There was no denying the urgent sound of tires hitting the gravel that whoever was driving up to their property meant business. They had lived this way for over 7 years. The only person who has made their way up this driveway aside from Scully was Skinner. He was about to settle in on the couch after putting 'Lyssa to sleep and flip through the channels on the TV while he waited for Scully to come back. This was about the time she returned home, maybe slightly earlier than usual. Something wasn't right. He jumped to his feet and peered out the curtains to the driveway. Sure enough there was Scully's Ford Focus and she was all but jumping out of the car, slamming the door behind her. He decided to meet her halfway and swung the door open. "Scully, are you okay, what's going on?" She seemed to slow down as he closed the distance between them. Sure enough, when he got closer to her, she wasn't okay. She stopped in her tracks, as if she were looking at him as if she didn't believe he was in front of her. He could now see the deep crimson that marked her parted hairline and was dripping down the side of her face. His chest tightened immediately at the sight and without a further word, he pulled her into his arms into a protective embrace. "Scully, talk to me! What happened?!" he whispered into her ear. Scully tried to open her mouth and find the words, but all she could manage were muffled sobs that shook her body. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. We're safe here. You know that." He felt her small arms reach around and tightly clutch onto him for dear life. He was desperate to know who did this to her and it seemed like an eternity before she finally said a word.
She slowly pulled back. "Mulder," she said in a shaky breath. He reached a hand to cup the side of her face. "Tell me what happened to you, Scully."
She shook her head. "Mulder, where's the baby?"
He frowned. "She's inside. She's sleeping. She's okay. Why? You have to tell me what happened to you, Dana."
"I need to see her first. Now. Please," that last word came out in a whisper as she looked up to him with tear filled eyes. He sighed, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere until he was able to reassure her. He took hold of her hand and gently guided her up the stairs of their home. He slipped his left arm around her waist as they made their way inside. Scully took in the quiet and familiar surroundings of their home, seemingly satisfied. Mulder opened the door of the nursery and let her go ahead of him. Scully slowly approached the crib, as if she was suddenly worried about what she might find. Sure enough, there was her baby girl, sleeping soundly in her bassinet. She reached out a shaky hand and gently touched Melissa's face as if to assure herself her child was indeed alive and breathing. Scully suddenly exhaled the breath she had been holding, but it only brought on more tears. Mulder stepped closer and gently touched her shoulder as if to reassure her that he was still there. Melissa's eyes suddenly opened and looked in Scully's direction in genuine curiosity. She gently lifted the baby and held her closely as if she were afraid putting her down meant she might lose her. As Mulder watched them both, one thing became clear.
Melissa's ties to Scully were unusually strong. It was as if the baby could sense her a mile away. He knew the maternal connection was strong, but it was something he hadn't seen before, not even with Will, even though he had only known his first child for just a few days. Something about the way the baby reacted to Scully's emotions had him in awe. It was as if the child wanted to comfort it's mother. Of course he was biased, this was his child, so of course he thought she was perfect in every way. Which he had Scully's genes to thank for that, he was sure. He smiled to himself. But the tiny baby seemed to have endless love for them both. There was nothing he wouldn't do for their 2nd little miracle...which he knew would result in him being a total pushover when Melissa was older. Scully had held the baby for what seemed like an eternity and he knew she was trying to reassure herself the baby was okay. She grew increasingly aware of Mulder's impatience and finally set the baby back down. "Scully," he started.
She took one last look at the baby before she allowed him to guide her out into the living room and onto their couch. Scully couldn't meet his gaze. "Mulder. Someone...someone came looking for you as I was leaving the hospital. I didn't realize at the time that my things had been tampered with. But this man had confronted me. He found out about our child."
Mulder swallowed hard. He didn't like where she was going with this, but he forced himself to listen. "I don't know who he is, but he passed by me in the hospital earlier today, before you came to get me. He gave me the creeps. I didn't think much of it at the time and I didn't want to worry you over nothing."
"But it wasn't nothing, Scully," he regretted those words as he said them. He knew she already felt all kinds of guilt. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Mulder."
He knew that something was seriously wrong for Scully to admit defeat so easily. He reached and took her right hand into his own. It was ice. He held it tightly between his palms, trying to rub some warmth into it. Most of the snow outside had melted, but it was still winter for a few more weeks. He reached over to the chair next to the sofa and grabbed one of the many knit blankets Scully always had laying around and draped it over her knees. She finally shrugged her coat off and allowed him to hang it up for her. He noted the dried blood on her face and even though she was the doctor, something told him she wasn't in the right frame of mind to go wash up. He returned to the couch with a warm wet face towel. Scully looked over at him as he gently used it to wipe the side of her head, but she didn't protest. He wanted to kill whoever had made her feel so defeated and lifeless. He needed to get to the point though. "We need to get the footage off those garage cameras so we can find out who this man is."
Scully nodded. "If it hasn't already been cleaned up."
Mulder sighed. He wasn't giving up either way. "Don't give up, remember, Scully?"
He was surprised when she managed a small smile. "Jesus, enough of that already, Mulder."
"I'm going to call Skinner. I'm not sure if you should go to work tomorrow, Scully."
Scully shook her head. "I so much stuff to take care of in these last few days before I leave, Mulder. And it's likely I'll be questioned by the hospital directors regarding what happened."
He frowned. He didn't like the idea of her going alone. But at the same time it would give him a chance to check things out. "Fine, but I'm driving you."
She watched him walk into the kitchen and pull something out of the oven as he placed his cell phone to his ear. "I'm going to get changed."
Scully needed out of these clothes. She was still sore from the beating she took. With a quick glance at the baby monitor, she proceeded down the hallway as she listened to Mulder's voice. She winced as she unbuttoned her blouse and caught sight of the bruises on her torso and stomach. She was for the most part back in her pre-pregnancy clothing, though she no longer had the stiff abs she had while she was in the FBI. While she was still toned, her skin was more softened by her current lifestyle and motherhood. She didn't realize she must have been staring into space as the door opened just as she was about to slip her pajamas on. "Scully, I have some dinner made for you, it may not be five stars but-"
He stopped at the sight of her and she gasped before pulling her clothes on, looking away.
"Scully, he did this to you? Don't you think, maybe someone should look at you?"
She scoffed. Typical Doctor Scully.
"I'm fine, Mulder." He frowned. Typical Scully response.
When she saw the look on his face that said he wasn't buying it, she sighed. "Really, I'm okay. I'm just a bit bruised and sore, but I'm going to be fine. If it makes you feel better I'll have someone examine me tomorrow."
He nodded. He figured that was the best he was going to get and he had to trust that as a Doctor, she should know best. He closed the space between him and pulled her toward him again and ran his hands through her honeysuckle scented hair. "Please, don't hide anything from me, Scully. You're all I have left and I don't want to lose you."
Scully closed her eyes as she allowed herself to bury her head in his chest. "I won't."
"Skinner and I are going to go over those surveillance videos tomorrow. We're going to find out who this man is and where he came from."
He cupped her face so she was looking him in the eyes. "Now, I want you to eat something. I'm not the best cook as you know, so can I get a trophy for trying?"
She closed her eyes and smiled.
"As long as it's not macaroni and cheese or ramen."
Mulder pretended to be hurt. "Oh, way to injure a man's pride, Scully."
He took her hand and lead her down the hallway. He would be damned if he let anyone hurt the mother of his children ever again.
To be continued...