With the court writ from Harold Macomb safety stowed in her bag, Scully glared at Mother Superior. Gaining temporary custody of their biological offspring hadn't been difficult with Mulder's previous connection to the Judge. Taking Sophia from this woman might prove challenging if the look she sent them counted for anything.
'Miss Scully,' the old, weather beaten nun continued.
'Dr Scully,' Dana corrected easily, fast losing patience with the woman's stubborn stalling tactics. 'Mother, I understand your concerns. Mulder and I have them too. However, this child, Sophia, had been effectively stolen from us. We did not abandon our daughter. Judge Macomb agrees a great injustice has been done, to all parties involved. We're not here to ask for your permission to take Sophia into our care. I'm telling you as a courtesy so we can clear up any remaining paper work before visiting our son's at Georgetown Hospital.'
'I see,' Mother Mary-Therese glared at the couple before her. A look at Scully's left hand didn't make any difference to her opinion. This behaviour, designed to infuriate, gaged the commitment of the pair. Dr Dana Scully had passed, her partner, Mother Superior withheld her judgement. 'Nothing to say Mr Mulder,' she challenged.
'I learnt a long time ago,' he watched the interaction, accepting the psychology behind it, 'not to come between a lioness and her cubs.'
'Indeed,' Mother Superior re-examined the man. Not one to make mistakes often, she admitted to an error in judgement this time. She'd mistaken the quiet stillness, the gentle touch at the base of his partner's spine as disinterest. Carefully reconsidering the body language, Mother Mary-Therese discovered it to be a display of unity and strength. 'If you'd like to follow me, Dr Scully, Mr Mulder, I'll take you to the assistant in charge of the infants after you've signed the official release for the child.'
As they entered the infants section, Scully sucked in a breath. A Nightingale ward greeted her. Ten old fashioned, metal cribs lined each wall. A long, narrow window above an equally old metal chest between each bed defined the child's personal space. Undoubtedly the small storage cupboard held all the orphans worldly possessions.
'We've stepped back in time about a hundred years,' Mulder whispered into her ear. Barely perceptible, Scully nodded her agreement. If she thought too hard about the conditions Sophia had been forced to endure, the tears held under tight control would fall. She just wanted to take her child and get out of this depressing place.
A small body sat, statue still in the corner of the fourth crib on the left side. One look, even at this distance and Scully recognised her biological offspring. The gentle pressure at the base of her spine ensuring Mulder's mind mirrored hers. Guiding her with a determination he normally only showed an X-file, Dana hurried toward her daughter.
Big hazel eye's looked up to the new comers. The colour a shade greener than Mulder's, Sophia's bone structure resembled Scully's, except the nose. Mulder had undoubtedly contributed that. What little hair the child had shone in the afternoon light. Brown, a shade lighter than her father's because Dana's red colouring had made an appearance.
The assistant escorting them made quick work of the side railing, sliding it down. She reached in to pick Sophia up. Immediately the child cringed, moved further into the corner, lips quivered and her eye's watched suspiciously. Mulder's arm shot out, forcing the aid to take a step back.
'Sir,' she demanded in a heavy handed tone, one generally obeyed, 'she has a dirty dipper after her sleep.'
'I think my nose is telling me that,' he stated in a tone Scully knew only too well. Fox William Mulder didn't get angry very often, but the woman standing beside him pushed his buttons. Out of respect for the frightened child, not quite deciding if she should scream in distress, he kept his tone level. 'Our daughter has a name, please use it. When Sophia decides she trusts me, she let her daddy change her dipper. Until then, don't let Scully and I keep you from your other duties.'
Huffing under her breath, the woman walked away without a backward glance. Scully suspected she knew nothing of Sophia, her history or the fact that they hadn't abandoned their child. Above the crib, the name plate read Unknown. Feeling relieved the hostile woman left, Scully turned to get on with the job of bonding with their daughter. Mulder shocked her, producing a six inch Disney Tigger® with a spring for a tail from his trench coat pocket.
'Picked it up at the baby store,' he smiled, keeping his tone light and gaze intently on his daughter. What happened next left Scully dumbfounded.
'Tigger can bounce and bounce and bounce,' Mulder sang in an amazing baritone, punctuating each "bounce" with an action form the toy. He continued repeating the phrase until the bright orange animal reached ten inches from Sophia.
Her eye's filled with surprise. The trembling lips ever so slowly tightened into an expression of wonder. A hand reached out to take the toy only it remained just beyond her reach. Afraid to move closer, although she wanted the object, her posture bent ever so slightly. Noticing this, Mulder moved Tigger two inches towards their daughter. Instantly the wariness returned.
'Sophia,' Mulder spoke gently, 'Tigger is a very special tiger. He's lost his mommy and daddy and can't find them. He's looking for someone very special to take care of him. Do you think you could love him and look after him?'
Taking each word, the child might not understand everything Mulder said, but his tone implied trust and devotion. She got the intent, the love and need seeping through the words. Accepting, Sophia moved suddenly. Bending herself into a crawling position, she made her way to Tigger and Mulder's outstretched hand. Shyly, she took the animal, holding it tightly against her body before creeping close to her father.
'Can daddy change that smelly dipper now?' Mulder asked, his eyes locked with his daughters.
Sophia shook her head. Trying to hide his disappointment, a radiant smile broke out on Mulder's face when the child stole into his arms, demanding safe haven. Giving her several minutes, holding her tightly against his chest, he finally lowered Sophia back on the mattress, his arms still around her.
The moment, so emotionally charged, Scully found it almost impossible not to break down. Sensing this wouldn't help either Sophia or Mulder, she found something to do. Moving with painful slowness, Scully pulled the items Mulder would need to change the child's sodden dipper. Placing them within easy reach, she stepped into Mulder's personal space, watching the bonding between father and daughter with amazement. Believing Mulder capable of this level of devotion and witnessing it, Scully realised, were two completely different things.
'Daddy needs to make you more comfortable, baby,' he cooed, undressing her, 'and the only way I can do that is to get rid of this nasty thing.' The dipper removed, Mulder reached for something to his right, surprised when he found it. Watching him, Scully couldn't decide whether he'd actually performed this act in his past or just went with instinct. His first attempt almost perfect, Mulder wore a satisfied grin.
'Does mommy have something nice for her special girl to wear in that great big bag,' Mulder asked, keeping his attention focused on Sophia. 'Daddy doesn't think much of this.'
The once white garment had seen better days. A size to big and grey with constant washing, Scully picked it up only to deposit as far away as possible. A pink long sleeved undershirt, white overalls with applique pink flowers on the bib and legs, a matching set of socks with frilly lace tops and pink shoes made their way onto Sophia. In her hand, Scully held the Pink hat with delicate white and purple embroidery and the matching overcoat for the trip into the wintery weather outside the orphanage.
'Mulder,' Scully sounded as astounded as she looked.
'Developmental Child Psychology 101, Scully,' he returned, lowering his head to Sophia's stomach and blowing a raspberry before buttoning up her undershirt. The child giggled for the first time while he'd made short work of the clothing, his hands gentle but firm. Each time Mulder added another item, he tickled Sophia, much to her increasing delight. 'That and we were required to become involved with community projects. I did a semester at a group home for infants in Oxford.'
'Maybe you should be the stay at home parent,' Scully quipped, amazed at the ease of Mulder's movements.
'The boys are going to need you more than me,' he stated, picking his daughter up. Sophia, deciding this to be a safe place, snuggled into Mulder's neck, throwing her arms around him. Burying her head, she shyly peeked over the top of her father's shoulder, only to frown at her surroundings. 'That way daddy gets to bond with his little girl when mommy busy with your brothers. Shall we get out of here?'
A string of sounds from Sophia appeared to be agreement. Scully didn't think she'd ever heard anything so perfect. Mulder, clutching his daughter in one hand, slung the other around his fiancée's shoulders. The family moved toward the door and freedom without ascertaining if the carers had taken the time to investigate the child's history beyond her genetics. Scully suspected Mother Superior and her assistants discovered Sophia's true name and past with the court writ.
'Can I,' swallowing deeply, the baby on the left called out to her mothering instincts. He seemed to struggle against his heavier, healthier brother who slept contentedly in his bassinet. 'Can I hold William,' the name escaped before Scully realised she named Twin Two.
'I'm sorry,' the nurse shook her head, 'his temperature is too low to remove from the incubator at the moment. I'll open the window so you can rest your hand beside your son.'
The nurse observing the other twin carefully wrapped him in a white blanket. Making sure the infants hat sat firmly on his tiny head, she passed the child to Scully. Taking him with a sense of awe, Dana gazed down into eyes the same colour as hers.
I wonder if he'll keep these eyes, or they'll change to the same colour as Mulder's. Scully hoped they'd remain blue, then he might be a perfect combination of both his parents. Thick thatches of brown hair graced the crowns of the twins. Both demonstrated Mulder's unique nose.
'I think this little boy needs his mother,' the nurse commented easily, directing Scully to the chair between the hospital bassinets. A look passed between the colleagues caring for the twins, over Scully head. Dr Matheson took them aside to explain the tragedy surrounding their young patients. This couple, finally seeing their children for the first time, acted as if they'd just been given the world. 'You hold him while I go and get his bottle. We managed to get his sucking response working this morning. If he does well with this feed, the neonatologist is considering taking out his nasogastric tube. It won't be long before you and your husband can take this little one home.'
'What are we going to name him, Scully,' Mulder asked. He still held Sophia in his arms. The little girl clutched him tightly, afraid in case this source of comfort disappeared. She'd screamed blue murder when Scully removed her from the car seat, intent on placing her into the stroller for easy mobility. Only Mulder's embrace managed to settle the child. The black bags under her almost green eyes demonstrated her fatigue. Unquestionably built from the events of the last week, Sophia needed sleep and plenty of it.
Razing one eye, Scully teased, 'wouldn't you like a namesake, Fox?'
'Scully,' Mulder returned, amusement tempered with irony 'we're not officially married yet and you're talking grounds for divorce.'
'No would've been sufficient,' she returned, the grin demonstrating her humour.
Her attention returned to the child comfortably settled in her lap. She didn't need to tell Mulder how this felt, to hold her new born son, to be able to cuddle him in her arms. Arms that ached since the day she'd been told this would be impossible. Dana Scully's expression conveyed all she couldn't.
'Dana's a boy's name as well as a girl's,' Mulder returned, 'wouldn't you like a namesake, Scully?'
The nurses' exchanged a look as the pair continued their playful banter. A warmed bottle with a tiny amount of expressed breast milk found its way into Scully's hand, then to her son's mouth. He sucked greedily. 'No problem there,' the nurse quipped, leaving the new mother alone with her family.
'What's good for the goose is good for the gander, or the other way around,' Scully answered, happy with her bottle feeding technique.
'I like William,' Mulder said, 'it respects the memory of both our fathers,' the statement came out bland. Scully knew the hurt behind the words. Mulder agreed because of the bond she'd shared with her father, not for the memories of his. 'Any ideas for the little man your holding,' Mulder changed the subject.
'Michael,' Scully asked hopefully, not really sure she like the name.
'Mike or Mickey,' the sarcasm returned.
'Point taken,' Scully agreed, 'Charles? No, too old fashioned and I'd hate my son to be called Chuck.'
'Caleb,' Mulder came up with the suggestion. 'It's biblical, Hebrew actually and means faith or devotion. From where I'm standing, he looks devoted to you right now.'
Once again holding teas at bay, this sensitive side of Mulder, a side she didn't see much, reminded Scully of the depth of her love for him. A quick glance, hazel and blue melding together, she knew Mulder felt the same way. Sometimes they didn't need words to express their feeling towards each other.
Returning her attention to Caleb, Scully accepted Mulder's choice. 'What does Sophia mean?' she asked.
'I know this one,' a nurse several bays over smiled politely. 'My husband's Greek, so is the name and it means wisdom.'
'Feel better about the name now, Sully,' Mulder teased. The slight way her nose wrinkled as Ms Jockavic said her daughter's name, told Mulder how she felt.
The eyebrow rose fractionally. 'So we have a wise one, a devoted one and a protector,' Scully considered, still not overly enamoured by Sophia's name. They'd discussed changing it, Mulder arguing their daughter had lost so much of her identity, she should be allowed to keep it. Begrudgingly, Scully accepted his logic. 'Great combination, Mulder,' she couldn't keep the irony out of her tone.
'I'd say these little apples don't fall far from the parental tree,' he quipped. 'Your name means judge, Scully, you might just need that quality razing three children who'll all attend school in the same year group.'
'I hadn't thought about that,' Scully paled. Another mental list started in her mind, this one labelled Schooling. They'd need to place the children's names on waiting lists for institutions of academic excellence. With Mulder and Scully genetics, it'd be a forgone conclusion that all three would be at least as intelligent and driven as their parents.
I actually wanted Mulder to look like a bumbling fool with the kids (changing Sophia dipper) and have Sophia bond instantly with Scully. As you can see, neither father nor daughter allowed that. I have no idea where the Tigger scene came from, or the fact Mulder could actually sing. I guess so much of Mulder remains well hidden in the series, like his wanting to live in a quite country town.
