The sunshines through the window as Scully holds the dress up to her chest, the long black shadowing in the light. She didn't know what to expect when she'd pulled it from the back of her closet, but here she was, contemplating on wearing it tonight. But there was so much holding her back. She wasn't 35 anymore, not many 54 years old women wear such revealing outfits in their day to day lives. She just didn't want anyone to stare at her, judging her.
"You look beautiful, Dana."
She looks up to her partner, her date, and drops the dress on their bed beside her. "No I don't." She mumbles, not meeting the man's eyes. "I doubt I can even fit in it anymore." Frowning, she turns away from him, roughly picking up the dress and taking it to the closet to hang back up. A step from the closet door, his large hand finds his way to her hips, halting her in her movements. His fingers resting near her navel reminds her of the small fetus in her womb, yet another reminder that she won't be fitting in any of her clothing in the coming months, upsetting her even more.
He steps behind her, his lips pressing against her crown. "Don't say that." His breathy whisper tickles her head. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world." She rolls her eyes, tilting her head to look up at him, but doesn't reach his eyes. "In my world, then." He presses another kiss to her head and wraps his arms around her waist.
"Mulder…" She wants to tell him to stop, that she wasn't worth it. But the words never came, she couldn't push him away, not today it seems. "I've had that dress for nearly 20 years, since before William was born."
"I know." He caresses her flat stomach, thinking of the now teen who they found out was still alive only earlier that week, the day when she had collapsed at work due to another massive headache from the shared vision she had of the boy. "I was there the first night you wore it."
She recalls that night, so long ago. Their first date, disguised as her birthday dinner. He had gone all out, asking her mother to take her out dress shopping the week before, booking reservations at a Five Star restaurant called Ocean Prime, and keeping their cases close to home that entire week. Everything he had done that week had been for her. To take her out on what he declared was the perfect date. And what she later told him, it was.
She's hasn't worn it since.
"Wear it, you're stunning" She hold the dress back, glancing at the long skirt and low hanging back. She debates strongly on giving in and wearing the damn dress. But the fear of her age and pregnancy was stopping her.
"I can't."
"Yes you can, you won't know for certain until you put it on." He still hasn't let her go, and by now, she doesn't want him to. The moment he does, she would have to put on this dress.
"If I put it on, would you stop pushing me?"
He laughs, his voice deep in his chest. "Then I would win." He pauses as he pressesing his nose into her hair, taking a deep breath. "But yes, I will." He caresses her once more before stepping out of her space and out of the room. She takes a deep breath, a stray flashes through her mind to fling the dress away and say 'fuck it' and just not go out on this date with him. But she wouldn't; she hasn't been pampered like this for so long. 'Just do it.'
Scully stands in front of the bedroom mirror in just her underwear, scanning her body for all the imperfections, turning to the side and sucking in, her small baby bump showing. She places a hand over the small mound before letting go of her breath, the bump disappearing. This miracle child, the second one she was never supposed to have, was starting to show that they were there.
She stands like this for a good few minutes before she finally picks up the outfit for the night. Pulling it over her head, she smooths down the fabric as it falls to her feet. Her fingers play with it as she criticizes herself for wearing such a thing. She wasn't some red carpet celebrity, she wasn't meant for wear something so revealing. She turns around to face away from the mirror, watching as it dips to the small of her back. She's too old to have so much skin revealed. She's too old to be wearing this dress.
The knock on the door brings her back in from her negative musing. "Scully?" She doesn't say anything as he lets himself in their room. He stops when his eyes settle on her. "You're gorgeous." He smiles, grabbing her small hand into his large one. She doesn't meet his gaze as she opens her mouth to argue against his declaration, he lifts his other hand and brushed her growing hair behind her ears. "Don't deny it." Mulder pulls her back in front of the mirror, standing behind her.
"Mulder please, just-" He shushes her.
"You've ripened with age, Scully. You are more beautiful than you were back then, any man would be more than happy to be with you. I am overjoyed to be that man today." His voice was soft, he grabbed her wrist, his hands slightly callassed from the years of abuse, and pulled her hand up to his mouth to kisses her knuckles. "You may not see it, but I do. You are perfect."
"I'm getting fat." She couldn't tear her eyes away from her figure. Yes, her dress fit her perfectly, but she has noticed that her pants were starting to get tighter, and give it another month, they will probably not button up.
"No. No no no no, Scully, you're not fat." He pauses, catching her eye in the mirror. "You're pregnant. There's a different." He turns her to her side, showing off her petite figure. "See? You're not fat, you're still my Scully." However, she wouldn't take his word for it. This baby was already making itself known, making her sick everyday, refusing to let her good jeans fit, and ranking up her dizzy spells. "You're beautiful."
Beautiful? No, she's old and pregnant.
He was probably reading her mind again. "Believe me." She follows his lead as he turns her around to face him. "You are beautiful. You're pregnant with our second miracle child." He whispers, pressing his forehead against hers. It was calming, she realized, being here with her partner.
It took a moment before she whispers, "I believe you."
"What do you believe, my love?" Their eyes close, heads press together, they stand together for many minutes.
"That according to you-"
"And many people out there-"
"I am beautiful, that you love me the way I am."
He smiles, she doesn't see it, but she just knows.
"Told you so." She feels the smile grow on her own face. It's ridiculous, her worrying about the way she looks. But when she goes out to the store and sees the young mothers with their children, or their own baby bumps, Scully gets self conscious. She was the oldest pregnant mother at the mall, buying the newest pregnancy books to know the new ways to do the mother thing.
"I keep getting asked if it was my first grandchild when I was picking up pregnancy books from the store." She frowns, recalling the memory of the previous weekend. "Whenever I correct them, I get disapproving looks. When I do start showing, the looks won't stop. They'll just get worse."
"Hey," He softly says, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. "Just ignore them. It's just us, just the three of us. You, me," He places his hand on her flat stomach. "And baby."
"And Jackson." She adds, opening her eyes to him.
"And Jackson, wherever he may be hiding." He smiles at her, gazing into her blue orbs. "So four, it's just the four of us. There is no one else in our world."
"Even Bill would give me weird looks, telling me to ditch you, to give it up and-"
"No one else, Scully. He doesn't run your life, nobody does, he's not the one who chooses what you get to do with your body. Love it the way it is, and the way it will grow with our baby." His hands ran over her shoulders, running down her body to her hips, his thumbs reaching for her navel. "Things have changed since we were younger, there are more and more people have children at an older age. Because we're healthy." She gave him a questioning look. "Ok, you're healthier than I am, but I can still have a couple go's in a single night." He winked and she smiles widely before letting out a short laugh. "I know you know those nights."
"Mulder, is there a point to bringing up our sex life?"
"You mean the sudden increase in it?" He smirks at her before pressing his lips against his forehead.
She groans, but doesn't leave his grasp. "Mulder…"
"What I mean, Scully, is that we may be older, but you're as healthy as you were ten years ago. We won't lose this child, and we aren't giving them up, no matter what your idiot brother says."
"Be nice."
"I will if, and only if, he does." He grabs her hands, lifting her right above her head and spins her, the long flowing dress gathering air as it spins with her. "Which is why I had ask you out on this date, to show that I'm still the fun guy you know and love, before you drag me off to California to explain to your brother that you are pregnant and, indeed, still with 'the sorry son-of-a-bitch' that he warned you about. Why you're telling them the news is beyond me."
"He's still family." She knows that he and her brother don't get along, but she wants to do this, as a family. It's what they wanted to be, after all. To be together.
His hands finally left her body, kissing her on the lips. "Remind him of that on Monday." With him finally off of her, she looks over herself in the mirror again, happier with her appearance this time around. She opens up the closet door, pulling out her favorite black heels that goes with most of her dresses. "I'm going go get changed, reservations are at 8." She nods, walking to the bathroom to do her hair.
Fifteen minutes later her hair is neatly curled into soft waves and a light touch of make-up graces her eyes and lips. She walks down the stairs of the unremarkable house. She meets Mulder at the front door, his hand reaching out to offer his hand to hers.
"Are you ready, beautiful?"
She blushes, taking his hand, and they walk out the door.