It's ridiculous how long this story is taking me. I am not sure where I am even going with it. I hope you like it. Any suggestions are always welcomed. Thanks!

We had finally boarded the plane, without me saying a word. I know the tension was palpable. I promised Mulder I wouldn't shut myself off to him, but here I was, shutting him down. I'm horrible.

We walked onto the plane, searching for our seats.

"Oh, over there," he said, pointing to our seats. It was a late night flight, so the plane was only half full. Plenty of space for me to have my upcoming breakdown.

We sat down, Mulder giving me the window seat. I always took the window, because I liked to gaze. Mulder always took the aisle seat, because of his long legs, and the window gave him motion sickness.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Scully." There it is. He finally pressed me. I broke.

"Mulder, what if she doesn't want to see us? What if she is mad at us," I whined.

That's all I could honestly think about. At first, I thought about how amazing it was going to be to see her, to hold her, hug her, and smell her hair. Kids always have a certain smell. I love that smell. It's so comforting.

But, the more I daydreamed, the more I realized it was just daydreaming. In reality, there was a very high chance of her being angry with us. In her mind, we left her. We let someone she didn't know, take off with her. We gave her love, and then she was left with just a minimal memory of us. My heart sank.

"Scully, relax. She is a child. They live in the moment. Didn't you ever get mad at your parents, when you were a child. Then, later that night you were back to normal. You acted like nothing happened?"

It was true. He had a point. Somehow family always ignored problems, probably because of love.

"In Belle's case, it may be different. She may be a little angry, but her love for us will never fade. Trust me on this one," Mulder tried to assure me, with a squeeze of my hand.

"I hope you're right."

"When have I ever been wrong," he teases. I don't answer. I just raise an eyebrow.

After our talk on the plane, I rested my head on Mulder's shoulder and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, Mulder was gently shaking me awake.

"Hey, let's go get a rental and find Sasha's house."

After my quick power nap, I was feeling a bit more hopeful. Mulder may have been right on this one. Belle seemed like a kid who bounced back quickly. I prayed that she would be okay. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. We were up for another adventure. I was a wreck. But, I had to take every moment, one step at a time. Picking up the car rental seemed like a good place to start.

"Alright," I said, pulling out the map. It looks like we stick on this road for a bit and then take a right up on Hwy 254. From there, we will take a left and then another right, hitting Saturn Drive," I said, giving Mulder directions.

It was usually like this. He drove and I directed. We made a great team like that. Sometimes I would drive, and he would try to direct. But, Mulder was never good with maps, and I had a speeding problem. So our game plan seemed to work. Why ruin a good thing?

"Sounds easy enough. Just let me know when I am getting close to the turn."

A left turn and a U-turn later, Mulder and I were pulling up at Sasha's home. We both sat in the car for a minute. Clearly, our nerves were on end.

"I'm scared, Mulder." I admitted. I have never been stalled with fear.

"Me too. But, we can do this," he assured, and grabbed my hand.

"Okay, let's do this," I suggested.

We exited the car at the same time, Mulder waited for my little legs to catch up with his long ones. We walked together, side by side, not touching. Once we were at the door, we rang the bell and sighed.

It seemed like forever, but finally the door opened. There stood Sasha. She looked like she was ready to give birth at any minute. In fact, I was afraid if Mulder sneezed, she'd pop.

"Agents, please come in," she said, very formally. I never really liked this woman. Being rude wasn't going to help my situation any, though.

"Thank you for coming all this way. I realize you both have busy schedules, but this is important."

"Belle is important. What seems to be the issue," Mulder asks sharply.

"My husband is away on business often. I am mostly home alone, which is fine. But, then I inherited Belle. As you can see, at any moment, I will be giving birth. My doctor is concerned for our welfare."

"Are you having difficulties with your pregnancy," I find my words.

"Yes. High blood pressure. My doctor suggests I go on bed rest and reduce all stress related issues to a minimum. I hate to say this, but Belle is stressing me out."

"She's a child, not a burden, Mrs. Brown," I raise my voice slightly.

"Miss Scully, I am very aware of that. I hate myself for even suggesting that she is a problem, but those are the facts. Belle needs someone who can commit to her. She's been through a huge ordeal. If I wasn't pregnant, I would gladly do what Olive asked of me. I just can't. I have my own child to worry about now. I am so sorry."

I sat there in disbelief. I couldn't believe my ears. I felt Mulder squeeze my hand, and I looked into his eyes. He understood Sasha. He agreed with her. I wanted to yell, but once I took a deep breath, I saw her side. She was a woman concerned about her own baby. She wanted me to take care of Belle. She saw me fit for the job. That's why she brought us out here.

"Belle loves you two. I can see it in her eyes when she speaks of you. You're good people. I know you aren't together, but your love can save her. Don't ever question that. If you'll have Belle, I have already spoken with my lawyer and Belle's social worker. For three months she will stay with you. After those three months, her social worker will stop by to make sure you are fit parents. I trust you guys."

Holy shit. Sasha had thought of everything. She pretty much knew from the get go what our answer would be. I couldn't decide if I should hug her or slap her. I decided on neither.

I was lost in thought, but I heard Mulder next to me. "Where do we sign?"

We signed every where Sasha had marked with an 'X.'

Once we were through with the terms and agreements, I sighed. This was real. This was really happening. In literally three minutes, Mulder and I were Belle's legal guardians. And if the judge saw us as fit parents, in three months, we would be parents. What would Skinner think. What was my mom going to say? I stopped for a second, I needed to see Belle. She would make the fears dissipate. Her baby face would make it all okay again.

I looked at Mulder and nodded. I silently asked him if he was ready for this. "Let's go see her, Scully," he said, reading my mind.

We walked up the stairs, holding hands. Sasha had chosen to stay downstairs, giving us directions. First door on the left. She had a lovely home, and it was very realistic for her to be the godmother for Belle. But, sometimes things don't always work out that way. Hopefully, I could give Belle a good life as well.

"We can give her nice things too, Scully," I heard Mulder say. Clearly I was a bit green with envy.

"Let's just go see her, Mulder. One step at a time."

We finally made it to the first door on the left. I pushed it open, and there sat Belle. She was on the floor coloring in her Little Mermaid book. She didn't turn around. She probably heard us downstairs. She knew who was at the door. Did she hear any of the conversation? Was she angry? I would be.

"Belle," Mulder tested the waters first. She didn't turn around.

"Hi, Mulder. Hi, Scully. Are you coming to visit me, or taking me to a new home?"

"That depends on what you'd like," I eased into it.

"Sasha told her friend that if I left, it would solve half her problems," I heard her say, sadly. "So, I guess I should leave."

This poor little girl. She had caught Sasha talking to her friend. I didn't hate Sasha for the things she said. I understood. I didn't agree with her line of thought, but I could see where she was coming from. Plus, Sasha chose me as Belle's guardian. She wasn't completely careless. She knew what she was doing. She made the right call.

"Belle," Mulder's voice was gentle. " Sasha loves you, but she is pregnant. She doesn't quite have the time and energy for another child right now. Try not to think of her that way."

"Okay. So, where do I go now," she asked. This kid was way ahead of her time.

"Well, Scully has a spare bedroom at her place," Mulder suggested. Her face froze. I'm not quite sure she believed him. She looked over at me and I shrugged, with a smile.

"For how long," she asked, quietly.

"For at least 14 years, maybe longer if you're anything like Mulder."

"You want to keep me forever!" She sounded like a puppy dog being adopted, if puppy dogs could talk.

"Yes. We'd like to keep you forever," I giggled.

She ran over and hugged us. My heart felt full. This was just a happy moment, I reminded myself. Today was a happy day. There were days ahead that would be a struggle for us. Adoption wasn't easy.

TBC

RED