Starting Over

Part 10

by

Trycee

Time-Line: 2023, five years after Season 11

Disclaimer: This is written for fun, not for profit

Mulder paced the floor of the Yurt with his hands on his hips. "I thought we checked. I thought you ran every test possible."

"Mulder, I did," Scully said. "She's normal."

"What if she's not," he said, staring down at the little girl who was curled up asleep on the floor with her doll. "What if she's special like he is?"

"She's not," Scully said. "We've been with her every single day of her life, Mulder. And she has NEVER presented anything special or unique."

"Why did CGB say he would come after her next, Scully? Why would he mention her?"

Scully swallowed hard. "Your being paranoid, Mulder."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so."

"So, what are you saying? That now our daughter is in danger too? There's no proof that she can do anything, Mulder. Just calm down, please."

"How can you sit there like that, Scully? You're telling me the hair on the back of your neck didn't stand up when he said she was one of those rare kids that can see the real him."

"No," she said. "Because I need PROOF, Mulder. I need actual Proof that my daughter is like my son in anyway. William was created by us with CGB's tamperings. Zoe was made out of just us. Just you and me, no one else."

"Except that you were fifty four years old," Mulder added. "Except that fact."

Scully huffed and crossed her arms in front of her. "How many medical journals did I show you of women giving birth much older than that AFTER menopause had ended. A woman in India gave birth at seventy one years old. Fifty four was nothing!", she screamed.

"Those women all had estrogen therapy, Scully."

"Zoe was my Change of Life Baby. Plain and Simple. I was still having periods, Mulder. And We had sex. If you weren't so bull headed you'd realize it is more common that you think. Besides, you were the one talking about it wasn't too late if I still wanted another child."

Mulder glanced down at Zoe who was wide awake and cradling Mrs. Tolbert. He bit his lip and sighed. "It's hard enough that he's coming after our son, Scully. I don't want him coming after her too."

"You don't think I know that?", Scully said. "When she was born, every move she made I was waiting for her mobile to move or for something to come flying out from another room and embed itself into the wall but it never happened. She's sensitive, Yes, she is. Melissa was sensitive. Melissa would talk about auras and things I could never figure out. Zoe is very empathetic of all of our feelings. Which is a good thing, Mulder."

"Didn't you say that William was like that with you?"

"Zoe is empathetic to everyone, not just me," Scully added. "She's perfectly fine."

Zoe stared at her parents as she began to cry. Mulder picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder. "What is it, Zoe, honey? What is it?"

"Your fighting," she whimpered.

"Zoe," Scully coddled. "Daddy and me didn't mean to wake you. We're sorry for arguing in front of you. Will you forgive us?"

Zoe sniffed as she wiped at her eyes. She continued to cry as Mulder rubbed her back, trying to calm her. Scully grabbed her from his arms and placed her on her hips. "Sssh, it's okay," she whispered. "Mommy and Daddy are here and we love you. We're so sorry, honey."

Scully sat back down cradling Zoe as she sniffled until she fell back to sleep in Scully's arms.

Mulder watched as she looked lovingly at the small human in her arms. "You're such a good mom, Scully."

Scully glanced up surprised. Mulder continued. "I couldn't have asked for a better mother for my children."

Scully could feel a tear forming in her own eyes. "You amaze me, Mulder."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You...amaze me," he said. "Every time I see you with our daughter, I fall in love with you all over again."

Scully glanced away as the tears trailed down her cheek. Mulder pressed a soft kiss along her cheekbone. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled. "Thank You for that, Mulder."

"Anytime," he said, as his phone buzzed. He read the message. "They have the paperwork. It's all finished. They want to meet."

"How do we know it's really the Lone Gunmen's friends and not one of CGB's goons. What if this is a trap?"

Mulder pointed to his waistband where a gun was strapped. "There's only one way to find out."

"Take William with you," Scully said. "That way if anything happens he can..."

Mulder nodded. "Good idea."

"Where are they meeting you?"

"I'll have them meet us in Florida, in Jacksonville, it's just forty miles away."

Mulder could see the fear in Scully's eyes. "I'll be careful, I promise. There's too much to lose," he said, before planting a kiss on Scully's lips. He kissed a sleeping Zoe and listened as she sighed in her sleep. He smiled. "I won't take long, Scully. I promise."

"Just come back," she said. "Both of you."

Mulder stood in the doorway. "We'll be back soon."

Scully flipped the channels on the tv until it landed on one that Zoe approved. The child sat on the wooden floor directly in front of the tv as she held Mrs. Tolbert close to her heart. "Mommy, the channels are weird here."

"Zoe, honey. You can't sit that close to the tv."

Zoe turned and looked at her mother. "Mommy, when am I going to preschool?"

Scully sighed. "Come here," she said.

Zoe stood up and walked over to her mother. Scully ran her fingers through her daughter's red hair and looked into her deep blue eyes. "We had this conversation, do you remember?"

Zoe shook her head no. Scully continued. "When this is all over, we'll go back home and you'll start preschool with all your new friends."

"But, I don't have a backpack. I don't have my pencils or my crayons..."

Scully smiled down to her. "Daddy and I will make sure you have everything you need. From new shoes and new clothes to a pretty Princess backpack and tons of crayons and pencils."

"And a sleep mat," Zoe said. "I'll have to take naps at school."

"Yes you will. Just like you do with daddy at home."

"Can I bring Mrs. Tolbert?", she asked, holding up her worn out doll.

"We'll get you a teddy bear that you can take to school and leave there. Mrs. Tolbert has to stay home. She has to wait for when you come back home."

Zoe looked at her doll. "Mrs. Tolbert doesn't like that."

Scully smiled warmly and smoothed her finger across her daughter's delicate face. "You don't want someone to take Mrs. Tolbert home, now do you?"

"NOOO!", Zoe said.

"Then we need to keep Mrs. Tolbert at home, waiting for you so you can give her a big hug when you get home."

Zoe hugged her doll tightly. "Mommy, I just hugged her but I'm not back home...," she said, looking around. "I wanna go home," she said.

Scully reached down and hugged her daughter. "Your brother needs us right now. So, we need to be here with your brother. And when it's over, Daddy and I and you and Mrs. Tolbert will go back home, I promise."

Zoe looked alarmed. "My brother won't be there?"

"Your brother will be living in a magical place where he can live safely."

"Can I go there?"

"Maybe one day."

Zoe stood between her mother's legs, thinking. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie."

"What if I don't want my brother to go."

"Mommy and Daddy don't want your brother to go either, but remember what I said about your brother being a grownup?"

Zoe nodded. She turned and sat down near Scully's feet, focusing on the kids programs on the tv screen. They were all new to her and she was intrigued.

Scully was on pins and needles as she waited nearly three hours for their return. Scully jumped up when Mulder opened the door, kissing her on the forehead. He headed straight for the sofa and collapsed next to Scully, handing her a manilla envelope. "Oh Thank God," she said, gripping Mulder's arm.

"Check it out, everything's there."

"You weren't followed?"

"No. The location was set ten minutes before they arrived. Everything was on the up and up. This was the Gun Men's friends."

Scully turned the large envelope around in her hands.

"Well, go ahead. Open it. William's already seen it. It's all there. His new name, new everything."

Scully opened the envelope and grinned. "Charles Willliam Soona," she sighed.

"Charles for your brother."

Scully sighed. "Yeah, my choice."

"And Soona in reference to The Thinker, a hacker friend of The Lone Gunmen. May they all rest in peace. Its my way of honoring them, indirectly."

"Charles William Soona," she repeated. "Sounds authentic."

"The name is cleared. He has a new birth certificate, drivers licenses, social security card, and also, the deed to the two bedroom home in Homer, Alaska, all in the name of Charles William Soona."

Scully placed the papers back into the envelope and passed them back to Mulder. He stared at Scully and then pulled her against him. "Scully..."

"I know...," she sighed heavily. "I know."

Mulder pulled her in closer, with her head resting beneath his chin. "I love you," he sighed. "And I know. I don't want him to go either."

Zoe stood up and climbed up Mulder's lap, inserting herself between her parents. Scully chuckled as she watched Zoe flatten herself against Mulder's chest, pushing Scully away. "Zoe, honey. Let your mom hug me."

Zoe shook her head no. Scully touched her daughter's cheek. "You are such a daddy's girl."

"Mommy..."

"Yes, my sweet girl?"

"Mommy, can we go outside and play? "

Scully kissed her daughter's lips and pulled back. "Yes, sweetie.""

"I think she's getting bored,' Mulder said.

"Come on," Scully said, grabbing Zoe's hand. "Let's take a walk."

Zoe hopped up excitedly. She snatched Mrs. Tolbert up and walked hand in hand with her parents as they pushed open the door and stepped outside to walk the grounds.

William sat on the couch with Caroline as she rested on the sofa. "Whatcha go to Jacksonville for?", she asked.

He shrugged. "My dad had some business there. He took me along."

He sniffed the air. "Something smells really good."

Caroline grinned. "Baked Chicken. The good thing about cooking something that takes a long time to cook is that I get to rest my feet while it cooks," she grinned, staring up at the large tv mounted on Skinner's wall.

"That's nice," he said, as she cuddled up to him.

"Like I said, it's an easy job," she said. "There's not much else to do out in these parts."

"Is this what you wanted to do?", William asked.

Caroline thought hard before turning to answer him. "No. It was probably the best job around. I mean, anything is better than working at Walmart, right? I mean, you barely get hours at Walmart."

"Where's your family?"

Caroline sat up and cut off the remote, turning her body towards William. "I usually don't answer these questions."

She could see the sullen look on William's face. "Well, since you answered my questions, I'll answer yours," she sighed. "My father is in prison for drugs. He was locked up when I was in middle school. Then like two weeks after that, my mom died of a drug overdose. And I was forced to live with my evil ass grandmother that hates me."

William looked at her intently. "Why does she hate you?"

"She called me loose," Caroline stated. "I was looking for love. I was young. I lost my parents and had to live with someone that showed no affection and just wanted me out of her sight. So, I got pregnant when I was like sixteen and I hid it from her. When she found out, she made me give up the baby," she sighed. "I left home at eighteen and moved here to Folkston. Actually, my boyfriend dumped me here. I got this job with Mr. Skinner. He gave me a place to stay and all I have to do is cook and clean and he does the rest. It's a pretty good gig. I'm getting my life back together."

William sighed. "That's what I want...to get my life back together too. To have a life of my own. I've lived as someone else for five long years. I'm tired of it. The irony is that in order to have a new start in life, I have to let go of the old me. I have to let go of my childhood, my birth name, my adoptive name...and my bio family."

"You don't have to go," Scully said, in a soft voice.

William and Caroline looked up to see Mulder and Scully standing in Skinner's living room.

"Scully!", Mulder said.

"Mulder!," she said, searching his eyes. "Mulder, please, I need you to understand."

"Scully, you know we can't protect him. And we don't want him to run the rest of his life. This is the best thing for him."

"I'm not ready to let him go again," she spoke. "We're just becoming a family. All of us."

Mulder placed a hand on Scully's shoulder. "I want him as safe as you do, Scully. But, he could never be safe with us. You know it and I know it."

Scully focused on William. She could see a sadness in his eyes as well. "I know," William said. "I already know."

"I love you," Scully said anyway.

"I know you do," William said. "I know you both do."

"We do," Mulder said. He locked eyes with Scully. "This was the plan, Scully. We need to stick to the plan to get our son to safety."

Scully could feel Mulder's eyes blazing into her skull. "I know," she said."But, it won't be easy."

"Mommy," Zoe said, interrupting. "Is my brother leaving soon?"

William swallowed hard and gathered his little sister by his side. "Soon, I'm going to my new house, far up in the woods. With bears and deer and beautiful mountains."

Zoe looked excitedly. "Are their princesses there?"

William glanced over to Caroline. "I'm not sure," he said. "I'm sure the princesses there are just okay. Not as good as the princessess here."

Zoe shook her head. "But she won't be there."

William looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Zoe stared at Caroline. "She won't be around then."

"No, you're right," Caroline added. as she sat up. "There's no way I'm moving to any place that's freezing cold."

Zoe shook her head furiously. "You'll be dead."

Zoe watched as the color drained from Caroline's face. "What did you say?", Caroline jumped up, the look of horror on her face. "Why did she say that?"

Scully turned towards Mulder. He looked alarmed. "Zoe, honey, what do you mean?"

"Mulder, stop!," Scully said. "She must've heard us say something like that."

"No," Caroline said, frightened. "That was freaky," she said, walking backwards, keeping a distance between herself and Zoe. "What in the hell?"

"I'm sorry," Scully added. "It must've been something she picked up from tv."

Caroline shook her head and walked off leaving them all alone. William grabbed Zoe's hand. "Can I take her down to the creek that Caroline showed me? We could skip rocks."

"Yeah, sure," Mulder said, as he again paced the floor.

"Mulder!", Scully said, raising her hands. "Calm down."

William kicked open the front door and bound down the wheelchair ramp with Zoe holding his hand, dragging Mrs. Tolbert behind her. "Tell me what you saw," he said.

Zoe stared up at her brother. "She had a hole right here," she said, pointing to the center of her forehead.

"Do you know why you saw that?", he asked.

Zoe shook her head no. "These men came and killed her," she added. "And we had to run again."

"What else do you see?"

Zoe sighed. "The Mean Man...I see him in my dreams," she said. "He doesn't like us."

William walked along the path until they came to the creek. He picked up a stone and skipped it along the waves. Zoe raced around dropping pebbles in the water and laughing, leaving Mrs. Tolbert on the muddy shore. Mulder walked up and placed a hand on William's shoulder. "Tell me..."

William turned to his father. "She saw Caroline dead. She said some men killed her. And she said, the Mean Man doesn't like us."

Mulder stared out at the small body of water as Zoe jumped around the shore mimicking a frog. "Don't tell your mom," Mulder said. "I'm not sure she can handle that both of our kids are special."

"I get that I was some kind of experiment...Operation Crossroads," William stated. "But, how did this happen with Zoe?"

Mulder looked at his son. "That, I do not know."

William placed a hand on Mulder's arm. "She said we'd have to run again. I don't know how accurate her visions are yet. But, I believe her."

Skinner shook his head as Scully sat on the edge of the couch. "She's pretty freaked out. But, you know, she'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry," Scully said. "I never expected her to say something like that."

Skinner shrugged his shoulders. "I assured her that with my safe rooms and camera's and alarms all over my property and then there's my set up here," he said, pointing to his desk full of monitors. "Nothing would happen to her."

"Zoe's four," Scully said. "Kids at this age are blunt. They say what they think. And they say what they hear."

"That I do know about kids," Skinner added. "I don't think Caroline has had much experience around kids."

Caroline walked back into the living room and sat down next to Scully. "Sorry to have run off like that. That was unprofessional of me. I was just really shocked. I mean, a four year old little kid tells you you're going to die, it just sends a chill down to your spine."

'Again, I apologize," Scully said. "I think Mulder and I need to be more cautious what we say around her."

Caroline nodded. "She's a sweet girl. Very curious."

"Yes, she is."

The front door opened and Zoe raced in with a very dirty Mrs. Tolbert. "Mommy. I saw froggies out there."

Scully smiled as Zoe crouched down and began to hop around the living room. "And they said, Rabble rabble."

Caroline laughed. "You know, I have to go up to Walmart after dinner. How about I bring you back a tricycle. Would you like that"

"YES!", Zoe said, excitedly. "Daddy got me one at home. I could ride my bike all around here like vvroooom."

"Then that's what I'll do," Caroline said, rising up. "But, I better get back to that dinner or I can't go and buy it."

"Thank You," Scully said.

Caroline smiled as she walked back into the kitchen. Scully picked up Mrs. Tolbert. "I think it's time Mrs. Tolbert had a nice bath."

Skinner pointed past the kitchen. "Laundry rooms back there. Help yourself."

Scully held the doll away from her clothes. "Come on, Zoe. Let's get her all cleaned up."

Smiling, Zoe waved goodbye to Skinner. He smiled back and watched from his monitors as they walked down the hall.

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