Raspberry and Lace - Part 10/10 Summary and disclaimers in Part 1 ***** Early April, 2001 Scully's Apartment It had been two days since the birth of her son, and Scully was still exhausted. After Mulder had found her in Georgia and literally carried her and the baby out to the waiting helicopter, life had been nothing but a blur. She had demanded that the baby never leave her sight unless Mulder, Doggett or Reyes was with him, and because those three trusted individuals were kept occupied with answering questions flying at them from every direction, this meant Scully got little sleep. Even when she had finally been allowed to leave the hospital in Georgia and go home, she hadn't been able to relax. The baby, picking up his mother's distress, cried often, making Scully feel worse. But finally, she had reached home, and, with her mother's help, settled in. Now, mother and son were both as rested as possible, which still wasn't much in Scully's case, and accepting visitors. Skinner had arrived with Doggett in tow a couple of hours ago. Doggett had cooed and made a fuss over the baby while Skinner had been a little less enthusiastic; he seemed a tad uncomfortable around the tiny person, and Scully hoped he found the guts to hold the child when he became the baby's Godfather next month. Reyes had stopped by shortly afterward with a huge bouquet of flowers and a card, both gifts from several people at the J. Edgar Hoover building; she had been the designated envoy. She also made a fuss over the new arrival, talking baby talk and making funny faces. The phone rang often, but Scully let the answering machine take care of the calls, knowing they were most likely congratulations and could be answered later. Every time the phone rang, however, she listened carefully to the voice. Waiting for one voice in particular. She hadn't spoken to Mulder since this morning, when he had left her in the care of her mother and her doctor. And she missed him already. Maggie Scully said her own good-byes a little after 9. "Are you sure you want me to go?" she asked. "I can stay in the guest room." Scully was very tempted to say yes. The idea of taking care of this tiny new being all by herself scared her to death. But she had yet to be completely alone with the child, and she knew that if she let her mother hover now, she would never get used to mothering on her own. "I'll be fine, Mom." She stood from her position on the couch, wincing slightly at the soreness down below that was a reminder of her recent experience. "He's settled in nice. I'll feed him, and then we'll both get some sleep." She didn't mention her hope that she and the baby wouldn't be alone for long tonight. Her mother agreed, making Scully promise to call if she needed anything, and headed for the door. Before she could leave, there was a knock, and Maggie looked out the peephole. "It's those friends of Fox's. Those boys that write that newspaper." Scully smiled and continued on her way to her bedroom. Her breasts were getting very uncomfortable, but she supposed she could wait until the Gunmen left. "Let them in, Mom," she told the other woman. "I'm sure they won't stay long." She was walking the floor in her bedroom, knowing that if she sat she would have a hard time getting back up, when an astounded looking Byers, an apprehensive looking Langly, and an excited looking Frohike entered carrying gifts. "Well, if it isn't the Three Wiseguys," she said with a grin. All three men blushed and smiled. "Sorry we stopped by so late," Byers said. "But we couldn't wait until tomorrow to see the little guy." "That's okay," Scully said softly. "I don't think either of us are quite ready for bed, yet." "He's beautiful, Scully," Frohike said with a smile, his eyes wide in wonder. "He's gonna be a redhead like you." Scully moved to sit on the bed, her aching thighs demanding rest. "It's a dominant trait in the Scully family. Bill was the only one of my siblings to escape it, and he still turned out fair, unlike my mom." She was still a bit sad her babe hadn't been born with a head full of dark hair, but genetics should have told her the odds against that. She heard a noise coming from the hall, and the Gunmen confirmed that someone was there when they all turned to look. With what looked like embarrassment, they all nodded to her and headed for the door. Scully knew immediately who was in the hall. She looked down at the baby; his dark blue eyes were still unfocused, but intent nonetheless. "Daddy's here," she whispered. She heard the voices in the hall, but couldn't make out the words. Silence followed, then finally, he stepped into the room. "How's everybody doing?" She smiled, very glad he was here. She stood and began to walk over to meet him. "We're doing just fine." He reached down and moved the blanket away from the baby's face, then moved in to take him from her. Every time she had given the child up for someone else to hold, she had felt nervous and empty, anxious to have him in her arms once more. But, when she handed him to Mulder, she felt none of those things. Instead, she felt love pour through her. He had yet to hold the baby, to really hold him. His son. The baby fussed a bit during the jostling of the transfer. "Hey, now!" Mulder whispered to him gently. "None of that." The baby settled easily in his arms and a huge grin spread across his face. He looked up to see Scully watching them. "Hi," he said to both her and the baby in a breathless voice. He looked back down at the bundle in his arms. "What are you gonna call him?" "William," she said without hesitation. She had been thinking about it a lot and she knew it was appropriate. And not because it was a popular name in her family. "After your father," she explained. He looked up at her, a little surprised by her explanation, but not at all upset. She saw gratitude mixed in with the love in his eyes. He looked down at little William again. "Well, I don't know," he said, his voice thoughtful. "He's...he's got your coloring and your eyes." She wanted to tell him that there was a big chance the blue of his eyes would change as he grew older; that there was yet a chance they might become hazel. But he continued before she could speak. "And he looks suspiciously like Assistant Director Skinner." He laughed and she couldn't help but laugh with him. She knew she didn't need to tell him the baby would eventually get more hair as well. She sobered quickly as she remembered what Skinner had told her in confidence during his visit earlier. That they could find no evidence of Billy Miles' whereabouts, but they were still looking. "I don't understand, Mulder," she started, not wanting to talk about serious things, but needing the comfort that knowledge gave. "They came to take him from us. Why they didn't..." Mulder, who was still watching his son, answered softly. "I don't quite understand that, either. Except that maybe he isn't what they thought he was." Scully hoped this was true, but she didn't allow herself to believe it completely. "That doesn't make him any less of a miracle, though, does it?" Mulder looked up and met her eyes. A miracle. That he was. She felt tears in her eyes, but smiled through them. "From the moment I became pregnant, I feared the truth," she admitted. Had the smoking man done something to her? Had she been impregnated by someone or something in the night without her knowledge. Was her child going to be born healthy? Happy? Human? "About how and why." She looked at him again and saw understanding in his eyes. Understanding about why she had refused to discuss the origin of her baby. "And I know that you feared it, too." He seemed to contemplate her statement for a moment, but he didn't deny it. With his thoughtful gaze on the baby, he said, "I think what we feared where the possibilities." He looked up at her once more. "The truth we both knew." She felt her heart speed up. "Which is what?" she asked, needing to hear him say it. He did one better. Carefully, he leaned in and kissed her. She reached out and grasped his elbow, balancing herself carefully so she wouldn't fall into the baby, though she wanted nothing more than to push herself as close as possible to the man in front of her. He made up for their lack of body contact by stroking his tongue along her lips, encouraging her to open her mouth and allow him access. She complied willingly, reveling in the taste of him. His scent, combined with the smell of talcum powder and clean baby, was the most heavenly scent she had ever inhaled. William, apparently upset about being forgotten, decided to remind both his parents that he was there and that he was hungry. Scully backed away from Mulder, her cheeks warm. Mulder just grinned. But his grin soon disappeared when William's cries not only increased in length, but in volume. "What's wrong, buddy?" "He's hungry," Scully said. Mulder's eyes shot up from his child to his partner, and a gleam appeared in them. "You're not going to kick me out, are you?" Scully chewed on her lip for a moment as she considered. "No, I don't think so. But no gawking." She moved over to the bed and carefully pushed herself onto it. "What?!" Mulder said in mock amazement. "I'd never!" He looked at the baby in his arms. "Why would she think a man like me would have any interest in looking at her beautiful breasts, especially when he hasn't had much of a chance to look at them, much less touch them, throughout the last eight years?" He glanced at Scully. "Though he really, really wanted to do both for most of those eight years." Scully, who had sat through the mini-tirade in silence, looked at him with wide eyes. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, really?" Mulder laughed and handed her William. "You think I would lie about something like that? To you?" He gazed at her, his smile becoming tender. "Yes, really." She watched him for a moment, then began to undo the front of her dressing gown and the nightshirt underneath. Baring one breast, she maneuvered William to a comfortable position, placing a pillow under her arm to help hold him up, then settled back as he began suckling. When she looked at Mulder, she expected to see him doing exactly what she had told him not to: gawking. Instead, she saw him standing there with the most beautiful, captivating expression on his face. And a tear rolling down his cheek. "Mulder?" she whispered, concerned and touched at the same time. "Do you have any idea how much I've dreamed of a moment like this, Scully? How much I wanted it, not just for you, but for me as well?" "I dreamed of a moment like this, too," she answered. "Only there was one difference." His wet eyes met hers, full of curiosity. "You weren't standing over us. You were holding us." With a smile, Mulder climbed on the bed and placed his left arm around her shoulders. Gently, he brought his right hand up to stroke William's head. Scully let her head fall on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She opened them a moment later when she felt his fingertips on the upper swell of her breast. "Mulder," she said softly in warning. "What?" he questioned softly. "You didn't say anything about not touching." She felt a giggle well up inside her. "It can't go anywhere, you know," she told him. "I don't expect it to," he answered, and she felt him kiss her hair. "I can wait six weeks." "All ready to share my bed, are you?" "Every night, from this moment on." She lifted her head to look at him. "That sounds suspiciously like a commitment." Mulder's smile was affectionate, but the gleam in his eye put her on guard. "Naw. My lease expires this month. I need a place to live." "Funny, Mulder. You think you're pretty cute, don't you?" "Don't you?" She laid her head back down on his shoulder. "Always have. But I think your son is cuter." "I can live with that," he mumbled into her hair. "Scully?" "Hmmmm?" "I love you." She smiled, but didn't open her eyes. "I know," she whispered. "And someday, I'll make you believe that I love you, too." "You don't think I believe that now?" She sighed and lifted her head to look at him. "I think you want to believe it. But I have a feeling it will take a while before you truly feel like you deserve to have me and William in your life." She saw the fear and hope mixed in his eyes. "But we're here for the long haul, Mulder. No matter what happens, you're never getting rid of us." He closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then lowered his head and took her lips with his once more. ***** Mulder fell asleep that night with his arm around his family, and for the first time in more than twenty years, he knew he was right where he belonged. ***** EPILOGUE July 4, 2006 Arlington, Virginia Dana Scully sat back on her heels and wiped the sweat off her brow carefully with the back of her arm. Her hands, which were covered with a pair of gardener's gloves, were smeared with dirt, and she didn't need it on her face. Though it was a holiday, and hot, she had decided to weed the garden now, knowing she wouldn't get the chance to this weekend. While she usually did any work in her small flower garden on Saturdays, she and Mulder would be at the Raspberry and Lace this weekend. She smiled softly to herself. Finally, after all this time, she was finally getting that weekend she had envisioned more than five years ago. She shook her head and bent back to her task. It was about time. She glanced over at Will, who was happily playing in the mud puddle she had grudgingly helped him create earlier. His freckled face was smeared on one cheek with the gooey substance, and she knew it was mixing in with the sunscreen she had applied an hour ago. With his fair skin and copper hair, he burned easily, but Scully wasn't about to ruin his passion for the outdoors by demanding he stay out of the sun. So they compromised with lots of sunscreen. She glanced at the house, which sat in the midst of several shady maples and oaks. It was small and old, and it had needed a lot of work when they had bought it two years ago, but it had quickly become home. It was only a few miles from her mother's new apartment building, and only two blocks away from the St. Teresa of Avilla Catholic Church, which Scully attended every Sunday. Though she couldn't see the front of the house from her position, or the street for that matter, she anxiously watched the corner of the house for any new arrivals. Both Frohike and Langly had promised to show up early and help her get started on the food; Frohike had a right to brag that he was awesome with a grill. And more than a handful of people would be here later this afternoon for the party in honor of the United States' 230th birthday. Doggett had claimed he was bringing a guest, and it wasn't his partner; Reyes was coming with her boyfriend of three years, Sam Roberts. Scully knew it was Charlie Taylor he was bringing, because the younger woman had called her up last night, excited and nervous; she was certain that John was preparing to propose. Scully thought it was about time. Of course, she shouldn't talk about long courtships, considering how long hers had been. Skinner had also hinted that he was bringing a date. Scully was very interested in meeting whoever it was. She pulled one more weed, then sighed and sat back again. She happened to be looking at her son when his head popped up and he directed his gaze toward the front yard. "Will?" He looked at her, and his eyes flashed green as he smiled. Pushing himself up off the ground, he began to run across the yard. "Daddy!" Scully sighed in relief and slowly rose up off the ground, taking her gloves off and dusting off her bare knees as she began walking across the yard. She had been afraid Mulder wouldn't be able to make it until later. His new job kept him working long hours, but they both knew that with time, it would get easier. Since his dismissal from the Bureau, he had been teaching part time at Georgetown, but one short month ago, he had started working for an agency that appreciated his talents much more and that he knew he could do well in. In fact, working for the Agency gave him access to the upper ranks of Government that had eluded him since leaving the FBI. And the CIA wasn't at all disturbed with his history of disobedience, as long as he got the job done. At the moment, he was just a consultant, but as more and more people understood the depth of the alien threat, the more Mulder's services would be needed. It made Scully proud, but it also made her nervous. Especially with the knowledge that their son would play an important part in the inevitable intergalactic confrontation. When she rounded the corner of the house, she saw that Will had already managed to smear mud on his father's suit. But Mulder, who now carried the boy on his hip, didn't seem to mind. Scully smiled and walked toward them. "You're here!" He grinned back at her. "Did you really think I was going to miss it?" he demanded. "It is the Fourth of July, after all. Government workers are required to have the day off." Scully's snort told him how much she believed that statement. Teaching at the Academy as she had been doing for the past few years allowed her to take off most holidays, but now that Mulder was back in the thick of things, coinciding days off would be tough. "Well, you didn't trade it for this weekend, or anything, did you?" "Of course not," he said as he set his son down. "I have Friday through Monday off. It'll be just you and me, babe." "Why can't I go?" Will demanded. Mulder looked down at the little boy. "Because your mother and I want to be alone," he explained, not for the first time. "Besides, you would be bored stiff, kiddo." Will gave a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped. "I guess." His eyes brightened and a smile spread across his face just moments before Mulder reached into his pocket. "Oooh! Mom! He's got a present for you!" Mulder reached down and swatted the little boy lightly on his bottom. "Get outta here, you tattler!" The boy ran off giggling. Though he could read the thoughts and emotions of most everyone, his mental bond with his father was stronger than his connection with anyone else; they often had full conversations together without ever uttering a sound. Scully sometimes felt a twinge of jealousy during those moments, but both father and son would sense that immediately and include her without question. And thanks to their son's 'training', she and Mulder had been able to have wordless conversations of their own, though only during the most intimate of moments. Scully watched as Mulder pulled out the little box from his pocket. Standing in front of her, he opened it and held it up for her to see. "What do you think?" Scully smiled and reached up to finger the simple choker dotted with tiny diamonds and sapphires. "Oh, Mulder. It's beautiful." She looked up at him. "But jewelry? You never give me jewelry." "Well, this is a special occasion," he said as he took the necklace out of the box. He moved behind her and she lifted up her shoulder length hair so he could slip the choker around her neck. When he finished, he leaned down and gently bit her ear. Despite the heat of the day, she shivered. "Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Mulder." She turned and lifted her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Mr. Mulder." She lifted her face up to receive his kiss, but before their lips could meet, a car horn sounded from the street behind Scully. Mulder looked over her shoulder. "I'm gonna kill him," he muttered. Scully turned in his arms to see Doggett getting out of his car. Charlie Taylor was stepping out of the passenger side. Scully smiled. "You're early, Agent Doggett!" "Yeah, I know," he replied as he reached Charlie and grasped her hand. "But we didn't want to miss anything." "Like what?" Mulder growled. Will came barreling around the house, globs of wet mud in his little fists. "Uncle John! Come help me!" "Help you what?!" John called back. "Mud fight!" Will yelled, tossing the goop in his hands toward the adults. He missed, as he had intended to, but, knowing his actions would set off his mother's wrath, took off squealing toward the back yard once again. "William Fox Mulder!" Scully yelled. "Get back here and apologize!" With a glare at her husband, she headed for the back yard. "He's *your* son!" Doggett laughed and looked at Charlie. "What did I tell you? This is where the action is!" THE END How do you define normal? Author's note: As I'm sure you can tell by my ending, this was written with the impression that Season 8 was the last Mulder AND Scully season, and "Existence" was the last Mulder AND Scully episode. This does not mean I won't be watching Season 9; I will be giving it a chance. But, CC and Company will have to do something very special for me to accept Mulder and Scully apart. And I will NOT accept another actor as Mulder.