Disclaimer:
Yeah so I don't own them wish I did they belong to Chirs Carter and 20 century Fox. This story is all hear say so lol.
Summary:
Okay here it goes to the best of my ablity. This story of mine takes place 6 years after the last episode. Our wonderful duo seperates durning this time because of miscommunication as in Scully has to make a choice, give everything Mulder could ever want by sacrificing herself, or keep running and risk killing them both? Diana Fowley, CGB Spender are not dead. Skinner also has a somewhat supporting role in this.
Special Thanks to stsgirlie for beta reading this for me ...I owe you.
6 Years after (The Truth)
1121 Pleasant Way
Washington DC
6:45 am
Fox Mulder sat up in his bed slowly and opened his eyes. He looked around and turned to look next to him – that side of the bed was empty, nothing but messed up sheets. He swung his legs around and got up. Walking into the bathroom, he squinted and reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste. After he was satisfied with his tooth-brushing efforts, Fox leaned over, turned on the shower, and hopped in.
Fox walked into the kitchen and smiled what he saw before him was a breakfast fit for a king. He sat down and sipped his coffee. Not even two seconds after he sat down he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Fox, I thought you were never going to get up," the woman said, looking at her watch. "You're almost late as it is! Eat up" She walked to the sink. Fox smiled and took a bite of his eggs, a gulp of the hot coffee, and got up. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"FOX!" the woman yelled out as she was chasing him to the door. "Remember the fertility doctor tonight ...7:00 pm," she said with a smile. Fox leaned in, kissed her on the mouth, ran to his car, and jumped in.
F.B.I Headquarters
Hoover Building
8:00am
Fox Mulder pressed the button for the elevator impatiently and looked at his watch.
"Jesus...what is taking so long?" he mumbled under his breath. He looked back at the elevator and stared. "Forget this," he said as he headed to the stairs, just in time to miss a woman that he had not seen or heard from in about 6 years.
She walked up to the elevator as the doors opened. Stepping into the small elevator, she pushed her way to the back. She avoided all eye contact although she could already see the looks and hear the whispers. She had to admit it felt good to be back in this building, but she also had to admit that her stomach was in her throat. She didn't want to see him, the one man that she had given her soul for. She couldn't do it, for looking at him would make her heart break. The elevator door dinged open and she stepped out. Fox Mulder ran into the conference room and sat down at the table; he looked up and offered a smile to Ad Walter Skinner.
"Sorry, sir...I had car trouble," he shrugged. Skinner walked up to him and handed him a folder about the case. He cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"As I was saying this is a case that I myself have not had any experience with before, that is why Agent Mulder is here. The manner that these victims died in is well...." Skinner caught himself as he looked out the door to the familiar face waiting.
"Odd," Mulder said, not looking up. Skinner looked back at him.
"You could say that... there is a fourth victim, she went missing about 32 hours ago. Now agents, this case is very classified and should be treated as though, that's why not only in addition to Agent Mulder I have requested the presence of someone equally as qualified to handle this situation," he said as he walked towards the door.
She took a deep breath and walked in the room – she heard the gasps, and she looked down, then back up and met his gaze. Fox Mulder. The man she gave everything up for, the man she had not spoken to in six years... her knees were becoming weak as she followed Skinner up to the podium.
Fox Mulder swallowed. He couldn't believe it, he thought that she had disappeared for good, he thought that she would never grace him with her presence. She looked amazing, and he couldn't help but stare. As he stared at her mixed emotions poured over him, love, hate, sorrow, betrayal. All at once he couldn't stand it he gathered his things and walked out of the room. Skinner watched Mulder walk out and he excused himself and followed him.
"Agent Mulder? Where do you think you are going?" Skinner said in a low tone. Mulder turned around and walked up to him.
"You couldn't tell me? Why, Skinner, why ? Today of all days, she has to come back here, to my life?" he said annoyed.
"She is doing me a favor. I need both of you on this. Now you need to put aside all of your indifferences – it's not easy for her to be here."
"Easy? Ha, if you only knew… she did this, she BETRAYED ME!" he yelled. Skinner tried to quiet him when he saw her walk into the hallway. She licked her top lip and stood there with her arms crossed. Skinner stepped back and saw Mulder's glare turn to her.
"Why did you come? Huh? Why… is it to mock me? Is that why?" he asked, staring at her. He suddenly felt sorrow fill him as he saw the tears in her eyes that she was holding back.
"I did not come here for you! Not everything is about you. I came here because they needed my help – if it were up to me I would never want to remember this building ...or you," she said spitefully. Just then a drop of blood fell from her nose. Skinner walked over to her as did Mulder, who instinctively put his hand on her arm. She jerked away and wiped up the blood.
"I was just trying to help," he said, concerned.
"I don't need your help. I haven't needed it in six years, and I am not about to ask for it now," she said, seeing the ring on his finger. She looked at Skinner and excused herself to the bathroom. Mulder put his hands on his face and sank into the chair, Skinner walked over to him.
"What's wrong with her? Is it her cancer – is it back? " Mulder asked, staring at the bathroom door. Skinner sighed.
"It's multiple things – cancer is the main cause of it, and she also had advanced stages of heart disease. She's now is showing signs of Grand Mal Seizures. She has to wear a heart monitor at all times… I didn't want to contact her but I was told to." Skinner said softly
Mulder put his head down. He couldn't believe it, he couldn't… she was dying and she didn't tell him. His phone rang he looked down and answered it.
"Mulder… yes, I know 7:00,..I'll be there… I am just having a rough day... I love you too... I do, Diana… bye." He hung up the phone in time to see Dana Scully standing in front of him out of the bathroom.
"I see you have to make sure everything's okay with the little wife," she said, looking at his ring, she turned to Skinner."Sir, I will look over the folder and I will call you with what I have found, I have to go to an appointment..." he said trailing off. Skinner stood up and watched her walk to the elevator, Mulder stood up and walked up to her.
"It's not what you think Scully," he said quietly. She looked up at him.
"And when has it mattered what I think Mulder?" she said stepping on to the elevators. The door shut.
1121 Pleasant Way
Washington DC
8:40 pm
"I am sorry Diana... I had… something, a case I couldn't leave," Fox Mulder said, annoyed. He took off his work clothes, he undid his tie and dress shirt and threw it on the floor, Diana stepped over it and followed him. Mulder turned around and walked over to the shirt and tie on the floor, picking it up, Dana wouldn't let me do that, he sighed.
"Fox? What is going on, you don't seem yourself. This morning you were fine… I called your cell phone, and I got no answer… Fox?" She called out as he walked out into the living room. Diana stood there then followed him out. She saw him standing there in the middle of the room.
"Why does my stuff have to stay in storage? Why?" He said staring at her. She laughed.
"Is that what this is about Fox your... stuff?"
"Yes, Diana, my stuff," he said grabbing his laptop off of the table he walked upstairs and into his office, Diana trailing his heels. Because his legs were longer he reached the room first, he then turned, smiled and shut and locked the door."Good night Diana." She stood there with her jaw open, walked into the bedroom and slammed the door.
Mulder flinched at the slamming of the door and sat down at his desk, opening up his laptop and turned it on. Mulder sighed and looked around the room. This was his only get away, his only safe place. He couldn't get Dana out of his mind – no matter what he tried she was there just like she had always been for the past six years. He suddenly was overrun with sadness.
Seeing her standing there, pale, fragile… he noticed how her eyes held pain, pain for him. He just wanted to reach out and hold her and tell her that everything was okay, and to forget the past six years, but he couldn't. She wouldn't let him, and he couldn't help but replay that night in his head when he found her making a deal with the devil...
Roadside Motel
11:21 pm
Dana sat on her couch, fidgeting nervously, as she kept an eye on the door and an eye on her gun. She was waiting for a cavalcade of FBI agents to come bursting through that door. She told herself that she didn't want to come back here – not after she had risked her life to break Mulder out of prison. She had received a call that told her to go back to the place where it all began. She didn't tell Mulder about the call, she couldn't, for if he knew he wouldn't let her go. Just then the doorknob turned and she held her breath, staring at the wall, as the figure walked in smelling of smoke... cigarette smoke.
"Agent Scully, so good of you to join me." He walked around to face her; he could see the fear in her eyes. "You don't have to be afraid, I am not here to hurt you." He leaned in and ran his hand on the side of her face. She pulled away from him. "I guess it is safe to say you didn't tell Fox that you were coming here, just as I had instructed," he said lighting up a cigarette. Dana stood up slowly.
"What is this all about? What do you want from me? I have nothing now, you've seen to that," Dana said angrily.
"Oh, but Dana, you haven't lost everything yet… have you? You have what I need," he said, taking a seat. Dana looked at him, confused.
"What? What do I have? I am on the run, I have nothing..." she stood there looking at him then it finally dawned on her what he was speaking about."Mulder," she whispered. He smiled.
"Don't you want him to be happy? Think about it – he wants what we ultimately want... a family and home and a job. You can give him that, Dana... you can, he can even have children… the one thing that you failed at," he said, taking a drag.
"I did not fail," Dana said, holding back the tears."You took that from me...GOD DAMMIT YOU DID IT… I had to protect William!" She couldn't hold back the tears any more
"William is safe, Dana – I saw to that. And I know about the baby that you are carrying… I know he doesn't know about it. Dana I can help you keep that baby safe... but what I am talking about is a trade." She watched his every movement, damning herself for letting him see her cry. "I want you… I need you... If you leave Fox, then his life will return to normal... like nothing ever happened." Dana took a step back.
"Me? Why do you need me, and if I refuse?" she asked staring at him.
"Dana, there is no refusal here... you will come with me… I need you to take Fox's place. If you don't they will find him and kill him – kill you both, for the secrets you both share." He stood up and walked over to her. "Dana, I know you want him to be happy… didn't you once say to him 'If I can save you, let me?' Here's your chance, Dana." He threw his cigarette on the ground and walked out the front door. She stared at the wall in front of her, trying to catch her breath.
Fox Mulder sat in the car, looking through his binoculars at the motel window. He could not believe what he saw… Dana Scully talking to that man! He was sure that whatever he said to her was not good, so he turned the car on and drove back to the room they were sharing.
Daniel Boone Motor Lodge
2:00 am
Dana walked in the room and saw Mulder lying on the bed. As she took off her coat and hung it in the closet, she frowned at the clothing carelessly thrown on the floor, sighing as she picked it up.
"Mulder... how many times do I have to tell you to hang them up?" she asked, laughing. Mulder stared at her. He was waiting for her to tell him where she had been, and as she got closer to him he could smell the smoke on her clothes.
"So, where did you go?" he asked, watching her face. She stood up and looked at him.
"I went for a walk. I needed to think." She smiled and walked into the bathroom. He got up and walked up behind her.
"So were you smoking and walking at the same time?" He asked leaning down to smell her shirt.
"No, I walked by someone who was smoking, that's it," she said pulling off the shirt and reaching for her nightshirt. She pushed past him and lay down in the bed. He looked at her – she looked nervous. He sat down on the bed looking at the TV. "Is something the matter?" she asked.
"Nope. I'm just beginning to see thing for what they truly are," he said, licking his lip. He got up and walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He turned around and looked for her pants; finding them, he pulled out her cell phone, scrolled through the menu to last received calls, and dialed the number. After about ten rings, a man picked up.
"Agent Scully, I see you've decided to take me up on that offer" Mulder hung up and put it back in her pants pocket. He knew that voice – it was him, that bastard. Why was she talking to him and what deal was he talking about? He walked out of the bathroom and began to pace. Dana sat up in bed watching him.
"Fox?" she asked softly "What's the matter?" She got up and walked over to him.
"Dana, tell me... where did you go tonight?" he said, holding her shoulders.
"I told you, I went for a walk," she said avoiding his gaze. He put his head down.
"Why won't you tell me? Why?"
"Tell you what?" she asked, confused.
"That you are talking to him! Why are you talking to him, Dana? I need to know."
She looked down then back up at him. "I can't tell you ... I... how do you know that I have been talking with him anyway?" Her eyes widened."You've been following me? What the hell?"
"Yeah, like that is big surprise. At least I am looking out for us... you are bringing trouble home," he said, walking away from her.
"Fox, it's not that simple... you have no idea what's going on! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" she said, her voice rising.
"THEN WHAT IS IT, DANA? YOU'RE SNEAKING AROUND BEHIND MY BACK! YOU'Re TALKING TO THE DEVIL... OR SHOULD I SAY SLEEPING WITH HIM?" Mulder yelled, knocking over a lamp.
"Sleeping with him... Fox, listen to yourself!" she was cut off by her phone ringing. She walked towards the bathroom and grabbed it. When she turned around he was staring at her.
"Don't pick it up – don't answer it," he said, watching her. He saw a tear fall from her eye..
"I have to – you don't understand, Fox, I have to," the tears were falling from her face. She pressed the talk button and he began to speak to her. After five minutes she hung up.
"What, does he need you? GO! Go to him I can see where your loyalty is… it's not with me," he said, turning away.
"It's only ever been with you, Fox," she said, placing a hand on his arm. He jerked away and turned to look at her....
"It's Mulder, Scully – remember that." He looked at her and walked out the door. She stood there, her eyes filling with tears, a sudden pain in her heart. She fell to her knees, wanting to call out to him, but when she tried to speak nothing came out... she couldn't breathe… her world had just begun to fall apart.
Nemenhousan Moter Lodge
1013 Old Bradbury Drive
Dana Scully turned in bed. She couldn't sleep. This wasn't unusual for her, she was usually kept up by headaches, but tonight it was the nose bleeds. She hated those the most because it showed her that she was mortal.
She looked at the medicines on the nightstand and silently prayed to die, but she knew that they wouldn't let her – they would bring her right to the edge and then pull her back like a yo-yo. She sighed and sat up coughing.
She hated to be alone, but after seeing Mulder she really hated it. She wanted him to hold her, tell her that all was forgiven, but it wasn't going to happen – not now, not ever. Nothing was going to be the same now that he was married and to her...
Dana swallowed the bile that had risen up and turned on the light. She sat up slowly, letting the wave of nausea consume her, as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
After an hour she wandered out and sat back on the bed. She had to tell him… she had to tell him everything… but how would she prove it? She needed those files, she needed the medical evidence. How could he dispute it if he saw her signature on the papers that helped her demise?
She reached for the phone and dialed a number. It rang and a familiar voice answered the phone she smiled.
"Hey... it's me," she said.
1:31 am
Dana Scully looked out the window. As she saw the familiar VW Bus pull up, she threw on her coat and made sure her heart monitor was fully charged. She walked out to the van and got in. The three men looked at her, smiling.
"We knew that you wouldn't do that to Mulder, that there had to be a reason," Byers said with a smile.
"Yeah while you've been gone he's shacked up with Diana; she's been poking around us ever since" Frohike said with disgust.
They turned around and drove off, in search of the truth.
Fairfield Research Facility
Government Owned and Operated
The VW came to a squeaking halt and flicked off its lights, all of them piling out of the car. Dana stood there, staring at the building before her, and sighed as she noticed a figure coming out from the south entrance, walking towards them.
The guys looked up and smiled. Dana sucked in a breath and shot them a look – it was Mulder.
"Hey… thought you boys would have all the fun without me?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Scully's face.
"Why is he here?" she asked, staring at Langly.
"Because we needed him to get past central security. Without the key pass we would be goners walking past the bushes."
Mulder held up the card.
"Why do you need to go in here, Scully?" Mulder asked, playing with the card.
"It's none of your damn business… are you going to help me or not?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
He nodded, and the Gunmen sighed in relief. They briefed them on where the files were located and how to get there.
Mulder slid the key card in and gained access. He opened the door for Scully to walk in; she gave him a look and brushed past him. They walked along winding corridors until they reached the door Scully was looking for.
"Why do you need to go in there? It's just Diana's office," he said, picking the lock.
"That is exactly why I need to go in there," she said, pushing the door open. She walked in.
Dana walked immediately over to her desk and began pulling out all the files, throwing them as Mulder tried to catch them.
"Scully... Scully, what are you looking for?" he asked, trying to sort out the paperwork.
"I need anything with my name on it... anything," she said, reaching the bottom of the drawer.
"Damn it… where are they?" she sighed, then noticed a notch at the bottom of the drawer. She bent down and picked it open. Under the false bottom were a stack of files, which Dana pulled out and placed on the desk.
Mulder walked up beside her and put his hand on the desk, looking at the files with her. Scully opened the file and read her name – it was a chart with medication doses on it , the others were procedures done ..Scully got to the last file – the one that made her grab Mulder for support.
It was the file of the night they took her baby. Mulder was shocked as he read this, holding onto Scully for support. He looked up at her and saw her eyes fill with tears.
"Scully, what is this? What does this mean?"
Dana looked up at him. She grabbed the files and started walking out the office door. As he reached out and grabbed her arm, she turned with tears in her eyes, then pulled away and walked out of the room. Fox followed her down the same winding corridors and out the entrance to the waiting van. Dana got in and Fox followed behind her. She turned to him with a confused expression.
"You're coming too?"
"Scully, I walked here. Besides, you and I need to talk about this," he said, his smile comforting.
The van drove off, and about forty-five minutes later it pulled up to a familiar safe haven for Dana. She smiled, thinking about the last time they were there "together". Mulder opened the door and stepped out, offering his hand to help her, but she raised an eyebrow and got out by herself. As Mulder went to the back of the van and pulled out a large overnight bag and one small one, Dana turned to look at him.
"So you all had this adventure planned? YOU even packed all my medication?" Before the Gunmen answered, they peeled out of the parking lot. Mulder sat there with a grin and nudged her to the entrance of the building.
Dana forced a smile and rolled her eyes. She walked through the front door and stepped into the elevator. The elevator dinged and they both stepped out and walked up to the familiar Apartment Number 42. Fox fumbled and found his keys, pushing the door open. Dana walked through the door, bumping into various objects.
Fox shut the door and searched the wall for the light switch, finding it and switching it on. Dana squinted, and as her eyes adjusted, she looked around the room and saw about seventy or so file boxes stacked throughout the dining room and living room. She ran a finger on the top of one and showed it to him with a sigh.
"What can I say – the maid has been off?" He smirked and walked into the living room, setting the bags on the coffee table. Dana followed him and stopped at one box. Fox opened the bedroom and started throwing things off the bed.
Dana opened the box and ran her hand over the files, picking one at random and opening it. She smiled – this was the case they had in Arcadia… she laughed slightly at remembering the names he chose: Rob and Laura Petrie… such bad names. Fox walked back in and smiled at her.
"I kinda wanted to keep all our cases… after they closed it me and the guys liberated them… call this place my basement"
Dana quickly put the file away, grabbed her bags, walked into the bedroom, and shut the door in his face. Fox smiled and sat on the couch, reaching over and grabbing the files they took from Diana's office. He opened the first file and saw a list of medical procedures that were done and ones that were scheduled to be done. Fox didn't know what half of them were, but the ones that were done had initials next to them… Diana's initials.
He sighed and closed that file, opening the next one. This one held a list of the medical problems Dana had – so far, at least.
Grand Mal Seizures
Acute Heart Disease
Anemia
Crainosynotosis
Bone Cancer
Lung Cancer
Fox closed his eyes and laid his head back. Her cancer had spread… she was dying slowly… how could this have happened? Who did this and why? he sighed. He didn't open his eyes until he felt a small body sit next to him and take the file from his hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her, holding back the tears. She grabbed the last file that was in the stack and opened it; she ran her fingers down the yellowed papers and spoke barely above a whisper.
"I was pregnant... I was going to tell you the night we… they let me carry the baby for 8 months... it was a girl... Fox, they took the baby from me… they took our daughter."
The tears we falling from her face onto the paper. She laid her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. He slid the folder from her hand and looked at it, hoping not to see the signature that he knew was on it.... but there it was: ordered by Diana Fowley. He put the file on the coffee table and leaned back with Dana silently crying on his shoulder. She reached an arm around to hold him tighter; he placed his arm around her waist and whispered to her.
"If I knew I wouldn't have left you... if I knew that they were doing this to you, I would have killed them. Dana why? Please tell me why..." He brushed the hair out of her face and looked down.
"I can't tell you, Fox… I want to, but I can't… not now." Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, and she closed them, inhaling his scent, she felt so safe and comfortable in his arms. She sighed and let herself drift into a sleep. Fox looked down and could tell that she had fallen asleep. He didn't want to move – he wanted her to stay in his arms forever. He pulled a blanket over her, being careful not to interfere with the wires coming from her heart monitor, and he closed his eyes… for the first time in such a long time he was going to sleep through the night – now that she was back with him.
Dana woke up in the morning, feeling comfortable for the first time in a long time. She opened her eyes then suddenly realized she was in a bed. She threw off the blankets and looked around. The room was familiar to her – it was Mulder's room… then it all began to come back to her at once. Getting the files, showing Mulder… she was insane. She got up, walked out of the room, and saw him sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and one of the files. She brushed the hair out of her face and walked up to him.
"Are you hoping to find something in those files other than..." she stopped herself and sat down. He looked up at her, resting his hand on her cheek.
"Dana, you have to know I knew nothing about this. I swear if I knew that she was behind this, performing all those tests on you, I would have killed her." He looked deep into her blue eyes that started to fill up.
"I know you would have," she forced a smile.
He leaned over and pushed a file to her, watching her face.
"Dana... I want you to tell me about this, please. I have to know about this." She looked down and it was the file of the child that was taken away from them. She sat upright and took a deep breath.
"Fox, I found out that night. I was going to tell you, but things just seemed to get worse every second... I wanted to tell you everything but there are still things that I cannot tell you. I'm sorry..." she took a deep breath and continued. "I saw her... but they took her and that was the last time I heard about it." She licked her bottom lip and looked in his eyes, letting the tears fall. "I'm sorry I failed you."
He reached over and pulled her to him, holding her as close to him as humanly possible. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.
"Dana, you never failed me. I shouldn't have left you. I failed you. I walked away. This is all my fault." Just then his cell phone rang – he reached over, not letting her go, grabbing the phone and putting it to his ear. "Mulder"
"Fox, God damn it, where are you? I have been waiting for you to come home! I don't know if you're dead or what... and on top of that my office was vandalized last night!" Diana said, screaming.
"Was anything taken?" Mulder asked curiously.
"Just some files, but that's not the point. I need you home with me now, and I don't need you to question me – just get your ass here pronto." With that, she hung up the phone. Mulder closed it, made a face, and looked down at Scully who was toying with the coffee cup in her hand. Dana cleared her throat and looked up at him with a half reassuring smile.
"M...Mulder if you have to go, I understand. I mean she was a pain in the ass to work with and I am sure she is no better to be married to," Dana smiled, musing a little over her comment. Fox watched her and raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, well, you know you weren't that easy to work with either, Miss Go-by-the-Book. I can only imagine what you would be like married to." Mulder shot back. He got up out of the chair and walked into the kitchen, setting his cup in the sink. He took a deep breath, glancing back out at her sitting at the table. He hated to admit it, but he often thought what it would have been like to be married to her, waking up to her every morning, smelling her just as she got out of the shower. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to a time that had gone past, when they were together.
Dana cleared her throat at the last comment he made and got up, walking into the bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she slowly pulled off the nightshirt she was wearing and turned to look at her body in the mirror. Her gaze went to her hair – it wasn't as bright as it used to be. The length was longer, just past her shoulders. She reached up and touched it lightly. She dropped her gaze to the most noticeable part of her body, her chest. She ran her fingertips over the scar tissue and sighed. She stared at it, thinking to herself, 'if he only knew'. She shook off the feeling and walked over to her bag, pulling out some clothing and setting it on the bed.
Fox awoke from his daydream to see that Dana was not at the table. He walked into the living room and knocked on the door lightly.
"Scully, is everything okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
Dana looked up at the door and finished pulling her black sweatshirt over her head. Walking over to the door, she opened it, looked up at him and smiled briefly, before turning back to her bag, pulling out her prescriptions. Fox watched her and made a mental note of eight containers. He walked over to her and stood there with his hands in his pockets; Dana stood up and almost bumped into him. She brushed some hair out of her face and looked around.
"Um… I have to take these now... but I need to take them with food, and judging by the state this place is in I don't think you have anything edible in here," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood. He nodded.
"Well, there is a deli up the street. Service sucks, but they have the best eggs this side of D.C. So how about it?" he flashed her one of his patented Mulder smiles. She couldn't help but smile back at him. Grabbing her medical bag, she walked past him to the front door, but not without saying, "You're buying this time." Fox shook his head and followed her out the door.
_________________________________________
Egg 'N' You Deli
Fox and Dana walked inside the small deli and took a seat at by the window. A waitress who had not seen the two in quite some time took their order and chatted a bit before leaving them to it. Dana looked around and then at Fox.
"Don't come here often then do you?" she smiled.
"No not in a while... No, that's a lie I came here with Diana and they made me promise never to bring her back. They said she was bad for business," he joked and looked into her blue eyes. Seeing her smile made his day. Dana looked at him, then out the window, resting her head on her hand. She sighed slightly and was about to speak when she heard a voice. She turned and her eyes widened slightly.
"Fox...is that you? Oh, wow, we haven't seen you since, what... Nathans fifth birthday?" the woman squealed. Fox looked up and grimaced slightly, standing up.
"Oh, Diane, yeah… been busy with work," Fox said quickly.
"Fox, it's been like, what, three years?" She laughed and slapped his arm. Just then a small boy ran in and grabbed onto his mother's arm, looking at Dana. She tilted her head, staring at the boy's deep blue eyes and lightly freckled face. She looked up at the mother and noted the mother's jet black curly hair. The boy had light brown hair, almost an ashy blond. The boy smiled at her, waved sheepishly, and looked back at the door.
"Fox, you will never guess, we've had another addition to our family, you see, because you know we, well, yeah… BILL!" the woman called out, and in came a short, black-haired man carrying a small child – a girl of about a year and a half. Fox looked at Dana and offered a small "I'm sorry" smile, and turned back to watch them.
"Oh, another one… well, congratulations," Fox said, smiling at the toddler.
"Oh she's just a doll, you know that. Look at those green eyes and this hair, we think it's going to be red," she smiled and ran her fingers through the curly hair that was on her head. Dana looked up at the little girl, her breath catching in her lungs... she knew that baby – she couldn't remember how or when, but something inside her screamed at her. Dana stood up and looked at Fox.
"Diane, she is beautiful... lucky little girl! Did you get her the same place you got Nathan?" Fox asked, looking back at Dana. Dana suddenly interrupted her.
"How... how old is she?" Dana asked, staring at the little girl.
"Oh, she's a year and a half... poor thing, her mother died in childbirth… had her when she was 8 months gone, so she is a little tiny but they said her mother was a drug user. Well, actually, Diana is the one who recommended this little joy to us... said she knew the mother personally." The woman smiled and Fox nodded.
"You know, Diana is great with that… I mean, you got little Nathan there, didn't you?"
The woman nodded and smiled. "Well, we'd better be going, got to get these kids home so… talk to you soon, Fox, and tell Diana I said hi." With that she turned and walked out the door. Fox turned and looked at Dana, who had a flushed look on her face. She tried to move her lips but nothing came out, so she reached over and grabbed onto of Fox's arm, panicking slightly. He looked at her, walked around the table turning her face to face him, and spoke softly.
"Scully... Scully?" He reached his hand up to cup her face and swallowed. "Dana, look at me... what's the matter? Are... are you okay? Are you in pain?" Dana shook her head and looked into his eyes as she finally managed a word past her lips.
"Baby..." she said breathlessly. He looked at her, confused, and held her arm, leading her out of the deli. Standing out in the cold, he pulled her to a bench.
"Dana, what's wrong... baby?" he looked at her, confused. Dana took a moment to regain her thought process and blinked.
"I know that baby... I know both of them... I don't know how or when but something inside me is telling me I know them... and… and then she said Diana recommended them for both children... F-Fox," she looked at him with tears in her eyes as it finally dawned on her who they were and what they meant to her. Fox looked at her, closing his eyes and pulling her close, not knowing what to say or do.