The Nanny Files

by Wildwood Rose

Mulder needs a nanny. Modern day A/U. Completed Fic.

25. The Whistleblower

Chapter 25: The Whistleblower

continued ...

His bloody hand prints are on the counter.

"Where is all this blood from, Mulder?" and then turn to look at him seriously, "Mulder, do I need to get you to a hospital?".

He shakes his head, "my father... shot ... 25 caliber bullet right between the eyes".

Tuesday 1st August
two days later...
Basement Office, J Edgar Hoover Building
12:33

The time blinks on the office phone as it rings loudly in the otherwise empty room. Picking up the receiver, "Agent Mulder's office?"

Scully.

"Mulder". Relieved.

You're in my office.

"Yes I am. You're not".

Agent Doggett. Is he there?

"No, my eyes surveying the room to confirm. There is a little alcove actually, but ... stretching my neck, I see it is just an empty computer desk. I return my attention to the phone. It's flashing 12:34. "No one but me, Agent Jenkins and a security guard. ...Mulder-".

He cuts me off, explaining that Agent Doggett was supposed to be in a meeting with him and the Assistant Direc - the time changes to 12:35.

"- Mulder", cutting him off. "It's time to go. I'm meeting you in the foyer in five minutes".

Silence.

"Five minutes, Mulder, or I'm sending the security guard to get you".

He grumbles, but agrees to be there in five minutes.

~xXx~

12:53

I drive us to the cemetery in silence, closely tailing the blacked out, no license plate car. It's a glorious day despite what it entails, and I left picking Mulder up until the last minute; so everyone else is actually already here. I thought he would appreciate not having to make small talk with his extended family. I can make out the back of Mrs Mulder with the children at the front. She had been incognito for most of Sunday, it wasn't until that evening she even returned Mulder's calls. Which hadn't helped anyone's nerves; considering we were constantly asked when was the last time we had contact with her.

Sunday was horrible.

Really. Really. Awful.

Having to force Mulder into the shower before he woke up the kids and they saw their father coated in blood. I had to strip and wash him like a child. Then it was the feat of rounding everyone into the car so I could take Mulder to the hospital. He kept saying he was fine, but I wanted to make sure. Then, Mulder was sent away for questioning. Then the security team re-establishing themselves around the mansion. Then, around 16:00, we had the police arrived at the mansion for questioning.

Trying to be with Mulder, and at the same time trying to deflect it all from the children.

Sunday was horrible, and so will many Sundays to come, being the day the Mulder's usually spent with Mr Mulder.

Taking in a deep breath, I get out and shut the door of a similarly unregistered black car; going round to open the passenger door. "Mulder", I prompt, because he doesn't move. He's staring out at the funeral gathering in front of us, and for a moment, I'm worried that he won't actually get out of the car.

But he does, stand.

Going around him so that I'm standing right in front of him, I place a kiss on his lips. "Let's go".

...

14:37

Only Mulder, I, Collins and Jenkins from our security team remain at the graveside, everyone else having gone onwards to the Mulder Mansion for the wake.

"I can't believe I'm actually here", I breathe. Crouched in front of the six foot hole, with a handful of mulch in my hand as it dangles into the pit. Although we barely interacted, and I didn't pay as much attention to him as I am now at his funeral. I had always thought Mr Mulder as someone who would stand the test of time.

Mulder doesn't say anything to my words, not that I expected him to. I let go of the dirt in my hand, waiting until I hear it make contact with the coffin beneath. "What do you - we can - I'm happy to go anywhere you want, Mulder", I say getting up, cringing at my use of the word 'happy'.

He kneels to mimic my actions. "I have to get back to work", hovering for so long that I think he is contemplating joining.

He stands and looks at me, and I nod. His words don't surprise me. Mr Mulder's death is also being ruled as suicide - despite the executioner style bullet trajectory. I know that Mulder doesn't believe it. Do I? I was shot. Diana was shot. Mr Mulder was shot. Dr Gregor was shot. Pendrell ... It all seems too coincidental. Am I worried that Mulder is going to get shot? Yes. But the truth is, I want him to go back to work too. Because with both Dr Gregor and Calderon dead and their labs destroyed, so our only means of getting an antidote if Xoë becomes ill again.

"I can help?" because I want to. I'm finding it hard to pretend to anyone but the children that everything is fine. I have become short, snappish and dismissive, because all that goes around my head in a loop is: what are you going to do when Xoë gets the virus again? Will Yvo contract it? Theodore?

Mulder shakes his head slowly.

"I can't just sit, Mulder! I need t-".

"- Be with the children", dismissing me. He calls Jenkins over and tells him to drive me home.

...

Mulder Mansion
17:32

I'm watching the clock. Surely everyone will leave soon. Three hours is enough for a wake.

All the guests had to be re-checked and re-searched by Jenkins and Reyes before entering the threshold, but I think they find it all very exciting. It's all very... macarb as expected, but at the same time, terribly upbeat. Mrs Mulder has kept hold of her grandchildren, so bar Mulder's sleezy, pushy with glasses of champagne cousin, who I can only too well remember from Thanksgiving. I'm left to make awkward small talk with Mulder's extended family. Most don't know who I am. The ones I recognise from Thanks-Giving - again, bar the sleezy cousin - exhibit a frown of confusion; raise of the eyebrows; then a nod of recognition. 'The children's Nanny'. 'I hear you and Fox are now an item, how lovely'. 'Ghastly what happened, isn't it?'

Yes. Yes and yes.

Queue another critical frown as they look me over. Fake smile. 'Lovely speaking to you again'. Exit stage.

It's like they are following some script for snobs on how to limit your interaction with those you wish not to during funerals. I so regret turning down my mother's offer to attend this with me. She is here with Tara and Baby William for Theodore's birthday on Thursday, which is two days away. And although it isn't what I had planned last week, definitely not a month ago. I still want to make it as special as possible. Theodore is only going to turn one once.

Four children. Two babies. Six adults. Twelve in total. They all know about the security team. I promised Mulder that it wouldn't go longer than three hours. Pool, pizza, cake, the animals and the security team should keep everyone entertained. Yvo is ecstatic because his friend, Deniz, will be coming.

... Pizza. Cookies. Crudites. Decorations. That's all that has to be done. I bought the banners and party hats the other day. I will reassemble the pool tomorrow after the workmen have dissembled the large gazebo. Mrs Mulder suggested we kept it up, but it is much too large and not nee-

I wrinkle my nose at the smell of cigarette smoke.

"Dana Scully".

And my forehead crinkles, recognising the voice. Turning around - Mulder's Bio-dad. I did see him at Mr Mulder's funeral, and I was surprised he was invited after the way everyone reacted to him at Thanks-giving.

A leathery soft hand wraps around one of my wrists. It is large and encompassing and my stomach seizes, my blood cooling. His eyes are the colour of phlegm.

"Can I help you?" I ask. Unashamedly rude but then it's no secret that he thinks ill of me, so why should I give him my good graces.

His grip tightens around my wrist.

I scowl at him, clearing my throat, and going to move, but he only makes his hold more forceful.

I look around me for one of the security team. Mrs Mulder. Anyone really, but no one is paying me attention. Shall I call for help or am I overreacting?

He brings a cigar up to his lips and inhales deeply. "Tell Fox that I can help him", he says through the wisps of smoke that blow on my face. I do occasionally smoke but that doesn't mean I like it blown in my face. "Tell him", he continues, his voice low and sinister. "Tell him I know what he has. I know that Diana gave it to him and it's not too late to turn them over".

"I don't know what you are talking about", I say, finally coming to my senses and not at all liking how this man is treating me. I pull back harshly on my arm and it lets loose of his grip. I go to walk past him, but he rests a hand softly on my hip.

"Fox has some things in his possession that the owners will kill for if they find out he has them. Kill your children. Your mother. Your sister and her boyfriend in London. Your brother, his wife and child in San Diego, and your twin brother currently residing on a yacht in Fiji with his girlfriend. It got Diana shot. It got her killed. Don't let him make the same mistake. They will find out he has them, and I won't be able to protect him". Then he leans in and places a kiss on the inside of my ear. "Make sure you tell him that, won't you".

~xXx~

Wednesday 2nd August
the next day...
Mulder Mansion

I wake to the sound of whale music playing softly, so I know I must be back in my bed. Mulder must have carried me, because the last thing I remember is our sweaty seated embrace against the wall in the corridor last night. Me, resting my head on his shoulder, totally spent as he placed small kisses on top of my hea- Remembering my encounter yesterday evening, my nerves spike and I shoot my look to Theodore's cot. But it is dark.

I fumble for my bedside light and see that he is in it. Still sleeping. Then, flinging the covers off me, I go to check on the twins. Hurrying the short distance between our doors, something catches my eye over the landing. It's Reyes patrolling. I stop, and we both stare at each other, before she turns her back to me. I guess they're notching up the security after my encounter. I continue my jog to the twin's bedroom. Queequeg meows shrilly as I open the door and ducks out.

I can see both the forms of the twins still sleeping in their beds. Going over to each of them, I kiss their faces, and inhale their scent.

Walking back to my room, Reyes and I exchange another glance before I re-enter. I don't want to touch Theodore as it is sure to wake him up, but I watch him sleep for a bit.

'It got Diana shot. It got her killed.'

'They will kill your children'.

He knew all about my family and where they were residing. I didn't even know Charlie was in Fiji, but I checked Facebook and there are photos of him in Fiji.

Throwing on some clothes - I was naked - hence the stares from Reyes. Queequeg meets me half way down the stairs, meowing in distress. But purrs as I make my way to the kitchen and refill her bowl.

Yappi is on guard dog alert in front of the veranda doors in Mulder's study. Mulder is not at his desk - not that I expected him to be - as I make my way to Diana's basement study.

Sat behind Diana's desk, he smiles sympathetically at me as I descend the narrow staircase. Opening his arms out to me when I reach the bottom step.

I rush into them, as I feel myself falling apart.

"I told you. He's trying to scare us is all", his hands framing the top of my head. "You are not in danger. The kids are not in danger. He's merely trying to get my attention through you. And it worked".

Curling in his lap, I rest my ear against his heart so I can hear it beat.

'It got Diana shot.'

I was shot. How can he say that I'm not in danger when I was shot. Narrowly escaped with my life.

"Tell me that you aren't in danger".

He is silent. I adjust the position of my head on his chest and freeze when I notice the large, packed, black duffle bags in the corner of the room. They could be the security teams, but ...

"Let's take a drive", he says, leading me by my hand.

Reyes is less than impressed by his proposed venture. Even when Mulder assures that we will not be longer than half an hour. She then grumbles when Mulder says that he is going to take the Tank and not one of their cars. He reasons that it is closer to the road - which it is, being parked on the grass. She lets us go, however, and I'm reminded of what Mrs Mulder said, 'they can't make us stay'.

~xXx~

Mulder drives us to the edge of Potomac, before it merges on to the highway. Parking the Tank off road, so that our view is the sporadic traffic of trucks and a few fast cars. I hear him take his seat belt off. He turn's on the overhead lamp, and light floods the car. More than confused to why he has brought us here. I wait for him to speak, neither taking off my seat belt or easing.

I revisit the image of the packed duffle bags in the study. Once it had been such a norm to see his bags packed.

'They know the files are missing'.

The papers that were in the cardboard boxes left outside the mansion, I have already decided. But who are they?

'They will find out he has them and I won't be able to protect him'.

He's going to leave. I know it. I realised that last night as we had sex against the wall and again on the floor. It would either have to be him or me and the children. It is what Diana had warned about all along. The decision I would have to make eventually. To leave, Mulder. Take the children.

04:22

"Mul-"

"How-"

We both speak at the same time.

"How many trucks have passed us in the last five minutes?" Mulder.

I blink, focusing on the scenery that I had been staring at without attention. "I wasn't admiring the scenery".

"Ballpark" he persists.

"I'm not in the mood to play counting cars, Mulder", decidedly angry that he is.

"Nine. Nine in the last five minutes. Five of them oil trucks. Now imagine, if everyone of them was filed with the Black Oil Cancer"

The backs of my hairs stand on end. Having not heard those words in what seems like a hundred years. I had forgotten that had even existed.

"How long until it infected a population. Until it came after you, or the children?"

Mulder's near emaciated body. Hairless. Holding his arms out like Jesus as he stood barefoot in the garden. The stench of piss. "And what? Make us superhuman?" I look into his eyes, waiting for the swirl of black.

"That was only because Diana obtained an antidote. Diana's dead now", his words cut at me harshly. "What about Marita?"

Frail. Still in a coma to the best of my knowledge. I wonder where she was moved to after the lab had been destroyed? Mulder would have told me if something more fatal had happened to her.

"What about if they were doing it to children?" he says after a couple of pauses. "Unborn fetuses?"

I hope that's a rhetorical question. But when the silence stretches for more than a minute, I turn to look at him -

"- There are babies being born with alien DNA".

I turn my head back to a forward direction so he cannot see my reaction. Alien DNA. We're back to aliens?

He pauses a bit longer. "DNA from a third or sometimes fourth host".

Host or parent... recalling a biology lecture. Cytoplasmic transfer. Assisted reproductive technology. DNA from more than two parents in one fertilised egg. Controversial but not conspiratorial. It hasn't been used since the 1990s. There are about 50 cases globally. I tell Mulder as much.

"It may have been banned, Scully, but it's still being used. We're talking at least 70 new cases in the last ten years, and that's just one clinic, in one State. Nationally, globally... who knows ...?"

So what? There is a clinic practicing what is considered pioneering infertility treatment. Women who can't have children or can't - I stop - "Dr Calderon's clinic?" already knowing the answer.

Mulder nods, "yes".

I see where he's going with this. "What are you trying to say, Mulder? That I went through infertility treatment behind your back, because I didn't", I hiss, glowering at him. How could he even-

"No, I know you wouldn't do that to me", he says very matter of fact. "I believe you, just like I believe Marita when she says she hasn't gone through fertility treatment or donated her eggs".

I nod - a beat passes. I turn in my seat to look at him. "You think it was performed on me without my consent?"

His eyes regard me. "Possibly".

I nod. My eyes filling up with water and take in a deep breath. "You know, I'm not one of your X-Files, Mulder"

"-This isn't about making you into an X-File. It's much bigger than you, and what happened to you in San Diego. It is about what is right. This is happening to women and men across the whole country possibly, and it's being hidden. It's being covered up from the top".

The top...? The government. Of course, Mulder's big governmental conspiracy theories.

"When I joined Marita in San Diego after she found out she was Emily's mother, we tried to get Emily's medical records from her doctors - from Dr Calderon's clinic. It was refused. The FBI warrant should have vetoed their refusal, but it didn't"

I remember all of this of course, as I was there. I remember how livid he was. How frail Marita was. How frail Emily was. ...It makes me think of Xoë in Quantico ... What are we going to do when she gets ill again? I know it's when and not if, because we can't be that lucky.

"If it is being covered up by the government, Mulder. Why? For what purpose?"

"Because of what they are doing to these fetuses, Scully", he laments, annoyed that I'm not seeing what is so blatantly big, pink and staring him in the eye.

"What are they doing to the fetuses, Mulder?" and I can't control the hiss I shoot him. Why is he risking getting himself shot over something that has nothing to do with the welfare of his child.

"They are making them superhuman!" And I perhaps do deserve his anger there, because this is where the conversation started. Talking about the Black Oil Cancer making Mulder superhuman. I just forgot along the road of paranoia.

I huff, closing my eyes, a bid to at least try to attempt to understand what Mulder is saying. First, 'the Black Oil Cancer' ... I accept that whatever happened to him in Tunguska displayed the properties of a virus or cancer, spreading and infecting his vital organs. His recovery. I also accept that his treatment made him exert impressive physical qualities. But that was the intense steroid and hormone treatment they had put him on. That wasn't Mulder being superhuman. "Mulder ...", I start. What you're saying is delusional. And I have seen it before, it's called Spy Kids. "...You have no proof", I exasperate, deciding it the safest thing to say, without him exploding.

"I have proof. I have three boxes of proof".

He must be talking about the ones left outside the mansion. That is what got Diana killed? Are they still in the house? "You have proof that says the government is sanctioning the altering of fetuses to make them into a superhuman soldier army?" and I'm impressed that I manage to keep irony out of my voice.

"Proof that there are clinics"

"-a clinic", I correct.

"-one of a potentially many, that is altering the genome of human ova so that when illegally fertilised, with more than two biological hosts, the offsprings exhibit physical and mental traits that are developed beyond that of a human child. Exponentially developing through their childhood, adolescence to adulthood with severe, mostly fatal side effects. Further, that female human ova is being harvested without consent; females are being impregnated without consent; and perhaps most importantly, that these children are being brought up in environments that do not know how special and fragile they are". Mulder pauses and then sighs, "it has to be big, Scully. Or else it wouldn't have gotten you shot; Diana, my father, Gregor or his assistant killed".

"Pendrell", my voice cold. Not particularly directed at Mulder, but at the promise of a budding scientist, my friend, being murdered. And then, in a complete flip of emotions, in a much more quieter voice. "... You really think that this is what got me shot?"

"I don't know for sure, Scully, but the more we are learning about this, the more I think, that yes. Whether by mistaken identity or as a warning".

"Who is we?"

"Doggett, Byers, Frohike and Langley".

Doggett, OK, but the other three, they're more paranoid than, Mulder. "... I've got to be honest with you, Mulder. It just, it doesn't make sense to me", I chance to look at him. "But if what your saying is true, it's not worth getting shot. I don't want you to be a hero, Mulder", I grab his hand in mine, rubbing my thumb against his hand, "You're a father", and he twitches as that statement. "We need you, in one piece... to teach Theodore to ride a bike. For when he and Yvo start wanting to know about girls For when Xoë-".

"-Dana", his voice sounding so regretful, that it stops my speech instantly. "Diana isn't the twin's biological mother".

What?

"What?" dropping his hand.

What?

What?!

"She-she did a test, and hers and Xoë's DNA don't match", he explains, like he doesn't quite believe it himself. "It was in one of the boxes she sent me. Biologically she is not the twins the mother", he turns to look at me, his eyes wide. "She gave birth to them. I know she gave birth to them, I was in the room... But her's and Xoë's DNA don't match".

"Wha- Can I see it?"

Mulder purses his lips, but then shakes his head. Moving his gaze on to his lap, "I threw the test into the fire. I was- I'm afraid of what it all means. I don't want to believe it because if they aren't Diana's children, it means that they aren't mine either"

"They're your children, Mulder!" exploding - my hands too. "There must be some mistake!" He's not looking at me, but my eyes must be burning a hole in the side of his head. "There is no way they can't not be. They look so much like you".

"But that could be fabricated", his voice clinical, but I see the heavy lump he swallows. ".. unless".

Unless they used his semen. I breathe out, before looking down at his crotch calculatingly. "Have you-"

"- No, I haven't", pursing his lips even more.

I join his stare out the windscreen. It's. Just. Not. Possible he's not their father.

... A creeping thought, "Mul-"

"- I've thought of that too"

"- But I haven't-"

"-Neither I. And yet...", he slams his hands on the steering wheel, leaving the statement hanging.

Don't you think the baby compliments you

He looks like you.

I find that I'm even seeing myself in Theodore

That's not possible either. It just can't be possible. I'm n-

-Mulder's cell shrills. It's still of the twins telling him to pick up his cell.

"We should head back soon, Mulder", I say absently, dropping my hand on my lap. I need to get out of this car.

He looks like you.

"- I see him", Mulder hangs up his cell. "We've got company", he indicates in front of us.

I frown at the figure walking towards us. It's a highway cop, I think.

Just great.

"I don't have my wallet", Mulder pressing his window down. "Do you have yours?"

I find that I'm even seeing myself in Theodore

"Nope"

The cop pokes his head through Mulder's window and my whole body seizes.

~xXx~

Hair dyed black. Brown coloured contacts. And more than a couple of hours on the sunbed. I recognise the face of the cop. It's Dr Gregor's son, Adam!

"Mi-" Mulder responds quicker than I do, and seems equally surprised as I am to see him, but Adam put his fingers to his lips. Mulder must then remember, much, much later than I, that Adam is currently on the run, wanted for the murder of his father and Pendrell, because he shields me with his body. "There is an armed FBI surveillance team not two hundred metres away. They will shoot if provoked" Mulder warns, "- what are you doing?" As Adam leans into the car and pulls out a contraption I have seen Diana use before, and starts to wand it around the interior of the car. Mulder moves to shield me even more, also effectively blocking my view of Adam.

Should I scream, to get Reyes' attention? Could she be quicker than, Adam? Out of the corner of my eyes, I clock Mulder's hand slowly edging for the glove compartment near the driver door. Does he have a gun in there!?

"Your car has been bugged", Adam states, and my eyes widen, momentarily forgetting my fear towards him.

Bugged?!

"Are you sure?", Mulder - way too calm. "There should be a scrambler-"

"-It's still intact. I came to tell you, you're being followed".

"It's their job. What's your story?"

I don't know how Mulder can be speaking to him so casually! Maybe it is an FBI tactic, to stop your assailant from shooting you?

"Keeping a low profile. I'm a guilty man, as I'm sure you have heard".

"I've heard", Mulder. His fingers are quietly working on the opening of the glove compartment.

He must have a gun in there.

"Where are the children?" Adam asks, poking his head further into the car.

My heart stills. Why is he asking about the children?!

Mulder is silent. "Safe", eventually.

"Trust no-one", Adam's voice serious. "What do you really know about this FBI surveillance team? Are they providing security or surveying you?

Mulder snorts, "Yeah, I'm not going to take advice from someone who shot their father point blank".

"I didn't shoot my father. Not all of us have father's in high places to protect us", bitter.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Yes, what is that supposed to mean?

"It shows you as clear as day on the CCTV", Mulder states when Adam doesn't answer.

"Please, we both know that there are no cameras in that basement of Quan-" And just like that, Mulder has a gun pointed at Adam's face. But, if anything my heart is racing quicker. Where is Reyes?! Does she not suspect this cop has probably been here a bit too long!

"I'm not someone to shoot, Fox. Although it is wise to keep that close considering the value of the information you hold".

Mulder cocks the gun. "What are you talking about?"

"Diana's notes and the files on Prangen Industries. It was me who delivered them to you".

Mulder's cell goes. Finally, Reyes!

"I've stayed too long", Adam.

"Wait", and Mulder actually opens his car door, only for Adam to slam it shut.

"If you know something"

"- I know everything. It was me who helped Diana get the files from Prangen Industries in the first place. And that is only a hair", he tries to walk away but Mulder grabs his arm.

A flash light leaks through the window. Reyes.

"Later today"

"How will I contact you?"

"I'll contact you". The light is becoming more intense, and I can hear Reyes footsteps. "I'll let you off this time. Sir", loud. "But this is not a parking zone"

"Do you believe him?" I ask as Mulder drives us back. "That he didn't kill Pendrell and his father?"

Mulder shrugs, "as a boy growing up, Michael always thought the world of his father. ...He's right about the CCTV though", he frowns, jaw tightening. "I should have picked on that".

"Do you think when he said, 'not all of us-'

"That he was talking about my bio-dad?" Mulder snarls.

I bite my lip, I shouldn't have mentioned it.

"I'm not going to lie, Scully", after he parks on the lawn of in front of the house. "I'm grasping at straws for information".

"And it's really that important that you know?"

"Is it for you?" turning the question back on me.

Yes.

"I will be forever questioning myself, everything, if I don't".

"Mulder, I haven't told you this, but when I was in Amma Bay, Adam visited me there".

Mulder throws a frown in my direction.

"I was surprised as you are to hear it"

"What did he want?" and I detect accusation in his voice.

"He said he was in the area. But I think he was there with Diana. I'm only mentioning it because it would give credence to his claim about working with Diana".

Mulder chews it over on his bottom lip, but doesn't answer.

...

5:50ish

Mulder blamed our stopping on Missy, saying that she'd called, and that we decided to stop and update her on everything. Reyes also seemed satisfied with Mulder's explanation that Adam had only kept them so long because he was giving us hassle for not having our licenses. As soon as we got in, we went up to bed. The time read 5:14 then, but I'm sure over half an hour has passed since. Neither one of us is sleeping, neither really awake either. Lost in our thoughts...

'you were right... I did only give birth to them'.

Diana's words loop in my mind. Her tone and whole aura from that evening now completely making sense to me. How long had she known? What does that do to a person? To think that you have been granted a miracle, only to learn it was all a lie...? Mulder, always so set on the truth, burning the DNA results.

'Blood never lies, Scully'

Could there have been a mistake? Was it fabricated? Something that Adam contrived to get Mulder's attention. But for what purpose?

There is only one way to find out for sure, do the blood tests ourselves with the children. It would give us 100% accuracy.

"- there is more, Scully", I jump at Mulder's whisper down my ear, not knowing he was so close.

I turn on my side to face him.

His hand comes to frame my head and he starts stroking my hair. "I wasn't going to tell you bu-"

"- What, Mulder?" not in the mood for buttering up. Straight cold hard facts.

"At Dr Calderon's clinic", he pauses. We're so close, if we blink, our eyelashes would get caught together, "it was in the box of Diana's things from the clinic so that is where she must've-".

"-What was?"

His hand stops stroking and it grips the back of my skull, quite harshly, as if he's afraid I'm going to run away.

"Goddammit, Mulder! What was it that Diana found?!"

"Your ova".

~xXx~

What?! I don't know how many times I can keep saying that to myself.

I try to move, but my head is locked in Mulder's hold. She found my ova.

"Mulder", I scold, trying to move again, but I can't even turn my head the way he has his grip on me.

"You said that when you were diagnosed with cancer, the treatment they did on you removed your right ovary and left your remaining ovaries infertile?"

"...Y-yes", I affirm.

"You'll have to forgive me for not telling you already, but I wanted to see if they were still viable".

Pretending for a moment that it is possible Diana found my ova, "How do you know their mi-"

He shoots a hand from my head and puts it over my mouth to silence me.

A few beats pass.

"... I heard footsteps outside"

Footsteps!?

The backs of my hairs stand to attention, while I strain my ears. Queequeg? Yappi? ... Reyes? ...Collins? Jenkins?

Trust no-one.

I bite hard on Mulder's hand, and he winces, "What about the kids!"

A beat. "We would hear it on the monitor", referring to Theodore's baby monitor that we now put in the twins' bedroom. Set to LOUD.

"But they could have turned it off", I hiss. At that, he gets out of bed.

I sit up in my bed. It's less then a minute when he returns. "They're fine. Still sleeping".

I breathe out.

Mulder then sits on my side of the bed, and I have to move up for him. I hear him fumble for the bedside light switch, and when it hits my eyes, I have a test tube vial in my face, with what I guess is ova in it. Mine apparently. Theodore starts making a fuss in his cot; the light; our talking; the fact that it must be near six... "They have your name on it, but I don't know if they're yours for sure".

A weight relieves from my chest, and I breathe out, "Mulder", a scolding whisper. "You can't tell someone you have found their ova and not be sure! And will you get Theodore, please", taking the vial out of his hand to look at it properly. It takes a while for my eyes to focus but, in impossibly neat writing, the small label on the vial writes: 'Scully, Dana K'. Underneath that, a trail of numbers and letters that don't mean anything to me. I frown at it harder, trying to decipher what it could mean...

The familiar slide of the changing mat, being pulled from underneath the cot as Mulder sets to changing Theodore's diaper. It's not ideal being on the floor and I've eyed up a new cot for him that...

What do these numbers mean? !

142130102DCUGUH346

Doesn't initial my name. Neither my DOB. There is no month of 14 and the year 2130 ... or even 2021... If it is the European version, neither is there a 21st month. 14213? 21st March 2014...? 30th January 2002? What are so special about those dates...? "Do you know what these numbers mean?"

"I'm still working on it. ... Do you recognise any of it?"

I shake my head, no. It is odd to see my name there - my full name - but the numbers mean nothing to me. It must be another Dana K Scully. And yet, why had Diana had it? Did she find this at Dr Calderon's clinic? Why were they there? What had they intended to do with it? Impregnate me? Is that why I was pregnant? - No, the nurse said I was already one month. One month. Amma Bay, Maine... Diana did visit me in Amma Bay... "What is going on, Mulder?" I feel like I'm stuck in an episode of Numb3rs. What do the numbers mean...? What could the numbers mean? 21 March 2014. Had there been something special about that date? What had I been working on in Qua-

Hearing Theodore's heavy breathing and loud sucking distracts me. My mini michelin man is perched in Mulder's arms at the foot of the bed. Fist chewing obsessively in his mouth. His hair all mussed, sleep lines on his face; but his eyes are wide awake and focused on me.

"Give him to me", resting the vial carefully on Mulder's pillow.

Mulder hands me Theodore, and the baby and I set about feeding him. It's a bit of a battle of hands since he has learnt how to undress my/his breasts. I could just let him do it himself, but my hands are much more gentler and less squeezy than his. Mulder's put Theodore's teething necklace and anklet on too, which surprises me as I didn't realise he had noticed it as an early morning routine. He had of course noticed it, asking me why his son was wearing a necklace. He doesn't mean it, but it still gets my feathers riled up, which I guess is his purpose in the first place.

Theodore's eyes and head follow his father, watching him walk around the bed and pocket the vial again. Theodore then leans his head back - pulling my breast with it - as Mulder exits the bedroom.

"Hey", I tap his chin. Theodore, snaps his head back and looks at me innocently. "That hurts", I scold, shaking his chin lightly. Theodore snuggles up closer and closes his eyes while he eats. I can feel the heavy tiredness behind my eyes too. I should probably join Theodore before the twins wake up.

I'm closing my eyes when Theodore suddenly fusses against my breast, un-latching and then re-latching, his sucks more angry. His eyes are looking at me again, so I bring my hand up to lightly stroke his ears and he immediately eases, resting his eyes again.

I'm lost smoothing out the knots in Theodore's hair, when Mulder walks back in.

He has a brown manila envelope in his hand.

My stomach and heart sink, and my eyes follow. Opting to focus on my beautiful baby boy instead.

My teeth clenching as I hear Mulder walking further into the room, eyes sting with water.

The bed dips as he sits.

"What's that?" I mutter.

I hear him slide something out of the envelope. Resting it on my legs.

"It was with the vial".

It's an MRI scan of a uterus. It shows only one left ovary. I've seen one before. My own. In the corner, it has my name, and the hospital I admitted myself into. So? It could just mean that they kept a few of my ovaries for standard procedure. More than a few, a whole test tube. And without your knowledge. They did the chemotherapy without your consent - but that was a life or death situation.

"- Where they viable?" He had said he hadn't told me because he wanted to know whether they were ... But the way he is looking at me, I already know the answer.

He shakes his head solemnly. "No. I don't know if tha-".

I breathe in a delayed painful breath. Tears now actually falling, effectively stopping Mulder's words. He envelopes my head in a hug, being careful of Theodore still feeding off of me.

He looks like you.

"What does it all mean?"

He kisses my forehead. "I'm doing my best to figure that out".

~xXx~

En-route to Georgetown University Hospital
11:02

By 9:00, Mulder was already growing impatient Adam hadn't contacted. He wasn't hiding it very well from the kids, so I ordered him to do the ironing in his study. He finds uncreasing the wrinkles of cloth soothing. With a strained smile fixed on my face as I sent him off, I set out to setting up the swimming pool again with the children for Theodore's party tomorrow. I get that everything is on 'steaming' pressure for him at the moment, but I have also just found out that my ovaries may or may not have been stored without my consent at a clinic that is suspected to harvested and fertalised females' ovaries without their consent. What's more, and although neither of us is saying it out loud, there is the tiniest possibility that I may be the children's biological mother. And I am managing to keep it together for the children!

At 10:30, Mulder and Collins disturbed the kids and I in the pool, reminding us that Xoë had a check up appointment at the hospital for midday... I frowned because Xoë did not have a check up appointment at the hospital at midday. But by the face Mulder had pulled at me, I nodded, pretended that it was the sun that had made me frown, and helped him round the children out of the pool.

"I don't remembers yous say I had doctor appointment?" Xoë accused me over her father's shoulder.

...

We were all dressed and loading into the Tank within thirty minutes. I was just belting myself into the passenger seat when Reyes opened the driver's door. My eyes searched for Mulder through the mirror, who was still fixing Theodore in his car seat. His eyes looking alarmed at Reyes.

"Eh, Agent Reyes", he said, getting her attention before she could sit. "I forgot that the Tank is low on gas. We'll take one of your cars, I'll drive", turning back to unbuckle Theodore, and I quickly unbuckle and get out to do the same to Yvo. I caught Reyes expression, her jaw was clenched tight. What is her deal? Had it been her who Mulder heard outside our bedroom?

Now in the car with Mulder driving, the downside of not being in the Tank, is that we can't speak freely, because we don't know if this car has been bugged.

I can tell Mulder is thinking the same thing.

I don't know ... Are we just being paranoid?

"I can't believe I forgot Xoë's appointment", I speak, hoping that I have worded it stealthy enough.

"Good job the hospital called to remind us. I'd forgotten too".

I chuckle, "... yeah".

"I know you don't like going to hospitals", he says, and I cringe because I'm training to be a doctor. Why would someone who wants to be a doctor not like hospitals?! "But it's just a routine check up. Maybe a blood test", and he lets the statement stand.

Blood test or tests.

"Also we can get the doc to check up on Theodore's ears, you said that you thought he might have an ear infection", and he laces a hand with mine.

I cringe again, because an ear infection is also something that I should be able to detect. But then remember - "yeah, I'm just worried because the last time I detected it, it developed to temporary deafness".

Mulder brings my hand to his lips. "It'll be fine. We'll know more where we stand once we get the results", and his eyes move to the mirror to look at his children nestled in the back. What if the DNA tests came back and an out of this world prognosis that Mulder wasn't the children's father. What would he do...? He certainly wouldn't disown them, he loves them too much. But would he look for their biological parents? What if they wanted them? By law, would they get to keep them? That's what happened to Marita and Emily before she fell in her coma. Or it could go the other way ... Mulder and I could be the kids' biological parents. I breathe in and hold it for the remainder of the journey...

...

Georgetown University Hospital

It's nearing quarter to midday by the time we have everyone in the hospital reception, with all three security guards. Needless to say, we are getting a lot of stares in the crowded room. And needless to say, my nerves are a bunch of ants feasting over a discarded Twinkie.

Xoë and Yvo had been playing a game of tag, where the security guards were home - needless to say, how they feel towards them - before I reminded them that we were not in their back garden. So now they are on either side of me, making a game of hitting each other. AKA, 'how far we can push Dana before she snaps'. I would stop them, but my attention is on Mulder. He's kind of hovering near the reception area, ignoring the receptionists though, as he looks around him, as if waiting for something to happen ...

The security team have picked up on it too and are looking at him curiously.

Nothing happens.

Mulder does a 360, when his eyes clock on me they are alert, and nervous perhaps. It does wonders for my own.

Suddenly my cell goes, making me jump; the kids join in on the tune. Mulder's eyes fix on me. The security team too in the background look at me curiously, or maybe suspiciously.

"Here you go, Dana", Xoë fishes my cell out of my back pocket and hands it to me. Screen down.

Who is it? Will I recognise the number? I worry, as I turn my cell over ... - Ed.

I close my eyes.

"Who is it?" the twins.

"Ed"

"Eddie!" the twins rejoice.

Not now Eddie. Hanging up.

The twins then start pleading at me to let me let Eddie to let him take them to the swimming pool again.

So many un-needed words.

Ignoring the twins and sliding my cell back into my back pocket, I again catch Mulder's eye, who is looking at me expectantly.

I shake my head.

He nods and then returns to his surveying.

Someone was supposed to be here, I realise. Something was supposed to happen when we arrived...

Increasing my hold on Theodore, I tap Xoë's shoulder. "Kids, stop it. Stay close to me", I say, bringing her into me. Wishing I had three arms so I could wrap a secure arm around Yvo too. The kids still think it is all a game, and they wrap my legs tightly, giggling, contriving a new game of who can hold on the longest. A far bit of brain is mildly irked at this; Xoë is fine, but Yvo is a heavy weight, straining my core muscles.

Are the children in danger...? Maybe we should, maybe I should take them now... "Mulder!" I call, not meaning for my voice to be that loud, as I attract the attention of the security team, as well as a few other people around us.

Mulder begins to turn in my direction, when he notices something that visibly relaxes him. I follow his gaze. It's a man dressed in standard blue doctor's scrubs. He's got a surgeon's mask over his face. I don't recognise him, but Mulder shakes his hand, before signalling me to come over.

I start to walk, but am trapped by my kids constricting my legs. In my negligence, I almost topple over. "Kids", I hiss down at them. "Please, for once, behave!" grabbing Xoë's hand, and pulling her up straight. "Yvo, take your sister's hand and hold on to it tight"

"But you told us to stay close. We were staying close", Xoë whines, as I hurry us over.

When we approach Mulder, I'm also relieved to see who it is that has greeted Mulder. Green contacts this time, brown hair and ditching the tan. Adam.

~xXx~

"Hello Xoë", Adam greets, but she takes one look at him and hides her face in my leg.

"I want to go home, Dana", she mumbles.

"We're not going to be more than hour, I promise", gently pulling her off of me, "and we're all going to be in there together. Yvo too", I add, hoping that will persuade her more.

"Come on Xoë", Mulder plucks her in the air from behind. Her eyes widen with fright and starts kicking and screaming. Smooth Mulder. Mulder locks her flailing limbs in his embrace, but she still claws away from him, reaching desperately for me.

I stand.

"Come on Xoë", Mulder a bit more firm, "stop making a scene".

"I don't like you, Daddy!" she shouts.

Which stops them both. A flash of hurt on Mulder's eyes, quickly replaced by anger. And they both look as stubborn as each other in their deadlock. "You are not doing this now", Mulder. "You understand?" Xoë's face remains scrunched up in a incriminating scowl, arms folded. The way Mulder is holding her, has her yellow dress scrunched around her hips, and my brain very helpfully supplies that in our hurry to leave, I hadn't checked whether she had put underwear on. Not that it would matter at this moment, as Mulder's arm hides from view.

Adam leans into Mulder and says something to him, and then starts walking towards the lift. Mulder turns to me and signals me to follow. As soon as he starts walking again, Xoë resumes kicking and screaming, repeating that she doesn't like him.

But all I can think is, what if biologically she isn't his daughter...?

She's calling me now, and I focus my eyes on her. Mulder has hoisted her over his shoulder, while I walk behind with the boys.

I shake my head, no. It's been a long time since Xoë has thrown one for her tantrums. Especially in public. At least it means that she isn't feeling ill.

Realising that I'm not going to come to her rescue, she slumps against her father's shoulder, looking at me disappointingly and starts crying.

That does make me feel guilty, and I avert my gaze from her.

We stop outside one of the lifts and wait.

"Mommy", she croaks between sobs. I look up, and she is looking at me, her arms are reaching out to me. And I also glimpse the glint of my gold necklace around her neck. The one my mother had given me, and I had given her to protect her while she was in hospital. Something strong and fiery burns through me.

"Mulder", my voice cold.

He turns, eyes wide.

I lean the baby in his direction. "Give her to me".

I don't know what I must look like, but he takes Theodore before angling Xoë in my direction so that I can take her; he takes Yvo's hand too. "It's OK, Xoë", I say, bouncing us on the spot. She wraps her limbs around me and buries her head in my neck.

The lift opens and I enter first.

"It's OK, Sweetheart", giving her a kiss. "Baby", and I put my hand under her dress so that I can rub her back soothingly.

Her tears have stopped but she is still whimpering. "I don't like, Daddy", she says again.

"Yes, you do. You love him", I say, not daring to look at Mulder's face. "I know you don't want to be in the hospital, but it is not your father's fault, and you will apologise to him later".

"...OK", she concedes after a few moments, and I give her another kiss on her forehead. When I move my gaze from her, the elevator doors are open and we're the last ones in. I hurry out before it takes us to another floor.

We're on the first floor - the children's ward. All brightly painted in primary colours with rainbows, bears and unicorns. Yvo was constantly looking over his shoulder at me so much, that Mulder just told him to join us. So now the twins and I are walking slowly behind everyone apart from Reyes, who is behind us.

I swing Yvo's hand in mine, trying to at least keep him upbeat. If he is happy, it is more likely that Xoë will be also.

"... and what do red and yellow make?"

"Orange!" he jumps in the air as he answers.

"Correct! ... what about ... blue and yellow?"

"Uhmm... Green!" jumping again.

"Correct", I laugh.

"Ask me another one!"

"I've asked all of them, Bub. You excited about Deniz coming over tomorrow?"

His cheeks colour slightly and he nods slowly, with a bashful smile on his face. "It's going to be the bestest day ever", he declares, jumping high in the air in his excitement.

"Whoah!" I exclaim, watching him and my arm. We must distract Mulder's attention, because when I look forward, his frown is turned on us. He shakes his head at us condescendingly, but I ignore him.

"I can't wait to show him, me and Xoë's tree house... I hope he knows how to climb up tree houses", Yvo's voice a little worried.

"I will help you help him if he can't, Yvo", Xoë emerges.

Yvo smiles widely.

"And I promise not to let Trent allow in there, because I knows you donts want him in there. So I will tell him he's not allowed".

I groan internally. The trials and tribulations of four year olds. Momentarily forgetting our situation and going into parent mode. "It's not very fair though to Trent is it? How would you like it if you went to-", we've stopped, in front of a door. An office. Dr Gallagher. Adam uses a key to open it and our situation hits home again. Where is the real Dr Gallagher? "If you're letting Deniz see your tree house, you have to let Trent", I finish quickly.

"O-K", Yvo, but he doesn't sound OK with it.

Adam unlocks the door and Reyes pokes her head in before surveying the room. Jenkins and Collins stand either side of the door. Adam follows Reyes briefly with his eyes, before indicating for me to step inside with the children. I do, settling on the couch. Mulder gave me his laptop to carry in my handbag, and I set to finding something on there for them to watch.

"That wasn't why I brought it, Dana", Mulder, as he carefully places Theodore in Yvo's lap.

"I'm sorry, Daddy", Xoë says, jumping off the couch to give him a hug and then a kiss. "I love you reallys"

Mulder stands with his little girl in his arms and gives her a squeeze. "I love you too", he strokes the back of her hair. "And Daddy's not going to let anything happen to you, OK?"

She nods.

"It's either that or have them running everywhere", I exasperate, feeling a little guilty about interrupting their moment. "I didn't have time to pick up anything to entertain them with before we left".

"Fine". He places Xoë next to her brothers and takes his laptop out of my hand, before sitting next to his children on the couch.

I purse my lips, close my eyes. We're not the other's enemy.

"That's my son".

Son?

My head snaps at Adam's words. Totally perplexed, I follow his direction, and there, sat on the floor in the corner of the room, is a boy with brown hair. More a teenager than a boy actually. How had I not noticed him when I entered?! Dressed in new denim jeans and a bright purple hoodie, florescent white socks and trainers. A piece of duplo lego grips in his hand, as he incessantly blinks up at Reyes with fear in his green eyes. I frown at the lego piece. He must be sixteen at least, yet he is playing with the same lego age set as the twins, and really now that is being used more for Theodore. His eyes are still blinking on overdrive. He must be specific needs ...

"Why isn't he at home?" Reyes interrogates.

Is she for real? What danger does she expect? And I smile sympathetically at him. He is the spitting image of his father.

"There was no one to look after him. And the disclosure for this session is for Xoë's parents only. If the Mulder's wish your presence, then I will of course comply".

I turn to look at Mulder, "actually Agent Reyes", he addresses her, standing up, and placing his laptop where he sat. Obviously finding something for the children to watch, because all three of them are engrossed in the screen. "It's been a long morning for you, why don't you go home and rest. Tell Collins and Jenkins only one needs to stand outside".

I turn to look at Reyes. Her hard dark eyes are fixed on me, glaring. What is her deal with me?

"If you're certain, Agent Mulder?" but her eyes still fix on me. Is she for real?! ... Maybe she likes, Mulder? If she is a fellow Agent, maybe they were... involved?

Well he's mine now. I fix her with my own glare.

"Yes, go", Mulder says gently, soft, caring. And I hate him for it.

She turns towards the door. Her eyes linger on the children briefly and she hesitates. They are mine too. I watch her out the door, until it closes behind her.

"Why didn't you send them all away?" Adam. But my eyes are still on Reyes' wake.

"Too suspicious. Especially if what you say is true".

My ears prickle at this. If what is true? I turn and walk towards the men and ask as much.

"There is a scrambler in the room. Cameras disabled. How much have you told her?" Adam to Mulder. He's taken off his surgeon's mask.

"I've hidden nothing from her. She doesn't believe me though. What's with the kid?" Mulder indicates to the boy, whose eyes are blinking at the door from which Reyes left.

Adam, seemingly re-regestering the boy is in the room, walks over to kneel in front of him. "... Your proof, Fox", and does something to the boy's eyes that stops his incessant blinking, and suddenly his eyes are the bluest of blues. Coloured contacts. The teenager then starts pulling frantically on his hair, making sounds. "I know, I know, we will wash it off soon. You will be home soon. And back with Sada", he soothes this poor young man, who is clearly in distress.

"Yeah, if that's who you're trying to frame your father's murder on, I'm not buying it", Mulder scoffs.

"It wasn't Arek", Adam says defensively, standing up, and he has his hands fisted as if he wants to punch Mulder. Fair is fair, he did accuse his son of murder. And who is Sada? I stare down pitifully at the teenager rocking in a seesaw motion on the floor. Maybe I can calm him down...?

"That's very sweet, Dana", Adam's voice warns, stopping me, "but he doesn't do well with meeting people he is unfamiliar with. Don't worry, he'll calm himself down eventually. He's just working it out".

Arek's distress must have alerted the twins, because next thing I know Yvo is rushing past me. "Cool lego-", I catch him, cutting his words off.

"Yvo, what did I tell you? Stay on the couch, stay with your siblings", Mulder, appearing by my side. I turn Yvo back towards the couch, but Xoë isn't there, only Theodore!

Mulder's and my eyes find each other. Fear. "Xoë", we call, looking around the room.

"I'm right here", comes her giggle from behind us.

She's sat on the floor with that boy!

"Xoë!" I respond quicker than Mulder, remembering Adam's warning.

"Don't worry it's quite alright", Adam says. "he'll be fine with Yvo too", he says, gesturing for the little boy. "He should be fine with Theodore too".

"Should", Mulder. "Well no offense, should is not enough for me".

I look down at Xoë and Arek. He is playing nicely with her, and he does no longer seem to be in distress. Happy to watch her put the pieces of the lego together. She's made a car and she shows him how it moves. Arek jumps up and down where he sits, clapping excitedly. He's harmless.

"Can he not able to talk?" Xoë turns her head and asks me.

"His name is Arek, Sweetheart".

"No he can't", Adam. Obviously long coming to terms with it.

"I didn't not think so", Xoë, as she goes to build Arek something else.

"Can I play too, Dana?" Yvo.

I look up at Adam who is smiling at Arek playing. "You sure it's fine?" Hating myself for asking.

Adam turns to me, "I promise you. He won't harm them".

I nod at Yvo, and I watch as he joins Xoë and Arek on the floor.

"What doesn't she believe?" Adam.

"All of it. Maybe, she'll listen to you better".

"Well, she is a scientist, Fox", and I can hear the smirk in Adam's voice. I had been aware that it was me they were talking about, so finally tearing my gaze away from Arek and the twins to the men speaking. "She needs proof. Scientific evidence. So, if you really want to make her believe you ...", he leaves the statement hanging.

Mulder nods.

What has he just agreed to?

~xXx~

A simple swab of the cheek, it didn't even distract them from the lego. Adam collected Arek's as well, which I thought was odd, but didn't question it as Adam had said Arek was Mulder's proof. ... And of course, there was mine. Adam then goes on to extracting DNA from the ova in Diana's testube. I did the baby's, Mulder's and Adam's swabs. Theodore, took a couple of tries because he kept biting on the swab, and we wanted two samples of each for verification. Buccal swabs. I start with Xoë. Adding her samples to the lysis buffer, rotating it, before adding the vials to the thermal cycler, that Adam had also supplied in preparation. I mark hers with X. I then move on to Y, T, D, M, AR and AD. All the while I can feel Mulder's eye's intently watching my every step.

"The first stage is done", I explain to, Mulder.

12:20

That took around fifteen minutes then.

Don't you think the baby compliments you

He looks like you.

I find that I'm even seeing myself in Theodore-

"-Right. Now we wait".

...

12:31

OK.

Adam joins me by the PCR machine, to complete the final steps of the DNA tests. Mulder watches from the sidelines, Theodore in tow, whose fist is chewing in his mouth. Theodore, my biological son? My second biological son? My youngest biological son? I had been too nervous to engage in conversation in the ten minutes. Mulder and Adam offered a few words, Mulder explaining that our primary concern was Xoë and should she get the virus again. Adam stated that it would be easier to explain with the DNA results. Which effectively ended their conversation, so Mulder grabbed my hand and joined my stare at the PCR machine, and all it would reveal to us.

"Theodore's hungry, the twins must be too", I whisper. We ate breakfast around eight. "Maybe, I should get some-"

"-No, you're staying here", Mulder, "I'll go ask whoever is outside".

"How do you know all you claim?" I ask Adam, when I hear Mulder open the door. "And why are you only approaching us now? Those times that I saw you in Quantico..."

Adam doesn't stop what he is doing, so I continue my part. "I know because it has been my whole life", he says glancing up at me. "Like Fox, my father worked in the Defense Department. Although, while Fox's father was high up in the chain of command. My father was just a scientist. Parentage, eh? Some people just don't know how privileged and protected they are, and how much everyone else has to suffer".

I want to ask him what he means by that, I want to ask which father he means, but Mulder has joined us again. That, and the DNA ladders are ready. I mark them while Adam cuts them down into strips.

"I got Collin's to get us all some food", Mulder announces, but it goes mostly ignored by Adam and I.

"Were you able to get DNA from all the samples?" Mulder.

I nod.

"Let's do this a stage at a time" Adam. "First", he continues without waiting for us to respond. I pull off my safety goggles and latex gloves, a hand searches for Mulder's. He grabs mine in his and gives it a squeeze. "First, we will match the blood I extracted from the ova in the vial, to your DNA swab, Dana".

I nod.

He nods, and then pushes over to me the two DNA ladders.

"It's a match", I breathe.

"It's a match?" Mulder

I nod slowly, it's obvious, but still show him the trend with my spare hand. "It's a match". I breathe again. That wasn't so bad. It's not so bad. Diana just found my ova that was taken without my consent in a fertility clinic the other side of the country... How many times have they been used? How many - I turn to Adam, eyes filling with tears.

Adam raises his hands - "you are both going to have so many questions. Let's leave-"

"No", Mulder. And I can hear emotion in his voice that makes my tears fall and swallow a hard lump in my throat. "You tell her why. Now".

Adam turns to sit on the desk that we are working on so that he's facing us. "The numbers", turning behind him and reaching for the vial. "142 is the patient number. 13 the year, 01 the month, and 02 the day", he pauses and looks at me.

2 January 2013.

Yes, that date means something to me. It was the day before I woke up and found that I had an emergency operation to have my right ovary removed because it had been riddled with cancer. One day before I had omitted myself into hospital because of my near rape. The day after I learnt that I would never be able to have children.

"DCUGUH. DC unit, Georgetown University Hospital. 3 46, is the time".

"Scully?"

I nod.

Mulder sucks in a breath. "How did Diana end up finding them in California? What was so special about her ova? What type of cancer did she have?"

The Black Oil Cancer? Superhuman?

"She didn't have cancer"

What?!

"What?!" Mulder hisses.

"As pathetic as it sounds, it was a simple miss identity, wrong person-".

"-Bullshit!" Mulder flings my hand away in his anger. "How? By who?!"

I hear the loud clatter of lego.

"Mulder, remember the children". Although he's echoing perfectly what I'm feeling inside.

"I will come to that", Adam, calm.

"What is Daddy shouting about?" Xoë wraps her arms between mine and Mulder's legs, and dutifully scowls at Adam.

"I want to -"

"-Mulder", I cut him off. "Please. Xoë, go back to your lego"

"But-"

I kneel to her height-

"-I'm going", she says quickly, turning on the spot and running back to their corner.

Wise choice.

I stand to deal with the other disobedient Mulder. "We asked for his help. Let's hear him out".

Mulder breathes out heavily through his nostrils. I pull out the chair and order him to sit. He does. Obsessively bouncing Theodore on his knee until I place a hand on his shoulder and he stills.

Adam eyes Mulder warily.

"I'm fine".

Adam drops his gaze to his lap.

"I'm fine", insisting through gritted teeth.

Adam, getting up, pushes one of my DNA ladders away and puts Theodore's next to it, and Mulder's next to his.

"Theodore is your biological son", Adam drops without preamble.

I gasp, dropping my hand off Mulder's shoulder and blocking his view so that I may get a better look.

I line the thee x-rays up neatly, but it is there, as clear as day. Theodore's DNA is a match for Mulder and I being the biological parents.

I shudder out a breath. Mulder puts an arm around me, and I lean against him for support.

There is a knock on the door.

"That must be our food", Mulder, but he doesn't move. Moments pass. The door knocks again.

"Daddddy", Yvo. "It's the door!" and then a lot closer. "It's the door, Daddy", and Mulder lurches forward a bit. I guess Yvo pushing against his legs. I don't want to turn around and him see my crying.

"OK, OK, Yvo", Mulder. "Go sit back down. ...Here", I feel Mulder turn, pushing Theodore into my arms. There are tears in his eyes, and I set to wiping them with my spare hand, before pressing a hard kiss on his lips.

"These are from...", Adam continues, when Mulder has gone. Not giving me the chance to appreciate that I have my Son in my arms. My biological son. It didn't matter to me before, and it still doesn't, but - "...see?" Adam.

"See what?" blinking to try and focus.

He indicates down at what is in front of me. X and Y.

"But why would theirs be any different from Theodore's?" I ask, shifting the baby further up my torso, so I can get a better look.

I can hear Mulder dishing out food to the kids in the background. "No, let Arek choose first. Is there anything he can't eat?!"

Adam leaves my side.

"There are three bars", I state out loud.

No one responds. Too busy with the food.

I pull mine and Mulder's ladders either side of the twins. Mulder's matches for sure. But mine ... mine don't. I hoist Theodore again.

Why don't theirs match with mine, and why do they have a consistency of three bars?

And ... why so short? ... Like parts of their chromosomes are missing.

I frown and blink. There are so many abnormalities, it's making my eyes hurt. I hurriedly look through the other x-rays to get their second readings.

But they read the same...?

I feel someone at my side "-why-", turning. But it's Mulder. I purse my lips at him.

His eyes widen. "What? I thought you would like the brie and cranberry?" innocently.

This makes me purse my lips even more, flaring my nostrils. It's not the sandwich I care about, you daft man! "Here", I say, giving him Theodore instead. "I'm not hungry".

"Scu-"

"Mulder", I warn, raising my hands at him. Before turning back to the twin's DNA ladders. I shake my head, I don't know where to even begin with these. I've never-

"-What's wrong?" Mulder. Anxious. Worried. Fearful.

And I can't hide it from him. It's our worst nightmare. "There are so many abnormalities in the twins' blood work", I croak, not being able to stop the tears - again. I flick him a look. "Yvo's too".

I saw it in his eyes that he understands. Whatever virus Xoë had, Yvo is most likely to get it too.

"Adam", Mulder calls over.

"Have you ever seen this many abnormalities?" When he joins us. "Maybe it's a process error?"

"Yes and no"

"Were the chromosomes truncated like this too?"

"Genetically altered to combat against most common diseases", Adam supplies, moving Xoë's ladder aside and placing Mulder's next Yvo's instead. Then, putting his next's to Yvo's.

"Genetically altered? By who? How?" Mulder.

"Look carefully", Adam instructs.

And I lean forward, trying to block the shortened bars from my mind. ... Mulder's and Yvo's profiles compliment each other. ... In fact. I frown, they more than compliment each other.

"What? What is it?" Mulder. Again.

"Why three bars?" I ask Adam. "Three bars, three parents?" I quickly jump to hypothesis. "Cytoplasmic transfer?" And I whip to look at Mulder. Who is looking so lost. "The twins..."

"What Scully, the twins what?!" he threatens.

"The twins are biologically your children, that evidence is much from the DNA ladders"

"- That is so not the problem at the moment. You said something about there being three, and about truncated chromosomes". He looks so fearful, that for a fleeting moment, I want to lay him down on the couch, rest his head on my lap, and massage the worry out of his head. But instead, I push the DNA ladders closer to him for his inspection.

"This is Yvo's, this is yours", I push Adam's out the way and bring Xoë's back down. "Xoë. As you can see the DNA matches on both twins for biological parentage. Now if we take your hypothesis of cytoplasmic transfer, Mulder", and I look too Adam for confirmation. He nods. "What we are exhibiting in Xoë and Yvo is a three host or parent genome makeup in their DNA", I pause, so he can take in. "Now what is odd is in both Xoë's and Yvo's cases, occasionally all three bars match yours. There is an almost 70 percent match on the DNA".

"Cloning?"

I bite my lip, processing. More likely incestual relationship, but I'm not going to tell Mulder that. "The shortened chromosomes, as Adam, has already explained are to make them less susceptible to common diseases ... and I guess what this has done", and I look back to Adam, "is make them susceptible to a new strain of disease or virus, that isn't conventional".

Mulder turns to look at Adam too.

Adam nods.

At that moment I feel Theodore's hand on my arm. Turning my attention to him, his fist still chewing in his mouth. It will be easier and less messy to nurse him then to aid him through a baguette.

"So not conventional. Meaning no antidote", Mulder asks our primary worry, as I ease the baby out his hold and set about feeding him.

"Not conventional but there are available antidotes. The D.O.D have spent a lot of money in this research, the health of children like Xoë and Yvo are their primary concern".

D.O.D. Department of Defense. Mulder was right about the government being involved.

"But it does happen doesn't it", Mulder. "I mean, it is happening. There are parents of children who don't know how special their child is and the consequences are fatal".

And I get another hand tapping me. Yvo. With a box juice that needs to be opened.

"Get Xoë's for me too", I whisper, wiping away his flour mustache.

"Arek already opened it for her", he says, skipping back. And he couldn't have asked Arek to open his too?

"Yes. It does", Adam admits. "Have you never wondered why Xoë got sick and Yvo didn't? Access. They want to keep their secret but it all lies on access. Yvo, at the FBI nursery, it is very simple to administer him with vaccines".

"That's where he went, when he went missing. Diana took-"

"Diana didn't take him anywhere", Adam. "Diana found him. Which started her investigation".

"No", instinctively, which gets Mulder's and Adam's attention. "She took Yvo. She took Yvo out of nursery".

But Adam shakes his head. "He was taken out of nursery. Taken to Quantico to have the routine vaccine".

Routine?

"But that's not what Diana said", I look at Mulder for confirmation. He looks as confused as I do.

"Because she didn't want to get you involved".

"So", Mulder, and he pauses. "If Dana and I are two of the three parents-"

"- No Mulder", and his eyes cut to me, "the twins and my DNA, don't match for being blood related. They couldn't", now thinking on it, "they were born before they were removed".

He pauses and stares at me, shuffling on his feet. Then turns to Adam, "who is the second and third parent then?" And I turn to look to Adam for that answer too.

~xXx~

"First, why create children like Xoë and Yvo-".

"Super soldier army", I blurt out, and both Mulder and Adam look surprised by those words coming out of me. I throw a defensive, what, look at Mulder.

"Not only an army but a population that would stand the test of a nuclear catastrophe", Adam turns to retrieve something and Mulder and I share a look. Nuclear catastrophe. That already doesn't sound good. Not that any of this did to begin with.

Adam returns and places a photograph of a baby on the desk, only for Mulder to immediately pick it up. "Where did you get this?" he accuses. "Where did you-", and he grabs the collar of Adam's scrubs.

Adam locks his fist around Mulder's.

"Mulder whats wrong?"

"It's my sister".

"Eve".

"Her name is Samantha".

"But to them she was Eve".

"And your Adam", me.

"I can help you understand, Fox. But you are going to have to accept that you are not going to like what I tell you".

Mulder's knuckles are white. Adam's knuckles are white.

"How much trouble would we be in. If they knew we know?"

"The truth is they probably already do. Despite all our secrecy, they probably know that we are all three here and that I have brought Arek as my proof. What they will be more concerned with is whether you can keep their secret safe"

"We could", I plead, "this is only about Xoë"

"Is it?" solely addressing Mulder. "Could you save your own child knowing that there are others who are suffering?"

"Just tell us what you have to tell us", Mulder.

"I just...", me, "need to sit" , I say walking away from them and seating Theodore and I on the couch. I transfer breasts as well. By the time Theodore is feeding from the other one, Adam and Mulder has joined either side of me. Yvo joins, sitting on his father's lap, and I am surprised when Mulder brings him closer to him and nuzzles his nose in Yvo's hair.

"Like...", Adam trails off, regarding Yvo. Maybe I should ... "X and Y", he continues after a beat. "... Eve's", and I can feel Mulder's anger radiating, "DNA was fabricated in a lab. Much simpler. Using your mother's and your father's - Bills - ova and sperm. 50/50. Like X and Y, her chromosomes were truncated to make her less susceptible to diseases".

"Did my mom know?" Mulder, and I wince at the harshness of his voice. I hear the turn of Yvo's head, obviously trying to gauge his father's mood.

"No".

"It was considered an honour then by both your father and mine to have their children to be the pioneering new population". And Mulder snorts. I don't blame him. "Then, there was no grievance over the emotional damage it would do to us - or our families. I guess there was supposed to be no attachment, we were just lab subjects after all".

"She was my sister", Mulder grits.

"I know Fox, but she was my-" and he cuts off into silence.

"Bub", to Yvo, "why don't you go back and play with Arek and Xoë?"

"But I want to sit here with Daddy".

"He's fine, Scully", Mulder whispers, planting a kiss on Yvo's head.

"We had regular tests throughout our growing up and for a while it was fine. They were mainly unevasive. It wasn't until Sam hit puberty, did they want to ... monitor us on a more 24/7 basis...", he leaves the statement hanging.

The abduction.

I look to Mulder, who has his nose firmly planted in Yvo's hair. Yvo flashes me a wide toothy smile.

It's only when I feel something scrape my hand do I turn. It is another photograph. And it is of, well ... clones. Two of each, duplicates of Adam and Samantha. They look straight and serious at the camera.

"Our spare parts", Adam chuckles melancholily.

At the front. Adam and Samantha. Grinning. Unscathed of yet, unlike the other four. Both Adam's and Samantha's skin is darker, hair lighter. They're not as bulky as the other four. Samantha has a large pink plaster on her knee, and she's wearing a pink Minnie Mouse top with matching shorts. Her hair is in a long loose plait, with tendrils falling out, and her teeth smile pink braces. Adam towers over her, wearing a purple Lakers basketball kit on, number 8. The 'spare parts' are all dressed in blue jeans and white tops, hair neatly combed or tied back. My eyes float back to Samantha. She looks so young and fragile. Too young. Leaning back, I extend it to Mulder's focus, and he nods. "We were practicing tricks on our BMXs".

Yvo, pulls the picture down. "They looks like Xoë!" he excites. "One. Two. Three. Three Xoës!"

And the boys, I realise, look like Arek.

He doesn't do well with meeting people he's unfamiliar with.

And I snatch the image out of Yvo's hand and look at the image closer, before looking back at Yvo again.

He'll be fine with Yvo too.

Then back at the image.

Then blink, multiple times.

The penny dropping so to speak.

"Arek and Sada were not the first to be born".

"-How old was she? How old was my sister?".

Samantha and Adam are their biological parents - at least two of them. ... And Mulder must be the third.

"At first it was through surrogate. But the first ten or so to be born, half of them didn't survive the birth. The others, a couple of days in early infancy".

"Why?" Me.

"In the prior insemination stage: issues of missing, undeveloped or overdeveloped chromosomes. Inadequate pre-natal care. Premature births is still something they are battling with now", and I look down at Theodore. He has fallen asleep on my breast. "Science is a lot more advanced as it was then. Post-natal care is also critical. But", he pauses, "to answer your question, Fox. 13. They thought that it would maybe better the chances. It didn't. The third, with more knowledge of how to improve pre-natal and the post-natal care, she gave birth to Arek and Sada. She chose the names. Third time lucky. Maybe not for R and D, but in mine and Sam's opinion, they were perfect".

~xXx~

13:42

We left soon after that revelation. We'd been there an hour and I could see that we'd lost Mulder. I was en-route driving us home, when Mulder said that he wanted to speak to his mother, and if I could drive him there please. It wasn't until we were in the lift at Mrs Mulder's penthouse, that my cell alerted me of the pets' veterinary appointment. Mulder gave me a seriously look, but Yappi has this growth on the inside of one of his legs. So I leave Mulder and the children at Mrs Mulder's with one of the cars; and Collins drives me back in the other. The appointment is scheduled for 14:00 in Potomac, so it is going to have to be a very quick turnover, and I need to find and put the pets in their cages ... I feel a way about asking the security team, especially Reyes. So, I message Ed instead, knowing that he will be on the cul-de-sac, and won't mind doing this for me.

My message alerts.

It's Ed. He says it's no problem. He'll do it now.

I breathe a sigh of relief. But it's short lived, with no kids to entertain, our hour with Adam, resurfaces.

Theodore is my biological son. How do I feel about that? Am I mad? Of course not. Am I mad that I'm only just finding out now? Yes. Do I hate the people who did this to me? Yes. Do I still care now? Not right now. Not in the grand scheme of everything else that has been revealed the last 24 hours.

The twins are not my biological children. How do I feel about that? No different. Really? Really. The twins are specific needs children that will have to be monitored maybe for the rest of their lives. There. There in which lies the real fear. And Mulder. What will Mulder do this with this information? Now that his sister is involved...

'Why now? Why Mulder?'

'Because everything was fine. Nothing was disrupted until Diana started meddling. Until Mulder had come back from Tunguska'.

'And why Mulder?'

'Because it is his truth. This was his sister's truth'

'A truth that is going to get him killed. Just like Diana'

'I know you think you know, Fox. And I am not doubting that you do. Really I'm not. But for your year, I have known him 26 more than you. We're the same age him and me. Our roles may have been reversed. And where his sister is concerned, he will fight anyone for the truth. This is the beginning of his truth'.

If that's true, I can't go with him. Me and the kids-

"- you were in with the doc for a long time", Collins. And my heart jumps, forgetting that he was driving the car. "I thought it would just be a check up?"

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, an eeriness creeping over me. I have never been with Collins one on one, and as Mulder's assigned bodyguard, I see him the least. "Yeah, so did we", trying to play it cool. "Tests, tests and more tests. Poor little girl".

"How long have you and Agent Mulder been an item - if you don't mind me asking".

I do.

"Uhhm, nine months now maybe?" Not even knowing if that is accurate.

My message alert goes off again and I thank the heavens.

Ed. He has the pets in their separate cages. Where shall he leave them?

I check the time again.

13:50

We're not that far away but we still have to get to the vets.

Wed 3rd Aug 13:50

By the top of the front garden would be cracking.

Ta! X

I turn my cell back over and rest my head on the headrest, closing my eyes.

Would you only save your child knowing that others are suffering

Would I? Would Mulder?

I open my eyes. I would like to think- I seize. A black car just drove past us in the opposite direction. Their window was down, and I swear to God it was the Smoking Man driving it. I'm pretty certain the car was unregistered too ... like this one.

I turn to look behind me, but the car has long gone. I then look at Collins, but he seems non the wiser, or maybe he is just pretending that he didn't see him ... Why would the Smoking Man be driving away from our house?!

Collins shifts a bit in his seat. He did see him!

"Long day", Collins.

I stay silent.

"What's it like living with Agent Mulder? He's got some pretty far out there ideas. I'm sure you've heard them all, being his girlfriend. We have a name back for him at the bureau. Spooky Mulder. Does he tell you much about the work he does?"

He's fishing

He's fishing

He's definitely fishing to see what I know. Determine whether I am a target.

"The last thing Mulder wants to do when he comes home is talk about work"

There is another black car behind us! Clocking it in my side mirror. It does have a license plate however, and then speedily overtakes us. But this road that we are on now, doesn't lead to much apart from our cul-de-sac. I break out into a cold sweat. I'm going back to the Mulder Mansion where I will be alone, unarmed with all three security guards.

I turn my cell back over in my hand, and find my message chat with Mulder. Am I overreacting or should I message Mulder?

As Collin's turns into our cul-de-sac, out of the corner of my eye, I clock his jacket hitch up and there is a gun poking through. His hand falls on it.

That's it.

Wed 3rd Aug 13:54

Being followed

In danger

Collin shoot me

Help

We're driving past the other houses on the cul-de-sac. What is going to happen when we end up at the last? Is he going to drag me inside...?

Collins clears his throat and I risk a look. Both hands are back on the steering wheel but his gun is still exposed. Taunting me of what is to come.

It's now or never.

We're only a couple of houses away from the cul-de-sac.

Not giving it any more thought, I pull out Collin's gun from his holster, click my seat belt off, bolt out of the car, and start to run back up the cul-de-sac.

I hear the slam of the driver's door. Knowing that he can probably outrun me, I decide my chances are better to duck into one of the houses.

He calls my name, I risk a look as I turn into one of the front gardens and find Reyes and Jenkins also on the road, with guns pointed at me.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

I fire a couple of unaimed shots in their direction while I run up the path. I'm pretty certain no one is at home, but still I bang on the front door when I reach.

I wait for a couple of seconds before turning and see that Jenkin's has reached the bottom of the front driver.

Shizer!

Where are the other two? I don't want to wait to find out.

Firing a couple more shots, I decide to make it back towards the Mulder Mansion, through the gardens. Who knows, maybe they have abandoned the car and I can-

I trip over some of the shrubbery and I fall hard on the floor.

Picking myself up, Jenkins is close behind me.

"Dana, we're not trying to hurt you. We're not going to shot you. Please, we're only here for your protection", he has his hands up in surrender, his gun no longer in sight.

Where is he hiding it? Where are the others?

On that thought, I hear a crunch, and there is Reyes with her gun pointed at me.

I shoot a couple of shots in her direction. I know again, failing miserably as I run through the other garden.

Where is Collins? He may no longer have his gun but he could definitely take me down.

"Ed!" I scream. "Ed! HELP ME!"

Where can I go? Where can I hide? The treehouse?

Don't be ridiculous.

I burst through into the front garden of the Mulder Mansion and have to swerve through the collection of cars. I try to get in through the front door but I don't have me keys! They are in my bag in the car! Do I go back to the car? Is that where Collins is?! Or do I risk going backwards to try the utility door or will it be locked.

Think Dana. Think.

You don't have time to think!

I run towards the utility door.

It's open!

I push through into the kitchen, and onto the kitchen island, banging my knee really badly.

"FUCK!" I crumple over in pain.

But I don't have time to stop. It is then I register the phone is ringing. Mulder?! Do I have time to answer it before the security catch up with me?

Lifting my head up, my gaze passes through the veranda doors, and I see Collins emerge out of the Hex. Gun in hand. Should I go back to the car? Would he have left the keys in it...?

Forgetting my knee and the phone. I make my way up to my bedroom.

As soon as I enter. I set about moving my bed against the door. Then my chest of draws, with strength I didn't realise I possessed. I'm picking up Theodore's cot when I hear shots fire. Voices shouting. Voices crying out in pain. Crashing of furniture.

Mulder?

No - there is no way Mulder would make it here in such a short time.

There are more shots. More shouting. And I set about moving my entire wardrobe as a blockade to. Maybe I can wade it out until Mulder saves me.

I pull out the bottom draws first and throw it and my clothes against the door. I then grab a handful of clothes still on the hanger and chuck them out. I do this a couple of times before I attempt to move the wardrobe.

I have it half way to the door when I start hearing a noise.

I can no longer hear gunshots but ... is that the fire alarm?

I hear two gun shots, waking me out of my stance and continue pushing my wardrobe until I have it against the bed. Then, using all my might, I flip it over so that it acts as another barrier against the door. Climbing off the bed, I look around the room and see if I can find anything else to create a blockade.

The window. I hone on it. Maybe I can escape through there? What good would it do without a car. I even left my cell so I can't even contact anyone. I could get my bag out of the car and use the Tank! There are more loud crashes from downstairs. Maybe there is something in my bathroom that I can use... but there isn't. The upstairs fire alarm is going off now. I look at my blocked door. Shit, is there for real a fire going on?! Are they trying to smoke me out? Or perhaps make my death look like an accident or suicide.

I run towards my bedroom window and lift it up. The garden and hex look picturesque, a grotesque opposite of what is actually going on in here. Dropping my gaze, there is black smoke streaming out of one of the windows, and I can hear the sound of glass breaking.

FUCK!

I spin back to look at the blockade.

It's too high to jump. It's too high to jump. I would surely break my n-

- Something bangs against my door. And I whip around. It bangs again. But the furniture holds.

"Dana!" raspy. "DANA!"

It's Ed, my mind is slow to recognise.

"Ed!" running towards the door.

"It's safe to come out but the house is on fire. We have to get you out".

I look up at all the furniture.

"DANA!"

"OK", I say running to the foot of the bed and starting to pull, but it is too heavy.

Baby steps.

I start with chest of draws.

"Dana, we have ta ge' you ou' now! It's catching fas'. The whole of the hall... I don' know if I will be able to ge' you out if we leave it too much longer"

"I'm coming" I scream, having moved the chest of draws adequately. I go to move the wardrobe off. Pulling it from the side, but I loose balance and my hold as I twist my ankle in the covers. I fall backwards on to the bed and hit the back of my neck hard on the headboard. I cry out in pain but it falls silent as I register the the heavy mahogany structure of the wardrobe is fastly approaching to crush me.

~xXx~

I feel a tickling sensation up my leg.

Lips.

As it makes its way over the curve of my ass.

I'm lying on my front.

My bottom half exposed but I can feel cool silk on my back.

The sensation now starts from my heel on the opposite leg and starts to make it's way up my leg.

I let out a soft breathy moan when it reaches the inside of my thigh and twitch. My feet flexing and unflexing.

My legs are nudged open wider and hand snake round my pelvis to tilt my ass upwards, before the lips are back on me.

They feel chapped but I'm not about to complain.

"Mulder", I moan, and the hands move round from the front of my pelvis to squeeze my ass.

The only problem is. They are not Mulder's hands. I know what Mulder's hands feel like on my ass, and it's not this. They are much larger for one.

My body tensing, I flip myself over on to my back.

"Ed!" I gasp. Not so much over his actions now as to his condition. That is of his skin. No wonder if felt as though he lips his chapped. He looks like he is recovering from fourth degree burns. Hair gone. Eye brows gone. His skin is red and blistered and in some places still very dark, almost charcoaled.

What happened - what, what are we doing here...?

What was he- The Fire... - where is Mulder?

Oh God... where is Mulder. Where am I?

Ed's eyes downcast. "I know, I'm na pretty-"

"No", I stop him, smoothing the silk dressing gown I have on as far as it can down my thigh. What does he plan to do with me?! Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. Where is Mulder?! I told him I was in danger - I told him I - but when I look up it is not Mulder, it is Ed. His eyes still downcast. It is Ed that I have to deal with now. Mulder is not here. How do I deal with Ed...? I close my eyes. Think DANA! How do you deal with ED!? Mulder. I want Mulder - Mulder isn't here! How do you deal with Ed? Ed... Mulder... Mulder - Mulder in the Tank with Adam. I fly my eyes open. Ed is looking at me hesitantly. We're on a bed. He is in flannel trousers and shirt. He's perched on the end, and his fingers twitch by his side. As if he is calculating his next move. He is too many moves ahead of me. So I open my arms for him, for, for Ed. Forcing a smile on my face.

He smiles. Cracking bits of his skin, but crawls his way into my open arms.

"You saved my life", lightly stroking the cloth of his shirt.

~xXx~

Anywhere between one hour and four hours have passed. Ed had fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I took that as the opportunity to explore where I was. A trailer of some sort. Small, cramped. I'd found the bathroom, and stepped on the latrine to look out the window. We're in a forest. And I imagine. A million fucking miles away from civilisation. It's not very light outside, so I imagine the time to be -

- the door tries to open, and my eyes fly in the direction. Gripping tight on to the window ledge. The door tries again. "Dana?"

"I'm just finishing up", I call. Carefully stepping down, trying to make as little noise as possible. I knock into something on my way day and my knee cries out in pain. I hadn't put on any lights because I didn't want to risk waking Ed up.

"Dana, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I couldn't find the light and I've just stubbed my toe".

Suddenly light infiltrates the small cramped room and I glimpse my reflection in a vanity mirror.

What the ...

Bruised and battered.

My forehead is swollen on one side, a purpley-black. The skin around my eyes are a blood red. It looks like my nose is broken, and my lip is split. Opening my dressing gown, I examine the rest of me. Large circular reddish blacking bruises mar my body. My left coxal bone looks swollen and I think it and my right floating rib may be broken.

"Dana", Ed's soft voice.

I look back at my reflection and quickly tie the dressing gown again tight.

Unlocking the door, I open it and met by Ed again.

I greet him with a strained smile. "No lights. No mirrors".

"You're still b'utiful, Dana"

I shake my head, making my way back to the bed in the centre of the trailer.

He follows.

"What happened?" I ask, perching on the edge.

"I heard yer call for me. They ha' guns and they ha' set the place aligh'. I couldn' open the door. So I ha' to go back through the blaze and ge' the ladda' an' ge' yer out that way. But the 'ardro' had fallen an yer'", he indicates to me, and the state that I am in.

Did he take me to the hospital? Why didn't he wait for the fire and the ambulance to arrive? I don't ask. Judging by what he mumbled in his sleep, I'm finally his.

"I'm alive because of you", I say.

"You're healin' well. You shou' seen y'urself two wee' 'go. Shou' seen me", he laughs, and it damages the skin around him. He has teeth missing.

I play the material of the sheet through my hand. "I'm hungry. What do we have to eat?"

He turns to look at the kitchen, and I allow my eyes to fill up with with tears before hurriedly blinking them away.

"I'm cold too, Ed. Do you have a jumper and a pair of trousers I can borrow?" I want to get out of this skimpy dressing gown, then maybe he will stop looking at me so hungrily.

~xXx~

I made two packet noodles for myself and soup for Ed, giving him a straw so he would be able to consume it easier. He smiled graciously and we ate in silence. After I had washed and dried our bowls. He approached me with a needle in his hand.

"What's that?" calm.

"'orphine. I's clean", he indicates behind me to the box of syringes and the opened empty packet. "I'll do mi' firs'", injecting himself. I then watch him go back to the table where we had just eaten and open a new syringe packet. He brings over the bottle of morphine so I can see. It says Fulton Animal Hospital, MD.

I nod. Dulling the pain will not do any harm.

I then place a kiss on his charred skin, and declare my exhaustion.

I don't know how many hours passed of me pretending to sleep. But I must have eventually fallen asleep, because I'm woken up by suction against my breast. Ed feeding from me. I will my body to stay relaxed, and move an arm around him, in a sort of comfort gesture. I then close my eyes and will myself away from the here and the now. I think of Xoë in her summer yellow dress. Her highly impressive scowl with her pink lips and beautiful sage eyes. Golden brown hair and skin from the sun, tied in two pigtails.

Where does Mulder think I am? What does he think has happened to me?

~xXx~

It's been nine days since I woke up. And I guess, just under, just over or exactly three weeks since the fire. And still no Mulder. Where does he think I am? What does he think has happened to me?

I flick the suds off of my fingers and grab the towel, setting to drying the washing up. Everything has to be washed by hand. Even clothes. I glance at the pile of mine and Ed's on the chair. I've managed to keep his body off of me, and by that I mean, inside me. But I have had to do and let him do other things that I would rather soon forget.

I turn around, towards the window stationed high on the caravan. Away from prying eyes that will never pass. Moving one of the chairs, I stand on it so that I can admire the scenery. It's a beautiful day outside. The sun sends rays through the tree tops. I expect the birds are in song too. Going on my tip toes looking left, I can see tire tracks going in a southwards direction.

Southwards direction.

Possibly still in the MD area.

I step off the chair, and the cutlery I was polishing falls under the table. Kneeling to pick it up, I decide to move the chair back too.

But my hands feel something inordinary. ...Cool. ...Metallic. It almost feels like a ... Dropping everything out of my hands, I whip the chair over.

It is.

It's a gun.

In fact, it looks like the gun I took from Collins. ... How many shots were left in there? How many did I use...? Not that it would help me because I don't know how many rounds there would have been in the first place.

I look under the underside of the table, before looking under the remaining three chairs. I find a second and third gun underneath them.

Reyes and Jenkins.

He killed them.

He killed all three of them.

But they were trying to kill me.

Are they all three loaded...?

~xXx~

It's dark outside when I here the caravan door open. Ed looks surprised to see me awake. Was I supposed to be asleep? I had woken up groggily? Had he injected me with something? "You were expecting somebody else?" I smile. I guess I could have ran, found something that would have broken the lock. The gun. But where would I run and how long would it have been before Ed would have come back. One thing for sure is that he didn't expect me to be awake and still be here.

"No", he smiles. His arms are full of supplies. I indicate him to pass them to me. He does. "You can unpack that one", he indicates to the brown grocery bag, keeping the other one close to him.

"OK", I smile, and set about unpacking. I can feel his eyes on me. And it really takes everything to keep me from shaking, to keep my hum even and carefree. My back is to him. He could do anything to me. There could be anything in that bag. "You should have told me you were going shopping", I say.

"I bough' you tampons"

"It's not that", I smile, turning to him. "I would have asked you for ingredients so that I could make something more fancy then just packet noodles and soup".

His face drops, and I'm very aware that he has possibly taken that as an insult.

So I turn back and resume unpacking.

"I bough' you som'in else. Som'in ta were this evenin'. For me". And I close my eyes tight.

"What's that?" but I haven't managed to keep the shrillness out of my voice. Still, I turn. He holds up a see through negligee.

I stay quiet.

"Go try it on", throwing it at me.

Is now the time to make my exit? Where are the keys? The door is open. The car is there. The gun is accessible. But where are the keys? I knew I should have just kept the gun on me. I could have shot him, demanded the keys and have been out of here. "OK", I say instead. Making my way to the bathroom. I shut the door, and hesitate whether to lock it. Light illuminates the room. Ed turning it on from outside. I look at me face in the mirror. The bruises are now just red circles, the cut lip just a scar, although I'm still convinced my nose is still broken. As my hip, rib, and something has to be wrong with my knee. I just can't feel it because he keeps dousing me with morphine. Ed, however has healed at an impressive rate, his skin returning to white and tight on his face. It now feels like leather against my skin.

I quickly get out of Ed's clothes and put on what he has bought me.

~xXx~

Re-assessing the situation when I emerge out of the bathroom, I'm glad that I worked quickly. The caravan door is still open. The keys are on the table, and Ed is on all fours, looking underneath the chairs. I presume to check that the guns are still there. They are, of course. But he doesn't know which one is loaded with all the bullets. He does have the right one coincidentally. The one closest to the bed.

He looks up at me immediately however, and I realise, I could loose control of the situation again if I don't play my cards right.

Walking purposefully into the room, he looks torn between standing up and reaching for the gun.

"Cat got your tongue?" I say playfully, and it does the trick. His eyes averting to admire his purchase.

I throw his clothes at him. "What are you on the floor for silly? Your keys are right her on the table", picking them up. There are two keys. One must be for the car and one must be for this caravan.

Run! Go now, Scully. You have the keys, forget the gun! Mulder! Finally after three weeks, speaks to me.

Ed throws the clothes off his face. "Give me der keys, Dana", and I smile teasingly at him, pretending that I don't hear the very clear threat in his voice.

I shake my head, "no you are going to have to get them first". I had originally thought the bed, but he is too close to it. He could easily overpower me. So I instead start to walk backwards, slowly. I put my hands and the keys behind my back and perch by the door to the bathroom. Waiting for him.

Standing up, he knocks the chair over onto it's side and storms towards me.

I continue to feign innocence.

"Give me the keys", his breath breathes heavily over me. He's tall, not as tall as Mulder, but still domineering.

Now, Scully. Now!

And I bring my knee up to his groin, harshly. He crumples in two and I push him into the bathroom. Then quickly run to the chair and rip the gun off. I risk a look at him when I'm about to make my way to the door. He's picking himself off the floor. I bolt for the door and lock it. I doubt it will hold long, so I quickly race to the driver's side of the car, locking it. At first I'm confused when I don't feel a steering wheel. But then I realise it's European. Scooching to the other side. I can hear banging on the caravan door as he attempts to break it down. I don't doubt that he could.

I fumble with the keys, missing the hole.

Calm, Dana. Calm. The. Fuck. Down. That's me.

The engine ignites. I put down the peddle. But it doesn't go! Of course! It's fucking stick shift! God fucking Europeans! Why can't they make anything fucking easy?!

I fumble for the overhead light. It's so fucking dark out here!

Scully, calm down. The Tank is stick shift. You know how to drive stick shift.

Mulder is right, I do. And that revelation couldn't come any quicker, as the caravan door opens with a heavy crash and Ed stumbles out of it.

DRIVE!

~xXx~

The car lurches forward and I quickly move to the fourth gear. I almost drive into a tree though, so slow down because I don't have my contacts in and it is still dark as fuck. Jesus Fucking Christ. Just how far away from civilisation has he taken us.

I don't know how long I have been driving, over five minutes, when I start to see some kind of light far off. Street lights.

OK, Dana. Almos-

There is a loud knock behind me and I jump out of my skin. I don't turn around. I know it has to be Ed trying to break the window, and I reach over for the gun. The car is a truck. I just have to hope the glass holds.

...

We are maybe two hundred yards from what I can see is a road when the glass behind me breaks. And lifting up the lock, keeping my foot on the accelerator, I head towards the tree in front of us. Opening the driver's door and jumping out in the last minute. I don't look back to see if Ed jumped out or not, gun in my hand, I run towards the road.

...

I'm about a hundred or fifty yards from the road when I realise that Ed must have survived the wreck fine, because I can hear fast footsteps behind me.

A new problem arises however, what happens when I actually get to the road, as I have yet to see - a car just passed. And I put everything into the final run. I'm cold. Shivering. I ache all over. I'm barefoot. I trip almost every ten yards, but I can't give up now. I'm too close.

...

I'm climbing up the steep incline to the road, when I slip, all the way to the bottom. The foliage and bits of rock and wood, rip all the way down my skin. But I don't have time to ponder. I re-climb. I'm nearing the top and I can see a car coming, when something locks around my ankle, pulling me down.

"No!" I scream, and I turn my gun downwards, firing a few shots directly below me.

The lock is no longer on my ankle and I attempt my climb again.

"Dana, no!" Ed.

But I've managed to push myself onto the road.

It's deadly quiet.

I huff. Puffing.

Car.

I need a car.

I can hear Ed still scrambling behind me, and start to hobble further up the road.

He can run faster than I can. And I shoot a few more shots in his direction, all they do is slow him down.

How many have I fired? How many do I have left?

I see a car coming from the opposite direction and I run into the middle of the road to meet it.

ThankGodThankGodThankGodTha-

- I stop dead half way across. Tyre screeching behind me and a heavy thud.

I turn, slowly.

Ed lies collapsed on the tarmac. Still.

Neither one of us noticed the car behind us.

~xXx~

Sunday 8th September
one year later ...
Oxford, England
Our Home
23:53

They call Mulder a whistleblower. He, Byers, Doggett, Langley, Frohike and Adam went public a week after not hearing anything of me, and they have been stuck in the Costa Rican embassy in NYC since because the US Department of Justice want them for crimes against their country; violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of government property. The possibility of Ed kidnapping me was eliminated because, along with Reyes', Jenkins' and Collins', they had found Ed's teeth in the ash that was left of the Mulder Mansion, and assumed that he had also been a victim. With my text only adding fuel to the fire, Mulder had publicly accused - in a widely broadcasted and now infamous speech - the government of kidnapping his girlfriend, the mother of his children, because of the information he knew. Whether Mulder and the others are heroes or traitors to the country, is something that is still being widely debated in-state and out, and will continue to be I'm sure for a long time.

There are over 1000 cases for 'super soldier' children in the US, and there are rumours that it might be happening in a few countries in Europe too. A year on and it continues to cause absolute chaos at home. Because although all of the research labs have been destroyed, all it takes is a simple blood test. Like Mulder says, blood never lies. Families who have gone through IVF, DNA are not matching, and like Mulder also says, in some cases they could be anyone's child. Anyone a mother. Anyone a father. Municipal law on surrogacy is currently being debated in congress. Everyday, there are at least 300 people or so on the street outside the embassy protesting for them to be pardoned of their sentence. Where is the justice for the families, for the children, for the men and women who have had their reproductive rights sold without their consent. Really, it is inspirational to watch. It makes me wish that I could be there. Right at the very front. But ... here with the children is where Mulder wants me to be. It's where I have to be. I know, it's just ...

There was a programme on about it this evening. Adam headed it. Doggett and Mulder had their faces blacked out and their voices altered. When Adam first spoke, a caption in the corner read:

'Does he look like your child? Chances are, he's the father'.

Adam explained that the children who's DNA was solely of him and Eve - Samantha, we're the ones more likely to have specific needs or inhuman capabilities. They were more likely to be 6/7 years and up. The most severe and fatal cases being those born pre-2008. It made me think of Polly Turner in Amma Bay, and how everyone had called her witch. For those children, there was not a high expectancy rate to make it past adolescence. That made me think of Arek. Post 2008. Children more likely had a third host, like Xoë and Yvo, and were more likely to just have extraordinary intelligence and/or strength. And Adam insisted that the children who fell into that bracket would need regular vaccinations for the rest of their life, or the circumstances would be fatal. I turned it off after twenty minutes and went up to bed, having heard it all a hundred times before.

...

The alarm on Xoë's watch goes off and I grab her wrist to silence it.

It's too late though, I can feel her stir. I bring her in closer to me and breathe her in.

"Dana?"

"Happy Birthday, Baby", I say, kissing her forehead.

"Are you OK?"

"Yep", stroking her hair, "I just wanted to be here when you woke up. Is that OK?"

She nods. "Can we call Daddy?"

"It's only 8:00pm in the US. So not technically your birthday".

"And we weren't born until like three in the morning"

"Mm Hm, there is that too. Let's go back to sleep. We'll call him in the morning".

"OK", and she snuggles up closer to me.

The children and Mrs Mulder had been relocated to England when Mulder had come out public. It was deemed unsafe to keep them in the US. The pets went with them. I joined them as soon as I was deemed fit to fly. I had been right. Having a broken nose, flying rib and left coxal. The children, pets and I moved into this house April this year. We were residing in London but I chose Oxford because of what Mrs Mulder said about it being the place when she last saw Mulder truly happy, and hopefully ... one day... somehow, he will be able to escape his incarceration and join us. I bought it straight out. No mortgage, nothing. I remember when I'd first landed in London last year, I thought I had read my statement incorrectly, that my eyes had added too many zeros. Then Mrs Mulder explained that all of Mulder's, her's, Diana's and Mr Mulder's accounts had been transferred into mine, for fear that it would be seized by the government. All of their property been sold for fear of repossession, the assets again going into my name. Then came the insurance money from the Mulder Mansion. I think I may make it on Forbes rich list this year.

Who was it that started the fire? Reyes or Ed?

I wonder if that question will ever stop plaguing me. Had I been overacting? Eddie Van Blundht had turned out to just be a douchebag janitor that swapped specimens with his own. Did I cause the unnecessary deaths of Reyes, Collins and Jenkins. Do I have their blood on my hands? Where they their for my protection or were they planning on killing me? I will never know.

Xoë moves, burying her nose in my hair and sighs.

There was something to be said for having an unlimited budget. When we first viewed this house. The first thing I asked was about the basement. And when the realtor said it didn't have a functional basement because of the water table. I flat out bought it, right there and then.

~xYx~

~xYx~ ~xYx~ ~xYx~

~xYx~

Tuesday May 31st 2016
Two years and almost ten months since I last saw my family...
Oxford, England
Her house
00:01

It's raining. It was raining in London when I landed. And it's still raining here in Oxford. Rain. If it is one thing that the English are famous for. It's supposed to be summer, but the weather all day has been overcast and rain. I spent hours in a coffee shop just watching it while I planned my next move, how to do this. I didn't tell her I was coming. I didn't tell anyone I was coming. I was expecting to get stopped as soon as I emerged out of the embassy. I was sure one of the many camera men or film crew were going to have a gun. I was still expecting to be stopped when I boarded the plane at JFK. I was waiting for someone to jump out and pull a gun on me all through the plane ride, for the pilot to announce that there was engine failure. Needless to say I had certainty again when I landed, and then through immigration that I would at the very least have my passport taken away from me.

When I reached outside of Heathrow Airport, with just a small duffle bag in my hand. I took a breath of that sweet sooty London air.

It was freedom. It was last month that the Court ruled that our charges be dropped, but it hadn't felt like freedom until then.

Then I ran for my coach that would take me to Oxford. To my girlfriend and my children.

All the bus ride there, I had wondered why. Why had she chosen there?

Getting of the coach, my steps felt familiar. They felt at ease. Steps of promise. I was 17 again. But still I was certain someone would come. So I found a coffee shop and waited. But noone came.

I didn't have their addresses written down, it was memorised in my head from when Skinner told me before I went through Departures in JFK.

I went to my mother's first, who was residing a little outside Oxford's city centre. It felt like something a son should do. I stayed an hour before she begrudgingly let me go.

And now, I'm outside her red door, at midnight. With the rain streaming off my sleek wet hair. My mother had given me an umbrella. But I like the feel of the rain. I have watched it from behind a window for too long. I knock lightly on the door. The kids will be asleep. ...She will most likely be asleep.

I make my way down the stairs backwards.

Maybe I should fi-

- but then the door opens.

And there she is.

She is there.

She smiles at me, leaning her tiny frame against the door. I have to say I'm relieved that I don't find a bump. Or another man's arms around her. An almost three years is a long time for a woman like her to wait for a crackpot like me.

"I've been waiting on the bottom of the stairs all evening for you to knock on my door", she scolds.

And I smile.

...

I could watch her ass ride me all day. She has a perfect ass. So round. Not muscly. It moves perfectly in your hands. And well, slapable. Her two dimples that frame her tattoo are perfect too.

I've already come in her twice, so I'm letting her take her sweet time. Give me all she has, and take everything I have.

I give a cheek a squeeze. Fuck, it cups perfectly in my hand.

"Mmmm, Mulder", she croons, leaning her head back. Showing me her low lustful eyes. She bites her blood red lips, and speeds up the gyration of her hips. Her eyes rolling back, and I have to support her with a hand to stop her from falling.

She's perfect - She's still perfect. But fuck the first time I met her, when she stumbled into my room, was she perfect. So pure. So innocent. So clueless. The saddest thing that had happened to her was her parents had stopped funding her studies because she had been screwing a teacher. She hadn't known any other heartache other than that. It turned me on. I had to have her. There was no way I wasn't going to have her.

She starts whimpering again. Another orgasm is about to hit her. She calls my name in a plead. And I sit up so she can use my back as a rest, one of my hands coming to tweek a perfectly fluffy dark nipple, the other finding her clit and strumming it while a rock my hips into hers. I'm all too happy to her assist her. I have been dreaming about this night for the last two years and nine months.

...

06:07

She's fallen asleep on top of me. Her grip on me is like a vice. I had tried getting up earlier, but she grumbled and dug her nails into me. But it's light outside now, and I heard tiny footsteps and the bedroom door open. A little face poke in, and then run away.

"Dana", I whisper, shaking her.

"No, you're not leaving", she mumbles, her lips in an adorable pout and she digs her nails again. Her hair is curly and tussled over her face. She's dyed it brown. I have been playing with it whilst she slept.

"The kids are waking up".

She sighs. And rolls off me. "It's your turn", she says, and then snorts.

Yes, I have a fair few nights and mornings to catch up on.

I'm pulling on my boxers when I hear hurried louder feet, and have only pulled them to my hips when I get body slammed back on the bed.

Dana groans, her back having cushioned my head.

"DADDY!" and it is the sweetest noise I have and will ever hear.

...

Me and the kids relocated downstairs after I told them that I didn't think their mummy - that is what they called her - was going to be getting up anytime soon. I wondered whether she would even be able to walk.

I made pancakes and the twins chatted non stop by my side, bouncing off the other. My seven year old twins. They have both grown height ways, and have lost their roundness in their faces and in their limbs. Theodore, who is standing next to his sister, keeps hiding his face in her back whenever I make eye contact with him. He looks so much like Dana.

It is not until we are finishing the last few remnants on our plates that I hear Dana's footsteps plod down the stairs. And I turn away from Yvo, eager to see her face again.

"Good morning", she greets.

The children chorus morning mum in reply. Apart from Theodore who says Mummy and I turn to smile at him. He smiles bashfully at me, reminding me of Yvo when he was that age.

"Well isn't this a picture", she says over me with Queequeg in my lap and Yappi at my feet.

"They're happy that the ham giver-er has returned. No more tof-"

I feel her arms around me and then her hand not so delicately pulls my chin in her direction, and then her lips are on me, taking the wind out of me. I can hear all three children giggling. Xoë eventually mimicking throwing up.

"Get a room", Yvo.

When did I become old enough to have a child say those words to me?

Even the cat is put out by our kissing and jumps off of me with an annoyed growl.

"Dana", breaking our kiss, but she carries on pecking my lips. "Dana", again, laughing.

"Not yet", she breathes between kisses, and sinks down into my lap to deepen our kiss even more. "Good morning", capturing one last kiss.

"Hungry?"

"Famished", she says, getting up. She's used my shirt as a dressing gown. Needless to say, it looks fabulous on her. "I want Eggs a la Mulder", and she gives the twins their good morning kisses. Before lifting Theodore out of his chair and sitting him on her. "Is that Daddy?" she excites.

And Theodore nods, moving excitedly in her lap. She places a few kisses on his forehead. She then gets lost for a moment, before lifting her gaze, catching me out.

She smiles and then stands up with Theodore, walking towards me. She places him in my arms, and I think that I might start crying because the last time I held him, he was one years old and he was crying for her and her milk. Instead I hug him, tightly. Vowing to never let him go again. He places a kiss on my cheek and I have to turn around so that the twins don't see my crying. He is perfect.

I feel Dana rub a hand against my back. "Theodore, why don't you show Daddy your room", she says, and I hear the twins chairs screech behind me, and they are by my side in the next second, shouting over one another.

"Ah", Dana. "I said Theodore. You both are on washing up duty".

They groan in protest and I take that as our queue to leave.

"But mum", Yvo. I stop and watch them by the door. He leans against her like he has always done. And she hides her hand in his enormous curls like she has always done and ruffles them. Giving him a kiss on his forehead. "Give them time, Bub. I'll book both you and Xo's off school as sick this week".

I scoff, making my way up the stairs with a smile so wide it hurts. Nothing has changed.

...

It's still raining when Theodore and I make our way back downstairs. Poking my head around the corner, Dana and the twins are watching cartoons. Yvo with his head on her lap and Xoë like a bushbaby on it's mother's back, while she watches over Dana's shoulder. I see Scully forwent the eggs for sugary cereals. Typical her too.

"Mummmmmmmmy", Theodore sings, as he runs into the room. I stand and watch to see where he fits in the puzzle.

Nestled in her side.

"Did you show Daddy your room?"

He nods.

"Where-", she turns her head to look for me and raises her eyebrow at me staring.

I indicate to the sugary cereals and she rolls her eyes.

"Your mother called"

"Of course she did"

"I said you were upstairs spending time with Theodore, but I still think she is on her way over"

"Of course she is", picking up Yvo's legs so I can sit, and like a magnet, all four of them move closer to me or on me.

"Can we take Daddy to see the mummys in the museum?" Xoë.

"No to secret castle!" Theodore in an excited squeeky voice.

"It's a church Theo", the twins drone at the same time.

"It might be a bit too muddy, Munch"

"But we have 'ellies", Theodore remarks.

"You didn't by any chance fit rain boots into that duffle bag of yours?" she asks me amused.

"Well as a matter a fact ... I didn't. Not because I didn't want to. But there is a slight issue of only having a hundred dollars and a fifty pound note to my name".

"Ah, well you need to marry me, Mulder, because I have lots", and I detect how her cheeks colour.

I lean closer to her. "Are you proposing to me?"

She's silent, her big blue eyes staring up at me.

"Well... are you?"

"Do you want me to propose to you?" her cheeks an impossible crimson.

"Mom", Yvo, next to me. "We can't hear the tele".

She pulls her eyes off of me and then reaches for the control and turns off the TV. "There, now you can't see it either. OK, everyone, lets get dressed. Yvo help your brother get dressed".

"You've turned my kids English", when they all three and pets have gone upstairs, and I have her in my arms again. "Tele. Mummy. Mum. Wellies. Theodore showed me his 'bin'.

She rolls her eyes. That's the sixth time she's done it today.

"You know I think I prefer you as my sugar mama than my wife", and she gasps, and hits me hard on my shoulder. I laugh out loud. "Although, maybe I should make an honest woman out of you. Let everyone know you're off limits"

"There's no one else but you, Mulder. There's been no one else", her crystal blue eyes looking at me honest and true. "Besides, it's not like I'm not reminded of you everyday. You've seen how much Yvo looks like you, and Theodore. Xoë reminds me of your dad...", letting the sentence trail off, as she stares sorrowfully at her lap.

"I was just thinking how much the squirt looked like you. He has your eyes, your smile", tracing her forehead with my finger and then her lips, "your colouring too".

"He does, but he goes just as dark as the twins in the summer", she was smiling again, but it reverts back to sorrow. "He'll come round, Theodore you just have to give him time and then you won't be able to keep him off you. He loves you so much"

"I know"

"He's just ..."

"You don't have to explain, I under-"

"No you don't. I, I scared him, Mulder", and her eyes fill with tears. "We, we were picking the twins up from school, maybe a month ago and Theodore he's such a lovely little boy. He will talk and speak to anyone. Everyone. But, I had gone to speak to one of the mothers and when I turned around, he wasn't there", her face creases. Distorting her beautiful face, so I hide it in my hug. "I was so scared, Mulder. I thought someone had taken him. And I scared him. I really scared him. I scared the twins too. And ever since then, he has lost something. He is a lot more cautious. I, I broke him", and she starts bawling into my chest.

"Hey, hey. No you didn't. He's fine", I assure her. "We're all going to be fine".

...

It's later in the evening. Mother has insisted that she sleepover. I saw her suitcase, I think it is for more than a night. She is giving Theodore a bath at the moment and I find Dana and the twins again on the sofa. No TV on, both of them in her embrace. She is asleep and the twins just lay silently on her. Much like when they were younger. Yappi and Queequeg are asleep, sharing a pet bed in the corner of the room. Never did I think I would see the day when that happened.

"Mom gives the best hugs, eh?" I announce, walking further into the room.

They both move their heads in my direction and then nod. Yvo sitting up and stretching. "What time is it?" looking at his watch. "Xoë", he turns to his twin, "we have to start making dinner".

Xoë still nestled in Dana- her mom - grumbles.

"You don't have to make dinner", I say.

"But I want to make dinner for you", he says, jumping up in the air, and then waltzes over to the fridge, moon walking half of the way. He's still Yvo.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"Mum writes a list of what she's going to make for the week. Risotto", he spins to face us. He looked like Michael then. I noticed small traces of Michael throughout the day today. But he looks like me much more. "Do we have a risotto recipe in our cookbook?"

I look at Xoë, who he is clearly talking to. She nods. Smiling at me. Samantha. My sweet, sweet, beautiful sister. How lucky I am to see her in my daughter everyday. "You two are the chefs in the house?"

She shrugs. "It's just basic maths. As long as you follow the instructions. Sometimes me and Yvo do it so Mummy doesn't have to. Theodore most of the time wants to help, but he can't because he is too little, and fire is dangerous. He isn't special like Yvo and I".

I nod, wondering how much it is Dana has told them.

I spy the gold necklace around her neck and smile. I thumb it and she smiles back at me. "I'm going to help, Yvo", she whispers. I nod and follow her. Watch her hand Yvo an apron, and they both set to work with the cookbook. Going through all those cases, and seeing them now, I realise just how lucky we were with Yvo and Xoë. They were one of the good eggs - literally. Their minds are brilliant but not to the extent their body can't control it. Neither is their body a self-destructive machine just waiting to explode. They are relatively normal. And will live a relatively normal life.

Dana mumbles something in her sleep, and I turn back to her.

"What was that?" I whisper.

"You have to kiss her, Daddy", Xoë. "Only true loves kiss will wake her up".

Yvo giggles, "yes, Xoë's right".

I decide to amuse my kids, and lean in to kiss their mom on the lips. Lo and behold, she reacts, opening her eyes and deepening our kiss.

Yvo and Xoë are cackling from the sidelines.

"Must be true love", I mutter.

"What are the chances?"

"What are the chances".

Fin.

Updates: 31.5.16

Edited: 15.6.16