Starting Over

Part 2

by

Trycee

Time-Line: 2023, five years after Season 11

Disclaimer: This is written for fun, not for profit.

Five Years Later, the year 2023.

Belle Haven, Virginia. The Unremarkable House:

Scully awoke with a start and stretched as she stood up and then walked into her bathroom, splashing water on her face. She stared at her image in the mirror and closed her eyes. Her face was pale with dark rings under her eyes. She chalked it up to the fact that she hadn't slept well since Mulder was invited to speak at a UFO Conference just a few days before. Scully also figured she was looking so tired and pasty from the affects of her countless restless dreams over the past five years. She could still see the image of William in the choppy waters, his dead body floating away. Other times in her dreams, William was drowning. But in this latest dream, his head had popped up in the choppy waters, a bullet hole in his skull. She sighed as she retrieved her phone and returned to the bathroom sink. She glanced down at her cellphone, searching her messages. Mulder hadn't called or messaged her since he left the hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina, the night before.

Scully's thoughts were interrupted by a little voice. She turned to see her sleepily eyed four year old walk up to her, dressed in pink flannel pajamas and dragging a soft stuffed doll on the floor by it's leg. The four year had flowing red hair and stark blue eyes that always caught Scully off guard whenever she gazed into her daughter's eyes. She was beautiful and despite looking like her twin, Zoe was as curious and as stubborn as her father.

"Mommy," Zoe said. "Is Daddy coming home today?"

Scully picked the child up and placed her on the edge of the bathroom counter. "Daddy had to talk to a whole group of people in a city far away, remember?. But, he'll be back today. Do you miss him?"

"A whole lot," the four year said. "And Mommy," Zoe said. "I'm hungry."

Scully grabbed her lipstick from her daughter's fingers. Scully smiled and touched the cheek of the redhead. "What would you like?"

Zoe shrugged her shoulders. "Cereal or Pancakes," she said, smearing lipstick on her cheek.

"Okay," Scully said, running her fingers through her own greying red hair and staring at herself in the mirror. She was not pleased with the woman she saw staring back. "I think pancakes sound good. With bananas or blueberries?"

"Strawberries."

Scully looked down at her young daughter, noticing her lipstick spread all over her delicate skin. Scully grabbed a washcloth and wet it before wiping her daughter's cheek. "Okay, but first. You need to go brush your teeth and make your bed for the day."

Zoe frowned and pointed to her doll. "Mrs. Tolbert is hungry. She's hungry now, Mommy."

"Then, Zoe, you need to hurry up so you both can eat."

Zoe continued to frown, crossing her arms in front of her. Scully raised an eyebrow as she placed Zoe on her feet. "Hurry, if you wanna eat."

Zoe sighed and walked off, dragging Mrs. Tolbert along with her.

Mulder drove down the road and parked in front of his home. It had been a long drive through the night from Raleigh, but all he wanted was to be with his favorite two girls. He stepped out of his car and noticed the tricycle and toys doting the front lawn. He'd have to clean that all up later. He bound up the steps and listened at the door. He could hear the soft pats of little feet angling in his direction. He opened the door and grabbed her up in his arms. Zoe wrapped her tiny arms around his neck like a vice grip and hugged him tightly. Mulder gazed into his daughter's sparkling blue eyes and smiled. He kissed the top of her bright red head and ran his fingers through her shoulder length hair. She was the spitting image of her mother from her hair color and blue eyes to her quiet contemplation. "Zoe, where's mommy?", he asked the young beauty.

"Mommy is right here," Scully called from the kitchen. "And daddy was very missed, wasn't he, Zoe?"

"A whole bunch," Zoe smiled.

Mulder walked with his daughter clinging to his neck. He kiss Scully's lips and noticed the relief in her shoulders. Scully's red hair was intermixed with white and greying strains, the only hint of her age, as she stood in the kitchen, the bowl of pancake batter in her hands. He placed Zoe onto the floor and watched as the four year old spun around in a circle, full of energy. Mulder's attention returned to the eyebrow lift of Scully. "How many more of these conventions, Mulder?", she asked.

"I needed to do this," he said, as he watched Scully pour batter onto the griddle. "It was actually fun. I met a lot of people in the UFO community."

"I thought you were done with this," she said, snatching a cooked pancake from his fingers. "You know how I feel about this, Mulder. You were gone for three days and I'm left to do all the laundry and all the things you were supposed to do."

"Scully," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's something I needed to do. I needed to network. We were both invited to this. I was hoping to get answers to the recent sightings and to be around people that have knowledge in the field. When we started in the X-Files, there was no one doing this. And then it exploded and there's TV shows, and conventions, and I think we deserved to be apart of that."

"Why now all of a sudden, Mulder?"

He placed his hands on his hips and turned, noticing their daughter watching them. Zoe walked up to them. "Mommy, daddy. Don't fight."

Mulder looked surprised. He reached down and lifted his daughter's chin. "Mommy and daddy aren't fighting, honey. Mommy and daddy love each other."

Zoe stared at her mother, noticing the tension in her shoulders, her arms crossed and the tightness of her lips. Scully quickly softened. "Go play with your toys, honey. Let me and daddy talk, okay."

They could see that Zoe was concerned but she retreated to the living room where her large plastic toybox was located.

Mulder stared down into Scully's eyes. "I'm here all day long, Scully. It's nice to get out among people in our field."

"You're retired," she said, pouting.

"I see all these sightings being reported online and I just wanted to go and see if I could talk to a few people, see if I could figure out if it's still happening...the abductions. Plus, it was an honor to be invited to this. You told me years ago to write a book. I think I'm finally ready to write it. So many people were encouraging me at the convention to write that book. I didn't realize how many people want to hear what we have to say. And they invited me to the next convention this weekend right here in D.C."

She turned to look into the living room where their daughter was seated on the floor, a few toys in front of her, watching them intently.

"Scully, I felt compelled to be around people that share our experiences. I needed to do this. I'm a stay at home dad, Scully. Which I love. But, I miss being active in the UFO community. I spent several years being cooped up in this house and then the last four years as a stay at home dad. Diapers, bottles, Kids tv shows. I need this."

She turned her back to Mulder and flipped the pancakes. "We have a daughter to take care of, Mulder. We're older now with a tiny little life we have to take care of. I don't want to jump back into that life. You promised she would never know that life."

He kissed the top of her head. "I didn't want to scare you, Scully. That's why I didn't pressure you and Zoe to go with me. But, I'm grateful that I went."

Mulder watched as her shoulders fell, as the air escaped her lungs. "What happened there?"

He sat down at the kitchen table, pulling Zoe into lap. Her feet dangle as she played with her doll, singing quietly to herself.

"I spoke to an enormous amount of people. I had a lot of people ask me questions. Apparently, the reputation of the X-Files is well known. I also spoke to a few witnesses to the recent sightings," he said, pointing to his briefcase. "There's more that believe now."

Scully turned to look at him. "I'm not sure about this."

"I was invited to speak to the UFO Convention in D.C. this weekend. I'm slated to speak, " he said, as Zoe held his hand, angling until she was seated on the edge of the table facing her father. He gazed down at their daughter. She was beautiful. He couldn't help but smile when he looked into her bright blue eyes.

"What else?", Scully said, placing two cut up pancakes on a pink plate with a matching fork. She moved over to the table and placed it in front of Zoe's booster seat.

"Mommmmmm," Zoe whined. "Don't forget the strawberries."

Scully shuffled over to the fridge and pulled out the plastic tub of strawberries. She returned to the counter and after washing them off, she begin to slice them up in a bowl. Mulder grabbed it along with the syrup and placed it on the kitchen table. He dolled out a few onto Zoe's plate and poured a small amount of syrup and watched as she began to eat her meal at the table while still seated on his knee.

"I think you and Zoe should come with me on Saturday. I want you there."

"I don't think so," Scully said. "This is my only weekend before I go back to work. I thought we were going to hit the sales for Zoe's preschool supplies. She only starts preschool once, Mulder. You also said you were taking her to..."

Mulder dropped his fork and pushed his plate away. "I'm not asking you to speak or to be involved in anyway," he said, interrupting. "I'm asking you to just be in the audience. The whole time in Raleigh, I just wanted to see you both out there when I went to speak. For support."

Zoe stared at her parents. "Daddy, " she said, mimicking Scully with her eyebrow raised. "Use your inside voice!"

Mulder chuckled as he looked at their daughter. "You're so much like your mother, it's scary."

"Daddy, can I go swimming?", Zoe asked.

"Did you ask Mommy?"

Zoe glanced at her mother. Scully shook her head no. Zoe nervously turned and then whispered in Mulder's ear. "She said, to wait and ask you."

"Ohhh," Mulder smiled. "Well, if it's okay with Mommy, then it's okay with me."

Scully eyed her daughter carefully. "Zoe, you know that's not what I said. I said no."

Zoe turned back and whispered into Mulder's ear. "She said yes, if you'll play with me in the water."

Mulder chuckled as he watched Scully cross her arms in front of her as she stared at their young daughter. He kissed Zoe on the cheek as he tried to wipe the smile from his lips.

"Well, of course we can if Mommy agrees. But, it's pretty cold outside."

"Which is why I said, no, Mulder. It's the Fall. It's time to put the pool away anyway," she said, looking at their willful child.

"Daddy. Mrs. Tolbert said, she's hungry too. She needs pancakes too."

Mulder kissed the red heads forehead. "Mrs. Tolbert is right. She's pretty smart, isn't she."

"YESSSSSSS," Zoe said, as Mulder renewed her stack of pancakes.

"Must be a growth spurt", Scully added.

"Which means she's about to grow out of all her clothes," he sighed.

"Which was another thing we were supposed to do this weekend," Scully said, avoiding Mulder's gaze as she placed the last stack of pancakes on the table. "Go school shopping."

Mulder could see that Scully was still irritated. "Are you angry that we're not getting a jump on her school supplies or your irritated that I'm jumping back into the UFO world?"

Scully sighed. Mulder turned to her. "Scully, which is it?"

"Besides you going off and getting involved in alien stuff, again?", she said, snidely. "I know exactly what will happen. You'll throw yourself back into all of this and completely forget about the promise that we made."

Mulder looked stunned. "What promise is that?"

"That would we never allow her to know that world, Mulder. You were gone three days and while you were gone, I had to deal with the Battle of Wills between a four year old and myself and I lost. She had tantrums all day yesterday because you weren't here. And Zoe only wanted you.'

Mulder watched as Scully ate her pancakes, avoiding his eyes. "She's just so much like you that you clash. Scully..."

"She's a daddy's girl, which makes it harder for me when I'm home alone with her."

"She's only a daddy's girl, when you're not around," Mulder clarified. "She's very much equally attached to us both, Scully."

"Mulder, she's used to you and the way you do things around the house. I don't make Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches like you do. I don't tell stories like you do. Nothing I do is right because it wasn't what you did."

"She's a mommy and daddy's girl, Scully and you're a great mom."

"I'm sixty years old," Scully huffed, feeling her tiredness come to surface.

"Fifty nine," Mulder corrected her.

"Yeah, well, I'm feeling it right now with a four year old little girl with so much energy. One that spends her days arguing back and forth with me."

"Well, for almost sixty you are still quite hot," Mulder grinned, reaching over and kissing Scully's lips. "And besides, no one would ever think you were almost sixty. Forty, yes. Not sixty."

"Tell it to my bones," Scully huffed, feeling her anger slowly dissipate. "No one ever said that being older parents would be easy," she said. "They also never told me I would be fighting with a tiny little human about naps and about manipulating their father," she said, as Zoe placed a pancake up to her dolls lips. "She has you wrapped around her finger, Mulder."

Mulder nodded. "She's stubborn because of you."

"Me?", she said, appalled. "You mean, you, Mulder. Once you and Zoe get something in your heads, there's no turning you around."

Zoe turned her attention to them. "I love you, Mommy," Zoe said.

"I love you too, sweetie. You didn't eat the rest of your pancakes."

"I'm full," Zoe said, patting her stomach. " Mrs. Tolbert will eat it, " Zoe said, holding her doll up for them to see.

"Well, Zoe sweetie," Scully said. "Mrs. Tolbert will get sticky from the syrup."

Zoe turned to her doll seated in her old high chair that was pulled up to the table. Zoe had it stuffed full of her dolls. "Mrs. Tolbert said she's full too."

"Well, Zoe, we don't waste food," Mulder interjected.

Zoe glanced at her mother and then picked up her kids fork and began to eat the rest of her pancakes. Scully smiled at Mulder. "Thank You," she whispered.

Mulder placed his hands on Scully's shoulders, pressing the knots out of her shoulder. "I'm sorry you're frustrated. I'm sorry I was gone. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed."

Scully leaned into his touch. "I just don't want our lives to change. I like the way things are, Mulder. I like how boring it is. How normal. I'm afraid that you'll go down a rabbit hole."

Mulder sighed. "After dinner tonight, I'm gonna give you a nice massage. A nice relaxing rubdown. You deserve it. You look really exhausted, Scully."

"You will?", Scully said, as she perked up. "And yes, I am pretty tired."

"Yeah. Mommy needs a break, doesn't she, Zoe," Mulder said, as Zoe eyed both her parents.

"Yes, we need to make Mommy happy," Zoe said.

Scully smiled as she looked down at their daughter. She sighed, feeling the stress of the morning melt away. "Thank You, honey."

"You're welcome," Zoe said, sipping on her orange juice.

"So, Mulder," Scully said. "What else happened at the convention."

Mulder scarfed down his food. "There were so many people there, Scully. Each one had a story. Veterans who said they saw USO's when they were in the waters of Vietnam. Others from the Gulf Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan. There were all kinds of people that have seen UFO's. We're not the crazy ones anymore."

Zoe banged her fork against her empty plate. They both watched as Zoe leaned her fork up to her dolls mouth. "Eat, Mrs. Tolbert. Eat, so you can grow big and strong."

They both smiled as they watched their daughter play.

"It's like a Convention, Scully. A cross between serious study of UFOs and a kind of carnival aspect in a way. I'd love for you both to come with me this time. We could hit up the stores in D.C. afterwards for Zoe's preschool clothes. You know, it'll be fun for her to see the old man on stage."

"Just this one time?"

Mulder nodded. "Cross my heart."

"Okay then. We'll come. This one time," she said, with her eyebrow raised.

Mulder smiled, reaching out and kissing Scully's lips. "Thank You, Scully. It'll be nice having my wife and daughter in the audience."

Scully kissed Mulder back. "And you won't complain no matter how many stores we go too, right?"

"No complaints," Mulder said. "Cross my heart. And Zoe, let's thank Mommy for cooking our breakfast. It was delicious."

"Thanks Mommy," Zoe chimed in.

Scully smiled back, as she touched her daughters hand. "Love you, Zoe. Mommy loves you."

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