TITLE: Vulpecula XII-XIV
AUTHOR: jeri
E-MAIL: ggal1116@yahoo.com OR agentjeri@thexfiles.com
WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/jeris_basement/index/html
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: VSRA, S-POV, Other-POV
KEYWORDS: MSR/M, Babyfic
SPOILERS: Requiem
ARCHIVE: Sure, just drop me a line!
STARTED: July 28, 2000
FINISHED: September 15, 2000
**DISCLAIMER: CC and 1013 get every one, basically.
^*^*^
XII - Begin Again
[["It's just a beginning, Dana. Just a beginning."]]
September 5, 2003
12:11 p.m.
Adam is skipping down the sidewalk, eager to reach
the front doors of the sacred building.
"Adam!" I call, just before he bounds around the
corner and out of my sight. "Stay with Mommy, Adam!"
His dusty blonde head droops and he begins to
slowly plod back to me. He knows a scolding when
he hears it and reacts in a way I know he didn't
get from his father: he listens to me.
In a moment I feel his little hand curl around
mine and I give it a little squeeze, just so he
knows I'm not mad at him.
"Soon as we're in, little buddy, you can have free
reign, okay?" I stop for a moment to kneel down and
look into my baby boy's eyes. Adam has Mulder's
eyes, a fact that I'm deeply grateful for. I find
it so easy to read them, as they speak the same
language that I began to learn eleven years ago.
He smiled his adorable apology smile, one thing
he definitely learned from dear ol' Dad. "Yes,
Mommy." I smiled back and leaned in to give him
an Eskimo kiss, then stood up and resumed our
walk to the Bureau.
Now that Labor Day has come and gone, tourists
are no longer clogging the streets. Children are
back in school, and adults are back at their jobs.
So there is not quite as long a line as there has
been the past few months at the tour door, not
quite as many jealous glares at Adam and me as we
enter the employee door.
True to my word, I release Adam as soon as the
door shuts behind us. He quickly makes his way
to the metal detector, shouting a joyous hello
to Arlen.
"Well, hello there Adam," Arlen responds, rubbing
a hand fondly over Adam's head. "You here to see
your daddy?"
"Uh-huh," Adam affirms with a nod, then squeals,
"An' bay-ball 'morrow!"
Arlen looks to me for confirmation. "Baseball
tomorrow?"
I chuckle. "Yeah, Mulder got tickets to the Yankee
game in Baltimore tomorrow. We're going with my
brother and his wife and son. They're visiting
from San Diego." Indeed, Billy, Tara and Matty
have been in Maryland for a week now, staying
first at Mom's but they came over yesterday and
will stay until they leave on Tuesday to visit
Tara's side of the family.
"Sounds like fun," Arlen agrees. He motions for
Adam to step through the gate, and I have to hold
back my laughter as Adam slowly tiptoes his way
to the other side. He set it off a few weeks ago
(he'd found some loose change and put it in his
pocket) and now he's almost afraid of the detector.
I glide through after Adam, relieved as always
when the chip in my neck goes undetected. I never
told Arlen about what set it off that day so many
years ago, and he's never asked for details, and
I'd very much like to keep it a family secret.
I bid Arlen a fond farewell, but he pulls me aside
and quickly whispers, "Amy's pregnant!" in my ear.
So a few more minutes are wasted as I congratulate
him and ask for all the details he knows so far.
I'm genuinely happy for Arlen and Amy; they've
been married nine years now and have had all sorts
of trouble conceiving. Eventually they turned to
science, though Arlen doesn't want to say which
procedure worked.
Suddenly, I find myself thinking about all the
people that I know who have had troubles with
conception. Myself not included, of course, since
any troubles I would have -- should have -- had
were not natural at all. But Bill and Tara
eventually went to fertility drugs; now Amy and
Arlen, and I know of at least five other couples
who have had to turn to science when nature has
failed them. I have to wonder if nature isn't
trying to send a message: Six billion is just
about maximum capacity, folks! Yet the human
desire and need to procreate is far too strong,
and with today's technology, issues that prevented
gross over-population in the past are becoming
non-issues.
A tug on my hand pulls me from my philosophical
thinking. Adam wants his daddy.
We descend into the basement's depths, and Adam
bursts from the elevator as its doors open into
the hallway, running to Mulder's office and
shoving the door open with a gleeful "Daddeeee!"
as his greeting.
"AJ, my man!" Mulder coos, happily receiving his
son's hug. He looks up and catches my eye. "Hey,
Scully. Where've you been?"
I glance at my watch; true, we are about ten
minutes later than usual. "Life," I say with a
shrug. "You weren't worried, were you?"
Mulder shakes his head, releasing Adam so he could
run around the office and inspect all the interesting
tidbits. "Nah, not yet. I figured that there was
a traffic holdup, or that you ran into someone
upstairs. Did you see Ronnie at all?"
"No." I look around and realize that Mulder's
partner is nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?
Did she show up today?"
Mulder nods and holds up a hand to reassure me.
"Yeah, she left about fifteen minutes ago. She's
got a *real* date for lunch today," he reveals,
in a low, conspiratorial whisper.
My face brightens with my grin. "A *real* date?
You mean, with a guy? A possible suitor?"
My darling husband chuckles. "Yep. Some guy she
met at a party a few weeks ago. They've kept in
touch over the phone and the Internet, and they
decided to see each other again." Mulder laughs
again, though this time I swear it's more of a
cackle. I barely hold in a cackle of my own; I've
encouraged Ronnie for months, years to break the
mold that Mulder and I created and get herself a
life. I don't want her to end up an old spinster
like I would have if Mulder wasn't so damn
irresistible -- and available.
Adam has finished his rounds and runs back to
Mulder, begging for some lunch. I sigh. Our boy
has an enormous appetite, and God knows where he
gets it. As Mulder constantly points out, I eat
like a bird, and I never fail to retort that while
he will put away a fair amount of food in one
sitting, he'd forget that food existed unless
Ronnie or I remind him.
Mulder announces that we're going as he saves his
work on the computer and five minutes later, we're
outside in the bright early autumn sunshine, trying
to decide where the best place for a picnic is.
^*^*^
1:01 p.m.
"So Bill and Tara had other things to do today?"
Mulder asks around a mouthful of chili dog.
"They took Matty out to Annapolis," I say, wiping
some excess ketchup from the corner of Mulder's
mouth. "Bill's got a meeting with some Navy brass,
which is why they came out here in the first place,
and I guess he's gonna check out some of Dad's old
stomping grounds."
With a sudden shiver I realize that this Christmas
will mark ten years since Ahab passed away. Who
knew ten years could go by so fast, with so much
important stuff happening in those years? I look
back at Mulder, who's trying to clean Adam up --
not very successfully, however -- and I can't help
but remember that I've only known Mulder ten of my
nearly forty years -- only 25% of my life! And in
that short time span, I've lived through more
heartache, tragedy, sadness, joy, and fulfillment
than most people have in their full life span.
I lean over and embrace Mulder, which impedes his
task of cleaning his son, but he doesn't complain,
returning my hug even though I know he's terribly
confused. I release him and together we take on
the task of getting chocolate pudding out of
Adam's ears.
Mulder sighs. "AJ...what will we do with you?"
he asks rhetorically, reaching for a new napkin.
Adam's only response is a giggle and a squirm as
I hit a spot behind his ear where he's quite
ticklish. In a few minutes he's squeaky clean
and raring to go; he spies a group of college-
aged kids playing baseball on a make-shift field
a few blocks from us on the Mall.
"Bay-ball, Daddy! P'ay bay-ball!" he insists,
tugging on Mulder's shirt.
"We're going to see baseball tomorrow, Li'l
Bullfrog," he gently reminds his son.
Adam is not deterred. "Bay-ball now! Kid, Daddy,
bay-ball!" Now he's jumping up and down, pointing
towards the kids to whom Mulder's back is turned.
Sighing again, Mulder turns and sees what Adam's
all excited about. From the look on his face, I
can tell that Mulder wants to do nothing more
than take Adam and go join the pick-up game, but
then he frowns with a glance towards his watch.
"AJ, I've got to get back to work soon. I don't
have time..." As he says these words, which Adam
knows all too well, Adam stops jumping and his
face falls. I hold back the urge to pull my baby
into my arms and scold Mulder for disappointing
his son. I know it breaks Mulder's heart when he's
suddenly called out of town for a case and can't
follow through on his plans with Adam; Skinner and
Ronnie both tell me that Mulder will do as much of
the job over the Internet as he can, leaving home
only as a last resort.
I look at my watch, too, and see that it's pretty
close to one-fifteen: Mulder's due back at the
office by one-thirty, so we'll have to get moving
pretty soon.
But, then again...
"Mulder, what's waiting for you down there?" I
ask in all seriousness. "Ronnie's probably going
to be late, which I'm sure you had already realized.
Skinner knows where you are; he'd be here himself
if he didn't have that one o'clock conference call.
I think you can play hooky for a little bit."
Mulder just stares across the field, and for a
moment I don't think he heard me, until he nods.
"Yeah, I think I can justify hanging out here for
a while...Scully, look at that boy," he instructs,
pointing at one of the shorter kids.
"The one on third?" I ask for verification.
"Yeah. Does he look familiar to you?"
I study the boy as he takes a lead off the base,
prepared to dash home at any moment. At first I
think that Mulder's crazy, seeing things that
aren't there, until the boy turns around...and
looks right back at us.
I blush and look away, embarrassed at being caught
staring, and mumble, "Looks like an ordinary kid,
Mulder."
"Well, this ordinary kid has just left his ball
game and is quickly approaching us," Mulder
reports, grabbing Adam's hand to make sure he
doesn't run off.
"Fox? Dana?" the kid calls, and I suddenly recognize
him as Gibson Praise.
"Gibson?" Mulder and I say together.
Next thing I know, Gibson's taking a seat in front
of us, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. "I
told you he was okay," he says to me with pride.
"You did?" Mulder looks at me in confusion, and
it occurs to me that I never told him about the
run-in with Gibson and Phoebe three years ago.
"Um, yeah," I confirm sheepishly. "Three years
ago, while you were gone," I explain, "I got a
call from our favorite Scotland Yard Inspector,
saying she had found a boy who was asking for us.
Turned out to be Gibson, who was suffering from a
bit of amnesia. Called himself Gregory Prescott."
"Really?" Mulder asks, turning to Gibson.
"Yes. As soon as I saw Dana, though, I began
remembering everything. And I remembered you with
that man you called the Bounty Hunter. I knew you'd
be all right. He'd never meant to harm any of you."
"Gibson, what are you doing here?" I ask curiously.
"Oh, I'm visiting GWU; I'm starting there next
year."
Indeed, Gibson does appear to be the right age to
be a senior in high school, but something doesn't
jibe...
"How do you know so early?" Mulder asks, picking
up on the detail that eluded me. "Not even students
going Early Decision know this early."
Gibson smiles enigmatically, and I suddenly feel
that Gibson's about to share a secret with us.
"Well, in the last few years I've discovered that
along with reading minds, I can also see the
future. Actually, I...oh!" His startled noise is
directed at Adam, as he sees our son for the first
time. "This is Adam? I wondered if it would be a
boy or a girl."
Gibson introduces himself to Adam, who's delighted
to get a new friend. "So, Fox, do you like working
with Ronnie?"
Mulder's taken aback momentarily; he's forgotten
how easily Gibson can pry into our heads. "Oh, well,
it's good enough. I mean, she's a good agent and all,
and I wouldn't give up Adam to get Scully back..."
Gibson just nods. I find myself curious about his
claim that he can predict the future, but before
I can say anything, Gibson says, "She's going to
be adorable, Dana. And perfectly healthy, too,
despite it all."
I just stare at him as he plays patty-cake with
my son. "What do you mean, Gibson?"
He doesn't respond, choosing to finish the game,
then finally meets my eyes. "I told you it was
just a beginning, Dana." This time I don't have
time to react as a boy from the ball field calls
his name, and Gibson jumps up and runs back to
his friends, a farewell casually tossed over his
shoulder.
^*^*^
8:07 p.m.
Mulder stands behind me, his arms possessively
wrapping around my waist. We haven't moved in the
last five minutes; I think we've set a new world
record for breath-holding and staring at one spot.
The rest of the family is downstairs. I can vaguely
hear Tara trying to wear Matty down, who's having
the best time ever with his cousin. Matty is used
to being the baby, and now finally he's got a
cousin who he can romp with and boss around. Adam
thoroughly enjoys the extra attention he's getting,
too, from all three San Diego Scullys.
Billy has earned some serious points tonight by
insisting to take the check at dinner, and he even
consented to stopping off at the nearest CVS on
the way home. Not like he had much of a choice,
considering Mulder was driving, but he didn't give
any grief as I quickly ran in, Tara in tow. Billy
was definitely curious about my one small purchase,
but Tara agreed not to say a word, leaving Billy
angry that he was obviously out of the loop.
He'd complained, "It's not like it's a girl thing!
Mulder knows what's up! Why can't you tell me?"
Tara calmed him with the simple assurance that "It
is a girl thing, Bill. And Mulder knows because
they're *married*." I truly love my sister-in-law.
A beeping noise alerts us that our time is up.
Mulder silences his watch, and together we suck
in a breath. I hold up my purchase, and a grin
splits my face.
Looks like we're having another baby.
^*^*^
XIII - Holy Smoke!
[[From the ashes comes life -- and didja hear
about the church that caught on fire?]]
April 4, 2004
9:43 a.m.
It's times like this that I'm glad I convinced
Mulder to buy the minivan.
Last night we were all up late partying at Mom's
house, celebrating Billy's birthday and Charlie's
big promotion. It was nice of them to drag their
families out here, especially Charlie since Jason
and Tim began their Easter breaks three days early,
but they know I'm in no condition to fly.
Today we forced ourselves up so we could all go
to church. Mulder's become quite the little
parishioner the last few months, and I think it's
because he wants to thank somebody--anybody--other
than Cancerman for allowing him a second shot to
play over-protective father-to-be. I never held
Mulder's lack of religion against him, for his
beliefs in Little Green Men were as strong as mine
in God, but I admit that it's nice to have him next
to Adam and me in the pew.
"How do you feel this morning, Dana?" asks my
concerned sister-in-law.
"I feel fine, Tara. She's pretty mellow right now.
I suspect I won't feel any huge movements until
the most inconvenient moment possible," I hypothesize
with a grin.
Tara smirks. "You know it."
"Mommy, is Father Avery doing the Mass today?"
Tara turns around and gently smiles at six-year-
old Matthew. It amazes me how much he's grown
since I saw him last, just seven months ago.
"No, sweetie. Father Avery's back in San Diego.
But I'm sure you'll like Aunt Dana's priest, right?"
She looks to me for confirmation.
"Oh sure," I agree. "Adam really likes Father
McPherson, right Adam?"
My three-year-old nods his head. "Fa-duh Mac is
cool," he assures his older cousin. Matt just bites
his lip, looking a tad worried, but goes back to
quietly playing with his Game Boy.
"Father McPherson?" asks a concerned voice from
the front seat. "What happened to Father McCue?"
Now I bite my lip, wondering how to explain to
Billy why we don't go to Father McCue's church
anymore. "Well, Father McPherson's church is right
in town, which is easier to get to most of the
time." Luckily, Billy accepts that without another
word. I catch Mulder's eye in the rearview mirror,
and I know he's thinking 'close call' much like
I am.
In reality, Father McCue was a bit displeased with
the order I built my family. I know Mom tried to
explain it to him many times, but even Mom is
missing some facts, and I could never tell him the
whole story. Then, to top it all off, he found out
about our quickie marriage at the courthouse, and
was insulted enough to tell Mom to ask me to find
another church to attend.
Everyone falls into silence as we close the final
miles between home and the church.
^*^*^
9:53 a.m.
Our clan neatly covers an entire pew. Adam's
standing in the aisle, talking excitedly to another
little boy, Robbie, whose family is a regular at
the Sunday, 10 o'clock, High Mass.
Billy's looking around with a critical eye; he's
trying very hard not to mention how different the
church is from Father McCue's. It's not different
like another sect or denomination is different, it
just looks different. It's in another town and stuff,
and Billy's not a big fan of change, so he sees
every minute difference.
Matt's trying to find excuses to leave, but Tara's
a smart cookie, and she's not buying any of it.
Mulder's sitting oh-so quietly next to me, staring
up at the altar. He's in some sort of daze, and
if it weren't for the gentle rubbings of his
fingers on my belly I'd think he was hypnotized.
Speaking of that belly....Right now little Anna
is quite happy to be in church. Great, that makes
one of us.
And yes, her first name will be Anna. It's such
a classic name, and it was Samantha's middle name,
so it's a nice tribute without being too obvious.
Billy thinks having an Adam and an Anna will get
confusing, but I don't plan on giving them the same
initials. So Jessica, Janis/Janice, Jamie, Janelle,
and all other J's are out. Unfortunately, that
leaves 25 letters that are very in.
The bells of the church chime out the hour, and
I pull Adam back to the pew. He sits between Mulder
and Matt, folding his hands in his lap like an
angel. I see Matt give Adam a look that suggests
that Adam is a kiss-up. That's when I realize that
Billy really did contribute his genes to Matt's DNA.
Who knew?
Mass begins, following the same rituals that the
Scullys have known for years. Out of the corner of
my eye I see Billy finally start to relax as he
finally finds his comfort zone.
About five minutes into the service, I notice Adam
getting antsy in his seat. I have to wonder why;
he's always been quiet and patient for the service.
Father Mac rambles on, quoting from the Old
Testament, breaking out into spontaneous prose,
grabbing the kids' attention with a few carefully
chosen analogies or magic tricks. Usually his
tactics work perfectly, but this morning is
different.
All the kids are fussy, from the spic-and-span
altar boys to womb-bound Anna. Something is not
right. My sixth (or seventh?) sense kicks in,
dragging my Agent persona out from the dark, dusty
corner of my mind.
I nudge Mulder with my elbow, and when our eyes
meet, I see that he's noticed the unrest, too. I
reach across him and lightly tap Adam's arm. He
looks at me, and his face is one of confusion and
worry.
"What's wrong?" I whisper as quietly as possible.
He just shakes his head and scoots a little closer
to his father. Frowning, I turn my attention to
Matt, who's trying to get his mother's attention.
"Stop it, William Matthew," Billy hisses out of
the corner of his mouth. Matt instantly calms, but
his feelings still show brightly in his eyes. He's
scared.
I hesitate only a moment before I overrule Billy's
decree and ask Matt what's wrong.
He looks at his dad, who's none too pleased, but
answers, "I smell something weird. Like someone
left a hot dog on the stove too long."
I sit back and sniff the air. I can't detect any
smell of burning or food, nothing other than the
normal candle-scent. Glancing around discreetly,
I note that other children are wrinkling their
noses; it must be a very faint smell, since no
one over fifteen seems to notice.
There's really nothing to do for now, so I sit
back and try to figure out what the heck Father
Mac is talking about.
Another ten minutes pass.
And then all Hell breaks loose.
^*^*^
10:18 a.m.
It starts so far away that only those with the
best nostrils notice. But little by little, it
grows and becomes more obvious.
Within three minutes after I first realized that
Matt was right, the flames were flicking their way
into the large hall. The church was on fire.
Mulder and I immediately begin to take charge.
Almost everyone who regularly attends this Mass
knows who we are, so no one gives us crap for
barking out orders. The older children grab the
hands of the young ones and begin to file out
towards the door. Mulder tells me to get the heck
out because of the baby, but I'm hesitant to do so.
It feels wrong to run away now after years of being
in control of crises.
Slowly but surely, we make our way to the large
doors that lead out to the street. Mulder's already
on his cell phone with 9-1-1, calmly instructing
them to send a few trucks our way. And an ambulance,
just in case.
The first wave of kids make it to the door, opening
it as far as their little arms could.
Then I hear a loud crack, and four huge beams from
the ceiling come crashing down, effectively
trapping everyone inside the smoldering church.
And still I remain calm.
Mulder updates the 9-1-1 operator on the newest
developments, requesting a couple more ambulances,
in case we end up inhaling a lot of smoke. The
operator then informs him that due to an overturned
tractor-trailer that caused a pile-up on Route 40,
the emergency vehicles are being torn in two
directions, and others can't get past it to make
it into town. She says she'll request some vehicles
from cities to the East, like Catonsville, but it
will probably take a while.
With that in mind, I send Billy with Father Mac
to find a reasonably cool and smoke-free area of
the church that the group can get into for now.
They're off, heading for some offices in the
basement.
Mulder instructs everyone to sit in the pews; the
fire isn't really around us yet, so we're safe
for now. Long moments pass by, and I begin to worry
as Anna becomes agitated. I rub my belly, begging
her to relax, murmuring that everything will be okay,
don't worry. Yes, I do realize that I'm reassuring
myself as well.
"Scully? How are you doing?"
I try to smile for Mulder, just so he can put his
attention to more important things and people who
need his help. "I'm..." Before the next word can
even begin to form in my mouth, Mulder's face
hardens in disapproval. "Sorry. How about, I'm
doing as well as can be expected for a woman in
her eighth month of pregnancy?"
He sighs and relaxes a bit. "That's okay. Just be
careful, right? I want you to sit right here unless
it's safe for you to move somewhere else. I'll
come get you."
I decide to indulge Mulder's paternal side. "All
right. Go find out who left and whose families are
split up." A thought occurs to me. "Did Adam and
Matt get out?"
Mulder shakes his head. "No, they weren't very
close to the door when the rafters fell. They're
okay, just a little scared. Wendy Flath is watching
over all the little kids."
I nod, glad to know my baby boy's in good hands.
Wendy's a regular babysitter in the local
neighborhoods. Mulder and I don't use her often,
since Mom's always insisting that we call her for
Adam. Not that Mulder and I have gone out lately...
But that's not important right now. We need to
find a way out of here. We need to...
"Shit," Mulder mumbles.
"What?"
"I lost the 9-1-1 connection. The fire's starting
to cause problems, I think."
I sigh. "Well, at least they're on their way. We
shouldn't need any more
help--"
And that's when I feel it. The warm dripping of a
liquid down my leg.
"Shit."
^*^*^
10:42 a.m.
Well, pant, I'm officially in, huff, labor. For
the last--what? ten minutes?--I've been suffering
through steadily increasing contractions, without
an epidural. Yes, I chickened out with Adam, taking
comfort over efficiency. This time, however, I'm
forced by circumstance to go completely natural.
I'd planned to do that anyway, since Mulder would
be present this time; last time I already hurt so
much due to his absence, any more pain may have
killed me.
My children need to learn the meaning of "good
timing." Adam was born during a hellish sleet-
storm; Anna's being born during a fire in my church.
I wonder if their personalities will be as opposite
as the temperatures they're born into. And if they
are, I wonder if that will be a good thing.
Yeeeaaaaaoooowwww!!! No time to think...must...
get...creature...out...now!!!
Okay, that's it for now...I hope. Mulder's got his
cell phone working (I swear, Nokia should sign him
as their spokesperson; the damn thing can work
anywhere!) and is getting instructions from Aly,
my OB, on how to safely deliver his baby in case
the fire department and ambulance don't arrive in
time.
Aly and I have agreed that my inhaling the smoke
is what started labor. From the regular ultrasounds
I had done every two months, we know that Anna will
be perfectly healthy being born now, just a little
small, but after a day or two in the hospital,
I'll be able to take her home.
Oooooohhhhhhh dear! That wasn't my regular 3-and-
a-half minutes between contractions! Shit, Anna,
you have to be difficult, don't you? Can't just be
born on--oowww!--your predicted birthday, could you?
"Mulder!" I screech with the realization that our
daughter is quite ready to meet her daddy and
brother. Not me, though. She obviously doesn't
care about my feelings. God, I'm giving birth to
a teenager.
"Aly says breathe, Scully. Just breathe. The
firemen are here, Scully. They're hacking their
way in as we speak. You're gonna be fine."
Like shit I'm gonna be fine.
(Have you noticed how I become a salty sailor like
Ahab and Billy when I'm giving birth?)
Enough of this, I want my daughter! When the next
contraction ends, I ask Mulder to measure my cervix.
Once the shock leaves his face, he gulps and does
so, using his fingers--hee-hee, that tickles!--to
gauge how dilated I am.
"You look about ten centimeters, Scully. I mean,
I don't have my ruler with me, but..."
That's all I need to hear. "Great! Next I'm gonna
push, okay?!" He nods nervously, then glances over
his shoulder.
"Tara! Can you take over with Aly? I gotta play
Posada."
Tara snickers at the eye-roll that Billy doesn't
think I see, then takes the phone from Mulder's
hand. "Do want Adam to see this, guys?"
I'm not really thinking clearly right now, so I
let Mulder answer for me. Luckily, we've been
discussing this forever, and a few nights we
finally came to a decision.
"Tara, bring AJ over here, but him up by Scully's
head. He can hold her hand and help her push."
Tara smiles. "Got it." She calls out to Adam, who
comes running over.
"Whassup?" he asks, looking a little confused.
"AJ, my li'l bullfrog, Mommy's having the baby,"
Mulder gently explains. "Remember how we told you
that you could help Mommy? Can you do that now?"
Adam nods excitedly and runs over to my side,
placing a kiss on my sweaty cheek. "Time, Mommy?"
"Oh yeah," I gasp. "You're about to meet your
sister, kiddo." Aw poop, here it comes...."Help
me out here, Adam," I instruct between painfully-
clenched teeth.
With a little bit of help from my firstborn, the
second one is out in this fiery inferno within
minutes. Oh, my little Anna...
Mulder strips to his waist, using his non-sooty
undershirt to wrap up our daughter. Before we can
get acquainted with her, the firemen break through
the barriers, looking quickly around to help out
those most in need. Like me.
Within minutes, I'm on a stretcher in the cool
April morning air.
^*^*^
3:57 p.m.
I wake up to a goopy kiss from my older child.
Christ, he's the older one now; that means there's
a younger one!
"How's Anna doing, kiddo?" I ask softly, not sure
if she's in my room asleep or not.
"Annie's good," Adam announces proudly. I smile at
the nickname he's already bestowed on his sister.
Mulder once told me that the moment Samantha was
born he started calling her Sammie. Must be genetic.
"Where is she?" I think she may be hungry. God,
my boobs ache.
"They're gonna bring her in as soon as I tell them
you're awake. Want me to get her?" Mulder informs
me from the doorway.
I nod, and Mulder steps back into the hall and
nods to someone, presumably the nurse in charge
of the nursery. He comes fully inside my room--a
private room, how'd he manage that?--and perches
on the corner of my bed.
"The church is pretty much gone, Scully," he admits.
"Most everything was reduced to ashes."
"Ashes," I repeat dejectedly. I really liked that
church. "Are they going to build over it?" He
shrugs and asks why. "Well, that's where Anna was
born. It'd be nice to continue to worship there."
Mulder nods in understanding. "You know, it's kind
of ironic. One extra body came out of a fire that
usually destroys."
A sudden vision pops into my brain. "She's a
Phoenix. Born from the ashes."
There's a moment of quiet, then, so softly, Mulder
says, "Anna Phoenix. That'll work."
^*^*^
XIV - Soror Altera
[[Someone is watching...]]
June 13, 2009
I sit on the park bench, not fifty yards from them, and they
continue on with their picnic, no clue that I'm watching them.
For a Friday in June, it's a beautiful day. The temperature
is cool, reminding me of mid-April. The sky is clear, save a
few wisps of condensation that hover at the horizon.
The park is crowded today; school let out a few days ago here
in Ellicott City. I know Adam is happy about that, he told me
on the last day.
I know little Adam Mulder quite well, as I should. He's been
my student for a whole year, rising well above the other second
graders. I hope I get his sister, darling baby Anna, when she
reaches that age. She's five now, so I guess she's not a baby
any longer. But I'm sure Dana will always call Anna her baby
girl.
Dana is one of those mothers that teachers pray will be
involved in their children's classes. Dana is a great organizer;
as Homeroom Mom she produced the best Christmas and Valentine's
Day parties I'd ever been to. She chaperones all the field
trips that Adam goes on, though I suspect she'll back off once
he hits Middle School. Though by that time, Anna will be
needing a Homeroom Mom of her own.
And Fox. Fox Mulder is a blessing to children everywhere.
Though he works for the FBI, he still finds time to coach
basketball and baseball leagues at the school. He even sets
up mini-tournaments with other schools in the district. And
I know a few of my fellow women teachers like to stay after
on the days of practice, just to witness the sight of Coach
Mulder in mesh shorts and a tank top.
And while I'd like to ogle with them...well, being related
basically takes all the fun out of it.
Not that he knows that I'm related.
No, Fox William Mulder has no idea that charming Ms. Reed is,
actually, his twin sister.
^*^*^
I was born on October 13, 1961 to Bill and Teena Mulder,
though our real father was not determined until years later.
Teena named me Alexandria, which hasn't changed. When I was
taken by our real father, however, he legally changed my name
from Mulder to Reed.
I was seven months old when he took me from my mother. Barely
weaned off the breast and too young to remember anything about
my family.
But I found out anyway. When Sam joined us in 1973, I learned
that she was my sister. From that, I figured out that I had
a twin brother as well. Sammy had a habit of talking in her
sleep, and even though she swore she couldn't remember her
life with Mom and Fox and Bill Mulder, she would have
conversations with Fox in her sleep.
Dad didn't bother keeping it from me then. I was twelve, so
he felt it was all right for me to know.
Besides, although I didn't know it at the time, I was a mother.
One of the earliest experiments they did on me was to take a
sample of my ova to see if it would be viable to create another
human while I was still pre-pubescent.
It was. I was ten when my son was born.
I didn't get to help raise him, considering my age, but I was
allowed to name him. Michael Leigh Reed. I don't know why,
really. My favorite nurse was Annabelle Michaels, and my best
friend was Leigh Jackson.
Not that it mattered that much. He just grew up and changed
his name. Last time I heard it was some Russian name...
I left when I was 18. Just up and left. Sam had gone the month
before, and since they hadn't dragged her back, I figured she
made it okay.
I got into college remarkably; it was the greatest experience
of my life. I majored in elementary education, as I'd always
wanted to teach second or third grade. I never considered
dating or getting married. I found college boys to be terribly
asinine, and things never really improved.
So life went on for me. I became a teacher in Illinois for a
few years, contentedly teaching 10-year-olds their
multiplication tables and the basics of English grammar.
Then three years ago, I was approached by a man who claimed
to be my son. He wanted me to keep an eye on Fox for a few
years, and he figured the best way to get close would be
through his children.
I moved to Ellicott City for selfish reasons. The pay was a
bit of an increase, for one. And I wanted to see my brother
and his family.
As planned, Adam Mulder was in my second grade class. As
expected, his parents became involved. I've grown fond of
them this past year. It's been hard not to tell them who I
really am, but part of the agreement with my son was that I
remain Alexandria Reed, harmless teacher.
Right now, Adam stands and drags his father towards the
basketball court. The annual Father-Son 2v2 is going to start
in a few minutes. Dana and Anna clean up the family's mess;
Dana's fastidiousness has obviously been inherited by *someone*.
I stand up and begin to walk away. I still have years to keep
in touch with my family. I hope one day to tell Fox who I
really am.
I am the other sister.
THE END
^*^*^
AUTHOR'S RAMBLING NOTES: Wow. When I started this whole thing, I never expected it to get to 14 parts! In fact, this whole series started with two standalones (Tenancy Tendencies and May 22) that I thought could be fit into a series. Little did I know...I've enjoyed writing these stories, and I've met some great people through the feedback I've received. Special thanks go to: Laurel, my #1 fan, thanks for your consistent words of praise; Maeve, thanks for helping me out when I was supremely *stuck*; the gals at Touchstone for making me put my homework aside to work on the last part for them; and hey, Smurf? ASININE!!! J/K, I love you all, and I hope to be back soon with other wonderful tales of MSR and Babyfic!
jeri x-)
4 out of 5 doctors say expressing your enjoyment of a fanfic to its author increases your life expectancy 23-23.8 years. The other doctor was killed by Cancerman before we could ask him.
jeri, president, xpab: x-philes against bees
Join by writing to: kill_em_all@thexfiles.com OR
Visit the xpab site:
http://www.geocities.com/jeris_basement/xpab.html
And while you're there...
Visit Jeri's Basement:
http://www.geocities.com/jeris_basement/index.html
AUTHOR: jeri
E-MAIL: ggal1116@yahoo.com OR agentjeri@thexfiles.com
WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/jeris_basement/index/html
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: VSRA, S-POV, Other-POV
KEYWORDS: MSR/M, Babyfic
SPOILERS: Requiem
ARCHIVE: Sure, just drop me a line!
STARTED: July 28, 2000
FINISHED: September 15, 2000
**DISCLAIMER: CC and 1013 get every one, basically.
^*^*^
XII - Begin Again
[["It's just a beginning, Dana. Just a beginning."]]
September 5, 2003
12:11 p.m.
Adam is skipping down the sidewalk, eager to reach
the front doors of the sacred building.
"Adam!" I call, just before he bounds around the
corner and out of my sight. "Stay with Mommy, Adam!"
His dusty blonde head droops and he begins to
slowly plod back to me. He knows a scolding when
he hears it and reacts in a way I know he didn't
get from his father: he listens to me.
In a moment I feel his little hand curl around
mine and I give it a little squeeze, just so he
knows I'm not mad at him.
"Soon as we're in, little buddy, you can have free
reign, okay?" I stop for a moment to kneel down and
look into my baby boy's eyes. Adam has Mulder's
eyes, a fact that I'm deeply grateful for. I find
it so easy to read them, as they speak the same
language that I began to learn eleven years ago.
He smiled his adorable apology smile, one thing
he definitely learned from dear ol' Dad. "Yes,
Mommy." I smiled back and leaned in to give him
an Eskimo kiss, then stood up and resumed our
walk to the Bureau.
Now that Labor Day has come and gone, tourists
are no longer clogging the streets. Children are
back in school, and adults are back at their jobs.
So there is not quite as long a line as there has
been the past few months at the tour door, not
quite as many jealous glares at Adam and me as we
enter the employee door.
True to my word, I release Adam as soon as the
door shuts behind us. He quickly makes his way
to the metal detector, shouting a joyous hello
to Arlen.
"Well, hello there Adam," Arlen responds, rubbing
a hand fondly over Adam's head. "You here to see
your daddy?"
"Uh-huh," Adam affirms with a nod, then squeals,
"An' bay-ball 'morrow!"
Arlen looks to me for confirmation. "Baseball
tomorrow?"
I chuckle. "Yeah, Mulder got tickets to the Yankee
game in Baltimore tomorrow. We're going with my
brother and his wife and son. They're visiting
from San Diego." Indeed, Billy, Tara and Matty
have been in Maryland for a week now, staying
first at Mom's but they came over yesterday and
will stay until they leave on Tuesday to visit
Tara's side of the family.
"Sounds like fun," Arlen agrees. He motions for
Adam to step through the gate, and I have to hold
back my laughter as Adam slowly tiptoes his way
to the other side. He set it off a few weeks ago
(he'd found some loose change and put it in his
pocket) and now he's almost afraid of the detector.
I glide through after Adam, relieved as always
when the chip in my neck goes undetected. I never
told Arlen about what set it off that day so many
years ago, and he's never asked for details, and
I'd very much like to keep it a family secret.
I bid Arlen a fond farewell, but he pulls me aside
and quickly whispers, "Amy's pregnant!" in my ear.
So a few more minutes are wasted as I congratulate
him and ask for all the details he knows so far.
I'm genuinely happy for Arlen and Amy; they've
been married nine years now and have had all sorts
of trouble conceiving. Eventually they turned to
science, though Arlen doesn't want to say which
procedure worked.
Suddenly, I find myself thinking about all the
people that I know who have had troubles with
conception. Myself not included, of course, since
any troubles I would have -- should have -- had
were not natural at all. But Bill and Tara
eventually went to fertility drugs; now Amy and
Arlen, and I know of at least five other couples
who have had to turn to science when nature has
failed them. I have to wonder if nature isn't
trying to send a message: Six billion is just
about maximum capacity, folks! Yet the human
desire and need to procreate is far too strong,
and with today's technology, issues that prevented
gross over-population in the past are becoming
non-issues.
A tug on my hand pulls me from my philosophical
thinking. Adam wants his daddy.
We descend into the basement's depths, and Adam
bursts from the elevator as its doors open into
the hallway, running to Mulder's office and
shoving the door open with a gleeful "Daddeeee!"
as his greeting.
"AJ, my man!" Mulder coos, happily receiving his
son's hug. He looks up and catches my eye. "Hey,
Scully. Where've you been?"
I glance at my watch; true, we are about ten
minutes later than usual. "Life," I say with a
shrug. "You weren't worried, were you?"
Mulder shakes his head, releasing Adam so he could
run around the office and inspect all the interesting
tidbits. "Nah, not yet. I figured that there was
a traffic holdup, or that you ran into someone
upstairs. Did you see Ronnie at all?"
"No." I look around and realize that Mulder's
partner is nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?
Did she show up today?"
Mulder nods and holds up a hand to reassure me.
"Yeah, she left about fifteen minutes ago. She's
got a *real* date for lunch today," he reveals,
in a low, conspiratorial whisper.
My face brightens with my grin. "A *real* date?
You mean, with a guy? A possible suitor?"
My darling husband chuckles. "Yep. Some guy she
met at a party a few weeks ago. They've kept in
touch over the phone and the Internet, and they
decided to see each other again." Mulder laughs
again, though this time I swear it's more of a
cackle. I barely hold in a cackle of my own; I've
encouraged Ronnie for months, years to break the
mold that Mulder and I created and get herself a
life. I don't want her to end up an old spinster
like I would have if Mulder wasn't so damn
irresistible -- and available.
Adam has finished his rounds and runs back to
Mulder, begging for some lunch. I sigh. Our boy
has an enormous appetite, and God knows where he
gets it. As Mulder constantly points out, I eat
like a bird, and I never fail to retort that while
he will put away a fair amount of food in one
sitting, he'd forget that food existed unless
Ronnie or I remind him.
Mulder announces that we're going as he saves his
work on the computer and five minutes later, we're
outside in the bright early autumn sunshine, trying
to decide where the best place for a picnic is.
^*^*^
1:01 p.m.
"So Bill and Tara had other things to do today?"
Mulder asks around a mouthful of chili dog.
"They took Matty out to Annapolis," I say, wiping
some excess ketchup from the corner of Mulder's
mouth. "Bill's got a meeting with some Navy brass,
which is why they came out here in the first place,
and I guess he's gonna check out some of Dad's old
stomping grounds."
With a sudden shiver I realize that this Christmas
will mark ten years since Ahab passed away. Who
knew ten years could go by so fast, with so much
important stuff happening in those years? I look
back at Mulder, who's trying to clean Adam up --
not very successfully, however -- and I can't help
but remember that I've only known Mulder ten of my
nearly forty years -- only 25% of my life! And in
that short time span, I've lived through more
heartache, tragedy, sadness, joy, and fulfillment
than most people have in their full life span.
I lean over and embrace Mulder, which impedes his
task of cleaning his son, but he doesn't complain,
returning my hug even though I know he's terribly
confused. I release him and together we take on
the task of getting chocolate pudding out of
Adam's ears.
Mulder sighs. "AJ...what will we do with you?"
he asks rhetorically, reaching for a new napkin.
Adam's only response is a giggle and a squirm as
I hit a spot behind his ear where he's quite
ticklish. In a few minutes he's squeaky clean
and raring to go; he spies a group of college-
aged kids playing baseball on a make-shift field
a few blocks from us on the Mall.
"Bay-ball, Daddy! P'ay bay-ball!" he insists,
tugging on Mulder's shirt.
"We're going to see baseball tomorrow, Li'l
Bullfrog," he gently reminds his son.
Adam is not deterred. "Bay-ball now! Kid, Daddy,
bay-ball!" Now he's jumping up and down, pointing
towards the kids to whom Mulder's back is turned.
Sighing again, Mulder turns and sees what Adam's
all excited about. From the look on his face, I
can tell that Mulder wants to do nothing more
than take Adam and go join the pick-up game, but
then he frowns with a glance towards his watch.
"AJ, I've got to get back to work soon. I don't
have time..." As he says these words, which Adam
knows all too well, Adam stops jumping and his
face falls. I hold back the urge to pull my baby
into my arms and scold Mulder for disappointing
his son. I know it breaks Mulder's heart when he's
suddenly called out of town for a case and can't
follow through on his plans with Adam; Skinner and
Ronnie both tell me that Mulder will do as much of
the job over the Internet as he can, leaving home
only as a last resort.
I look at my watch, too, and see that it's pretty
close to one-fifteen: Mulder's due back at the
office by one-thirty, so we'll have to get moving
pretty soon.
But, then again...
"Mulder, what's waiting for you down there?" I
ask in all seriousness. "Ronnie's probably going
to be late, which I'm sure you had already realized.
Skinner knows where you are; he'd be here himself
if he didn't have that one o'clock conference call.
I think you can play hooky for a little bit."
Mulder just stares across the field, and for a
moment I don't think he heard me, until he nods.
"Yeah, I think I can justify hanging out here for
a while...Scully, look at that boy," he instructs,
pointing at one of the shorter kids.
"The one on third?" I ask for verification.
"Yeah. Does he look familiar to you?"
I study the boy as he takes a lead off the base,
prepared to dash home at any moment. At first I
think that Mulder's crazy, seeing things that
aren't there, until the boy turns around...and
looks right back at us.
I blush and look away, embarrassed at being caught
staring, and mumble, "Looks like an ordinary kid,
Mulder."
"Well, this ordinary kid has just left his ball
game and is quickly approaching us," Mulder
reports, grabbing Adam's hand to make sure he
doesn't run off.
"Fox? Dana?" the kid calls, and I suddenly recognize
him as Gibson Praise.
"Gibson?" Mulder and I say together.
Next thing I know, Gibson's taking a seat in front
of us, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. "I
told you he was okay," he says to me with pride.
"You did?" Mulder looks at me in confusion, and
it occurs to me that I never told him about the
run-in with Gibson and Phoebe three years ago.
"Um, yeah," I confirm sheepishly. "Three years
ago, while you were gone," I explain, "I got a
call from our favorite Scotland Yard Inspector,
saying she had found a boy who was asking for us.
Turned out to be Gibson, who was suffering from a
bit of amnesia. Called himself Gregory Prescott."
"Really?" Mulder asks, turning to Gibson.
"Yes. As soon as I saw Dana, though, I began
remembering everything. And I remembered you with
that man you called the Bounty Hunter. I knew you'd
be all right. He'd never meant to harm any of you."
"Gibson, what are you doing here?" I ask curiously.
"Oh, I'm visiting GWU; I'm starting there next
year."
Indeed, Gibson does appear to be the right age to
be a senior in high school, but something doesn't
jibe...
"How do you know so early?" Mulder asks, picking
up on the detail that eluded me. "Not even students
going Early Decision know this early."
Gibson smiles enigmatically, and I suddenly feel
that Gibson's about to share a secret with us.
"Well, in the last few years I've discovered that
along with reading minds, I can also see the
future. Actually, I...oh!" His startled noise is
directed at Adam, as he sees our son for the first
time. "This is Adam? I wondered if it would be a
boy or a girl."
Gibson introduces himself to Adam, who's delighted
to get a new friend. "So, Fox, do you like working
with Ronnie?"
Mulder's taken aback momentarily; he's forgotten
how easily Gibson can pry into our heads. "Oh, well,
it's good enough. I mean, she's a good agent and all,
and I wouldn't give up Adam to get Scully back..."
Gibson just nods. I find myself curious about his
claim that he can predict the future, but before
I can say anything, Gibson says, "She's going to
be adorable, Dana. And perfectly healthy, too,
despite it all."
I just stare at him as he plays patty-cake with
my son. "What do you mean, Gibson?"
He doesn't respond, choosing to finish the game,
then finally meets my eyes. "I told you it was
just a beginning, Dana." This time I don't have
time to react as a boy from the ball field calls
his name, and Gibson jumps up and runs back to
his friends, a farewell casually tossed over his
shoulder.
^*^*^
8:07 p.m.
Mulder stands behind me, his arms possessively
wrapping around my waist. We haven't moved in the
last five minutes; I think we've set a new world
record for breath-holding and staring at one spot.
The rest of the family is downstairs. I can vaguely
hear Tara trying to wear Matty down, who's having
the best time ever with his cousin. Matty is used
to being the baby, and now finally he's got a
cousin who he can romp with and boss around. Adam
thoroughly enjoys the extra attention he's getting,
too, from all three San Diego Scullys.
Billy has earned some serious points tonight by
insisting to take the check at dinner, and he even
consented to stopping off at the nearest CVS on
the way home. Not like he had much of a choice,
considering Mulder was driving, but he didn't give
any grief as I quickly ran in, Tara in tow. Billy
was definitely curious about my one small purchase,
but Tara agreed not to say a word, leaving Billy
angry that he was obviously out of the loop.
He'd complained, "It's not like it's a girl thing!
Mulder knows what's up! Why can't you tell me?"
Tara calmed him with the simple assurance that "It
is a girl thing, Bill. And Mulder knows because
they're *married*." I truly love my sister-in-law.
A beeping noise alerts us that our time is up.
Mulder silences his watch, and together we suck
in a breath. I hold up my purchase, and a grin
splits my face.
Looks like we're having another baby.
^*^*^
XIII - Holy Smoke!
[[From the ashes comes life -- and didja hear
about the church that caught on fire?]]
April 4, 2004
9:43 a.m.
It's times like this that I'm glad I convinced
Mulder to buy the minivan.
Last night we were all up late partying at Mom's
house, celebrating Billy's birthday and Charlie's
big promotion. It was nice of them to drag their
families out here, especially Charlie since Jason
and Tim began their Easter breaks three days early,
but they know I'm in no condition to fly.
Today we forced ourselves up so we could all go
to church. Mulder's become quite the little
parishioner the last few months, and I think it's
because he wants to thank somebody--anybody--other
than Cancerman for allowing him a second shot to
play over-protective father-to-be. I never held
Mulder's lack of religion against him, for his
beliefs in Little Green Men were as strong as mine
in God, but I admit that it's nice to have him next
to Adam and me in the pew.
"How do you feel this morning, Dana?" asks my
concerned sister-in-law.
"I feel fine, Tara. She's pretty mellow right now.
I suspect I won't feel any huge movements until
the most inconvenient moment possible," I hypothesize
with a grin.
Tara smirks. "You know it."
"Mommy, is Father Avery doing the Mass today?"
Tara turns around and gently smiles at six-year-
old Matthew. It amazes me how much he's grown
since I saw him last, just seven months ago.
"No, sweetie. Father Avery's back in San Diego.
But I'm sure you'll like Aunt Dana's priest, right?"
She looks to me for confirmation.
"Oh sure," I agree. "Adam really likes Father
McPherson, right Adam?"
My three-year-old nods his head. "Fa-duh Mac is
cool," he assures his older cousin. Matt just bites
his lip, looking a tad worried, but goes back to
quietly playing with his Game Boy.
"Father McPherson?" asks a concerned voice from
the front seat. "What happened to Father McCue?"
Now I bite my lip, wondering how to explain to
Billy why we don't go to Father McCue's church
anymore. "Well, Father McPherson's church is right
in town, which is easier to get to most of the
time." Luckily, Billy accepts that without another
word. I catch Mulder's eye in the rearview mirror,
and I know he's thinking 'close call' much like
I am.
In reality, Father McCue was a bit displeased with
the order I built my family. I know Mom tried to
explain it to him many times, but even Mom is
missing some facts, and I could never tell him the
whole story. Then, to top it all off, he found out
about our quickie marriage at the courthouse, and
was insulted enough to tell Mom to ask me to find
another church to attend.
Everyone falls into silence as we close the final
miles between home and the church.
^*^*^
9:53 a.m.
Our clan neatly covers an entire pew. Adam's
standing in the aisle, talking excitedly to another
little boy, Robbie, whose family is a regular at
the Sunday, 10 o'clock, High Mass.
Billy's looking around with a critical eye; he's
trying very hard not to mention how different the
church is from Father McCue's. It's not different
like another sect or denomination is different, it
just looks different. It's in another town and stuff,
and Billy's not a big fan of change, so he sees
every minute difference.
Matt's trying to find excuses to leave, but Tara's
a smart cookie, and she's not buying any of it.
Mulder's sitting oh-so quietly next to me, staring
up at the altar. He's in some sort of daze, and
if it weren't for the gentle rubbings of his
fingers on my belly I'd think he was hypnotized.
Speaking of that belly....Right now little Anna
is quite happy to be in church. Great, that makes
one of us.
And yes, her first name will be Anna. It's such
a classic name, and it was Samantha's middle name,
so it's a nice tribute without being too obvious.
Billy thinks having an Adam and an Anna will get
confusing, but I don't plan on giving them the same
initials. So Jessica, Janis/Janice, Jamie, Janelle,
and all other J's are out. Unfortunately, that
leaves 25 letters that are very in.
The bells of the church chime out the hour, and
I pull Adam back to the pew. He sits between Mulder
and Matt, folding his hands in his lap like an
angel. I see Matt give Adam a look that suggests
that Adam is a kiss-up. That's when I realize that
Billy really did contribute his genes to Matt's DNA.
Who knew?
Mass begins, following the same rituals that the
Scullys have known for years. Out of the corner of
my eye I see Billy finally start to relax as he
finally finds his comfort zone.
About five minutes into the service, I notice Adam
getting antsy in his seat. I have to wonder why;
he's always been quiet and patient for the service.
Father Mac rambles on, quoting from the Old
Testament, breaking out into spontaneous prose,
grabbing the kids' attention with a few carefully
chosen analogies or magic tricks. Usually his
tactics work perfectly, but this morning is
different.
All the kids are fussy, from the spic-and-span
altar boys to womb-bound Anna. Something is not
right. My sixth (or seventh?) sense kicks in,
dragging my Agent persona out from the dark, dusty
corner of my mind.
I nudge Mulder with my elbow, and when our eyes
meet, I see that he's noticed the unrest, too. I
reach across him and lightly tap Adam's arm. He
looks at me, and his face is one of confusion and
worry.
"What's wrong?" I whisper as quietly as possible.
He just shakes his head and scoots a little closer
to his father. Frowning, I turn my attention to
Matt, who's trying to get his mother's attention.
"Stop it, William Matthew," Billy hisses out of
the corner of his mouth. Matt instantly calms, but
his feelings still show brightly in his eyes. He's
scared.
I hesitate only a moment before I overrule Billy's
decree and ask Matt what's wrong.
He looks at his dad, who's none too pleased, but
answers, "I smell something weird. Like someone
left a hot dog on the stove too long."
I sit back and sniff the air. I can't detect any
smell of burning or food, nothing other than the
normal candle-scent. Glancing around discreetly,
I note that other children are wrinkling their
noses; it must be a very faint smell, since no
one over fifteen seems to notice.
There's really nothing to do for now, so I sit
back and try to figure out what the heck Father
Mac is talking about.
Another ten minutes pass.
And then all Hell breaks loose.
^*^*^
10:18 a.m.
It starts so far away that only those with the
best nostrils notice. But little by little, it
grows and becomes more obvious.
Within three minutes after I first realized that
Matt was right, the flames were flicking their way
into the large hall. The church was on fire.
Mulder and I immediately begin to take charge.
Almost everyone who regularly attends this Mass
knows who we are, so no one gives us crap for
barking out orders. The older children grab the
hands of the young ones and begin to file out
towards the door. Mulder tells me to get the heck
out because of the baby, but I'm hesitant to do so.
It feels wrong to run away now after years of being
in control of crises.
Slowly but surely, we make our way to the large
doors that lead out to the street. Mulder's already
on his cell phone with 9-1-1, calmly instructing
them to send a few trucks our way. And an ambulance,
just in case.
The first wave of kids make it to the door, opening
it as far as their little arms could.
Then I hear a loud crack, and four huge beams from
the ceiling come crashing down, effectively
trapping everyone inside the smoldering church.
And still I remain calm.
Mulder updates the 9-1-1 operator on the newest
developments, requesting a couple more ambulances,
in case we end up inhaling a lot of smoke. The
operator then informs him that due to an overturned
tractor-trailer that caused a pile-up on Route 40,
the emergency vehicles are being torn in two
directions, and others can't get past it to make
it into town. She says she'll request some vehicles
from cities to the East, like Catonsville, but it
will probably take a while.
With that in mind, I send Billy with Father Mac
to find a reasonably cool and smoke-free area of
the church that the group can get into for now.
They're off, heading for some offices in the
basement.
Mulder instructs everyone to sit in the pews; the
fire isn't really around us yet, so we're safe
for now. Long moments pass by, and I begin to worry
as Anna becomes agitated. I rub my belly, begging
her to relax, murmuring that everything will be okay,
don't worry. Yes, I do realize that I'm reassuring
myself as well.
"Scully? How are you doing?"
I try to smile for Mulder, just so he can put his
attention to more important things and people who
need his help. "I'm..." Before the next word can
even begin to form in my mouth, Mulder's face
hardens in disapproval. "Sorry. How about, I'm
doing as well as can be expected for a woman in
her eighth month of pregnancy?"
He sighs and relaxes a bit. "That's okay. Just be
careful, right? I want you to sit right here unless
it's safe for you to move somewhere else. I'll
come get you."
I decide to indulge Mulder's paternal side. "All
right. Go find out who left and whose families are
split up." A thought occurs to me. "Did Adam and
Matt get out?"
Mulder shakes his head. "No, they weren't very
close to the door when the rafters fell. They're
okay, just a little scared. Wendy Flath is watching
over all the little kids."
I nod, glad to know my baby boy's in good hands.
Wendy's a regular babysitter in the local
neighborhoods. Mulder and I don't use her often,
since Mom's always insisting that we call her for
Adam. Not that Mulder and I have gone out lately...
But that's not important right now. We need to
find a way out of here. We need to...
"Shit," Mulder mumbles.
"What?"
"I lost the 9-1-1 connection. The fire's starting
to cause problems, I think."
I sigh. "Well, at least they're on their way. We
shouldn't need any more
help--"
And that's when I feel it. The warm dripping of a
liquid down my leg.
"Shit."
^*^*^
10:42 a.m.
Well, pant, I'm officially in, huff, labor. For
the last--what? ten minutes?--I've been suffering
through steadily increasing contractions, without
an epidural. Yes, I chickened out with Adam, taking
comfort over efficiency. This time, however, I'm
forced by circumstance to go completely natural.
I'd planned to do that anyway, since Mulder would
be present this time; last time I already hurt so
much due to his absence, any more pain may have
killed me.
My children need to learn the meaning of "good
timing." Adam was born during a hellish sleet-
storm; Anna's being born during a fire in my church.
I wonder if their personalities will be as opposite
as the temperatures they're born into. And if they
are, I wonder if that will be a good thing.
Yeeeaaaaaoooowwww!!! No time to think...must...
get...creature...out...now!!!
Okay, that's it for now...I hope. Mulder's got his
cell phone working (I swear, Nokia should sign him
as their spokesperson; the damn thing can work
anywhere!) and is getting instructions from Aly,
my OB, on how to safely deliver his baby in case
the fire department and ambulance don't arrive in
time.
Aly and I have agreed that my inhaling the smoke
is what started labor. From the regular ultrasounds
I had done every two months, we know that Anna will
be perfectly healthy being born now, just a little
small, but after a day or two in the hospital,
I'll be able to take her home.
Oooooohhhhhhh dear! That wasn't my regular 3-and-
a-half minutes between contractions! Shit, Anna,
you have to be difficult, don't you? Can't just be
born on--oowww!--your predicted birthday, could you?
"Mulder!" I screech with the realization that our
daughter is quite ready to meet her daddy and
brother. Not me, though. She obviously doesn't
care about my feelings. God, I'm giving birth to
a teenager.
"Aly says breathe, Scully. Just breathe. The
firemen are here, Scully. They're hacking their
way in as we speak. You're gonna be fine."
Like shit I'm gonna be fine.
(Have you noticed how I become a salty sailor like
Ahab and Billy when I'm giving birth?)
Enough of this, I want my daughter! When the next
contraction ends, I ask Mulder to measure my cervix.
Once the shock leaves his face, he gulps and does
so, using his fingers--hee-hee, that tickles!--to
gauge how dilated I am.
"You look about ten centimeters, Scully. I mean,
I don't have my ruler with me, but..."
That's all I need to hear. "Great! Next I'm gonna
push, okay?!" He nods nervously, then glances over
his shoulder.
"Tara! Can you take over with Aly? I gotta play
Posada."
Tara snickers at the eye-roll that Billy doesn't
think I see, then takes the phone from Mulder's
hand. "Do want Adam to see this, guys?"
I'm not really thinking clearly right now, so I
let Mulder answer for me. Luckily, we've been
discussing this forever, and a few nights we
finally came to a decision.
"Tara, bring AJ over here, but him up by Scully's
head. He can hold her hand and help her push."
Tara smiles. "Got it." She calls out to Adam, who
comes running over.
"Whassup?" he asks, looking a little confused.
"AJ, my li'l bullfrog, Mommy's having the baby,"
Mulder gently explains. "Remember how we told you
that you could help Mommy? Can you do that now?"
Adam nods excitedly and runs over to my side,
placing a kiss on my sweaty cheek. "Time, Mommy?"
"Oh yeah," I gasp. "You're about to meet your
sister, kiddo." Aw poop, here it comes...."Help
me out here, Adam," I instruct between painfully-
clenched teeth.
With a little bit of help from my firstborn, the
second one is out in this fiery inferno within
minutes. Oh, my little Anna...
Mulder strips to his waist, using his non-sooty
undershirt to wrap up our daughter. Before we can
get acquainted with her, the firemen break through
the barriers, looking quickly around to help out
those most in need. Like me.
Within minutes, I'm on a stretcher in the cool
April morning air.
^*^*^
3:57 p.m.
I wake up to a goopy kiss from my older child.
Christ, he's the older one now; that means there's
a younger one!
"How's Anna doing, kiddo?" I ask softly, not sure
if she's in my room asleep or not.
"Annie's good," Adam announces proudly. I smile at
the nickname he's already bestowed on his sister.
Mulder once told me that the moment Samantha was
born he started calling her Sammie. Must be genetic.
"Where is she?" I think she may be hungry. God,
my boobs ache.
"They're gonna bring her in as soon as I tell them
you're awake. Want me to get her?" Mulder informs
me from the doorway.
I nod, and Mulder steps back into the hall and
nods to someone, presumably the nurse in charge
of the nursery. He comes fully inside my room--a
private room, how'd he manage that?--and perches
on the corner of my bed.
"The church is pretty much gone, Scully," he admits.
"Most everything was reduced to ashes."
"Ashes," I repeat dejectedly. I really liked that
church. "Are they going to build over it?" He
shrugs and asks why. "Well, that's where Anna was
born. It'd be nice to continue to worship there."
Mulder nods in understanding. "You know, it's kind
of ironic. One extra body came out of a fire that
usually destroys."
A sudden vision pops into my brain. "She's a
Phoenix. Born from the ashes."
There's a moment of quiet, then, so softly, Mulder
says, "Anna Phoenix. That'll work."
^*^*^
XIV - Soror Altera
[[Someone is watching...]]
June 13, 2009
I sit on the park bench, not fifty yards from them, and they
continue on with their picnic, no clue that I'm watching them.
For a Friday in June, it's a beautiful day. The temperature
is cool, reminding me of mid-April. The sky is clear, save a
few wisps of condensation that hover at the horizon.
The park is crowded today; school let out a few days ago here
in Ellicott City. I know Adam is happy about that, he told me
on the last day.
I know little Adam Mulder quite well, as I should. He's been
my student for a whole year, rising well above the other second
graders. I hope I get his sister, darling baby Anna, when she
reaches that age. She's five now, so I guess she's not a baby
any longer. But I'm sure Dana will always call Anna her baby
girl.
Dana is one of those mothers that teachers pray will be
involved in their children's classes. Dana is a great organizer;
as Homeroom Mom she produced the best Christmas and Valentine's
Day parties I'd ever been to. She chaperones all the field
trips that Adam goes on, though I suspect she'll back off once
he hits Middle School. Though by that time, Anna will be
needing a Homeroom Mom of her own.
And Fox. Fox Mulder is a blessing to children everywhere.
Though he works for the FBI, he still finds time to coach
basketball and baseball leagues at the school. He even sets
up mini-tournaments with other schools in the district. And
I know a few of my fellow women teachers like to stay after
on the days of practice, just to witness the sight of Coach
Mulder in mesh shorts and a tank top.
And while I'd like to ogle with them...well, being related
basically takes all the fun out of it.
Not that he knows that I'm related.
No, Fox William Mulder has no idea that charming Ms. Reed is,
actually, his twin sister.
^*^*^
I was born on October 13, 1961 to Bill and Teena Mulder,
though our real father was not determined until years later.
Teena named me Alexandria, which hasn't changed. When I was
taken by our real father, however, he legally changed my name
from Mulder to Reed.
I was seven months old when he took me from my mother. Barely
weaned off the breast and too young to remember anything about
my family.
But I found out anyway. When Sam joined us in 1973, I learned
that she was my sister. From that, I figured out that I had
a twin brother as well. Sammy had a habit of talking in her
sleep, and even though she swore she couldn't remember her
life with Mom and Fox and Bill Mulder, she would have
conversations with Fox in her sleep.
Dad didn't bother keeping it from me then. I was twelve, so
he felt it was all right for me to know.
Besides, although I didn't know it at the time, I was a mother.
One of the earliest experiments they did on me was to take a
sample of my ova to see if it would be viable to create another
human while I was still pre-pubescent.
It was. I was ten when my son was born.
I didn't get to help raise him, considering my age, but I was
allowed to name him. Michael Leigh Reed. I don't know why,
really. My favorite nurse was Annabelle Michaels, and my best
friend was Leigh Jackson.
Not that it mattered that much. He just grew up and changed
his name. Last time I heard it was some Russian name...
I left when I was 18. Just up and left. Sam had gone the month
before, and since they hadn't dragged her back, I figured she
made it okay.
I got into college remarkably; it was the greatest experience
of my life. I majored in elementary education, as I'd always
wanted to teach second or third grade. I never considered
dating or getting married. I found college boys to be terribly
asinine, and things never really improved.
So life went on for me. I became a teacher in Illinois for a
few years, contentedly teaching 10-year-olds their
multiplication tables and the basics of English grammar.
Then three years ago, I was approached by a man who claimed
to be my son. He wanted me to keep an eye on Fox for a few
years, and he figured the best way to get close would be
through his children.
I moved to Ellicott City for selfish reasons. The pay was a
bit of an increase, for one. And I wanted to see my brother
and his family.
As planned, Adam Mulder was in my second grade class. As
expected, his parents became involved. I've grown fond of
them this past year. It's been hard not to tell them who I
really am, but part of the agreement with my son was that I
remain Alexandria Reed, harmless teacher.
Right now, Adam stands and drags his father towards the
basketball court. The annual Father-Son 2v2 is going to start
in a few minutes. Dana and Anna clean up the family's mess;
Dana's fastidiousness has obviously been inherited by *someone*.
I stand up and begin to walk away. I still have years to keep
in touch with my family. I hope one day to tell Fox who I
really am.
I am the other sister.
THE END
^*^*^
AUTHOR'S RAMBLING NOTES: Wow. When I started this whole thing, I never expected it to get to 14 parts! In fact, this whole series started with two standalones (Tenancy Tendencies and May 22) that I thought could be fit into a series. Little did I know...I've enjoyed writing these stories, and I've met some great people through the feedback I've received. Special thanks go to: Laurel, my #1 fan, thanks for your consistent words of praise; Maeve, thanks for helping me out when I was supremely *stuck*; the gals at Touchstone for making me put my homework aside to work on the last part for them; and hey, Smurf? ASININE!!! J/K, I love you all, and I hope to be back soon with other wonderful tales of MSR and Babyfic!
jeri x-)
4 out of 5 doctors say expressing your enjoyment of a fanfic to its author increases your life expectancy 23-23.8 years. The other doctor was killed by Cancerman before we could ask him.
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