, to Emily. Not like this. She won’t do it.
“You’re not. You don’t have to ask. I’m offering.” He tells her capturing her wrist in his hand and pressing a kiss to her palm.
“Mulder….”
He turns back to Susan.
“Would it help? I want to do it.”
“Mr Mulder. This is a three year old little girl, we’re talking about. This is a huge commitment you’re proposing, if you add your name to the adoption petition as her prospective father.”
“I’m aware.” He nods solemnly.
“You should be sure you’re doing this for the right reasons, not just to help Dana win her case.”
“No, no, I know all that. I want do to it. I could be her father. We’d probably spend a lot of time together, anyway, and I like the idea of it being official, you know? I want to be her father - not just the random guy her mom hangs out with.” He tells her, feeling emotional at the prospect. “Add my name.”
“Mulder, maybe we should talk about this….”
“You don’t want me to? You don’t want to do this together?” He asks her, feeling confused, and maybe just a tiny bit hurt. Weren’t they on the same page with where they stood? They’d talked about how they felt, and he knew that neither of them used those words lightly. Once they were said, they couldn’t be unsaid, he was sure.
“That’s not what I said. We should talk about it though.”
“Maybe -“ Susan starts, “you can tell me more about your relationship, to start with?”
“We’re partners.” He shrugs.
“Yes, I have that. Work partners, and…I thought friends, but the impression I’m getting is that there may be something more.”
“Yes, more.” He nods, ginning.
“Yes.” Scully agrees.
“We’ve worked together for four or five years now. Overtime our partnership evolved, but I think it’s fair to say there’s been more from pretty early on, don’t you?” He turns to Scully giving her a devilish smile. “I think you could say we’re serious.”
“We tried to resist it, but yes. We’ve had our moments, but there’s been deep feelings and affection for a long time.”
“Maybe even since that day you walked into my basement office.”
“Your office?” She asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Well it was at that point, just my office.” He grins at her. “You were adorable.”
“Mulder…” Scully really hopes she’s not blushing.
“You have separate addresses though?” Susan asks.
“Yes.” Scully confirms.
“For now.”
“For now?” Susan asks, and Scully gives him a quizzical look.
“Yeah, for now. Maybe not for long though?” He says and Scully gasps.
“Perhaps,” Susan pushes her glasses up her nose, “that is something else you’ve yet to discuss with Dana.”
“Yeah, it might be.” He says sheepishly. “If we’re successful, and we adopt Emily, I was thinking we should get a house.”
“A house?” Scully echoes.
“With enough outside space for a swing so you can swing together.” He tells her, and she thinks her heart might just beat right out of her chest. She had no idea this fantasy had been brewing in his brilliant mind. “A proper family home, you know.” He shrugs.
“But work…”
“Is in the city for now. I can commute.” He shrugs.
“About your work…” Susan starts.
“If we do this, if we get Emily…” Scully exhales. “I can change my job. I taught at Quantico for a while. Maybe I can do that again. It’s less dangerous, more predictable hours, and I can still help people, just differently.”
“I just…she’s my daughter. I want her, so much.” Scully says emotionally, tears pooling in her eyes. “Please…”
“I can tell that you do, Dana.” Susan says. “I won’t lie to you, this is going to be a complex case. I think I should leave you both to have some further discussions, but if this is truly what you both want, to adopt her together, it may help add some strength to the case. The judges tend to like the idea of a stable two parent household. Parts of your story are unprecedented, but the fact that you’re a medical doctor, and you work in the FBI…maybe. I can’t say for certain how they’ll decide, but, give me a call in a couple of days, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
As they show Susan out, and close the door, Mulder turns to Scully with a grin.
“What do you say, Scully. Want to have a kid with me?”
“I might have some concerns over your sanity, and your impulsivity, but you never stop surprising me.” She says, walking right up to him, and smiling at him. “I kind of think I do, though.”
“Great.” He beams at her, and pulls her in to him for a tight hug.
“I was not expecting you to suggest that…” She tells him, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“I probably should have talked about it with you first. I’m sorry if I caught you off guard.”
“I probably would have just tried to talk you out of it.” Scully admits. “You really, really want to do this?”
“Yeah. A little house outside of the city with you, and a family…kind of like we talked about on that twisted case last year? I want that, Scully. With you.” He tells her, and she searches his darker eyes with her blue ones. She obviously finds something there as she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him down for a kiss. He stoops towards her, and his hands run down to her thighs, and without breaking the kiss he lifts her, and holds her against the door.
“Mmm, not that I’m not enjoying this, but we should probably rain check on this. Want to grab some lunch and then go see our kid?” Mulder asks, using a great deal of restraint.
“Our kid…”
“Yeah.”
“I think she might like being your kid. She thinks you’re hilarious.”
“I do love a girl that enjoys my sense of humour.” He grins. “Don’t sell yourself short though, she clearly feels safe with you, and that shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“I know.” She says wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and sighing against his ear.
Notes:
Thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, subscribing, kudos-ing so far. I'm so glad you all are enjoying what started as a light and fluffy little idea. I jumped head first into this fic like Mulder with a mystery to solve, and now I'm written thousands and thousands of words - just since like June. It's a little intense, but fun. So it's so cool to see how many hits this has gotten so quick - my other fics with similar numbers have been up for way longer in another fandom. I still feel pretty new to the X Files fandom so thank you!
It's such a shame AO3 doesn't show us who has subscribed, or who would like to kudos more than once a fic. <3
Chapter 8: New Family?
Summary:
While Emily colours, Scully talks to Emily about why she's at the San Diego Children's Centre, and she and Mulder ask if Emily might like to live with them. Mulder and Scully then head to dinner at Bill's and Tara's and end up telling them about their plans to adopt Emily. How will Bill react?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Over a very typical Mulder and Scully lunch in a diner, they start to talk about the realities of what it could mean to add Mulder’s name to Scully’s adoption petition. Scully doesn’t want to get ahead of herself, but he paints such a nice picture, she can’t help but feel hope blooming in her chest.
That afternoon, Emily excitedly pulls both Mulder and Scully into the room over to a little coffee table where she’s been set up with both her colouring book and Mr Potato Head.
“Fox! Look!” Emily turns her potato head towards Mulder who then mimics the silly face eliciting a giggle from the young girl.
Emily then flips to the back of her colouring book pulling out a loose page and shows it to Scully.
“Dana, look. For you.” She thrusts the paper into Scully’s hand.
“You drew this for me?” Scully asks as she crouches next to Emily.
“Yep!”
Scully looks at the colourful picture, endeared by the idea even if she can’t tell what she’s looking at.
“Will you tell me about the picture?”
“It’s yesterday!” She exclaims, pointing out the swing, a little red Emily, a bigger red Scully and then a darker Mulder blur behind them.
“I love it, thank you.” Scully says warmly pulling the little girl into a hug, and of course Emily beams in response.
“One for the fridge.” Mulder smiles and nods at Scully, and she rolls her eyes as he knows full well they do not have a fridge they can hang a picture on. She does agree it’s a keeper though.
“Can I take it home with me?”
“Yep!” Emily nods. “Colour with me again?”
“Yeah, we can colour.”
“You choose!” Emily tells her, thrusting her colour book at Scully.
“I’m choosing the picture?” Emily nods. “Hmm, let’s see…” Scully flicks through the pages, noting that several have some colour on them already, though not in any particular order. “What about this one?”
“No Tigger.” Emily frowns, which Scully interprets to be one of the reason why the page is devoid from colour.
“Ah, I think you can fix that Emily. I bet you could add him in. Where do you think Tigger would be?”
Emily studies the picture, leaning against Scully’s knee as she does so and thinks hard about where Tigger might be. She carefully looks over the scene on the page and then points next to Eeyore. “Here. Making Eeyore feel better.”
“I think that’s a lovely idea. He’s a good friend for trying to make Eeyore feel better.”
“Like you and Fox.” Emily nods, as she turns back to the table reaching for the now slightly worn orange crayon.
“Yeah, Fox tries to make me feel better sometimes.” Scully smiles at Mulder.
“No.” Emily tells her as she focuses on her orange squiggles for Tigger. “Make Emily feel better.”
“Oh.” Scully says taken aback slightly, but also touched.
“You make us feel better too.” Mulder says while Scully struggles for words. Emily smiles quietly, but says nothing more her attention focused on her colouring book. Mulder reaches his hand into his pocket, rustling slightly, which causes Emily to look up at him curiously. “Some sustenance for your hard work?” He asks, but Emily tilts her head and looks at him almost blankly, not understanding.
“Sustenance means food.” Scully tells her, figuring the word was causing some confusion - it not being a typical toddler word.
“Oooo.” Emily’s interest is piqued.
“Some M&Ms for Little Em.” Mulder winks, placing a small snack size bag of the candy onto the table that he’s already opened for her.
“Mmmm.”
“Do you have a favourite colour?” He asks her.
“I like the blue ones.”
“Blue, just like your eyes.” He tells her, tapping her on the nose. “Good choice.”
“Emily, I wondered if we could talk while we colour.” Scully says carefully. “I have some questions for you, if that’s ok.”
“Okay.”
“Sweetie, do you know why you’re staying here?” Scully asks her gently, smoothing her hand over Emily’s hair.
“Hmm.” Emily screws up her little nose and frowns as she chooses a new crayon. “Mommy and Daddy gone. Not coming back.” She says sadly.
“That’s right. It can be really sad when that happens.”
“Yeah.”
“So it’s okay if you feel upset, or mad, or quiet.” Emily continues to colour as Scully talks, and Mulder keeps a watchful eye on Emily, playing close attention to her movements and expressions. “Although it’s sad, places like this - The San Diego Children’s Home - they help to look after little girls and boys who can’t be with their mommies and daddies. The have some responsibilities for children like you. It might not always feel it, but they want to do what’s best for you, and it’s a good thing there are places like this. Some children can be here for just a little while, and some for a longer time - but through no fault of their own. One thing that can happen, is that a Children’s Home, well, sometimes they can help children find a new family, if they need one.”
Emily puts her crayon down and looks first to Scully, and then at Mulder.
“New family?”
“Yeah. It’s…good for children to grow up in a family. These places are okay for a while, but not always so good for a long time.” Scully says and then looks to Mulder while biting her lip. Mulder meets her eyes and nods encouraging her to continue. “Emily, it might take a while - so we can’t do anything today, or tomorrow, but…how would you feel about maybe living with me…and Fox?”
“Live with you?” Emily asks, repeating the last part of what Scully was trying to say. She tilts her head to the side and studies first Scully and then Mulder.
“Yeah, would you like that?” Mulder asks her with gentle tone.
“Yes.” She grins. “Family…like Mommy, Daddy and baby.”
“Yeah, like that.” Scully tells her, stroking her hand through Emily’s hair. “I think you’re more of a little girl than a baby though.” She smiles at her.
“I can be the baby. Play pretend.” She nods.
“You don’t need to play pretend, sweetie.” Scully says, hugging Emily towards her.
“Dana’s right.” Mulder says and he moves towards Scully and Emily. “Little Em?” Mulder says softly, and she looks up at him. “You just need to be you. Just the way you are. Just Emily.”
“Just Emily.” She repeats. “Live with you?”
“Yeah. Dana and I, we’d really like that. But only if you want it too.”
“Yes.” Emily says.
“Yes?” Mulder asks grinning.
“You would like to live with us?” Scully checks and Emily nods.
“Looks like we should call the social worker again, Scully.” Mulder grins at Scully, and she returns his grin with one of her own.
“Okay.” Scully presses a kiss to Emily’s forehead. “I’m really happy that you like that idea.” She tells Emily. “It might take a little while for us to work out the arrangements, but we wanted you to know that’s what we want to do.”
“What we’re going to do.” Mulder adds.
“Yeah.” Scully nods, finally letting that hope bloom, and feeling like things might actually work out.
Scully calls the social worker on the way to the car, telling her “Susan. Do it. Add Fox to the petition. We’re doing this together, and we want Emily to live with us as soon as possible. We want to adopt her. We’ll do whatever it takes. Is there any way we might be able to take her out of the children’s home sooner, rather than later? Fostering, guardianship, custody? Anything like that?”
Scully goes quiet for a while and frowns, before finishing up the call. “Okay, I understand. Thank you.”
Scully hangs up her phone to find Mulder looking at her expectancy, waiting to hear what the social worker said. Scully sighs heavily as she looks back at him.
“She’s going to make some enquiries. Because our case is a bit…unusual, unprecedented, there’s not a particularly straightforward route to take. Although I’m genetically her mother, I didn’t give birth to her so she thinks filing for custody might not work, and that adoption would be the route but…”
“So we just have to wait until she contacts us?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll admit I don’t know much about this kind of stuff, but home inspections are often a thing aren’t they?”
“I believe so.”
“So maybe while we wait to hear from her, we have a think about that side of things.”
Scully rubs her temples, there is just so much to work through, but he’s right, it would be sensible to be prepared and get ahead of the process where they can. Although, quite how they would do that, she’s not sure. Not when home is in DC, but they’re on the other side of the country, and she’s got no desire to be that far away from Emily.
“That is sensible, but I don’t think I can go back home while she’s here, Mulder.”
“I know. I reckon we have a few people that we could call on favours with. We don’t have to figure it out right this minute, so let’s get out of here, and we can talk about it later.”
“Okay. Remember, my Mom’s expecting us at Bill’s for dinner this evening.” She reminds him gently.
“Are you really sure that you want to go Bill’s? We could just go back to the hotel and make out some more?” He asks waggling his eyebrows, and attempting his best charming grin.
“As fun as that would be, Mulder, I think we can manage to get through dinner. I’ll make out with you later though.” She looks at him with amusement dancing in her eyes.
“Scully, are you trying to bribe me into dinner with your brother?”
“I wasn’t but…if it works as a reward…” She smiles at him as he puts the key in the ignition and starts the engine.
“Oh, it could. I’ll even let you make me a reward chart.” He grins and Scully rolls her eyes.
“I know you and Bill don’t exactly see eye to eye, but I would like to see my Mom.”
“Fine, to Bill’s, we go.” He sighs, but they both know it’s more for show than being out of genuine frustration. As Mulder prepares to put the car into gear, Scully surprises him by leaning over the centre console and giving him a chaste kiss.
“Thank you.”
As they head down the drive away from the children’s centre, Mulder reaches his hand out, covering Scully’s and gives her hand a squeeze. The simple gesture being used instead of words to say that he’d do virtually anything she asked.
As they update Bill, Tara and Maggie with the fact that they are going to file for adoption together, Maggie can’t hide the delighted grin on her face, and Tara gives Scully a peaceful smile as she rubs her now overdue baby bump.
“Hold on, you’re adopting her - together? Like together, together?” Bill asks.
“Yes, together.” Scully confirms, and she can’t help but roll her eyes at her brother. “How many types of together would there be?”
“Well, together like in a friendly, supporting each other way, or together as in actually being mom and dad, and living in the same house and everything together.”
“Well, you are my best friend.” Mulder says to Scully with a sly grin.
“Not helping.” She tells him. “But, same.” She smiles at him, and he wraps her delicate hand in his, on top of the table, for all her family to see. “Bill, just to be clear, we’re not doing this as friends.”
“You’re actually going to play house?” Bill asks
“Is that what you’re doing, Bill?” Mulder asks his tone dripping with snark, unable to help himself.
“What? That’s totally different! Tara is my wife, and she’s about to have my baby.”
“Bill…” Tara places a calming hand on his arm, and as he looks at his wife, his expression softens. “They’ve thought about this, and they know what they’re doing. Dana seems happy.”
Bill glances between Tara and Scully, who is smiling at him nodding and he sighs.
“We both want this - to be a family together. We may not have conceived Emily together in the traditional way, but she’s a great kid, and I’d consider myself very lucky to spend everyday with Scull…Dana and Emily.”
“Just don’t hurt her, either of them.” Bill gruffly accepts. While he’s perhaps still not entirely sure of how he feels about Mulder, the crux of it is that he is trying to be a protective older brother, and he just doesn’t want to see his sister, and now his niece, hurt by the slightly quirky Mulder.
“Oh trust me, I have no intention of that, but if I do, you absolutely can come after my ass.” Mulder tells Bill. He’d expect nothing less. As frustrating as the man can be sometimes, he does quite like the idea that Scully has someone else fighting in her corner - not that she needs it.
“Well I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Maggie grins. “And I’m not all that surprised.”
“Mom? Would you like to come with us tomorrow and meet her?” Scully asks, and Maggie’s eyes meet up in obvious excitement.
“Oh, I would love to.”
Notes:
I'm hoping to post another couple of chapters this week, but then my work gets mega busy so if updates are a little slower that'll be why. I've got plenty more of this written though so don't worry, there's lots more to come!
Chapter 9: Puzzle Pieces
Summary:
Mulder and Scully take Maggie to meet her new granddaughter.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hellooo?” Mulder calls out as he pushes the door to the visiting room open. “Little Emmm? Are you in here?” He steps into the room pretending he can’t see her, even though he spots her crouched on the floor behind the coffee table.
“Hi!”
“Hmm, strange. I thiiinnkk I hear her, but I just can’t see her. I’m not sure if she’s in here Dana.” He says with a light tone, nodding towards where Emily is, as they hear a little giggle.
“Oh what a shame.” Scully says, and then can’t help but tease him. “And you’re sure it’s not that you’ve forgotten your glasses?”
He mock gasps. “How dare you?” He jests just as a little blur of Emily comes running towards them.
“Fox!” She happily shouts to him, running up to him with her arms open wide.
“Oh, there she is!” He grins, reaching down to pull her up onto his hip. “Nice to see you little Em. Look who I found Dana!” He turns to face Scully grinning proudly. She raises her eyebrow at him, as if to sarcastically comment on his ‘finding’ abilities.
“Hi Sweetie,” Scully says stepping closer, settling her hand on Emily’s back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Are you having a good day today?” She asks and Emily nods. “That’s good. Hey, I bought someone with us who wants to meet you.”
“Meet me?”
“Yeah. You’re both important people to me. Emily, I’d like you to meet my mom.” Scully gestures for Maggie to join them. She slowly enters the room, giving Emily a kind smile. Emily watches her as she gets closer, and then turns her head into Mulder’s shoulder. “Mom, this is Emily. She’s a little shy around new people, but we think she’s pretty special.”
“Hello Emily. It’s nice to finally meet you. Dana’s been telling me about you. My name is Margaret, but you can call me Maggie.”
Emily picks her head back up from the safety of Mulder’s shoulder, and shyly looks towards Maggie, deciding to give her a little wave. Maggie lets out a quiet gasp, taking in Emily’s features, and seeing just how similar she was to her elder daughter when she was very young. If it weren’t for the fact that Melissa had dark eyes, and Emily’s eyes were bright blue like Dana’s, she’d wonder whether she suddenly stepped back in time.
“Dana, honey, you’re right. They look so similar.” Maggie says emotionally.
“Don’t they? It was a little unnerving at first, but it makes more sense now.” Scully offers her mom a sad smile.
“I know you told me before, but seeing it in person…”
As the Scully women talk, Mulder has been trying to reassure Emily, who is slowly warming up to the new presence in the room.
“Maggie?” Emily whispers testing out the name.
“Hello.” Maggie says facing Emily with a warm smile.
“You Dana’s Mommy?”
“I am, that’s right.”
“I like Dana.” Emily tells Maggie.
“Oh that’s good. I like Dana too.” Maggie smiles at the little girl.
“I like Fox too.”
Maggie looks up towards Fox, smiling at the way he’s looking down at Emily, totally focused on her. “Yes, I quite like Fox too.” Maggie tells Emily. “Now, I’ve heard that you like Winnie the Pooh and all his friends, especially Tigger. Is that right?”
“Yep.” Emily nods.
“Ah. I’ve got a Winnie the Pooh puzzle here. Do you like puzzles?” Maggie asks her holding up the box to show Emily the picture on the box.
“Puzzle?” Emily repeats the words and looks unsurely at Mulder and Scully before shrugging, not sure if she knows what that is or not.
“Let’s sit by the table and have a look, shall we?” Mulder suggests moving towards the coffee table where he sets Emily down, but as soon as he’s sat on the floor at the table, Emily crawls into his lap. “You wanna look together Em?”
Scully kneels beside them. “A jigsaw puzzle is where you have a picture cut up into pieces and you try and put it back together again. You’ve probably done one before, or something similar.”
Maggie sits across from them and opens up the box scattering the pieces on the table.
“Alright Emily, I like to start with the corners.” Scully quickly finds a corner and picks it up to show Emily. “You can tell the corners because they have two straight edges like this one.”
“Think you see any corners Em?” Mulder asks her, sitting his hand on top of her head briefly. Emily kneels up and studies the pieces. She reaches her little hand out, grasping one between her finger.
“This one?” She asked pulling it back to show Mulder and Scully.
“Oh, not quite sweetie. That’s a good piece, it’s an edge, so that’s helpful, so we can put this one over here for now. It’s only got one straight edge though. We want to see if we can find pieces with two straight edges. There should be three more.”
Emily lean forwards again studying all the pieces. She successfully finds one, and claps when they tell her she’s got it right.
Maggie so far has been content to watch Emily interacting with Mulder and Scully, but decided to give her a hint.
“Emily, I think there’s one over here by me. Do you want to see if you can find it?”
Emily slowly moves towards Maggie and studies the pieces in front of her before picking up a piece and showing it to Maggie.
“You found it!” Maggie smiles at her. “You know, when Dana was a little girl she liked doing puzzles. In fact, I think she still likes them now, even if she doesn’t have much time.”
“Really?” Emily asks, enthralled by the idea that one of her new favourite people enjoys doing puzzles.
“I do. I have a couple at home, but they have quite a few more pieces than this one.” Scully tells her.
“More pieces?” Emily asks looking stunned.
“Sounds hard, doesn’t it Em?” Mulder asks picking up on the overwhelm in her expression at the idea of many more pieces.
“Too hard.” The little baffled expression on her face melts his heart.
“Yes, they’re a bit tricky. But those are puzzles for grown ups. You start with puzzles like this, and then as you practice and get bigger, you try puzzles with more and more pieces. They come in lots of different sizes, with lots of different pictures.” Scully explains.
“You have Winnie the Pooh, too?” Emily asks curiously.
“Ah, no. I think your puzzle might be more fun.” Scully chuckles, thinking over some of her puzzles - classic art pieces, an anatomical diagram, landscape travel pictures, and most recently, a rather out-there UFO picture that reminded her of her partner.
“Hmm.” Emily considers that idea. “Oooo, look!”
“Eyyy! You found another one. High five!” Mulder hands out his hands towards Emily who gleefully high fives him.
“That’s all four corners, well done.” Scully tells her and holds her hand out, beckoning Emily towards her. “Now, let’s have a look.” Scully draws two corners towards her on the table, and Emilys passes her her two, which Scully sets on the table too. “Okay, now we can check the picture on the box.” She says gently squeezing Emily’s shoulder. “And then, we can see which corner is which. What do you see on the picture - at the corners.”
“Grass, down there, sky, and oh that one is grass and a flower!”
“And can we tell if any of these pieces are are grass or sky?”
“Yeah!”
“Show us?”
Emily reaches out, and points towards the blue ones. “These are sky. The sky is blue.” Mulder reaches out and pulls those two corners up, as Scully tells Emily she’s doing a great job so far. “And grass is green, like these two. Look, that’s the flower!”
“You’re so clever.” Maggie tells her with a proud smile.
“I am?”
“You are.” Scully tells her, kissing her hair. “So now we can mark out our corners, the flower is in the bottom right corner, so we’ll put that piece here, and the other green one over here.” She pushes the pieces to be on the same level with a gap between them. “And then we can put the blue sky pieces up at the top. And we know the outside has a straight edge.”
“Ready for the next step, Em?” Mulder asks her, and she eagerly awaits her next instruction. “We’re going to work on the bottom edge, so we’ve got to find all the pieces that could be green grass with a straight edge. Got it?”
“Got it. I’ll look.” Emily says as she starts moving around the table looking for green edges.
Slowly, step by step, they work to guide her through building the puzzle, and help her find some of the pieces and piece them together. When she slots the last piece into place she stands back with a very proud expression on her face as she claps, and then adds a slight bounce and a twirl just for good measure.
Mulder is taken aback momentarily, not only is the proud look of achievement on her face so precious, but there’s something about her expression and stance that has him recalling a memory of his sister doing something very similar. He recovers quickly, but not so quickly that Scully doesn’t notice his look first. She quirks her eyebrow which he pretends he hasn’t seen.
“Great job little one.” Maggie congratulates Emily, oblivious to whatever is going on between Mulder and Scully.
“Who is your favourite?” Emily asks Maggie, having warmed up thanks to the puzzle and time.
“From the puzzle? Hmm, I think I like Winnie the Pooh the best.”
“He likes honey. Has a rumbly tum.”
“That’s right. Do you know anything else about him?”
“Think, think, think.” Emily recites, tapping her head. “He’s a ‘silly old bear.’” She giggles.
“Any day spent with you is my favourite day. So, today is my favourite day.” Mulder throws out a Winnie the Pooh quote that sums up the way he’s been feeling recently and Scully looks at him with delighted surprise, her eyes shining bright. A lot is changing, and there’s still so much to sort through, but time together, and especially their time with Emily was really allowing them to make some wonderful new memories, so many of them feeling like a new favourite moment or memory. And, especially after the darkness of heartache of the last year, there was such light and peace in this and it all just felt so…right.
“Who is your favourite Emily?” Maggie asks while her daughter is clearly captivated by her partner’s ability to quote popular media, even if its media aimed at children, or maybe that’s why she was so captivated.
“Tigger! Bounce, bounce, bounce!” Emily demonstrates her best Tigger bouncing, causing Maggie’s smile to grow wider.
“Oh, Tigger is fun, isn’t he!”
“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Mulder whispers to Scully as he puts his arm around her shoulders as they leave. She looks up towards him, with an adoring smile.
“You big softie.” She comments as she wraps her arm around his back as they continue towards the car.
“Oh, look!” Maggie pops their little bubble with a delighted exclamation. They turn towards her as one, seeing her pointing towards the building. They both follow her gesture and spot a tiny blue eyed redhead giving them a wave through one of the windows.
“Mulder…” Scully breathes.
“Well, look at that for progress.” He says squeezing her shoulder as he raises his other hand to wave back at Emily. Scully blows Emily a kiss and then waves too.
“Thank you for bringing me today.” The gratitude in Maggie’s voice ringing clear. “She’s remarkable.” She tells them as Emily gives them one last wave before being led away from the window.
“We think so too, Mom. I’m starting to feel like she’s really starting to trust that we’ll come back for her. It’s usually so much harder for her to say goodbye.”
“She clearly thinks the world of you both, too. You’ll make a charming family. And Fox - you’re so wonderful with her, too.”
“Thank you Mrs Scully.”
“Maggie, Fox. How many times will I have to tell you that?” She chuckles.
“Thank you Maggie.”
“Had you always wanted to be a father?” She asks as they approach the car.
“Actually, I’d never really let myself think too much about having a family, not until kind of recently. You know about my background - that really impacted how I viewed the world for a long time. Somewhat surprisingly, I find that Emily is very easy to love, probably because she reminds me of my favourite person.” He kisses the top of Scully’s head, and squeezes her shoulder again before releasing her to open the car door. “As soon as I saw them together, things started shifting, I guess.”
“Fox, with the way you’ve looked out for Dana, the way you’ve been there, fiercely stuck by her side, through everything, I’ve no doubt you’ll make a wonderful father. No doubt you’d do the same for Emily. Though if god forbid she ever ends up in hospital, ease up on the doctors a little.” She teases him, remembering the way he came raging into the hospital when Scully had been returned to them, and how he’d been again while she was sick with cancer.
“I can’t make any guarantees, but I’ll try.” He smirks.
“And you, my love,” Maggie says turning to Dana, grabbing her hands with one of hers, and touching her daughter’s cheek with her other. “You’re already so wonderful with her. It’d be an honour to see you grow and develop that maternal bond I can see you already have.”
“Mom…” Scully says as her lip wobbles as she feels the emotions prick behind her eyes.
“It’ll all work out Dana.” Maggie says as she wraps her arms around her daughter. “I’ve got a good feeling about this. And I think it’s high time the Lord blesses you with something wonderful too, especially after all you’ve been through.”
“I don’t know if it works like that, Mom.” Scully says, trying hard not to roll her eyes.
“This time it will, I’m sure.”
Notes:
Meant to post yesterday, but forgot. Apparently it's DD's birthday, so I guess I hope you all enjoy Mulder being all cute with Emily to celebrate?
Chapter 10: Of books, imagination and dichotomies
Summary:
From reminiscing over lost sisters to dreaming of the future. From a sleepy child to unplanned declarations, and the imagination and love of books that turns through them.
Notes:
Fun fact - when I started writing, I didn't have 'chapters'. It was/kind of is one continuous document and the chapters got added in after I realised this is going to be a very long fic. This one is kind of long. I just didn't feel like I could break it up!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Later, Mulder and Scully sit in the bar at their hotel nursing a couple of beers. Scully leans back against the side of the booth as she carefully watches Mulder.
“Are you okay?” She asks him gently, a concerned curiosity etched across her face.
“I’m fine.” He tells her, as he picks at the label.
“Mulder,” She reaches out, and stills his hand. “I think sometimes you forget how well I know you. I see you, Mulder. And I saw you in that room earlier, the way that just for a moment something had you spooked. I saw that.”
“You saw that?” He takes her hand in his, and the corner of his mouth quirks up. “Of course you did.” He huffs out a little breath, and then quips, “You ever think of profiling, Scully?”
“Just of you.” She smiles, shaking her head. “What happened?”
“Samantha.” He sighs.
“You were thinking of your sister?”
“It’s probably nothing, and it’s kind of silly, but when Samantha was proud of herself, or felt a sense of achievement…There was just something about the way Emily was acting, looking, being…it just, for a moment it was like looking at a younger version of my sister.” He sighs. “It’s probably just a little kid thing. I’m sure lots of little kids act the same, or have similar emotions. It just caught me off guard a little.”
“It’s not silly.” She tells him gently.
“And then, the more I think about it, the more I see other little glimpses of Sam. And then when I start thinking about her…” He trails off and shrugs.
“You start missing her.” She fills in the gap.
“Yeah.”
“I wonder what she’d think of Emily. If she’d have, or want kids of her own.”
“I think the same about Melissa.” Scully tells him, in a vulnerable way. “I also wonder what she’d think about me accusing her of having a secret pregnancy she never told us about, and then it turned out it wasn’t her secret child, but mine.”
“I know I didn’t know her like you did, but I’m quite sure she’d have found that hilarious.”
“She would.” Scully chuckles.
“She’d probably have figured it out straight away - she’d have felt the energy. You know, when you were in the coma, she’d told me you’d told her not to call me Fox. Right then, it that hospital room. Your spirit was there, talking apparently.”
Scully gives him another adoring look, she’s been doing that a lot recently, and then she grins. “She may have been messing with you.” Scully knew that her sister knew not to call him Fox, long before that incident, and though her sister was more into the spiritual side of things than her, it was just like her to tease a vulnerable Mulder like that.
“I don’t know. I think I believed her, she then said I could feel you too and she had me hold my hands over you, like she was doing and, I don’t know…”
“I wonder what Melissa and Samantha would think of each other.”
“Hopefully, they’d get on.” He smiles.
“In some other life…” Scully murmurs.
“Okayyy,” Mulder says slowly, shakes his head and his shoulders. “Enough wallowing. Dare to dream a little with me Scully?”
“What are you thinking?” She asks as she tries to squash her own sorrows allowing the lighter hope to flicker and glow.
“When we finally get to take Emily home, back to DC…”
“I want to dream about that.” She says in a slightly wistful tone. “I want to believe, I do, but…I’m nervous.” She bites her inner lip.
“I know.” He rubs his thumb over her inner wrist soothingly. “Indulge me a little though, please?” He asks and gives her a puppy dog look she’s powerless to say no to. “Obviously, my place is too small.”
“But I have a second bedroom.” She interjects.
“Which is great until we find a house.”
“We’d need to make it more kid friendly, of course. Which probably means different furniture.”
“Keep going.” He encourages with a gentle smile.
“She’d be fine with a single bed, which leaves more room for playing. She’ll need somewhere for all her toys.”
“Of which she will have more than she knows what to do with.”
“If you have anything to do with it, I’m sure she will.” Scully grins, knowing just how far gone he is for the little tyke. “I’m thinking some kind of activity table she can sit at.”
“For colouring, and tea parties.”
“Yeah. And I really want to encourage a love of books.”
“Of course, me too.” The fact that agreeing over plans for the future with Emily seems so much easier than agreeing over anything at work is not lost on either of them.
“So she’ll need a good bookshelf for all her picture books, that can grow with her as we add longer and more complex books to it.”
“Do you think we should repaint?” Mulder asks tentatively, and Scully smiles at the ‘we’ and just how committed to the idea of the three of them as a family unit he is.
“That depends on your house dreams.” She looks to him fondly, knowing he’s going to be half way to planning that all out by bedtime too if she lets him.
“I have many ideas.” Of course he does, she knew she would.
“So if we’re thinking house soon, maybe not a full redecorate, but she needs to feel at home, comforted. Some Emily-friendly pictures on the wall, perhaps, and a cosy comforter.”
“And Tigger.”
“Yes, definitely a Tigger or two.”
“The whole hundred acre wood…”
“Let’s not go totally overboard.” She laughs.
The next day they go to see Emily again as per their new and yet already very familiar routine, but there’s no excited squeals or running hugs like they’ve come to expect. Instead there’s a quiet curled up Emily on one of the chairs with a whale in one arm, a blanket next to her and her thumb stuck in her mouth.
Mulder and Scully exchange worried glances as they move towards her, and Mulder quickly glances over at the worker in the corner. They don’t meet his eyes, instead busying themselves with paperwork. He’s not sure whether that means they’ve not picked up on her change in demeanour, or whether it means they’re not worried. He is though. His little friend has been so excited to see him everyday after their first introduction. Something feels off.
“Hi there, sweet pea.” Scully says as she crouches in front of Emily.
“Hi little one.” Mulder sits in the chair next to hers as Scully already starts to fuss over her.
“Hi.” Emily says quietly, barely removing her thumb from her mouth.
“You feeling okay, Emily?” Scully asks as she tenderly sweeps Emily’s hair back from her forehead. Emily shrugs, and Scully holds the back of her hand to her forehead, checking for a temperature.
“Fever?” Mulder asks.
“I don’t think so. Maybe a little warm, but not burning up.”
“Does anything hurt, sweetie?”
“No. Maybe my tummy? Not really though.” Emily says finally removing her thumb from her mouth so she can talk. She rubs her eyes with her fist.
“Tired? Sleepy?” Scully asks her and Emily nods. “Did you sleep okay last night? Or did you wake up lots?”
“No.” Emily shakes her head, suggesting she probably slept okay.
“I’m sorry you’re feeling extra tired today. Do you feel too tired to play or colour?” Scully asks her, running her hand up and down the girl’s side.
“Mmm.” Emily nods.
“How about a cuddle?” Scully asks, and Emily wastes no time reaching her arms out, still holding on to her whale in one hand. Scully scoops her up, cradling her like a baby before sitting in the chair Emily had been curled up on.
Scully pulls Emily in tight, and Emily snuggles in against Scully’s chest. Mulder runs a hand in circles on her back, hoping it’s comforting, as he meets Scully’s eyes with a concerned, sad look. She mirrors his expression and sighs.
“Do you feel like this sometimes, or is this different?” Scully asks, wondering if the tiredness is related to her anaemia, or whether it was something else to be concerned about in addition to that. Emily just hums, and shrugs. “Don’t worry, hopefully you’ll be feeling better soon.”
Mulder spots a bookshelf across the room, with a couple of picture books, that he hopes may be somewhat age appropriate.
“How about a story, Em?” He asks, ducking towards her head and placing a hand on her hair, and a kiss to her cheek. She turns towards him with wide, but tired blue eyes and nods. “Alright, let’s see what we’ve got over here.”
Mulder looks through the small selection of picture books, trying to see from the front cover imagery and titles whether they looked like they were good to try reading to Emily. There were Dr Seuss titles like Green Eggs and Ham; In The Night Kitchen which he thought he recognised from either his or Samantha’s childhood collections and wanted to read with Emily, but maybe when she was feeling more like herself; The Giving Tree; The Tiger Who Came to Tea, which he thinks she’ll love, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, another possible contender, Whatever Next, with a picture of bear in his cardboard box rocket whooshing into the stars, which Mulder himself very much wants to read, and We’re Going On a Bear Hunt.
For now, he decides to take three back over towards Scully - The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Hairy Maclary and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
“Look what I’ve found Scully.” He grins, showing off the collection. “Any of these look familiar?”
“Oh yes, I think I used to have The Tiger Who Came to Tea. The other two are newer, but I know of them. Good choices, lots of rhyming.”
“Alright, Little Em, you still ready for a story? Who do you want to read to you.”
“Yeah.” She says quietly, and then thinks, screwing up her cute button nose. “Dana. And Fox.”
“Both? Now that’s just greedy.” He tickles her side just long enough for a quick giggle from his favourite little buddy. “It’s a good job I’ve got more than one book then. What do you reckon, a book each?” He asks Scully and she nods in agreement.
“Alright, let’s go on a bear hunt. We’ll see how it compares to work.” He winks at Scully.
“You hunt bears?” Emily asks.
“No, not quite sweetie. I suppose you could say we go on adventures to try and protect people from dangerous things.”
“Cool.” She breathes.
“Pretty cool, huh. You should see Dana out there protecting people. She’s the coolest.” He opens up the book and starts reading about a family’s adventure to go and search for a bear, making sure to ensure Emily can see the pictures. Scully holds Emily on her lap, cuddling her close, but has her more propped up so she can see the pictures he’s showing her.
Scully ready the Tiger Who Came to Tea, while Mulder cuddles Emily, and about two pages after Scully starts Hairy Mclary she grows limp as she drifts off to sleep. Mulder tilts his head trying to check on her, but can’t quite see her. Scully notices, and ducks her head towards them. Satisfied that Emily is peacefully sleeping she gives Mulder a smile, and then her face makes it clear how adoring she is of the scene before her. Mulder lets her watch Emily sleep for a while, but then tries to get her attention.
“Carry on then Scully, I need to hear more about Hercules Morse as big as a horse. Might be an X File.” He smirks and raises his eyebrows. “A dog as big as a horse - sounds suspicious, don’t you think?”
“Mulder, I really don’t think some poetic hyperbole in a picture book is going to be an X file.”
“Well not if you dismiss it that quick. We’ll never know if we don’t finish.”
“Mulderrr…”
“Finish the story, please.”
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“C’mon, do it for Em.” He pleads, giving her his puppy dog look, he knows even she can’t resist.
“For Emily.” She whispers firmly, before continuing the book.
With the book finished, Scully returns the books to the bookshelf across the room, before resettling next to Mulder and Emily.
“That was a good idea, Mulder.” She tells him placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, as she leans her head back against the wall.
“You did say you wanted to encourage a love of reading.”
“And you listened.” She smiles at him. “I’m still a little concerned that she seems a little off today, but at the same time, it’s been interesting to see a different side to her.”
“I think we have a lot of sides of Little Em to explore.” He says softly.
“She really does seem little like this, and peaceful.” Scully says, her bottom lip jutting out slightly as she soaks up the scene of watching her toddler daughter safe and comfortable in Mulder’s loving and protective arms. “Sometimes I forget just how young she is. She’s barely three Mulder, and she’s been through so much already.”
“I know.” He agrees. “Which is maybe a reason to take comfort in experiencing these moments with her, especially if she feels safe and comfortable with us.”
Scully tugs at her inner lip with her teeth, and rests her head on her hand, elbow propped up by the back of the chair. “You doing okay with her?” She checks.
“Oh yeah, we’re real comfy and cozy over here.” He reassures her with a smile and a cheeky glint in eyes. “You want to get in on this?”
Scully looks like she’s considering the idea, before gently shaking her head, content to watch them.
“No?” Mulder asks, surprised. “Yeah you do, don’t you?” He smirks at her and a slow smile creeps across her face as she nods.
He readjusts his hold on Emily so that he can hold his arm out to Scully, and she shuffles closer towards him, leans over the arms of the chairs slightly awkwardly, and rests her head on his shoulder. His arm encircles her shoulders, holding her towards him, as he tilts his head towards hers, and together they look down on the dozing child.
When it comes time to leave, they share a glance before approaching the worker observing them. Scully explains how they hate to leave her like this, that it’s prudent they call her immediately should anything change, flashing her badge for good measure, even though it held little weight in this scenario. And though Emily had awakened, she was clearly not herself and clinging to the lingering tendrils of sleep. They asserted that they would carry Emily through and settle her in her bed. With her small arms looped around his neck, dozy head lolling against his shoulder, and his firm, steadying hand on her back, Mulder carried her through to her shared bedroom. Scully draws back the comforter allowing Mulder to slide Emily under the covers. She wearily mumbles to them, as they take a side each to tuck her in and kiss her cheeks. Scully holds her hand up to Emily’s forehead once more, then sweeps her hair back, and kissing her forehead before finally standing and allowing Mulder to lead her away.
Scully eyes Mulder suspiciously as he weaves their rental car through unfamiliar streets.
“Mulder, where are you taking us?”
“I have an idea.” He tells us.
“Well that’s reassuring.” He rolls her eyes. “I don’t want to go too far from Emily, just in case…”
“We won’t. Do you trust me?”
“With my life.” She sighs. He reaches his hand out, resting it on Scully’s thigh, and with a soft smile she places her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Here we are.” Mulder announces several minutes later after pulling into a parking lot.
“Your idea is shopping?” She asks with a sceptical brow.
“My idea is distraction, and inspiration.” He corrects with a grin.
“What are you talking about, Mulder?”
“Come with me, and you’ll see.” He tells her as he gets out of the car, and she swears she can hear him humming something about a world of pure imagination. After a beat she meets him at the trunk. When she slides her hand into his outreached one, he tugs on it slightly, and with a swift walk, pulls her towards like the large book shop before them.
“Mulder?” She asks as they enter the store.
“Books.” He grins, sweeping his arm before them with a flourish.
“Books?”
“You love books. Why?”
“You can’t just ask me that!”
“But I did.”
“And you should know, Mulder, of all people I thought you’d understood that there are different types of books that serve different purposes.”
“Such as?” He asks, encouraging to go on.
“Well just within non-fiction, you can develop your knowledge and interests, from evidence based research to memories and new perspectives. You can learn new skills with some, or explore innumerate theories and approaches to life.”
“And with fiction?”
“You can get lost in whole new worlds. You connect with characters, sometime forming deeply empathetic and powerful bonds, and they’ll show you more sides of life than you ever knew existed. You could be lost on the Yorkshire Moors, or some kind of lunar valley, or in another century, or right here in California. You can be embroiled in a thrilling mystery, on the edge of your seat with suspense and drama, or cozying up with romance and a happy ending. Every book offers something new and different, sometimes comforting and reassuring, sometimes not. And with a really good book, everything else just sort of falls a way.”
“The ultimate distraction from life, hmm?”
“You…” She wants to insult him out of irritation at his smugness, and yet, she can’t. “I see what you’re doing.” She narrows her eyes at him. She should be annoyed at the way he knows her so well he can pull a stunt like this just take her mind of something for a few minutes. And yet, when she looks at the man, she just wants to hug him and hold him tight. “And,” she sighs in frustration with herself, “I love you.” She admits, finally saying those three words aloud. Words she has known for quite some time now, but not found herself able, or ready to release into the ether. But today, today her love for this man, and and the small sleepy child tucked into a bed in a house that is not theirs, they have cracked her heart wide open, juggled with the pieces, and surrounded it in a warm and comforting embrace. Her love has bubbled over somehow, and she can no longer keep it inside.
His smile as her words sink in is instantly her new favourite smile of his. He could say it back. He feels it. He could make a big deal out of it, a part of him wants to, and yet at the same time, it changes very little. He already knows she loves him, she’s shown him so many times, in so many ways, and found numerous ways to tell him even without telling him. They knew they loved each other, they’d spoken around it, even acknowledge the l-word, but they’d never said it quite that way, with the unmistakeable pronouns. It is big, monumental, and yet it is also mundane, simple, just a fact of life (the sky is blue and Scully loves Mulder) - perfectly fitting for a setting like this, in an odd kind of way.
He was not planning a big gesture to win her affection, just a mere distraction from the anxieties he knows are swirling around her brain. This, coming here, it’s a little thing really. The way he’s distracted her wasn’t even what he’d planned or intended to happen as they arrived. No, his plan involves research, inspiration for the future and writing down a list of book titles for another day.
But this, the unexpected and the expected, the ordinary and extraordinary all at the same time, this is pretty great too.
“This way.” He says gesturing his head to the side, encouraging her to follow him. He’s not dismissing her revelation, but he’s not making a big fuss either. He wonders if she was truly aware of the words that came tumbling out of her mouth. This was her moment. His will come in time. She already knows though. That’s all that matters.
Scully follows him, full of intrigue as he weaves and zips through aisles, occasionally doubling back, checking she’s following him, just for fun she thinks. She’d follow him anywhere, doesn’t he realise that yet?
He comes to a stop in the children’s section, particularly the section aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers, full of a colourful wall of charming picture books.
“Go wild, follow your imagination.” He tells her with a wink, and then pulls out his small note pad from his jacket pocket, as she smiles at him, shaking her head. “Today, we’re creating a list. Books we think Emily will like, that we want to read with her.”
Of course it was all about her. Only Mulder would try to distract her from worrying about her daughter, by pulling her into his dreamscape for their future with said daughter. As painful as it was to see Emily not feeling well, it gave them a glimpse into what quiet, sleepy bedtime routines might be like, or other moments where a book might be fun, or exciting, or funny. He was planning for them to make lots of new memories together. And she loved him for that, so much.
“Hey, she’ll love this. Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss.”
“You just like that it’s got your name on it.” She chuckles.
“And it’s Dr Seuss. I probably though this was my book as a kid.”
“Add Jill Murphy, the author, to the list, Mulder.”
“Oh, I think a saw a couple of those on the book shelf at the children’s home earlier. They have one with a bear in a space rocket made out of a box and a colander for a helmet. We NEED that one.”
“Of course.” She giggles. “I was thinking more about the idea of family - there’s the elephant family, and the bear family, seems like there might be a few we should get.”
“Oh, the Funny Bones. You can probably attach some kind of lesson about what you do to the skeletons, Scully. Or should I say Skull-y?”
“Mulder!” She rolls her eyes and gives him a playful shove.
“The Paperbag Princess. So she can believe she can be brave and doesn’t have to be the one that needs saving all the time.”
“Now we’re talking.” Scully agrees. “Oh, the Magic School Bus - those look fun, there’s one on the human body, and one on space.”
“Perfect - I’ll leave inside the human body just for you.”
“I’m touched.” She says sarcastically.
“Gotta share that reading somehow.” He jokes.
“Squeamish.”
“Hey, look at this one.” He shows Scully The Jolly Postman. “It’s interactive - she could take out letters sent between fairytale characters.”
“Oh, that’s different!”
“Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?” Mulder looks at Scully with big round eyes.
“Very apt for you to like the idea of a book about struggling to sleep.”
“Hey, it might give me some ideas too.” He smirks. She runs her hand through his hair and kisses his cheek before turning back to the books.
“Owl Babies. Oh they’re cute.” Scully says picking up the book and flipping it over. “About a mom reassuring her babies she’s coming home.” Scully runs her tongue over her lips. “I like the idea of using books to talk about some things that may not be so easy. If it can help reinforce the idea that we love her and will keep coming back for her…but at the same time, what’s the right way to really explain everything to someone so young.”
“I don’t know, Scully. I wish I did.” Mulder rubs circles between her shoulder blades.
“Mama, Papa and Baby Joe.” Scully looks over a book with a cartoonish picture of a mom, dad and baby in a stroller. “Lots of alliteration and rhyming, this sounds fun.”
“Oh, Rainbow Fish is so sparkly. Think she’ll like that?” He asks her.
“Yeah, I expect so.” She nods
“I’ve found one for you.” Mulder tells her as he picks up a book with beautiful illustrations of a purple dawn or twilight with whales leaping and twirling before a young girl. “The Whales’ Song.”
Scully takes the picture book from him, holding it reverently in her hands, carefully flicking through a few pages. “It’s gorgeous. I think I might have to get one this one now.”
“You want to read it, huh?”
“Cover to cover.” She admits. “And then we can read it to Em, show her the pictures.”
“Think we’ve got enough on the list for now?” Mulder asks her, showing her the list they’ve compiled so far.
“Oh, there’s so many! I think we might need frequent trips to the library.”
“A perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon, I reckon.” He says with a dreamy smile, imagining their little family outings.
Notes:
Why not have a chapter for Gillian's birthday too?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it, and loved getting to reminisce about 1990s children's books. I'm a few years older than Emily, but my sister is about the same age, so between us we had a lot of kids books. I'm not sure if all the titles are known globally, but many of these feel like timeless British picture books. Couldn't resist the mention of what was probably my favourite around Emily's age - 'Mama, Papa and Baby Joe' ('off to pick and pay we go' - so many rhymes I still remember some of them!) and I loved 'The Whales' Song' when I was a bit older. I feel like Mulder would be drawn to all sorts of books about going to space or the moon. What were some of your favourites?
Chapter 11: A Fox from Fox
Summary:
Another mysterious call leads Mulder and Scully to the children's centre in the middle of the night, where they then rush Emily to hospital. While they try to address Emily's mysterious illness, Mulder splits his time between being by Scully and Emily's side, and further investigating Emily's origins. Some plot points from 'Emily' feature here.
Notes:
This is a long one, and a bit of a rollercoaster. Hold onto your hats, there's some angst ahead (but also a little fluff, because this is at its core a fluffy story). We return to some of the more canon mythology and try to interweave that into these versions of Mulder, Scully and Emily's lives.
I'm not a medic or scientist, so if you see anything of that nature and it feels off - please suspend your believe for a moment.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
That evening they lay curled up together like baby cats with some cheesy tv film playing that they’re barely paying attention too when the phone rings.
“Scully.” She says into the phone waiting for a reply. “Hello?” There’s no reply, just static coming across the phone line. Mulder gives her a concerned look as he pulls out his phone and she shakes her head at him.
“Don’t hang up.” He tells her as he requests a trace on her incoming call. It may be nothing, a wrong number, a random butt dial, but given that the recent mysterious phone calls Scully received led them to Emily and discovering the truth of her connection Scully, well, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. “Got it.” He tells her and she hangs up the phone.
“Well?” She asks expectantly, and he frowns.
“San Diego County Children’s Centre.” He tells her gently with a frown.
“Emily!” Panic is evidence in her tone, and her eyes and she jumps up and into action immediately. “We need to go to her. Now. She needs us, I’m sure of it Mulder.” He doesn’t need convincing.
It’s late and the children’s centre campus is quiet, but their frantic knocking on the door to Emily’s building rouses some activity inside as a staff member comes to the door. They run in flashing their badges, heading straight to Emily’s dorm.
Scully flies into her room, rushing past the ends of beds of young girls sleeping. Finally she lays her eyes on Emily and she can tell something isn’t right. She’s at her side in an instant, stomach clenching at the profuse amount of sweat soaking Emily’s face. She doesn’t need to lay her hand on Emily’s forehead to know she has a fever, but she does anyway. “She’s burning up.” She says tremulously, and pushes Emily’s damp hair away from her face in a movement that is both tender and worrisome. “Mulder, we need to get her to a hospital, now.”
The worker rushes to call 911, and Scully peels back the sweat soaked cover from the young girl. Mulder bends down to lift Emily, holding her small body to his upper body, noticing how much warmer and damper her limp body is compared to just hours ago when they tucked her into bed. They rush out, keen to meet the ambulance outside as soon as possible, and secretly hoping the cool air might help her to feel better. She continues to sleep despite the flurry of activity around her.
They stand outside, Mulder holding her close, and Scully standing by his shoulder, one hand running through Emily’s hair, the other checking her vitals.
Emily’s blood is rushed off for urgent testing as soon as they arrive in the ER, at Scully’s insistence and with the knowledge that she had been included in some trials for the treatment of Haemolytic Anaemia prior to her parents’ murders.
Scully is stunned to be told that none of the usual indications of anaemia are present in Emily’s blood, but that they will conduct an array of additional tests to determine the cause of her illness. In the meantime they decide to give her a saline drip, and to try a broad spectrum antibiotic.
“What does this mean?” Mulder turns from the window to look at Scully after the doctor leaves.
Scully sits in the chair besides Emily’s bed, holding one of her small hands between her own hands, she doesn’t take her eyes off of Emily, but she shakes her head.
“It doesn’t make sense, Mulder. Something not right is going on. Her blood tests should show some signs of anaemia, but her blood tests - they’re totally normal.”
“She doesn’t have anaemia?”
“Not according to these tests.” Scully states, chewing on her inner lip.
“So why were they treating her for it? Including her in a double blind study?”
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering.”
“Scully, could it be a cover up? A front?” Mulder wonders if the anaemia treatment could be part of a dark and twisted conspiracy.
“But what for?”
“We should try and get in contact with her doctor. I have some questions for him.”
“Hmm, me too.”
Emily finally stirs and awakens a couple of hours after being admitted. They are alerted to this first by her whimpering, and then a couple of jerky moment.
“Mommy!” She calls out fearfully. Scully stands, but pauses, realising she is not the woman her daughter is calling out for. She’s sure that being sick, tired and waking up somewhere unfamiliar, Emily longs for the woman she called mommy, who had cared for her as long as she could remember. And though she shares her DNA, that wasn’t Scully.
“Hi Emily,” She says softly, hovering over Emily, running a finger along her cheek and trying to give her a reassuring smile. Scully sits on the edge of the bed, facing Emily so that she can see her and interact with her more easily.
“Dana?”
“I’m here.”
“Don’t feel good.” Emily whimpers.
“I know you don’t, baby.” Scully says softly, placing a comforting hand over Emily’s arm.
“Want Mommy.” She whimpers ago.
Scully lets out a shaky breath at words she’s been expecting to hear for days now. But expecting to hear them, and actually hearing them are two very different things. Mulder gives her a sympathetic glance, knowing this must be difficult for her to hear.
“I know you do, sweetie.” Scully tells her, leaning forwards, tenderly brushing her hand through her hair. “But I’m here. You’ve got me. And Fox is here too.” She glances towards him, and he reaches out to squeeze Scully’s shoulder reassuringly.
“Fox?” Emily calls out, attempt to move her head to look for him but whimpers and hisses instead.
“Hey little one, I’m right here.” He tells her moving into her eyeline and then pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Emily, does your head hurt?” Scully asks in concern.
“Yeah.”
“Does anything else hurt?
“Tummy.”
“Like you might need to go to the bathroom, or like you might be sick and throw up?” She asks, trying to get a better understanding of Emily’s circumstances.
“Don’t know.” Emily whimpers again with tears in her eyes.
“That’s okay, don’t worry.” Scully tries to reassure her. “You just let us know if you think you need to throw up or go to the bathroom okay. We just want to help you feel better.”
“kay.” Emily says and then tearfully looks at Scully and holds a weak arm up towards her.
“You need to stay in bed for a little while, you see these bags up here - they’ve got medicine in them, and the medicine is travelling through the tubes, right into you here.” Scully says tapping the side of Emily’s hand. “That’s pretty neat huh? It’s okay if you feel sleepy, sleep helps you feel better too.” Emily’s hand still reaches out, her little hand opening and closing like she’s asking for something. “Would you like me to lie with you? Would that help?” She asks, and Emily hums in reply. “Okay, I can do that.” Scully smiles.
Scully shrugs out of her jacket, and kicks off her shoes, before lying on the opposite side of the bed to the IVs. She puts one arm on the pillow above Emily’s head, and places her other arm over Emily, drawing her close. Emily tucks herself in towards Scully, letting herself be comforted.
Emily remains in the hospital for the next week being treated for suspected bacterial meningitis and Scully barely leaves her side, only leaving when Mulder tells her to go back to the hotel for a shower and a nap, promising to watch over Emily and let her know if anything changes.
Mulder splits his time between the hospital, and acting off the intel provided by the Lone Gunmen desperately trying to explore the origins of Emily’s birth, and the mysteries behind Emily’s doctor and supposed treatment for an illness she does not seem to have.
Mulder has little luck with the doctor, having found Prangen Pharmaceuticals deserted with what was obviously great haste. He growls with frustration, and kicks the near empty bookcase. His foot throbs lightly, but something about acting upon his rage is a release of sorts, even if it’s not able to be directed at the sorry son of a bitch he wishes it was.
He has somewhat more luck in trying to find answers about how Emily came to be. Though the name on her records that Langly had worked his magic to obtain seems fake, there is a woman in San Diego with that name. He tracks her down, and more and more questions arise. She is living in a nursing home, and well past child bearing age. The chances of her bringing a child into the world just four years ago seem so very slim. And yet, she and many of the other residents have taken oestrogen and progesterone and then he finds a room with several older women ‘sleeping’. Something very wrong and sinister is happening here.
That feeling only increases as he investigates the contents of the refrigerator. He opens the large box at the bottom of the fridge, pouring over the paperwork. Most of it he doesn’t understand, he needs Scully’s expertise for this, he’s sure. And there, clear as day at the bottom of the piece of paper is her name. Scully, DK. Her date of birth 02/08/67, and then additional codes. 13.12.94 right up there next to Scully’s name. And then NUC, RBC at the bottom. What do these mean? He’s not quite sure. But there is another woman’s name at the top of the sheet - someone that lives in this care home. He feels slightly nauseous if ‘beauty sleep’ could mean what he fears it might.
He pulls out one of the canisters, the one underneath the paper with Scully’s name. He reveals a large glass canister filled with fluorescent green liquid, condensation clinging to the glass. A murky shape behind the condensation. He feels his muscles clench as he wipes away the condensation on the glass. And there it is, just as he had feared, it was undeniable. A small, and perfectly formed human foetus. His stomach dropped and rolled, his temples sweating. Clearly not a foetus carried to term, if it had even been carried at all. Could it be that this foetus comes from one of Scully’s ova, harvested back in 1994? But why? Why is it here? Why now? Why is it in this glowing green canister? And, dear God, did it just move?!
He doesn’t know what to do, but looks through the rest of the fridge, needing to know what the rest of the contents are. In a smaller box he finds vials of that glowing green liquid. He hears the crunch of gravel outside as a car rolls up and knows he needs to leave. He can’t exactly pocket the canister containing the somehow quasi-alive foetus, but he can’t leave empty handed. Instead he returns the larger box to the fridge, and swipes several of the smaller vials of green liquid, tucking them into his pocket before leaving.
Somehow, miraculously, he manages to leave and make it to his car before being spotted. He peels out of the parking lot, taking a few quick turns, and once he’s sure he’s not being followed he pulls to a stop, calling in that a police search is needed on the property on the suspicion of some rather nefarious medical treatments. He is reassured that his intel is being passed on to the appropriate team, and after taking some deep calming breathes, he knows he needs to get back to Scully and Emily.
There is something deeply disturbing happening, and if he gets made or caught, he knows they could be vulnerable. He needs to get to them.
Mulder taps softly on the door frame, entering the room where he sees Scully murmuring to Emily, soothing her. Despite his fears of the unknown, what that might mean for Scully, what it could mean for all of them, the sight before him warms his heart.
“Mulder.” Scully says his name smiling warmly. She says his name in so many ways, and hearing his name like this, it makes his heart grow wings and flutter.
“Hey,” He greets her with a smile.
“How you doing? How’s she doing?” He asks, and she can see that there’s a weariness in his eyes, but she’s also come to know that he’ll tell her what bothers him in his own time.
“We’re okay. Getting there, at least.” She tells him, and Emily stirs beside him.
“Fox?” She mumbles sleepily.
“Hi, little one, how are you feeling?” He asks the small child softly, as he steps up the bed. He holds his hand to the top of her head, feeling her soft hair beneath his fingers, and pressing his lips to her warm forehead. Thankfully, her temperature is no longer scarily high, and with help from the IV antibiotics her little body has been hard at work fighting off the illness invading her, and she’s now winning. She’s still in and out of sleep a lot, but with longer and longer bouts of awareness, and her delightful little smile has even made a few appearances. It was a scary few days at first, but she’s on the mend now.
“Hmm, sleepy, bit better. I think.” She tells him.
“I’m really happy to hear that Little Em.” He says and she smiles weakly at his nickname for her. “I stopped off on my way back here and got you something. But if you’re too tired, perhaps we should wait for another time.”
Emily’s blue eyes grow big and round, and she turns to him with a big smile.
“I’m not thaaaat tired.”
“Oh, you’re not? Funny that.” He jokes, tickling her just under a chin eliciting a tiny giggle, and it’s like music to their ears.
“Do I get anything?” Scully teases him with a grin.
“We’ll see, maybe later.” He winks at her, and then turns back to Emily. “You ready, Em?”
“Uh huh.” She nods, eager to see what he’s got for her.
“Alright, can you put your hands out for me. Like this?” He asks her, showing her to put her palms facing up. He then places a small stuffed toy into her outstretched hands.
Emily lets out a little excited gasp.
“Is that…?” Scully asks, and Mulder nods in response to her question. “You…” She shakes her head, but the look she gives him is one of adoration, not the despair she often gives him in the office after mentioning another outlandish theory.
“So cute.” Emily says brushing a finger over the creature’s reddish brown nose.
“Do you know what it is?” Mulder asks her. Emily looks unsure, so Scully whispers into her ear, and Emily giggles.
“A fox from Fox!”
“That’s right.” He grins.
“I love him.” She says cuddling her beanie baby fox close. “Thank you!”
“You’re very welcome.” He tells her. “Did you know, beanie babies like this one have a name on their tag. This one even has a poem.”
“He does? What’s his name?”
“Open up the red tag.” He tells her and she fumbles with it, opening it up.
Emily looks up to Scully with a question in her eyes as she points to the text in the tag. Scully nudges Emily’s small fingers out of the way so that she can better read it.
“It says his name is Sly.”
“Sly.” Emily tests out the name.
“Like a sly fox.” Scully expands.
“That’s me.” Mulder grins.
“What’s it mean?” Emily asks, her little brow furrows as she can’t quite keep up with the grown ups conversation.
“Sly - it’s like sneaky. Do you what sneaky is?” Scully checks, trying to find a pre-school friendly way to explain the word, and Emily nods. “Sly fox is an expression people use sometimes. Foxes can be a little sneaky sometimes, especially if they’re out looking for food. They might look in someone’s trash for example.”
“Not this one though.” Emily says.
“No, not this one. I don’t think this one will be very sneaky, do you?” She asks and Emily smiles, shaking her head.
“The tag also tells you his birthday September 12th 1996.”
“A baby fox?” Emily asks.
“Yes, he’s a baby fox. He’s one.” Scully tells her.
“I look after him.” Emily says confidently, holding her fox up to eye level and then giving it a kiss.
“That sounds like a great idea, Em.” Mulder ruffles her hair slightly.
“Fox look after me. I look after this Fox.”
Mulder looks to Scully with wide emotional eyes, and she gives him a watery smile back.
“That’s right.” He says, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ll look after you, and you can look after this little guy.”
“And Dana.” Emily adds. “Dana look after me too.”
“Yeah, we look after you, baby.” Scully whispers, and kisses Emily cheek. Her eyes are shining bright with unshed tears she’s trying not to cry. She blinks rapidly against her daughter’s cheek, breathing in her daughter’s scent. After a moment, she pulls back. “You know, there’s a poem in his tag too.” Emily wastes no time in thrusting the fox into Scully’s hands, ready to be read to.
“Sly is a fox and tricky is he
Please don't chase him, let him be
If you want him, just say when
He’ll peek out from his den “
“Speaking of babies,” Mulder starts, “any word?”
“Oh, yes! Mom called earlier. A baby boy born early this morning - Matthew.”
“You want to see him?” He asks and a slow smile spreads across her face.
“Yeah, maybe tomorrow.”
“Baby?” Emily asks picking up on their conversation.
“Yes, my nephew was born today. He’s my brother’s baby.”
“Birthday today?”
“Yes, I guess it is. He’s a newborn baby though so very small.”
“How small?” Emily asks curiously.
“Hmm, probably about this big.” Scully holds her hands approximately the size of a newborn apart.
“Tiny.”
“Yes, very tiny. I bet you were that tiny once too.”
“Nuh uh!”
“Yeah. And then you got bigger and bigger!” Scully tells her.
“And one day, you might be as big, or bigger than Dana.” Mulder tells her.
“Do I have to get bigger?” She asks, and Mulder looks back to Scully who is rolling her eyes at him. Leave it to Mulder to inspire awkward questions.
“Well, you won’t get bigger all of a sudden over night. But slowly, yes, you’ll get bigger. We all start as babies, and then we grow up. You’ll go to pre-school, then elementary, middle and high school, and then in lots of years time you’ll be a grown up.”
“Not soon?”
“No, not for a long long time yet.”
“That’s good.” Emily says sounding relieved.
“I think so.” Scully agrees.
After a while Mulder cocks his head to the side, asking Scully silently for a moment.
Together, they watch as Emily settles in, brings Sly up to her pillow and stares into his dark plastic eyes, fingers smoothing over his fur.
“My sister used to be like that with her toys too. So much of her reminds me of Sam.”
“I’m sorry…” Scully starts.
“Don’t.” He pleases. “You don’t have to apologise. I love being around Emily, she’s just so like Samantha sometimes.”
“You okay?” Scully asks, skimming her fingers across his jaw.
“I feel a lot better seeing you two again.” He murmurs, and wraps his arms around her. Sensing the heaviness that weighs on him, she wraps her arms around his neck, and pulls his head down. He rests his head against her neck, and allows himself to feel comforted for just a moment.
“Hey Scully?”
“Hmm?” She asks, lightly scratching his scalp.
“Think we can tear your Mom away from her new grandson to come sit with Emily? I don’t really want to, but there are some things I discovered today. Things we should talk about, but not here.”
Scully bites her inner lip feeling torn between two people she’s come to love very much. She doesn’t want to leave Emily alone, but she also know she needs to hear what Mulder has to say.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask her.”
It’s not long before Maggie agrees to sit by Emily’s side for the rest of the night, so that when she wakes up, she won’t be alone.
Notes:
The last scene of this chapter is something I thought up quite early on and so wanted to find a way to include it - "a fox from fox". Again, some more 90s reminiscing with the Beanie Babies - the poem is one that was featured in one of the version's of Sly the fox, alongside the birthday. Isn't the internet wonderful for finding details like that?
I hope the ending makes up for the angsty ride, more fluff is ahead - but we will be bringing Scully up to speed first.
You'll notice I reference what I think are dates (I'm not sure what else they'd be?). I figure the first one is supposed to be Scully's date of birth but maybe the props team slipped up, because I'm sure Scully is usually thought to be older? Anyway, for the purposes of this fic, we'll go with that date. I try and address some possibilities for the other codes but again - not a scientist so it may feel like a little leap/stretch. I'd be intrigued to hear your thoughts on what you think these might mean. I watched this scene and paused it A LOT.
Chapter 12: In the dark, the light and the shadows
Summary:
Searching (often relentlessly) for the truth has been their compass point, and so, Mulder must share his discoveries with Scully, even though a part of him would like to protect her from knowing some of what he's uncovered. Ignorance is bliss, but the truth can bring about pain and anguish.
An exploration of what Mulder discovers in 'Emily', and a discussion with Scully about what some of what he's uncovered might mean.
Notes:
There is SO MUCH that was shown to us in 'Emily' that was left unexplored. This chapter is sort of an attempt to mull things over, likely clutching at straws along the way. There is so so much more of this arc that could have been explored.
I think this chapter concludes 'part one' as such. More to come soon though!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Mulder convinces Scully to take a shower before he tells her of his discoveries. Is he procrastinating? Maybe. Is he also trying to look out for her wellbeing? Maybe. She’s left Emily’s side so rarely, and given the heaviness of their impending discussion he knows they’re in for a long difficult night. While Scully’s in the shower, he changes into something more comfortable, and then makes them both some tea, setting it at the small table in their room. He also gets out a large bag of M&Ms for sugar, which he’s sure will be needed at some point.
He cracks sunflower seeds between his teeth as he waits for Scully, barely knowing how to start.
“Hey, you wanted to talk?” She comes out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair, cheeks pink from the heat and the steam, dressed in a comfy pair of pyjamas.
“Yeah.” He moves to stand before her, taking the towel in his hand, rubbing her hair and then returning it to the bathroom. He kisses her chastely, then pulls her over to the table, guiding her into the seat. He squeezes her shoulders before moving to take his own seat.
“Mulder?” She says his name slowly, with an anxious undertone. “You’re making me nervous.” He’s been oddly quiet, and she’s found that unnerving.
“I’m sorry. It’s just uh…there’s a lot I need to discuss with you. Part of me wonders if I should. If it would be better if you didn’t know.”
“Mulder…”
“But the one thing that has been our compass point is our relentless search for the truth. Whatever that truth is, whether it’s extraterrestrial, something out of a folktale, or a shadowy government conspiracy, we strive to uncover it. I want to be honest with you, I want to share the truth I’ve discovered with you Scully, but it’s not going to be easy for you to hear, or for me to tell.”
“Just do it. Rip it off like a band aid.” She tells him, reaching for an M&M and then holding her hands around the warm mug in front of her.
“Okay…” He exhales. “I found the person that gave birth to Emily.”
“I told you she had to have belonged to someone.”
He hums and shakes his head. “She belongs to you.” He says firmly, vehemently. “She should only have belonged to you.”
“Tell me.” She reaches out, her warm fingers curling around his forearm.
“This woman - she lives in a facility. Where they are given oestrogen and progesterone.”
“Hormones naturally produced by women, that doesn’t make sense.” Her brow furrows, as she wonders what kind of facility he’s referring to.
“No, it wouldn’t. Except the women being pumped full of these women are well beyond child bearing age.”
“What?” She gasps.
“The facility? It’s a care home, or the front makes it seem that way. They’re not our age, not even slightly older. Scully, these women are much older than your mother.”
“I don’t…”
“I don’t think they fully know or understand either. I spoke to her, the one that supposedly gave birth to Emily. Dr Caulderon - I don’t know what he is, but he’s behind this, Scully. He’s not running a drug trial that Emily’s part of. He’s been keeping tabs on his experiment.” He spits out, feeling nauseous.
“No…”
“She said that he was going to come for her ‘beauty sleep’, that it makes her look decades younger. She still looks pretty old if you ask me, though.”
“Mulder, what exactly…”
“I found a dark room, the kind that would usually be hidden from outsiders. Two rows of women, being given hormones via IVs. They were all sleeping, I’m guessing some kind of induced coma. I hate to think of what he was doing to them. But there’s more. It gets worse, Scully.” He tells her, screwing his eyes tightly shut, and pressing his palms into his eyes so much it stings.
“Mulder…” This time she speaks his name, it’s both gentle, and yet somehow almost fearful. She steels herself, not quite knowing what to expect. “I’m ready.”
“I’m not sure you’ll ever be ready to hear what happened next.” His tone is full of regret. He can’t unseen it, he can’t take back what he’s about to speak. He wonders if some parts of the truth are best remaining hidden. Innocence is bliss, and full and total truth and honesty - well, that can bring about anguish and pain. But they had vowed to always share the truth.
“Mulder…walk me through it. What did you see next?”
“I walked through the plastic curtains, and there was a fridge. A kind of square fridge, glass front. Small vials on the top, a small box on the middle, and a large box at the bottom.”
“Okay, so you went to the fridge.” She assumes and he nods.
“Yeah, I found a rolling cart, and brought it over. I needed to know about the bigger box. I lifted it out onto the cart, flipped the top open. The tops of two big round canisters, and two sets of paperwork, folded into little red plastic bags. I opened up the first one. There was one of the inhabitant’s names towards the top, a bunch of stuff I didn’t understand. And then, at the bottom - your name.” He frowns.
“My name?” She’s curious, intrigued, but unsettled.
“Scully, DK. 13.12.94 was typed next to your name. Then under your name, your date of birth. 02/08/67. Under that uh… NUC, RBC. Do you know what those letters could mean?”
“Red Blood Cells. NUC - nucleus, probably.”
“Hmm. What the fuck were they doing?” He snarls.
“Mulder, what was in the canisters?”
“I wish I didn’t know, Scully. I wish I didn’t have to tell you. Once you know, you can’t unknow it.” He is forlorn, the weight of the truth crushing his ribcage.
“Tell me the truth, please.” She whispers to him. She isn’t entirely sure where this is going, but given that he’s exploring how Emily came to be, she knows she needs to know. Even if it’s difficult. The truth is important, and they’re right on the verge of something. She can feel it. She clenches her hands into tight fists, finger nails digging into her palms. Crescent moon imprints against flesh.
Mulder nods slowly, sighing before he continues on. “I pulled out one of the canisters. It was nearly glowing, a fluorescent green liquid. I could see something suspended within it, floating almost. I wiped away the condensation and Scully….shit…there was a foetus. I don’t know how old, how many weeks. It was small but fully formed and human, or at least human looking. And then, fuck, it moved. Kicked out a little leg. I could barely believe it. Scully…” He almost whimpers her name at the end.
Scully sits with her hands covering her mouth, gasping behind her hands. Her brain races to put together the pieces of information. She feels like she’s adding two and two and coming up with five. It shouldn’t be possible. None of what he’s said should be possible. It’s certainly not ethical. Not to those poor woman, and damnit…
“You think…” She whispers. “You think…it’s mine?”
“I think that’s what the paperwork was saying, yeah. Probably.”
“Why? What…? What could they possibly be doing?”
“I don’t know if we really want to know all the answers to that. The sick fuckers are experimenting - on you, on all those other women with stories like yours, with the women in that supposed care home. With Emily, the foetus, all those ova they’ve harvested. It makes me sick, and really angry.” Mulder fumes. “I hate what they did to you.” His anger quiets and seethes, and a sadness settles over his slumped form.
Scully grows quiet, struggling to process everything.
“To what end?” She whispers, struggling to wrap her head around all of this.
“I don’t know some kind of genetic engineering? Trying to make hybrids? Or messing with embryo and foetal development to do…something. And then growing them to term in this…farm of sorts? It’s so disturbing, Scully.”
“How many?” She gasps. “How many more like Emily are out there?”
“I don’t know.” He sighs.
“If they’ve been keeping tabs on her, through this ‘drug trial’, we need to find out. Are there others? Or is she the only one that…made it?” She wonders. “Did you find anything else?”
“I had to run, someone was coming. But, I did swipe these.” He pulls out three vials of fluorescent green liquid. “I think this is what they had the foetus in. I’m not sure if was growing or preserving it. But I thought you might want to test them.”
“This is what was in the jar? Like amniotic fluid?”
“Yeah, I suppose so. It was just like…suspended in this green stuff. Umbilical cord at all.”
“Where did it get nutrients from? Oxygen?”
“No idea. That’s why we need to find out what this is.” He jiggles one of the green vials.
“I feel like my skin is crawling.” Scully frowns, struggling with all these new discoveries.
Mulder moves round to kneel in front of her, and places his hands on her knees.
“I know this has been hard to hear.” He says tenderly. Scully stares at a point on the wall straight ahead of her, and almost imperceptibly shakes her head. It feels like an understatement.
“13.12.94 - is that a date?” She mumbles. Trust Scully to look shocked and unsteady, when actually her brain has been busy running over a puzzle.
“Like the 12th of a mystery month?”
“Or the European format?”
“13th December? They’d be using two different date formats though - your birthday was the usual American style.”
“Hmm. 1994 was the year I was abducted. It’s the year Emily was born.”
“It’s not a birthdate though.”
“Could it be like a…creation date?”
“You think it’s been floating around in there for years?” Mulder asks in disbelief.
“Unlikely. But then, every single thing about this is unlikely. Perhaps fertilisation? Maybe the embryo was frozen - like with IVF?”
“And they’re just…using it now?”
“Maybe. Or it could be something else. Some other code?”
They fall into silence for a minute, and slowly Scully tips herself forward, ducking her head closer to Mulder’s kneeling level. She loops one hand around the back of his head, and holds his head to hers.
“I have so many questions.” She whispers.
“I know. I do too.” He murmurs back.
“I just keep wondering - why me?”
“I can't answer that.” He mumbles, but he knows she’s not expecting him to.
“Why take me? Why experiment on me? Why extract my ova? What do they want with them? To create embryos from them - what with? Why? Why Emily? How many? Is she the anomaly or the success story?” She sighs. “So many questions, and that’s not even including the more scientific how’s. Of which there are also very many.”
“An X File for sure.”
“Mulder, I don’t very much feel like investigating an X File. Not right now. This is too much.” Scully says, moving her head to bury against the spot where his neck meets his shoulder.
“I’m not asking you to.” He tells her softly, and runs his hands through her hair as he holds her to him. “In fact, I don’t think that would be very sensible. I think you are too close to this one, Scully. You just focus on our girl, Em, okay.”
“And you?” She asks, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. “Are you too close?”
“Quite possibly.” He nods and then presses a kiss to her hair. “But, I can’t walk away from this. Maybe I can talk to Skinner, get a team set up?”
“You should call him - tomorrow.”
“Do you want to go back to the hospital, or try and get some sleep.” Mulder asks quietly.
“I feel too much of a livewire right now for either option.” She admits.
“Well, do you think we could relocate to the bed anyway? My knees are squealing.”
“Oh Mulder, I’m sorry, you should have said!” Scully pulls Mulder up and then leads him over to the bed.
They meet in the middle of the bed, practically nose to nose. Mulder loops his arm around Scully’s waist, pulling her as close as he possibly can, and then he lifts his knee up over her, securing her in place.
“What did we do for all this to happen?” She wonders with a heavy heart.
“I think this is bigger than us. Or maybe we’ve just come too close to poking around the hornet’s nest.”
“If only they didn’t have such nests.”
“Hmm.” He agrees. “Do you you ever think about what would have happened if you’d left the X Files behind?”
“When?” She asks him, fingers mapping the planes of his face.
“Early on. Either debunked me straight away, or let go when they tried to keep us apart.”
“I couldn’t do that.” She smiles at him.
“You could. I gave you the chance.” He tells her, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.
“I didn't let you.” She reminds him. “I couldn’t do it. Who else would understand you like I do, hold you like this?”
“No-one.” That’s one truth they both know. “I love you, you know?” He asks her tenderly in the low light of their hotel room. Her breath catches momentarily, but she nods.
“I had some idea.” She says tilting her lips towards his, kissing him softly.
“Sometimes I worry that I’ve ruined your life, dragging you into all this darkness.”
“Mulder, you have not dragged me into darkness unwillingly. Don’t you get it? I want to be where you are. In the dark, in the light, in the shadows. You are not in this alone. You’ve been there for me, you’ve been such a great source of comfort and strength.”
“Hmm.” He gives a self deprecating smile. “Even if you might not have got sick, if you’d not stuck around on the X Files.”
“Or maybe I would have got sick, at some point, somewhere down the line. If I stuck around, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t have Emily.”
“She’s pretty great.” He smiles at her, and she breathes a sigh of relief. She knows he gets caught inside his own head, his doubts and past traumas never too far behind, but she loves every version of Mulder she knows, especially the one that shines around Emily.
“She’s the best.” She agrees. “She’s worth it, all of it.” She says sincerely and he nods.
“We’ll figure this all out, Scully. We’ll get there.”
“I know.” She tells him and presses herself even closer, clinging to her life raft upon the stormy, dark sea.
Mulder reaches out to Skinner to explain what he’s uncovered and asks if there is anyone Skinner thinks they can trust to help investigate further. He sends Doggett and Reyes. They may not fully appreciate the depth or complexities of the unlikely cases that are X Files, but Doggett is a good investigator, and he knows what it is to lose a child and have your entire world change. And Reyes is more open that most, with an impressive knowledge of cults and religions and the unusual.
Once Emily is out of hospital, Mulder and Scully meet the social worker, Susan again. She explains the next steps of the process to them, now that the Holidays are over. They will be able to take Emily on trips outside of the children’s centre, and depending on how they go, and how Emily adjusts to them, she will then be allowed to stay overnight with them on a temporary basis. Susan tells them that they should prepare for a home study, and that because they will be living out of state it is a little complicated, but they liaise with social workers in D.C. who could conduct the actual home check. It would be best though if at least one of them would be present for that. Mulder and Scully share a look, neither one of them particularly wanting to leave without Emily. After gazing at Scully for a long minute, Mulder tells her he can do it. He’ll go, and she can stay close to Emily.
Notes:
So my automatic thought is that the 'dates' included Scully's date of birth - this doesn't match up with the more widely accepted birthday for Scully. I'm chalking this up to continuity/prop errors (one of my longtime favourite shows has some real doozies like this!) and just rolling with it.
I would love to hear your theories on the 'experiments' and everything that Mulder uncovered though. Definitely feels like something they could have returned to and explored further.
Chapter 13: Buckets and Spades
Summary:
Mulder and Scully get to take Emily for a day out, and decide to take Emily to the beach. Lots of fun, smiles and laughters ensure, but Emily experiences some big feelings as it's time to say goodbye again.
Notes:
Welcome to Part 2 (kinda - it's all one big long document to me, but this feels like we're shifting a bit). While Doggett and Reyes are off investigating, hunting down intel and running through giant warehouses and what not (all off page), Mulder and Scully spend time with Emily. Expect more cute family moments ahead.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
On their first visit with Emily outside of the Children’s centre, they take her to the beach. It seems like a good idea for a sunny California day. It’s a little chilly, so they make sure they have plenty of layers in the car alongside a borrowed carseat.
An excited Emily bounds over to Scully, holding her arms out to be hugged and picked up.
“Ready for an adventure?” Scully asks as she lifts Emily up onto her hip.
“Yes! We’re going outside!” She tells Scully.
“That’s right. Just the three of us. We’ll go for a little drive, and then maybe go see the beach. Would you like that?”
“Just me, you and Fox?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go!!!” Emily says radiating enthusiasm. She starts squirming so much, Scully has to let her down.
“Not so fast little one.” Mulder says, clapping a gentle hand on Emily’s small shoulder. “Do you have a sweatshirt? Anything you want to bring?”
“Fox.”
“Yes?”
“No silly, I want to bring my fox, Sly.”
“Oh, of course.” He tousles her hair.
“Here,” The care worker, Shelley, hands Scully a small backpack. “She’s put together a few things she wanted to bring, including her fox. We’ve put a spare change of clothes in there too, and here’s her sweatshirt.”
“Thank you.” Scully thanks the worker. “We’ll bring her back in time for dinner.”
“Good luck.” Shelley says before retreating again.
“Alright little monkey, come here.” Scully crouches and holds a hand out to Emily. “We’re going to go now, and it’s still a bit cold outside. Let’s put this on shall we, so you don’t get too cold.”
“Do I have to?” Emily asks with a frown, scrunching up her little button nose.
“For now.” Scully says booping her nose with her finger. “Put it on for now, and if you get too hot, you can take it off later, okay?”
“I guess.”
“That’s the spirit.” Mulder jests, and Scully shoots him an unimpressed look.
“Alright. Can you do it, or do you want some help?”
Emily moves her head from side to side as if she’s considering it and twists her lips. “Help please?”
“Okay, arms up.” Scully says cheerily, and slides the sweatshirt over Emily’s outstretched arms. She successfully pulls one arm through, and then playfully asks “Where’d your hand go?”
“It’s here!” Emily says flopping her arm around.
“In here? Are you sure?” Scully teases her, feeling around but feigning difficulty until Emily’s little fingers jab up against her hand. “Ah, there it is!” Scully smiles and winks, gently pulling Emily’s hand through. She then straightens up the body of the sweatshirt. “Do you want to check what’s in your back pack, or are you ready.”
“I’m ready.” Emily beams. “Wait, my fox.”
Scully opens up the main zipper compartment and there sitting on top is Sly the fox. She pulls it out and passes him to Emily, who brings him up to her face as if she’s communicating with the fox.
“Now we’re ready.” Emily announces.
“Alright, let’s go.” Mulder smiles, as he opens up the door for Emily and Scully to pass through. “Do you like the beach, Em?”
“Yeah. Mommy and Daddy taked me…before.”
“They took you to the beach? That’s good. What did you do with them at the beach?” Scully asks.
“Uh…picnic? Splashing? Are we having a picnic?” Emily asks as they approach the car.
“We’re not sure it’s quite full picnic weather today, so we thought we’d get lunch near the beach. Would you like to have lunch with us?”
“Yeah! And ice cream!”
“And ice cream?!” Mulder says acting shocked as he unlocks the car. “You hear that Dana?”
“Hmm, I did. Maybe we’ll have to see if we can find some ice cream today.”
“Yay!”
“In you hop, let’s help you into your seat, and buckle you in.” Scully helps Emily into her seat, and buckles her up.
She then asks for Scully to sit beside her, and reaches out for her hand. Emily chats to Scully as Mulder drives, telling her everything she can see from the back of the car. She lets go of Scully’s hand after a while to pet her little fox beanie baby, and gives him a snuggle. Then she picks up his legs, and holds him out towards Scully, nudging her arm with the fox’s nose, causing Scully to laugh.
Shortly after crossing onto the sand, they pause.
“Do you want to go up to the sea, have a paddle or a splash?” Scully asks Emily.
“Yes! Splish splash in the sea!”
“Alright, I think we should take our shoes off, and roll up our pants legs.” Scully first sits to take off her own shoes, and Mulder quickly plops down beside her to take off his own shoes. Scully then rolls her jeans up part way up her calves.
Emily flops down in front of Scully, and pulls out the velcro on her sneakers, and then huffs in frustration looking to Scully for help.
“You’re nearly there.” Scully says encouraging her, and then cups Emily’s heel with one hand, checks she’s loosened the shoe enough, and then smiles telling her to “tug, tug, tug.” And then Emily’s foot is free from the shoe. “Good job!” They then repeat the process with her other foot. “Socks off too, Emily.” Emily pulls her socks off by the toes and passes them to Scully who tucks them inside Emily’s tiny sneakers.
“Alright, up you get.” Scully says, and once Emily is standing in front of her, she rolls the little girl’s pants legs up. “All ready! You think you can help Fox up?”
“But he’s bigger than me.”
“Oh, I still think you can help, little one.” Mulder tells her. “Here, wrap your hands around mine, and then on three, see if you can pull me up.” Emily gets a determined look in her eye, as she wraps two small hands around one of Mulder’s much larger hands. On the count of three, she tugs on his hand as hard as she can, and is amazed to see that he does rise to his feet.
“Oh, I did it! I helped!”
“Stronger than you think, huh?” He grins as he picks up his shoes. Meanwhile, Scully has managed to stash Emily’s shoes in her backpack, so that she only has to carry her own shoes.
With their shoes in one of their hands, and Emily in between them grasping their hands, together they approach the shore as a family of three, sand squishing between their toes. When they reach damp sand, they drift towards the side, walking along the beach for a moment. Scully gasps slightly as the first wave crashes against her feet and ankles.
“Cold?” Mulder asks.
“Only a little.”
They pause, and watch as Emily tentatively edges closer, dipping her toes into the gently lapping waves, getting braver with each incoming wave, where she makes a bigger and bigger splash each time.
“Having fun splish splashing there?” Scully asks, gently ruffling Emily’s hair.
“Yes! I like the splashes.” Emily giggles. Mulder then tries to join her splashing his foot when the next wave comes in, only his considerably larger foot makes more of a splash than Emily’s little feet do, which elicits a roar of laughter from the tiny girl.
“Have you jumped the waves before?” He asks her, and she looks at him intrigued. “You watch the wave coming in, and then you want to try and jump over the foamy tip of the wave so it doesn’t crash against you.” He attempts to demonstrate with the next incoming wave. Both Emily and Scully clap when he successfully hops over the small incoming waves sneaking up onto the sand.
“Oh, I bet that would be a real Tigger favourite beach activity.” Scully says.
“You want to try?” Mulder asks Emily. She nods, and then tentatively looks up to Scully, with eyes as blue as the ocean, and auburn hair tousled by the wind.
“And Dana?” Emily asks.
“I’ll jump too.” Scully says, placing her shoes a little higher up on the sand, along with Emily’s backpack which has been slung over Scully’s shoulder. “Shall we jump together?” Emily nods and holds out a hand. Scully quickly curls her hand around Emily’s. “We’ll do a practice one first, and I’ll say 1, 2, jump, and you jump when I say jump. Think you’ve got that?”
“Uh huh. 1, 2, jump” Emily says bouncing on the word ‘jump’.
“Okay…so we watch the wave coming coming coming, and then 1, 2, jump!” Emily jumps and looks to Scully for reassurance. Scully squeezes her hand. “You’ve got it. Let’s go a little closer.”
They edge even closer to the sea, standing just where they watched the previous wave hit. This time, they see the seafoam whooshing up towards them and Emily jumps just in time, to feel the water lap around her feet on its way back out to sea.
Emily loves jumping over the waves, her musical giggles warming their hearts. Once they grow tired of jumping over the waves, they drift away from the water’s edge. Emily’s eye is caught by a glimmering, shining shell, which leads to her regularly squatting down to inspect the sand, and when she finds shells she likes, she passes them to either Mulder or Scully depending on who is closer to her.
By the time they reach a beachside restaurant for lunch, Mulder has a pocketful of shells and he muses over just how much his life has changed. Not even a month ago would he have imagined that that he would be strolling along a beach in January, happily stashing away shells for a miniature Scully. He wouldn’t have imagined the way said child had forced him and Scully to confront their feelings for each other, and now they’re making plans, as a family, and he’s collecting shells with a delightful little girl he wants to be his daughter. He’s not sure he would have believed quite how much a mere three year old could knock his world of its axis. There’s a case to be investigated, and he wants to get to the bottom of what happened to Scully, and the twisted medical experiments involving her ova, but the need to stay close to Emily and Scully is stronger than his compulsion to chase down the case himself. Scully had been important to him for a long time - he’d loved her for so long, and if her life was in danger, he would absolutely be going feral chasing every lead. But for once, something is more important than him personally solving another unexplained mystery. When he and Scully finally return to DC, they will be returning together, with their daughter. It might not be official yet, but he believes it will happen. And he is already wrapped around her dinky finger.
With damp sandy toes, Emily climbs up onto the chair in the restaurant, delighted to be somewhere different for a meal, and to have the full attention of two adults on her. She gets a children’s menu, with a small packet of crayons and a picture to colour. She enthusiastically requests chicken nuggets and apple juice, please - although that was after a discussion about whether to order chocolate milk or not, and the promise that if she skipped the chocolate milk now, there would be chocolate ice cream before the day was over.
Mulder takes Emily into one of the shops neighbouring the restaurant after lunch, and Emily runs out to show Scully her new purple bucket and green spade.
“Interesting colour choice.” She remarks as Mulder steps out too.
“Thanks!” Emily beams. “I like purple, and I like green.”
“You didn’t want them to match?”
“Nope!” Emily confirms, and that settles that. “Fox is going to teach me about castles!”
“Sandcastles, Em.” Mulder gently corrects.
“Yep, sandcastles.” She nods. “Let’s go!”
Scully sits with her chin resting on her knees which she’s drawn up in front of her, and breathing in the salty air she feels a moment of contentment. As she digs her toes into the warm sand, Scully watches Mulder patiently show Emily how to build sandcastles. Mulder holds the purple bucket still as Emily tries to scoop up sand with her bright green spade, and then proceeds to tip out her spade, with some of the sand making it into the bucket, but rather a lot not quite making it. Some ending up on her, or on Mulder. He good naturedly shakes off his arms when they get covered in sand, and he’ll brush off his jeans later. As they tip the bucket upside down, Scully watches Emily, almost vibrating with anticipation. When Mulder pulls the bucket away, and their sandcastle keeps its shape, Emily cheers. She watches with a smile as Emily asks Mulder what happens next, and he asks whether she wants to decorate it. Scully loves the confused face Emily makes at his question, one that strangely reminds her of an expression she’s seen Mulder pull before - has she picked that up from him already? Her eyes shine in amazement when Mulder says they can decorate it with shells, and when he tells her they need to very gently place them onto the sand, Emily listens and Scully can tell that her movements are more careful and concentrated than usual.
Watching Emily, Scully can’t help but feel amazed. She’s experienced a lot of emotions these last few weeks running what feels like the entire gamut of human emotion. While she is sad, and hurt, and so angry about what was done to her, how somebody, or something has seen it fit to manipulate and experiment with her body, her ova, she cannot begrudge the tiny human that looks up to her partner with buckets and spades full of adoration and amazement. She understands why - she’s been feeling the same way about him, especially when she watches him with Emily. He is gentle, kind, patient, loving, and fun. He is everything she’s always admired about him, but also more. She can’t imagine loving anyone else, or wanting anyone else to help her raise Emily. She doesn’t know where the other half of Emily’s DNA come from, but she finds herself wishing that it came from Mulder.
Scully is pulled from her thoughts to find Mulder stood in front of her, Emily on his hip, as they both smile down at her.
“Daydreaming?”
“Hmm, something like that.” Scully says, holding her hand up to block the sun as she squints up at him.
“We decided it’s time for ice cream. You want one?” Mulder asks with a smile.
“Ice cream!” Emily whoops a little too close to his ear which causes Scully to chuckle.
“Yeah, I’ll join you for ice cream.” Scully smiles as she stands and picks up her shoes.
“Dana, what’s your favourite ice cream?”
“Oooo, you know, I’m not sure. I think it depends on my mood. Sometimes I like the fruity flavours, like strawberry, or a lemon sorbet, sometime vanilla or mint, or sometimes, what I really like is something with caramel in it.”
“Oohh, chocolate and caramel?” Emily asks intrigued.
“Mmmm, that sounds yummy, doesn’t it?”
“Yep! I like chocolate and caramel! All chocolate ice cream is yummy!”
“I had a feeling you might think that.” Scully chuckles.
“Fox, what ice cream do you like?” Emily asks.
“Well someone’s got me thinking about chocolate and caramel now, but I usually like mint chocolate chip.”
“Chocolate chips are good!” She tells him.
A few minutes later they are enjoying their ice cream cones - Scully and Emily with chocolate and caramel, and Mulder with mint choc chip. It doesn’t take long for chocolate ice cream to smear across Emily’s chin and drip down her t-shirt. She is very clearly enjoying her ice cream, but given the ice cream and the sand, Scully is feeling very glad for the knowledge that there’s a change of clothes for Emily so she doesn’t have to clamber into the rental car with sticky fingers, and smeary ice cream.
“Good ice cream?” Mulder asks as Emily eats her way down the cone.
“So good!” She says as she crunches through the cone.
Scully pulls a small pack of wet wipes out of her purse, as she waits for Emily to finish.
“Alright, come here, mucky pup.” Scully says brightly holding her hands out, beckoning Emily over. She wipes down Emily’s hands first, and then her face, and then gently dabs the spot on her t-shirt.
They go back to the water’s edge, where Emily gets braver, darting in and out of the sea, running through the small waves crashing against the sand. She giggles, and squeals with delight when the sea splashes against her, getting her clothes wet.
“Mulder…I think we might need that towel.” Scully tells him as she laughs.
“I think you’re right. Good thinking on being prepared with a towel and the wet wipes.” Mulder slips his arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her hair.
“She seems to have had a good day.” She says as she leans against him without taking her eyes off her daughter.
“I think she’s had a fantastic day. So many smiles and laughter.” His words are punctuated by a happy shriek from Emily as the ocean spray gets her again.
“I was thinking - should we ask if there’s anywhere she’d like to go? Maybe she has some favourite places or activities?”
“Yeah, we could ask her.”
“I don’t want to upset her, but at the same time, I want to let her say goodbye “
“I know. You want to do right by her.”
“Yeah. I’ve loved seeing her so happy today.”
“Me too.”
“I really loved watching you build sandcastles with her. Mulder, you’re really good with her.”
Mulder shrugs feeling slightly awkward. “She’s just easy to love.” He bumps his shoulders with hers. “I’ll go grab the towel.”
He soon returns with an orange hooded towel, complete with tiger stripes of course. They saw it when they grabbing a few essentials from Target, and couldn’t help themselves, thinking it was much more fun than a hotel towel they’d otherwise have had to borrow.
Emily chats to Scully as she darts in an out of the waves, but it looks like she must be starting get cold.
“Come here little Tigger!” Mulder calls to her as he opens the towel out for her. Her eyes light up seeing the tiger towel so she happily runs towards him. Mulder bundles her up and lifts her.
“Rawr!” Emily roars and growls. “Dana, look, I’m a tiger! Rawr!”
“Such a cute little tiger.” Scully says brushing her finger along Emily’s cheek. “I think it’s time for this little tiger to get all dried off and cleaned up.”
“Nooo.”
“Yesss.” Mulder counters back. “Don’t want to get sand in the car.”
“I don’t?”
“No, you don’t. Sand is tricksy. Sticks to things for days, and weeks!”
“It does?” Emily asks with wide eyes, pulling a face like she’s not sure she wants that.
“If you’re not careful in getting clean and dried off, then yes. It doesn’t feel so bad when it’s damp, like the sand on your feet and knees right now, but you don’t want to find sand sticking between your toes next week. It’ll make you all itchy!”
“But I was having lots of fun!”
“We could tell.” Scully says, tickling her lightly under the chin. “But it’s nearly time to go, I’m afraid.”
Emily pouts, but before she can protest too much, Mulder is swooping her through the air.
“Who says the fun has to stop, just because we’re not playing in the sea anymore?” Mulder says as he plays with her, trying to keep the mood light hearted.
“Looks at that, a flying tiger!” Scully as Emily squeals with glee.
“Alright, how do you want to do this Dana?” Mulder asks as they walk towards the car. Emily keeps squirming, so he has to shift his grip on her, and hold her against his hips, where she wraps one arm around his neck, and rests the other on his shoulder, looking longingly at the sea.
“I think, I’m going to set her bag in the trunk and see what we’ve got to work with. Maybe t-shirt, and we can make sure she’s dry, then figure out pants and feet. Definitely feet before new pants.” Scully says looking down at the sand caked onto Emily’s little feet.
Mulder leans against the car, and holds Emily still, while Scully sets to work getting her cleaned off and into far less sandy clothes.
“I think I can see a lot of these things in our future.” He remarks, as Scully pulls out the wet wipes again, to get the worst of the sand off her feet, before patting her little wriggly toes dry with the towel.
“There we go, much better!” Scully says after Emily is a new set of clothes, thankfully including a new pair of socks, and her shoes have also been safely fastened back on her feet. Scully runs a finger along Emily’s nose, and then boops the tip of her nose. “Do you want a sweater?”
“Not that one.” Emily screws up her face, eyeing the knitted sweater poking out of her backpack. “Too scratchy.”
“Oh no, let me see…” Scully turns and looks through the Target paper bag sat in the trunk and she pulls out a purple sweatshirt. “Hmm, this looks about the right size. It certainly wouldn’t fit me. What do you think?”
Emily’s eyes grow in amazement and she grins as Scully turns it around.
“For me?” Scully nods. “Prettttyy.” Emily admires as she traces a finger over the embroidered flowers on the front.
“Want to try it on?”
“Yes please!”
“Okay, Mulder the tags - do you…”
“Of course, let me.” He takes the sweatshirt and then hops into the passenger seat digging around the glovebox where he’d stashed a pen knife just in case. “Here we go,” he jumps back out of the car, moving back towards Scully and Emily. “One tag free purple sweatshirt.”
Once it is on, Emily burrows into the sweatshirt with a peaceful smile. “Cozy.”
Emily grows quieter and quieter as they drive, which both Mulder and Scully assume means she’s fallen asleep. While she does fight sleep for a while, dozing on and off, she spends much of the time looking listlessly out the window at the passing landmarks.
When Mulder brings the car to a stop and turns the car off, Emily stares out the window, scowls and crossing her arms over her chest. Scully turns to look at her from the passenger seat, and sends a worried glance to Mulder.
“Hey, you okay? Tired?” Scully asks reaching out to touch Emily’s knee.
“No.” Comes the huffy reply.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Not getting out.”
“You’re not?” Mulder asks sensitively
“No!” She shouts.
“Em, we don’t like leaving you here either.” Scully says warmly.
“But you do!”
“Only because we have to.”
“No!”
“We do. We have to wait for a judge. It’s like uh…a rule.”
“Stupid.”
“I agree.” Mulder tells her.
“Not helping.” Scully says, whacking his arm.
“She’s not wrong though.” He mumbles.
“Just get out of the car.” She rolls her eyes at him.
By the time they are both out of the car and Mulder has opened the back door, Emily has burst into tears - big fat crocodile tears trace their way down her cheeks.
“Oh little one, come here.” He says soothingly, as he unbuckles the car seat and tries to lift her out. Emily however, is so upset, and so adamant that she will not leave the car, that her little body stiffens and she has a death grip on the sides of her seat, and he can’t easily get her out. “Uh, Scully, little problem…”
Scully raises her eyebrows at him, but as she circles the car, her face falls as she seems Emily’s distress.
“Emily,” She says her name softly, running a gentle hand over Emily’s hair. “I know you don’t want to get out of the car, but you have to.”
“No!” She shouts between sobs.
Scully fights the urge to react, and takes a deep breath, trying to see things from Emily’s perspective.
“Emily, I can see you’re upset, and I want to help you, but you’re going to have to talk to me.” She says calmly.
“I think maybe, you’ve got a lot of big feelings, but you still have quite a little body, and that might be hard sometimes. It’s okay to feel things, but it helps to talk.” Emily doesn’t respond immediately, and Scully gives her a minute, as hard as it is to see Emily so upset. “Is that what’s happening. Do you have some big feelings?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Emily says through her tears.
“That’s okay.” She reassures Emily, stroking her arm, and then holding Emily’s hand in her own. Emily grips on tightly to Scully’s fingers.
“Do you know why you don’t want to get out?”
“Don’t want to.” Emily tells her, even though she’s no longer sobbing, but still quietly crying.
“I know you don’t. Do you know why? Are you sad that our day out is over?”
“Yeah.”
“Anything else? What else do you feel? Sad, scared, nervous, mad, annoyed, happy?
“Today was happy.”
“It was.” Scully tells her, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I really enjoyed spending time with you today. And I know Fox really enjoyed playing with you.”
“I did.” He adds from his spot further up the car.
“This bit not happy.” Emily huffs.
“I know. You don’t like it when we leave.”
“Yeah.”
“You know we don’t like it either.”
“Yeah.” She says half-heartedly.
After a moment Emily speaks up again.
“Dana?”
“Yes sweet pea?”
“Might be…bit scary.”
“Oh…” Scully exhales. “Do you know why? Is there a person that’s scary.”
“No, people ok. Not as nice as you and Fox. Feel safe with you.”
“I’m glad. What feels a bit scary?”
“What if you don’t come back?” Emily sniffles.
“Oh.” Scully sighs, and feels tears stinging her eyes. She feels like maybe, this is where Emily’s reaction has stemmed from. “That sounds like a very big scary feeling. Emily, can I give you a big cuddle? Will that be okay.”
Emily nods and reaches her arms out allowing Scully to pull her out and hold her close. Emily tightly wraps her arms around Scully’s neck, and Scully holds her close, stroking her back and whispering hopefully soothing words in her ear. Scully looks up at Mulder with a concerned, but adoring expression, and he can see how much she worries, and how much she loves that little girl.
“Every day since you’ve been here, I’ve come to see you, haven’t I?” Scully asks her.
“Yeah.”
“And when you were in hospital, I stayed with you, spent so much time with you.”
“Yeah.” Emily burrows her head against Scully’s neck, warm puffs of breath fluttering over her skin.
“So have I done anything to make you think I won’t come back?”
“No.” Emily agrees, but tightens her grip further, wrapping her legs tight around Scully’s waist.
“And what about this silly Fox?” Scully says, shifting the hand that isn’t supporting Emily’s weight to rub across the leg across Scully’s front.
“Have I made you think I won’t come back?” Mulder asks softly.
“No, Fox is here ‘most every day too.”
“That’s right.”
“Except next week.” Emily remembers.
“Yes, for hopefully just one day. Do you remember why?” Mulder prompts her.
“To show the lady where you live.”
“Yeah, pretty much.” He smiles. “You know why?”
“To see that it’ll be safe for me?” Scully hums against Emily’s hair, and nods. “So maybe I can come live with you?”
“Yeah, that’s right! Well remembered.” Mulder tells her, softly running her fingers over her back.
“You still like that idea?” Scully checks.
“Yes.” Scully squeezes Emily in return. “But Mommy and Daddy didn’t come back. They left me.”
“Oh my love.” Scully’s heart breaks as she lays kisses over Emily’s forehead, and Mulder steps closer towards them, encasing Emily in a hug between him and Scully.
“Little Em, that was different. You know that right?” Mulder asks.
“Hmm, I’m sure they would be with you if they could.” Scully agrees.
“Don’t die.” Emily whimpers against Scully’s neck. Scully’s breath catches, and she feels a tear roll down her own cheek.
“Eventually, everyone dies, but we don’t plan for that to happen for a long long time.” Scully tells her.
“Not until we’re very old and grey and smelly.” Mulder adds.
“Sweetheart, I know the last few weeks have been big and scary, and so much has happened for you. But Fox and I, we are going to do our very best to keep you safe, and for us to be together for a very very long time. We love you.”
“So much.” Mulder emphasis.
Emily perks her head up slightly, and looks between Mulder and Scully with a slight smile.
“Like the book?”
“What book Em?”
“So Much. Everybody loves the baby so much.”
“In that case, yes, like the book.”
“I’ll add it to the list.” Mulder tells Scully and she smiles at him, thinking that’s a lovely idea. If there are books Emily talks about, it’s likely they’ve been read to her several times, and having some familiar books will hopefully be comforting for her.
Notes:
'So Much' was one of my sister's favourite books as a toddler. Basically, all the friends and family come to the house and make a show of telling the baby how much they love the baby.
As much as I love all the cute fluff, I wanted to try and balance it out a bit. Poor little Em has been through so much (even if she's not fully aware of the details) so she's bound to struggle and have a few worries sometimes.
Chapter 14: Good People
Summary:
Mulder squeezes in a flying visit to DC for the Home Study. Thankfully, Mulder and Scully have good people on their side that have helped them prepare for this.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Scully drops Mulder off at the airport Tuesday evening so that he can get the red eye, meet with the social worker to go over the home study and then return in time to see Emily again on Thursday.
“I’m sorry, I can’t come back with you.”
“Don’t.” He says, taking her face in his hands, tilting her head upwards so he can look into her eyes. “Do not apologise for putting Emily first. You just make sure our girl is okay, hmm?”
She nods. “I’m worried about her.”
“I know.” He says softly. “That’s why it’s so important for you to stay.” Although they’d not had another tantrum, they both feared that another storm of oversized emotions and fears weren’t far behind.
“I think we need to get her a therapist once we’re back in DC. I don’t know how to reassure her.” Scully says quietly.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll reach out to some psychologist contacts.”
“You think the boys will have done a good job?” She asks him, nervously running her fingers along his collarbone.
“I do. They love you, and they’ll love her. They won’t want to screw this up for us, but especially for you.” He says and she smiles. “And your mom’s been there a couple of days, I’m sure she’ll have worked her magic.”
“I hope so. I feel kind of bad taking her away from baby Matthew, Tara and Bill.”
“Hey, she offered, remember?” He reminds her and she slowly nods.
“You’ll keep me updated?” She asks.
“Of course.” He says kissing her forehead. “You’ll keep me updated too? How the little one is tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She agrees, staring into his dark green eyes.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He presses his forehead to hers before giving her a lingering kiss. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can bring her home.”
She likes the sound of that, desperately hoping everything works out for them for a change. She holds his hand, even as she starts to step back, not wanting to let go until the last possible moment.
Mulder lets himself into Scully’s apartment in the early hours of the following morning. The apartment is still and quiet, the first rays of sun just starting to stream in through the windows. He flicks on a light, and glances around the room. It’s not hugely different from the last time he was here, but there are a few subtle changes. He spots some of his books nestled in amongst Scully’s bookshelves, and smiles when he sees a row of children’s classics. There’s a couple of children’s puzzle boxes on Scully’s desk, and a bumper colouring book, with a set of coloured pencils, crayons and markers in a set of see through, colourful drawers.
If they completed their job correctly, there’ll be subtle signs showing the apartment is ready for a pre-schooler's imminent inhabitation. He wants to explore the apartment fully until he can map the changes like the back of his hand, but he knows he really should try and squeeze in at least a nap. He moves towards Scully’s room, but pauses for a moment when he spots his fish tank where the kitchen meets the hallway.
“Hello, old friends.”
He continues on, and notices the changes they’ve made in Scully’s room. Their room. His room too, now. He wonders whether it’ll take some getting used to, or if it will feel as natural as the way they’ve been sharing a hotel room the last few weeks. As natural as breathing. On his side of the bed, he noticed accoutrements on the nightstand that are his, and some of his trinkets are on the chest of drawers beside hers. There’s a picture of Sam, and even a picture of Emily which must be thanks to Margaret Scully. He opens Scully’s closet to find his shirts, jackets and pants nestled right by her suits, and some dresses he doesn’t think he’s seen her wear…yet, at least.
He toes of his shoes, and lies on the bed, noticing it smells just like her, even though she’s not been here for weeks now. It’s not long before he drifts off to sleep.
He’s woken from his nap, by a couple of sharp raps on the door. As he pads out into the hallway, he finds Maggie letting herself in.
“Oh, I’m sorry Fox. Did I wake you?” She asks softly, running her eyes over his form with slightly rumpled t-shirt and fluffy hair which he is rapidly trying to tame.
“No no, it’s fine. Don’t worry, I was about to get up anyway.”
“I bought you breakfast.” She says warmly, jostling the paper bag in her hand. “I thought I’d come and walk you through everything the boys and I have done these last couple of days.”
“Thank you, so much.” He gives her an appreciative smile. “I hope they didn’t cause too much trouble for you Maggie.”
“None at all. They’re an…unusual bunch, but they were all lovely, and they clearly think the world of you and my daughter.”
“They were my friends first, but I think they love her more than they love me now.” He jests.
“They’re certainly looking forward to meeting young Emily, and perhaps some babysitting duties at some point.”
“Oh uh…” Mulder awkwardly rubs his neck. He can’t quite picture his eclectic group of friends hosting the little girl in their headquarters, but he thinks it might be fun to watch them try and entertain her. He wonders how long it’ll take before Emily is talking rings around them. The Gunmen are big Scully fans, and have dropped a hint or two over the years, but the idea of them offering to take Emily off their hands for some alone time feels a little awkward to consider in front of Scully’s mom. Even if she knows about their relationship and is in full support of them.
“And you know I’d be happy to take her anytime, too. When you’re both ready of course.” He narrowly stops himself from spluttering at the notion of his not-quite mother-in-law offering to give him and Scully some alone time, and then tells himself that she likely just wants to spend time with her new granddaughter.
“Thank you. I’m just going to grab a quick shower and a change of clothes, if that’s okay.”
“This is, or will be your home too, Fox. I’ll keep myself entertained, don’t worry.”
Mulder appears a short while later, ruffling his damp hair and readjusting his t-shirt as he walks down the hallways. Maggie is waiting for him at the table, two mugs of coffee, and a pastry on a plate waiting for him.
“Thank you,” He says with a grateful smile sliding into his chair.
“How was your flight?”
“Fine. I uh, didn’t get much of a chance to look around when I arrived. Thought I should try and nap, I didn’t sleep on the plane. But I did spot a few of the changes you all made. I know you offered to help, but Scully…Dana, she feels a little guilty taking you away from your new grandson. This means a lot, we really appreciate it.” He tries to give her a genuine, grateful smile.
“The way I see it Fox, is that I have two new grandchildren now. One of them is far too young to remember where I was, but the other one, she may not remember forever, but she’ll know I was here, helping get her new home ready for her. Ensuring I do what I can to keep my daughter as happy as I’ve seen her recently, that’s no small thing to me. And it’s been pretty clear to me from the time I first met you, that you more than care for Dana. It may have taken her a while to realise it, but I know she does now - you’re a big part of her life, and her happiness, Fox. I hope you know that.”
“Thank you.” Mulder says as he finishes off his breakfast. “So, talk me through everything.”
“Of course. So what have you already noticed?”
“The desk - colouring book, pens and pencils, puzzles, the bookshelf in the living room. The bedroom - my clothes in the closet, my things around the room, photos. My mollys. I think some different stuff in the bathroom?”
“Alright, we’ll start with the kitchen then.” Maggie smiles and then opens one of the lower units. “I thought this would be a good spot for Emily’s plates, bowls and cups etc. Plastic, so the only worry when they’re inevitably dropped is the spills - no cracked glass or china to worry about. They’re in a lower spot so that maybe she can help get things out, or put them away.”
“Oh, that’s smart. I wouldn’t have thought about that.”
“Well, I have done this before.” She reminds him and he chuckles. “So, in here, we’ve got cups for the table, but also some sippy cups, and some water bottles with straws. Depending on where she’s at with things, I’d recommend keeping open cups at the table. She might like a drink at bedtime, or in her room, in which case something more spill-proof will be a good idea. And then in this cupboard up here, we’ve got some pre-schooler friendly snacks and food. I didn’t get anything for the fridge because we don’t have an actual date. But, there are some chicken nuggets and fish sticks in the freezer.”
“Oh, she loves chicken nuggets!” Mulder feels proud that he can share in the knowledge of Emily’s likes. He also marvels about useful it is to have Maggie’s help and support with some of these aspects. There’s no doubt that the Gunmen could have bought items off a shopping list, and built any flatpack furniture, but he doesn’t think they alone would have had the same level of understanding about childhood development, than a woman who had raised four of her own children.
“Perfect!”
“There’s some sensitive laundry detergent, but otherwise the laundry set up is pretty much the same. Alright, let’s go to the bathroom next.”
Mulder follows along as Maggie goes into the bathroom, talking him through how anything potentially dangerous has been moved out of the reach of curious little hands. Some children’s toothpaste, a child’s toothbrush, children’s shampoo and bubble bath were among the changes she’s added to the room. Mulder can’t help but wonder if children’s shampoo or bubble bath are actually any different, or if they just have more fun packaging. He might be tempted to take more bubble baths if his bubble bath has pictures of pirates and sea monsters too.
“Emily’s room next?”
“Please.”
“Well, we didn’t paint it as you know, but I think it’ll do just fine.” Maggie says as she pushes open the door into what will be Emily’s room.
“Oh, wow…” Mulder says his eyes growing wide as he steps into the room taking it all in. “It’s great, she’ll love it.”
“I’m glad you think so. Knowing how much she seemed to enjoy Winnie the Pooh, and especially Tigger, I thought going with a theme and characters she loves might be a good place to start.”
“Definitely.” Mulder can’t decide where to focus his attention. The Winnie the Pooh themed comforter, the wall decals, posters and framed artwork, including some artwork of California and San Diego. Some of the picture books from the list he and Scully made in the book store lining a couple of pint-sized book shelves. A stuffed Tigger sat on the bed, waiting for his friend to come join him. There’s a chest of drawers, with a hairbrush, and some hair ties on the top, and Maggie assures him a couple of essentials are within the drawers, but mostly waiting to be filled on future shopping trips with Emily. The closet includes a pair of tiny slippers with Em’s most loved characters on them, a cosy dressing gown, and stacks of tiny hangers. There’s even a small activity table, with Emily sized chairs - one of which is home to a large Winnie the Pooh.
“It’s simple for now, and plenty of additions that you and Dana can make once Emily’s here, but hopefully it’ll be comfortable and welcoming enough for Emily.”
“Don’t sell yourself short Maggie, she’ll love it. I can’t wait to show her.”
“Oh, actually, hold on Fox. I’ve got the perfect idea for that.” Maggie disappears, leaving Mulder to soak up the evidence of the way he and Scully have people that are more than willing to pull together and pitch in when needed. This little girl would be joining a family of more than just the two of them. He’s feeling quite overwhelmed by the emotion when Maggie comes back into the room.
“Smile Mulder!” A flash goes and he must have been pulling some sort of dazed and dopey smile and then she’s waving a Polaroid around in front of her.
“Polaroids! That’s brilliant, Maggie!” He exclaims exuberantly. It’s the perfect way to introduce Emily to her new home, and to show Scully the changes too.
“Well, it’s not totally my idea. I was going to get a disposable camera and take the film for rapid printing, but your friend said this might be better?”
“Either way, it’s a genius idea. We’ll get to show her home before she comes home. It’ll help explain things, I think.”
After he meets with the social worker and heads back to the airport he rings Scully’s cell hoping she’ll still be with Em.
Scully sees his number on her cell phone screen so she pushes the answer button and passes the phone to Emily.
“It’s for you.” She says with a smile.
“Me?” Emily whispers before holding the phone to her ear “helllooo?”
“Is that my little Em?” Comes Mulder’s distinctive voice and her eyes light up.
“Fox!!!”
“Yeah, It’s me.”
“Are you coming back?”
“I am. I’ve just got to the airport.”
“So you’ll be here tomorrow?” She checks.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Good. I missed you today.”
“I missed you too.”
“Did the lady like your house?”
“Well, it’s an apartment, but I think so. I’ve got some pictures to show you.”
“Yes! I want to see where you live.”
“Hey Em, will you draw a picture for me and hand Dana the phone.”
“Oh I’ve got an idea!” She promptly passes Scully the phone without even a goodbye as she slides off her lap and then rushes towards the paper and crayons.
“I’m glad you called.” Scully tells him.
“I’m glad you’re still there.”
“You should have seen her face when she realised it was you.” She grins.
“You both doing okay?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty happy today. How did it go?”
“Good, I think. Maybe? You should see what they did for us.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmm. I’m amazed. It’s like what we were dreaming about. I’ve got pictures to show you both.”
Mulder wearily stumbles out into the arrivals hall, scanning the room for the exit pointing towards the pick up area, when he catches a flash of something familiar. He scans back to the area he spotted the familiarity, lets his eyes linger and sure enough, there she is. Looking all cute and casual in jeans and his sweatshirt, holding god damn, a sign. His name, and maybe something colourful too.
“Scully!” He grins, jogging towards her. “I thought you were going to just drive by and have me jump in the car.”
“Oh, well, if you’d rather that I can just…” She turns away from him with a daring glint.
“Don’t you dare.” He growls, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her to him so firmly, she loses balance slightly and lets out a rather un-Scully like shriek. She places a hand on his chest, and circles one hand around his neck. He squeezes her back and lifts her slightly, twirling her around.
“Mulder put me down!” She giggles her admonishment.
“Just wanted you to know I really liked the sign. Very 80s teen rom-com. Just needs a distinctive song blaring in the background.”
“Well, it won’t be ‘Don’t you forget about me’ as that one’s taken, so…”
“Joy to the world. Obviously.”
“Obviously.” She smirks and rolls her eyes. “I missed you.” She tells him, feeling like she might be blushing as she stretches up for a chaste kiss.
“I missed you too.”
“You look exhausted, Mulder. Did you get any sleep last night?” Scully asks as she tenderly runs his fingers along her jaw.
“Does a two hour nap count?” He asks sheepishly.
“Not enough.” She shakes her head at him.
“Turns out a red eye flight without my favourite comfort person is not conducive to good sleep.”
“Come on, I’ll drive you back to the hotel.” She smiles at him and takes his hand.
“Hang on, is that one of Em’s pictures?”
“Uh yeah, she wanted you to see it as soon as possible.”
“Adorable. Woah…Is this my name? Em wrote it?” He asks, spotting a large F and too smaller characters next to it, underneath where Scully had written out his name.
“Yeah. She asked me to write it so she could try and copy it.”
“I love it. One for the fridge, or the wall.”
“You big softie.” She tells him teasingly as she squeezes his hand and tugs him along towards the parking garage.
They pick up a pizza on their way back to the hotel and eat it while watching an old tv movie that’s been re-aired.
“Oh, Scully. I was going to show you the pictures!”
“Mulder, you’re barely keeping your eyes open. You can show me tomorrow.”
“It’s so perfect.” He tells her as he allows himself to sink down further, and curls onto his side, facing her. “We’re lucky to have good people.”
“We are.” She tells him, and she believes it, as she runs her fingers through his hair.
“Lie with me.” He tells her softly, trying to pull her down from her upright position.
As soon as she’s lying on her back, he cosies up to her side, draping his arm over her stomach, and lets his head rest upon her chest. She resumes scratching his scalp once he gets comfortable, and it doesn’t take long for his breathing to even out as sleep overcomes him.
Notes:
Work's been crazy busy and intense, so I barely know if I'm coming and going and my brain has melted somehow, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A nice balance of a couple of cute movements and moving things along a bit.
Chapter 15: In time for the weekend
Summary:
Now that Mulder is back in California, Susan rings with a visit after the home visit to talk through next steps and Emily coming to stay with them.
Mulder and Scully go to visit Em, and show her pictures of Scully's apartment.
Notes:
We're about to take another step forward in the adoption journey. It's moving probably quicker than it should, and we'll just thank Uncle Walter for that I think, hehe.
Chapter Text
“Scully.” She says into her phone when it rings late the next morning.
“Dana? It’s Susan.”
“Oh, Susan, hi.” As she talks, Mulder takes a seat on the couch, leg bouncing, sunflower seeds in his palm and between his teeth.
“We’ve received the report of the home visit.”
“You have?” Scully asks anxiously. “Mulder thinks it went okay but…”
“It did, Dana.” Scully lets out a breath of relief. “Passed with flying colours.”
“We passed. What happens next?” She smiles at Mulder whose face splits into a wide grin.
“Yes. My colleague said it’s a warm inviting apartment, and it’s evident that a lot of care and consideration has been taken to prepare for Emily.”
“It has.” Scully confirms. “We really want this.”
“I know you do Dana. So, now we’ve got that completed, and you’ve had some time with her away from the children’s centre I think we can discuss her staying with you - in San Diego of course for now.”
“Staying with us? Already?” Scully asks in surprised awe.
“Mmhmm. Given your case, we’ve uh, managed to expedite some things a little.”
“You have? How soon can she come stay with us?”
“How about in time for the weekend?”
“This weekend?” Scully asks feeling shocked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. She wasn’t expecting this so soon - not that she doesn’t want, of course she does.
“Are you ready for that, Dana?” Susan asks with concern, ready to push the date back if it’s too soon, but from everything she knew about this family, she figured the sooner, the better.
Scully looks across to Mulder whose leg has stopped bouncing, he’s folded forwards, hands held together over his knees supporting his head as he looks at her with a dreamy smile and a nod. He can’t quite hear everything, but he hears enough.
“Yeah, we’re ready. We’d bring her back with us tonight if we could I think.”
“I was thinking you’d be ready.” Susan chuckles over the phone. She loves to see her cases progressing towards a happy ending - whether that’s reunification with birth parents, or a bright new future for a deserving child. Bizarrely this case is a bit of both - in a way she’s never seen before, and probably never will again in her career. “I’d suggest letting her know what the plan is when you see her today. You’re still going this afternoon?”
“Every afternoon, yes.”
“Let her know, and then she’ll have a little time to process and then, hmm, let’s say you take her home to your hotel tomorrow afternoon?”
“Tomorrow afternoon?” Scully grins, her heart clenching at the thought. Mulder lets out an excited laugh and moves to sit beside her, needing to touch her and share in the joy of the moment.
“Yes. You can take your daughter home tomorrow. So if there’s any last minute preparations you want to make to ready yourself, or your room, you have a little time to prepare yourselves soon.”
“Suite?” Mulder whispers against her neck as he kisses her just below her ear.
“What was that?”
“As you know, our current room has a living area with a pullout couch, but we can look into upgrading to a family suite?”
“I’ll let you make the choice that suits you best. From all of our discussions, I think we can trust your judgement. But Dana - you should be prepared - the first couple of nights can be pretty tough. Don’t worry if it’s not quite as smooth a transition as you hoped for. I know she’s excited and that she wants to be with you and Fox, but it’s still a lot.”
“I know. She’s been through so much in such a short space of time. I know there’s a possibility of nightmares, or accidents, or difficulty settling in and sleeping but…” Scully looks towards Mulder who is resting his chin on her shoulder, giving her a soulful look full of empathy, and a quiet confidence. “We can rise to the challenge. We’ve been through worse.” She says that last part more towards Mulder than to Susan. If they can make it through abductions, government conspiracies, cryptids, flukemen, and all number of odd and spooky cases, then how hard can looking after a three year old little girl be? Her daughter. They’d figure it out. They always do, and this was special, really important. She was ready, and Mulder will be right by her side, no doubt reading stories and tucking her into bed too.
“I’m sure you can. I’ll meet with you a couple of times over the next ten days or so and then if things are going well and she’s comfortable, we’ll discuss transferring her case to my DC colleagues, and you can think about taking her home, finally. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Not right now.”
“Okay, in that case, I’ll get in touch with the children’s centre, and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow. Thank you so much.” Scully says as Susan hangs up.
“Mulder…” Scully breathes as she turns to him.
“You get to bring your baby home tomorrow.” He summarises and she nods, so many emotions shining in her eyes, she can barely believe it all.
“Yeah.” She says as a happy tear rolls down her cheek, his thumb instantly there to wipe it away. He leans forward then to kiss her, and just like always, everything they don’t quite have words for is contained within soft and loving touches, and their warm heartfelt kisses. He chases her tongue, once, twice, three times, before pulling back, pulling her lower lip between his teeth and pressing his lips to hers in a final chaste kiss. As they catch their breaths from the kiss and all their dizzying emotions, he strokes her cheeks, and her fingers lightly scratch his scalp. He opens his olive eyes to her bright blue ones, looking at him with more love than he ever thought he’d find in them.
“So, new plan for the day?” He asks lightly.
“Hmm.” She hums as she looks around their room. “We could make do with this room, but I think we should enquire about a family room. I don’t know how the first few nights will go, whether she’ll be ok on her own, but I would like her to feel like she has her own space - if things get too much, you know?”
“Yeah, I get what you’re saying.” He says as he laces his fingers through hers. “So we’ll ask if there’s any availability. If there is, we’ll change rooms tomorrow.”
“Are you okay with that? It’ll be more expensive and…”
“Scully, stop. It’s worth it. Don’t worry about it.” She knows he has a substantial amount of savings, but she doesn’t quite know how much. She’s tempted to push back more, but the honesty and emotion he shows indicates that it’s really not a problem, and that he’ll do whatever it takes for her and Emily. Scully isn’t used to not having to think so much about that side of things, and it probably should make her uneasy, but the fact that they’re doing this for Emily helps her accept just how invested into this he is.
“And maybe we could do another target run today?” Scully wonders, thinking it would be good to prepare their room with things for her arrival.
“Before or after we see Em?”
“After? Maybe we ask about a few of her favourites? And maybe get a few other essentials.”
“More baby wipes?” He asks with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
“They’re useful and you know it!”
“I was very impressed with the way you wielded them!”
“But yes, among other practical things. I know she’s potty trained but this is all a big change for her and I want to be prepared especially for night time. I’m thinking we should have some pull ups just in case she wants them, and we should probably be prepared for an accident or two.”
“Okay.” He nods, happy for Scully to take the lead in this sort of thing.
“She’ll need a toothbrush, and toothpaste, we should get some bubble bath and shampoo, that kind of thing.”
“Some clothes, or pajamas?” He wonders out loud.
“Yeah, just one or two, and then perhaps we can take her to the mall in a couple of days and she can choose a few things.”
“Scully, you know there’s a pool here?” Mulder asks with a grin.
“Mulder, I did not bring a swimsuit to Christmas at Bill’s.” She rolls her eyes.
“So swimsuits all round then! Do you think she can swim?”
“I don’t know, but I think if the beach is anything to go by she’ll enjoy splashing in the pool.”
“So maybe some floaties? And some bath or pool toys?”
“Let’s not try and go too crazy, Mulder. We will have to find a way to take anything we acquire home with us.”
“Yes boss.” He mock salutes her. “So maybe we should get a new suitcase?”
“Probably.” She says while rolling her eyes with a smile.
“Oh, and Scully?” She meets his eyes with amusement. “Just so we’re clear, because that’s not historically what we’re good at.” Scully quirks her eyebrow at him. “I fully intend to celebrate the good news with you tonight. While we can, you know, without little prying ears or tiny feet. So if uh, you need anything for any celebrations then…”
“Stop rambling.” She tells him with a smirk as she pulls him into a kiss to let him know she’s on board with his plan to celebrate their last child free night together.
“Is there an Emily in here?” Mulder asks as he crosses the threshold into the usual visiting room.
“That’s me!” Comes a little squeal, and then a fast blur of activity throws itself at his legs. “Fox! You came back!” She says excitedly.
“Of course I did.” He tells her as he picks her up for a cuddle.
“Missed you.” She tells him, nuzzling against his neck.
“I missed you too little Em.” He presses a kiss to the top of her head.
“Hi, sweetie.” Scully greets her, rubbing her hand on Emily’s back.
Mulder moves towards a small couch in the room, where he carefully takes a seat, Emily still clinging to him.
“Let me get a good look at you, just in case you changed, or grew.” He teases her, and lightly brushes over the freckles dusting her cheeks. Just like her mother. “Hmm, you look the same to me.”
“It was only one day, silly!” She exclaims.
“It was? Felt like weeks.” He grins at her, and then glances towards Scully who has joined them on the couch, and is watching them with what might be the softest expression he’s seen on her face.
“Just one day, Dana?” Emily checks, and Scully nods.
“Just one day.”
“Well that’s a relief. Two days sounds too many, doesn’t it.” He asks and tickles Emily’s side causing her to erupt into laughter.
“Stop, stop.” She giggles, but he listens, respecting her request and removing his fingers from her sides.
“Did the lady like your house?” Emily asks, remembering why he’d been gone.
“Yes, she did. I bought some pictures, do you want to see?” He asks her.
“Yeah! Want to see your house.”
“It’s an apartment, sweet pea.” Scully gently corrects.
“Want to see your ‘partment.”
“Okay, hang on.” Mulder shuffles before pulling a set of polaroids out of his pocket, and adjusting the way Emily is sitting on his lap. With Emily turned round so her back is leaning against Mulder’s front, he holds the photographs out in front of her.
“Big house.” Emily says peering at the first picture.
“Oh, that’s not all ours.” Scully tells her with a smile. “The building is big, yes, but it has many homes, or apartments inside it.”
“Ohhh.”
“See these windows?” Scully takes one of Emily’s fingers and hovers it over a set of windows. “That’s where we live.”
“Let’s take a look inside, huh?” Mulder says as he places that picture at the bottom of the pile. “This is the living room. Dana has a lot of books. A lot. And I have some, but just over here, there’s a shelf with books that are perfect for a Little Em.”
“Books for me?”
“Yeah, books we picked out just for you.” He confirms.
“Ohhh.”
“And do you see my desk over here?” Scully asks and Emily nods. “There’s some colouring books and a new set of crayons and pencils.”
“I like to colour.” Emily says.
“We know.” Scully says as she smoothes a hand over Emily’s hair.
“Alright - next up - this is the kitchen. There’s a big table, and there’s a cupboard over here that’s now full of things for you.”
“Emily’s cupboard.” She murmurs.
“Uh huh. You’ve got your very own set of plates, bowls and cups that are way more fun that the boring grown up ones. And sippy cups and water bottles if you want a drink in your room at night time.”
“My bedroom?” Emily asks with big wide eyes as she turns to look at Scully and back towards Mulder.
“That’s right, your room.” Scully tells her with a smile.
“We’ll get there.” Mulder says ruffling Emily’s hair.
“Here’s the bathroom. Bathroom’s maybe aren’t that exciting are they?” He asks Emily, who screws up her face and shakes her head. “Well, it’s got all the things a bathroom should have of course, but we’ve got you some fun bubble bath, we’ll have some bath toys, and you’ll have your own toothbrush and toothpaste, and anything else you might need.
“Next?” Emily asks, not having much interest in the bathroom, and keen to see more.
“I think the next room is much more exciting, don’t you Dana?” Mulder asks Scully with a smirk, as he passes her all but the last few pictures.
“I think so. Hopefully you will too, Emily.” Emily wiggles, intrigued by what’s coming next.
“Okay, these last four - these are all of your room.”
“My room.”
“Yes, your room. Your very own bedroom.”
“All to myself?”
“Yes, all to yourself. No more sharing with lots of other kids.” Scully tells her. “But it’s really close to my…our room, so if you need us, you won’t have to go far, and you could probably just shout for us.”
“Okay, ready?”
“Ready!” Emily says, tapping Mulder’s hands, waiting for him to reveal the pictures to her.
“This will be your bed.” He says, and Scully watches her eyes light up and the smile spreading across her face as she takes in all the details.
“Winnie the Pooh! And Tigger!”
“Yeah, do you like that?” Scully asks.
“Yes!” Emily says excitedly, clapping.
“That’s not all.” He sets out three more pictures showing the room from different angles. “So the door is over here, and your bed is just off to the side here, and then this here you’ve got you own book shelves - mostly for books, but there might be other things you want to put there too. And you’ve got a table here, just the perfect size for you. A little table for Little Em.” Mulder says as he kisses the top of Emily’s head.
“New toy?” Emily asks spotting the Winnie the Pooh occupying one of the little chairs.
“Yes, if you want him. He’s ready to join you with lots of fun activities at your special table. Maybe a tea party, some colouring, or a puzzle. Of course though, if you don’t want him, then maybe I’ll have to keep him, or Dana. Do you think Dana might like him?”
Emily looks thoughtfully towards Scully. “Maybe. I like him though. He can stay.”
“I guess Dana will have to cope without him.”
“Maybe we play together?” Emily wonders looking towards Scully.
“I’d love that Emily. I’d like to play with you and your toys sometimes, but I think they can stay with you.” Scully tells her.
“You won’t be sad?” Emily asks her.
“No, I won’t be sad. I promise. I think Winnie the Pooh needs you more than he needs me anyway.”
“And if Dana does get sad sometimes, I’ll give her a hug.” Mulder says winking at Scully, who rolls her eyes back at him.
“The last picture, Emily - that’s your closet and your chest of drawers. That’s where we’ll keep all your clothes and things. We’ll have a few things for you, but we want you to help us choose what you want in your room. Do you think you can do that? Help us choose more clothes, or more books, toys and pictures?” Scully asks prompting her.
Emily looks up solemnly, and then nods. “I can help choose.”
“Do you think you’d like to stay in our apartment, Emily? Now you know what it looks like?” Scully asks her gently.
“Yep!” Emily nods then reaches her hands out towards the pictures in Scully’s hand. “Fishies?”
“Oh, you spotted the fish, huh?” Scully hands Emily the picture of the kitchen, where the fish tank was just visible to the side.
“Fishies! You have fishies!”
“Fox has fish, yes.”
“Fox’s fish?”
“That’s right. Have you had fish before?” Scully asks her, realising she’s not actually sure if the Sim’s had pets, though she doesn’t remember seeing one.
“No. But I like the fish at the ‘quarium.”
“Ohhh, aquarium’s are fun, aren’t they?!” Mulder’s says with enthusiasm.
“Yes! Watch the fishies swim like - “ Emily holds her hands together and wriggles them from side to side. “And go blub blub.”
Mulder opens and closes his mouth in his best fish impression and Emily giggles.
“Maybe you can help me feed the fish sometimes?” He suggests.
“Do they have names?” She asks.
Mulder shrugs. “They’re molly fish.”
“All of them are called Molly?”
“Kind of.” He shrugs again.
“That’s silly Fox!”
Scully snickers at the way Emily so confidently tells Mulder he’s silly for not naming each individual fish.
“I know! I’ll help you name them.” Emily tells him patting his arm.
“Oh, thank you, I think.” He says, figuring he’s not going to get much choice in the matter.
Emily soon wriggles and then slides off of Mulder’s lap. She twirls around and then walks a lap round the room, inspecting books and toys.
“So, I guess your fish are getting new names.” Scully smirks at him, watching Emily out the corner of her eye.
“They might have an identity crisis…” He mutters.
“Read about that in Ichthyic Psychology 101 did you?”
“Smart-ass.” He mouths at her.
Emily wanders back towards Mulder and Scully, and resting her hands on the armrest she leans forwards, balancing on one foot, and looks up at them batting her auburn eye lashes.
“How far?” She asks.
“How far, what?” Scully asks.
“How far is your ‘partment?”
“From here?” Mulder asks and Emily nods. “It’s quite far, Em. I had to take an airplane and it took about 5 hours.”
“Hmm, that’s lots.”
“It’s even longer if you drive - that would take days!”
Emily’s mouth gapes open and she glances between Scully and Mulder, waiting for Scully to nod to confirm Mulder’s right.
“So far.”
“It’s no so bad though. Have you been on a plane before Emily?” Scully wonders.
“Don’t know. No?” She thinks.
“Maybe when you were a tiny baby, perhaps?” Emily shrugs, not knowing.
“We travel by plane sometimes for work, and it’s okay. We’ll take some books and toys, maybe a colouring book, and the time will pass by much quicker than you think.”
Emily spins away for a minute, and then asks. “When?”
“When do you get to go on the plane and come to our apartment?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm, probably a couple of weeks away still, at least.”
“Oh.” Emily’s face falls
“Emily, come here - I’ve got something exciting to talk to you about.” Scully beckons her over - reaching out her arm.
Emily moves towards Scully slowly, dancing little fingers along Scully’s arm, until she’s standing in front of Scully’s knees.
“Hi,” Scully says as she leans forward and taps Emily on the nose, causing the girl to smile. Scully ghosts her fingers around the collar of Emily’s top, and hooks out her cross pendant that Emily has continued to wear. In a movement that is more muscle memory than anything, Scully rubs the pendant between her thumb and forefinger, Emily watching her all the while. “You know how you don’t always like being here all the time? That sometimes you don’t want to say goodbye?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well we’ve been talking with Susan, your social worker, and we’ve got a bit of a plan. Fox and I…” Scully glances over at Mulder and smiles, before turning back to Emily. Mulder places his palm on Scully’s back in reassurance. “We were wondering, do you want to come and stay with us, in our hotel?”
Emily doesn’t take long to enthusiastically say yes.
“We’d hoped you would, Em.” Mulder tells her with grin.
“We did.” Scully agrees. “So, you’re going to spend one more night here. And then, tomorrow, when we come to see you - we’ll take you back to our hotel. And then you’ll be with us all day, and all night too.”
“And not here?”
“That’s right. You won’t have to be here, not unless you want to.” Mulder tells her, though he hopes she’ll settle with them in the hotel and doesn’t imagine she’ll be in a rush to get back here.
“The three of us, you, me and Fox - we’re going to try living together, as a family. Do you think that sounds okay?”
Emily tilts her head to the side. “Are you my new Mommy and Daddy?”
Mulder and Scully share a slightly nervous and awkward look before the focus on Emily again.
“Kind of.” Scully decides is the best way to answer this question for now. “Emily, we don’t want to replace your Mommy and Daddy. We know they’re important to you, and they loved you a lot. But, we also love you, rather a lot too actually,” Scully says with a wink, “and we’d very much like for you to live with us, and to take care of you.”
“You can still call us Fox and Dana. We just want you to be safe and happy.” Mulder tells her.
Emily rests against Scully’s legs and lays her head in Scully’s lap for a moment. Scully runs her fingers through Emily’s hair.
“Tomorrow?” Emily asks.
“That’s right.”
“Or now? We go now?” Emily asks, turning her head, so she’s looking at Scully.
“Not right now, sweetie. Tomorrow though, I promise. This way, you get to say goodbye to anyone here you want to, and tomorrow we’ll pack up your things again.”
“In my backpack?” Emily asks, remembering Scully packing her bag before.
“That’s right. We’ll put all your clothes back in your backpack. I think some of your new toys won’t quite fit.”
“Like Mr Potato Head!” Emily giggles, and Mulder pulls a silly face at her.
“Chief Potato Head carrier reporting for duty.” Mulder says with a quick salute. “And anything else that doesn’t fit in your bag.” He then flexes his arms, trying to signal that he’s strong and can carry anything for her. Emily giggles and shows Mulder her muscles too.
“So strong. Careful, or you’ll be carrying me out to the car.” He winks dramatically and she falls into fits of giggles.
Scully lifts Emily up onto her lap, so she can sit up straighter but they can still see each other clearly.
“Listen, we’ve got a few things to get sorted before you come stay with us tomorrow. Is there anything you need us to make sure we have ready for you?” Emily shrugs in response to the open question.
“Hmm, favourite snack?” Mulder asks Emily wiggling an eyebrow that she smiles at.
“Goldfish, and cookies, and strawberries!”
“Favourite milk?”
“Chocolate.”
“Favourite juice?”
“Apple!”
“Favourite…toothpaste?” Scully asks, to which Emily just shrugs and Mulder gives her a funny look.
“We’ll figure that one out later.” Mulder says with a gentle smile towards Scully.
“Well, we’ll try and get you a few things, and then if you need anything else, we’ll take you to the shops, okay?”
“Okay.”
“What about your favourite colour?” Scully asks instead, and this gets a much better response.
“Purple! Oh and blue, and orange.”
Two hours later Mulder and Scully return to the hotel with a trunk full of paper bags. Together they load up their arms, and after stopping by the reception on the way up to the room, Mulder joins Scully in their room.
“Hey, Scully, good news!” He shouts out as he enters the room.
“They have a family room?” She asks hopefully as she kneels on the bed, as she pulls out a purple blanket they’d bought for Emily and refolds it.
“They do, and, they’ll let us get in early. So we can set up things before we go get our girl.” Mulder gives her a million dollar smile, and she wonders briefly if she can feel any more adoration for one man.
“Our girl.” Scully smiles at him.
“Well she will be…” He says ducking his head, worried he’s overstepped.
“I…I like the sound of it.” Scully admits.
“Oh, I…me too.”
“I guess I shouldn’t unpack everything then if we’re just going to move it all tomorrow.”
“I guess not - maybe just anything that needs to go in the fridge.” Their room might not have a big fridge, but the mini fridge would work for some chocolate milk and apple juice.
“Already done. I hope she likes the things we picked out for her.” Scully says nervously smoothing her hands over the fleecy blanket.
“I’m sure she will Scully. She wants to be with us, she keeps telling us that - in her own ways. She feels safe with us.”
“I know, I just…”
“Turn that big brain of yours off for a bit, Scully.” Mulder says as he stands beside the bed and rubs her shoulders, encouraging her to relax.
“Ugh, I keep trying, but…”
“You’ve got this Scully, you’ll be fine. And I’m right here with you, all the way.”
“I know.” Scully licks her lips, and then shuffles to turn more fully to him, and stretches up. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She runs her fingers over his jaw, dragging her thumb over his lips. He raises his hand up to her wrist, stilling it and then kisses her thumb.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“Help distract my brain?” She gives him a coquettish smile.
“Thought you’d never ask.” He murmurs ducking down to kiss her. As his fingers fan across the side of her face, and his tongue pulls a gasp from her lips, seeking to explore further, they are rudely disrupted by the loud ringing of Mulder’s cell phone, forcing them to pull apart with frustrated growl and sighs.
Chapter 16: Of constellations
Summary:
Mulder and Scully get a visit from Doggett and Reyes with an update of what they've discovered, or rather, uncovered. But of course, the information is not complete, and questions arise.
Notes:
Buckle up buttercup, we're going on a ride. This chapter is uh...something. I feel like I'm about to play my ace. While a lot of this fic has written itself and just come to me - this chapter covers ideas I've had since the very beginning of this fic. I was trying to work out I could tie some of these together right around the same time NetflixCapricorn had tweeted something about needing more Emily live fics, and then well, all this spiralled out from there really. We're going to go through all sort of emotions, so be prepared. But there is a soft place to land at the end. I hope you enjoy this one. I did quite a bit of editing as I read through this chapter so hopefully it all works out.
I haven't written Doggett and Reyes investigating, because I'm not sure if I can do it justice at the moment, maybe someday I'll attempt something, but I don't think it's entirely necessary here, because this is very much a Mulder, Scully and Emily fic, and their priorities have been with Emily.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Mulder.” He speaks into his cell.
“Mulder, it’s Doggett. Can we meet?”
“You have an update?” Mulder asks, his curiosity piqued.
“Sort of. We should talk, somewhere secure.” Doggett says, implying that he thought it best not to discuss what he knew over the phone.
“San Diego field office, or do you want to come to our hotel?”
“We can meet you at your hotel.”
“Great, we’ll be here for the rest of the evening.”
Not much later Doggett and Reyes arrive bringing with them takeout and a six pack of beer.
“Well that’s a welcome surprise.” Mulder says as he lets them into the room, and the supplies are set on the table.
“You might want to wait before saying that.” Doggett days gruffly.
“Oh?”
“Does this mean you’ve found something?” Scully asks taking a seat.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Reyes says as she takes the seat opposite Scully. “How’s Emily doing?”
“Pretty well I think, all things considered. We get to bring her here tomorrow.” Scully says pressing her lips together. “We’ll have to be here probably a couple of weeks, with a couple visits from the social worker. I’m just anxious to get her out of there, and take her home, away from all of this.”
“We will.” Mulder says sitting next to Scully and loosely wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“What have you found?” Scully asks as Doggett unpacks the takeout.
“We tracked the doctor down.”
“We found his research facility - if you can call it that.” Reyes adds.
“Rows and rows of filing cabinets?” Mulder guesses as he clumsily winds noodles around his chopsticks.
“Hmm mm.”
“A lot like what you’d suspected we might find.”
“You found Scully’s name?” Mulder asks.
“Yeah. Along with vials and paperwork.” That seemed pretty par for the course to Mulder, the real mysteries lie in the details though.
“Do we want to know?” Scully asks nervously.
“Ova, bloodwork. Paperwork suggesting that there were others but…Emily is the anomaly Dana.” Reyes tells her.
“She’s the only one?” Scully asks quietly. She can’t decide if this is good news or not yet, and biting her inner lip she worries about what happened to the ‘others’. How many eggs became blastocysts, or embryos or developed undeniable foetuses or…maybe it’s best she doesn’t know all the details. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.
“Yeah, as far as we can tell. The others…they weren’t viable, or had yet to be implanted.” Reyes replies. Scully has to believe that means that Emily is the only ova to become a living child, that any others did not result in defenceless babies born into a world that never really wanted them, just wanted to make them possible. The love Scully had for Emily already was powerful, it was for the best that there weren’t more children of hers out there, and yet, at the same time…Scully wasn’t sure how to think or feel.
“Like the one I found?” Mulder asks curiously.
“We think that was mid process - as far as we can tell.” Doggett attempts to explain.
“He was going to implant it in one of those women wasn’t he? Sick bastard.” Mulder growls.
“Agreed.”
“That’s not all we found though.” Reyes says gently, glancing between Doggett and Mulder.
“What else?” Mulder asks.
“We found files for more people than I’m comfortable with.” Doggett says sombrely, and sips at his beer. “Women - young like Scully, and older like those from the care home you found. But also files for men.”
“Men?” Mulder echoes “So they weren’t making hybrids? Or they were also using alien ova in their freaky experiments?” It’s almost a joke, except, it really is freaky. Horrific even.
“Or perhaps they were making hybrids but not in the traditional sense?” Scully asks, considering the possibility of some twisted kind of genetic engineering - cutting, editing, grafting, splicing. Adding something here, modifying something there, creating…something. Science is evolving all the time, and genetics were undergoing some major shifts, with knowledge developing all the time. She’d heard murmurings of possibilities that felt like they were bordering on science-fiction, and the human genome project was ongoing. But was it possible that someone, or something possibly not of this world had advanced the science beyond the current known scope? She couldn’t confidently say no. The thought that someone, somehow thought it fit to play God, not only by medically raping and abusing her, but to then try and create something from her stolen eggs, slicing and dicing and mutating natural genetic processes, growing who knows how many foetus in labs and transplanting them into elderly, non-consenting women makes her feel nauseous. She pushes away the food in front of her, and can’t decide whether the fact that Emily is the only one is a relief, or whether she feels so awful about all the almosts and what ifs. She places her head in her hands, pushing the heels of her hands against her eyes. She needs it to stop.
“We think Scully’s right. But yes men, Mulder, including you. They had a file with your name on it.”
“What?! But I’ve never…been abducted.” Mulder protests, and Scully feels her stomach lurch again, hating that he’d also been pulled into this.
“That you know of.” Reyes states, and he looks at her blinking slowly. “Is it possible that you may have been? That you’ve had some kind of interaction?” Reyes might be more open that most agents, but even she can’t contemplate a way all of this would be possible if he hadn’t ever had an experience.
“No.” He says just as Scully says “yes.”
“Scully.” His brows furrow in confusion.
“Mulder, you said you saw bright lights before passing out in Puerto Rico.” She reminds him.
“Like, like a migrane!” He protests.
“Perhaps we should consider other possibilities.” Scully says softly, for once not being the more sceptical of the two.
“Why did they want me? What was in my file?” Mulder wonders.
“Umm…a donation of sorts.” Doggett says awkwardly.
“You don’t mean…?” Scully asks quietly. An idea, an improbable one, taking shape - thrumming at the edges of her wildest dreams.
“They were making alien hybrids using my sperm?!” Mulder exclaims.
“Most likely, yeah.” Reyes concludes gently.
“What happened to them?” Mulder asks quietly, curious now.
“We’re not sure. The paperwork it’s unreadable.” Reyes frowns sympathetically. She wishes she could give him more information, but as was so often the way for Mulder, it was just another dead end.
“Oh.” He sounds deflated.
“Maybe…” Scully says quietly turning to look at him. “Maybe we should do a DNA Test. Just in case? Just to rule it out?” It’s so unlikely, against all odds, and yet, there’s a part of her that wonders, that wants it to be true. She’s probably wrong, reaching, clutching at straws, desperate for meaning in all the ugly chaos, but the possibility isn’t zero, and they could test this theory and find out.
“Of all the babies, in all the world…worlds…” Mulder quips, but it’s halfhearted.
“Chances are slim, but Mulder, I think this shows that it’s not impossible.” Scully’s crystal blue eyes connect with his, and to Doggett and Reyes it’s like an unspoken conversation takes place right in front of them as emotions flicker across the couple’s faces.
“Why us?” He asks with a furrowed expression. Scully doesn’t know either and a set of deep green eyes, and ocean blue eyes turn to the dark eyed agents across from them who can only shrug.
None of this makes any sense. There’s some sick bastard doctor genetically engineering human babies with alien elements. They’re not half human, half alien - Emily bleeds red blood, not gaseous green sludge but he’s also sure it was Emily reaching out to them with phantom phone calls. What other unusual talents might she have? And why? Why create babies, children with unfathomable origins - partially lab grown and transplanted into the wombs of people that he very much doubts consented to any of this. The exact ‘why’ evades them all, it may always be an X File for all they know.
“Mulder, you doing okay?” Scully asks as the door closes behind Doggett and Reyes. She lays a gentle hand over Mulder’s elbow as she checks in with him.
“Can I get back to you about that?”
“That was a lot of Information.” Scully acknowledges.
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to hear about some of it. I just thought they were going to tell us about you.”
“Mulder, does any of what you’ve learnt tonight change things for you?” Scully asks timidly.
“About us? Emily? No.”
“You’re sure?” Scully asks as she runs her fingers over the shadowy stubble on his jaw and chin.
“I still want this Scully. Don’t worry, I’m just…shifting things around up here.” He taps his head. “Does it change things for you?”
“No, of course not.” She says stepping into his arms, wrapping her arms around his back.
“Scully, how did you feel when you realised what they did to you? About what they did to you?”
“Angry, hurt, confused, shocked, violated.” She’s not sure the words do much more than scratch the surface, but it’s the best she can offer up.
“I know it’s not the same Scully.” Mulder says.
“Don’t. You don’t need to minimise your feelings of what happened to you based on a comparison to me. Just because the process may have been quicker doesn’t mean it wasn’t violating, disturbingly intimate or grim.”
“I feel some of those things too, Scully.” He admits awkwardly.
“That’s understandable, and very reasonable.” She tells him, pressing a kiss to his neck and rubbing soothing circles over his back and shoulders.
“I thought I’d seen them. Aliens, you know. But I never thought I’d been taken.” Never had it even crossed his mind. But perhaps it should have, he now thinks.
“Maybe they didn’t need to take you.” Scully says softly.
“What do you mean?”
“Mulder,” she says gently and he can tell she’s trying not to smirk. “It’s substantially easier to obtain a uh…sample from men than it is women.”
“Oh!” He goes pale and looks shocked. “So you think they just what…perform some freaky brain zap so we lose time, pass out, have no memory but somehow…”
“Possibly.” The expression on her face is grim, but sympathetic.
“Ick.” Is his only response.
“I’m not sure if it’s a small mercy but it could have been rather quick.” It’s not a competition, but at least for him he wasn’t missing for months.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Mulder grimaces.
“In a clinical sense, Mulder.”
“These are some really fucked up experiments Scully.” Mulder shudders.
“On that I agree wholeheartedly.” His summation feels like an understatement, but how else can they describe it?
“What now?” He asks.
“Do you want to do a test? Just in case?” The lines between scientist, clinician, partner and lover blur. It’s hard to know what to do or say, or how to act, her own thoughts and emotions have been swirling, but this, this she can do. They can use science to get some kind of answer, to rule in or out a given hypothesis.
“I think so?” He knows he seems uncertain, but it’s all been a lot to process, and there’s a part of him that loves the idea - the possibility however slim - that there’s even a chance Emily could actually be his, just as there’s a part of him that knows he would be crushed now to discover she wasn’t. That she was some other man’s.
“You don’t have to decide now.” Scully tells him.
“I want to know Scully.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It would be good to know, for sure. I’m just nervous about the answer. I thought I was seeing things that reminded me of Sam, things that couldn’t possibly be there, but Scully what if they could be?” His voice lightens as he clings to that tiny ray of hope. Could there have been a reason for all of this?
“I don’t know.” She says, because what else can she say, but she’s smiling up at him.
“You know cases with young girls always make me think of her. I thought that was it. I know it’s probably a very small probability, but what if…”
“What if she’s actually yours?” Scully finally voices the theory, her voice soft, and just the hint of a crack that she’s trying to keep out of her voice.
“Yeah.” He breathes.
“All it takes is a cheek swab Mulder, and then we’ll know.”
“Do it, swab my cheek Scully.” He says decisively, almost enthusiastically.
“I will. Maybe not right now though because I don’t want the chow mein to ruin the test validity.” She smirks.
“Chow mein wishes they had a hand in making an Uber Scully.” Mulder quips, feeling more himself with this joke.
“Oh, you’re taking credit now are you?” Scully smirks.
“I will take responsibility for her, no matter the outcome, you know that right? But just between you and me…I’d always kind of hoped you’d choose me to have those Uber Scullys with.”
“With your spotless genetic make up.” Scully confirms she remembers that conversation they had in the midst of another very sick and twisted case. Mulder briefly wonders if perhaps they both need therapy if right after performing a frankly rather disturbing autopsy on an infant leads to a discussion on their own family planning. Or maybe that’s just the only way they know how to cope - to never let the darkness seep all the way in. They have to infuse the light somehow.
“So nearly spotless, yes. I told you Mulder’s meet the muster.”
“Hmm, we’ll see.” She grins, chuckling at him.
“Right, I need to shake my brain of all these thoughts, and we had some celebrating to do tonight. Even thought it all happened over three years ago I’ve got a real desire to shower and wash all of this away…you coming?”
She stands there smirking at his double entendre as he steps away and stretches his arm out to her.
She can do better than that she thinks so she sidles up to him, stands on her tip toes and kisses him hard. “If you have something to do with it I certainly hope so.”
“Scully!” He mock admonishes her. “That’s it.” He hoists her up, so she can no longer reach the floor and half heartedly she taps on his shoulders, whispering for him to put her down all the way to the bathroom.
Mulder awakes the next morning to find a rather naked Scully draped across him, and despite the heaviness of last night’s revelations, he quietly thanks his lucky stars that the universe somehow bought them together, and that she’s not only stayed by his side for five years now, but that during that time she’s carved out a space for herself right in his heart.
Her head rests on his chest, eyes closed. He wants to trace constellations in the dusting of freckles across her cheeks, but wants her to wake naturally and not startle her out of her much needed sleep. It’s possibly the last morning in a long time, that they’ll be able to wake up slowly, or naked. He tenderly runs a hand over her side, trying not to disturb her, but unable to keep his hands off of her.
Her eyelids flutter softly, eyes darting behind them, and he recalls the way their eyes connected as their bodies and souls also connected the previous night. He feels like he could never tire of watching her eyes - whether her eyes are closed in sleep where he spots new freckles, or whether his favourite shade of blue is staring right into the depths of his soul.
“Morning.” He whispers softly as her eyes flutter open revealing a stunning blue behind them.
“Mmm, hi.” She murmurs, and he now allows his fingers to trace over her cheeks. “What are you doing?”
“Your freckles are like stars. They’re beautiful.” Her cheeks pinken slightly, but he continues. “I was watching you, thinking I could find constellations in them like - Cassiopeia right here,” He traces over one cheek, and then the other “Aquarius here. Maybe Lynx there.”
“Mulder…” Scully protests lightly, ducking her head away from his eyes and into his chest.
“Don’t hide from me Scully.” He murmurs, skirting a finger along the side of her face, and applying pressure to the hand on her back, holding her closer.
“You really like them?” She looks up at him, sliding her hand under her chin.
“Have you met me?” He smirks. “I’m the boy that was obsessed with the stars and space.”
“Was?” She asks him sceptically.
“Well now I’m a man obsessed with the stars and space, taking down government conspiracies, and a beautiful woman whose skin holds a map of the constellations.”
“Mulder…”
“Although, it’s rather cruel and ironic that I can’t fully appreciate the colour of her hair.” He says as he runs his fingers through her hair.
“But you’re still obsessed?” Scully smirks.
“Oh yes, very.” He readjusts and kisses her. “There is a part of me that would be very happy to continue lying with you like this, and to show you just how obsessed I am but…today’s an important day - are you ready?”
“No backing out now.” Scully says. “I’m so ready to bring her home.”
“How’s it feel to know you finally get to bring your baby home, Scully?”
A wide grin spills across her face. “Exciting - it feels right, you know?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Notes:
I'd love to know what you're thinking.
Chapter 17: Home for now
Summary:
Today's the day Scully gets to finally bring her baby girl home - well, home to the hotel for now.
Notes:
Thank you so much for all the love on this fic so far! I hope you all enjoy this chapter too <3
Chapter Text
Mulder tips the bellhop who has helped them cart over the belongings from their previous room into the new room.
“Mulder, this room…suite…it’s huge. Did you get an upgrade?” She asks and he shrugs.
“It’ll do, won’t it?” He smirks and she has to agree.
They slowly move around the space, taking it all in. The front of the room consists of a spacious living and dining area along with a small kitchenette, there’s a spacious family bathroom, and then two separate bedrooms. A large master with a king sized bed, and next door a room with two twin beds with a colourful rug between them.
“I want to get this room set up for Emily before we bring her here.” Scully says as she runs her hands over the chest of drawers.
“I’ll grab the bags.” Mulder slips out the room, and quickly reappears, dropping them at the end of one of the beds, and then ducks out for more luggage.
When he returns with two more paper bags he finds that Scully has already pulled out the purple blanket they’ve bought for Emily, and folds it up, draping it over the bed. She carefully places a small stuffed toy by the pillow.
“What can I do?” Mulder asks, wanting to be useful, but not wanting to interrupt Scully’s visions for the space.
“Could you pull out the toiletries? Take them into the bathroom?”
“And the rubber ducks?” He asks, talking of the bath toys they’d picked up.
“Yes, please.”
“Consider it done.”
Mulder sets out the children’s shampoo and bubble bath by the bath tub, and pulls out the toothbrush and toothpaste setting them by the sink. He opens up the net bag of bath toys, lining up the little ducks along the side of the tub.
He then brings their own luggage into the master, before returning to what would be Emily’s room while they continued to stay in San Diego. He finds Scully setting up the chest of drawers.
“Hey,” Scully looks up at him with a smile when she notices him.
“This seems very organised.”
“Yes. Underwear, pyjamas and swimwear in the top, then tops, then pants. One pack of wipes on the top for easy access, with the spare in the bottom, along with the pull ups - just in case. Miscellaneous items, are tucked in the closet like pool floaties.”
“Anything left in those bags?” Mulder asks her with a smile.
“Just a colouring book and the puzzle.”
“Do you want to keep them in here, or shall I put them on the table?”
“Oh, the table is a good idea.”
It doesn’t take long for Scully to follow him out, and she finds him flicking through the colouring book.
“Found a picture you want to colour?” She teases him.
“Nah, I’ll leave them for the little one. So…Em’s snacks and drinks are put away in the fridge and cupboards, and the sippie cup. Her bathroom stuff is in the bathroom, and you’ve sorted out her room. Our bags are in our room, but I thought we don’t have to unpack them right away - unless you want to. So, I think we’re ready.” He smiles softly at her.
“This is really happening.” Scully says with an excited, but nervous smile.
“It is, you’ve got this Scully.” He reassures her as he stands before her and pulls her into a hug. For so long now, he’s represented a certain kind of safety and comfort when the world gets tough, and she allows herself to feel that inner calm wash over while in his arms. They’re really doing this. They’re going to bring Emily into this home away from home, and try to make a go of it was a family, together. It’s new, uncertain, exciting, and most of all, it just feels right.
Today, as they arrive at the children’s centre, Emily is waiting at the door for them along with Susan, the social worker Emily bounces excitedly as sees them coming closer, little hand slipped between Susan’s to make sure she doesn’t run across the car park when it’s not safe.
“Look! They’re here!” She tells Susan. After checking that’s safe, Susan releases Emily’s hand.
“Go on, you can go say hi.” Susan says kindly, and Emily runs and skips towards Mulder and Scully who are walking towards them.
“Dana! Fox!” Emily shouts.
Both Mulder and Scully crouch down, and Emily runs right into Scully’s waiting arms.
“Dana, Dana!” Emily sings excitedly, wrapping her arms around Scully’s neck.
“Emily, Emily!” Scully echoes back.
“It’s today!” Emily says excitedly as she jumps up, and wraps herself around Scully. Scully stands, lifting her with her.
“Today huh?”
“Yep!”
“And what’s happening today?” Mulder asks after he too straightens.
“I’m coming with you!”
“You are???” He plays into the mock surprise.
“Yes! To your hotail.” Both Mulder and Scully can’t help but smile at the clumsy pronunciation error.
“Our hotail? I think you mean hotel, Em.” Mulder says gently.
“That’s what I said!” Emily protests.
“Oh, of course, I’m sorry.” Mulder then catches Scully’s eye and smiles. “Dana, did you know Emily was coming to our hotel today?”
“I did.” Scully grins. “And, I’m very excited too.” Scully tells Emily kissing her cheek.
“Me too.” Mulder tells her.
“Are you ready?” Scully asks Emily.
“Almost. We put all my things on my bed.”
“Great, do you think Fox can carry it all?” Scully asks teasingly.
“Maybe.” Emily looks thoughtful.
“Let’s go see then.” Scully says and they make their way towards the building.
“Hello, it’s good to see you again Dana and Fox. Someone’s very excited today, apparently she’s been talking non-stop about today to all the workers.” Susan says as she opens the door for them all.
“She has? Is that right, Emily? You’ve been talking to everyone?” Scully jiggles Emily slightly, loving the idea the idea, that in just a few weeks Emily has already come out of her shell so far. When Scully first met Emily, she was a sullen quiet child in the midst of a tragedy, and slowly she’s opened up, talking more and more. A far cry from the silent child on the stairs she first interacted with. There’s something rather heartwarming about that fact - slowly, they’re all helping a grieving child to interact with a world again where everything has changed and been tipped off its axis. While Scully likes to think she and Mulder have something to do with that, she’d be remiss to deny that it was really a group effort, and she thinks a part of her may always be thankful for all the people that have tried to help look after her daughter.
“Uh huh. I told all the girls in my room. And I told Shelby, and Martha, and Lisa, and Dave and…” Emily starts listing off all the staff she’d told about finally getting to go home with Dana and Fox.
“Oh wow, you told a lot of people.” Mulder interrupts Emily’s list, getting the picture.
“Yep!” Emily agrees.
“Alright Em, if I put you down now, do you think you can lead me to your bed with all your things?”
“Uh huh.” Scully sets Emily on the ground, and finds Emily is very quickly tugging on her hand.
“I’m coming, right behind you.” Scully says as she glances back at Mulder with wide eyes and a giggle as Emily pulls her down the hallway.
“This is my bed.” Emily says as they come to a stop next to a bed with several items of clothing and toys sat on top of the comforter.
“Oh yes, I remember now.” Scully says as she kneels next to the bed, spotting the backpack she’d packed several weeks ago now. “Let’s get all this packed up. Do you think you can help me with that?”
“Yeah, think so.”
“Great, you pass me your clothes, and I’ll put them in your bag, okay?”
Emily nods and picks up one of her sweaters, and holds it out towards Scully. “Just like that, thank you.”
As Emily and Scully pack up her items, Mulder and Susan join them, having chatted for a couple of minutes in the hallway.
“Alright, there we go, I think that’s all we’ll manage to squeeze in there.”
“Fox will carry the rest! He’s strong!” Emily giggles, remembering the way he’d showed off his muscles yesterday.
“Oh, I think I’ll just about manage the rest, don’t you?” Mulder says teasingly.
“Have you got everything you came with Emily?” Susan asks.
“Yep, and more from Fox and Dana!”
“Well, I think you’re just about ready to go then.” Susan says with a smile.
“I am!” Emily agrees and wriggles happily.
“Is there anyone you need to say good bye to or have you already done that?”
“Don’t think so….”
“Okay, let’s head to the bathroom before we go, and then if you think of anyone you need to see, we’ll see if we can find them on the way out?”
“‘kay.”
“I’ll take this lot out to the car. Want to help load me up like Buckaroo?”
“Buck a what?” Emily asks, an adorable look of confusion on her face.
“Buckaroo - it’s a game. You see how much you can make the donkey hold before he bucks it all off. We’ll have to play it some time.”
“Maybe start with this.” Scully says standing in front of Mulder with Emily’s now full backpack. He takes it from her, sliding it over one of his shoulders, though it looks comically small on his large frame.
“Alright Em, let’s go with those boxes next - the puzzle first, and then Mr Potato Head.”
Emily dutifully passes Mulder the puzzle, and Scully piles the Mr Potato Head box onto of the puzzle box in his arms.
They pull up at the hotel, and while Mulder goes to grab Emily’s items from the trunk, Scully goes to get Emily from the back seat.
“We at the hotel?” Emily asks, as Scully unbuckles her.
“We are.” Scully confirms, and Emily suddenly grows very quiet. “You okay?” Emily nods shyly. “Come on, let’s go have a look okay?”
Emily looks nervous and holds her arms out to be lifted. Scully scoops her up into her arms, and then joins Mulder at the back of the car.
“I’ve got Emily, are you okay with everything else?” She asks him.
“Of course.” He grabs the last of Emily’s belongings from the car and closes the trunk.
“We ready?” He asks catching Scully’s eye, wanting to make sure everything’s okay having noticed the way that Emily seems to be clinging tightly to her.
“A little nervous, but I think we’re ready, aren’t we?” She jostles Emily and presses a kiss to the top of her head.
Together, the new family of three head into the hotel, and Emily slowly looks around, taking in the large lobby. Mulder catches her eye over Scully’s shoulder and gives her a wam, reassuring smile.
“Hey, little Em.” He says softly, walking just behind Scully so he’s in Emily’s sight.
“Hi Fox.” She whispers, smiling at him meekly.
“It’s pretty big in here, huh?” He asks and she nods. “Our room is up on the 7th floor, so we’ll have to get the elevator up. I don’t suppose you’d be able to help push the elevator buttons would you? It’s just, my hands are quite full, and Dana’s holding you.”
“I can help.” Emily agrees.
“Good girl, I hoped you could.” He says just as they approach the bank of elevators. Scully ducks down slightly so that Emily can reach the button to call for the lift.
“Good job, sweetie.” Scully whispers to her as the elevator doors slide open in front of them. “Do you know which one the 7 is?” Emily extends her arms and hovers over a button.
“This one?”
“That’s right. Can you press it for me?” Scully asks softly, and Emily jabs the button.
Once they’re standing outside their room, Scully tightens her grip on Emily so that she can reach for the room key with her other hand and open the door.
“Here we go, sweet pea. Home for the next few days.” Scully says to Emily as she walks into the room. Mulder walks in behind them, and moves to place the boxes on the table, and he also shrugs off the backpack.
“Okay, Em, would you like some juice, maybe a snack, or shall we give you the grand tour first?” Mulder asks.
Emily tentatively looks around, but keeps hold of Scully.
“Juice please.” She squeaks.
“Okay, I have one more question for you, and then you and Dana can go sit on the couch for a bit.” He turns to the kitchen area, and opens up one of the cupboards. “Which kind of cup would you like?”
Emily twists her lips looking between the two types of cups, before pointing towards the sippie cup.
“Alright, I’ll get your juice ready, and then bring it over. Why don’t you two go and sit down?”
“Mulder…”
“I know, dilute it a little first.”
“Thank you.” She offers him a smile, before she takes a seat with Emily still clinging to her.
“Emily?” She asks softly, as she rubs soothing circles over Emily’s back. Emily hums. “We’ll sit for a while, until you’re ready to have a look round, but, you’ll need to turn around for your juice in a moment.”
Emily shuffles round 90 degrees, and leans her head against Scully’s chest.
“Tired?” Scully says, sweeping Emily’s hair back.
“Kinda.” Emily shrugs.
“You can have a nap if you want.” Scully tells her, and Emily shrugs again.
“Alright, a juice for Miss Emily.” Mulder hands her the cup with a flourish and she slowly takes a sip. “And, look what else I found.” He pulls out a saucer from behind his back with a cluster of M&Ms. “Some M&Ms for the Little Em…and for Dana too, if Little Em doesn’t eat them all first.”
Emily grins and sits up a little to reach for an M&M. Mulder holds the saucer for her, and she takes a few of the brightly coloured candies. He then sets the saucer on the coffee table and takes a seat next to Scully. He pulls off Emily’s little sneakers so that she doesn’t get the furniture dirty and he tickles the soles of her feet until she bursts into a delightful peel of giggles.
“Ah, there’s she is.” Mulder says playfully as Emily starts to warm up.
After a few more minutes, Emily wriggles off of Dana’s nap, and down from the couch. She walks a slow lap around the coffee table and then comes to stand by Fox and Dana again.
“I’m ready now.” She announced.
“Can I show you around?” Mulder asks standing and reaching out his hand for Emily to take. As she slips her hand into his much larger one, Scully also rises.
“Okay, so we’ve already been in the living area. There’s a tv here, so maybe we can look for some cartoons at some point, hmm?” Emily nods, as he leads her back towards the kitchenette and dining table. “We’ve got a little mini kitchen here, and we’ve got some snacks in just for you. We could eat some meals here, or we could go out for some meals. And at the table here, we’ve got a puzzle and a colouring book for you.”
“A new one?” She asks, intrigued.
“Yep, and maybe we’ll keep the ones we bought with you out here too. Next up, we’ve got the bathroom - come take a look.” He leads her into the bathroom, and her hand slips out of his. He lets her wander around, and notices how her attention is caught by the multi-coloured rubber ducks.
“Duckies!” She extends her arm, but can’t reach as they’re on the far side of the tub.
“That’s right.” Mulder plucks up a bright blue duck and hands it to Emily, who examines it and nods approvingly. “These are yours now, so we’ll take them to DC eventually too. We thought they may make bath time more fun.”
Emily nods, and holds the duck out to Mulder for him to put back, but not before she can exclaim “Quack!”
“Quack indeed. Does that mean you like the ducks?”
“Yep.” She nods happily.
“Perfect! We’ve also got a special little Emily toothbrush and toothpaste over by the sink. Go see if Dana will show you your room. She spent lots of time trying to get it ready for you earlier.”
“She did?” Emily asks, looking up at Mulder, her head titled to the side in curiosity.
“Yeah. She’s really happy you’re here, Em.” He tells her with a smile.
Emily wanders back out of the bathroom and finds Scully just outside.
“Fox says I have a room?”
“That’s right.” Scully places her hand on Emily’s head. “Can I show you?” Emily nods. “Okay, this door over here is for your room. And the one next door, that’s where Fox and I will sleep. So if you ever need us, we’ll be really close, okay?”
“Okay.”
Scully pushes open the door to Emily’s temporary room, and Emily approaches slowly.
“There’s two beds in here, but I thought maybe you’d like this one. We’ll be just the other side of the wall. Come on, let me show you around.” Scully leads her further into the room. “So, on your bed here, you’ve got a nice new blanket. Do you see what colour it is?”
“Purple!”
“That’s right. You told us purple is one of your favourites. This is yours now, Emily. It’s a blanket just for you, and you get to keep it. It’s nice and soft and cozy.” Scully smiles and places her hand on the blanket and Emily joins her.
“So soft.” Emily agrees, her little fingers repeatedly stroking the soft fabric.
“Uh huh. And then, do you see by the pillow, there’s a little new friend waiting for you.”
“There is?”
“Yeah - do you want to have a look now, or later?”
“Uhm, maybe later?” Emily says while sneaking a peak from her position.
“Okay. Then right here next to the bed, the hotel has this bedside lamp.” Scully shows Emily how to work it by pressing the switch. “And of course, we’ve got a couple of books here for you. Next up - let’s have a look at the chest of drawers. We’ll unpack your backpack in a while, and will add those items here too. But for now, there’s a few new things Fox and I have chosen for you. We’ve got underwear, socks and swimsuits, then tops, and pants.”
“Swimsuit?”
“Yeah, the hotel has a swimming pool. Do you like swimming?”
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t swim good though.”
“It’s okay if you can’t swim well yet. You’re still quite little, so you’re still learning. Besides, in here, we’ve got some floaties if you need them.” Scully tells her gently, and Emily beams up at her. Emily’s too young to fully realise and understand it all, but Dana and Fox make her feel safe and happy. They’ve asked her questions about some of her favourites, and then listened to her, getting her her favourite juice, yummy snacks, and a blanket in her favourite colour, and they’ve made sure she’s got everything she needs to go swimming, and it doesn’t even matter if she’s not a good swimmer yet. One day, she’d look back on this day, and realise that every little action was already filled with love.
While Mulder and Emily sit together snuggled up on the couch watching cartoons, Scully runs a bath for Emily, trying to establish a somewhat normal evening routine.
“You never run my baths.” Mulder pouts as she reappears.
Scully rolls her eyes at him, much like a time he’d said something very similar on a case.
“I think you’re big enough you can run your own baths, hmm?”
“Oh, but where’s the fun in that.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her and she pointedly looks at Emily, who is completely oblivious to their bantering as she’s so focused on the tv watching some sort of cartoon with babies and toddlers running rings round their parents.
“Emily, your bath is ready.” Scully says gently as she crouches in front of Emily.
Emily tears her eyes away from the screen to look at Scully. “With bubbles?”
“Of course with bubbles!” Scully taps Emily’s nose.
“And duckies?” Emily asks as she shifts away from Mulder’s side where she’d been nestled, and slips towards Scully.
“Yes, the duckies are waiting for you. Shall we go see them?”
“Bubbles and duckies!” Emily chirps sliding off the couch and past Scully, rushing off towards the bathroom.
“I guess she really likes the idea of a bubble bath with all those little ducks.” Mulder comments as Scully turns to follow after her.
She finds Emily stood by the bath, tugging at her clothes, and huffing as she can’t quite manage to find her way out of her long sleeved shirt.
“Would you like some help?” Scully asks as she kneels down beside Emily.
“I want to do it.” Emily wriggles with her clothes and then frustratedly huffs again. “Help please?”
“Come here.” Scully helps Emily out of her clothes and helps her into the tub.
Emily chatters to Scully while she plays and splashes around in the tub. Scully gets Emily to tilt her head backwards so she can run the shampoo through it and wash it out for her. After some more splashing and playing, which results in Scully getting a fair few splashes flying her way, she decides it’s time for bath time to end, and pulls up the bath plug.
Scully holds out Emily’s tiger towel, and Emily stands allowing Scully to wrap her up in the towel, with the hood up, and gives her a tight hug as she lifts her out of the tub.
“Squeaky clean now. Let’s go find you some pyjamas.”
“Rawr.” is Emily’s playful response as she burrows her hooded head against Scully’s neck.
As Scully carries her through to her bedroom, Mulder notices Scully herself is also looking rather damp.
“You take a bath too?” He quips, and she rolls her eyes, even if he can’t see and waves him off.
Emily’s first night with them, is not uneventful.
She takes a while to fully settle and fall asleep, waking up many times. The first few times, she toddles out of her room and finds Mulder and Scully on the couch watching tv, and they each take turns trying to resettle her, reading her a story and staying until she starts to drift off.
Part way through the night though they wake to hear Emily crying, shouting and sobbing.
“Mommy! Mommy!” She shouts. Mulder and Scully share a worried look, before Scully jumps into action, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
“I’ve got her.” She says.
“Scully, let me know if you need anything, ok?” He offers as she heads towards the door. She doesn’t turn back to him, but she does nod.
“Emily?” Scully calls softly pushing the door open further.
“Mommy.” Emily sobs quieter now.
“Emily, it’s Dana.” Scully says crouching besides Emily’s bed and turning the light on.
Emily slowly opens her eyes and turns towards Scully. “Dana?”
“Hi sweetie, I’m right here.”
“Dana.” Emily whispers her name again, looking so sad with tears streaking her cheeks.
“You’re okay.” She soothes, pushing back Emily’s sweaty hair. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“Yeah.” Emily whimpers.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Emily shrugs and then “I miss my mommy.”
“Oh, I know you do sweetheart, but you’re safe here with me and Fox. We love you.”
Emily nods, and Scully notices her wriggling around.
“Do you need the bathroom?” Scully asks, as she starts to peel pack the covers.
“I think I already did.” Emily whispers.
“Oh, it’s okay if you had a little accident.” Scully tries to sound gentle and reassuring despite her tiredness.
“Yeah.” Emily says glumly.
“Here, let’s get you out of this bed. We’ll take your pyjamas off then you can go wait for me in the bathroom and we’ll get you cleaned up and in some new dry ones, okay?”
“‘kay.” Emily allows Scully to pick her up and place her on the floor, stripping her out of her wet pyjamas, which Scully places on top of the wet bedsheets, which she then gathers up and brings into the bathroom which she’ll rinse quickly and place into a couple of laundry bags once she’s got Emily all set.
Scully stands Emily in the bathtub, and uses the detached shower head to rinse her down, and uses some body wash to help her feel nice and clean again.
“Do you feel better now?” Scully asks, as Emily is wrapped in a big white fluffy towel.
“Yeah.” Emily sniffles.
“I’m going to go get you some clean pjs, do you want to see if you need to use the toilet again?”
Emily squints and shrugs, feeling unsure of herself.
“I’ll be back in a moment, don’t worry, okay.”
Scully quickly returns with a new pair of pyjamas, a stuffed toy, and offers Emily the choice of using the pull ups if it would help her feel more comfortable.
Once Emily is dresses in a new set of pyjamas and cuddling her whale, Scully offers to put her back to bed.
“No.” Emily shakes her head.
“Em, sweetie, it’s too early to get up for the day, so we need to try and get some more sleep. Otherwise we’ll be too tired for fun things like going to the park, or going swimming.”
Emily pouts. “Don’t wanna be alone.”
“You’re not alone, Emily.” Scully presses a kiss to her forehead.
“Sleep with you?” Emily asks quietly.
“You want a sleepover in my bed?” Scully asks, and Emily nods.
“Good idea. Let’s go and see if Fox is awake, shall we?”
“Yeah.” Emily whispers against her neck.
As Scully pads across the bedroom carpet, Mulder rolls over, turning towards her side of the bed.
“Hey, everything okay?” He mumbles as she comes into view, and he realises she’s not alone, she’s carrying the toddler they’re now wholly responsible for.
“Hmm,” Scully hums, “Bad dream, and a little accident, but we’re all sorted now. She doesn’t want to be alone though.” Scully lovingly smoothes over Emily’s hair.
“Hi Fox.” Emily smiles shyly at him.
“Come here, little one.” Mulder says sleepily, opening up his arm. Scully places Emily on the bed, and she quickly crawls up to his side and snuggles against him, her tiny fingers playing with the material of his t-shirt. “I’m sorry you had a bad dream.” He whispers softly against her hair. “Me and your whale though, we’re going to keep you safe.”
Scully smiles lovingly at the picture before her - her daughter snuggling up close to the man she loves. He glances up at her. “You coming back to bed?”
“I will, soon. I just want to finish cleaning up. You’re okay with her?”
“Yeah, I’ve got her. We’re okay, aren’t we Em?” He looks down at her and she nods against his chest.
When Scully returns several minutes later, Mulder awakens as he feels the bed dip.
“Hey.” He whispers.
“She okay?” Scully asks as she gets comfortable, lying on her side, facing Mulder with Emily between them.
“I think so. Out like a light - didn’t take long after you’d left the room.”
Scully looks down at Emily and tenderly strokes her hand over the girl’s arm.
“I hate seeing her so sad. She didn’t want to tell me about her dream, but she told me she misses her mommy.” Scully bites the inside of her lip as she raises her damp blue eyes up to meet his.
“You comforted and looked after her Scully, I’d say she’s pretty safe and content now.” He offers her a gently, sleepy smile.
“I just hope it’s enough.” She says sadly.
“It will be.” He tells her and reaches out for her. “Try and get some sleep.”
Chapter 18: We're Going to the Zoo
Summary:
Their first day together is a fairly quiet one, they test out the hotel's play park, and later head to the pool. The second day, they had to San Diego zoo where much cuteness ensues.
Notes:
This might be a little long, but I couldn't figure out how to break it up. There's a few shorter moments together, and then a longer section that I just couldn't break up.
I had just written this part when I came up with the title for this fic and started posting. And then I wrote like another 80 odd pages...so we've got a ways to go still! I've not quite finished writing yet, but have definitely slowed down. Wrapping it up is harder that getting going, and honestly, this fic kept me going through a lot of the summer. I'll miss these three when I'm done, which is probably partly why I've been writing less (work and life has been mega busy/stressful lately too).
Anyway - I absolutely loved writing this chapter. We went to San Diego way back in 2001, and of course we went to San Diego Zoo. I decided it'd be the perfect place to have these three spend a day. I struggled to find an exact map/account of all the exhibits they would have had then, and other than the pandas and it being huge, and hilly, that's about all I remember. Once I got going this chapter sort of started writing itself - especially the kangaroo section.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Foxxxx, Fooxxxx.” Mulder awakens to his name being sweetly whispered against his ear.
“Mmmm.” He moans as he blinks awake.
“Fox!” He hears a little voice say his name happily and then feels a weight upon his chest as a tiny pair of arms wraps around him.
“Is it time to get up now?” She asks him.
“And good morning to you, little Em. What’s the time?”
“I don’t knoooww.” She huffs.
“Alright, alright, let’s see.” He turns to check the alarm clock on the night stand. 6.50am. Perhaps a little early when he’s not go to head in to work, but not horrifically early enough, especially for her. “Yeah, okay, we can get up now.”
“Yay!”
“But shhh.” He puts his fingers over his lips and she copies him. “Let’s let Dana sleep a little longer.” Mulder easily lifts Emily up over him, and the side of the bed, placing her on the floor, and he then swings his own legs over the side of the bed.
He closes the door to the bedroom behind them, hoping that’ll help Scully get some more rest, given that she’d been up with Emily during the night.
“Alright, what do you want to do now we’re awake?”
“I don’t know.” She says with a shrug.
“Well, what do you normally do when you wake up in the morning?”
“Uhhh bathroom, brush teeth, breakfast, get dressed, play, colour?”
“Alright, sounds like a good plan then.”
With a little back and forth bartering, once Emily’s used the bathroom, and demonstrated to him just how well she can brush her teeth (and a little help from him getting the back ones), once Emily finished a bowl full of Rice Krispies and regular milk, he allows her a small glass of chocolate milk. Mulder thought her initial request for cereal with chocolate milk was pushing the boat out just a bit far, even for him.
“Mmmmm.” She says smiling up at him widely with a milk moustache, just as Scully walks out of the bedroom dressed for the day.
“Looks like you two have made a good start on the day.”
Mulder smiles at her as she runs her hand over Emily’s hair, and presses a kiss to the top of her head.
“Good breakfast?”
“Uh huh. We had Rice Krispies, and then Fox gave me chocolate milk. It was good.”
“I can tell.” Scully says with a smile that almost matches Emily’s as she picks up a napkin to wipe away the remnants of the chocolatey milk covering Emily’s face.
For their first full day together, they’d settled on a relatively quiet, chilled day, not being entirely sure what to expect. They took Emily to the hotel’s play park in the morning where she tested out the slide and squealed with delight on the swings, and then in the afternoon, they decide to head down to the pool.
“You know, Scully, it’s really a shame more cases haven’t led to us donning swimwear.” Mulder says as his eyes rake over Scully’s body in a modest all black swimsuit.
“Maybe we should feed that back to Skinner: Agent Mulder feels a need to fight crime in his swimmers.” Scully banters back as she pulls her hair into a top knot to keep it out of her face.
“You…” He mock scowls at her. “That is not what I mean and you know it.”
“Oh?” She challenges him with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing you in a swim suit or bikini more frequently.” Mulder smirks.
“Hmm.” Scully hums and then swipes her tongue over her lower lip. “Somehow, I think I’d prefer to keep that separate from work.”
“If only more motels had pools.” Mulder says wistfully.
“Indeed.” Scully offers him a smile. She then slips on a cover up to wear down to the pool, and watches as Mulder’s expression falls slightly at that, and rolls her eyes. “I’m going to try and wrestle a three year old into a swim suit. Wish me luck.”
“You got it, Mama.” Scully rolls her eyes and laughs as she leaves the bedroom, and goes in search of Emily who had been quietly playing in her room. She finds Emily sat on the twin sized bed, whispering away to her small cluster of stuffed toys. Scully watches her for a moment, wondering just what sort of conversations Emily has with her toys. Does she tell them about being queen of the castle on the top of the slide, or viewing the world from the swing set? Does she let them in to her inner world, revealing how she feels and how her life has changed so much? Or, does she weave enchanting stories about adventures in the Hundred Acre Woods, playing pooh sticks and chasing heffalumps? Emily’s body language seems relaxed, so Scully figures it’s probably not the heaviest of discussions, which she feels slightly relieved about. She’d hate to find that in the quiet moments they don’t have eyes on her that she’s sat dwelling on things that cannot be changed or understood.
Scully shakes her head free of these thoughts, and then steps further into the room, approaching the bed.
“Emily, how about we got you into a swim suit and then we can do down to the pool and you can get Fox with lots of splashes?”
It was slightly easier that Scully had feared it might be getting Emily ready to swim. Once Emily has donned the floaties, and they’d entered the pool area, it soon became clear that she loves being in the pool, splashing and thrashing about. Mulder and Scully each manage a few laps as the other plays with Emily in the shallow end. After Mulder finishes his laps, he asks if Emily wants to swim with him, and she attempts to show off her doggy paddle but doesn’t get very far. He has an idea and starts by giving her a piggy back ride, and then encouraging her to hold on tight, he launches himself forward into a slow front crawl, with Emily clinging to his back and he swims across the width of the shallow end.
Over a chicken nugget dinner, they ask Emily if there’s anything she’d like to do before they leave San Diego. She doesn’t come forwards with many ideas other than the zoo. Scully’s not sure whether it’s because she hasn’t fully grasped they’re going to be leaving, or if there genuinely wasn’t really anywhere she felt particularly attached to.
“Emily,” Scully says her name softly, as Scully chases her salad around with her fork, and Emily looks up with a fry dipped in ketchup on its way to her mouth. “Before we leave San Diego, we might have the opportunity to go to your old house. Would you like to go back there?”
“Mommy and Daddy won’t be there.” Emily says sadly as she bites into a chicken nugget.
“No, they won’t.” Scully says sensitively. “Is there anything you’d like from the house?”
“Don’t want to go.” Emily states glumly as she pokes at her food.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to go.” Scully reassures her, and reaches out to run her head over Emily’s head.
“Em, if you stayed with Dana, and maybe I went to the house, is there anything you’d want? Toys, pictures?”
“Don’t know.”
“That’s okay. If you do want something, just let us know, okay.” Scully says softly.
“So, tomorrow…” Mulder starts. “Anybody want to go to the zoo?”
Emily’s head bounces up, the change on her face nearly immediate, with bright eyes and a smile pushing away the sad contemplative expression that had settled there just moments earlier.
“ME!” She exclaims.
“How about it Dana, want to come to the zoo with us tomorrow?” He asks, and Scully finds herself staring at a pair of blue eyes, and a pair of green eyes giving her identical pleading ‘puppy dog’ eyes, pouting and pushing out their bottom lips. Moments like this add hope to the possibility that against all odds, somehow Emily could be their child - in every sense of the word.
“Why not?” She says with an easy smile and Emily whoops in excitement.
The second night is slightly easier than the first, but Emily wakes up and wanders out again when Mulder and Scully are still on the couch. Mulder’s watching an old film he’d found on the cable channels, and Scully curls up with a book, her feet on his lap. Later on, they both awake to the sound of Emily’s cries, though this time Mulder gets up to check on her.
He pulls the door open the rest of the way from where it had been left a jar, and finds Emily clutching her whale and her purple blanket looking around. She notices he’s there and looks up at him in surprise.
“Fox?”
“Hey little one, were you looking for us?” He asks kneeling in front of her, noticing the way she’d been turned around in the dark of the hotel room, little head whipping round in multiple directions.
Emily nods.
“Lost you.” She mumbles.
“You didn’t lose us, you found us, I’m right here.”
“Couldn’t find the door.” She whimpers.
“Oh, it’s pretty dark, isn’t it? It’s easy to get confused in the dark.”
“Yeah.” She sniffles.
“I’ve got an idea.” He says and looks around for one of the softer hallway lamps, turning it on. “That’s better, isn’t it?” She nods. “Maybe we can leave this on at nighttime, and then it’s easier to see where you are?”
“Yeah.” She agrees. “I did find the door.” She notices, smiling slightly when she realises just how close she was to the door.
“See, I told you, you found us.” He smiles at her, as he lightly brushes her cheek, chasing away the tear tracks.
“Did you need something, Em?” He asks her.
She shrugs and then holds both her arms out for a hug, whale in one hand, blanket in the other.
“Oh, I can definitely do a hug.” He says warmly, as he picks her up, holding her close. He considers asking if she wants tucking back in, but instead decides to take her back into the bed he shares with Scully.
Scully stirs as Mulder tries to quietly get Emily settled, peeling back the covers for her to crawl in.
“Hi baby,” She softly mumbles noticing the small auburn haired visitor creeping in beside her.
“Hi Dana, I was looking for you.” Emily tells her, scooting closer towards Scully.
“You were?”
“Couldn’t find you.” Emily says sadly, but her voice is steadier than it was.
“You’re here now.” Scully whispers, just as Mulder slides in behind Emily.
“I think…I just needed a cuddle.” Emily says as she scoots closer still to Scully.
“You know…I could do with one too.” She whispers and Emily smiles. Scully moves to her back and pulls Emily in close, wrapping her arm around her. Emily settles her head against Scully’s chest and Scully soon feels Emily’s breathing slow and even out.
She glances towards Mulder who drapes his arm over Emily and Scully.
“She got turned around in the dark. I think we should leave a lamp on.” She nods and he kisses her forehead before returning to his own pillow.
“Thank you.” She hopes that the emotion behind her words helps to show that she’s thankful for more than just his actions tonight.
“Alright Em,” Mulder says standing by the map of the zoo. “What do we need to see today?” He was tempted to ask what she wanted to see first, but thinks with the way she’ll list off her favourite animals, they may just end up in them walking miles and miles (and much further than her little legs could hope to go) causing Scully to mumble and swear about his following a toddler’s inefficient, illogical mind while planning out their visit.
“Elephants, monkeys, giraffes, oooo pandas! Uhmmm, are there dolphins?”
“No, sweetie, there aren’t any dolphins here.” Scully tells her.
“Oh, whales?” She asks.
“Let’s think land animals. Or, perhaps we just pick a direction and see what we find - like a safari!” Mulder suggests.
“Safari?”
“Yep, it’s where you go on an adventure and see what you find along the way.”
“Adventure!” Emily cheers, and starts to dart off, but not before Scully grabs her hand.
“Not so fast, Emily. We don’t want to get lost, so I’d like it if you can hold my hand, or Fox’s.”
“Both?” Emily asks reaching her free hand out to Mulder.
“Both works too.” He tells her as he takes her tiny hand in his.
“Alright, every good adventure is made on a series of decisions. Some of them important, some less so.” Mulder tells her. “This first decision is important - do we want to go towards the monkeys and tigers, or towards the lions and elephants?”
“Will we see the others later? I want to see monkeys, tigers, elephants and lions!”
“I think we should be able to - if we don’t take too long along the way. There’s a lot to see here.” Scully says attempting to work out all the different routes and options that will enable them to maximise on seeing the most interesting exhibits.
“Monkeys and tigers first!” Emily decides.
“Of course.”
Emily loves watching all the different types of monkeys. She coos over how cute some of the smaller monkeys are, she’s amused by the long white hair of the Colobus, asking if they’re all very old; she like the fluffy faces of Wolf’s Mona Monkeys, and their colourful coats. She is though, most enthralled by the lemurs, intrigued by the way they’re almost cat-like, their long striped ring-tails, and the way they sunbathe and enjoy their fruit.
Her eyes grow wide as they approach the tigers, but she’s overwhelmed by their large size and power. Safe in Mulder’s protective arms, she cautiously and curiously watches a tiger pace back and forth.
“You okay, Emily?” Scully asks checking on her.
“Tigers are really big.” She says nervously.
“They are.” Scully agrees.
“Bigger than Tigger.” She squeaks. “Tigger friendly.”
“Yes, these tigers are a lot bigger than Tigger, aren’t they?”
“Do you want to stay and watch them for a minute, or shall we find something else.” Mulder asks her.
“They stay over there?” Emily asks cautiously, not sure she wants to get much closer.
“Yeah, they stay over there, behind the glass and the fences.” Scully reassures her.
“Watch them.” She snuggles against Mulder, but keeps her eyes curiously trained on the large cats who seem surprisingly different from the bouncy Tigger she loves.
They find their way back to the large apes, and observe exhibits with gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Scully loves watching them, comparing them to humans from an evolutionary perspective, and Emily spots a young bonobo clinging to its parent as they stumble across the terrain.
“It’’s like me!” She chirps with her arms looped around Mulder’s neck.
“It is!” He tells her and tickles her side.
“Is that the baby’s mommy or daddy?”
“It’s most likely it’s mommy, or at least a female. But did you know that if a baby isn’t able to stay with its mommy and daddy, scientists have observed other females fostering, or looking after, the baby.”
“Like me? I had a Mommy, and now I have a Dana?” Emily asks, processing what Scully has said and how it might apply to her.
“A little like that, yes.” Scully nods, not quite sure if this is really the time or place to get into the nitty gritty details of her relationship to Emily.
They walk over to the giraffes, but Emily has to tilt her head so far back to see them that she huffs in frustration.
“Fooooxx,” she whines as she tugs on his pants leg.
“Emmmm.” He draws out her name in reply while he looks down at her, wondering what the matter is.
“I’m too little to see giraffes.” She fusses with a pout. She’s fed up of seeing nothing but dirt and giraffe ankles.
“They are very tall.” Mulder commiserates. “Do you think you might see better if you were taller.”
She gives him a look that makes it obvious that she thinks exactly that. “Can you help me see them?”
“I can try. They’re even bigger than me, but we’ll see what we can do.” She looks up at him expectantly. “Stand here.” He guides her by the shoulder to stand in front of him. “Now hold still, I’m going to try and put you on my shoulders, and you’ll bend your legs so they’re in front of my shoulders. No wibble wobbling while I lift you, ok.”
“kay.” Mulder ducks and squats slightly as he lifts her, but easily manages to lift her light frame. Scully watches the pair in amusement, with just a touch of trepidation readying herself to spot them if she needs to. Emily settles on Mulder’s shoulders with slightly raised brows, and quickly grabs onto Mulder’s hair to try and keep her steady which causes him to wince slightly.
“Em, I’ve got you, not so tight on my hair please.” Emily slowly released her tight grip and instead lays her palms flat on his head. “That’s better.” He says and curls his hands around her legs, holding her steady.
“Is that better Em?” Scully asks looking up at her daughter now. “Do you see the giraffes better from up there?”
“Yep!” She agrees nodding enthusiastically, wobbling slightly, but Mulder’s got her firmly enough she’s not going anywhere. “They’re really, really, really tall.”
“They are. Did you know that instead of pink tongues, they have dark blue tongues?” Scully says.
“Blue?!” Emily giggles at the idea.
“Yeah, see if you can see it when they eat the leaves. Because they’re so tall, and they try to eat the leaves at the top, they also have very long tongues. Do you want to hear something crazy?” Scully asks Emily with a light smile.
“Always.” Mulder mutters, and Scully lightly taps him as she watches Emily.
“About giraffes?” Emily clarifies but nods.
“Yeah. That giraffes tongue,” Scully says pointing towards one of the adults, “is probably as long as baby Matthew!”
“It’s tongue is as big as a whole baby?!?” Emily asks bug eyed in amazement.
“You know all the coolest facts, Scully!” Mulder tells her warmly, very impressed by her stash of cool animal facts. “So hot.” He mouths at her and she laughs.
Emily loves watching the fluffy panda bears, so much so that she drops down to her knees and watches them with her hands splayed against the glass window into the exhibit.
“So fluffy. So cute.” She muses as she watches one reach out and bring the bamboo to its mouth.
“Dana?” Emily asks, without taking her eyes off of the panda.
“Yeah.”
“I think I want a panda.” Emily announces and Scully chuckles.
“They are cute, but I’m not sure they make a good pet, sweetie.”
“But look at that one, he wants to play!” She points towards one that is twisted around a tree, upside down, looking to them rather playful.
“Hmm, I don’t think they’d be very happy in an apartment in the middle of the city. They like to have lots and lots of outside space, usually living in a big bamboo forrest.”
“But it’s soooo cute!”
Not far from the panda enclosure, as they attempt to walk up hill, Emily grows tired and whiney, eventually flopping and taking a seat.
“Emily, you can’t sit down in the middle of the pathway. People are trying to walk here.” Scully tells her.
“I’m tired. My legs hurt.” She huffs, with a wobbly lip.
“We’ve done a lot of walking today.” Scully says trying to coax her to at the very least get out of the way of fellow patrons of the zoo. “I’ve been really impressed with you today, but we can’t really stop here.”
“I don’t want to walk uphill.” Emily starts crying, looking up at the path ahead. It seems like a looming mountain to her.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” Mulder intercepts, crouching down towards Emily. “Do you think you can climb on my back?”
Emily sniffles but nods her head.
“Hop on, I’ll give you a piggy back, and once we get to the top, or somewhere more suitable, we’ll stop and mayyybbee, I’ll even let you buy me a snack!”
Her eyes look panicked as Mulder’s attempt at humour misses.
“I don’t have any monies!”
“Hey, hey, none of that.” Mulder says softly, reaching out to her, and stroking her cheeks. “I’m sorry. It was a silly joke. I have money. We can use my money to buy a snack.”
“‘kay. My tummy is a bit hungry I think.” Emily considers.
“Oh dear, tired legs and a rumbly tummy, we best get going. Climb on.” He nods to his back, and waits for her to cling on to him. “Alright, 1, 2, 3.” He says and pushes up to standing.
“Hold on like the baby bonobo we saw earlier, okay?” He says and Emily nods against his back.
“Mulder…” Scully says softly, and he can tell by her tone that she’s thankful, and also feeling a little awkward about the situation.
Mulder adjusts Emily’s arms, so her hands are looped around his neck, but dangled nearer his collarbone, and one arm wrapped around her leg, he reaches his other hand out to Scully and they walk together for a few paces until the slope gets even steeper and he needs to grip Emily with both arms.
Snack time, with cakes all round revives Emily’s spirits and while she waits for Mulder and Scully to finish their coffees, she starts showing off her dance moves to the cafe’s background music.
“She’s amazing.” Mulder says, equal parts enamoured and proud, as he nods towards Emily with a grin.
“I’m not exactly impartial, but I think so too.” Scully agrees. “Even when she’s tired and grumpy.” She smirks. “You’re really good with her, Mulder.”
“Teamwork Scully, teamwork. Like the Apollo 11.”
She looks down at her coffee, then back up at him, the expression on her face full of adoration. She’s fully aware of what other people think of them, especially of him but none of them know the real him, or have taken the time to get to know him like she has. He’s endearingly sweet and kind, and even his nerdy tendencies are rather endearing to her. It probably helps that she herself is a certified nerd too.
They watch the elephants where Emily asks if they think Nellie and Elmer live at this zoo, and of course starts humming ‘Nellie the elephant’, before taking in a few more exhibit. They finally end up by the kangaroos who hop around their exhibit, and Emily can’t help but compare them to Kanga and Roo.
As they watch the kangaroos using their long jumper’s legs to hop about their exhibit, Emily squeals and tugs on Dana’s hand when she spots a joey jumping into its mother’s pouch.
“Dana!”
“Yes sweetie?”
“Did you see that? The baby jumped into the mommy’s tummy! Like Roo!”
“Ah yes, I suppose it did.” Scully squats down so she’s level with Emily. “Kangaroos are marsupials, which means the mommy’s have pouches. Some animals - like a chimpanzee, or an elephant, or a giraffe, even people come out of their mommy’s tummies ready to be a baby by themselves. They need feeding and looking after of course. But with a kangaroo, their babies are born so teeny tiny, like the size of a small fingernail. They climb up the side of the Mommy and then into their pouch. They stay inside the pouch for weeks and weeks, and eventually they get big enough and strong enough to start exploring. For a while, they’ll jump out into the world, hop around, and then they’ll hop back inside where it’s warm and safe.”
“Wooowww.” Emily breathes with wide eyes. “Is it like a warm blanket, or a hug? Is that why it goes back in?
“I’m not totally sure, but maybe for the joeys that size, yes. It’s a bit more complicated than that for the really tiny babies though.”
Scully stands up, and hoists Emily onto her hip.
“Did you know,” Scully whispers softly, “you and me, we’re a bit like a kangaroo and a joey?”
“We are?”
“Hmm.” Scully hums, trying to work out if she can attempt to explain it in a way that might make sense for Emily. “A long long time ago, before you were even a baby, you were an egg, inside my tummy.”
“Inside your tummy?!” Emily gasps.
“Yes.”
“Not Mommy’s tummy.”
“No, your Mommy loved you very much, but technically you came from me. Remember how I said the teeny tiny kangaroos have to make their way up into the mommy kangaroo’s pouch?” Emily nods. “Well, when you were even smaller than a teeny tiny baby kangaroo, smaller than your little finger nail even, we got separated. So someone else looked after you for a while, and eventually you became a crying, wriggly little baby and your Mommy looked after you. And then, just when your Mommy couldn’t look after you anymore, I found you again.”
“I came from inside you? And you found me again?” Emily asks amazed.
“That’s right.”
“So you are my mommy?” Emily checks.
Scully holds her close and kisses her forehead.
“Yeah, I guess I’m your mommy.” She feels tears pricking at her eyed, and tries to blink them away. “Emily, you are a very special little girl, and very lucky - you’ve had two Mommys that have loved you a lot. Just because you have me now, it doesn’t take away the fact that you had another Mommy, and that she loved you and kept you safe.”
“Dana?” Emily asks as she leans against Scully’s shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re my mommy.” She whispers, and Scully thinks her heart might just have melted and puddled on the floor. She takes a deep breath and reigns a quick succession of kisses on Emily’s forehead and cheeks.
“Emily, I’m very glad you’re my baby.” Scully tells her, her voice thick with emotion.
“Well…I’m not really a baby now.” Emily reminds her.
“I think you might always be my baby, but yes, you’re a little girl now.”
“And you’ll help me grow into a big girl?”
“I will.” Scully feels a bubble of warmth around her chest, and the emotions building tears in her eyes. “I will.”
“And Fox?” Emily asks, tilting her head to the side watching Fox who is stood off to the side, giving Scully the moment she needed with Emily.
“Yeah.” Scully says as she walks towards Fox, and then leans her head against his shoulder, and in return he wraps his arm around her waist. “He’ll help you grow up too.”
“I will.” He says, his voice also thick with emotion.
“Fox…if Dana’s my mommy, are you my daddy?”
He’s surprised by the girl’s question, but wonders if he should be. She is smart and perceptive for someone so young, so small, but then, given her biology, it’s not necessarily a surprise.
“It’s uh…maybe. We’re going to find out soon. But it doesn’t really matter.”
“Yeah, because you love me and keep me safe.” Emily concludes, and she’s exactly right. Like magnets, Mulder and Scully move inwards, coming together, and the three of them wrap themselves in a tight family hug. It doesn’t matter what the DNA says, he’s more than willing to be her father figure anyway, and she’s very happy for him to step into that role.
Naturally, no good trip to a zoo is complete without a trip to the gift shop, so despite her tiredness, Emily drags them through the shop, determined to examine what feels like the entire contents of the shop. When Mulder asks if she sees anything she likes, and she nods incredibly enthusiastically with her whole body, Scully has to step in and tell her that she can choose one item.
Emily probably does at least three laps around the shop, before she focuses on a wall of plushies (to no-one’s surprise). She seriously considers several of the animals, staring them in their faces. For a while, Scully thinks they’re going to come away with a panda as Emily was so drawn to them earlier, and the toy is clearly on her short list. Eventually though, Emily decides on a kangaroo plushie. Technically, it’s two in one, which feels like a rather Mulder-like way to bend the rules. The toy has a small joey tucked inside to the mother’s pouch, and once the tags are removed, it will be able to hop in and out of its mother’s pouch, just like the pair of kangaroos they’d watched earlier when Scully decided to try and explain the nature of their relationship.
“Final choice?” Mulder asks as Emily turns round towards them, the kangaroo pair clutched tightly in her little arms.
“Yes.” She she states, totally assured in having made the right choice.
Once they’ve paid for the kangaroo plushie, they leave the giftshop and meander towards the zoo’s exit, with a final stop off at the restrooms before heading back to the car.
With the kangaroo held tightly in one of her hands, Emily raises her arms up, kangaroo held in the air and all.
“Dana…up please.”
Scully scoops Emily up and sits her on her hip as they continue their walk to their rental car.
“It’s been a long, busy day, hasn’t it? Have you had a good day, sweetie?” Scully asks her as Emily snuggles in against her, one arm curled around her kangaroo and wedged between Scully’s chest and her own body, and the other holding on to Scully’s shoulder.
“Yeah. Very good day.” Emily smiles.
“I’m glad to hear that. I had a good day too.”
“What was your favourite of the animals we saw, Em?” Mulder asks her.
“Ummm…all of them?”
“All of them!” Mulder asks exaggerating disbelief. “They’re all your favourites?”
“I think so. But especially the pandas and the kangaroos and…” She pauses.
“Dana?”
“Yeah?”
“These kangaroos are like us, aren’t they?” Emily asks, referring to their earlier conversation.
“Yeah, baby. They’re like us. Is that why you chose the kangaroo?”
“Uh huh! And because it’s one, but it’s also two.”
“That’s my girl!” Mulder cheers, holding up his hand for a high-five, which Emily misses because she’s snuggling into Scully, and resting her head against Scully’s shoulder.
“Tired, Em?” Scully asks her, resting her head on top of Emily’s as they approach the car.
“Just a bit.”
“Let’s get you in the car then. You can have a little snooze on the way back to the hotel maybe, and then we’ll give you a quick dinner before bath and bed, hmm?” Mulder opens the rear door and Scully carefully straps Emily in, guiding her arms through the straps.
Emily’s so tired, she conks out before they even join the main road, and she continues sleeping as Mulder carries her through the hotel lobby and up into their room. He sets her on the couch, where she continues to nap as they discuss dinner plans.
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed our little adventure to the zoo, and Scully's attempt to try and explain her relationship to Emily. I don't think there's any easy way to explain it, but a while ago I came across a page about kangaroos and joeys, and the lifecycle and just thought...hmm, maybe. So while 'Roo' has been mentioned in this fic before, this chapter is what gives us the 'and Roo' in the title.
An overarching idea I had early on with this fic is that the themes within Taylor Swift's Robin from TTPD would apply to Emily. If you're not familiar with the song, check out the lyrics - particularly the second and final verses but kind of all of it. "But now we'll curtail your curiosity in sweetness." Maybe in time Scully will tell Emily more, but not for a long long time. For now, all she needs to know is that Scully (and Mulder) loves her, has a deep connection with her and will keep her safe.
Chapter 19: Results are in
Summary:
A couple of cute nocturnal Emily scenes, oh, and the DNA results are in...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The morning after their zoo trip Scully wakes up to a little voice whispering her name.
“Dana, Roo was lonely.” She says holding up her little joey toy.
“Oh no, is that because his mommy got put to bed in here?” She asks. She’d come into her bedroom last night, long after they’d tucked Emily in to find that the bigger kangaroo had been tucked up on Dana’s side of the bed.
“Uh huh.” Emily nods, and leans against the side of her bed. “He wants to sleep with his mommy now.”
“Oh does he?”
“Yeah, in her pouch.”
Scully reaches behind her and pulls the bigger kangaroo out from under Mulder’s arm. She places it in front of Emily who starts to tuck the joey inside the larger kangaroo.
“And do you think they’re going back to your bed or staying here?”
“Umm.” Emily shifts from foot to foot but as soon as Scully peels back the covers Emily scrambles up to tuck herself up besides Scully. Scully shuffles backwards to allow for more space and curls herself around her daughter before relaxing back into sleep.
She’s on the fringes of sleep when she thinks she hears a whispered “love ooo” and it could be directed at her, or at the kangaroo toys but either way she tightens her hold and murmurs the sentiment back.
That evening Monica Reyes drops off an envelope with Scully as Mulder finishes reading Emily her book.
“Results. Thought you’d want them sooner rather than later.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How’s she settling in?”
“Good, I think. She’s not stayed all night in her bed yet, but I think that’s not uncommon.” Reyes nods, and smiles sympathetically. “We took her to the zoo yesterday, which she loved. She wants a pet panda now.” The two women laugh.
“That sounds like she’s doing okay.”
“Yeah, I think so. She did sit down in the middle of the path on a hill, but I guess with the little legs they get more tired? Mulder’s great with her though, and gave her a piggy back ride up the hill.”
“Sounds like no matter the answer, you’ll be just fine.” Reyes comments.
“I hope so.” Scully says biting her lip as Reyes turns to leave.
After closing the door behind Reyes, Scully moves back through the room and leans in the doorway watching Mulder read the last few pages of the book to Emily. She’s already fallen asleep, breathing softly, a cuddly toy snuggled up on either side of her, but he reads to the end of the book anyway. When he finishes, he softly closes the book, placing it back on the small pile of picture books they got for her, and a couple of her favourites that Scully had packed in that backpack that one fateful December night. Mulder leans over Emily, brushing her hair back from her forehead and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.
He straightens up and catches her watching him, and gives her a knowing smile.
“Enjoy the show?” He smirks.
“Very much.” She says softly, as she steps out of the doorway, reaches out for his hand and tugs him into their room.
“Scully…” He says her name flirtatiously, drawing her towards him. She lets him kiss her, but then places a hand on his chest and steps back. As his smile drops, she shakes her head and smiles, letting him know that it’s not because she doesn’t want him.
“Mulder, the results are in.” Scully says gently holding out the envelope towards him.
“Oh.” He utters, staring at her fingers wrapped around the plain white envelope. A plain white envelope that could change nothing and everything. And somehow, even though it wouldn’t change anything, not really, it feels like that small envelope has the power to make or break his heart.
“It doesn’t matter what this says, Mulder.” Scully tells him, wholeheartedly knowing that either way he’s going to love Emily no matter what, and already has a good bond with her.
“Yeah, no, I know.” He’s not sure if he’s trying to convincer her or himself.
“You’re her dad, whatever this says.” Scully declares sincerely.
“Yeah.” He says but it’s halfhearted. “I love her.” He shrugs. “That’s not going to change.”
“No, it’s not.” She steps closer and runs her hand through his hair.
“I can’t do it.” He says, refusing to take the envelope from her.
“We don’t have to…”
Mulder sighs. “I want to know, I just…”
“Do you want me to?”
“Yeah. You’ll understand it better anyway.” He says giving her a weak smile, and she nods ducking her head slightly as she goes to open the envelope.
She slides out the paper from inside the envelope, her eyes flicking backwards and forwards over the paper, and then she reads it again.
“Mulder,” Scully gasps, almost the ghost of a whisper.
“It’s not me is it?” He says feeling crestfallen.
“No, no, it…”
Mulder feels his breath stop for a moment, and his stomach lurches, but he knew this was a possibility. God, he wished it could be true. Didn’t the universe owe them this? Just this one bizarrely infinitely small longshot of happenstance but oh, it would have been his whole universe.
“It’s okay Scully, we knew it was a long shot. I just kind of thought maybe…it would help make sense of things…”
“Mulder, will you stop anxiously talking and let me finish?!” Scully says exasperated. Mulder’s eyes narrow and glare at her uncharacteristically dismissive approach.
“Scully…” he says and he feels like he’s grasping for something just out of his reach.
“Mulder, come here.” She says softly and reaches out for his hands. She weaves her fingers between his and he finds those ocean blue eyes that are so piercing and mesmerising. But she doesn’t look sad or disappointed. He feels confused. Didn’t they want the same thing? However bizarre and messed up the universe might be there could be this very real, very tangible tether between them. And he loves Scully still, he loves Emily still, but at the same time, there’s a numb and vacant disappointment niggling at his being. He’ll accept it and get passed it, he knows that, but he’d wanted to believe it so much that he kind of already did believe it.
“Scully,” he tries again pulling in deep breaths.
“Don’t stop me Mulder. I was trying to tell you that no, you’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong?” He asks, incredulous like he’s never been wrong about anything before. As if never once in their working lives has her science been right and refuted his however bizarre theory.
“About Emily, yes. She is yours.” She says softly, but firmly so she knows it’s true.
“Well, yeah, we’re adopting her.”
“Mulder, I love you, but sometimes you drive me nuts.” She sounds exasperated, this is not how she thought this would go, and he’s so stubborn that he’s made up his mind and now won’t listen to what she’s trying to say. Fool. Loveable fool.
“What?” His brow furrows.
“Listen to me. She is yours. These papers? 98.9% chance she is yours. She has your DNA.” Scully tells him, hoping the message finally gets through.
All the nervous energy that had been filling his lungs and head rushes out of him in one big exhale. He looks up to Scully who is gently nodding at him, grinning widely.
“She’s mine?” He asks, his voice breathy, lungs filing with something golden like love and peace and things he’s not familiar with, but wants to be.
“Yes.”
“My daughter?” He checks again, having trouble believing it. Scully, his Scully, brilliant and smart and beautiful, is telling him that somehow they had both had both had these ‘alien encounters’ which despite the gruesome and traumatic parts, had somehow resulted in the creation of a tiny adorable melding of their DNA. Providing them with the one thing that they thought would always be out of their reach, that wouldn’t be an option for them to pursue. It shouldn’t make sense. It’s wild, outlandish, like something out of a sci-fi romance fluffy novel. And yet…Scully holds the scientific evidence that all of this is true.
“Yes, Mulder, your daughter.”
“My baby girl.” He says reverently, emotions swimming in his eyes. Unmoored, but in the best way possible.
“Not just yours, but yes.”
“Scully, that’s our baby.”
“Yeah, yeah, it is.” She laughs, and he joins her. They laugh at the insanity of it all, the improbability, the ridiculousness, but good lord, the joy, and the love, and everything they ever wanted but never dared to dream about.
“Well it’s about bloody time.” Mulder sputters and Scully crooks her eyebrow. “Fucking universe owed us some good news for a change.”
“It really did.” She beams.
Emily won’t bring back all the losses and suffering they’ve had along the way, but she was still a pretty great reward. One they could keep. Forever. And ever, and ever, if he had anything to say about it.
Mulder’s eye grow wide as the weight of the realisation settles on him. “Shit, we have a kid. An actual kid, together.”
“Yeah, but you were signing up for it anyway.” She rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, I was, and I’m really happy but also, this is huge Scully.”
She grins at him and nods.
“It’s a lot to take in huh?”
“Yeah, but also - the universe knew what we needed, what would always happen about four years before we did.”
“Mulder…”
“If ever you were to believe in signs, the fact that our kid, that shares our DNA has been walking around - and crawling and everything. That’s a huge sign, Scully.” He’s exuberant, imploring her to believe this one thing (it’s always something), and she’s not sure that it’s a ‘sign’ as such, but she love him, and she loves how much this excites and yet, she can’t stop the infamous Scully arched eyebrow.
“Or just a coincidence of some utterly unhinged genetic experiments.”
“No, it’s a sign. I want to believe that. A sign that the universe knew what we were too stupid or stubborn to see.” He smiles at her, and she feels like she can’t deny him anything.
“I think that’s a nicer idea than the alternative.” She relents softy.
“It is. We have a daughter Scully.”
“We do.” She grins.
“Do we tell her?” Mulder asks wondering just how you start to explain all of this to such a young child.
“Not everything, Mulder.”
“Too much darkness.” Emily is a beacon of light rising out of the darkness that’s shrouded them over the last few years.
“Yeah, I want to protect her from all that darkness for as long as we can.”
“We’ll figure out a way, we always do.” Mulder nods decisively and then moves out of the bedroom towards the kitchenette. He rummages around and turns back to Scully, a glint in his eyes, eyebrows raised salaciously. “Hey baby mama, want to celebrate with me?”
“Oh my god,” Scully buried her head in her hands. “Only if you promise never to say that again.”
“Can I call myself the baby daddy?” He asks with a teasing grin.
“Call yourself what you want.” She rolls her eyes. “Just don’t expect me to.”
“But Scully…” he pouts with the puppy dog eyes.
“I do like the idea of celebrating though. Any suggestions?”
“We can start with the baby bottles of wine and then…”
“And then?”
“Which rating of the plan do you want to hear?”
“Mulder!” She laughs as he sits right next to her. He passes her a bottle and then pulls her onto his lap.
“We’re like a real family now. You, me, and our kid.”
“We would have been a real family anyway.” She reminds him.
“Yeah, and you know I already love her, but this just…” He holds his hand up to his head miming that the news was blowing his mind.
“Yeah. I think all of this is more surprising to us, than about half the Hoover building.”
“What?”
“You know they gossip about us?” She tells him, leaning against his chest.
“About us?”
“You had to know that Mulder!”
“I may have heard a thing or two.” He says resting his chin against her head. “I didn’t know you knew.”
“Some of them are not very subtle.” She says scathingly.
“Does that bother you?”
“Maybe once.” She shrugs. “I got used to it a long time ago.”
“A long time ago?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they married us off within the first year.”
“That’s nuts.”
“I mean yes, but also…” She sips her wine and runs her hand along the arm that he’s wrapped around her. “I kind of see where they’re coming from. We did have an intense and powerful bond quickly.”
“You think they’ve got bets on us?” Mulder asks.
“Almost certainly.”
“I wonder if any of them have bets on a secret love child.” He smirks.
“Don’t tell me you think some of them might think that’s why I disappeared?!”
“They might think I sent you away, like the old sending off of unwed mothers.”
“If only they knew the truth.” Scully shakes her head.
“As long as we know the truth, that’s all that matters.” He reassures and she nods in agreement.
“I know I just did story time but I kind of want to go see her.” Mulder whispers like he’s revealing a great secret.
“Don’t you dare wake her up.” Scully warns.
“Just a little peek on the way to bed.” He nods holding his thumb and finger close together. “Watch our baby sleep?”
Scully rolls her eyes at him, but feels like her heart is melting anyway. “You’re adorable.” She murmurs. “I love the way you love her.”
“And you?”
“And the way you love me.” She agrees, leaning up to kiss him again.
Emily wakes up when it’s still dark out, but she hears movement in the hallway. She makes her way to the bedroom door, blanket draped over one arm, and her other hand clutching one of her stuffed toys. She tentatively nudges open her bedroom door just in time to catch Mulder stumbling back from the bathroom.
“Fox?” She whispers, and his eyes dart down towards her.
“Hi baby girl.” He greets her, his voice filled with warmth and affection. That's his daughter - not just in spirit but actually biologically his daughter. Half of her is from him, well in theory at least.
“Is it morning yet?”
“Not yet, little one.” He tells her and moves to crouch in front of her. “I think we can both get a couple of hours more sleep before the sun is up and it’s time to get ready for the day.”
She shuffles wordlessly towards him, and he reaches his arm out to run his hands over her sleep mussed hair. She leans into his touch, and shuffles closer still until she can lean against him.
“Want me to tuck you back in?” He asks her, relishing in the feel of her warm weight pressed against him, as she takes comfort in his presence and touch.
Emily shakes her head. “With you.”
“Come on then,” He says as he hoists her up. “Maybe one day we’ll work up to spending all night in your room, hmm?” He whispers as he moves towards the room he shares with Scully (and for at least some hours each night it would also appear Emily). Emily shakes her head, and he’s powerless to fight against that.
It’s his daughter, his baby girl that he holds in her arms, and he’s only just found out about her. He’s missed so much. As far as he’s concerned, they’ve got lost time to make up for, so she can sneak into their bed whenever she wants to if it allows for them to enjoy precious, quiet moments together.
“Dana sleeping?” Emily whispers as they cross the bedroom.
“Yeah kiddo, she’s asleep.” He confirms quietly. She nods and holds a finger to her lips, to let him know she’ll be quiet.
Mulder sets Emily on the bed, and allows her to get comfortable as he slides in next to her. He wraps one arm around her, and she somehow finds a way to also bring Scully’s hand up towards her, connecting with both of her caregivers.
Notes:
Mulder absolutely was ready to step up and be Emily's daddy - the way he tore apart the Dr Caulderon's office looking for answers is the same kind of feral he gets when he's worried about Scully. So I could not do this? I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Chapter 20: Like a joey
Summary:
Our favourite trio (no, not the Lone Gunmen) get a visit from the social worker, in which Emily makes it clear she's happy.
Notes:
Thank you so much for all the support with this this fic, especially those that have commented and talked about it - seeing some of you mention on it on Twitter just makes my day. I wrote the bulk of this really intensely over the early summer, and then have slowed the pace as work got crazy busy and intense. Posting's a little slower as I'm feeling a bit burnt out and although I've got like another 60+pages written, I haven't edited them or broken them up into chapters so I'm doing that as I go now. It's so lovely to know that people are interested/invested/enjoy what started our as a silly little fluffy fic (it's more of a wildly large fluffy fic now).
This chapter might be a little shorter than some, but I think you'll enjoy it - and it felt like a natural place to pause. I have a feeling a lot of you will enjoy the last scene here.
Chapter Text
A knock on the door, and Emily springs into action, little feet running towards the door.
“I get it!”
“Hold on, Em.” Scully says jogging over towards the door. “Let me help with this one, and then you can open it.” Scully sides across the second lock, and Emily then pulls down on the handle and the door slowly opens. Once there’s enough space, Scully slips her hands around the door, helping Emily to open the heavy door.
“Oh, thank you Emily.” Susan, the social worker acknowledges Emily having opened the door for her, and Emily smiles proudly. “Dana, good to see you.”
“Come on in.” Scully says gesturing towards the sitting area.
As soon as Susan has sat down, Emily moves towards her and gives her a big grin. “I’m happy, see.”
“I see.” Susan tells her, and gives a curious look to Scully, who appears amused by the small child’s antics.
“Dana and Fox said you want to make sure I’m happy. I am.”
“That’s very good.” Susan nods. It’s clear that they’d tried to explain to Emily that she’d be visiting, and an attempt to explain the reason for her visit had obviously been made. Often Susan thinks it’s good that the parents communicate open dialogue and so she’s experienced a range of remarks and reactions upon her visits over the years. Something about Emily though is adorably precocious in the way she’s trying to convince her.
“Can I play now?” Emily turns to Scully.
“Why don’t you go bring some of your toys out here, and you can play and sit with us. Susan might want to ask you some more questions in a bit.” Emily then scampers towards her room, almost running into Mulder on her way.
“Afternoon.” He greets Susan and takes a seat in one of the chairs.
“It’s good to see you again, Fox. Emily was just telling me that she’s happy, so why don’t you catch me up a little on how things are going?” Susan asks gently.
Mulder looks towards Scully, allowing her to speak first, as he holds a folded piece of paper in his hands, fidgeting with it, running the corners between his fingers.
“Good, for the most part, really good. We’ve had a couple of more difficult moments, which I think is to be expected, but we’re working through things, and so far nothing too difficult.”
“That’s good. What sort of moments?”
“She’s not yet managed a full night in her room alone. The first night, she had a nightmare, and an accident, and she often wakes in the night, sometimes hovering right by the bed. But once she’s in with us, she quickly falls back to sleep.”
“Perhaps that’s a sign of safety? She knows she can come to you for comfort and reassurance?”
“Maybe.” Scully says and shares a look with Mulder, both feeling touched that perhaps it’s a sign of Emily feeling comfortable and safe with them.
“She doesn’t talk about them much, but a couple of time she’s said she misses her adoptive parents. Called out for them after her nightmare.” Mulder adds.
“We took her to the zoo, and she’d decided she’d had enough walking and just sat down in the middle of the path. But other than that, not much more than a little tired grumpy session.” Scully concludes their round up. Really, they’d had very few difficult moments, all things considered.
“She’s quite easy to love, really.” Mulder says with an adoring smile. Scully looks at him for a moment, like she’s about to shake her head or roll her eyes at him, but instead her face softens.
“Yes, we’ve been enjoying getting to know each other.” She agrees.
Just then, they hear Emily’s footsteps across the hotel room, and she appears rounding the corner into the sitting area, purple blanket being tugged along the floor, and multiple stuffed toys enjoying a ride across the room on their magic carpet.
“Em…” Mulder says to her, being the closest adult to her. “I think Dana was thinking bring one or two toys…”
“But I couldn’t choose Fox!” She huffs. “So I bought them all!” She explains her bright idea looking down at her little friends.
“I see that.” He looks down at her toys then back at her with a smile. “Clever girl.” Even if it’s unexpected, he has to hand it to her, she’s inherited her parents intelligence, and he’ll never not reward some clever creative thinking and problem solving.
“Oh, wow, that’s quite the growing collection you have there.” Susan says acknowledging the little cluster of cuddly toys. And then she looks up at Scully who just shrugs.
“It’s not that we’re trying to spoil her…”
“Dana,” Susan says calmly, “you don’t have to apologise for loving her and indulging in a couple of new toys.” Scully ducks her head, because she was feeling exactly like she needed to justify it.
“Well, if Mulder had his way, I think he’d have bought half the gift shop at the zoo.” She chuckles as she looks towards him. Emily has just handed him one of her toys, and he glances right back at Scully letting her know he heard every word of that comment.
“There you go, compromising already on a measured approach.” Susan acknowledges and then turns to Emily. “Emily, will you show me one of your new toys?”
Emily nods as she surveys her collection of toys, and then crouches, quickly gravitating towards the kangaroo which makes Scully smile, knowing what it means to Emily. Emily then moves towards the sofa, and instead of climbing up onto the space between Scully and Susan, she instead moves towards Scully, climbing up onto her lap.
“Hi,” Scully says warmly, and presses a kiss to Emily’s head once she settles.
Emily leans against Scully’s chest, but holds her kangaroo out so that Susan can see it.
“Oh, what a lovely kangaroo.” Susan tells Emily, who quickly brings her kangaroo in for a cuddle, just to make sure it’s clear that it’s Emily’s and she was just letting the social worker look at it.
“From the zoo.” Emily tells her, running her fingers along the soft fur of the toy.
“I heard you went to the zoo! Did you have fun?”
“Uh huh.”
“What animals did you see? Did you have a favourite?”
“We saw lots! Monkeys, tigers, bears, panda bears, elephants, kangaroo. I think there were more, but it was too many to ‘member.”
“That’s alright.” Scully says soothingly, smoothing over Emily’s hair. “It was a big, long day, and your little legs did so much walking. There were so many animals to see, weren’t there?”
“Yeah.” Emily agrees. “I got sleepy.”
“Hmm, you did.” Scully agrees. “I think you fell asleep before we even left the parking lot. Do you know, Fox carried you up from the car, and you didn’t wake up at all.” Scully says leaning in, quietly sharing the moment with Emily, reminiscing of their fun day.
“I don’t ‘member that.”
“That’s because you were sleeping, little one.” Mulder tells her.
“Oh.” Emily giggles. She then turns to Susan. “I really liked the panda bears. Dana says I can’t have one as a pet.” Emily frowns.
“I like the pandas too.” Susan says as if she’s revealing a secret. “But, Dana is very smart, so I think you should listen to her advice there.”
“Hmm.” Emily hums, and looks down at her kangaroo. She squeezes it’s tummy, and then dips a finger inside the pouch and hooks out the little joey. “Look!” Emily says holding up the little joey and then tucks him back inside the pouch, its head sticking out slightly still.
“Oh a little baby joey.”
“Yeah. It can come out and play and then go back inside. It feels safe in it’s mommy’s pouch. Just like at the zoo.”
“Well that’s very neat, isn’t it?” Susan says grinning as Emily tucks the little joey’s limbs back inside the pouch.
“Did you know? This is like me and Dana?”
“Oh?” Susan’s brow furrows, wondering where Emily is taking this conversation.
“When I was this tiny…” Emily points towards a tiny fingernail of hers, “we got separated. A loooong time ago, I was in Dana’s tummy.” Emily says in amazement. “And she found me again.” Emily smiles and then looks up to Scully for corroboration.
“That’s right.” Scully whispers against Emily’s head.
“And how does that make you feel Emily?” Susan asks to try and better understand how the little girl has been doing.
“Like a joey.” Emily says quietly as she leans further against Scully.
“How does a joey feel?”
“Happy. Safe.” Emily reveals and turns her head cuddling close against Scully who’s arms tighten around her daughter.
“I’m glad you feel happy and safe, baby.” Scully tells her quietly. “I’m happy you’re here too.”
“I think I already know the answer to this one Emily, but would you like to continue staying with Dana and Fox?”
“Yep!”
“Excellent. Well, I think then, unless you’ve any questions for me, I’ll visit again in a few days, and then we can talk about next steps?”
“Actually.” Mulder says leaning forwards. “We do have a slight update.” He slides the paper around his hands. “I know you were only joking when you’d mentioned it a while back, but uh…we did a paternity test.”
“She’s yours, as well, isn’t she?” Susan asks cautiously. This is hands down, the most bizarre case.
“Yeah.” Mulder smiles proudly, and hands over the folded paper containing the results.
“Well, this is certainly one of the most unusual cases I’ve come across.” Susan says good-naturedly as she stands.
“It’s been rather surprising for us too.” He tells her as he walks her out.
“I bet.” Susan can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to find out that you and your partner (of any sort) somehow share a child together that neither of you knew existed.
“We investigate a lot of bizarre things for work, but this is odd, even for us. Magical, but odd.” The look of amazement on Mulder’s face is obvious.
“She does seem happy though.” Susan remarks.
“Yeah, we’ve been really happy too. I don’t know if this changes anything for you, but…” Mulder rubs the back of his head. “It’s really important to us that we get to keep her with us, now that we know, now that we’ve found her.”
“I understand.” Susan says, gently touching his arm. “I think we’ll still be following the same process, but I’ll look into it. And Fox, just so that you know - I’m not worried about Emily. She seems happy, and it’s clear that you and Dana love her and want what’s best. Hopefully you’ll get to take her home soon.”
“Thank you.” Mulder nods and then closes the door as she walks away.
“Did I do good?” Mulder hears Emily’s little voice ask as she looks up at Scully with big blue eyes.
“The best.” Scully tells her running a gentle finger down Emily’s button nose - a Scully trait it has to be, Mulder’s sure she’s got Scully’s nose - much daintier than his own.
As Emily grins at Scully, Mulder joins them sitting close on the couch.
“Em, you did perfect, but it’s not a test.” Mulder tells her and she swings her head to look at him. “She’s not here to judge you.” He promises.
“She decides if I live with you?” Emily asks confused.
“Not quite, little Em. She has to make sure you’re safe and happy, and then the judge decides.”
“I am!” She launches her top half towards him, her legs still on Scully’s lap.
“We know, and we’re so glad you feel that way, annndd…we think you’re pretty wonderful too.” He looks at her with a warm proud smile and then up at Scully with a dopey utterly in love look in his eyes.
“You love me?”
“So very much.” Scully tells her, and dives forward to kiss whatever parts of Emily she can reach.
“Me too.” Emily reveals.
“That’s all that matters then.” He tells her. “No matter what happens Em, you’ll always be our little Roo. We just want you to be safe and happy too.”
“Always.” Scully promises and together they huddle on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.
Chapter 21: Cute Babies
Summary:
Mulder pays a visit to the Sims' home, and finds Emily's baby photos to bring back and share with Scully. Mulder and Scully continue to figure out life with a small child, and the trio visit Tara, Bill and Baby Matthew.
Notes:
I loved reading all your comments after the last chapter. Several of you are so right - this poor, bemused social worker who would have had no clue how weird her latest case was getting. She's a star for just rolling with it and trying to get the job (giving a family a happy conclusion) done.
I think you'll all enjoy this chapter too. Just a few cute scenes/moments rolled into one chapter.
Chapter Text
Mulder contacted the bemused social worked who then arranged for the two of them to be able to visit the Sims’ house.
From what Scully had shared, he knew it wasn’t always the happiest of homes, but it was a large family home with a sizeable partially wrapped porch, and even if her parents hadn’t always got along well, it was still clear enough that they had loved his little girl.
Mulder walks slowly around the ground floor of the Sims house, looping through the living area, the kitchen, hallway and entry foyer. The decoration is sparse, but he spots a couple of family pictures in the living space. On his second lap around he gravitates to the bookcase in the living room. He slowly peruses the shelves, stopping when he lands upon photo albums. One at a time, he lifts them out, checking for dates and replacing any that predated Emily. A slow smile spreads across his face as he opens one to find a tiny baby with cerulean blue eyes and fair strawberry blonde hair staring back at him, that is unmistakably one of his daughter’s earliest pictures. He closes the album again, wanting to save looking through the photos until he could share the experience with Scully later. He holds it to his chest, and picks up the last album to check and sees a wobbly looking young toddler version of Emily grinning at the camera showing off a handful of teeth as she stands and tries to move towards the camera. He wonders if these may have been her first steps. If not her first steps, he assumes not too long after.
He puts the two albums onto the coffee table, making a mental note to come back to collect them before leaving. He then ventures up the stairs, past the bathroom where Roberta Sim had been found, and pokes his nose into the bedrooms. He knows he’s found Emily’s room when he finds the tiny activity table.
He moves in slow circles, taking in his baby girl’s bedroom. It’s different than what they’ve set up in Scully’s apartment, but at the same time there are similarities. Bright colours, a child sized activity table, a bookshelf lined with picture books, including a few titles he now recognises, and a set of plushies piled upon the bed. He briefly wonders whether she might like to keep any of these, but none of them look anywhere near as loved as her whale or the doll she took the day Scully helped pack her a bag. Just as he’s preparing to leave the room, he glances at the bookshelf again, and spots what he realises must have been a baby book Roberta Sim had been filling in for her.
Bath and bedtime were a little drawn out, and Mulder guesses that Scully must have had to read three or four stories to get Emily to sleep. By the time Scully reappears from Emily’s room, Mulder has placed two photo albums and Emily’s baby book on the dining table, along with two glasses of wine.
“She put up a good fight, but she finally settled.” Scully says as she approaches Mulder. She lays a palm on his chest, rubbing her thumb over his shirt as she smiles up at him. “She may take after her father with the way she battles sleep.”
“I do not battle sleep Scully, it just evades me.” He smirks. “Though I have to say, I’ve been sleeping much better these last couple of weeks.”
“Must be the fresh San Diego sea air.” She smirks.
“Hmm, yes, must be that.” He wraps his arms around her, drawing her into a hug and then he nods towards the table. “Now, I know I’m probably a little biased, and I’ve only seen enough pictures to identify the right albums but…I think we make very cute babies.”
“Babies?” Scully raises her eyebrow and cocks her head to the side.
“Well, okay, we made one very cute baby. But let’s say someday something happens, they’d be very cute. I’m sure.”
Scully laughs and shakes her head.
“I don’t disagree, but maybe we just focus on getting this one home first, huh?”
“Want to look at her baby photos?” Mulder asks her, gesturing his head towards the table again with a playful smile.
“Absolutely.” She ducks out of his arms, and eagerly takes a seat at the table, before opening up the baby book first. “Oh, loooookk,” She says, her voice filled with awe and adoration as Mulder takes a seat beside her.
“Told you, very cute.”
“The cutest.” Scully says, tracing over the rounded infant cheeks their daughter displayed along with her bright blue eyes and a light dusting of strawberry blonde hair.
The flick through the baby book, learning that she came to the Sim’s at just 6 weeks old, still so new to this world. They learnt about how she grew and developed with monthly photo updates, and each new skill or development noted. From rolling over, to sitting, first teeth cutting in, standing, cruising and first unassisted steps. Her first word was duck, shortly followed by Mama.
They then flicked through the photo albums, both enamoured by many of Emily’s early pictures. There were a few pictures with Emily and her mom, or Emily and her dad, and just a couple of the three of them together. They wonder aloud what may have been happening in some of the pictures, especially as they see Emily growing older and older. They see her proudly hugging her baby doll with balloons from her first birthday behind her. A couple of months later they see her sitting inside her toy box, which causes them both to laugh. They see her grinning on the baby swings, playing with Duplo animals, learning to explore her world, and walking along a sandy beach.
Just before Mulder showers and gets himself ready for the day, he sets Emily up on the couch with some cartoons, so they can let Scully get some more sleep. Unbeknownst to him, Emily’s curious fingers slip between the couch cushions and she finds the remnants of the packet of M&Ms Scully had been munching on the night before. Emily slips M&M after M&M into her mouth as she watches her cartoons, tucking the packet back where she found it when she hears footsteps.
Powered by the leftover M&Ms, Emily is more buoyant and bouncy that morning as they all get ready for the day.
“I want to go to the park!” Emily announces as Scully appears fully dressed.
“We can go this morning, but we have to have cereal first, and you still need to get dressed, Em.”
“Nowwww.” Emily pleads.
“Emily, you can’t go to the park in your pyjamas.” Scully shakes her head slightly.
“I can run around in them, see?” Emily demonstrates as she runs laps around the dining table.
“Alright, alright, slow down, wild one.” Scully chuckles as Emily puts the brakes on. “I don’t doubt that you can run in your PJs, but we want to keep them nice and clean. You don’t want to get them dirty. We’ve got outside clothes we can play in instead.”
“Ohhh.” Emily huffs. “Clothes, then park. No cereal.” Emily suggests, attempting to negotiate.
“Did Fox already give you breakfast?” Scully raises an eyebrow, not having noticed any bowls, or spoons out. Though he does sometimes feed Emily before she’s finished getting ready, so far that’s only been done with plenty of evidence to show for it. Much like the state of his apartment, so she’s not been all that surprised.
“No. Not hungry.” Emily shrugs, and bounces in place. “Ready to play!”
“Go choose some clothes to wear, and then we’ll have a little bowl of cereal, and then we can go play.”
“And Fox?”
“And me what?” Mulder asks as he rejoins them fully ready for the day now.
“Come play!” Emily skips over to him. “At the park!”
“Woah, sounds fun! I’ll come.” He readily agrees.
“Yay!” Emily bounces up and down.
“Emily, go find your clothes.” Scully prompts. “The quicker you choose something to wear, the quicker we can go out.”
Emily raises her eyebrows and then jets off towards her room and rifles through the chest of drawers.
“She’s extra bouncy. You definitely didn’t feed her yet?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head.
Scully helps get Emily dressed, then as soon as she’s fully dressed, Emily zooms out to find Mulder, leaving Scully to finish putting away her pyjamas, and close all the drawers after Emily’s attempts to choose her outfit.
“Woah, speedy!” Mulder comments as Emily runs towards him and crashes against his legs.
“Cereal quick please, need to go play.” Emily prompts him with a pleading look on her face.
“Are you sure you haven’t already had breakfast?” Mulder narrows his eyes at her. “You didn’t suddenly grow and get the bowls down?”
“No.” She giggles shaking her head.
“I don’t know. You seem bouncy enough.”
“I’m just excited.” She shrugs.
“You definitely didn’t have M&Ms for breakfast already?” He teases her.
“No!” She answers a bit too quickly, then ducks her head. “Well…shh…” She grabs his hand and pulls him over towards the couch.
“What’s going on, Em?”
“Look, here…” Emily slips her fingers between the back of the couch cushions. Mulder furrows his brows but follows along.
“Ah…” He fingers snag on something that rustles, and it all starts to make sense. He hooks his fingers around the object and wriggles it out. “Oops.” He shakes his head. “Let me guess, you found these while I went for a shower?” He asks and Emily nods. “I guess, Dana and I forgot to put them away last night, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re not really a good breakfast food though.” Mulder tells her.
“But they’re yummy!”
“Yeah, they are. Let’s put the rest away in the cupboard though.”
“You mad? Dana mad?” Emily asks not quite meeting his eyes.
“No, I’m not mad, little Em. I don’t think Dana will be either.”
“Sorry.” Emily squeaks.
“You’re sorry you couldn’t resist eating the candy?” Mulder asks bemused, and Emily shrugs.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Mulder tells her, turning towards her, trying to better understand her.
“Is it bad?” Emily looks unsure.
“No?” Mulder feels confused. “Maybe, next time you find something like this somewhere it’s not expected you let us know first? But there’s nothing to feel bad about.”
“Sure?” Emily looks at him as if she’s expecting him to act differently.
“I’m sure. Let’s go get some actual breakfast, and then we’ll go burn off some energy in the park. Sound good?” He asks and she lets out a little grin.
Emily skips back towards the table where Scully is setting out the bowls. She catches Mulder’s eye with a raised eyebrow, wondering where’d they’d got to. As Mulder approaches the cupboard, and goes to pull out the cereal boxes, he flashes the half eaten bag of M&Ms at Scully and smirks.
“Turns out, someone may have forgotten to put their late night snack away.”
“Ah.” Scully’s cheek pinken ever so slightly.
“And another little someone has just the same weakness.”
“Ooops.” Scully presses her lips closed, trying not to smile or laugh. “So uh, mystery solved?”
“Yes, the case of the extra bouncy Em is closed.”
“I guess we’re still figuring this all out huh?” Scully ponders, frowning slightly.
“Well, they might have been your snack, but they’d got tucked under the couch cushion, so it’s possible I didn’t help after that little make out session.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her. “I think you might be right though.”
“We’re still figuring this out?”
“Hmm, yeah, but I meant…about the Sims. The way she reacted…it’s like she knew it wasn’t right, but rather than it being a little silly, fun thing, it’s like she thought she needed to feel bad. She thought we might be mad.”
“Because we…I…left the candy out?”
“I guess that she found it and ate it, but I don’t know.” They both cast a glance at Emily whose kneeling on one of the dining chairs, sipping at her juice. “I told her I wasn’t mad, that you wouldn’t be either.”
“I’m a little annoyed at myself, but I’m definitely not mad at her. I’d wondered why she was extra bouncy, but in an amused way.”
“Yeah. I said maybe if she finds something like that again to let us know first. Was that the right thing to say?” Mulder worries slightly.
Scully looks to him, eyes full of affection and fondness for the gentle man in front of her. “I think, that’s a very reasonable suggestion. It’s giving a model, or a suggestion should it happen again, and at the same time it isn’t assigning fault or blame. I think Mulder,” Scully steps closer, and places her hand on his chest, lightly stroking her fingers over his pectorals, “you might be better at this than you think.”
Mulder feels like he might be glowing at Scully’s compliment as she steps away, sets the milk on the table and asks if Emily wants Rice Krispies, or Raisin Bran.
“Snap, crackle, pop!” Emily exclaims and points when Mulder shakes the boxes towards his audience.
“Rice Krispies it is.” He says as he approaches the table.
Emily’s arm curls around Scully’s neck, little legs dangling down as Scully holds her up and steps onto Bill’s porch. Mulder has not put up as much of a fight as Scully expected, and she appreciates the effort, but also knows he must be following somewhat reluctantly.
“Dana!” Bill says rather cheerily as he opens the door wide.
“Hi Bill.” Scully greets her brother warmly.
“And this must be Emily.” Bill nods towards her. Emily gives him a tiny sideways glance and then looks back over Scully’s shoulder.
“Em, sweetie, this is my brother, Bill. Can you say hi?”
Emily turns back, to look towards Bill again, but doesn’t quite find her voice before she ducks her head against Scully’s shoulder.
“She can be a little shy.” Scully says, pressing her head against Emily’s. “But she’ll warm up soon.”
“Well, come on in to the living room. Tara’s just finishing up feeding the baby.”
As Scully carries Emily through into the living room, Bill frostily regards Mulder, and mutters “Fox.” with a nod, as he lets him past before closing the door.
Tara soon joins them all in the living room. Bill is sat in the arm chair to the side, and Mulder stands behind Scully and Emily who are sat on the couch, and Tara decides joining them will be a nice introduction for the young cousins.
“It’s good to see you Dana, Fox - uh, Mulder?” Tara stumbles on her words slightly, and then turns her warm smile towards the young girl sitting on Scully’s lap, snuggling in to her side, likely feeling a little unsure of a new environment. “We’ve been looking forward to meeting you Emily.”
“Me?” Emily seems surprised.
“Yeah, you. I know that Dana was really excited about you. And if she loves you, then I figured we just had to meet you. Have you been having a nice time with Dana and Fox?” Tara asks her while she holds a sleeping Matthew.
“Uh huh. I like them.”
“Me too.” Tara winks at her. As Tara’s been talking to Emily, Emily has relaxed slightly, sitting up a bit more. She glances between Tara and the baby in her arms. “And one day, I think baby Matthew will too.” She smiles as she lifts the dozing infant and presses a kiss to his cheek.
“He’s little.” Emily comments, and Scully runs her hand through Emily’s hair.
“He is. He’s a newborn baby still. You would have been that little once, too.”
“Noooo.” Emily giggles shaking her head.
“Yes.” Scully ducks her head and presses a kiss to Emily’s temple. “And then you grew and grew, and now look at you.” She tickles Emily’s side and she giggles again.
Matthew squirms in Tara’s arms, and his eyes flutter open.
“There you are.” Tara coos at him. “You want to meet your cousin?” Tara asks and Emily looks intrigued.
Tara twists round slightly, and holds Matthew angling him more towards Scully and Emily.
“Hi baby.” Emily says quietly as she watches his deep blue eyes blink.
“He’s adorable, Tara.” Scully tells her sister-in-law.
Mulder leans over the back of the couch to get a better look. “He is pretty cute.”
“We think so too.” Bill finally breaks his silence. “It’s different, you know? Like I knew I wanted to be a dad, and I liked the idea, but actually holding your kid - nothing really prepares you for that.”
“Yeah.” Mulder agrees, looking down at Emily, sat on Scully’s lap and curiously watching her newborn cousin. “I know the feeling.” Scully looks up, and smiles at him. “Maybe it’s different for us but…I don’t know. Maybe it’s just easy to love your own kid? However they come into the world, and however you meet them.”
“Yeah.” Scully agrees, and tilts her head up to press a kiss to Mulder’s chin. “Sometimes I wish we’d known her at that stage, but I love her so much how she is…” Scully shrugs and gives Emily a light squeeze. “I love you.” She whispers against Emily’s ear. Emily sighs and leans back against Scully, returning the affection.
“Come on Auntie Dana, how about a baby cuddle. You know you want to…”
Mulder watches as a wide grin spreads across Scully’s face and she nods.
“I’d love a cuddle with my first nephew.” She beams at Tara, and then looks down at Emily. “Do you want to sit next to me, or help me hold baby Matthew?”
“I can help?” Emily asks with big wide eyes.
“If you want to.” Scully says, readjusting her slightly. “I’ll hold him with this arm” She gestures with her arm closest to Tara, “and support his little body. He’s more soft and floppy than you, so we have to help support his head and be very gentle.”
“Okay.” Emily leans against Scully, trying to keep herself out of the way as Tara manages to transfer Matthew into Scully’s waiting arms.
“Hi Matthew.” Scully greets the baby quietly. Emily leans forwards, peering closer and closer at him, and smiles when he wriggles. Scully makes sure she has a secure hold of him in her left arm, and then gently runs her finger along his cheek, down his arm and over his tiny curled first.
“Me too?” Emily asks reaching out her hand towards Scully’s.
“You want to touch him? You can, but be very gentle okay?” Scully flattens her hands, holding Matthew’s fist in her palm, and very very slowly Emily stretches out her pointer finger until she makes contact and ever so gently traces over his hand.
“Soft soft baby.”
“You’re right, he does have very soft skin, doesn’t he?” Tara responds to Emily’s murmuring.
“Tiny fingers.” Emily marvels, even compared to her own small hands. “Fox?” She looks around for for Mulder, struggling to find him. “Fox? Look?”
“I’m here, little one.” He reached out to touch her shoulder as he moves towards the front of the couch and crouches in front of Scully’s legs.
“Look Fox - tiny fingers.”
“I see them. Very small.” He agrees and then holds his hands up beside Emily and Matthew’s hands.
“Fox, you have a very big hand.” Emily remarks seriously and the adults chuckle.
“Maybe someday Matthew’s hand will be as big as Bill’s. Did you know that?” Mulder asks Emily and she glances over towards Bill in the chair, sees he also has very big hands like Mulder and her jaw drops.
Emily looks back to baby Matthew who every now and then wriggles and huffs. She carefully leans forward and presses a kiss to his tummy. He huffs and gurgles at her.
“He likes me.” Emily decides. She watches him for a bit longer before she starts to squirm on Scully’s lap, and pushes at the arm holding her in.
Scully adjusts her hold on William, slipping out her right hand and removing it from its place securing Emily to her.
“You want to get down?”
“Yeah, see Fox.” Emily nods, as she slides off Scully’s lap. Mulder is there ready to catch her and she gives him a big hug. As she does, Mulder watches Scully bring Matthew close to her chest, one arm keeping the baby safe and secure, and the other gently placed over his front, clearly marvelling at how tiny and magnificent her nephew is. He finds the scene very endearing, and as happy as he is with Scully and Emily, a part of him longs to see her holding another baby in her arms. Maybe some day a miracle might happen. But until then, he’s got a beautiful partner, and they share an adorable bouncy three year old.
Emily starts tugging on Mulder’s shirt, trying to get his attention, and when he doesn’t immediately turn to her, she starts bouncing on her toes trying to grow taller for him.
“I think that energy from those breakfast M&Ms is resurfacing.” He says with a teasing smile. “Alright, Emmy Roo, let’s go bounce around outside. Baby Matthew needs a bit more calm and quiet I think.” Mulder explains to his energetic daughter.
“Emmy Roo?” She gives him a funny look, as does Scully, though hers is filled with adoration for the pair.
“I’m trying it out. Too silly?”
“No.” Emily tells him with a smile.
“No? You like it?”
“I think so.”
“Alright then Emmy Roo.” He winks at her and scoops her up over his shoulder, listening to her giggles as he carries her out the house.
Chapter 22: Home together soon
Summary:
An update from our very baffled social worker, leads to a few discussions about our favourite couple taking their little girl home <3
Also a bit of a romantic moment with Mulder and Scully that probably pushes the border of the T+/M border. More suggestive than anything really.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Susan calls Scully, asking how she’d feel about being able to take her daughter home next week and Scully lets out an uncharacteristic squeal which simultaneously intrigues, excites and worries Mulder. He looks at her and the look on her face sends his heart soaring. He bloody loves a giddy Scully and she looks like she just received the best news ever. Her eyes are shining bright, her smile is dazzling, and he thinks her entire face seems to have become more animated than ever.
“Next week?” She practically laughs. “When?”
“Whenever you’d like, Dana.”
“Monday?” She squeaks.
“Yeah.”
“Mulder!” She calls to him beckoning him over, grabbing his arm and pulling him as close as possible as soon as she can. “Think you can book us flights home for next week?” She grins leaning against him.
“Shit. All of us?” He asks eagerly and she nods. Before she gets the chance to get back to her conversation with Susan, he leans forward and kisses her. She pushes him back with a laugh, mouthing ‘later’ before returning to her phone call.
Scully steps into a warm bubble bath, sinking into the feeling of bliss and relaxation, allowing the calming lavender bubble bath fragrance to sooth her.
“Hey,” Mulder slips into the bathroom and crouches beside her. “You look happy.”
“I feel happy Mulder, really happy.” She gives him a content peaceful smile, leaning towards the edge of the bath. “In just a couple of days, finally, we get to take our little girl, our baby, home. For good. Well, subject to the official court date, but it finally feels real, like it’s actually happening.”
“No second thoughts?” He asks running his hands through her hair, and then sweeping his knuckles down and along her collarbone.
“None.”
“Not even about us?” He asks curiously.
“Nope, none.”
“I don’t know Scully, what if you get sick of me, with me being around all the time?” His tone suggests he’s jesting, but at the same, she knows there’s an element of vulnerability in those words.
“Mulder,” She says his name low and calm, as she skims her fingers through his soft hair. “You do realise we’ve basically been living together since Christmas anyway?” She smiles adoringly at him, but with a hint of amusement, and scepticism.
“But this has all been our space, neutral. From next week, you’ve got two of us stepping into your safe place, and a few fish, and like a whole zoo of stuffed animals.” He smiles. “It sounds like a great idea, and it’ll be fun, but then at some point, you’ll start tripping over us.”
“Mulder,” She chastises lightly. “I hardly think I’ll be tripping over a 6 foot fully grown man…”
“Well, you might be tripping over lego, or my stupidly big clown shoes - compared to your little shoes at least.”
“I think I can get used to moving around your big shoes, don’t you?” She tilts her head to the side as she looks at him adoringly.
“Yeah, but, maybe I’ll start to annoy you.” He pouts, and there it is she thinks. He worries maybe he’ll be too much. Too chatty, too ‘spooky’, too tall, too in the way in her space.
“You think you’ve never annoyed me before?” She teases him lightheartedly. “Mulder, even when you irritate me, and drive me round the bend, I still think you’re pretty wonderful you know?” She tilts her head and watches him as his face softens and relaxes. “I love you, all the parts of you, including the parts that other people find ‘spooky’. I mean, I’ll absolutely let you know when you piss me off, but if you want to pitch me your little slideshows to demonstrate I don’t know…which house to buy, or where to go on vacation, or how we should celebrate Emily’s birthday, or which pet to get - fill your boots, Fox.” She says his first name lovingly, reverently, and he finds he doesn’t hate it when she says it, especially not like that. “Let’s keep the saenguination slideshows to the office though, please.” She stresses the important and seriousness of that one and he rapidly nods. “And the pencils in the ceiling. I don’t want to lose my security deposit.” She grins. “I like you exactly how you are, even the ways you like to annoy me. And I love our daughter, just the way she is and however she grows up to be. Will I swear if I step on the stupid lego in bare feet? Probably, but I’m not going to want to get rid of you, either of you, for that.”
“Careful, Dana,” Mulder warns her lowly. “Or you might just find yourself watching a slide show on why you should let me buy you a diamond ring.”
Scully nearly slips, and splashes him slightly as her arm shifts and she attempts to hide her gasp.
“I…uh..might be flattered by that actually, find it kind of endearing…you know, if something like that ever were to happen. Not that I would expect it to. But..”
“Scullllyyy,” He whispers and she looks towards him, eyes expectant, if slightly flustered. He leans forward catching her lips in a kiss and sliding his tongue across her bottom lip, and then goes searching for hers. A damp hand settles on his chest, which he looks down at as they part.
“Look what you did.” He whispers softly, and then pulls off his t-shirt. “I’m going to have to annoy you for that now.” He looks at her playfully.
“You can try.” She grins, watching him as he stands, and his hands go to unbutton his pants.
“Mulder…Emily…”
“Is asleep.”
“Like just asleep or asleep asleep?”
“She was doing that cute little thing…”
“Oh, with the…”
“Yeah, and those adorable little snuffly not quite snore things.”
“She is pretty adorable.” Scully muses, then cocks her head to the side and nods, scooting forward slightly.
Over time, Mulder has practically read, re-read, and written a dictionary on how to interpret Scully, so he doesn’t need to wait to be told twice before his jeans falls to the floor, quickly followed by his boxers.
Mulder steps into the bath and settles himself behind Scully. She sits between his legs, and he has to bend his knees to keep his long legs in the bath. Scully’s delicate fingers dance along his mostly dry kneecap as he gets settled. He lets out a deep sigh and then tightens his hold on her, encouraging her to lie back against him, arms wrapped around her waist. One arm is sitting right below her breasts, skimming the undersides, and he lays a line of kisses along her neck and shoulder.
“This is nice.” He tells her and she hums, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. “We should have done this a long time ago.” He tells her, and he kisses her right by her ear, and then can’t help but run his tongue along the outer shell of her ear, and runs his teeth over her earlobe. She shivers and wriggles slightly, and he notices. “What? You don’t like that?” He checks graciously.
“No, it’s not that.” She leans her weight back against him and runs her fingers along the arm he has just under her breasts. “You could have, you know.” She whispers.
“Hmm?” He kisses her shoulder.
“When I came to you that first night, in just my underwear and robe. You were so gentle, the way your fingers ghosted over my skin. I’m not sure if I would have said no that night.” She admits.
“Ugh, Scully,” He growls by her ear. “You can’t just….say things like that.”
“I like this though.” She twists to look at him and kisses him. “I think it’s probably better this way, but I just thought you should know, I have always been intrigued by you.”
“It was never because I wasn’t interested, you know?” He asks her as his hands start roaming.
“No?”
“I cannot tell you how many times I thought of doing this…” He tells her as he raises his left hand to cup her boob, feeling the weight of it, and then running his fingers over the smooth skin and firm nipple.
“Hmmm. I thought of this too.” She says leaning her head back against him.
“I thought of so much, but I…”
“Mulder…” She tilts her head to she side. “We can’t change the past, tell me what you think of doing now.”
“Well, I’m really glad I get to do this.” He dances his right hand along her side, over her hips, up the curve of her waist and down the plane of her flat stomach. He squeezes her breast against and then skims his fingers over her pubic area, and with every sigh and hum he discovers that she is just as glad he gets to explore her body the way he does as he is.
The next morning, they wake to find Emily lying between them, limbs jutting out at awkward jaunty angles. They share a smile over her head while she still sleeps.
“You bring her in again?” Scully ask him, as she looks down at their daughter.
“No. You didn’t?” He asks softly, and she shakes her head. “Aww, she just climbed up and crawled right in, didn’t she?” He whispers, looking down at her as if she’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen.
“That seems likely.” Scully agrees, giving him a crooked smile.
“Hey Scully?” He catches her attention and she looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “How about going out for a celebratory breakfast with the little munchkin, think she’d like that?”
“Yeah, sounds great. Two days Mulder. We get to take her home in just two days.”
“We do. Think she’ll do okay on the flight?” He asks.
“I don’t know.” Scully twists her lips to the side. “Hopefully. I just want to get her settled in at home.” Scully cups Emily’s cheek and runs a hand through her hair, tangled from her sleep.
“You still want me there?”
“Mulder…” She sighs, and then leaning over Emily, she pushes her fingers through his hair. “You’re really asking me after everything we talked about last night.”
Mulder shrugs. “Just checking, because I have absolutely no plans to be anywhere else.” He smirks.
“Good. Emily would miss you too much.”
“Oh, Emily would miss me, would she?” He teases. “Not her mother?”
“Well, she might miss you too.” Scully grins at him, as Emily starts to stir.
Mulder gets a limb poking him in the rib, and he brings a hand up to still Emily’s movements. “Hey now,” He says gently, and she opens her eyes peering up at him sleepily.
“Morning little Em.” He smiles at her.
“Hi.”
“Good morning sweetie.” Scully greets her warmly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Did you miss us again last night?” She asks, smoothing over the girl’s hair, who shrugs and then nods.
As Emily stretches out, a bit more mindful of her surroundings this time, a gurgle fills the room.
“Wow, somebody sounds hungry. Was that your tummy Emily?” Mulder teases her.
Emily’s eyes widen, but she nods. “My tummy is very hungry, Fox.”
“Oh dear, we can’t have that, can we?”
“I think I need cereal.” Emily mumbles as she sits up.
“Hmm, well…we were thinking…” He starts and then looks over to Scully to let her finish.
“We have something exciting to talk about, so we thought we might go out for breakfast. Maybe get some pancakes. What do you think?”
“Pancakes! Yes!” Emily cheers.
Emily kneels up in their booth, reaching for the crayons as Scully sets her up with the colouring and activity sheet on the back of the children’s menu.
“Pancakes or a waffle, Em?” Mulder asks him, and she gives him an excited grin.
“Pancakes!”
“Good choice, I think I want pancakes too. What about you Dana?” He asks her with a hint of a head tilt and playful smile.
“I like both, but…” She checks over the menu and glances back up. “The strawberry waffle sounds good.”
“Oh! I like strawberries too!” Emily tells her as she colours her sheet. “Can I get strawberries?”
“I’m not sure they’re on your menu with the pancakes, but, tell you what, I’ll share some of my strawberries with you.” Scully tells her calmly.
“You will?”
“Of course, I will.” Scully confirms and Emily smiles at her. “Now, how would you like your pancakes, Emily? Plain, blueberry or chocolate chips?”
Emily’s eyes grow wide at the last option, “Chocolate chips?” She asks slowly and Scully nods.
“Yeah, that’s what you want?”
“Please?” Emily asks, only it comes out a little more like ‘pwease’.
“And juice or milk?”
“Chocky milk?” Emily asks with big pleading eyes.
“We are celebrating…” Mulder chips in, which causes Scully to roll her eyes.
“As we’re celebrating, that sounds like an extra yummy breakfast.”
The waitress comes over to them at that point to take their orders.
“What we cel-uh-bray-ting?” Emily asks curiously as the waitress leave.
“Remember when I went back to DC the other week? And we showed you pictures of where we live?”
“With the fishies?” Emily asks, and Mulder can’t help but grin at that.
“Yes, Dana’s apartment and my fish.”
“And my room.” Emily remembers.
“That’s right.” Scully tells her, smoothing her hand over Emily’s hair. “And that being at the hotel, where we’ve been together, is only temporary. So, eventually, the goal was we’d get to take you back to DC with us?”
“Uh huh.” Emily nods, having a recollection of this discussion.
“Well, they’ve finally said we can take you home with us, to DC.” Scully grins. “I hope that’s still okay with you.”
“Now? Today? After pancakes?” Emily questions.
“Not now, not today, no. But soon, very soon.” Scully tells her.
“We were thinking Monday. Today is Saturday, so then tomorrow is Sunday, and then it’s Monday. That’s two more sleeps at the hotel.”
“Ohhh, not many.” Emily nods.
“That’s right.” Scully tells her. “So, this weekend, we’re going to pack up all the things we have with us in the hotel, and then, on Monday we’ll go to the airport, and get on an airplane that will fly us all the way over to the other side of the country. And then we’ll take you home.”
“Home.” Emily mulls the world over, rolling the syllable around her mouth. “Home.”
“Yeah, home.”
“With Fox, and Dana, and the little fishies?”
“You got it.” Mulder tells her softly. “And a room with books and toys just for a little Emily.”
“Tigger just for me.” Emily nods.
“That’s right.”
“And Dana and Fox.”
“Yes, sweetie, we’ll be there too. Right by your room.”
“Okay. Home together, soon.”
“Yeah. We’ll go home together soon.” Scully tells her and leans over to press a kiss to Emily’s head. “I’m really happy we get to take you home soon.”
“What’s the airplane like?” Emily asks curiously.
“Well, it’s a little tricky to describe, but it’s like a big bus so there’s lots more seats than in the car. There’ll be other people on the plane, but we’ll be able to sit together. It goes very fast, and then tilts up into the sky. That part, and the landing again might feel a little funny, but most of the time it’s fine. It’s a noisier than a car or bus, but you get used to it.”
“Hmm.” Emily hums, letting on that she’s a little nervous about the unknown.
“We’ll take one of your books, a colouring book, and some toys, and you might even fall asleep for some of the time.”
“Can I hold your hand?” Emily asks after a moment of quiet thoughtfulness.
“Of course you can, baby. You’ll have to sit in your own seat for take off and landing, but we can hold hands then. And once we’re up in the air, the pilot turns off the seatbelt signs, and then you can move about a little more, so you can sit with me, or Fox.”
Emily nods slowly. “I might get a little bit scared.”
“That’s okay.” Mulder tells her. “Sometimes, Dana needs me to hold her hand on the plane too.”
“Mulder.” She quietly chastises him, and he just gives her a sly smirk.
“We can hold each other’s hands if we get scared.” Emily says decisively.
“I like that idea.” Scully tells her, but shoots a bit of a glare at Mulder anyway.
Emily returns to her colouring, and Mulder and Scully share a silent conversation as they stare at each other, until the waitress reappears.
“Somebody’s got a yummy breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes, and a chocolate milk. I don’t suppose this is for you?” The waitress asks cheerfully as she places the cup of chocolate milk with a straw in it in front of Emily, and then slides the small stack of pancakes towards her.
“Yay! Pancakes!” Emily looks at her breakfast with eager excitement. She goes to poke her pancakes with her finger, and Mulder who has been watching her swiftly grabs her hand in his.
“Woah there, slow down champ. They’ll still be hot, Em. Maybe start with your milk, and give the pancakes a second to cool down.”
Emily scrunches her nose as she reaches towards her chocolate milk, and Mulder slides it closer to her.
“If we cut them up smaller, they’ll cool down quicker.” Scully tells her as she accepts the plate the waitress presents to her. “Do you want help with that?”
“I can do it.” Emily says firmly with the fierce, stubborn independence of a Scully woman. She picks up her knife and fork, stabs the pancake with her fork, and pushes and pulls with a slightly uncoordinated action, but eventually the pancake tears apart and she smiles proudly as she holds up a small piece. “See.”
“You got it.” Scully smiles at Emily as she goes to pick up her own silverware to dig into her own breakfast.
After a few bites, she notices Emily has paused, elbow resting on the table a piece of pancake dangling off the end of her fork pointed slightly towards Scully, as she stares at Scully’s strawberry covered waffle.
“You want some strawberries?” Scully asks, and Emily nods.”You want to try some of the waffle too?” A slow shy smile spreads across Emily’s face and she nods again.
“You can have some pancake.” Emily tells her, wiggling her fork.
“Oh, that’s for me?” Scully catches on realising why Emily’s fork was being held out now. “Thank you.” She plucks the piece of pancake off of Emily’s fork, and pops it into her mouth. “Mmmm.” She hums exaggeratedly, before cutting off a corner of her fruit topped waffle to slide onto Emily’s plate.
Notes:
Had a bit of a longer gap between posts as my parents came to visit for my birthday. I'll try and post again later this next week, but then I'm on an international trip for work, so might be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Some cute fluffy moments, but also slowly moving the story forwards with the idea of finally taking Emily home to the East coast. Coming up soon: Emily's first plane ride, and Emily exploring her new home.
Chapter 23: Flying Home
Summary:
Little Em's first plane ride as our little trio head home to DC together for the first time.
Chapter Text
“That’s our plane? So big.” Emily marvels as she stares out of the window at one of the planes in front of the terminal.
“Maybe not that one baby, but one like it.”
“Dana, it’s lots bigger than a bus.” Emily tells Scully as if she’s chastising her for misleading her.
“Yes, it is.” Scully agrees, but wonders how else she was supposed to try and explain what a plane is like to someone with a fairly small frame of reference.
“Like a very very very very big bus with wings?” Emily asks as they watch a plane taxiing.
“Kinda.” Mulder says as he lifts Emily on to his hip. “Here, let’s look at this one over here. They’re getting ready.” He points out the doors where passengers board and the windows, though Emily’s eyes widen at how small the windows look compared to everything else. He also points out the ground staff loading up suitcases and meal services.
They stay and watch for a while and then Emily grows bored and wants to explore.
“Can we go shopping now?” Emily asks, captivated by glowing shop signs.
“I don’t think we need very much right now sweetie, but, we can go and look.” Scully tells her.
“Maybe I need a little something.” Emily ponders.
“And what would you need, little Em?” Mulder asks as he returns Emily to the floor and takes hold of her hand.
“I saw cookies…” She tells him as she starts pulling her hand in the direction she thinks she saw cookies.
“Of course you did.” He laughs and trails after her.
After a tour of all the shops, many of which Emily declares as boring, they find their gate and Emily and Mulder take great interest in looking out the window of both their gate and the surrounding gates to see what captures their attention. Scully stays in the vicinity of their gate to ensure that they don’t miss any important announcements, but keeps an ever watchful eye on her favourite pair of endlessly curious and frequently restless humans.
When pre-boarding for those who may need additional time to board is called, Scully calls them over, and together they walk along the gangway and onto the plane.
“Is this the plane yet?” Emily asks every so often on the gangway.
“Not yet kiddo.”
“Is this the plane yet?”
“That, is the plane up there, yes. That’s the door, where the flight attendant is waiting for us.”
“It looks like a big door now.” Emily announces.
“Yes, it’s much bigger when you’re up close.” Scully agrees, and holds out their tickets for the flight attendant.
Mulder picks Emily up as they board the plane, figuring it’d be easier to navigate the aisle with her in the safety of his arms.
“Lots of seats, Fox.” Emily comments as they make their way down the aisle following Scully.
“That’s right, there’ll be lots of other people travelling to DC with us.”
“But not going home with us.”
“No, just going to the same city, Em.”
“Do they all live in DC?”
“Some of them might, some of them might just be visiting on vacation.”
“Huh.” Emily continues looking around the plane until Mulder stops walking.
“This us, Scully?”
“Yeah. I’ll take the window, and you can have the aisle.”
“Then the little one in the middle, sounds like a plan.” Mulder agrees. “Sound good to you little Em? You sit right in the middle in between me and Dana.”
“Good plan!” Emily agrees. “I can hold both your hands then.”
“Sure can.” He says as he puts her down and she settles herself into the middle seat. Scully scoots into the window, and pulls Emily’s whale out of her backpack along with some candies for them to chew on during take off. Mulder grabs a copy of the latest issue of the Lone Gunmen publication out his bag before he slings it in the overhead locker.
“Now what?” Emily asks once all three of them are settled in a row.
“Well sweetie, we have to wait for everyone else to get on the plane and take their seats, and then after that we’ll start moving.”
After what felt like forever for young Emily, the plane pulls away from the gate and starts taxiing towards the runway. As the plane’s engines speed up and the plane prepares for its turn on the runway, Emily feels overwhelmed by the noise and uncertainty. Her eyes widen with fear at each new noise to which she anxiously whispers ‘what’s that?’. As the plane accelerates she tightens her grip on Scully’s hand, and also shoots her other hand out to Mulder who readily accepts her little hand, curling his fingers protectively around her delicate little palm and fingers.
“You’re alright Em, we’ve got you. It’ll be loud for a little while, and once we’re up in the sky it’ll all settle down. The scary part will be over soon.” Mulder attempts to reassure her.
“Promise?”
“I promise.” He says as he leans over and scrunches down to press a kiss to her crown.
“Dana?” Emily’s wobbly voice asks.
“He’s right baby. Just keep squeezing my hand.” Scully tells her as she squeezes Emily’s hand lightly and hands her a candy.
As soon as they’re in the air and the pilot turns off the seatbelt sign, Mulder undoes Emily’s seatbelt and Scully pulls up the armrest, and pulls Emily into her lap, wrapping her in her arms.
“You were very brave.” Scully whispers into her ear as she holds Emily tight, and Emily snuggles in against Scully’s chest.
Mulder slides across into Emily’s now empty seat, and runs his fingers along Emily’s arm.
“You handled that like a champ.” He says with a kind smile, watching as her face relaxes in the safety of her mother’s arms.
“Was a bit scary.” Emily whispers.
“I know.” Scully tells her. “The hard part is over now. We’ll be like this for a few hours, and then the landing might get a little noisy and bumpy, but you’ll be a pro at flying by then.”
“How about a story while you snuggle with Dana?” Mulder asks as he pulls out Emily’s backpack that they’ve slid under the seat in front.
Emily sleeps for most of the flight, but enjoys some cuddles with both Scully and Mulder, as well as a stint of colouring from her own seat. She lets out a little squeak as the wheels bump onto the tarmac, but Scully is quick to reassure her.
“It’s okay baby, we’re okay. That’s normal.” She soothes, and pulls Emily towards her. “You’ll have to stay in your seatbelt a little longer, but you’re okay.”
“That’s all the hard stuff over, Em.” Mulder adds. “The plane is going to put the brakes on and slow us down, and then we’ll make our way to the gate - the big plane parking spot. It won’t be long until we get off.”
Emily lets out a big sigh. “Is this DC now?”
“It is. We’ll be home soon.”
Emily finds it difficult to keep still while they wait for the seatbelt sign to turn off, but eventually it’s time for them to leave their row. She happily grabs Scully’s hand to follow her down the aisle, and Mulder takes up the rear, nodding to the people behind them.
As they leave the walkway and walk into the gate of the busy airport, Scully hears someone calling her name.
“Dana!” She hears her mom’s voice, and looks round to find her. Her mom is standing there with a big smile, and a handmade sign with Emily’s name written in bright colours. “Emily! Fox!”
“That’s our names!” Emily says pulling on Scully’s hand.
“That’s right. Look who’s over there.” Scully says pointing out Maggie to her.
“Your mommy! Grandma Maggie!”
“Let’s go say hi, huh?” Mulder ruffles Emily hair. “She’s got a sign with your name on it, Em!”
As they get closer towards Maggie, Scully let’s go of Emily’s hand, and Emily weaves through the thinning crowds dashing towards her.
“I’m here!” Emily announces excitedly as she stands in front of Maggie.
“You are!” Maggie says as she crouches to wrap her granddaughter in a hug. “I’m very happy you’re here.”
“That’s my name. Fox said it’s my name.” Emily points at Maggie’s sign.
“That’s right. I had to make sure people knew who I was here to see.”
“We were on a plane! Look!” Emily points towards the large windows, even though she’s actually pointing at a different plane to the one they’d just disembarked from.
“Isn’t that exciting? Your very first plane ride. What did you think?”
“Okay.” Emily shrug. “Not some parts. But Dana and Fox held my hands. We’re safe.”
“That you are.” Maggie nods, and then smiles at her daughter, and nods at Mulder who have caught up to her.
“Hi mom,” Scully says as she wraps her mother in a hug.
“Hi Maggie, thanks for meeting us.” Mulder says sincerely.
“You’re welcome Fox. I hear you helped keep the little brave one safe.”
“Something like that.” He chuckles.
“Thanks Mom, you really didn’t have to come get us. We could have made our own way back.”
“Dana, don’t be silly. I didn’t want my grand baby’s first ride home to be in the back of a taxi. Giving you all a ride, and helping you get settled in is my pleasure.”
“Thank you.” Scully hugs her mom again. “It means a lot.”
“It means a lot to me too, my love.” She says squeezing her daughter back.
“Emily, will you walk with me? I want to hear all about the plane ride, and everything you’ve done these last few days. When we get to the car, I’ll show you your very own car seat, just for my car. So we can go on some adventures together.”
“Adventures?” Emily asks curiously as she slips her hand into Maggie’s.
“Oh yes, I’m thinking sometimes we’ll hang out, just the two of us. We’ll go explore as many play parks and swing sets as we can find. Maybe sometimes museums, or the library, or the mall.”
“I like swings!” Emily exclaims excitedly as they start to wander off.
Mulder and Scully follow behind them, and Mulder wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“And just like that, we’re home. She’s going to be fine.” Mulder says, squeezing her shoulder slightly.
“I’m not sure which one of them is more excited.” Scully snickers.
“Your mom’s really going to enjoy having a little shadow, isn’t she?”
“I think so. She’s already told me about plans for them to bake together.”
“I will happily volunteer as chief taste tester.”
“I expect that title will go to Emily, but maybe she’ll let you be her deputy.” Scully giggles.
“I think I can live with that.” Mulder says and presses a kiss to Scully’s hair. “Next stop, home.”
Chapter 24: Welcome Home
Summary:
Emily gets introduced to her new home in DC.
Notes:
Hola! It's been a minute but I've been away with work in Spain. Now I'm back home in chilly England, I hope you're ready to check in on our favourite little family. Who's ready for our little Emmy-Roo to get a tour of Scully (and now Mulder and Emily's) apartment?
Chapter Text
Maggie drives them all back to Scully’s Georgetown apartment. Fox, with his long legs joins her up front, and to Emily’s delight, Scully joins her in the back, where Emily is tucked safely into her new black and purple car seat. The three adults point out key landmarks on their way through the urban sprawl, and Emily enjoys looking out her window at all the new unfamiliar sights.
“Dana, we here?” Emily asks once Maggie parks the car, and Mulder opens his car door.
“Yeah, we’re here sweetie.” Scully tells her as she unbuckles Emily.
Having unloaded half of their luggage, they decide to head on up, and Emily looks up at the apartment building with wide eyes.
“You okay, Emily?” Scully asks her, intrigued by Emily’s stance.
“This where you live, Dana?”
“Yeah, it is. It’s where you live now too, remember.”
“With Dana and Fox.” Emily nods.
“That’s right. Shall we go look inside? See if we can find your room?” Scully asks her and stretches out her hand towards Emily.
“‘kay.”
As Scully turns the key in her door, she runs her other hand over Emily’s hair.
“Welcome home baby.”
They file into the apartment, and while Mulder and Maggie set down the bags they’d bought up, Emily stands a few feet into the apartment, turning in circles like she doesn’t know where to start, or where to look first.
“You made us a sign, Mom?” Scully asks, seeing the ‘welcome home’ banner.
“Yeah, I wanted to mark the occasion.” Maggie says smiling widely at her daughter. “I also took the liberty of getting in some groceries for you. So your fridge and cupboards should be well stocked.”
“Mom, you didn’t have to.” Scully shakes her head.
“That’s very generous, thank you Maggie.” Mulder says.
“You’re welcome. I know I didn’t have to Dana, I wanted to. I wanted to make it easier for you all to settle in and transition into your new setup. This way you don’t need to rush out just so you can have the basics.”
“Thank you.” Scully gives her mom a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek to show her gratitude.
“Alright, Little Emmy-Roo, how about a tour?” Mulder asks Emily who has barely moved from her spot by the door.
“Okay.”
“Great, what do you want to see first, little one?”
Emily looks around, weighing up her options and then wrinkles her nose as she shuffles her feet from side to side.
“Maybe uh…bathroom?”
“You sure?” He asks her thinking it’s an odd place to start, and then with the way she nods her gets it.
“Alright, we’ll start the tour with a quick bathroom visit first.”
After doing her business, but before washing her hands, Emily gets distracted with her blue eyes exploring the new space, but before she can go explore the bath toys she’s spotted, Mulder scoops her up.
“No so fast, we wash our hands first, remember?”
“Ooops.” She giggles as he runs the water for her.
“Now you can you look around.” He smiles at her as he finishes towelling her hands dry.
“Bath toys!” She cheers, as she inspects the net of plastic sea animals. “There’s a whale, Fox!”
“Is there? My, let’s hope he gets along with your little duckies. We might never get you out of the bath now.” He chuckles.
They open the door to find Maggie and Scully waiting for them in the hallway.
“Dana! Did you know there’s whales to go with with my ducks!”
“Whales, wow!”
“Lots of animals. The water kind.” Emily tells her.
“Ah, water animals for the bath. That makes a lot of sense.”
“Trust you to find the logic in the bath toys, Scully.” Mulder chuckles.
“Speaking of logic, let’s go back to the the way in and work our way through, hmm?”
Mulder steers Emily back towards the front door.
“Okay, so you’ve got the front door, and then this is the living room.” Mulder announces. “Go look around, see what you can find.”
Scully watches her daughter for a moment, but seeing that she seems unsettled Scully approaches her and reaches out her hand.
“Shall we explore together? It’s changed a bit since I was last here.”
Emily slips her hand into the comfort of Scully’s outstretched hand.
“It’s hard to know where to start, huh?” Scully guesses and Emily nods. “Let’s start with the desk, I think there are some things for you there.” Scully leads Emily towards the desk. “Can you see? Do you want to hop up on the chair?”
Emily shakes her head just ever so slightly and then tilts her head up to look at Scully with those big blue eyes, and what she can only describe as Mulder’s puppy dog pout. It’s quite possibly even more endearing seeing it on their daughter.
“Come here baby.” Scully says and she scoops her up and sets her on her hip. “You’re okay. I know it’s new and different, but this is your home now too. Our home. Hopefully you’ll feel comfortable to explore it and run about soon, hmm.” Scully whispers to her stroking her back soothingly.
“Let’s see what’s over here.” Scully pulls over a stack of colouring books and a tub full of colouring pens, pencils and crayons.
“Colours!” Emily murmurs against Scully.
“Yeah, do you think they’re for me, or you?”
“Me!” Emily giggles. “We can share maybe?”
“Hmm, that’s nice.” Scully says holding Emily close and briefly tilting her head to lean against Emily’s.
Scully then moves further in the sitting area, Emily still wrapping her arms around Scully’s neck like a koala.
“Have a look around, tell me what you see.” Scully prompts.
“Sofa, table, tv, books.”
“Lots of books. Some of my books, some are Fox’s and some are…”
“Emily’s?” She guesses.
“Uh huh. Look at this, your very own shelf.” Scully points out the lowest shelf with some books just for Emily.
“I like books.”
“Me too.” Scully smiles.
“Are there cartoons?” Emily asks quietly.
“There’ll be cartoons on the tv sometimes. I don’t think I have any on video, but I think we could go and choose some together if you like?”
“I may have some Tom and Jerry somewhere.” Mulder chips in.
“You have cartoons, Mulder?” Scully raises an eyebrow a teasing mirth settling across her face.
“Just the classics.” He smirks. “But I’m going to guess what Little Em really wants to know is if we have any Winnie the Pooh, right?”
“Pwease?” Emily asks.
“It’ll be top of the list sweetie. If you think of any others, let us know and we’ll add them to the list before we go.”
“I bet she’s got a list for everything.” Mulder winks at Emily.
Scully rolls her eyes at him.
“What’s that?” Emily gestures towards a wicker basket in the corner.
“I’m not sure.” Scully says.
“Go have a look Em, it’s just for you.” Mulder grins and once Scully sets her on the floor she cautiously moves towards the large basket and lifts the lid.
“Toys!” Emily grins.
“Yes ma’am!” Mulder nods. “Though I’m hoping we can build things with the Duplo together. If you’d like?” He asks.
“Yeah, together!” She cheers and then barrels into his legs. “Thank you.“ She says softly and he ruffles her hair.
“Ready for the next stop? The kitchen?”
“Snacks?” Emily asks with an impish grin.
“I like the way you think, girl. High five?” He holds his hand out waiting for Emily to meet his hand with hers which she does. “Here, let’s go investigate what snacks Grandma Maggie bought. What kind of snack are you thinking you want?”
Emily shrugs and follows him to the kitchen.
“Okay, so we’ve got the fridge but I think you might need to grow a bit before you can get there by your self.” Emily stands on her tippy toes trying to show she can be taller. “Nice try kid. How about until you grow taller - if you want something from the fridge you ask a grown up?”
Emily nods in agreement.
“There is something you can reach though. remember we said there’d be a special cupboard for you?”
“Emmy’s cupboard.” She says cheerfully while bouncing all the balls of her feet. Another Mulder-like action Scully notices as they share a look with each other. They’ve not really heard Emily refer to herself much, and they don’t think she’d called herself Emmy, not as far as they knew. Just Mulder’s occasional Emmy-Roo. Scully wonders whether it came from that, or if perhaps it was a nickname used by her parents. She doesn’t want to bring the mood down by asking just now, as Emily’s comfort and happiness level have definitely been increasing, so for now she files the observation away for later and hopes Mulder will do the same.
“That’s right. Emmy’s cupboard.” Scully says, acknowledging both the name, and that she was correct. Scully reverently rubs her hand over Emily’s auburn hair which is starting to grow out a bit while Mulder shows them which cupboard belongs to Emily.
“This is your cupboard, Em. Have at it. What’s in there?”
“Oooooohhh,” they hear as she kneels and peeks at the contents of the cupboard. Brightly coloured and patterned little cups, a sippie cup and a tumbler with a lid and straw, along with scaled down and fun bowls and plates.
“Kids get all the fun stuff. I might have to start using Em’s bowls to make breakfast more fun.” Mulder pouts.
“You’ll need like three or four bowls full, Mulder. I really think you should stick to full sized ones.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” He teases.
“Goldfish!” Emily excitedly claims. “Fox look!” Emily turns to show him a tiny ziplock bag pre-portioned out in to pre-schooler friendly sized portions.
“Wow, would you look at that.” Mulder marvels to Emily overemphasising his expression.
“That’s really clever, Mom.” Scully tells her mother.
“Well, you learn a thing or two after bringing up four kids. And…” Maggie lowers her voice. “when I told some of the ladies at church that you were adopting, they shared some tips too. Apparently, sometimes kids that have been in care get anxious about food availability. I know she’s not like some of the kids they talked about, but I thought it was a good idea anyway.” Maggie shrugs.
“Yeah, I don’t think she’s had any problems with food.”
“Having pre-proportioned snacks makes your life a little easier, and having a couple of options she can grab might help her independence. There’s just a few little things down there, so you can replenish when you think it’s time. And if it doesn’t work out, then that’s okay too.”
Scully turns back to see Emily with a mouth full of goldfish crackers, while placing a couple in Mulder’s hands, and can’t help but smile. Scully herself turns to the fruit bowl and picks up a satsuma, she makes quick work of peeling the fruit, and begins separating the segments and eating them while they wait for Emily to finish her goldfish crackers.
“What’s that?” Emily asks after handing Mulder the empty bag and wiping off the dust on her thighs.
“A satsuma, it’s like a small orange. Do you want some?”
Emily twists her lips, looking thoughtful and then nods. Scully pulls apart a segment and hands it to her. Emily holds it in her hand, running her fingers over the squishy piece of fruit.
“As you bite into it, you get the juicy part. It’s yummy.” Scully smiles at her.
Emily digs her front teeth into the fruit, and happily sucks away at the juice insides, humming slightly.
“Good huh?” Scully checks and Emily nods. “You can eat it all.”
Emily bites off a small piece and then pulls a funny face. She goes back to the rest of the piece she’s still holding, licks the middle, and then the outside. She then returns to the juicy middle nibbling, and sucking away at the fleshy part, but avoiding the outer part and the pith.
“Inside is yummy. Not outside.” Emily frowns.
“Ah, that’s okay. I don’t like the texture of the outside very much either.” Mulder tells her. “Here, let’s put that in the trash can, and maybe then wash your hands.”
“Then more exploring?” Emily asks.
“That’s right.” Mulder lifts Emily so that she can wash her hands, and then returns her to the floor.
“I’m ready.” Emily announces and she sucks in a deep breath.
“Of course. So, obviously there’s a table. Maybe we’ll use the table for puzzles and other activities - not just food. And then just over there, that’s the laundry, but that’s boring.” Mulder smiles.
“Next room?” Emily asks.
“We’ve already seen the bathroom, so I guess that just leaves the bedrooms.”
“And the fishies?”
“Yeah, let’s look at the fish now, then.” He guides her towards the start of the hallway where the fishtank resides.
“Hi fishies.” Emily greets Mulder’s fish as she peers into the fish tank. “Blub blub.” She says and then opens and closes her mouth making what Mulder supposes must be what she imagines the fish do, and the noises they make. Originally, he’d got the fish so that he didn’t totally come home to an empty apartment, and over time he came to find their presence, and the background noise of the filter reassuring. However, he’s never loved having fish so much as watching his young daughter trying to make friends with them.
“You know, I bet they’ll really like you if you help me feed them later.”
“Okay, I’ll help.” Emily eagerly agrees.
“Excellent. Alright, Dana? Next stop is the bedrooms. You want to take the lead?”
Scully guides Emily down the hallway, reminding her of the bathroom’s location as they pass it again.
“And this door leads to your room, but we’ll leave the best til last.” Scully smiles figuring there’s a good chance that there’ll be so much for her to see, explore and play with that it’ll be hard to get her out of her room for a while. “So we’ll see my room first. Well, our room.” Scully says meeting Mulder’s eyes with a tender smile.
She pushes the door open and leads Emily inside.
“Hey that’s me!” Emily exclaims spotting a picture of herself on the dresser, and moving towards us. “Look Dana, That’s us!” Emily points out another picture.
“So it is. I wonder how they got here.” Scully says curious, although she has her suspicions.
“Guilty.” Mulder sheepishly admits. “But Maggie helped.”
“We thought you might like a couple of pictures.” Maggie adds.
“Oh, I do.” Scully’s touched by the thought, but at the same time…”I’m just not too sure how I feel about you two scheming.” She smirks.
“Need one of me and Fox.” Emily says decisively looking up at Fox.
“Go look on the nightstand.” He tells her softly.
Emily runs over and grins. “It’s me and you!”
“Sure is!”
“Then we just need one of all of us together.”
“I think we can convince Dana of that.” Mulder ruffles Emily’s hair.
Emily does a lap of their room and is intrigued by all of Scully’s suits and shoes in her walk in closet.
“Fancy shoes!”
Then she turns around and moves towards the door.
“My room now?” Emily asks looking at the adults expectantly.
“Yeah, we can go look.” Scully tells her.
“Emmy’s room, Emmy’s room!” She cheers as she runs towards the door Scully had pointed out earlier.
“Go on, you can open it.” Scully encourages her.
Despite having seen pictures to try and prepare her, Emily is still in awe as she steps into the room - her room. Her little mouth gapes open and her blue eyes have never been quite so wide.
“Do you think she likes it?” Mulder nervously asked glancing between Scully and her mom as they watch Emily cast her eyes over the room.
“I think so. Give her a minute.” Scully murmurs, her eyes never leaving Emily, watching the slow absorption of everything.
“TIGGER!!” Emily says and runs towards the bed scrambling up and bringing the stuffed Tigger into her arms.
“My bed. My tigger.” She giggles.
“All yours, baby girl.”
“It’s my favourite.” She murmurs. And then she starts pointing out and naming the characters printed on her bedding.
“Does this mean you like your new room, Emily?” Maggie asks with a knowing smile.
“Lots!” She nods emphatically still hugging her Tigger tightly.
“Oh I’m so glad sweetheart. I had a lot of fun putting it together for you.” Maggie tells her earnestly and Emily beams up at her.
“You did great Mom,” Scully tells her, voice thick with emotions as tears prick at her eyes.
“I just wanted her to feel comfortable here, and to show her she’s wanted.”
“So much.” Scully nods as she bites her lip.
“Here, let me show where I put her clothes.” Maggie says leading Scully towards the chest of drawers.
Mulder joins Emily on the bed, and she grins up at him, Tigger still clutched tightly to her chest.
“Cool room, huh?”
“Uh huh.” Emily nods.
“It’s more than just your bed, you know. Why don’t you go see what else you notice. Come and tell me about all the fun things you find.” He coaxes her into exploring her room a little more. She nods slowly and looks thoughtful, before sliding her way off the bed, Tigger clutched tightly in one of her hands.
“Hello Pooh.” He hears her greet the bear sitting at her little activity table. She picks her bear up, Tigger and Pooh in each hand, and then she sits in the little Emily sized chair. She whispers to the toys on her lap and decides this will be a good place to play and colour.
“Fox!” She exclaims as she runs back towards Mulder who has stayed sitting on the bed. “Look, Tigger and Pooh!”
“Oh wow, lucky girl. It’s like the Hundred Acre Woods in here!”
“Yeah! Here, you look after Pooh bear.” She thrusts Winnie the Pooh at Mulder. A moment later Scully turns and catches her FBI partner of five years, with a relentless need to go in search of the truth and bring down government conspiracies and prove that aliens exist, happily holding a big yellow bear with a red t-shirt, and a silly dopey grin on his face, like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be right this moment. Given all the times she’s seen him itching to be anywhere else than where they were mandated to be, she thinks it’s rather refreshing, and the fact that the place he seems so happy being is their daughters room, in her…their apartment, well, she feels herself fall even more in love with him.
“Dana, what’s this?” She hears Emily ask, as Emily leans against her leg.
“This, Em, is where all your clothes and things will live.” She tells her as they stand in front of the dresser and closet.
“There’s not a lot just yet,” Maggie explains, “because we thought that maybe you might like to choose some things. After all, it’s not going to be me, Dana or Fox wearing these. I’m not sure this will fit me, do you?” Maggie asks, holding up toddler sized sweatshirt, and Emily giggles.
“That’s too small.” Emily says between her giggles.
Maggie and Scully show her how there’s drawers only partially filled with pants, tops, sweatshirts and underwear, and that the closet only has a couple of items hanging up, and a couple of folded items on the shelf above it.
“Now, I’ve made sure there’s a winter jacket, and some pants that should be okay in the snow, but Dana, they are predicting a cold snap soon, so you probably want to take her to get some snow boots. I didn’t know what shoe size to get.”
“I guess we’ll be going shopping tomorrow then.” Scully muses.
“Oooo.” Emily marvels.
“Hey, Em, don’t forget to look in the toy chest, or the bookshelf.” Mulder encourages her to continue exploring her room.
Emily moves towards the toy chest, and opens the lid, grinning as she sees all the different toys to play with. She then leaves the chest open, and zips over towards the book shelf.
“Oh, I like that one!” She murmurs as she looks as several of the books, picking one of them off the shelf. She then looks more slowly at some of the other book covers, and then returns to Mulder with a stack of four picture books.
“Four books?” Mulder acts surprised that she would dare to bring him four books.
“Uh huh.” Emily says.
“Well these must all be extra cool.”
“This one is very good.” She points out a book she’s clearly already familiar with.
“What about the other three? Have you read them before?”
“Nope. Story time please?”
“Hop on up here, and choose one and I’ll read it now. We’ll read more later, okay?”
She pushes Tigger up next to Mulder and then scrambles up to join him. She brings Tigger back into her arms and she cosies up into Mulder’s side having selected a new book she wants him to read.
Maggie and Scully lean against the chest of drawers as they watch Mulder read to Emily. They see her looking all relaxed and comfortable, as her eyes start to drift close, and her thumb sneaks into her mouth. Before Mulder even finishes the book, she’s out like a light.
“Maybe I should leave you to it now? Unless you’d like me to make you dinner?” Maggie asks, looking towards the door, not wanting to impose on her daughter’s new family.
“We were actually thinking of getting a celebratory pizza.” Mulder tells her with a small smile. “Emily here” he tenderly caresses the napping child’s upper arm “enjoys pizza, and chicken nuggets the most.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay and join us Mom.” Scully tells her.
“Only if you’re sure I’m not going to be getting in the way.”
“You won’t be.” Scully smiles at her mother, and then looks at Emily, who is now napping with her head in Mulder’s lap. “I think I want to make a start on unpacking though.”
“Oh no, I’d offer to help, but there’s a child sleeping on me.” Mulder grins at Scully and she rolls her eyes.
“Well if you can bare to be apart from her and move her, you know what I’ll be doing.” Scully shakes her head at just how smitten he is with their daughter (and she doesn’t blame him) as she leaves the room, and her mom follows her.
Chapter 25
Summary:
Emily's first night in DC - cute post-bath time moments with Scully as she gets her ready for bed. Mulder and Scully enjoy spending time together on Scully's couch, but also touch on just how much everything has changed and how not all that long ago, neither of them thought she'd still be here.
And then, early morning snuggles lead to Emily giving Scully a new name of sorts.
Notes:
I think you'll enjoy this one. While Mulder and Scully do reference the cancer arc, it's mostly a few little fluffy scenes pulled together for their first night back in DC together.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After they celebrate their first day at home as a family of three, Emily is cleaned free from the stringy cheese and tomato that has covered her face and chest, and then enjoys a bubble bath, complete with both some of the rubber duckies, and the new bath toys including a whale, a turtle and a dolphin. Emily happily chatters away to Scully, narrating the adventures of her bath toys.
“Oh, that bubble bath makes you smell so good.” Scully tells Emily as she pulls her out of the draining bath and wraps her into the radiator-warmed tiger towel.
“Rawr.” Emily flexes her fingers, showing off her claws as Scully rubs her hair through the hood.
“Oh, I love your tiger roars. I think they’re my favourite.” Scully tells her, and Emily beams.
“Rawr.” Emily roars cutely and snuggles into Scully’s side as she lifts her onto her hip.
“Yeah, just like that.” Scully kisses her forehead. “Let’s go get you ready for bed, hmm?”
“Blue ones?” Emily asks.
“Your blue pyjamas?”
“Yeah.”
“We can do that.” Scully tells her as she places Emily on her bed, while she then goes to the dressers to find the blue pjs Emily has requested.
Scully dresses Emily, and then combs her damp hair.
“Hey, I have a question for you.” Scully starts, trying to keep it casual. “You like the name ‘Emmy’?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that something your Mommy and Daddy used to call you?”
“Mommy did sometimes.” Emily says quietly. “And Fox kinda!” She says that with more enthusiasm.
“Do you like that?”
“Yeah. Emmy-Roo.” She giggles softly.
“And what about Emmy?” Scully asks softly, as she plays with Emily’s hair. “Would you like us to use that sometimes?”
Emily shrugs. “Yeah.”
“Okay. I like it.” Scully tells her.
“Mommy said she liked it best ‘cause it was my name.” Emily tries to explain, though Scully isn’t quite sure exactly what Emily is trying to say.
“Your name?” Scully questions gently, just a faint trace of confusion in her voice.
“Emily was too hard when I was a baby.” Emily explains as if it’s totally obvious.
“Ah…you think she was saying that when you were a baby you couldn’t say ‘Emily’ so you called yourself ‘Emmy’?” Scully asks and she feels like she’s putting together puzzle pieces of her daughter’s story and origins, and it warms her heart.
“Uh huh. That!”
“Oh, I definitely think we should call you Emmy then sometimes, don’t you? I reckon you were a clever little thing.” Scully presses a kiss to Emily’s forehead.
“Maybe.” Emily shrugs.
“Alright, go chose a book, Em. I’ll go tell Fox it’s story time.”
“One for Fox, and one for Dana?” Emily looks up at Scully with big blue eyes in a look that Scully knows for a fact is a classic Mulder look.
“Hmm.” Scully thinks for a moment. “I think for your first night here, with all these new books to choose from we can both read you a book. Choose your books - two books, and then it’s time to get all comfy and cozy.”
Once she’s dry and ready for bed, both Mulder and Scully get in on bedtime duty, tucking her in safe and cozy with her whale, Sly the fox, Tigger and Pooh Bear all in the bed with her. They each read a story to her, and slowly her eyes drift close.
Mulder and Scully relocate to the couch, where they’ve spent plenty of time together before, but not like this. They find themselves sitting even closer than before, sneaking looks and kisses and dopey smiles at each other.
“Happy?” Mulder asks as he takes in one of Scully’s widest smiles. It’s another one of those bordering on giddy smiles.
“So happy.” She sighs as she leans against him. “I keep thinking how quickly everything has changed, and I’m just really happy and grateful Mulder.”
“Kind of crazy, huh? You went to San Diego for Christmas, and you came back weeks later than planned, with a daughter.”
“And you.” She reminds him.
“I was always here.”
“Not quite like this though.”
“So you came back to DC with a whole new family.” He summarises with a soft lilt.
“Yeah, I did.” She grins at him. “I never thought I would get this Mulder. Not with everything that happened this past year. Just a few months ago, you were sneaking into my hospital room, and we never really said it, but I knew you were there, that you cared, but for a while neither of us thought I’d make it home.” Mulder’s look is a little sad, sympathetic, as he too remembers that time, and then a smile bursts across his face as he chooses not to dwell on it (oh, he absolutely could, but it would hurt far too much to dwell on those moments of desperation and despair).
“And now look at you.”
“Yeah.” She lets out a breathy laugh. “Just in case I didn’t say it before - thank you.”
“What for?”
“For staying by my side, through everything. You didn’t have to, but I know that when you weren’t working, you were practically living at the hospital too.”
“I couldn’t…if time was running out, I needed to be there.” He says, voice thick with emotions. “I was scared. No-one understands me like you do Scully. I…I was dealing with that, and the Smoking Man toying with me too, but…” He shrugs. “Hearing that the implant saved you, that you were in remission, that was the best day of my life.” He rests his head against hers, squeezing her arm slightly, and she thinks she can feel him smile against her.
“Still the best day?” She asks, wondering if anything from the last few weeks has changed that.
“Hmm. There have been some real contenders, it’s definitely top five for sure though.”
“Who’d have thought? Fox Mulder, the sentimental family man?” She muses with a smile as she runs her fingers over his forearms in unintelligible patterns.
“I contain multitudes. Truth searcher, bringing down conspiracies and shadow governments, uncovering the extraterrestrial, and now wrapped around the finger of a tiny girl.”
At that point, they hear a door creaking, and a pair of tiny feet padding out into the hall.
“Speaking of…”
“Dana? Fox?” Come the confused whimpers.
“We’re here sweetie.” Scully calls back to her, as she extricates herself from Mulder’s arms and the comfort of the couch.
“Dana?” Emily whimpers again, growing slightly closer along the nightlight lit hallway.
“Hey baby.” Scully greets her as they meet by the fish tank. “Did you wake up already, huh?” Scully asks as she lifts a pyjama clad Emily into her arms.
“Yeah. Dana…” Emily sleepily burrows her head into Scully’s neck. “Didn’t know where you were.”
“We were right here, on the couch. See, there’s Fox.” Scully moves towards the couch so that Emily can see him.
“Hi Fox.” Emily gives him a sleepy wave.
“Hi little one. You doing okay?”
“Yeah.” She sighs into Scully’s neck, and plays with Scully’s hair.
“Let’s get you back to bed, sleepy one. Tuck you in nice and cosy.” Scully tells Emily, rubbing soothing large circles on her back.
“And Fox?” Emily mumbles.
“Yeah, Fox will tuck you in too.” Scully tells her, and then looks at Mulder, as if to tell him he hasn’t got a choice in the matter.
In the early hours of the morning Emily hears movement after Mulder uses the bathroom. She slowly pushes open their bedroom door, and just as Mulder’s getting comfortable he spots her approaching his side of the bed.
“Hey little Em, looking for us again?” He asks quietly and she shrugs.
“Still night time.” Emily sighs.
“Yeah, it’s still night time. Still got a couple of hours to sleep.”
“Snuggle?” She asks, placing her chin on the side of the bed and looking up at Mulder with her big pouty eyes - even if he can’t see all that well in the dark.
“Yeah, we can snuggle and snooze. Come on Emmy-Roo.” He pulls back the edge of the covers and she scrambles up with her stuffed whale. He pulls her over his chest, to place her in between him and Scully, and Scully rolls towards them, half asleep.
“Love you Emmy baby.” Scully mumbles, placing a soft open hand on Emily’s side.
“Love you Mommy Dana.” Emily replies and then snuggles up to Scully.
Scully was half asleep, eyes mostly closed, and then all of a sudden her eyes fly open and she looks over her daughter towards Mulder.
“Did she?” Scully whispers and she stares at Mulder in the dark.
“Yeah.” He agrees, and they both turn to look down at their daughter who is now drifting back to sleep, secure between her two favourite adults.
It might not be a full ‘Mommy’ yet, but it’s a stepping stone, and it feels like a rather large, monumental one.
Mulder shuffles closer towards Emily and Scully and then whispers Emily’s words back to Scully. “Love you Mommy Dana Scully.” He reaches out and lays his hand over hers, squeezing hers lightly three times.
Notes:
What do we think about "Mommy Dana"? Rushing straight into using "Mommy" felt a bit much, but at the same time, I wanted to be clear that Emily absolutely sees Scully (and Fox) as being her caregivers.
Chapter 26: New Shoes and Cartoons
Summary:
Mulder and Scully take Emily on a shopping trip, primarily for shoes and cartoons. So much fluff and cuteness ensues.
Notes:
I had so much fun writing this chapter! It just came so easily, and I really wanted to keep things fun. I think it's pretty damn sweet (hopefully not tooth-rotingly so but...)
Expect girl-dad Mulder being totally enamoured by his little girl, lots of giggles, pre-schooler wishes, cartoon references, and some sappy emotional moments (maybe a new name from a certain little one..). 🥰
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“It’s collllddd.” Emily announces as they walk into the mall.
“Compared to San Diego, it is.” Mulder agrees as he pulls open the door for Emily and Scully to walk through.
“That’s why we wear layers, and a big winter jacket, Em.” Scully tells her. “And that’s why we’re going to find you some nice warm boots.”
“So I can have warm feets?”
“Yes, cosy warm feet and toes. It’s supposed to get a little colder and might snow soon.”
“Snow?!” Emily gasps.
“Yeah snow. I guess it doesn’t snow much in California. Have you seen snow before?” Mulder asks her.
“On tv?” Emily checks. She’s seen snow on tv before, of course.
“Not quite what I was thinking. Maybe you’ll see real snow this year.”
“Make snowmen?”
“Yeah, if it snows enough, we can try and make a snowman if you want.” Mulder tells her as Scully looks over the mall directory and plans out which shops to target. She’s familiar with a few of them having picked out presents for friends' children, but she’s never needed to be quite so familiar with them to be buying full outfits, including shoes - the whole nine yards.
They get Emily’s feet measured, and it turns out she measures up half a size bigger than the sneakers that she’s already wearing. Mulder teases Emily about growing too fast, and needing to slow down, but then she’s showing him all the shoes she’d like for all her many reasons and he half wonders to Scully if she can just try everything in her size.
“Mulder, we will absolutely not be doing that. Do you know how fast children can grow? Not to mention the expense or how unnecessary it is for a kid to have that many pairs of shoes to tear around in and scuff up.” Scully rolls her eyes as Mulder just looks at Emily admiring a set of light up sneakers as if it’s the most precious thing he’s ever seen. “So we need to leave the mall with a pair of appropriate boots for the upcoming weather, but I guess we could also consider a regular pair of boots that she could wear with skirts or dresses, and perhaps another pair of sneakers. No doubt we’ll be back again in Spring or Summer for something different.”
Emily tries on a couple of shoes in each variety, but they come away with the pair of light up sneakers she’d been so enamoured by (“Look Fox!” she’d cheered as she stamped her feet), a pair of black ankle boots, and a set of warm winter boots in pink and purple that would keep her feet warm and dry in the event of rain or snow.
They’re in and out of department stores and children’s shops, each shop resulting in Mulder carrying yet another bag, or squeezing bags inside of bags. He wonders if Emily will be the coolest, trendiest kid, or if this is just what it’s like shopping for kids these days. Mulder’s stomach rumbles, and he checks the time, thinking it must be time for a break soon.
“Fox!” Emily giggles.
“What?” He feigns innocence.
“I heard your tummy!” She giggles some more.
“Ooops, guess it’s hungry.” He shrugs.
“My tummy is a little hungry too!”
“What do you say Dana? Want to grab some lunch?”
Scully checks her watch, not realising how late it was and nods. “Yeah, good idea.”
They soon find themselves in a food court, Scully tucks into a salad, and steals a couple of Mulder’s fries when she thinks he’s too absorbed in his double cheeseburger. He sees every fry disappearing though, and lets her take as many fries as she wants. Emily munches on a Happy Meal with her beloved chicken nuggets and fries, and is more enamoured by the Pegasus pictures on the cardboard box, then she is whatever free plastic toy has been included.
“So Em, all these new clothes, how will you choose what to wear tomorrow?” Mulder asks her.
“I know…” Emily sighs. “Maybe the green skirt, or the purple dress? Orrr the flower jeans?”
“Tough choice, huh?”
“Hmm.” She agrees, and then gets distracted by her box.
“Maybe we should try and watch Hercules, huh?” Scully asks, noticing the way Emily’s attention has been captured by the colourful box.
“Yeah. Pretty dress. And Pegasus.”
“You like the Pegasus?”
“Yeah, you ever see one?” Emily asks Scully.
“No sweetie, I’ve never seen a Pegasus. I think that’s just from stories like this. I’ve seen a horse though, but never with wings.”
“Never say never.” Mulder whispers and she mock glares at him.
“I want to ride a pony with wings.” Emily tells them.
“That would be very cool.” Mulder agrees. “But I haven’t seen one of those either.”
“Oh.” Emily frowns.
After they finish their meal, they decide they’ll head to one more shop and then head home.
“Alright Em, what are your favourite cartoons or shows?” Scully asks Emily as they walk into the video store.
“Winnie the Pooh, Pingu, Barney, ooo Sesame Street! Uh…Toy Story, and the one with animals the monkey say ‘I wanna be like yooo-ooou.’”
“Why do I feel like I’m about to be educated by my kid?” Mulder muses, whispering to Scully with a smile.
“Because you are.” Scully smirks.
“Hey Em? You ever see The Flintstones? The Jetsons? The Muppets? The Wacky Races?”
“Don’t know?” Emily shrugs as they approach a section of children’s videos and her little eyes light up and she reaches out to more closely study all the titles and covers.
“Just because you want to relieve your youth, Mulder?” Scully lightly teases him.
“Hey, no child of mine will be growing up without knowing the classics, Scully. Hana-Barbera and Jim Henson are legends. Hey, did you hear that Henson came up with the idea for that sitcom about dinosaurs? Maybe we should try and catch that some time.”
“Your film knowledge really knows no bounds, huh? It’s not all black and white sci-fi oldies up there?”
“Oh, I’m a real treasure trove of cinema and all things spooky.” He jests. He was tempted to add a ‘baby’ onto the end of his sentence, but he’d rather smirk than wince and cower from what Scully might do if he tries that in the middle of the mall.
“Alright, Emmy, you see some you like?” Scully asks her crouching to Emily’s height.
“Uh huh.” Emily nods giving Scully only a sideways glance.
“Show me? Maybe you can choose a few, and Fox will choose a few?”
“Fox likes cartoons?”
“Of course I do, Em! I’ll show you some really fun ones.”
They take their stack of videos to the cashier, and Emily tugs at Scully’s hand.
“I want to pay!”
“You want to help me pay?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay, let me just put these down first.” Scully sets the video on the cashier’s desk, and then hoists Emily up.
“Oh, hello there. Are these all for you?” The smiling cashier asks Emily.
“Uh huh! Needed cartoons.”
“You’ve got some good choices here. What a lucky girl. You’ve got a very kind Mommy if she’s getting all these for you.”
“Uh huh. Mommy Dana’s a good mommy. But Daddy Fox chose some too. He’s holding my shopping.” Emily grins as she chats away, while Scully pulls out her wallet, tickled by the exchange and touched by the way Emily is talking about her and Mulder.
“Alright, baby, you still want to pay?”
“Yes. Pay for my videos!” Emily chirps proudly.
“Okay, here you go.” Scully counts out the folded notes, and then hands them to Emily who reaches out to pass the money to the cashier.
The cashier then passes a few coins back to Emily which she spills into the open section of Scully’s wallet.
“Enjoy your cartoons, little Miss!”
“Thank you!!” Emily calls and waves as Scully turns away from the cashier, and moves back to Mulder, who is waiting expectantly for them.
“You hear all that?” Scully whispers and she steps beside him.
“I did.” He nods, biting the inside of his lip. He would of course deny it, but she’d swear his eyes seemed glossier than usual.
“You doing okay?” She asks him softly. Emily is holding the plastic bag filled with videos, so Scully reaches her hand out and rubs Mulder’s wrist, as both his hands are full.
“Yeah, great.” He murmurs, nodding towards the exit. “Let’s go home, we’ve got some cartoons to watch.” In just over a month he’s gone from very single and alone, pining over his unattainable off-limits work partner, to ‘Daddy Fox’, living with his apparently actually attainable work partner, who is now pretty much his partner in everything, including love and family, and he’s gained an adorable three year old who he’d do just about anything for. ‘Daddy Fox’ is a family man, still intrigued by the mysteries of the universe, but a little less single minded about it, as his obsession has very much shifted to two Scully women. ‘Daddy Fox’ was loved by ‘Mommy Dana’, and their Little Em - he wasn’t alone, and he got to hear delightful giggles every day. He got to wear bubble bath moustaches, get cuddles from a clean tiger towelled toddler, read bedtime stories, and he didn’t even mind the sleepy snuggles that meant he had to loosen his hold on his Scully. Yeah, Daddy Fox has it pretty good. He won’t even mind watching silly clay animated penguins who can’t actually talk, not when his favourite little person - somehow miraculously half of him - is going to be sitting curled up by his side. And when she later wraps her little arms around his neck, and says “Noot-Noot” against his cheek, he may just think it’s the cutest thing he’s ever heard.
Notes:
So apparently Pingu wasn't ever that big in America (according to Wikipedia)?! You were missing out. For the purposes of this fic, we shall pretend that he did make it there. I think Pingu was one of my first favourite shows. I liked sitting on my little toddler chair, watching my little Pingu videos. I have this little vision of Emily saying 'noot noot' into Mulder like an 'I love you' and it being just the most adorable thing ever especially after calling him 'Daddy Fox' in public and everything.
P.S. Daddy Fox is overwhelmed by cuteness (his Little Em).
Chapter 27
Summary:
Emily's first snow isn't quite as exciting as she was hoping for, but our little trio still have fun together.
Mulder suffers with a run-of-the-mill winter cold (or maybe man flu), and despite feeling terrible, he has a tiny little auburn haired nurse who helps him to feel better.
Light, fluffy and a little comedic.
Notes:
Just some cute seasonal fluff this chapter really, so enjoy these wintery scenes. I think this chapter's got some cute moments, and may make you giggle a bit too. It's a little silly, but I figured Mulder suffering with a cold or man flu could only be a little dramatic. Enjoy!
Chapter Text
Snow does eventually fall but much to a certain three year old’s severe disappointment there is not enough snow to build a snowman.
“Hey little Roo, you need to come eat your breakfast if you want to go play in the snow.” Mulder tries to coax Emily while Scully finishes getting ready.
“I want a snowman.” Emily huffs dramatically.
“I know Em. There’s not really enough for that today though. But we can still go out in the snow. Hey, maybe I can show you how to make a snowball. I reckon we can find enough snow for that. Would you like that?”
“Yeah.” She sighs.
“Some day you’ll see enough snow to make a snowman, and I promise we can build one together then.” Emily nods as she picks up her spoon for her cereal.
Later, once they’re all dressed and ready for the day, Emily is bundled up head to toe, with a matching hat, scarf and mittens. They go for a walk where they all end up with pink cheeks from the cold air and light breeze. It’s no longer snowing, and the roads are already slushy, but there’s enough snow on the path to get a slight crunch, and Emily follows Mulder’s lead skimming her hand along a low wall and grinning at the snow that comes off in her little mittened hand.
To Emily’s delight Mulder shows her how to make snowballs and she then places her smaller snowball of top of one of his larger ones.
“By gum, Em, that might just be the world’s smallest snowman.” He adds two pieces of gravel giving it eyes.
“We did it!” She cheers and leans against his shoulder. “Is cute.” She murmurs as Scully takes a picture of father and daughter all bundled up in their winter coats. Cute indeed.
“Have you ever heard of a snowball fight?” He asks her.
“Don’t like fighting.” Emily frowns.
“It’s not the bad kind of fighting - it’s fun.” He tells her, trying to sound jovial and reassuring.
“Not loud?” She asks and he realises she must be thinking of loud arguments she overheard her parents having.
“No. Here watch.” He scoops up snow and mould into a ball with his gloved hands. “Hey Scully,” he smirks at her.
“Mulder…” She playfully warns him just before a snowball hits her legs.
“You!” She glares at him.
Mulder goes to make another snowball, and she sees Emily copy him. Scully is quick and sneaky though and before he can realise, she’s picked up Emily, complete with a fist full of snow.
“You can’t get me, I’m holding the baby.” Scully protests joyfully when he stands and sees her, pulling his arm back.
He pauses for a second and Scully whispers, “get him Em!”
Emily attempts to throw her snowball at him and it skims his arm. He dusts off the snow with mock shock.
“That’s playing dirty Scully.” He warns.
“No it’s not.” She disagrees with a laugh. “But maybe later…”
Scully returns Emily to the ground, and they each grab another handful of snow, ready to take aim and fire again.
A week or so later...
Mulder groans as he flops down onto the couch and then sniffs and sneezes.
Emily finds him just minutes later as he’s huffing and sniffling (some might say dramatically, but not him).
“You ‘kay, Fox?” Emily asks him gently as she stands by his side, staring down worriedly into his face as he lounges on the sofa. He thinks it must be the gentlest little voice he’s ever heard.
“I’ll be alright, Em. It’s just a cold.”
“You’re sick.” Emily nods sadly.
“Yeah. I’ll be better soon though.”
“I’ll help you.” Emily says and then runs out of his view, leaving him whimpering on the sofa. Somewhere in the background, Scully can be heard doing laundry and tidying up the kitchen, with a brief pause as she talks to Emily, though he can’t quite make out what they’re saying. He jabs a finger towards his ear, rubbing it as if that will help fix the congested feeling in his head.
She returns a short while later, her arms filled with things that she then drops all over his stomach.
“What’ve you got here, Little Em?” He croaks.
“I’ll make you feel better.” She tells him earnestly. She picks up a rectangular package, shaking out several of its contents. “What hurts?” She asks him sweetly.
“My head feels like cotton wool.” He moans.
She softly strokes his forehead and kisses it, as if that’ll help make him feel better, and the realisation that his tiny daughter is trying to nurse him back to health in the only ways she knows how to comfort causes a bubble of proud affection to rise and squeeze around his chest. He thinks he just might be feeling a little bit better already.
“You want Winnie the Pooh, or Sesame Street?” She asks him casually.
“Huh?” Confused, so confused.
“For your bandaid.” She holds out a hand clutching several bandaids, as if it should be totally obvious.
“Oh, those are your special ones though.”
“Uh huh. Do you want both?” She asks him, not seeing what his soft protesting is about.
“You choose.”
“I think…these ones. Tigger, and Elmo.” She chooses her favourites for him, of course.
“Perfect.” He tells her.
“Open, please.” She places the sealed bandaids in his hands for him to help. There’s a part of him that wants to remark at the irony of needing to help open the bandaids that are supposed to make him feel better, but he’s too overcome with love, and pride at his daughter’s compassion and politeness.
With the bandaids open, Emily gets to work, sticking them to his forehead, and then pressing a kiss to the top of the bandaids, just like Scully had done when she’d tripped and grazed her knee the other week.
“Goldfish, or teddy bears?” Emily asks him next, holding up two tiny zip locked pre-measured snack pouches.
“You bought me a snack?” This kid - he’s so lucky that she’s his, he thinks. It’s all rather touching, and a little bit more emotional than he was expecting when he fell onto the couch.
“Uh huh. Mommy Dana says she’ll make you soup later. I’m too little for that.”
“Yeah, I think you are.”
“So we can have crackers now instead. One for you, one for me.” She pushes the teddy grahams into his hand as he’s yet to give her an answer, and she usually favours those orange dusted goldfish for herself anyway.
“So smart.” He murmurs, amused by the way she also benefits from this.
“And…whale or fox? To cuddle?”
“Oh, they’re both pretty special, aren’t they? What do you think?”
“Whale makes me feel good, lots. But baby Sly the fox helped when I was sick.”
“Oh, that’s good. I’m glad he helped you feel better.” Once again feeling touched that his little gift had helped her feel safe in the hospital. Was it the cold making him feel extra sappy? Maybe he should ask Scully if that was a thing later. Or not. No need to make a total fool of himself.
“I think he’ll help you now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She places the beanie baby at the top of his chest. “And he likes it when you stroke him like this.” She shows him the way she runs a finger along the toys head and snout. Mulder does as she suggests and she smiles and nods at him.
“What next?” He asks her.
“Want to watch a show and snuggle? We can use my blanket.”
“If you’ll snuggle with me, yes please.”
Emily crosses the room to look over the video collection they’re slowly building, paying particular attention to the cartoons. She looks back to Mulder thoughtfully, and then picks up a bright blue video case with a cartoon mouse and cat.
“This one.” Emily shows Mulder, and once again he’s endeared by his daughter’s thoughtfulness, and empathy. She’s chosen one of his old videos to watch with him when he’s feeling a bit crummy. He knows he’s biased, but he’s convinced she’s the cutest, loveliest kid to ever exist.
“If you bring me the remote, do you think you can put the video in?” He asks her, not wanting to change positions if he doesn’t have to.
“Yep!”
With the video in, and the remote in Mulder’s hand, Emily clambers up at the end of the sofa, and then squeezes herself in between Mulder and the back of the couch.
“Feel better soon.” She tells him and kisses his cheek just as the opening credits start.
“You’re already helping.” He whispers to her, smoothing a hand over her back. “I love you.”
“Love you too.” She murmurs and he thinks he’s no longer skin and bones, fully human. No, he’s a puddle of emotional goop on Scully’s comfy couch.
Chapter 28: New Routines
Summary:
It had to happen eventually, it's time for Mulder and Scully to go back to work. Of course, they're easing into it with Emily spending the day with Grandma Maggie.
Things have changed, the people returning to the bureau are not the same ones that left before the Holidays, so we've got shifting identities, priorities and new routines to adjust to.
Notes:
Hi all, it's been a week! Busy, tired, compelled to start writing at least two other ideas, and then the most annoying thing - tech issue! My laptop screen is kaput, but thankfully my fics are in the cloud so not quite the disaster it could be! I've managed to hook my laptop up to an external monitor but I guess this means I'm figuring out new routines as well as our fave trio. No more writing/editing in front of the tv from the sofa!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When they first return to work Scully finds herself dealing with significantly more separation anxiety than she’d expected.
“While you get the coffee I might just give mom a quick call.”
“Scully,” he sighs. “We’ve only been here an hour.”
“I know.” Scully says looking down intensely at her folded hands, her thumbs gently smoothing her own skin. “I just…”
“Scully….Dana.” Mulder says gently leaning against the desk.
“Mulder, we’re at work.” She chastises him for calling her Dana. She was Scully at work. Always Scully, only Scully.
“I don’t think it’s Scully that needs reassurance though, is it?” He asks softly. “That’s all Dana.” He leans forward, tucks her hair behind her ears and presses a quick kiss to her temple.
Scully tries to reset her jaw, wanting to show she was strong and determined.
“It’s Dana whose world has just shifted on its axis. She hadn’t had to be Scully since before Christmas. Dana has an adorable, slightly rambunctious, Tigger obsessed daughter now who has very quickly become her top priority above everything else. Scully is still there, a kickass detective-pathologist extraordinaire with a curiosity to find the science behind the unexplained - she wants to make the unexplained the explainable, and probably to disprove her crackpot, but dashing partner wrong. But Dana is a mom now, and Scully isn’t all that she is anymore, is she?”
“I just miss her, and I worry that….”
“Of course you do, so do I. But your mom knows what she’s doing. She had four kids of her own remember?” He prompts with a gentle smile.
“As if I would forget my own childhood.” She rolls her eyes.
“I’m just saying your mom can handle one tiny granddaughter.”
“I know, but I still miss her. I just want to make sure she’s okay, that she knows we’re coming back.” Scully’s eyes fill with tears thinking back to those first days in San Diego. “I don’t want her to think that she’s alone again Fox.” She sighs, and the way she softly uses his first name signals her vulnerability and concern about their daughter and their shifting family life.
“And she won’t. We’ve prepared her for this, we’ve talked about it for days. And she’s with your mom. She’s familiar to her, and there’ll probably just be at the apartment most of the day anyway.”
“Maybe just a quick call.”
Mulder checks his watch and then looks back at Scully with a daring smirk. “Think you can make it to 11? Maybe then you can ask her to bring the Little One by for a lunch time physical check in?” Had Agent Mulder been thinking properly, he should have realised that he needed to dial back family man Fox Mulder’s excitement and the thought of having a little visitor swing by for lunch.
Scully’s eyes widen and she struggles to keep a straight face.
“Oh you devil.” She accuses him. “You were so going to call them on your way for coffee weren’t you?!”
“You can’t prove that, Scully.”
“I don’t need to.” She says defiantly. “Mulder isn’t just a one track minded, obsessive, and impulsive FBI agent is he? Mulder is a Daddy now. A real sappy softie of a dad too.” She goads.
“You know, I think I’ll just get the one coffee now. Scully can get her own coffee.” He says standing up fully and moving towards the door.
“I’m sorry,” she says with a hint of mirth still. “Dana loves how much you love your daughter, but Scully, she might tease you about it occasionally. It’s kind of endearing though.” She admits as the elevator arrives.
“You’re kind of endearing.” he returns as he pulls her into the elevator. “One hour, we can do one hour.”
“Oh it’s on. We’ll see who caves first.” She smirks raising her eyebrow wondering if it’ll actually be him.
“Ugh, Scully how does it take you so long to open the door?”
“Shut up Mulder,” she rolls her eyes at him.
“Grandma Maggie!! They’re here!” They hear a little voice announce excitedly and before the door is even closed behind them, they’ve been tackled by their tiny daughter, one arm wrapped around one of Mulder’s legs, and her other arm wrapped around Scully’s leg.
“Did somebody miss us?” Mulder asks, and glances at Maggie who is watching the small family reunite with fondness in her eyes.
“Don’t work tomorrow.” Emily hugs them tighter.
“Sweetie we missed you a lot too. But I’m going to need you to let go.” Scully encourages her. She wants to give her daughter a proper hug hello, and it would be nice to not have to move as some kind of multi-legged limp like a bizarre twist on a three legged race.
Emily huffs and reluctantly loosens her hold but doesn’t let go completely.
“How about a group cuddle on the sofa, so we can hug you back hmm?” Mulder suggests, “come on miss Emmy-Roo,” Mulder reaches down and grabs Emily, easily lifting her over his shoulder, and Scully follows the eruption of giggles towards the couch, where Emily tries to hug them both at once which proves more challenging than she expected so she becomes rather squirmy frequently shifting positions.
“How was Grandma Maggie today? You keep her in line Little Em?”
“Grandma Maggie was very good. We went to the park, and we fed the ducks!”
“Much more exciting than my day.”
“What did you and Mommy Dana do?” Emily asks, and neither Scully nor Mulder can hide their smiles at the way she’s slipped into this middle ground of using their names but also making it clear that she sees them as her parents, and is using these more and more.
“We talked about missing you a lot.” Scully tells her, tickling the squirmy child.
“And lots of boring paperwork. The swings and ducks would be way more fun.”
They soon fall into a routine, and ease Emily into attending pre-school a few times a week, even if there are a few tears that very first day. A secret pact is made between the two agents to not admit who those tears came from. Emily loves her days with Grandma Maggie, where they’ll often bake, and explore DC’s finest play parks and duck ponds, but she soon settles into a routine and also enjoys making a few new friends her own age who she likes to play with.
Whereas the old Mulder and Scully would frequently be working weekends, and all sorts of unsociable hours, they make every effort to protect the weekends for family time.
Saturday mornings are for cartoons, big pancake or waffle breakfasts, and reading the papers. As Mulder peruses the real estate section one Saturday he gets an idea.
“Hey, Scully - what kind of house would you want?”
“Huh?” She asks him, looking up from the cartoon she’d been watching with Emily.
“I’m just looking through the realtor’s section - what kind of house would you want?”
“Hypothetically? Or Seriously?” Scully asks as she shuffles Emily off her lap, and then crosses back to Mulder at the dining table.
“Either?”
“Outside space - a yard, ideally a porch with a swing seat or a rocking chair. That kind of thing?”
“Yeah. I’d move outside of the city, find somewhere with a bunch of land for games and playing.”
“More bathrooms.” Scully suggests.
“Very practical, but yes.”
“A good sized family kitchen. Plenty of storage, maybe a pantry.”
“There we go, now we’re talking.” He smiles up at her, and she runs her hand through his hair. “Maybe a home study?” He suggests and she nods.
“Uh huh. A safe space to keep those reports that you end up bringing home away from little eyes.”
“Who me?” He gives her a cheeky grin. “Kid can’t even read yet.”
“Yet, Mulder, yet. But I swear to god if she gets her hands on anything - words or pictures that gives her nightmares…”
“Which is why a study with a lockable filing cabinet would be a good idea.” Mulder nods, showing Scully that as much as he jokes, he does take this family of theirs very seriously.
“Yes, very.” Scully agrees.
“How many bedrooms?”
“I guess three? Plus the study?”
“Or maybe four?” Mulder suggests, biting on the end of his pen.
“You got plans for one of those rooms?” She teases.
“Hmm, well obviously we’ll have a guest room, then Grandma Maggie can come to stay if she wants to or things like that.”
“So that’s three bedrooms.”
“And maybe someday…what if we don’t want Em to be an only child…”
“Mulder.” She whispers elongating the ‘l’. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I don’t know. What do you think I’m saying?”
“That you’ve already thought about another kid - a baby?”
“Maybe. Someday.”
“But you know…” Scully draws out slowly, hinting towards the infertility she’s been warned about.
“Hey, stranger things have happened. The evidence is right on the couch watching…a purple dinosaur? I don’t even think he’s a real dinosaur - no I mean, don’t look at me like that!” He pouts at the way her eyes are teasing him as she smirks. “Of course he’s not real, real. I just mean, I don’t think he’s based on an actual dinosaur you know? Probably just some childish cartoon version. Not very educational really.”
“Uh huh.” Scully nods and smiles, trying not to laugh at Mulder trying to dig himself out of a hole.
“What I mean is, there are ways. If we wanted to. There could be an option, is all I’m saying.”
“Look at you.” Scully whispers her tone full of warmth and fondness. “In that case, I want a mudroom. For all the little shoes, and boots and coats you might want to fill the house with.”
“What do you think Em would want?” He wonders.
“Please tell me you’re not seriously thinking of asking a three year old what their key factors for potential house purchases are.” She narrows her eyes at him.
“I’m just curious. What if we choose somewhere she hates?” He worries.
“I love you.” Scully murmurs as she presses a soft kiss to his temple and rubs her thumb along his jaw. “She’ll be happy wherever we are, Mulder. Give her some outside space to run around, maybe a swing set, and she’ll be golden. If we get as far as visiting any properties, maybe we show her or take her with us. But if you go over there and ask her, you’ll be looking for a needle in a haystack - probably with a purple door, pink windows, a turquoise chimney and space for her to park her Pegasus.”
“Point taken, oh wise one.” He says as he presses his lips against her wrist. “For the record, I like your apartment, but I don’t know…”
“You’re a sentimental family man now and you want a space that is ours?”
“Yeah.” He grins. “Don’t you?”
“I think it’s a lovely idea Mulder.”
Mulder spends time pouring over the papers and estate agent windows for weeks. Eventually though, he finds somewhere he thinks will be perfect, and a couple of pretty good alternatives. He decides he needs to present his findings to Scully in true Mulder fashion - with a slideshow.
Scully is simultaneously amused, endeared and intrigued by the idea that he would have a whole slideshow prepared for this.
He starts with reasons why they should have a house, and it’s obvious he’s had some help from their daughter in drawing some of the slides, if that’s really a swing set that it’s filling up the slide he’s currently paused on, along with some other fun colourful ideas. He then presents each of his options, with the pros and cons for each house.
“So Scully, what do you think? Want to get a house with us?”
“Only you Mulder,” She smiles and shakes her head. “Only you would do it like this. But yes.”
Notes:
Who do you think caved first on calling Emily and Maggie? Who do you think cried the most on Em's first day at pre-school?
Chapter 29: Maggie's Reflections
Summary:
A new perspective for a change as Grandma Maggie mulls over the last year or so, all the changes and developments for her family, and particular her beloved daughter, Dana. And a little insight into Maggie wanting to reclaim her self-professed title of being an excellent gift giver.
Notes:
Guys - chapter 29! Can you believe? I don't think I've ever ever kept an idea going this long, or written so many words.
This chapter is a little different, and quite short. We switch perspectives here, and get a bit of insight into Margaret Scully's thoughts. She is of course a big believer/shipper. This was my first attempt at writing/thinking over Maggie's perspective (though I have written/published something else since), and I thought it was best that this section stand alone. Don't worry though, next chapter is a little longer, and I'm sure you'll all love it as we celebrate Scully's birthday.
Chapter Text
Margaret Scully used to pride herself on being an excellent gift giver, especially on her children’s birthdays. However, as they all grew older, it became harder and harder. All four children became fully-grown adults, able to buy themselves all the little things they wanted, and for the larger gifts, her budget would not quite stretch to. For a while her gifts become what felt like smaller tokens of her love and appreciation than she wanted them to be, but not this year. No, this year, she’s reclaiming her self-professed title of being an excellent gift giver.
She’s got the perfect idea for her daughter Dana’s birthday. She no longer gets to buy gifts for one of her daughter’s (though she will write letters to her that she keeps in a box in her closet), and yet, it’s her younger daughter that has given her one of the best Christmas gifts she’s ever received. She had secretly been hoping that Bill’s baby would arrive in time for Christmas, but young Matthew had shown no signs of appearing. Instead, it was Dana who revealed that actually, rather miraculously (and on Christmas morning!), she had a daughter - a baby girl, practically still a toddler.
Dana had revealed to her that she had been told she would be infertile - unable to conceive a child of her own, and so despite being happy for her brother and the impending arrival of her nephew, she was finding the holiday difficult as it served as a reminder of what she’d lost before she ever had the chance to consider it. Emily was a miracle, and one that Maggie decided was best not to question and wonder too much about. If she did, she feared her heart might break for both her daughter and that little girl.
Getting to see Dana become a mother, and fall in love with the Tigger-loving auburn haired little girl that looks so much like her aunt, had been Maggie’s greatest honour. She was all too delighted to head back from California early to help Dana and her partner (in more ways than one now!) prepare for a home study and the chance to bring Emily back to DC. Maggie had then returned to California for a little while longer, before needing to return to resume her usual activities. She’s been delighted to spend time with both her granddaughter and grandson and treasured the few pictures she had of little Emily and baby Matthew together. She hopes they’d grow up together and enjoy each other’s company and playing together at big family events someday.
Maggie loved seeing her daughter so happy, and motherhood and being in love really seemed to agree with her daughter. She had of course known that there were deep and profound feelings between Fox and her daughter for several years now, so she was glad to see they were no longer dancing around their feelings for each other. Fox had been totally devastated and devoted while Dana had been missing, and he’d been just as devoted while Dana had been sick. They were all so worried that Dana may not have survived for much longer, but Fox was there practically night and day. He’d often put in an appearance around lunchtime, and then he’d creep back in in the evenings, sometimes just as Maggie was leaving for the night, and sometimes later. On several occasions, she’d returned to her post by her daughter’s side in the morning, to find the weary agent, with his head bowed against her daughter’s bed, Dana’s hand tightly gripped between his own. She’d sometimes watch for a moment, and despite all her own feelings, she felt a tug of empathy for the young man. From what she knew, he didn’t have much in the way of family, and it was clear to her that Dana was a much bigger part of his life than she had ever realised. Sometimes he’d look so forlorn and hopeless, and then as her daughter would stir, he would rearrange his expression, ready to greet and comfort her with such eager hope and softness. It quickly became clear to Maggie that if it might keep Dana by his side, he would do anything for. Even when all they had was a bizarre theory, a wing and a prayer. And miracle of miracles, that man had somehow found the thing that would bring her daughter back to life. And what a technicolour life she was now living.
So, it may have surprised Dana, but it certainly hadn’t surprised Maggie when Fox hopped on the first available to flight to support her daughter with her new discovery in San Diego. Nor was she surprised, when he’d put himself forward, willing to step up and adopt her grandbaby together with Dana. Something about Dana and Fox made sense, and it was clear to see that Fox was just as enamoured and devoted to Emily.
It perhaps should have been surprising when Dana let slip that they’d done another DNA test and that, as it happens, Mulder is Emily’s biological father. Though it bends her brain a bit and enrages her if she thinks too much about how some of this is supposedly possible - all that her poor daughter went through when she was taken….Maggie can’t help but feel that it all just…makes sense.
She sees so much of her own daughter’s in Emily, but she catches glimpses of perhaps Mulder, or the way that she’s caught Mulder looking at Emily (affectionate, if a little spooked), perhaps like his long-lost sister she knows very little about. Maggie has very much enjoyed getting to know the little girl for the individual that she is as well. She’s adorable, but she’s also kind, patient, curious, and so resilient considering all that she’s been through these last few months.
While there were a few photos they had taken of Emily, or of Emily and Fox, or Emily and Dana, there weren’t many with all three of them. Maggie knew that gifting her daughter a family photo session would not only give them a chance to make more memories together, but she knew that her daughter would cherish the tangible evidence of her little family and just how far she’d come in the last year. Maggie hadn’t been sure if Dana would make it to this birthday (in all honesty she had been steeling herself for the very worst), but here she was flourishing in every aspect of her life. And soon there would be beautiful pictures to hang on their walls to show how worth it it was to keep going, even when life deals you a terrible blow.
And, rather selfishly, Maggie couldn’t wait for her own copies of the pictures to add to her collection. She had new albums to fill with her grandbabies, and was already plotting out space on the walls for a picture of her daughter and granddaughter with their Fox. In fact she’s thinking it might be such a well received gift, that perhaps she’ll gift Fox something similar in the autumn, and they can have a similar session with a nearly four year old in a pumpkin patch.
Chapter 30: Happy Birthday Mommy
Summary:
It's Scully's birthday! Let's see how this little family celebrate Scully's special day. It's a special day that deserves celebrating, especially given they weren't even sure she'd make it to this one.
Notes:
Chapter 30! Thanks so much to everyone that reads and is invested in this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter - expect some very cute moments ahead!
Chapter Text
On Scully’s birthday, Mulder and Emily get up early to make her breakfast in bed. Mulder had told Scully the night before that under no circumstances was she to get up until they came to get her.
Emily arranges slices of fruit on top of the pancakes Mulder had made (she helped stir of course!), and grins at Mulder as he adds a glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee to the tray.
“Ta da!”
“Oh, that’s beautiful Em, she’ll love it.” He tells her, smiling at the blueberry eyes, chopped strawberry smiles, the banana nose.
“Yay! Happy pancakes!”
“Perfect. Shall we go find the birthday girl now?”
“Yes…oh wait!” Emily runs over to the desk where she’d been drawing, making Scully a card. “I’m ready.” She says as she races past him and torpedos down the hallway.
Emily launches herself across the room and up on to the bed like a little rocket. If Scully wasn’t already awake, she probably would be with Emily’s arrival.
“Goooooddd Moooorning!” Emily greets far louder than necessary.
“Good Morning baby.”
“We made you a surprise!” Emily giggles, as they hear Mulder’s steps coming closer. “Happy birthday Mommy!” Emily says as she throws herself at Scully, wrapping her arms around Scully’s neck, folded paper card dangling in one of her hands. “Love you!”
Scully feels her breathe catch momentarily before her wits return and she engulfs her baby girl in the biggest hug. If this moment right now is the only birthday present she received, well, that’d make for a very happy birthday indeed. Scully’s eyes grow damp as she breathes in Emily’s sweet scent, and commits to memory the feel of this very moment, and the way that her heart feels like it just grew, right inside her chest even though anatomically she knows that’s not really true.
“Thank you.” Scully breathes, trying not to let her voice wobble, or her emotions show too much. “I love you too, so very much.”
“Here,” Emily says wriggling free, totally oblivious to Scully’s emotions, “look, I made you a card!”
“Oh you did, let me see.” Scully says her voice full of interest as she holds her hands out for Emily to set the homemade card into and Emily kneels at her side.
“Well, maybe Daddy Fox helped me write it.”
“Oh, but the drawing is all you, sweet girl.” Scully says transfixed.
“Yeah!” Emily cheers proudly. “It’s me and you!”
“Happy birthday Mommy, lots of love Emmy.” Scully reads the writing inside the folded paper that Mulder has obviously helped her make. “I love it, thank you.” Scully says leaning over to kiss Emily’s forehead and give her a light squeeze. “It feels like such a special birthday to share it with you.”
“I hope you’re ready Scully.” Mulder says approaching the bed. “We’ve made you a special birthday breakfast in bed.”
Scully grins widely up at him as he slides the try onto her lap. She looks up at him with so much love and happiness, and then glances down at the breakfast her two loves have made her, the special, loved feeling just keeps building.
“Now which one of you gave my breakfast a face?” She asks glancing between father and daughter. She knew it was likely the little one, but she didn’t put it past Mulder to attempt something like that.
“Me!” Emily giggles. “Do you like it?”
“Of course!”
As Scully digs into her pancakes, Mulder ducks out and then reappears with a small stack of wrapped gifts.
“Mulder, you shouldn’t have!”
“Well some of these are also from Em…I know I said every four years, but…I think this one deserves celebrating, don’t you? After last year…” He trails off not wanting to bring up the big C word if he doesn’t have to, and knowing she’d know what he meant.
“I appreciate the sentiment.” She says softly, and a very brief flicker of sadness flashes across her eyes. They both know it’s no secret that neither of them thought she’d manage to see through this last rotation around the sun. Scully hasn’t come to expect a fuss on her birthday, not since she left home at least, and there’s a part of her that feels awkward having a day be all about her, but a part of her feels touched that Mulder and Emily are trying to make the day feel special.
“Presents!” Emily reaches for the larger rectangular gift and thrusts it towards Scully as soon as she takes her last bite of pancake.
“I guess I’ll start with this one then.” Scully chuckles as she accepts the present from Emily. Scully carefully slips her fingers through the edges, pulling apart the wrapping paper, but keeping it as pristine as possible. Scully turns to look at her daughter beside her who is trying to contain quiet excitement as she watches her. “Now, something tells me you may have helped with this one Em…”
“Yes! It’s a puzzle!”
“Yes, a Winnie the Pooh one. I noticed.” She smirks as she looks towards Mulder who just shrugs as if he has nothing to do with it.
“Look, Tigger!” Emily points towards her beloved favourite character on the box.
“And all his friends. Look, there’s even Kanga and Roo.”
“Yeah! It’s a big girl puzzle though - not like mine.”
“I see. It’s definitely got more pieces than yours do. And I expect smaller pieces too. But maybe you can help me?”
“Yeah, I can help!”
Scully unwraps a smaller, flatter parcel next - unwrapping it in the same meticulous manner.
“Mulder?” She asks questioningly as she opens up the inner box, and finds a small replica of an old fashioned looking biplane nestled inside.
“What’s that?” Emily asks.
“It’s an airplane.” Scully says puzzled, as she lifts the figure out and holds it in her hand.
“A toy? Why?”
“Is a good question, Em. He’s a silly Fox.” Scully shakes her head and Emily laughs. “Want to explain yourself?” Scully asks Mulder, with a sharp eyebrow raise, and he just shrugged.
“Seemed kind of cool. Thought of you.” He shrugs and ducks his head to avoid her questioning eyebrows.
“Hmmm. Is this supposed to be a Kitty Hawk?”
He only gives her a boyish nonchalant smile in reply to her question.
“First a keyring, and now a plane?”
“Hey, haven’t you got more presents or cards to look at.” He attempts to divert her attention.
As Scully opens the few cards that had arrived in the mail, and unwraps a couple more presents - boxes of chocolates and scented candles and the like - she glances between Mulder and the little plane, her mind toying over the connections and meanings.
Emily grows bored after a while and sneaks off to go play with her own toys.
“Mul-der,” Scully says slowly, but softly as she tugs him by the hand, encouraging him to join her in sitting on the bed. “A keyring, and a toy plane. Or rather, the Apollo 11 and the Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brother’s plane.” He nods just once, letting her know she’s on the right track. “Another example of teamwork? Pioneering, feats of science and engineering?”
“So close.” He mutters. “You’re too smart sometimes, you know.” He teases her.
“Pushing the boundaries of science, understanding and practicalities?”
“Too damn smart.” He tells her as he leans forward to kiss her.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” She grins.
“Yeah.” He confirms. “We’ve been good at this teamwork thing for a while now - pushing boundaries of all sorts, you unravelling all the science behind the mysteries (most of the time at least). But, new practical discoveries show that our connection goes even deeper.”
“Hmm.” She hums, allowing him to continue.
“The Apollo 11, and the Kitty Hawk, they defied gravity, many people would have said these things would never work. But they did. Not only do we work, Scully, but Emily is proof of so much more. It defies the natural laws of biology - or at least, it defies what we know. And yet, here she is, and here we are.”
“Thank you.” Scully smiles at him and holds her hand to his jaw. “Your mind works in so many different ways to mine, but the connections you make sometimes…” She sighs, and leans her forehead against his and slides her fingers into his hair.
“Your gift giving is a little…unusual, but I like the thought and the sentiment, and your beautiful mind.”
“You’re too smart not to make you work for it a little.” He teases. “And you never know, maybe there’s something else planned. I might still wrap myself up for you, stick a bow on.” He grins, and she laughs riotously before pushing him away so she can start to get ready for the day.
They arrive at Maggie’s for a large lunch spread to celebrate a birthday they never thought they’d celebrate. There is a lot of laughter and love around the dinner table. Emily is most disappointed for Scully when she sees that instead of the delightfully wrapped gifts she associates with birthdays, Maggie just gives Scully two envelopes.
“But where’s the…” Emily trails off at the look Scully gives her, and then whispers “presents.”
“Em, kiddo, sometimes a birthday present doesn’t have to be wrapped in shiny paper.” Mulder tells her.
“They don’t?”
“No, sweetheart.” Maggie agrees. “Don’t worry, I’ve got Dana a gift. She won’t feel left out, I’m sure.”
Emily looks concerned, not entirely convinced, but raises her eyes to watch Scully who doesn’t seem at all bothered by receiving two envelopes.
“Want to help me see what it is?” Scully asks her, and Emily nods bouncing over to her mother’s side. Scully lifts Emily onto her lap and then they open the envelopes, Emily helping by sneaking little fingers in the gaps to open up the envelopes and help Scully pull the cards out. The first envelope contains a birthday card, and Scully whispers to Emily as she reads it. The second envelope contains a voucher, and after realising what it was for, Scully looks over to her mom.
“Mom…” She says her voice displaying how much she appreciates the gift.
“What is it?” Emily asks as she taps Scully’s hands holding the voucher.
“My mom - Grandma Maggie, has bought me…well us, really, a photoshoot. This is a voucher, so it means she’s paid for the gift, but I get to choose when it happens. It’s for a family photoshoot so we can get some professional pictures taken.”
“Pictures?”
“Yes, someone will take nice photos of me, you and Fox. And then we’ll be able to get copies that we can keep. So we could have a nice picture of all of us on the wall maybe, or smaller ones to put on a dresser or bookshelf.”
“Oh! We need one of us three! For your bedroom!”
“To go with the ones we already have, yes.”
“And well, Grandma might like one too.” Maggie winks at Emily.
“It’s such a good idea, thanks Mom.”
Scully’s receives another unexpected, but very welcome birthday present when they arrive home.
“Hey, Scully, you might wanna see this one. Looks important. From the Court House.” Mulder calls out to her as he shuffles through the rest of the mail that aren’t obviously birthday cards.
“You’re going to make me late for an important tea party.” Scully mumbles as she appears in the kitchen. Emily had formally invited her to a special birthday tea party, which had Scully feeling rather intrigued but a very different sense of intrigue compared to the curiosity she has with the X-Files. “Wait.” Scully pauses, looking at him intently. “Did you say from the Court House?” She raises an eyebrow and gives him a curious smile.
“I did. Look - Court House - see.” He flashes the envelope. “Mr Mulder and Dr Scully, would you look at that.” He smirks. “I could just open this over here on my own, but…”
“Mulder, do you think…?”
“You want to know what I think?” Mulder asks, teasing her playfully. “I think we should open it. You want to do the honours?” He holds the enveloped out towards her, but just as she reaches out for it, he tugs his hand back.
“Mulder!” She playfully chastises him, and pushes his shoulders as he hold the envelope just out of reach. “Mulder,” she grumbles, leaning against him. “Either open it, or give it to me so that I can open it.”
“This will be the cherry on the top.” He tells her as he passes her the envelope.
“God I hope so.” Scully sighs, turning away from him so that she can open it.. “Because if they break my heart on my birthday…” She shakes her head, not quite able to slide her fingers across the envelope to open it just yet.
“They won’t.” He mumbles into her neck as he wraps his arms around her waist. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
“What are you, psychic now?” Scully asks sarcastically, as she prepares herself to open the enveloped and read what’s inside.
“Just open it honey.” Mulder tells her, pressing kisses to her neck and shoulder.
“Okay.” Scully sighs and then neatly tears open the envelope, sliding out the letter, and opening it up. Scully scans over the letter, and she knows Mulder is doing the same from over her shoulder. As she reads down the page her once intense, slightly nervous expression melts into a bright smile.
“See.” He whispers. “I told you.”
“I can’t believe this is real.” Scully murmurs, stunned.
“Hell of a birthday gift, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Happy birthday, mama.” He whispers softly and squeezes her shoulders.
She relaxes into his embrace, eyes sliding shut for a moment, and she turns her face to lean against him too. “I just, I didn’t expect it to be so soon.”
“This is what you wanted though, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She nods. “Two weeks Mulder, this court date is only two weeks away.”
“Two weeks and it’s all official.”
“It’s crazy how fast things can change, isn’t it?”
“Too fast?”
“No, it’s just…so much has happened this last year. Who’d have thought this is where we’d be? You only remembered my birthday for the first time last year.”
“Not true.” He counters.
“You never once tried to celebrate my birthday until last year.”
“That doesn’t mean I forgot or ignored it.”
“Either way, you remembered my birthday, gave me one of your slightly unusual gifts, all with this diagnosis looming over me. We came so close to… and then I found Emily, and now we’re officially going to be a family.”
“I think we’re already a family, don’t you?”
“You know what I mean, in the eyes of the law. We’ll officially be her parents.”
“Hey, Scully…you should probably get going or you’ll be really late to that tea party, and I’d rather not get in trouble for that.”
“Oh, you’re right!” The realisation sparks in Scully’s eyes that a little girl is patiently waiting for her. “Come on, let’s go. You’re coming too Daddy Fox.” Scully grins as she tugs him in.
“Oh, you really think boys are allowed?”
“I’m sure we can make an exception. Especially when we tell her the news.”
“You took soooo long!” Emily huffs when Scully finally appears in Emily’s bedroom.
“I know, I’m sorry. We had a very important letter though.”
“But it’s your birthday party!”
“I know, sweetie, and I love that you’re giving me a party.” Scully says kneeling to stroke Emily’s cheek, and kiss her forehead. “Can Daddy Fox join our party? We’ve got something very special to celebrate.”
“More special than your birthday?” Emily looks sceptical.
“Oh, this might just be.” Scully smiles at her. “We’ll celebrate both things.”
“Okay.” Emily removes Tigger from his own chair, and places him on Pooh’s chair so they’re now sharing.
“Mommy, sit here.” Emily instructs pointing to a chair, and then she points to another chair “and Daddy Fox here.” The chairs are small, even for a petite Dana Scully, but watching Mulder attempting to sit on a tiny toddler chair - all 6 foot plus of him, will never not make Scully want to giggle. Instead she bites her inner lip to stop from laughing.
Emily tucks herself into her perfectly Emily-sized chair, and lifts up a small plastic tea pot with Disney princess characters emblazoned on it.
“Tea?” She asks, and before waiting for a response, she pours imaginary tea into Scully’s Little Mermaid cup, and Mulder’s Beauty and the Beast cup.
“Oh, delicious.”
“Hmm, lovely.”
Mulder and Scully compliment the imaginary tea and cakes to Emily’s delight as they slurp at their tiny cups in their teeny tiny chairs.
“I like tea parties!” Emily announces. “We should have more.” She decides, and well, that’s that. Neither or them will argue with her royal decree for more tea parties.
“I guess we’re having more of these in our future then.” Mulder comments.
“Oh! Next time - sparkle and tiaras!”
“I don’t know if we have tiaras, sweetie.”
“No but the shop has them. I saw.”
“Oh you did huh?” Scully asks and flashes a look at Mulder, who looks innocent but nods as if Emily’s wish is his command.
“And princess dresses.” Emily adds, and Mulder squeaks.
“Em, I love you, but I don’t think I’d look very good in a princess dress.” Mulder confesses.
Emily frowns at him and looks up at Scully, then back to Mulder, and shakes her head. “Daddy, everybody looks good in a princess dress. Don’t they?” She asks glancing back up at Scully, who can’t help but nod and smile at Mulder’s discomfort, which lessens as Emily’s words hit him. He takes in a quiet deep breath, and thinks the day just can’t get any better. He might even put on a princess dress and tiara if she asks him nicely enough and calls him ‘Daddy’ again. He thought ‘Daddy Fox’ was magical, but this, this felt like something else launching him deeper into the solar system. His eyes well up, but he furiously blinks them back, though not without catching Scully giving him an adoring look. Oh, she noticed, and she would tease him about this later. He can’t bring himself to care about that though.
“I want a princess dress. Maybe you can choose something else?” Emily considers. “You could be…a pirate? A prince? Oh, an astronaut!”
“So I guess we’ll be getting some dress up outfits then.” Scully smirks, wondering what Mulder will be encouraged to dress up as.
“Yay!”
“Emmy?” Scully says her name softly. “We’ve got a very important appointment in a couple of weeks. You remember the visits we’ve had with the social workers?”
Emily nods as she traces over the Cinderella on her own cup.
“You remember why we were doing that?”
“So we can be a family. For real.”
“Yeah. We’re already a real family, Em.” Mulder tells her. “But this will make it all official.”
“A judge will meet with us, and we’ll sign an official document, and then no more social worker visits.”
“Then no-one will take me away again?”
“They won’t take you back to the children’s centre, no.” Scully wants to allay Emily’s fears. Compared to some children that have been in the care system she’s sure Emily’s time there was brief and on the whole pleasant, but she still wants to do everything she can to protect her from ever needing to be back in a place like that.
“Good.”
“Em? You don’t have to decide now, but as part of the process, we can change your name, if you want to.”
“But I’m Emily.” She frowns. “Or Emmy, or Em, or Emmy-Roo.”
“Yeah, we call you a lot of things, I guess.” Mulder reaches out to tickle her. “I think Emily, or Em, or Emmy, or Emmy-Roo are good names, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” She smiles.
“We thought you’d want to stay Emily. But if you want to choose a middle name, or change your last name, you can. You don’t have to, but if you want to match me or Fox, we can make that happen.”
“Hmm.” Emily considers what Scully says. “No more Sim?”
“It’s up to you baby. Part of you will always be a Sim. You can stay a Sim if you want to, or you can be a Scully or a Mulder if you want to. And if you change your mind later, that’s okay.”
“Can I be all of them?” Emily wonders.
“You’d have a very long name to learn to write.” Mulder warns her, and she shrugs.
“Can we all three match?” Emily asks innocently, which causes Mulder to cough slightly as he and Scully look eyes.
“An interesting question…” Mulder muses, and Scully glares at him.
“Well sweetie, some families do all have the same name, but that usually means the mommy and daddy are married, and often that the mommy swaps her old name to her husband’s name when they get married. Fox and I aren’t married though.”
“Oh.” Emily frowns.
“Careful Dana, I think our daughter might want me to buy you a sparkly ring.” He smirks at her and she rolls her eyes.
“I don’t need one.” She tells him. “And if that were ever on the table, maybe I’d want to keep my own name.”
“She’s a professional, a published professional.” He stage whispers to Emily, as if she’d have some understanding of what he meant, rather than the blank confusion on her face.
“But I want to match you both.” Emily protests, frowning.
“You could have both our names. Emily Mulder-Scully, or Emily Scully-Mulder.”
“I can be a Scully and a Mulder!” Emily smiles, liking that idea.
Chapter 31: Family (and bunnies)
Summary:
I think it's about time we make this little family official, don't you?
As Emily says "It's today!"
Notes:
Let's get our little Emmy-Roo adopted huh?
The first part of this was written months ago. The second part came to me just last night. I felt just the adoption bit was a little short, and a cute family moment sounded like a perfect addition. Of course, there's a little humour too.
Note: I have no legal background or experience. Suspend all disbelief and just appreciate the cuteness!
Chapter Text
On a sunny morning in mid March, Emily skips along holding Maggie’s hand. “And we’re going to have a meeting. Then Dana and Fox will be my Mommy and Daddy. For real for real.”
“I know, it’s a very special day isn’t it?” Maggie responds, pleased the day has come around already. In the grand scheme of things she knows it really hasn’t taken long at all, yet at the same time, it was hard to imagine her daughter without her little shadow and that Fox. There was something about the three of them being together that just made sense to Maggie.
“Uh huh.”
“Are you excited, Emily?” Maggie asks her curiously.
“Yeah! Then I get to match names.” Emily’s head wobbles excitedly as she nods.
“Wow.” Maggie does her best to sound impressed and fascinated, knowing that it’s important to Emily. Of course, Maggie is excited that Emily will officially, legally be a part of her family, but she’d been so quick to see her as her granddaughter her excitement was more reserved, seeing as it was just dotting the i and crossing the t as far as the was concerned.
“I’m Emily Sim now, but soon I’ll be Emily Scully-Mulder. We’ll match.” Emily explains proudly.
“I’m excited too, and I know Dana and Fox are very happy too.”
“Mommy said we had to dress nice.” Emily twirls mid skip so she can show Maggie how her dress swishes. The cuteness of Emily showing off the way her dress swishes, called to mind echoes of old memories, her own daughters twirling together trying to compete to see who’s skirt was the most twirly. Sometimes, a young Dana would huff and tell her it wasn’t fair because Missy was bigger. She wonders what Missy would think of Emily, and her sister’s new instant family. She’d probably gleefully remind her that it’s not instant, in fact is was very incredibly slow, given that she’d called it from the first time she’d met Fox Mulder.
“I love your dress, and your boots.” Maggie tells Emily, earning her a bright grin and exaggerated steps from Emily trying to show off her shoes.
“And look, my tights have bunnies!” Oh, to be so excited about such things. The sweetness tugs at Maggie’s heartstrings.
“Oh, so they do!”
“Does the judge like bunnies?” Emily asks curiously.
“I’m not sure, sweetheart. Come on, it’s nearly time, let’s go see if they’re ready for us.” Maggie says as they turn back towards the court house.
As they approach the court house steps, Emily spots Scully walking down the steps towards them.
“Mommy!” Emily pulls out of Maggie’s grip, and runs up towards Scully.
“Whoa, slow down, careful, Em.” Scully warns, and smiles as Emily does slow the way she runs up the steps.
“Is it time yet?”
“Nearly, my love, nearly.” Scully smooths over Emily’s hair.
“Too much waiting.” Emily huffs.
“They’ll be ready for us in just a few minutes, that’s why I was coming to find you. Did you have a nice walk with grandma?”
“Uh huh. She likes my dress too.”
“Oh that’s good.” Scully tells her, as she smiles at her mom who has joined them.
“Let’s go find Fox.” Scully nods her head back towards the court house, and takes Emily’s hand.
“Is Daddy Fox inside?” Emily asks, not seeing him.
“He is. He’s making sure we don’t miss being called for.”
“Oh, good.”
“Yeah. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Scully tries to reassure Emily, and Scully whole heartedly believes that. Once, Mulder might have skipped out on personal matters when the rest of the world needed saving from innumerable threats, but now, there’s a little bright blue eyed, auburn haired girl that has skipped and clambered her way right up to the top of his priority list. Scully thinks that even if Samantha walked into the Hoover building looking for him, he’d stay. He’d want to go, and he may do eventually, but he wouldn’t miss the chance to officially make their daughter his.
“Daddy Fox!” Emily cries happily as she sees him waiting on a bench inside.
“Emmy-Roo!”
“It’s today!” She cheers as she runs up to him.
“It is. Are you ready?”
“Uh huh. Are you?” She stares up at him with the intensity that only a Mulder can.
“Oh, I’ve been ready, baby girl.” He says softly and holds his arms out for a hug, which Emily happily falls into.
“Grandma says you and Mommy are happy.”
“Yes, today is a very happy day. We love you, and this will make it 100% official.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” Emily whispers against him and kisses his cheek.
“What about Mommy?” He asks her, nudging her towards Scully.
“I love Mommy too.” Scully kisses Emily’s cheek first, but Emily returns the affection.
“Dana, Fox, it’s time.” Maggie brings the little family back to the present, and they glance up at her, not even having realised the door had opened, or that they were being called in.
Mulder stands, and reaches out for Scully’s hand. “Let’s go adopt our daughter, Scully.”
“Alright, Miss Emily, I have just one question for you.” The Judge looks down over his reading glasses towards where Mulder and Scully are sat with Emily between them.
“Uh huh.” She nods, looking ready.
“Emily, are you happy for Dana and Fox to be your Mommy and Daddy?”
“Yes!” Emily blurts out enthusiastically, nodding her head and practically her whole body. “For real, for real. Not pretend.”
There’s a handful of chuckles and ‘awws’ at Emily’s enthusiastic response, and Scully and Mulder turn to each other with big grins, and then glance down at Emily.
“Good girl.” Scully whispers, and squeezes Emily’s hand that she’s been holding.
“Well then folks, it’s my honour, to as Miss Emily put it make this for real for real, and very definitely not pretend. Alright, let’s get Mommy and Daddy up to sign this.”
Mulder gets up, but as Scully tries to get up, Emily squeezes her hand tight, refusing to let go.
“You alright Em?”
“Where you going?” Emily frowns.
“We have to sign a very important document. Grandma’s right behind you.”
“Emmy come.”
Scully glances around, and Mulder is stood halfway towards the judge, his face clearly concerned, but the judge is smiling and nods at her.
“Yeah, you can come.”
Emily holds her free hand up towards Scully, who wordlessly moves to pick her up, and then with Emily on her hip, she meets Mulder, and they finish walking the rest of the way together.
An official directs them where to sign, and Emily looks curiously at the paper she can’t read, and then up at the Judge with his white hair.
“Well Miss Emily, aren’t you just as cute as a button.” He says to her quietly.
She smiles and ducks her head and then turns her big blue eyes on him.
“Do you like bunnies?”
“Oh, uh, well I guess I do, yes.”
“Look, I got bunnies on my legs!” Emily giggles.
“Oh, so you do. Look at that.” He glances up at Mulder and Scully, who have slightly awkward smiles on their faces, not quite sure how appropriate it is to marvel over your bunny clad legs with a judge. “All done?” The official checks the paperwork and then nods.
“Excellent. Well then, it is my honour to declare you, officially, family. Miss Emily, I recommend getting your first official photo with Mommy and Daddy, but once that’s done, you’re welcome to take your Mommy and Daddy home. I wish you a long, happy future together, with all the bunnies you desire.” The judge chuckles and Emily grins at him.
Mulder and Scully are more than happy to get a photo taken to mark the occasion, and they even encourage Grandma Maggie to join them for a photo - four very happy glowing grins on display as the camera clicks.
That evening, Scully lies in Emily’s bed. Emily cuddles up to her, leaning her head on Scully’s partially reclined chest as they talk, and get ready for story time.
“And I showed him my bunny tights.” Emily says recounting parts of her day.
“Oh, yes, I remember that.”
“And then he said we were a real family. O-fish-y.” Emily scrunches her nose and looks up towards Scully questioningly.
“Official.” Scully softly corrects. “It means that it’s…well, it’s like real, or proper, but we were already a real family. It means that now, everybody else knows it too.”
“It’s good?” Emily checks.
“Yeah, it’s a good thing. Very good.”
“Today was good.” Emily summarises with a sleepy smile. “Did you have a good day, Mommy?”
“Oh, I did.” Scully says, hugging her daughter to her tightly. “Very good. Everyday with you is good, sweet pea, but I think today was one of the best.”
Emily smiles and then yawns, and Scully watches her fondly as she picks up the picture book they’d chosen for tonight’s story.
“Okay, I think it’s story time now.” Scully announces, and Emily nestles in for story time. “A special story for a special day.” Scully tells her and kisses the top of Emily’s head. “Guess How Much I Love You.” Scully lifts the book up to show Emily.
“A lot!” Emily giggles, and Scully hums in reply as Emily then notices the cover. “Bunnies! Like my tights!” Emily exclaims likening the illustration on the front page to the little creatures printed on the tights she wore to the courthouse.
“Yeah, they do look a bit like your tights. Actually though, I think these are hares. Hares are like the bunny rabbits cousins. They look a bit similar, but they’re not quite the same.”
“No, this is a cute baby bunny.” Emily tells Scully pointing to the book.
“I do think this one is a cute baby. We’ll read it and find out.” Scully smiles as she opens up the book, internally wondering whether Emily’s insistence was a reflection of her own stubborn streak, or the way Mulder would cling to his beliefs until proven otherwise. Bunnies, jackalopes or hares. Now that could be an X File.
There’s a click and a flash, and Scully glances up from the book to find Mulder leaning against the wall, a camera in his hands.
“There’s my family.” Mulder comments, and then in response to the raised eyebrow Scully had given him adds, “just wanted to document the occasion.”
“Softie.” She mouths at him.
“Daddy! It’s story time, with bunnies!” Emily tells him reaching out a hand to beckon him over.
He takes her little hand in his and squeezes it.
“Oh, that does sound good. Should I sit and listen too?”
“Uh huh. Here.” Emily pats the bed, where there’s approximately half a Mulder’s worth of space.
“Oh, Em, I’m not sure we all fit in your little bed. I can just sit on the floor.” He could lean against the side of her bed, and probably expect to find little fingers fluffing up his hair. Like mother, like daughter.
“But family story time.” She tells him looking up with big blue puppy dog eyes.
Mulder’s lips twist in response to the display of cuteness and he glances over to Scully.
“Don’t look at me, that one is all you.” She jests.
“I don’t look like that.”
“Says Fox Puppy-Dog Eyes Mulder.” Scully snickers.
“We fit. We’re a family.” Emily tells him and she scoots imperceptibly closer to Scully, who then shuffles closer to the wall. “You need to see the pictures too, ‘member?” She reminds him as if he hasn’t been reading to her nearly everyday since they met.
“Oh, it’s a story with pictures. I seeeeee.” He elongates the vowels. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to join you on the bed.”
After a moment, he settles on his side, turned in towards his girls - his family. He drops a kiss first to Emily’s forehead and then Scully’s.
“Hi family.” He mumbles softly.
“Hey, you okay?” Scully asks him in a whisper, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Yeah.” He smiles at her, and then looks down at their daughter (in every sense of the word). “I just, for the longest time I wasn’t sure I’d have this… and then this little one,” Mulder tickles Emily’s side briefly until she laughs, “fell into our lives and now it’s all official. We’re a family now, Scully.”
“It’s good.” Emily squeaks, paying more attention to his words than he’d realised.
“Yes, very good. Did you have a good day Little Em?”
“Uh huh.” She nods. “I got ‘dopted! We went for lunch, and to the park, and grandma Maggie pushed me on the swings, and then we came home, had dinner, and bath, and now Mommy’s reading a bunny story.”
“What a day!” He comments.
“Well, Mommy would read the story, but she has a very chatty family.” Scully says in mock protest but can’t hide the grin.
“Shhh.” Mulder holds his finger to his lips and looks to Emily who lets a giggle sneak out before putting her own finger to her lips.
“Shh!” She whispers back.
“As you were lovely Mommy. We’ll be quiet now.” Mulder grins at her and places his finger back over his lips.
“Okay, Guess How Much I Love You.”
“To the moon and back.” Mulder whispers, and this time, Emily’s whole little hand reaches out and covers his lips, which he then kisses, and he finds himself being glared out by two Scully women.
“Something like that.” Scully mutters under her breath as she once again opens the book.
Chapter 32: First Dates and Sleepovers
Summary:
Mulder and Scully, finally, go on their first date, and Emily goes for a sleepover with Grandma Maggie.
Notes:
There's a lot of happy fluff in this one, but there is a little mid-chapter angst in this one so...it's a nice long, mostly fluffy chapter so I hope that makes up for it to those of you here for the cute family fluff!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Emily Scully-Mulder very much enjoys her first week being 100% legally recognised as the daughter of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. Neither Scully nor Mulder have to work, allowing the little family lots of time together, and almost like a honeymoon of sorts, they make it an extra special week. After the adoption hearing, Maggie treated them all to lunch out, and then they visited Toys R Us on the way home, where Emily chose a special teddy bear to mark the occasion. Scully put up a mild argument when Mulder insisted on his idea that he wanted Emily to have something to mark the occasion with. But, when Mulder explained that they never had the chance to buy her her first teddy bear while they were expecting her, ready to have a friend in her bassinet for all her newborn photos and to compare her growth to the size of her bear every month thereafter, Scully gave up her fight all too easily. She might mock and tease him, but she loved the soft sentimental side of Mulder, particularly when it was centred around their daughter.
Throughout that first week they explored many play parks in the area, and took in various attractions. They visited the National Museum of Natural History, where Mulder loved watching the way Scully came alight as she shared in the science and wonder with an enraptured Emily who was fascinated by all the skeletons. Like mother, like daughter. They also took her to the National Air and Space museum where Mulder regaled Emily with fascinating stories and mysteries of the skies. Scully watched them in deep fondness as Mulder shared his life’s obsession and work with their tiny daughter, who was curious, but mostly delighted to be the centre of her Daddy Fox’s attention.
“You watched them walk on the moon?” Emily asks with wide eyed fascination.
“Well, I wasn’t there, but yes. I was a little boy, and huddled around the tv we all watched them walk on the moon. My mom, dad, sister and me. ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ You know, I bet Mommy saw it too!”
Emily spins to Scully, curious eyes, mouth gaping open.
“I did. I was just a little older than you. It was a long time ago.”
“But…the moon. That moon!”
“Yeah, the moon we see in the sky.” Mulder reassures her that she’s understanding correctly.
“Wow.” Her eyes narrow as she regards Mulder careful. “Did you go to the moon?”
“No kiddo, I’ve not been to the moon. You’d have to be an astronaut to go into space. It would be very cool, but my work is down here.”
“With Mommy.”
“That’s right.”
Remembering how much Emily had enjoyed watching the animals at San Diego zoo, they take Emily to the aquarium where she marvels at over 200 species of water-based animals. Scully fascinates her with octopus facts: they’re older than dinosaurs, they have three hearts, they are intelligent with big brains, and they have blue blood, not red, like Emily’s. Watching all the fish swimming about seems very soothing and mesmerising, Emily often standing up close to the glass, little hands pressed against the glass, her eyes just millimetres from it, peering into the deep. She particularly enjoys the seahorses, the turtles, and salamanders.
They also spend time in Rock Creek Park, taking in a walk along one of many trails, with promises to come back to the zoo, and the planetarium (at Mulder’s insistence).
They also have a couple of quieter, cozy days they spend in the apartment or wandering around the Georgetown neighbourhood.
Maggie offers to take Emily overnight to spend some quality time with her now official granddaughter, and to give her daughter and not quite son-in-law some long overdue alone time. Mulder and Scully debate whether they should get dressed up and go on an actual official date, but ultimately, after some back and forth agree that it wouldn’t actually be very them. They were much more greasy diner, casual restaurant, chips and sunflower seeds mid-road trip, and flirting in the graveyard than they were fancy dinner goers. Although she knows Mulder would give it a good go, the reminder of the upper crust New England upbringing he never quite lived up to, and all the pomp of the occasion would likely make his eye twitch. Even if he did want to see her in a cocktail dress.
And so, donned in a trusty grey t-shirt, low slung blue jeans, and his trusty leather jacket, Mulder leans against the hallway outside the bedroom door, a flower stem between his teeth as Scully opened the door.
“Mulder,” Oh, the many ways she says his name. This time, soft, warm, affectionate, and just a little teasing. “As much as I appreciate the gesture, you should really be careful with this kind of thing. Between rose thorns and toxicity, plant stems should probably stay out of your mouth.” She teases him with a smirk, as his jaw grows lax and he drops the flower from his mouth.
“Romance, Scully. I was trying to be romantic.”
“Trust me, catching a rose thorn on your lip or tongue, would not put you in a romantic mood.”
Mulder pushes off from the wall, picks up the single red rose, and holds it out to Scully.
“Thank you.” She ducks her head and brings the petals towards her nose.
“There’s more. In the kitchen.”
“You didn’t need to get me flowers.” She tells him.
“Well, I did.” He shrugs.
On the kitchen worktop sits a vase full of roses in a variety of colours - red, white, orange and coral.
“You know, Scully, there are different meanings for different flowers and colours.”
“Yes. Red for love.”
“Coral for friendship.” He points towards a coral coloured rose.
“Very fitting given our beginnings. And, white, for new beginnings? And reverence?” She asks gazing at him with an almost reverent expression of her own, charmed by his careful thoughtfulness.
“Yep. And orange?” He asks, head cocked to the side, curious to see if she knows this one too.
“I don’t know that one, actually.” Scully admits, looking up at him, as she rubs her fingers over the flower petals.
“Huh.” He raises his eyebrows at her. “Desire, enthusiasm. Apparently, at least.”
“Well you are enthusiastic.” She smiles saucily at him.
“Well, when you come out looking like that, dressed like that…” He gestures towards Scully dress.
“Dressed like what, Mulder?” She asks curiously.
“You know…you don’t wear dresses much. It’s all suits at work. And that dress, Scully. It leaves a lot less to the imagination. I wouldn’t mind if you wore them more.”
“This old thing?” She glances down at the deep blue sundress she’s wearing, a cardigan thrown casually on top.
“Oh yeah.” He agrees enthusiastically.
“So, are we still going out, or have you decided you’d rather get takeout.” She teases.
“No, no.” Mulder shakes his head. “This is a date. A proper one. So we’re going out for dinner, and then we’ll come back here and…”
Scully nervously palms her flip phone, keeping it out while they wait for dinner. Their starter arrives and she places it on the phone right by her drink.
“You know you’ll hear it ring even if you’re not staring at it?” He gestures towards her cell phone.
“I know. I’m just…” She trailed off, not quite able to full put to words her thoughts and feelings.
“Worried?”
“Hmm, I just, I don’t want to miss a call. If mom rings…”
“You won’t, and she won’t. She can handle Emily.”
“I know, it’s not that I just…”
“Feels kind of weird, doesn’t it?” Mulder asks with a knowing smile.
Scully relaxes at his question.
“Yeah, we haven’t been out like this, in well…ever?”
“Don’t go all first date nerves on my now, Scully.” He jokes and she’s half minded to flick a tomato at him for his stupid jokes, even though, if she’s honest they do help her relax.
“I think it’s too late for that kind of thing now, isn’t it?” She says dryly.
“Hmm, we did just adopt a kid together.” He grins. “So your timing would suck if you suddenly decide dinner with me is scary stuff.”
“Dinner with you has never been scary, Fox.” She says softly as she reaches for his hand. His fingers close around hers and he brings her knuckles to his lips.
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s kind of crazy how much has changed in such a short time. I love how things are now though. And it feels like so much longer than just a few months.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“I had to stop myself asking for the kids menu.” She admits with a self conscious smile.
“It’s not just you.” He admits quietly and she catches his eyes curiously with her wide blue ones. “I very nearly ordered chicken tenders.”
“But you love cheeseburgers!”
“I do.”
“You miss her too?”
“Of course I do, Scully.” He nods. “Hey, maybe we can split a sundae later?”
“Not pie?” She knows the man’s affinity for pie, and that if left unattended he’d eat slice after slice of pumpkin pie until he’d finished the whole damn pie.
“Hmm. I do love pie, but it feels weird to end a meal out without ice cream now.”
“Yeah, it kind of would. Emily would love it.”
“Crazy how something so small can change everything isn’t it? What a kid.” He shakes his head with a broad smile.
“So, no Emily, no case files…”
“Traditionally, I think this is the point where we ask about families, work, where we grew up, that kind of thing.”
“I think we’ve skipped right past that, don’t you?”
“We kind of do have all that covered.” He agrees.
Scully wakes curled into Mulder’s side, his arms holding her close to his body. It takes a second until she realises it’s the chirping of the phone that’s woken her up.
“Mulder, Mulder!” She tries to sneak out from under his arm but his grip is too tight. He stirs and she wriggles free reaching out for the phone. Glancing at the screen on the handset, Scully notices it’s her Mom’s landline calling.
“Mom?” Scully asks nervously but there’s no answer. “Mom? Is that you? Is Emily ok?” She waits and there’s no answer again. “Em? Sweetie, are you there?” She calls down the line trying to reach out to her daughter.
Scully leaves the line open for a minute but then ends the call in confusion.
“What’s up?” Mulder mumbles sleepily.
“Are you awake?” Scully asks him.
“I am now.”
“Good. another one of those calls, like in San Diego?”
“You think it was Em?”
“Who else would it be?” Scully sighs. “It came from Mom’s house, I’m sure.”
“Okay, you ring your mom, if we can’t get through we’ll head over.”
Scully calls her mom’s landline and her cell and finally gets through on her second attempt of the landline.
“Mom! Jeez, you weren’t answering, I was worried.” Scully rambles.
“Dana? I was asleep. Do you realise what time it is? Are you okay? Fox?” Maggie asks, her voice tried and then anxious as she wakes up more and more.
“We’re fine. Mom, listen, I need you go to check on Em. Right now. it’s important. She needs us.” Scully instructs her urgently.
“Dana?”
“Emily, Mom. Please.” Scully’s voice is anxious, and Maggie throws her bedcovers back.
“I’m going. I don’t understand, Dana.”
“I can’t explain it. I just…I need to know, Mom.” Scully says urgently.
As Maggie approaches the door to Emily’s room, she can hear soft whimpers and cries.
“Oh, that’s her, isn’t it?” Scully says softly, worried for her daughter.
“Emily?” Maggie calls softly as she pushes the door open.
Emily is caught in the throws of some kind of nightmare, arms and legs twisting and thrashing, as she cries and whimpers.
“Dana, I think she’s having a nightmare, hang on.” Maggie sets the phone down on the dresser, and then sits on the edge of the bed.
“Emily, hey now, Emily, you’re having a bad dream. You’re okay, honey. Come on, wake up for me.” She sets an open hand on Emily’s chest, and her other hand smoothes over Emily’s hair, and then cups her cheek as Emily stills and starts to come to. “There you are. Hi Emily, you’re okay, you’re okay.”
Emily soon launches herself into Maggie’s welcoming arms, and quietly cries against her.
“It’s okay honey, it was just a bad dream. You’re here, safe, with Grandma, remember.” Emily nods against Maggie as her breathing slows and starts to calm. “There you are, that’s it.” She soothes, rubbing the girls back.
As Emily clings to her, Maggie reaches out for the phone, and holds it to her ear.
“Dana? Are you still there?”
“Yeah. Is she okay?” Scully asks nervously.
“She will be, Dana. It was just a bad dream, she’s already calming down.”
“Good, that’s good.”
“I don’t know how you knew…”
“I can’t…Mom, can I talk to her?”
“Emily, Mommy’s on the phone. Do you want to talk to her?”
“Mommy?” Scully hears her little voice whimper through the phone as Maggie must be holding the phone out to her. Upon hearing a sniffle and an intake of breathe, Scully starts to feel herself relaxing, and she reaches out to take hold of Mulder’s hand.
“Hi baby.”
“Mommy!”
“Yeah, it’s me. Did you have a bad dream?”
“Uh huh. Bad. Scary dream.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. Is Grandma taking good care of you?”
“Yeah.” Emily hiccups.
“Oh, good. Listen, Emmy, I love you.”
“Me too.” Mulder echoes, attempting to talk into the phone too.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, Daddy’s here too. We both love you, and we miss you. Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep after a cuddle with Grandma.”
“Hmm, maybe.”
“You’re such a big, brave girl, Emmy. We’ll see you really soon, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“Can you give Grandma the phone again, sweetie? Love you.”
“Dana?” Maggie says as she takes the phone back.
“Are you okay with her? Do you need us to come get her? We can, we’ll just have to find our shoes.”
“Don’t be silly, honey.” Maggie tells her daughter. “You and Fox go back to bed, you don’t need to come out here in the middle of night. Em and I have got this. We’ll use the bathroom, then go snuggle in my bed and read a book or two. We’ll be just fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Dana.”
“Well, okay, but if you change your mind…”
“Dana. Goodnight.” Maggie says a little more sternly.
“Okay. Night Mom. Give her a kiss and a hug from me, please?”
“Of course. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Scully hangs up the phone and presses herself against Mulder’s back, wrapping her arms around his chest.
“She okay?” Mulder asks, as he reaches up and holds a hand over her delicate wrist.
“Yeah. Some kind of scary nightmare. I think Mom’s going to take her into her room, and they’ll read and snuggle.”
“Grandma’s got the magic touch, huh?”
“Hmm.” Scully hums as she leans her head against his shoulder. “I hate the thought of Emily being distressed like that away from us if she needs us.”
“I don’t like it when she has those nightmares either Scully, but it sounds like your Mom has got it covered.”
“Yeah.” She presses a kiss to his deltoid. “Mulder, do you think we should talk to Emily, about these phone calls?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how she does it, but what if we get these phantom phone calls when she’s at pre-school, or something? We’ll always be there, but after….I don’t want to panic every time I get a call like that. Not if I don’t have to.”
Mulder turns to look at Scully, and takes in the emotional look on her face. “You were thinking we might need to call an ambulance again?” He asks quietly. He’s not entirely sure what he was expecting, but he was ready to jump into action and pull on clothes and shoes as quick as he could to race across town to Maggie’s too.
“The possibility had crossed my mind.”
“She’s fine.” He kisses Scully’s forehead. “We don’t even know if she knows she’s doing it.”
“I just…”
“We can try. Now, do you need snuggles and stories too?”
“Maybe.” She mutters pressing herself as close to him as she can get.
“Hmm, let’s see…once upon a time, there was an FBI agent who had pissed off just enough of his superiors, that they sent this cute, nerdy little red head down to try and debunk all his work.”
“Sounds interesting.” She mumbles against him.
“Oh, it is. It’s got a little bit of everything.”
“Tell me more?”
“Mommy!” Emily cries out as the door opens to reveal Scully.
“Emmy!” Scully crouches down and opens her arms for Emily to run into, and then she smothers her in kisses. “Oh, I missed you so much.” Emily giggles and squirms as Scully kisses her cheeks.
“I missed you too.” Emily tells her, as she presses a kiss to Scully’s cheek, and squeezes her around the neck.
“Did you enjoy your sleepover with Grandma?” Scully asks her, as she loosens her grip.
“Uh huh! She made me dinner, and we watched The Jungle Book! And extra bubbles in the bath!”
Scully mock gasps. “Extra bubbles!”
“And Grandma has a room just for me! We read books. I had a bad dream, but she hugged me better. And then we snuggled and read books in her bed. And then we woke up and now I’m here!”
“Oh wow. What a night, huh?”
“Yeah. Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s in the kitchen, making you pancakes. Go find him.” Scully stands, and runs her hand over Emily’s hair, pushing her in the direction of the kitchen.
“Thanks Mom.” Scully wraps her mom in a hug.
“Daddy Fox!” Emily calls out as she sees Mulder stood at the stove flipping pancakes.
“Hey! I thought I heard my Emmy-Roo!”
“I missed you!” Emily tells him as she hugs his legs.
“Oh, I missed you too.” He ruffles her hair with one hand. “Hang on, hang on.” He says as he flips the pancakes in the pan. “Alright, quickly,” He hoicks her onto his hip, hugging her tight. “Want to help me with the rest?”
“Yeah!” She chirps excitedly in his ear.
“Alright, you sit up here. Now, careful. There you go, think you can get the next scoop ready?”
“Yep!” She grins at him as she reaches for the measuring cup in the batter.
“Good girl.” He tells her as he places a round of pancakes on a plate.
“Here!” She thrusts the cup full of batter towards him.
“Oh, thank you, Em.” He grabs the cup and pours out a couple of pancakes from it, and returns it to the batter. “Look at this,” He wiggles his finger in front of her. “You got batter on the handle!”
“Ooops, sorry.”
“I’ll show you sorry.” He smears a blob of batter on her nose, and she laughs, and he can’t help but feel the apartment feels so much better for being full of his daughter's laughter.
After seeing her Mom out after breakfast, Scully finds Mulder and Emily at the coffee table having turned it into a Duplo construction site.
“What are you two building?” She asks as she takes a seat on the couch.
“A rocket!” Emily fills her in.
“Oh, of course.” She smiles fondly at Mulder, assuming he has something to do with this build project.
“Next stop - the moon!” Mulder chuckles. Scully rolls her eyes at him, but loves the way he brings their daughter into his interests, and fosters her own excitement and enthusiasm.
“Em, sweetie? You can keep building, but I wanted to ask you something.”
“What?” Emily asks blinking up at Scully, a Duplo block in each hand.
“Do you know how you do it?”
“Build a rocket?” Emily asks her brow pinching in confusion.
“No, not that. I think you and Daddy have that covered.” Scully smiles. “Sometimes, like last night, or a couple of times in San Diego, you find a way to call me when you really need me.”
“Grandma called you?”
“No, Grandma didn’t call me sweetie. There was a phone call from Grandma’s house, but no-one was there. So, I called back, and woke her up. I made sure she went to go check on you."
“How do you call me without using the phone?” Scully wonders.
Emily glances a look at Mulder as if he’s going to explain it to her, but he doesn’t. So she just shrugs. “Don’t know.”
“You know we’ll always come to you if you need us?”
“Always.” Mulder echoes.
“Yeah.” Emily places a block on the top of the spaceship tower.
“Okay, just, maybe if you’re awake, tell a grown up you need help, and they can call me?”
“We don’t want want to scare Mommy.” Mulder tells Emily, lightly teasing Scully. Truth be told if they could minimise any potential scenarios where they worried about the health or safety of their little girl he was fully on board too.
Notes:
I hope you enjoyed this chapter - I'd love to hear what you think. What are your theories for Emily's unconventional ways of reaching out?
I think we may be in the home stretch now - there's not masses more I've got written, maybe just a few chapters, and some of those definitely need a bit more work, and more adding to them. Is there anything you're hoping to see?
Chapter 33: Photoshoot fun
Summary:
Scully cashes in on her birthday present, and they have a photoshoot amongst the cherry blossoms.
Notes:
Just some cute family fun on their photoshoot. A couple of these perhaps inspired by some D&G photoshoots.
I have a few things I want to play with before the next chapter, so not sure when I'll next update - may depend on whether I get time to write/edit this week, and whether my laptop decides to play ball when I head to my parents for the weekend.
Chapter Text
Scully cashes in her birthday present, and plans a photoshoot for late March. They time it perfectly so the cherry blossoms are just starting to show, allowing for a stunning backdrop in their pictures. They meet the photographer in West Potomac Park, and like clockwork, the trees have put on a dazzling show, pale blink blossoms dominating the tree line.
“Ooohh pink trees! Pretty!” Emily comments upon first seeing a cluster of cherry trees.
“I think they’re pretty too.” Scully says, squeezing Emily’s hand lightly. “They’re cherry trees. It’s the blossom - the flowers that are the pretty pink you see.”
The photographer is a woman in her thirties, wavy blonde hair framing her face and a friendly smile.
“And you must be Miss Emily?” She nods towards Emily with a kind smile.
“Uh huh.” Emily nods, but acts shy and turns slightly in towards Scully.
“So Dana, I know we spoke a little before. Did you decide whether you wanted photos of just the three of you, or would you like some of you and Emily, your partner and Emily, and maybe your partner and yourself.”
“Oh, I’d only really thought about pictures with Emily.” Scully admits, ducking her head, and then glancing up at Mulder through her lashes. “I’d not thought of getting any of just me and Fox.”
“What do you think Em?” Mulder nudges Emily, noticing Scully’s awkwardness. “Should we get all our pictures together, or should Mommy and Daddy have a picture together.”
“Yeah.” Emily looks at him and nods, and then glances at the photographer. “Mommy and Daddy don’t have any photos of just them.”
“Well, technically, we do have…”
“Scully, I don’t think the photos on the wall at work count.”
“We’re both in them.” She counters. “Very definitely not looking platonic.” She raises her eyebrow.
“I think Emily would like one without the FBI jackets…” He teases.
“Just Emily?” Scully grins at him and he shakes his heard with a smirk.
“Not just Emily.”
“Alright,” The photographer says, “Let’s get the pictures with Emily done first, and then we’ll have a couple of Mom and Dad together on their own at the end while Emily plays?”
The photographer, Lucy, takes what feels like an inordinate amount of photos to Mulder, a near constant click click click, as they stand together, pose or interact with each other. He’s surprised that the session includes quite so many click click clicks, thinking it might have been a limited number and all done and dusted in a few moments. Not that he minds a great deal, he likes the idea of having some photos of his little family. He never had many family photos, especially not after Samantha. There aren’t many pictures of him and his parents as a teen or young adult, though he’s not entirely sure he would have liked to have any evidence of that period of his life anyway. But he has a deep devoted love for Scully and Emily, and he wants to keep a record of so many moments.
They pose in a couple of locations around the tidal basin, with cherry trees, and the occasional monument in the background of the shots. Mulder and Scully kneel beside Emily on the soft grass, each kissing her cheeks, as she giggles at the attention from both of them at the same time. Scully holds Emily on her hip, as the little girl snuggles in close, Mulder standing slightly behind, a hand softly placed on Emily’s back. Scully stands behind Emily, arms slung loosely over Emily’s shoulders, pulling her back into her body. Mulder hoists Emily up on to his shoulders, and she stretches her arms up to reach out for some of the lower hanging cherry blossoms, awe and amazement obvious in the gaze and smile gracing her face. Before Mulder takes her off of his shoulders, Emily leans forwards and hugs his head. He thinks he heard a click of the slightly awkward hug, but at the same time, he’s curious to see the way some of these more candid moments of Emily being affectionate or adorable have been captured. Finally, Mulder and Scully sit side by side on a bench, somewhere they’ve sat many times before, but this time, their daughter has climbed on them, with an arm around each parent as she murmurs between them, facing away from the camera.
Emily grows fidgety which Lucy spots.
“Okay, I think we’re good on shots for all three of you. Emily, do you think you could come stand by me? Maybe by my assistant - my helper?”
“Yeah!” Emily squirms, and wriggles her way off the bench. Mulder and Scully both watch her fondly, as she stands patiently by the photographer waiting to be told how she can help - so eager and willing to take part.
“What do you think your mommy and daddy should do for their pictures?”
“Uhm, look at each other other?”
“You heard your daughter.” Lucy smiles at them, holding back a laugh as she watches the couple turn to look at each other. She watches the way they communicate with micro expressions, the lift of a lips in a smirk, the raised curve of an eyebrow, all with soft eyes. She snaps a couple of pictures.
“Okay, how about some standing shots?”
“Ugh, but sitting is so comfy.” Mulder protests half heartedly as Scully stands.
He looks up at her with a lazy, happy smile, and she gazes down at him shaking her head slightly. Click. He leans against her for a moment. Click. She then reaches down and pulls him up to standing.
“I’m standing, I’m standing.” He mock grumbles. “Now what.”
“Dance!” Emily instructs.
“You want me to dance?” Mulder looks thoughtful and then pulls his best (or worst) dad dance moves. “Like this?”
“Nooooo!” Emily laughs.
“Mulder, your dad dancing is terrible.” Scully laughs.
“It’s supposed to be.”
“No, it’s really terrible.” She tells him but can’t help the giggle that escapes her.
“Twirl dancing.” Emily says and twirls, demonstrating the way her skirt twirls out.
“Ah, I think we can manage a twirl or two.” He smirks at Scully and holds out his hand, ducking his head.
Scully slips her hand into his, and he pulls her towards him. They sway back and forth for a moment, and then he spins her out and twirls her before they come back together.
“Oh that’s great! Look towards the camera, please?” Lucy asks, and they both glance at each other before turning towards the camera, smiles already plastered on their faces.
Emily claps, having enjoyed the spinning and twirling.
“Now hug.” She directs.
Scully slides her arms around Mulder’s waist, and he he wraps an arm around her shoulder, and loops the other around her back, pulling her into him. They practically melt into each other as they hug. Click.
“Okay, what about a hug from behind, so we can see your faces?”
Scully nuzzles against Mulder’s chest briefly and side-eyes the camera as if to say she’s too comfy. Mulder tucks his head, kisses her crown. Click.
They slowly unravel themselves and turn towards the camera. He slides his hands around her waist, tucking under her arms, and pulls her back into him. She leans her head back against his shoulder and smiles up at him. Click.
“Great. You two look really good together. How about something a little less static, a bit more interesting. Fox, why you don’t try putting an arm over her shoulder?”
“Uh, like this?” He asks, looping one arm over her shoulder, and reaching it down across her body.
“Yeah, Dana, relax into him a bit more, maybe bring a hand up to cover his arm or hand?”
Scully nods and leans her weight into the arm looping over her shoulder, she brings one hand up to hold against his elbow, and with her other hand, she brings the hand of this looped over arm, and brings it down towards his other arm, and covers his lower arm with her hand. It feels almost possessive, but she feels safe, secure, happy, and they both give the photographer and their daughter wide smiles.
“Oh that’s great, I love it. Maybe readjust your arms, and the hold a little.”
Mulder brings one arm up, pulling Scully into his body, arm wrapped across the front of her shoulders. He’ll often hold her across the back of the shoulders, but it feels a little stranger in this position. If Scully feels awkward though, she doesn’t say anything. In fact, she brings a hand up, placing it over his forearm as if to secure him in place. With her other hand, she intertwines their fingers, and then brings them to securely wrap around her stomach.
“Any other poses you’d like to try?”
“I feel like I should be peeping out over your shoulders.” Mulder chuckles, releasing his hold on Scully. “Like, boo.” He rests his chin on her shoulder and grins at her. “And then I’m over here.” He darts to her other shoulder. She wrinkles her nose at him. “No?”
“Mulder,” Scully turns to the side, ready to chastise him, but he’s there ready with a cheesy grin for the camera. So instead, she places her hand on his chest, her thumb rubbing over his shirt slightly. “I love you, but maybe leave it to the professional.”
“You don’t think I’ve got the vision.” He mock pouts.
“Of the UFOs, maybe. Of photography, I’m not so convinced.”
“Ouch.”
“Oh shush.” She skims her fingers over his jaw and stretches up for a chaste kiss. Click.
“Assistant Emily, any last ideas?”
“Thumb war!” All three adults turn to look at her oddly.
“A thumb war?”
“Yeah, push your thumbs together.”
Mulder and Scully give each other dubious looks, but they each hold a hand out, fingers ghosting over each other’s fingers tips, and thumbs brushing against each other. Click.
“Now thumbs touch and wiggle. Like this.”
Emily attempts to demonstrate with her own thumbs, showing how she’s trying to wriggle one thumb out from under the other to then push the other thumb down.
Mulder and Scully attempt to follow her lead, but end up in fits of laughter instead after a few attempts. Click.
“Great. I think we’ve got plenty to work with here.” Lucy says, lifting the camera strap over her head, to place her camera back in her bag.
As Dana and Lucy talk next steps, they notice Emily and Mulder. Emily sits on Mulder’s lap, leaning back against him, and then attempts to wrestle his large thumb with her own tiny thumb and a couple of fingers. The women smile, and Lucy can’t help but to whip out her camera for one last shot.
“Bit of a Daddy’s girl, huh?” The photographer asks.
“Yeah, sometimes. He’s really good with her, he’s a bit more playful than me I think. I get too self-conscious sometimes? We’ve got a good balance though.” Scully sighs. “She had a tough end to last year, so we’re trying to make her feel as loved and comfortable as we can. Sometimes she’ll be my little shadow, and other times they’re joined at the hip, conspiring about something.”
“You have a really cute family, Dana. Emily seems like a happy kid.”
“Thank you, that’s all that matters really. We just want her to be happy.”
“I think she is, today at least. A day at a time, is how you roll with kids. Or at least, how I approached it with my son. He’s doing alright. On his basketball middle school team now. Anyway, I’ll get these processed and then I’ll give you a call, see how many prints you want, and which ones you want enlarged.”
“That’s great. It’d be great to have some pictures for the wall.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got a few contenders in here.” Lucy tells her confidently, as she finishes putting her camera and lenses away.
Chapter 34: Operation Kit
Summary:
Mulder meets with the Lone Gunmen who are interested in hearing about his new role as a family man.
Notes:
Found some time to edit this one - it's a bit of a filler chapter but it helps move the story along a bit, and I figured it was about time I try and include Mulder's pals.
Merry Christmas to those that celebrate - enjoy a little escapism alongside all the festivities!
Chapter Text
“Hey, Daddio!” Frohike greets Mulder enthusiastically as he welcomes him in for another games night catch up. It’s the first one Mulder has made it too since returning to DC. Scully assured him that she and Emily could handle an evening alone and that it would be good for him to see his friends, and yet he still feels a bit guilty for missing bath and bedtime, even if he and Emily and poured through one of her picture books in the afternoon before her dinner time.
“Hi Hicke,” Mulder greets his old friend and looks around for the remaining stooges.
“Hey Dude,” Langly greets him as he settles into a chair at the table with a family size bag of chips. “Ready for something more advanced than Snap?”
“How are you finding things as a new father?” Byers ask him with curious interest.
“Doesn’t new father suggest a newborn?” Mulder questions.
“Newborn, newly acquired, it’s all the same.” Langly shrugs around a few crumbs.
“Well, not quite. That’s a totally different stage of development, a whole different ball game.”
“Ah, he’s an expert now guys.” Frohike muses as they all join Langly at the table.
“Oh, no, no, definitely not an expert. I know one kid, aged three. I can deal with her, but that doesn’t mean I know anything about a newborn. They’re so helpless. Emily though, she can walk, talk, play with things. Way different.”
“I bet you’d figure it out quicker than the rest of us though.” Byers replies, and Frohike and Langley are quick to back him up.
“Enough with the hypotheticals, tell us all about her. Both hers.” Frohike smirks.
Mulder lifts his hand to the back of his neck as he tried to work out what to tell his friends.
“It’s actually going well. Really well. Scully, she’s amazing. You should see her with Em.” Mulder can’t help the dreamy face he makes thinking about his family. “And somehow she’s not tried to get rid of me yet.” Mulder smirks.
“We knew this day would come. That our Fox would find his vixen.” Mulder groans at that.
“And his cub!” Langly muses.
“It was a sad day indeed hearing that wonderful Dr Scully was no longer available.” Frohike sighs. “Not that we weren’t surprised of course.”
“You weren’t?”
“Not about you and Scully.” Byers Shakes his head.
“We’ve seen that coming for years!” Langly reveals.
“Really? You did.?”
“Oh yeah.” They all say in unison.
“Huh. Emily though, she’s had a rough few months, but…she’s incredible.” Mulder tells them wholeheartedly.
“Dude, you’re like, glowing!”
“She’s adorable. A real mini Scully, and then every now and then she’ll pull an expression that reminds me of Samantha. It was kind of mind blowing realising that she’s ours, but it kind of makes sense.”
“She was quiet at first, but she warmed up to us pretty quickly. She’s curious and kind, chats up a storm now given half a chance and she loves to colour and play.”
“So Dad, when do we get to meet the little kit?” Frohike asks.
“Did you just call my daughter a kitten?”
“No fool, I called her a baby Fox!”
“Oh.” Mulder nearly squirms at the realisation. “You really want to meet her? I…I’m not sure how much you’ll have in common with her but…”
“Mulder, of course we want to meet her. She’s your daughter. Yours and Scully’s.” Byers cuts in with his soothing reassurance.
“Seeing is believing.” Langly adds.
“You can’t tell us how much you’re enjoying being this big family man now, and how amazing the kid is without letting us meet her.”
“Fine, fine. Let me talk to Scully. Maybe we can host a games night?”
“Oh, hear that boys, he’s got to check with the Mrs!” Langly crowed and Frohike makes a whipping sound and gesture.
“She’s not a Kit though. She’s more of…she’s a Roo.” Mulder shrugs and three heads swivel to give him an odd look.
“I don’t get it.” Byers looks puzzled and Langly gives him a blank face in agreement.
“She bounce a lot?”
“Sometimes. But no, Roo, like a kangaroo, or like from Winnie the Pooh.” Mulder fills them in but they’re still not following. “She loves Winnie the Pooh, especially Tigger. But we took her to San Diego and after spotting a kangaroo and her Joey, Scully found this great way to try and explain how she and Em are like Kanga and Roo - a kangaroo and a joey. Did you know that when a joey is first born it’s ridiculously small. Smaller than a fingernail and it has to basically climb its way into the pouch. Scully basically tried to tell her that when she was teeny tiny they got seperated but that Emily started out as hers.”
“Well that glosses over a lot.” Langly sums up.
“That’s probably the point.” Byers assumes and looks to Mulder to see if he’s right.
“Exactly. She’s so young, and has had a pretty intense and traumatic go of it. She doesn’t need to know the full details, not now at least. She just needs to know she’s ours.” Mulder tells them.
“Keep it simple and sugar coated.”
“Exactly. We see more than enough of the monsters of the world, if we can protect her from that for a while then we want to try our damn hardest.”
“You can count on us Mulder.”
“I know.” Mulder says as if this is obvious, and definitely not new information.
“To protect her. Anything you need to help keep her safe.”
“Operation Kit is a go.”
“Thanks guys, she’ll have the best fairy godfathers.” Mulder’s words are heartfelt and he knows with the Gunmen onside his little girl will be looked after and protected.
“Heck, we might even be happy to hang out with her sometimes if you want some adult time with the Mrs.” Frohicke wiggles his eyebrows.
“I draw the line at tutus and wands.” Langly huffs.
“Fair enough.” Mulder nods then pulls out a folded piece of paper. “Scully’s mom gifted us a family photoshoot. We just got some of the proofs back and are figuring out which to get and what size. I really like this one.”
He opens up the folded paper, smoothing out the creases and presents it to his friends.
“Now that’s the perfect inspiration. One for the wall.” Frohicke says as he moves to tack the picture to the notice board behind the computer screens.
“If you really want, we can get you some actual prints, not just from the office printer.”
“This will do for now, but I won’t say no.” Frohicke tells him. In time, Mulder will come to find this section of the wall becomes a dedicated ‘do it for her’ inspiration board, with several Emily pictures, and a few family ones. It becomes reassuring to know Emily has these ‘uncles’ to keep an eye out of and protect her should anything happen.
“So Frohike wanted me to pass on a message.” Mulder begins once Emily has been wrangled into her car seat and Scully joins him up front in the car.
“Oh yeah?” Scully smirks and raises her eyebrow not quite sure what to expect but likely thinking it would be at least mildly amusing.
“Yep, something along the lines of being disappointed to hear you’re off the market.” Mulder chuckles, “Not that I think that was ever going to happen.” Scully gives him a soft smile and shakes her head. “But, he made me swear to tell you that…when I end up in the doghouse, you just let him know, and he’ll swoop in like your knight in leather fingerless gloves. I guess he doesn’t mind being second best.”
Scully can’t help but laugh at the idea and Frohike’s commitment to the bit. He might talk the game, but she knows it’s all talk. Mostly to make Mulder squirm.
“Well, you tell him I’ll give him a call when you spend the night on the couch.”
Mulder’s jaw drops open and then he glances over at Scully to see that she was enjoying teasing him.
After a few minutes, as they head further out of the city, Mulder speaks again.
“Turns out they’re surprisingly keen to meet that one.” He gestures with his towards the backseat where Emily is talking with her doll. “Maybe we should host a games night?”
“Games! I like games!” Emily chirps.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah! Like Snap! And…uh..the one with the Mickey and Minnie and Donald and…”
“The dominoes? Where you match the characters and make a pattern?”
“Yeah, that one!”
Mulder can’t help but snicker as he thinks of his friends playing a round Snap and matching cartoon characters with his little Em, and a sideways glance suggests Scully is smiling at the same thought.
“Well Em, I’ve got some friends who would like to meet you. I don’t think they usually play Snap, but I’m sure you could ask them. Maybe we can play together though.”
“Yayyy!” Emily claps her hands as she cheers.
“Before that though,” Scully starts, “remember we’re looking at some houses today.”
“New house to live in.” Emily nods remembering their previous discussions about house hunting and looking for a house to make their own special family home.
“That’s right. They might not have decorated the way we like, but we can change the colours and pictures. You’ll have to think about more about whether the rooms are the right size, and whether you like the yard.”
“If we have a yard, I can have my own swing!” Emily says excitedly.
“That’s the idea!” Scully grins.
Together they view four houses that afternoon. An end of the row townhouse set over three floors with a wraparound yard, a newly built detached house nestled in amongst other cookie cutter homes, an old and far too dilapidated small family home with a large yard, and then finally an unassuming (to some rather unremarkable on the outside) house that could do with a little work, but wasn’t too far gone to move into. It looked small from the outside, but was deceptively bigger on the inside, and there was so much land around the house. It was just like what Mulder had talked about back on that case in Home, Pennsylvania. There was plenty of space for them to grow both in and outside of the house.
They pictured a swing set out the front, and Mulder could have a basketball hoop and teach her to play as she got older. There was plenty of space that they could have both a flower garden and a vegetable patch if they wanted, and there was already a mini orchard with a few apple trees. The idea of homegrown apples to put into an apple pie was particularly exciting for Mulder. Insider, the house had an open plan central living/dining space and kitchen. The kitchen wasn’t overly grand, but there was enough space for them. Three bedrooms were upstairs, two of them tucked into the rafters, one of which would be perfect for Emily. She liked the idea of the one at the front, so that she could look out for their cars as they came home or people came to visit. There was another room downstairs that while some would probably use it as a bedroom, they thought would make a good den/study, but there’d be enough for a pull out couch too if they needed the space, and there was also a basement, which was as yet unfinished, but if needed, they could potentially create space or an extra study there.
Chapter 35: Good idea?
Summary:
Just some cute family fluff here. They stumble across some kids performing in the park, and Emily is mesmerised. There's also some late night procrastination that leads to a discussion about dinosaurs. And finally, Mulder has a question for Emily.
Notes:
The world is heavy, so here is some cute family fluff for a moment of escapism.
I had parts of this squirrelled away in my notes app on my phone, but it felt too short, and I wanted to add more. For some reason I felt called to have some dinosaur chat. I was never super into them, but I have a feeling a young Mulder (pre Samantha's abduction) would have been obsessed. Imagine, four year old Fox, enthralled by dinosaurs, the prehistoric world, and also about stars, and planets. Little dude probably reckons there's dinosaurs on one of those other planets.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Right around Easter, when the warmer weather starts creeping in, they’re on the way back from yet another play park visit where Emily has happily played with another couple of children, running around, climbing onto the climbing frame and slipping their way down the slide. They stumble upon a grandstand where a group of children are performing.
“What’s that?” Emily asks tugging on Scully’s hand.
“Hmm, I think it’s some big kids putting on a show. You want to go see?”
Emily pulls on Scully’s hand in response and they move towards the crowd. Mulder lifts Emily up so she can see better.
“Ohhh, dancing!” She chirps as she watches in amazement. They watch a group of middle schoolers performing an engaging modern dance piece, and then a group of older teens in pointe shoes and tutus tip toe onto the stage and begin their performance.
“Wow. Look Daddy - they’re on their tippy tip toes!”
“They are. Pretty cool, huh.”
“Ohhhh.” She watched them pirouette and leap across the stage.
“Mommy, can you do that?” Emily asks Scully curiously, thinking her mother can do just about anything.
“No sweetie, I don’t think so. I did take a few dance lessons when I was in elementary school though. I didn’t get that far though.”
“I like dance. It’s pretty.” Emily says dreamily.
“It is, but you have to work really really hard to make it look that pretty. It’s harder than it looks.” Scully enlightens her.
“It often is with sport. I like basketball and baseball but I wasn’t good straight away. It took a long time before I could do a three pointer.” Mulder adds, not having much dance experience, but wanting to impart some of his wisdom too.
“Can I do sports?” Emily asks, confusion on her face.
“You could…” Mulder starts.
“When you’re a bit older.” Scully says.
“Oh. Not now? Too little still?” Emily asks, a little disappointed.
“Yeah. When you’re a big bigger, and ready for school I think we can find some clubs for you to try.” Scully offers. She doesn’t want to squash opportunities for Emily, but she’s not even four yet and assumes most clubs won’t take kids that young. Maybe once they’ve moved and are settled in the new house, she could start looking for more social and active opportunities though.
“But, if you want to try some things out, maybe we can have a go. Just us? We can play catch and build up from there. And you can dance at home until then.” Mulder tries to placate Emily. He can’t wait to start teaching her about his favourite sports. He wonders if someone makes child sized basketball stands.
It probably shouldn’t surprise him, but later that afternoon, he walks into the kitchen to find Scully spinning Emily about the kitchen, music softly playing in the background. Scully places Emily back on the ground, and twirls her out, and then Emily attempts to tip toe and spin around by herself, although her attempts, while adorable, are a little less graceful and rather less refined compared to the dancers they’d seen earlier that day.
After they’d started packing up some of the books and decor in the living room, Mulder and Scully decide to unwind for the evening by watching a film. Of course, they’d debated about which film to watch, but eventually settled on Jurassic Park. Mulder told Scully that it was absolutely fascinating that the film is based on the concept of bringing dinosaurs back to life using advancements in genetics, and Scully of course tells him that it’s a foolish and outlandish concept in so many ways. He grins the entire time, prodding her just for fun, until they agree to just watch the damn film.
Just after a particularly tense moment where the dinosaurs stalk behind humans, tearing apart the toilet, the hear a door creak open and a little run of feet padding along the floor.
Mulder jumps into action, stopping the film and turning the TV off so as not to fuel any nightmares.
“Mommy…” Emily whines, in a slightly singsong but hesitant way as she stands in front of the fishtanks, backlit by the glowing tank.
“Hi little one, everything okay?” Scully asks her softly and extends her arm, beckoning her daughter over. Emily scampers towards Scully and clambers up on to the couch, settling into her mother’s arms.
“I heard something, I think.” Emily says, though she doubts herself now.
“Maybe it was just the TV, Em.” Mulder tells her, laying a hand on the back of her head.
“The TV is off, look.” Emily tells him, face twisted in confusion.
“Ah, I just turned it off. It was on.” He assures her.
“Oh.”
“It might have been a little loud. Do you think it woke you up?” Scully asks her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Maybe.” She shrugs.
“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you.” Mulder soothes.
“’s okay. What was it? Cartoons?”
“No sweetie, we weren’t watching cartoons.” Scully can’t help but smile at her daughter’s innocence. “We were watching a movie called Jurassic Park.”
“About dinosaurs.” Mulder chips in.
“I watch too?” Emily tries smiling at Mulder.
“Not this time, kiddo.” He shakes his head, but smiles good naturally. “I think this one might be a little loud and scary. Maybe in a couple of years.”
“I like dinosaurs.” She sighs.
“Dinosaurs are kind of cool. You know…I’m pretty sure there is a cartoon about dinosaurs. Maybe I can have a look for that. That’s probably going to be a bit less scary.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure if that’s the best idea given recent…circumstances. If it’s the one I’m thinking of.” Scully’s brows knit together slightly. She’s quite sure it’s supposed to be rather sad in places, and a little too close to some of Emily’s recent experiences.
“Maybe the Dinosaurs sitcom?”
“Hmm. We’ll have to do some research. I think Barney might be more he speed right now.” Scully smirks.
“Barney!” Emily tunes back in.
“Ah, I see we’re already acquainted with that one.”
Bored of this line of conversation, Emily has a much more pressing concern to ask her parents.
“What’s your favourite dinosaur?”
“Now, that’s a question.” Mulder muses. “You’ve got the T-Rex, who is all big and powerful, but they’ve got these silly little arms.” Mulder stands up and pretends to walk like a T-Rex, with big exaggerated leg movements, and his arms tucked up, hanging just in front of his chest. Emily giggles at him. “You’ve got the squawking pterodactyls, with their big wings.” He flaps his hands at his sides. “I think I’m going to need to do some more research and get back to you. There’s armoured dinosaurs, and crested dinosaurs and…
“You need a dinosaur book to help you choose, Daddy.” Emily tells him matter of factly.
“I think you’re right, Em.” He says flopping down on the couch, trying to remember all the dinosaurs he’d once obsessed over before Samantha got abducted and his interests shifted to learning everything about the more current threats and predators like aliens, lesser known cryptids and stomach churning government conspiracies.
“Mommy?”
“Hmm, for the land dinosaurs, maybe something with a very long neck like diplodocus. But you know, I think maybe some of my favourites might have been ones that lives in the seas. Maybe Livyatan or Basilosaurus - they’re like much much older versions of whales.”
“Of course it would be, Starbuck.” Mulder mutters with fondness in his eyes. “Livyatan melvillei.” She gives him a soft smile, remembering the time they discussed Moby Dick while stranded in the middle of a lake looking for ‘Big Blue’. “I’ll convince you of Nessie or Big Blue, yet.” He chuckles. “There are some pretty cool marine dinosaurs.” He tells Emily. “Mom’s got good picks. There are also ones like big big sharks, and oh, there’s one pretty cool one that’s armoured and looks all squishy.” Emily smiles and her nose crinkles and the thought of a squishy looking armoured under water dinosaur.
“What about you, sweetie? Which dinosaurs do you like?” Scully asks her.
“Hmm.” Emily taps her nose in thinking mode. “Well, I only know a little. I want to see the water ones. I think I’ll like them, the old whales. I like the one with horns, and the frilly thingy behind its head.” Emily says, and sticks splayed out hands behind her neck.
“Triceratops?” Mulder guesses from her description.
“Uh huh. And…the steg…steggy with the big spikeys down its back.”
“Stegosaurus.”
“Yeah!” Emily nods.
“Great choice. An armoured dinosaur.” Mulder holds his hand up for a high-five.
Emily lets out a yawn and stretches.
“Alright, missy, time to go back to bed I think.” Scully prompts her, kissing her forehead.
“Story?” Emily tries to gives Scully a cute smile that she hates to say no to.
“Go on then. Go choose one, and I’ll be in in a minute.” Emily leans over and hugs Mulder, kissing his cheek and then slips down from the couch, padding off towards her room.
“Somebody has their daddy’s skills of procrastination and curiosity.” Scully nods towards Emily and smirks at Mulder.
“Me?!” Mulder acts offended. “As if her mother has never been curious…”
“Maybe a little.” She concedes.
“Likely story.” He teases. “I sense a trip to the bookstore for dinosaur books soon.”
“The library is also a perfectly good repository for books.” She gives him a look as she gets up, thinking they really don’t need more books just to put them in a box in a moving van. As she rounds the couch, he reaches out and lightly grasps her hand.
“Want me to wait for you?” He asks.
“No, it’s okay. You watch your dinosaurs, just maybe a little quieter. If I don’t fall asleep too, I’ll be back soon and can catch up.” He lets her fingers slip from his grasp, and turns the tv back on, making sure to turn the volume down a few notches before continuing the film, knowing full well there’s a good chance Scully may end up cuddled up and snoozing in Emily’s bed for a while.
Despite packing up the apartment, and trying to minimise new purchases, a family still needs to eat, so Scully heads out for groceries and leaves her two most impulsive shoppers behind.
“Hey, Em, hop up here for a sec with me.” Mulder calls out to Emily, patting the couch beside him.
“Hi Daddy.” Emily says as she takes her seat by his side on the couch.
“Hi.” He smiles at her and wraps his arm around her little body. “Are you excited about the new house?”
“Uh huh.”
“We’ll do your room all special just the way you want it.” He reminds her.
“With twinkle lights?” She asks with her eyes all big and round shining up at him, and he can practically see the way the twinkle lights will reflect in them.
“If that’s what you want.”
“And butterflies?”
“Hmm instead of or as well as Winnie the Pooh?” He’s not sure what the typical pre-schooler bedroom looks like, or whether it’s normal for us to want all these things, but if it’ll make her happy…
“All of it.”
“We’ll see what we can do.” He tells her and kisses the top of her head. “Now, I wanted to talk to you about something special. I’m planning a surprise for Scully - for Mommy. So do you think you can keep quiet about this chat for a while.”
“Uh huh. Secret surprise for Mommy. To make her happy?”
“I hope so little one.”
“Shhh.” She holds her finger to her lips, showing him that she won’t tell Scully.
“Exactly. We’ll stay quiet so she’s surprised and extra happy.” He hopes. He desperately hopes this will all work out. “Do you know what it means when people are married?”
“Uhm, it’s when a mommy and daddy…but not every mommy and daddy. You’re not married.” She scowls. “But we’re still a family.”
“Yep, we are.”
“And you love mommy, and you love me.”
“Exactly, I do.” He agrees. “Getting married is where two people promise to love each other forever, for the rest of their lives.”
“You won’t love mommy forever?” Emily worries her lower lip.
“Oh, that’s um, just because two people aren’t married doesn’t mean they won’t always love each other. But I was thinking, now we’ve officially adopted you, and we’re about to live in a new house together, I was thinking that well…it might be a good idea to make what Mommy and I have official. I’m thinking of asking Mommy to marry me.”
“Eee.” Emily squeals.
“That way we’ll promise to love each other forever, in front of our friends and our family. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Emily nods enthusiastically. “You and mommy promised to love me forever. So you should promise to love each other forever too.” She tells him.
“See, I knew you’d get it. Hey, you want to see something special, as part of the surprise?”
“Yeah.” Emily nods enthusiastically, and clenches her fists under her chin in excitement.
Mulder reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box, and brings it across his body ready to show Emily. As he opens the box, she gasps.
“You think Mommy’ll like it?”
“Yeahhhh.” Emily breathes, mesmerised. “So pretty. Sparkly.”
“That’s the idea.” Mulder smiles.
“I like it.” Emily tells him, he hugs her close.
“Me too, Em, me too.”
Notes:
Just to warn you - I think I've only got one more actual chapter of this story left, but I'm thinking I'll have a few seasonal epilogues before we reach the epilogue I've had in the works this whole time. So there'll be a few more chapters, but less story/plot, and more cute, fun moments I guess.
Chapter 36: The Big Move
Summary:
Scully convinces Emily to help her pack up a few things, and reassures her that a couple of days with Grandma Maggie is much more exciting than the act of moving house.
Mulder and Scully start to unpack in their new house, and Mulder becomes agitated trying to find his projector.
Notes:
January has felt loonngg, and I know it's been tough for many. So, I offer up the fanfic community, some escapism in the form of fluff, soft cuteness, and a little awkward nerdy romance.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
In early April, the apartment is mostly boxed up, ready for the impending big move. Heavy boxes full of books sit behind the couch, a temporary room divider made of cardboard, literature, and packing tape.
Two empty boxes sit in Emily’s room, where Scully is once again trying to explain to Emily what’s about to happen.
“Here,” Scully unzips a medium sized suitcase, and presents it to Emily, lying it in the middle of her floor. “As much as you can fit in this case, Em, you can keep out for a bit longer, and then you’ll take it to Grandma Maggie’s house with you for a couple of days.”
“Not with you?” Emily asks, worrying her lower lip, a move Scully can’t help but think is very ‘Mulder’ of her. Sometimes, watching Emily, she finds herself thinking it’s a wonder they didn’t see how obvious it was. Emily’s parentage is not the big mystery she once thought it was.
“Just for two days, Emily. You’ll have much more fun with Grandma, I promise.” Scully tells her as she scoots closer to Emily, who is sat on the edge of the bed, little legs dangling down, swinging slightly.
“I think I’ll stay with you.” Emily looks up at Scully with big blue eyes that mirror her own, and a vulnerability Scully sees that she knows Emily doesn’t quite have the words for.
“Oh, sweet baby,” Scully runs her hand over Emily’s cheek. “As much as I would love to have you with me, the actual moving house is very boring and messy. I don’t think it’ll be half as fun as being at my mom’s house. You’ve stayed at Grandma’s before, remember?”
Emily nods slowly, but looks unsure. “And I know it was hard, but you had fun. Grandma took you to the park, and then she made you a special dinner, and let you watch a Disney film after your bath.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be just like that sweet pea, but this time you’ll get two special dinners, and I think she’ll watch at least two films with you.”
“Hmm.” Emily hums, not quite content yet.
“We’ve got most of the apartment packed up already, today we’re packing up the kitchen, and the bedrooms. And tonight, Daddy Fox, and me, and you, we’ll all go to Grandma’s for dinner. And we’ll say goodnight to you, and then while you’re sleeping, we’ll come back here, pack up the last few bits in your room, and our room. Tomorrow is going to be busy, and boring, and full of cleaning, and lifting and moving. We’ll get all these boxes put in the back of a big truck, and then eventually, Daddy and I will get to the new house, and we’ll have to find homes for alllll these boxes!” Scully taps Emily on the end of her nose. “We’ll try and get some of the boxes unpacked, and we’ll get all of your things put into your room. It’ll be a long busy day, and the house won’t be set up for playing or watching your videos yet. But the day after that, Grandma will bring you by in time for lunch, and we’ll have your room set up ready for you.”
“No more boxes?”
“Hmm, I can’t promise that. Hopefully no more boxes in your room though.” Scully smiles thinking of Mulder’s former bedroom. “Did you know, in his old apartment, your Daddy Fox, he kept boxes full of all his things in his bedroom for yearrrrsss.” Scully rolls her eyes. “He couldn’t even see the bed, so he slept on the couch!”
“He’s so silly.” Emily giggles. “I’ll tell him to unpack his boxes, Mommy.”
“You do that, sweetie.” Scully presses a kiss to her daughter’s hair as she hugs her. “Now, should we do this together? You can bring me your toys, books and clothes, and tell me if you want to take it to Grandma’s or if we can put in one of these boxes for tomorrow, hmm? Do you think you can help me with that?”
“Okay, I can help.” Emily decides, as she slides off the bed.
“That’s my girl.” Mulder says from the door, and Emily runs up to him.
“Daddy Fox!”
“Little Em!” He ruffles her hair and looks to Scully, eyeing the empty boxes and suitcase curiously. “Everything okay in here?”
Scully nods at him, with a sad smile, and mouths ‘will be’ to him, just as Emily looks up at him with curious eyes of her own.
“Daddy, Mommy said you kept boxes in your room for years! You couldn’t see your bed?”
“Scully.” He mutters under his breath, mock glaring at her.
“Yeah, I guess I did do that. I had a very comfy couch.”
“You need to unpack your boxes, Daddy Fox.” Emily tells him seriously.
“Oh, I will.” He tells her. “I think your mother will make sure we’ve got a bed to sleep in.” His eyes drift over to Scully then. “Although, if she does want to snuggle on the couch, I won’t stop her.” He winks at her.
“Mulder,” She rolls her eyes. “Those saucepans won’t pack themselves…”
“Yeah, yeah. Alright, Em, you help Mommy pack up your books and toys, and I’ll go pack up the kitchen.”
It’s the first night in their new house, they’ve partially unpacked Emily’s room ready for her to come home, and they’ve made a start on unpacking the kitchen essentials.
Mulder disappears and Scully finds him frantically scouring through boxes looking for something.
“Mulder, hon?” Scully asks gently as he digs through several boxes in a row.
“Yeah, just a minute.” He responds distractedly, continuing to sort through his boxes.
“What are you looking for? So intensely? Can I help you?” She asks him seeing the worried intensity splayed across his brow.
“It’s…it’s here somewhere.” He mumbles.
“What is?”
“My projector.”
“Ah…and that’s a top priority to get unpacked because…?” She asks, genuinely intrigued. Once, she would have likely ridiculed him for trying to unpack a projector before kitchen cupboard essentials, but she’s since learned better to trust his brain - well somewhat at least.
“Yes. Top priority. There’s something I want to show you.”
“A slideshow?”
“Only if I can find the damn thing.”
“You will. I’m intrigued. It’s not just that you’ve discovered Sasquatch tracks in the woods?”
“What now in the woods?!?” Mulder asks with eager intrigue.
“Kidding, Mulder. I haven’t seen tracks.” She places her hand on his shoulder, lightly scratching, hoping it’s comforting, as he’s clearly wound up about this.
“Oh.” His face falls slightly. “That could have been kind of perfect actually…” He trails off. “But now I really do need to find the projector. Tonight. It has to be tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll tackle a couple of kitchen boxes, while you find your projector. And then we’ll work on Emily’s room some more?”
“Yeah.” He nods, and dives into yet another box.
She shakes her head and she drifts back towards the kitchen. A part of her is tempted to make him swear he's not about to bring up some new unexplained case that’s just begging to be explored mid-move, but there’s something different about him, that she can’t quite place.
“Wait,” Scully doubles back, deeply curious. “This wouldn’t have some to do with a surprise that Emily mentioned the other day?”
Mulder snapped upright, and turned to Scully with what could only be described as his panic face. “She told you about a surprise?” He scratches the back of his neck, hoping his voice didn’t squeak too much.
“Just let slip that there is one. Clammed up and said it was a secret surprise as soon as I asked what she meant.” Scully holds a finger to her lips, just the way Emily had when she’d tried to find what the little sneak was hiding for Mulder.
“Ah.” He lets out a sigh of relief. “Now I really need to find that damn thing.” He mutters and digs into another box, purposely not answering Scully’s question.
Thankfully, Mulder found his projector in good time to join Scully in the kitchen, and then tackle Emily’s room together before they call it quits and order a large pizza to share from the one takeout place that seems to deliver.
Mulder keeps watch for the delivery driver from the front porch, nervously pacing, fingers clenching and unclenching around the item in his pocket. He’s nervous, but also confident, and as he paces he starts wondering about the love and time, and effort they’re going to put in their new house. He envisions rocking chairs, or maybe a porch swing out on the front so that they can sit and enjoy their land. He thinks of taking Emily to Home Depot and mulling over paint swatches. He wonders if they have a friend who might be able to help paint a mural on her bedroom wall. He thinks of the way they’ll fill this space with love, laughter and will be making memories for many more years to come. There’s space for a swing set, maybe a trampoline and a basketball hoop. There’s room for them to grow. This feels right. Just the kind of thing he thought was out of his reach when bouncing ideas around with Scully back in Home. It was just a wild fantasy then, and now it’s becoming his reality. Their reality.
They tuck into their pizza, enjoying the stringy cheesy tomatoey goodness, deciding they’ll be regular repeat customers. There might be more limited options out here in Farr’s Corner than there were in the city, but it would appear to be a good option at least.
“Right, come on, Scully. Time for a show. You can bring your wine.” Mulder tells her, and excited nervousness fizzes away under his skin. He rushes through towards the couch to get set up, leaving Scully to bring both his and her wine glasses.
“You left this behind.” She places his glass in front him.
“Oh, thanks.” He says sheepishly.
“Like father, like daughter.” Scully smiles at him from behind her wine glass.
“Hmm?”
“Running away with an idea, forgetting about whatever else you were doing or using.” She points out.
“Oh, yeah, I guess we do both do that.”
“I love seeing and recognising the similarities. Though it does make me wonder how we were ever surprised.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Yeah.”
“Speaking of, actually…” Mulder fires up the projector, the first slide an adorable picture of their little apple. “I’ve been thinking, quite a lot actually. And I have some reasons to discuss with you.”
“Reasons?”
“Reasons.”
“Reasons for….?”
“All in good time, Scully.” Mulder giver her a knowing smile with a mischievous glint.
“This, right here, Scully, is several reasons, all tied up in one adorable little package.”
“Adorable, check.” Scully snickers, wondering exactly what these reasons are.
“I know that considering the concepts of fate, destiny and freewill can lead to a blurry web, and I don’t have all the answers to that. I like the idea that we do have free will, but at the same time it feels like our fate was written in the stars. Or, at the very least, encoded in our daughter’s DNA, and as far as I’m concerned that might as well be the same thing. She’s one of the purest souls - sent to us, stitching us together forevermore.”
“Look at you, waxing all poetic.” Scully muses. Though she’s seen some of his report writing where he’s gotten caught up in the excitement of the improbable, she’s not quite so used to him talking about things closer to the heart in the same way. She thinks his mind is brilliant, and one day, if he were to write a book or three, she’d quite happily devour the way he strings his words together - even if she does like to tease him a little.
“So, against all odds, we find our daughter, we adopt her, together - even though quite frankly that was legal hoop jumping we should never had to have done, and now we’ve bought a house with our names on the contracts. And I was thinking, what’s one more commitment?”
“Another commitment?” Scully eyes him curiously, expression growing serious.
“Yeah, look at this adorable face, just look at her.” Scully redirects her attention to their daughter’s image, blue eyes shining at them as she smiles brightly.
“She is pretty cute.”
“Now, imagine her in a pretty little dress, basket full of flower petals.” He starts trying to paint her a picture, and Scully’s eyes narrow.
“A basket full of flower petals?”
“She would make the best flower girl to ever flower.” He tells her with a dreamy smile.
“For…?” She regards him carefully, thinking she’s starting to get where his slideshow is going, but wanting, needing him to make it all explicitly clear.
“For us, of course.” He gives her a bashful smile. “I have more reasons though, don’t say anything yet. I’m not done!”
“You’ll let me know when you are though?” She asks delicately, biting the inside of her lip, not wanting to give too much away too soon.
“Oh, you’ll know!” He exclaims, and then she watches him try to find his train of thought before he’d maybe ad-libbed his way into a little spoiler.
“Scully, think about it. It’s the next step, and one I think we should consider for many reasons.” He watches her for a moment, letting the idea sink in for a moment.
“Hey Scully, did you know there are about a thousand legal benefits, rights and privileges contingent on marital status?”
“Is that supposed to be romantic?” She asks with a raised eyebrow.
“No, that’s just practical.” He smirks. “And that’s not to mention other benefits, like on balance being happier, healthier, wealthier…”
“Two incomes and tax breaks will do that.” She rolls her eyes.
“I once read that married people have better sex.” He wiggles his eyebrow. “Like statistically, more satisfying.”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting hypothesis.”
“Isn’t it just?” He asks, obviously checking her out as his eyes rake over her form.
“Mulder, I don’t think we should get married just to test a hypothesis.”
“Hold on, I have more reasons.”
Mulder flicks through several slides with pictorial representations of wealth and health, the Caduceus symbol and a hospital.
“You know Scully, we find ourselves in hospitals more than the average person. And as much as I’d like to think shifting to teaching at Quantico would have a much lower risk factor, you never know. Next time one of us is rushed to the hospital, I don’t want to deal with stupid political waffle about ‘family only’. I don’t want to have to flash my badge and throw my job title around, you know?” He sighs and she looks at him with soft eyes, nodding. “They’d let me in to see Emily straight away, but sometimes, getting in to see you...that’s not easy. And I think that’s pretty crap. I could just say ‘that’s my fiancée’ or ‘that’s my wife’. And, if you were my wife, you could make my medical decisions if I couldn’t, and vice versa. And my mom…I think she tried, but…I trust you more with this kind of stuff.”
“Mulder…”
Mulder skips forward to a cartoon image of a house, with children and a dog playing outside. “There are supposedly benefits to child-rearing too, and it could help build stability for Emily. And I know we agree that’s pretty important after everything. I want to make sure she has all the legal securities she can do. It can be harder for non-married fathers to make important decisions like medical or educational ones.”
“Family man Mulder, he wants this, Scully. To be a family in every sense of the word.” For the longest time he never thought this would be or could be his life, but here it is. So close he could sense it, taste it and then all of a sudden it was everything. “If you want to get married in a church, I’ll even go before your God and promise to always be your devoted partner, in front of all our family and friends - if you’ll let me.” She looks at him with moist eyes, realising how much he actually wants this, how it’s so important to him. It’s not just a practical thing, he really, really wants this. To have a very real, very tangible family unit when he’s felt afloat by himself for so so long now. Her Mulder. She can’t help but reach out and wrap her fingers around his hand, squeezing it in affection, encouragement, recognition, love. “You’ve changed me. I’m not quite the same fool I once was.” He was a young wayward soul when she’d first met him, but now he feels like he belongs - with her. “You ground me, Scully. You keep me honest, you’re my one person. Out of all five billion of us, you’re the one. Things make more sense with you by my side.
“But, most importantly, you deserve this. You deserve, a symbol of love and commitment.” He finally pulls out the square box from his pocket that he’d playing with on and off all day, and her eyes widen.
“Mulder…”
“Not yet.” He shakes his head, smiling slightly. “At first, I was going to just do a slideshow on why you should let me buy you a ring.” She glances down at the closed box in his hand. “I thought, something to match your necklace maybe, although I think it’s pretty clear that’s got an official new owner now.” And they both chuckle thinking of the way Emily had been so enchanted with it, and then as soon as Scully had slipped it round her neck, that was it, it was Emily’s. “But something pretty, simple but pretty, and something good. And I wasn’t looking looking, but then I saw this and I just…if you don’t like it we can get something else, but I just thought that…”
“Hey…” She calmly covers his hand, fist curled around the box containing a weighty question. “I love you, so much. You know that.” Her wine glass has been abandoned on the coffee table, and she brings her free hand to stroke along his jaw, and he momentarily melts into her touch.
“And that’s what it’s all about.” He tells her, voice thick with emotion. “I love you, and, I want this - you, everything. If you want this too Scully, I’m all in.”
“I did get that impression,” She tells him, and meets his lips for a tender kiss.
“So…”
“So, I think you maybe had a question to finish with?”
“Oh, right, yeah. I guess I got distracted.” He wrinkles his nose slightly, and she shakes her head with a loving smile. He slides off the couch, onto one knee, looks up at her with the most soulful largest puppy dog eyed expression she’s ever seen from him. She’s so enamoured by the look in his eyes, a loving warmth, softness, and just a hint of a nervous plea, she doesn’t even notice as he opens the box, and holds it towards her. “Dana Scully, marry me? Please?” Despite all the unconventional preamble that came with it, ultimately, his question was so very simple.
She’d realised this question was coming, the moment her stomach clenched early in his slideshow as things started to make sense, and yet she wasn’t prepared for the warmth that exploded in her chest, and her adoration for him that flooded through her veins. She tries to blink back the misty tears that blur her vision as she brings a hand to smooth her fingers through his hair.
“Yes.” She chokes out.
“Yes?” He checks.
“Yes, of course.” A laugh bubbles up slightly, and soon they’re both laughing and he’s pulling her on to the floor with him.
Eventually they settle, and calm resumes, her arms looped around his neck as he holds her to him.
“You know, Fox Mulder, I never needed a slideshow.” Her serene expression is full of love as she holds his cheeks in her hands, thumbs rubbing over the apples of his cheeks.
“I know, but…”
“But I love that you did it.” She kisses him long, slow and leisurely. “Just like you used to - capture my interest, intriguing me. This was the best one yet, Mulder. And you didn’t even ask me to hop on a plane to god knows where to chase down leads we’ll bicker over. No-one else would, but it was perfect.” She tells him before pressing another kiss to his lips.
“Hey,” He reminds her when they part, “you did see the ring, right?”
“Uhm, I was actually very focused on the look you were giving me.” She blushes, so he passes her the ring box. She can’t help but smile as she studies it. It’s simple, subtle, but there is a sparkle. “It’s perfect.”
“You’re sure? You don’t want another? I know some women, they want bigger, shinier, but…”
“No, you did good, really good.” She tells him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and then kisses along his jaw, nuzzling at him. A big rock, or anything too showy or gaudy just wouldn't be her. And what mattered the most was the man who had chosen it, something that suited her, and the way he’d asked her. Nerdy, a little awkward, in a way that was very him, but still one that got the message across, loud and clear. She lets him slide the ring onto her finger, and she can’t wait to spend forever with him, and to see what this next phase of their journey together will bring them.
Notes:
So, this is basically the end of what I've written so far. Originally I was going to leave it here, then I had an idea for an epilogue several months ahead, and then I've got loose ideas of a few epilogues spanning a few seasons (summer, fall/autumn, winter), and maybe a little companion to this of Maggie and Em arriving to the new home. But life, and January, and...I just need more time to write it all down. So, I plan to write and upload a few more chapters, but I'm not sure when they'll come, so I thought I'd rather share what I do have. Thank you SO SO much for all the love and support for Emily, Tigger and Roo. 36 chapters, and around 100k words, most of which were written very intensely over last summer, and various additions and revisions along the way. I absolutely love to hear or see that you're enjoying the fic or eagerly waiting for a new update <3
If there's any cute family moments that you'd like to see from our favourite three, do let me know and I'll see what I can do.
I also have several other ideas I'd love to have time and energy to write - an IVF arc emotional rollercoaster, a what-if Scully said yes in China, and several TTAD related ideas in various states. If only I didn't need to actually work or do other things and could just spend all my time on fanfic.
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