Mulder was still in disbelief, Scully was a mother, and to his child! She had shown him pictures of the little boy, at his request. Mulder thought he was visiting his past, seeing himself in the smiling toddler's appearance. The most noticeable difference was William's crystal blue eyes, a trait that was inherited from Scully. Mulder studied each picture Scully presented him, an insatiable longing consuming his heart.

"Can I meet him?" Scully's lips broke out in to a wide and beautiful smile, the most genuine expression of happiness he had seen cross her face.

"I'll have them come up here as soon as they arrive." Scully took out her phone and sent a text to Skinner, giving him the new instructions. She was surprised to get an immediate response.

"Oh no, they are going to be late. William can't find X, and he won't leave without him." Her glance at Mulder's confused face, persuaded her to explain. "X is his stuffed fox, he hardly goes anywhere without him."

"X? That's a strange name." A slight blush brushed Scully's cheeks, her eyes dropped to her lap briefly before returning to his.

"I think it's because of you, and all the stories I tell him. We were in the toy store one day getting a birthday present for my nephew. We were looking at the stuffed animals, and I would tell him what they were when he pointed at them. When he pointed at this little fox, and heard its name, his face lit up. He picked it off the shelf and kissed its head, then smiled at me. Next thing I know, William is clutching this little fox, whispering in its ear as we walk around the store."

"That's cute."

"It was. When we got into the car, I asked him what he was going to name it, and he said "X". I didn't ask him why. He's heard so many stories about Fox Mulder and the X-files, I think he was just trying to make more sense of them. They have been inseparable ever since."

He patted the space on the bed beside him, beckoning her to sit closer. She moved, taking both of his hands in hers. They smiled at each other, speaking only with their eyes. The color in his face seemed better than it had the day before, she hoped that it was a sign he would have a rapid recovery.

"It suits you." She didn't understand the statement. "Being a mom." He clarified.

"I love him more than anything in the world." She took a deep breath, a plethora of emotions invading her heart as she thought about William, and his father. "He's so special." Tears began to force their way out of her sapphire eyes. "After you were taken, I felt that I had lost everything. But I hadn't, I still had a part of you with me. When I would look at him, I would see you smiling back, Mulder. You don't know how comforting that was at times. Other times, it was utterly heartbreaking. I had this beautiful little boy that was a piece of you and I didn't know if you would ever know he existed."

Mulder held his arms open to her, welcoming her into a long-awaited embrace. Gently, she laid next to him, her head on his chest, and his arms wrapped around her. In this position, she could feel how frail he was, his ribs pressing hard against her cheek.

"You kept me alive, Scully." She pushed herself further against him, needing to feel as if she was as close as physically possible. "I fought to come back to you." He could feel her tears drenching the thin fabric of his hospital gown, the cool liquid permeating his skin. They laid in silence, exchanging gentle squeezes and caresses. Scully nuzzled against his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. A light kiss was placed on the top of her head.

"I love you, Scully." It was barely a whisper, but she heard it. She moved her head to look in to his eyes. As soon as she did, her heart burst with her complete love for him. Before she could say the simple words, the door swung open.

"Mommy!" William rushed into the room. Scully hopped off the bed to meet her son, before he accidently jumped on Mulder trying to get to her. He ran into her open arms, burying his face in her neck. Scully planted a kiss on his cheek, before pulling away to look at him.

"Honey, there is someone I want you to meet." William smiled at her, never taking his eyes away from her face. Straining to sit up, Mulder watched the short exchange, growing nervous with each passing second. A large figure lingered in the doorway, grabbing Mulder's attention. Walter Skinner nodded and offered a small smile when he saw Mulder look at him. Scully picked William up and carried him to the side of Mulder's bed.

"William, this is your daddy." The little boy's eyes stared at Mulder. First, he seemed elated at the news, but as he took in Mulder's appearance he seemed scared. Mulder wanted to distract him and put him at ease.

"Who do you have there?" Mulder pointed at the stuffed fox, in William's hand. The distraction worked. William started telling Mulder all about X, even shoving the little fox out in front of him so Mulder could see it better. It looked well loved, it even had a sewn patch on its foot where he guessed it had been torn at some point. Scully was staring at Mulder as her son continued talking, her eyes full of love for the man patiently listening to each word the boy said.

Skinner felt like an intruder as he watched the scene before him unfold. It damaged his pride to admit it, but he was hurt that Scully had not even looked his way. It wasn't fair of him to expect a lot of her attention given the unusual circumstance they were in, he knew that. Still, he expected her to at least notice him. He walked back into the hallway, feeling invisible and awkward. Listening to the happy chatter of William, he waited for a good moment to interrupt them. A moment of silence filled the room, and Skinner took the opportunity to knock on the door. All three faces turned to him, and he found himself unsure of what to say.

"Mulder," he greeted. "It's good to have you back."

Any witty response Mulder had planned died on the tip of his tongue as Skinner wrapped his arm around Scully's waist, and kissed her lips.