Mulder turned the ignition off, glanced up at the rear-view mirror and noticed that William had fallen asleep, his floppy auburn hair covering his eyes and most of his face. He nudged Scully, who was still reading the most recent issue of AMJ on her iPhone. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled at the adorable six year old stretched out on the back seat of the SUV.

"You wake the Lil Monster and I'll get our bags", Mulder leaned over the centre console, squeezed her thigh and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Will...", Scully patted William on the knee "It's time to wake up, honey"

She was promptly licked by the overly protective, chocolate colored Labrador curled up next to him.

When William was a toddler and without the ability to give him a sibling, Mulder had insisted on going to adopt a puppy; Ishmael. Scully and Mulder had chosen the name, because of a shared love of the book: Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

"Mommy?", William blinked, slowly sat up and looked at Scully through sleepy eyes.

"Did you have a nice nap?", Scully reached out with her left hand, brushed the overly long bangs out of William face and smiled. She also made a mental note to take him to the barber shop when they got back to D.C.

Ishmael sat up and looked out of the back window, watching Mulder as he hopped out of the drivers side door and walked around the back to retrieve their luggage from the trunk.

"I dreamed... that I got lost... on a farm. Uhm. Ishy found me", William threw his arms around Ishmael's furry neck and cuddled him.

Scully still missed the days when William used to call him, Wishy. In that way all toddlers speak, because they haven't learnt to talk and enunciate properly yet. She also missed unprompted cuddles and "I love yous"

"Were you scared?", Scully was curious about how William dealt with such a dream.

"Nah. I knew you and Daddy would find me. I think.. I think you told Ishy to come find me", William looked at Scully with confident, ocean colored eyes.

Scully opened the car door, stepping back to avoid Ishmael as he jumped down onto the gravel driveway and offered her hand to William (who was still coming around after the long trip up to the Vineyard) to use as leverage but he just shook his head at her and jumped down.

"Wait on the porch with Ishy, please, Will", Scully ran her hand through his hair, after shutting the back door behind him.

William carried his backpack, the straps dragging along the sand covered gravel, up to the porch and waited patiently by Ishmael.

Scully helped Mulder with the luggage, and their other vacation belongings. Including her beach chair, and the large beach umbrella that Scully and William needed because of their pale, Irish skin. A problem Mulder didn't have.

"Why do we continue to shuttle all these suit cases up here every summer?", Mulder yanked the last piece of luggage out of the trunk.

"I really don't know, Mulder", Scully took the car keys and fob from the back pocket of Mulder's jeans.

"Maybe we should start leaving some of the essentials here..." Mulder dragged two of the suitcases onto the tiny front porch and dropped them off next to William and Ishmael "It would save time, on the packing and unpacking portions of these trips"

Mulder walked down the brief set of steps and back to the SUV, to collect the other bags.

"I suppose it would. The stuff we use at the beach is definitely taking up way too much space back home", Scully used the fob to the close the trunk and followed Mulder to the porch.

Scully unlocked the front door, flicked the switch on the wall to turn the dimmer lights on and let William and Ishy into the house. Scully carried a duffle bag inside with her, while Mulder dropped the suitcases in the foyer and continued on to the lounge room to get the fireplace ready, because it was a bit chilly in the bungalow.