One door closes, Scully silently considered the proverb, her hand absent mindedly drawing circles on her daughter's back, another opens. Well that exactly what's occurring here.

Standing in the entry to her apartment, the home she'd owned for nine years, Scully thought about her history within these walls. Taking up the FBI's offer of employment, Dana decided the time had come to purchase a place of her own. The very first moment she walked through the door, something about this particular space connected with her psyche. Months of training at Quantico on a reduced wage, along with medical school loan payments and travel expenses hadn't left much in the budget after the mortgage. A hand me down couch, a dining table accompanied by three completely different chairs from a second hand shop and borrowed bed the sum total of her original furniture.

By the time she'd become involved with Mulder and the X-files, Scully had managed to make the apartment into a home. Slowly, one purchase at a time, the space had come to reflect the personality of its owner. A lick of paint, a souvenir brought during a weekend away, a piece of art gracing the walls turned this place into a comfortable home. Now nothing remained on either horizontal or vertical surfaces. Margaret Scully's team of movers had seen to every little detail, leaving the apartment devoid of personality and striped of any hint of warmth. Dana Scully's knick knacks, her carefully selected items had been packed away, locked into cardboard boxes and bound for a new destination. Dust covers hid furniture from the elements, eagerly awaiting a new location or owner, depending on her choice.

'Do we keep this apartment and rent it,' Scully asked the silent interior, 'or sell it? Either way I get the feeling I'll never be back. This chapter of my life is about to close. You know what baby-girl, I'm not sorry at all, now I have my new family.'

Sophia in one arm, her handbag and the dipper bag slung over the other shoulder, Scully closed the door on her old existence, placing it firmly in the past. Taking a fortifying breath, Dana prepared to face the future. Dr Dana Katherine Scully's personal possessions, the sense of who she'd been, lay loaded in the back of a moving van. Her life sped towards the future, toward the house in Triangle. Much of it she wouldn't bother to unpack until they knew what the future held and where they'd live it. Unsure about her future as Mrs Fox Mulder, Scully had only ever dreamt of becoming a mother of three and for at least the next year at least, a housewife.

'Some dreams, it seems, really do come true,' Scully cooed as she strapped Sophia into her car seat. 'I wonder how you feel about moving to the Oceanside, baby-girl. Mommy grew up by the sea with her brothers and sister. Maybe in the future, Daddy and I'll think about giving you a little sister. I think we have enough to cope with at the moment though.'

Letting out a yawn, the Sophia made a noise Dana had come to associate with hunger fighting fatigue. Reaching into the dipper bag, Scully produced a bowl of fruit cut into small finger sized pieces and a baby rusk. Immediately the child's green eyes followed the food as her hand reached for the container. While Scully's existence became a constant in Sophia's life and provided for all her needs, the child still had a long way to go to form the intense trusting bond she's instantly established with her father.

'Goo, um ma ma ma,' the sounds followed by a happy giggly scream meaning I'm excited you've anticipated my needs because I'm sooooo hungry.

By the time Scully guided Mulder's car away from the curve, Sophia had melon covering her face and hands. That finished, she started on the rusk. Munching happily, she made little comforting, all be it sleepy, noises at her mother. Watching in the rear view mirror, Scully couldn't help the contented smile covering her lips. Her daughter really was adorable, even if she still preferred her father's company. I can understand the attraction, Scully allowed an internal laugh, thinking about Mulder's assets, now she knew them intimately.

Pulling into a parking space at the hospital, the child succumbed to a much needed short nap after yet another busy day. Scully knew they needed to slow down. Sophia couldn't keep this schedule indefinitely. Children, Dana remembered from her medical school days, needed routine and familiarity. Sophia needed it more than most given the massive emotional upheavals in her life over the last week. They still had so much to achieve in the next few days.

Sophia, only just coming to terms with the changes in her caregivers had been happy to cling to her "new" parents for comfort so far. That would soon end as she gained confidence in Mulder and Scully being a permanent fixture in her life. Soon she'd want to start exploring her new environment.

'That is,' Scully rolled her eyes, 'when your daddy and I get the opportunity to settle in a house of our own and all this nasty paperwork out of the way. Maybe then we can create a routine for you and your brothers. I know it'll make you feel much safer, so we can start to work on your separation anxiety. Mommy just wants a happy, contented little girl.'

Managing to wash Sophia's face with a wipe before transferring her still sleeping daughter into the sling, Scully'd learnt the hazards of waking this particular child before she'd gained the required amount of sleep.

'I don't know where you get that from,' Scully whispered, walking across the parking lot and into the hospital, 'your daddy survives on three to four hours a night, while medical school taught your mommy to do without. I guess, like me, you can fall asleep anywhere. I just hope your brothers don't inherit Daddy's insomnia. Mommy will go insane if they have. Three men in the family who don't sleep will just be too much for me to cope with!'

Mulder watched the two women in his life saunter up the walk. Scully's head a hairsbreadth away from Sophia's the entire way. Whispering and kissing the crown of silky baby locks poking over the carrier, he'd been mesmerised at the picture. Taking his camera, Mulder snapped several shots, knowing they'd become some of his favourites. Lying in wait, Mulder gave his photographic memory the opportunity to carefully study every nuisance. Leaning in when Scully finally noticed him, he couldn't resist taking Dana's lips with a soul searing kiss.

'Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, Scully,' Mulder surprised his partner.

'I'm marrying you on Friday,' Scully retorted, pulling him along the corridor towards the NICU, 'that should require a psych evaluation at the very least. My brother's both think I've gone stark raving mad.'

Laughing, Mulder escorted his fiancée into the waiting area. 'I can understand Bill feeling that way, but Charlie,' he teased, 'I've never met your brother. You know, Scully, I'm beginning to thing you've all made him up.'

Reaching the waiting area for the NICU, Mulder went directly to the intercom. Pushing the buzzer, he requested, 'William and Caleb Mulder, please.'

'Come on through,' a bubbly voice stated, 'you're just in time to feed your boys.'

'William,' Scully rushed to the humidicrib. The tiny baby, wrapped in one of his new blankets, lay in the arms of his nurse. Dressed in the sky blue six "0" romper Maggie had managed to purchase from a preemie baby shop, the baby no longer looked so tiny.

'He's come on in leaps and bounds since this morning,' Corral smiled warmly, handing the little boy into his father's eager arms and forcing Mulder to sit in the feeding chair. 'We've just removed his nasogastric tube because he's taken to the bottle so well. If he keeps this up, you might be able to take him home by the end of the week.'

'I'd like get him home in time for our wedding on Friday,' Mulder looked hopefully up at the nurse before turning his hazel gaze on Scully. 'I want all our family together on that day.'

They shared an intensely private moment. Connecting through their gaze, Mulder's hopes and wishes communicated themselves to Scully. Her own recent epiphany openly displayed for Mulder to read. Euphoric smiles broke out as Mulder and Scully finally realised they were on the same page.

'How much are you feeding him,' Scully asked. Her attention caught by bottles in the warmer. Concerned by the amount of liquid in the bottles between the boy's beds, Dana attempted to remember how much preterm infants required. It didn't seem enough for Caleb and far too much for William.

'Would you believe he's already up to one and a half ounces,' Corral sounded surprised, holding up the container with the very slightly smaller amount of milk. 'It's no wonder he's gaining weight rapidly and is managing to regulate his own body temperature. We're going to have switch William to formula before he's discharged. Caleb made the transition easily, so I'm hoping it'll be as effortless with his brother.'

Mulder looked over to Scully, his expression asking what the nurse meant. Laying a hand on the top of her son's head, she smiled delightedly. That look alone answered his query.

'It's very good,' Scully sounded overcome with emotion. 'Most full term babies commence on two ounce feeds. Caleb's already taking that amount each feed and managing to keep it down. We need to get some formula before taking him home tomorrow.'

'I'll write the name down for you so you can continue using the same brand, if you'd like,' Corral smiled. 'William's not far behind his brother. I think the turning point came this morning,' she added, taking Caleb from his crib. No longer needing a specialised cot, his bed looked less like something from a science fiction movie and more like the contraption Scully had brought for their home. 'Bringing in the sheet, smelling his parent's continuously, has given both your boys comfort. We're considering placing them in the same crib tonight. It'll aid William to self-regulate his body temperature. Then he'll be another step closer to coming home.'

'I wanted to keep them in our room,' Scully explained, stroking Caleb's downy hair, 'in the same crib for the first month or so. After that, we'll see.'

'We can't wait to get them home,' Mulder added. His eyes didn't look up from his son's cherubic face. Teat in his mouth, William sucked down the liquid with a satisfied expression.

'Wait until you have them both home,' Corral couldn't help the giggle that escaped. 'My twins are fifteen now, but I still remember trying to feed them together. Speaking of which, can I show you how to feed two at the same time. It's a skill you're both going to have to learn with another small child.'

Mulder's head snapped up, panic face firmly set. 'What do you mean?' he croaked.

'You have two boys, Mr Mulder,' Corral and the other nurse hadn't been able to come to terms with using the man's surname in isolation. 'Believe me, they're going to learn to cry in tandem, want feeding in tandem, need dipper changes in tandem but not sleep at the same time. It'll be fine while you're both on parental leave. Once one of you returns to work, the other will have to cope alone with three small children. Believe me, it's not easy.'

'How can you hold two babies,' Mulder wondered, an astounded expression covering his face, 'and hold their bottles at the same time?'

Picking up a strange looking pillow, Corral said, 'tadar! How about we attempt feeding Caleb as well as William,' Corral asked, eyeing Sophia sleeping soundly in the harness on her mother's chest.

'Scully,' Mulder pleaded.

'Give the feeding pillow a try,' Dana encouraged with an enigmatic smile, wondering how the contraption worked. It didn't take long to find out as Caleb chose that moment to sense his twins' contentment, as well as the emptiness of his own stomach and let out a howl.

Corral took the opportunity to insert the pillow. Moving William into position without taking the teat from his mouth, she cooed, 'don't take that out of his mouth. You'll have a job getting it back in. This little one doesn't like his feed interrupted. He cries so hard you won't have an opportunity to convince him you're going to continue.' Repositioning Mulder's hand so he could both hold the smaller twin safely and continue his feed, Corral lay Caleb under his father's other arm. Placing the second bottle in Mulder's hand, the nurse encouraged him to start. 'Now, Caleb here,' she stroked his forehead, 'is much more passive. He'll fuss if you take his bottle away, but he'll continue drinking the moment it gets near his mouth.'

Saddened the nurses looking after their son's knew more about their personalities, Scully watched Mulder handle the twin's feeding. Soon, she promised, soon Mulder and I will be the experts on our son's. We'll be the one's telling our family and friends about the differences we see in our children's developing personality. They'll live with us. Oh, that's actually a terrifying thought. We'll have to manage night feedings, sleep deprivation, the reality of living under the same roof.

Mulder looked up at that instant, expecting his fiancée to make some teasing comment about his technique. He'd decided to be very pleased with himself being able to handle feeding both boys. Yet he read only concern in Scully's blue eyes. It took another moment of silent communication to realise what lay behind her panic. He watched as her expression change as Scully analysed the situation.

'We'll make it work,' he whispered.

'We always have,' Scully returned, leaning in to give him the lightest of kisses.

Sophia's fearful cry interrupted their unique form of communication. Clinging to Scully, she looked around wildly. This place, the smells, sights and sounds so different from those which lulled her to sleep terrified her. It took several second for Sophia to realise the arms wrapped around her presented safety.

'Sophia wakes just like you,' Scully quipped evenly, 'suddenly and completely alert to her surroundings.'

'One night in the same bed qualifies you to make that comparison, Scully,' Mulder returned, happy to be on a safer topic.

'Eighth of March 1992, Mulder,' Scully allowed her eyebrow to reach for the sky while keeping her voice level, 'I spent my first night in your bed on the 8th of March 1992.'

'I remember,' Mulder allowed a seductive tone to enter is voice. His eye hooded and filled with passion, 'oh how I remember.'

If those eyes could talk, Scully shivered, I know exactly what they'd say.

Scully had been so green. Belfour, their first field assignment on the X file and Dr Dana Katherine Scully had been sent to rein Mulder in and shut down the division through her beliefs in ridge scientific dogma. Yet that first night, after seeing the marks on the teenagers who'd mysteriously died, she tumbled into his hotel room. Terror griped Scully as she demanded he look at her exposed body. He'd taken his sweet time before declaring them just mosquito bites. Never in her life had all her rational thought processes flown out the window. She'd thrown herself into his arms, extracting the comfort she'd needed, expected to find there. Then again, Mulder had challenged the very basis of scientific world on which she built her personal ethics and morality.

He'd fought attraction from the moment he'd set eyes on Scully. He'd been aware of the reason for her sudden assignment, her ridge scientific training, yet her similarity to his first wife had drawn Mulder attention and unwittingly his interest. Not wanting the distraction, he deliberately and systematically belittled Special Agent Scully during their initial encounter. Instead of being intimidated, she'd stood up to his unique brand of sarcasm, determined to demonstrate her tenacity. It'd turned him on faster than expected and Mulder had to work hard to hide his both is respect and attraction.

Wondering how deliberately calculated the move to find a woman resembling Katherine in name and appearance, Mulder couldn't dismiss her terror during their first assignment together. Instinctively understanding something subtle changed and moved between them. They'd formed a trusting bond. Scully lay on his bed in crumby, rundown hotel room, listening to his tale of Samantha's abduction. Even then, when he tried to explain how dangerous this assignment would be, Scully refused to leave. Mulder believe that to be the moment he knew he'd fallen head over heal in love with this woman. Everything that came after, cementing the feelings in his heart. He'd learnt to hide the truth from Scully, even going to far as to expel her from his life the first time the X files had been closed. Concealing his feeling in a keepsake box, Mulder collected any memento, any object that could be labelled "romantic" in their relationship. He took them out often, even though is eidetic memory didn't need the physical proof.

'I'm glad I collected those little things,' he mumbled to his son's, 'because it finally made you mommy realise how much I care for her and brought her too me. Soon we'll take you home and all live together.'

'Happily ever after,' Scully whispered into his ear.

'Isn't this a fairy tale, Scully,' Mulder mocked, a serious undertone lacing his words.

'I'm beginning to believe it just might be,' she returned with a thousand watt smile. It said I love you in the only way they ever had, without words.

I went to my friend, who has twin girls and asked for some tales about their early life. Thank you for sharing J, because they made this chapter happen. I also have more material for later chapters, when the boys are older. So this may not end in the 3-4 chapters I envisioned. I hope that's OK with you!

After such a long hatus on this story, I'd love our feedback.