Mulder paled, searching his memory for the answer to the question running through his head. Had Scully touched the snow globe?

"Mulder?"

"Muldy?"

Langly and Byers glanced at one another warily as they saw their friend sink onto the desk. "I need to think," Mulder muttered, closing his eyes, trying to recall the exact chain of events that unfolded that day in early March. He remembered sitting at the secretary in Marita's apartment, sorting through her old mail and bills, while Scully sat on the floor, rummaging through the trunk. After finding the teddy bear, she handed it to him.

He had felt the lump. He had cut open the bear. He had held the snow globe, before sticking it in his backpack.

Scully never touched it, he was certain now, remembering how the musty smell of the box had driven her away from the room. Whether it was allergies, morning sickness, or the flu—or a combination of all three—Mulder didn't care—she had practically run out of the room, unable to cope with the stench.

"When will you know for sure?" Mulder asked.

"We might never know," Langly admitted after a long silence, tapping his right foot. "But we're working on it."

Anger blazed through Mulder's hazel eyes. Uncertainty was his worst enemy. He knew it, as did the Gunmen.

Byers coughed politely before he started speaking, as though he were pre-emptively apologizing for interrupting his friend's brooding. "We've been monitoring the health records of everyone on your flight. No one has been compromised. That includes both of you."

"So you know that Scully is—"

"Congratulations, man," Langly offered.

"And that's why we aren't going to breathe a word about the black oil to her. Or the fact that the snow globe was destroyed."

"May I remind you, Mulder, that the last time you kept something from—" Byers interrupted his friend once more.

"She has more than enough on her mind now. She hasn't been feeling well, she's getting a lot of pressure from her brother, from work, she's worried about the kids taking the news. I'm only telling her what we are absolutely sure of."

"It makes sense to me. Besides, She's immune to the virus. They both are," Langly shrugged. Mulder couldn't tell whether Langly agreed with his point, he was certainly more receptive than Byers.

"Exactly, there is nothing for her to worry about," rationalized Byers. "So you should just tell her the truth."

"We have reason to believe Krycek is sniffing around Marita," Mulder coldly explained. "And there is no way in hell that rat bastard is going anywhere near Scully and the kids, especially now. I'll tell Scully about the snow globe myself, after I have answers."

XXXXXXX

"Are you sure you want to go?" Scully asked. Once again, she felt torn between her responsibilities. She had been putting in extra hours at the office to justify taking the day off, resulting in utter exhaustion.

Mulder couldn't argue with her for reacting skeptically to his offer of visiting Marita in her stead. He had spent the better part of the past two days complaining about his end-of-semester stress, as well as the preparation he needed to undergo for his interview with the department chair search committee.

But he needed to get this over with; it had been weighing over him ever since his meeting with the Gunmen earlier that week.

"You need the break," he reminded her. "You're always using your time off to take care of us, to deal with Marita. Sleep for a couple of hours, and then have a fun afternoon with the kids. I get to do it all the time—take it from me, it's good for the soul."

"Fine." Scully drew a deep breath, finally convinced. "This bag has some light sweaters, which you need to give the nurses to tag. I also put in a few things the physical therapist recommended."

"Is this Will's toy?" Mulder asked while rooting through the contents. He held up a Velcro toss and catch kit.

"Yup. Occupational therapy," she nodded. "In some respects, I think that they should play with each other, at least when's stronger, but Will's been kind of competitive lately, and I think he would forget the meaning of the word gentle."

He half-listened to her other instructions; after all, the only thing he had to remember was to pick up the clinical progress notes that listed any items Marita needed. It didn't occur to him that he hadn't been to visit her there until Scully pulled out a folder from the filing cabinet, rifling through some papers before handing him a sheet. "There are three separate facilities on the campus, it's kind of a maze. The parking instructions are on the back."

She hadn't been joking. Mulder felt the onrush of a migraine by the time he reached the reception area to Marita's building. After commiserating with the front desk manager, he received a visitor's badge, and patiently listened to her rambling directions to Marita's room. "Thanks," he said. "I don't know whether you would be able to help me with this, but someone on your staff informed my wife—the patient's sister—that somebody named Alex was trying to get through to Marita."

A few moments later, Mulder was introduced to a supervisor. "It's funny you should mention that, because we met Alex yesterday. What a lovely friend."

Mulder's eyes sharpened, and he felt pressure build in his chest. "Was he a bit shorter than me, dark hair—"

"No," the manager responded, confused. "Alex is a she. Tall with dark hair though."

Mulder could only hope his bewilderment came off as bumbling, yet charming. "So that certainly explains why we couldn't figure out who he was."

"We couldn't let her see Marita, of course, because she wasn't on the list. But she dropped off a beautiful flower arrangement, which was quite sweet of her. She said that she is a colleague of Marita's, and she didn't want to intrude on the family. Let me bring you to Marita. She's in the day room. Oh, and I see you brought some things for her too?"

"My wife has some sweaters and some items the physical therapist recommended."

"I'll take those to get them tagged, and then I'll drop them in her room. Now that she's stronger, we're trying to keep her more active. Do you mind visiting with her there, instead of in her room? If you need privacy I'm sure we could—"

"The day room is great," Mulder assured her; after all, he did not have the best track record in being left alone with her.

Mulder didn't know quite how to describe Marita's presence. She was sitting upright in an armchair, but looked to be in some degree of pain. She was squeezing a rubber ball, a skill for which the patient manager complimented her. "Every little bit helps," she cheerfully remarked before excusing herself.

Sitting down on the couch opposite his sister-in-law, Mulder almost felt guilty for the anger he held against her. She looked frail and broken; to most people, she would inspire sympathy, not rage. He had intended to apologize to her—even though he would be lying through his teeth—for having taken the snow globe. For the past week, he had listened to Scully explain her moral crisis for having gone through Marita's things in the first place, even though they had the best of intentions in taking that step. So, while he was well versed in the whys and the hows and the apologies, he was devoid of any feeling behind those emotions whatsoever. But that didn't matter; his job was to convey Scully's articulations on the subject.

He swallowed hard. After making Scully's apologies for not being there herself, he sat back, unsure as to how he should preceed with his line of questioning.

"You asked Kyle to mention Alex to me?"

"Yeth." He leaned forward; it was difficult to understand her lisp.

"Was it about the snow globe?"

"Yeth."

"Is the snow globe an insurance policy of some kind?"

"Yeth."

Mulder rubbed his palms together. They were both coated with sweat. "If I tell you that the snow globe is in a place where no one could access it, would that keep my family safe?" Not wanting to sound completely self-serving, he quickly added, "And you?"

"Yeth."

"They told me Alex is a woman, and she brought you flowers yesterday. Is it highly probable, Marita, that she works with Krycek?"

Marita trembled. "Yeth."

"Do you think you know who the woman who came here was?"

"Yeth."

"Can you tell me who?"

Marita faltered, looking away from Mulder. He felt like an idiot for having asked a question that required more than a monosyllabic answer. He tried again. "Never mind. Is there any way you can explain to me why you wanted to tell me about Alex, and not Scully?"

He could tell that Marita was becoming frustrated with her limited ability to verbally communicate. She fidgeted in her seat and slowly drew up her arm, pointing at his chest. "Am. Amth."

"Samantha?" Mulder whispered. At least that part made sense; Marita always refused to talked shop with Scully. "Keeping this snow globe inaccessible…will that keep Samantha safe too?"

After a beat, Marita nodded.

"Listen to me, Marita, it's like it never existed, okay? Does that make you feel better? Less anxious?"

"Yeth." A smile broke across her face.

At least in the short-term, Mulder thought, the ends would justify the means. He would need to re-assess the situation later, of course, after Marita would be better able to communicate, but for now, everyone was safe. His feelings were confirmed when one of the nurses had joined them, needing to take Marita to her physical therapy appointment in the other wing of the building. "I don't think I've ever seen her smile like this," the nurse commented. "Family visits are the best medicine."

XXXXXX

Ethically speaking, Mulder knew he was skating on very thin ice. But the way he saw it, since nothing about their family's security had changed, there was no reason to reveal everything to Scully. That evening, after explaining that Marita was satisfied with the knowledge the snow globe was in a secure location, he reported, "The mysterious Alex has surfaced. A woman dropped off flowers for Marita. Told the staff they worked together."

"Do you believe that?" Scully asked with a furrowed brow. She began to rub the back of her neck; she had been stiff all day.

Mulder tipped back his chair. "Not really," he admitted. "Even if it were one of Krycek's cronies, they don't know anything more than they used to. I'm sure it's in their best interest for Marita to continue to progress well. She must have some knowledge they need."

"I looked through the progress notes you brought back," Scully sighed. "I can't imagine how frustrating it is for her to not be able to communicate. The neurologist thinks it's going to be a long road before she can string together sentences. A few months, at least. Did she talk at all?"

"She could answer yes or no questions. She attempted to say a couple of words, but it was hard to understand," he responded, relieved that his statement was truthful.

"Once she does become verbal—Mulder—do you think we'll have to move her to a secure location? They might want her to talk, but they also might not want her to talk too much."

That was an excellent point, Mulder silently conceded. "I can set up a meeting with Eli Westberg, her INTERPOL handler. There's still a small chance that this Alex person has something to do with the case she was working."

"I know this sounds terrible, but I think we should keep this from Charlie," Scully stated, conflicted. "I don't want to lie to him, but I think it's better for him and Karen. They don't need to get caught up in this, and I know Marita wouldn't want them to be. After all, how many times has she refused to answer Charlie's questions over the years?"

Mulder bit on his lip. "I agree," he quietly said after a moment. "But if you ever change your mind, I'll support you. It's a complicated situation, Scully. And as terrible as it is, it can't take over our entire lives. We have no control over Marita's progress. We found her an excellent care facility, and you're making sure her clinicians are paying attention. You're a good sister." Even though it wasn't an apples to apple comparison, Mulder felt a tiny bit less hypocritical.

Scully drew a deep breath. "I couldn't do it for Melissa. It was too late," she reminisced. She looked up at her partner. "And I know you would do the same for Samantha."

XXXXXX

Mulder became intrigued seconds after asking his thrice yearly question—What would you like for your birthday/Mother's Day/Christmas—and heard Scully hesitate in response. Usually her answer was a quick nothing, with a hint of an arched eyebrow. It wasn't the look that most men complained about, the one that meant jewellery or a high-end handbag. If anything, Scully bemoaned the expense of some of his purchases; his wealth never stood a chance against her frugal upbringing. Her furrowed brow signaled she didn't want to deal with the awkwardness of unwrapping a useless item that she would be too polite to immediately return.

Instead, Scully looked forward to the sloppy, sticky construction paper cards, messy tissue paper bouquets, and coupon books redeemable for hugs and chores. She kept them all in a box on her closet shelf, and Mulder knew that she would never think of throwing any of them away; to her, they were all treasures.

So, when Scully failed to immediately dismiss his question, Mulder stood at attention, dropping the mail onto the counter, disbelief in his eyes.

In turn, Scully felt taken aback by his reaction, not having expected to provoke a response usually reserved for little grey men, sea serpents, and the contents encased in the abandoned Tupperware in the depths of the refrigerator. He had been caught up in his end-of-the-semester slump, wildly vacillating between moody and hyper. They must have turned the corner, she thought; amid the sheen of stress, the Mulder she knew and loved was finally peeking through.

"What is it?" Mulder asked, impatient and gleeful. He could feel his lips stretch into an involuntary grin; he couldn't imagine ever denying a request from his partner, which made her hesitancy all the more amusing.

Scully chewed the inside of her cheeks, and began to slightly rock back and forth. With everything going on—planning Kyle's birthday party, dealing with Marita, wrangling the kids—she had been certain Mulder wouldn't have remembered to ask. "A blender."

He burst out laughing. It took everything he could to resist the temptation to tell her she was adorable, not wanting to risk the wrath of his partner that would result from saying aloud the a word (which she firmly believed was reserved for dogs and the under-five set). "Seriously?"

"What's so funny about it?" she asked, a tad defensive. Her blue eyes flared with indignation.

Mulder walked over to her, bending down to kiss her as a way of groveling. "It's not funny, it's just, well, if you wanted a blender why don't you just get one? I mean, this is a Mother's Day gift. I don't want your gift to be a Happy Mother's Day, cook for me with this thing. We can get a blender, Scully. I'll go to—well, wherever they sell blenders—tonight even."

"No, Mulder," she closed her eyes for a second, drawing a deep breath, before looking back up at him. "It's kind of an expensive blender. Well, blender and food processor."

"You know money isn't an issue."

"I just couldn't really justify it before now," Scully floundered. It had all made sense in her head, but now, as she described her feelings out loud, her thoughts sounded disjointed. She lowered her voice. "A nicer blender would be helpful for making those smoothies my doctor suggested, and down the line, for making baby food and—"

He felt like a jerk. "I get it," he said, his voice sobering. She didn't want to jinx anything until she hit the reached the second trimester of her pregnancy, which was still a few weeks away. "I didn't mean to make fun of you, Scully. You don't usually ask for things like this, and I kind of got carried away."

"I know," she sighed, not wanting to play the part of a stereotypical hormonally imbalanced pregnant woman. "I'm all over the place today."

"I'll take care of this." His voice sounded a little brighter, and Scully saw a familiar glint return to his eyes. "It's a good problem to have. It means the baby's strong. Just leave it to me, Scully."

"No," she warned him. "Mulder, I know exactly what I'm looking for, it's—"

"No, Scully," Mulder smiled. "I know you, and I know you picked something practical. I'm going to do my homework, and I'm going to make sure that we give you the one you deserve."

"Mulder, the catalogue is on the desk in the office, and—"

He shook his head. "Not falling for it, Scully. You shouldn't have to pick out your own Mother's Day gift. We are going to do it for you. I'm not going to look at that catalogue. In fact, I'm shredding it, sight unseen."

"So why did you ask me what I want?" she asked, becoming more heated as she followed him down the hall and into his office.

"Because it's the polite thing to do," Mulder backtracked, distracted by the mess on his desk. "A mere formality."

He began to root through the pile of final papers he was in the middle of grading, and at the bottom of the mess were the catalogue, along with file folders neatly marked Summer Camp and Bills.

"Mulder. You have a ton of stuff going on with your papers and interview. You'll make this a lot easier if—"

"I need a fun project. That always helps me keep going." He brushed past her to plug in the shredder, trying to press the catalogue through the slit before realizing it was too thick. He then began to rip pages out, feeding it into the machine. "You know I never take the easy way out."

"I can't argue with that."

Scully sighed, annoyed with Mulder and with herself, realizing she should have just followed the little voice in her head that told her to just order the damn blender. It would have been easier that way, she mused, even if she had to return whatever product Mulder purchased.

XXXXX

When Kyle asked for a ride to the mall to meet his friends, Mulder was more than happy to oblige, taking advantage of the opportunity to treat the younger boys to the new Star Wars movie and to pick up the blender. It was third straight day of rain, and the kids were beginning to become stir-crazy. Scully wasn't feeling particularly well, even if she refused to admit it, so a few hours with everyone out of the house were in order.

"Remember, you don't know me," Kyle warned his brothers when they split up. "If you see me, don't say hi."

"Until you need a ride home," pointed out Mulder. "This means you are also forfeiting all opportunities for food, drink, and money. We'll meet you back here at five."

While he thought the new Star Wars installment paled in comparison with the original trilogy, the boys, especially Will, were more than excited about it. They had not even exited the theater before Will asked if they could see it again. While Mulder didn't think he could stomach a second viewing, he was relatively certain that Scully would be up for taking the boys. He and his partner were both Star Wars fans, and funnily enough, she was more open minded about its expanded universe than he. "Maybe, Obi Will Kenobi. Mommy hasn't seen it yet"

"Can we go to the toy store?" Nathan asked.

"We need to pick out Mommy's Mother's Day present first," Mulder reminded him. He had not managed to pick anything up since he had asked Scully if she had wanted anything; he had been preoccupied with wrapping up the spring semester and preparing for his pursuit of the open department chair position. Stubbornly, he didn't want to admit—to either his partner or himself—that he was over-extended. He had a few truths to admit to himself about why he was so insistent on going this alone; excitement over her pregnancy, first and foremost, but he also knew that he was possibly over compensating for remaining silent on the destruction of the snow globe.

"Mommy likes puzzles. And Star Wars." The boys were quite adept at anticipating arguments against their requests, and Mulder thought that Kersh could learn a thing or two from them, especially when they were particularly stubborn.

"Nice try, monkey, but Mommy said she wants a blender, so we have to go to the boring store."

Even Mulder dragged his feet as they slowly approached Crate & Barrel, second guessing himself when he saw the fragile items sitting in the window display. "We need to be careful, guys," he reminded his sons as they entered the store. "No pushing, shoving or running."

The kitchen section was relatively crowded, with wedding, graduation, and Mother's Day season approaching. As they made their way through clumps of shoppers, Mulder heard snippets of conversation about registry items and return policies. "This is boring!" Will tugged his shirt. "I wanna go to the toy store."

"No picking your nose, bullfrog," Mulder told his youngest son, who immediately wiped his sticky finger on his father's jeans. "And the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can have fun."

"I just remembered, Daddy. Mommy likes the toy store better," repeated Nathan. "She told me."

"Yeah!" agreed Will.

They pushed their way to a counter filled with blenders, each one looking more complicated than the last. A bead of sweat formed on Mulder's brow upon the realization that he should have looked at Scully's catalogue before shredding it. That particular move had been rather dramatic, even for him.

"We need to get this one," Nathan pointed to a white squared contraption.

Mulder took a step closer, inspecting the tag. "That's an ice cream maker, monkey. Mommy said she wants a blender thing. Or maybe it was a food processor. Will, don't wander off, get over here. And don't touch that shelf."

"Ice cream is food. Good food."

"But if we got that, Mommy would just trick us and make that soy tofu ice cream which is disgusting." Mulder felt a twinge of guilt for throwing his partner under the bus, but he needed to keep the kids' attention.

Both boys scrunched up their noses. "Eew," Will chimed. "I don't like it."

"Don't get it, Daddy," Nathan backtracked.

He wasn't sure whether they were causing a commotion, or if the sales associate just spotted an easy sale, but they were now in the company of an eager employee. "Hi, I'm Andi. What are you looking for today?" she said with a wide smile.

"We're looking for a blender, I think," Mulder sighed. "Or maybe a food processor."

"Those are two separate appliances." Mulder could see that the sales clerk suddenly realized she now had the upper hand, and he knew right then and there that their errand was going to take more time than he anticipated.

"My wife was looking at a model that did both." Mulder threw the proverbial gauntlet.

"But there isn't one that does both."

"There has to be. There was a catalogue—"

Andi drew a deep breath. "What do you need the blender to do?"

"Make smoothies." Mulder felt his confidence grow.

"Make cookies," Will piped up.

"You can make cookies with a mixer, and make smoothies with a blender," the sales clerk informed them smugly. "Would you be interested in both those devices?"

"We don't need it to make cookies," interrupted Mulder.

"But—" Will was hopping up and down.

"Will, store cookies are better, right?" Mulder said to him, gently pressing his shoulders so he would stop jumping. "Mommy can't make Oreos."

"Do you make smoothies with frozen fruit or fresh fruit and ice?"

"Both."

"If you need to crush ice, I would suggest that you get this model." Andi pointed to the most expensive blender on display.

"Sold."

"Great. We can have it shipped to your home, or you can pick it up in-store."

"We'll take it today."

"It will be shipped directly from our warehouse. We don't carry this model in-store."

"So why is it on display?"

"We want our customers to be able to look at it in-person. It's a popular model for gift registries, so most purchasers prefer not to buy it in-store, and opt to have it shipped to the recipients directly."

Mulder thought for a moment. Despite her protests to the contrary, Scully couldn't handle surprises—a trait their sons inherited—so having a wrapped box arrive in the mail would drive everyone crazy. He could picture the kids opening it, and then blaming it on the dog. "I can pick it up any time this week," he decided.

"Our estimated delivery time is two to three weeks."

Fuck, Mulder thought; he knew he shouldn't have procrastinated. "We need it before Mother's Day. This is really important."

"This is our busiest time of the year," Andi clucked with a condescending smile.

Stalemate.

Until Will burst into tears. "Mommy needs a present," he said, his voice muffled between sobs. "Or she'll be sad."

Andi waivered. "Our competitors tend to have a wider range of high-end appliances in stock."

"In this mall?"

With a tight-lipped expression, she nodded, barely acknowledging Mulder's thanks as he ushered the kids out of the store.

Once they entered the concourse, Will looked up at his father with a smile. "Did I do a good job, Daddy?"

"A very good job, bullfrog." His only tip-off that his son's cries were in fact crocodile tears was his clear speech—usually Will was barely audible when he was truly upset.

"I'm hungry," Nathan whined.

"Me too."

Mulder held up a finger, turning away from his sons to ask a grandmotherly type woman exiting Crate & Barrel whether she knew the competing store the salesperson mentioned. "You want to go to Williams-Sonoma," she clucked, giving a complicated set of directions. "You men always leave the shopping to the last minute, huh?"

"It's part of our charm," Mulder muttered. "Thanks."

As they wandered towards the food court, Mulder expected to run into Kyle and his friends, but there was no sight of the teenagers while they stood in line for Happy Meals. After scarfing down chicken nuggets and fries, the trio consulted the nearest directory map and Mulder led them towards another boring store.

It was more crowded than the other, and Mulder could not fault the boys for becoming antsy; he too was dreading their next shopping encounter. "I want to go to the toy store," Nathan reminded him.

"You promised," Will added.

"I know, guys, but we're almost done, I promise. We just need to find someone to help us find Mommy's present."

"I'll help," Will shrugged, fearlessly approaching the most grandmotherly of the sales associates stationed by the shop entrance.

Mulder watched his five-year-old son solemnly look up and sweetly ask, "My mommy needs a blender that makes cookies."

He cringed, hoping that Will's assessment of their situation would not send them into another dead-end tailspin of a conversation. To his amazement, the sales associate looked right at Will and said, "I think I know just the thing."

XXXXX

Mulder was proud of Will; usually he was shyer than his brothers, but over the past few months, ever since his entry into kindergarten, he had become bolder. Nathan was still the talker of the pair, but Will was more apt to share his opinion now than he had been before his fifth birthday. However, the two brothers certainly shared the ability to sweet talk unsuspecting adults, with the notable exception of their mother.

Dorothy the sales associate certainly knew her audience, Mulder mused as she explained the mechanics behind the blender. While he had entered the store with every intention to leave as soon as possible, he found himself interested in the demonstration. Much to his surprise, the boys were holding onto her every word.

"This is 1.1 horsepower," she explained, patiently repeating herself after Mulder said he thought he misheard. "It's virtually indestructible."

"Wow!" the boys exclaimed.

Hoping they would not take her comment as a challenge, Mulder quickly changed the course of their conversation. "So this would make smoothies?"

"And cookies?" Will repeated.

"It can do both. However, if you are making something with dry ingredients, you would need to use a separate container, which you'll have to buy separately."

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Because the blades are different, and the dry container will knead the dough, so it doesn't become too lumpy," Dorothy exclaimed. Picking up a different container, she continued. "And this one has very sharp blades so it can cut frozen items or vegetables."

"Eeew. Don't get it, Daddy!" Will exclaimed.

"I'll tell you a secret," Dorothy confided. "We use vegetables because we can make them disappear."

"How?" Nathan asked, intrigued.

Dorothy held up an apple, and dropped it into the container. She then turned on the blender, and the boys watched with dropped jaws as the blades destroyed the apple. Thirty seconds later, she poured the mush into a bowl. "So there you go. No apple. That's the horsepower motor for you."

Will and Nathan looked at one another. "Is that 'cuz the horse eats the apple?" Will asked.

"That's one way of looking at it," Dorothy responded, clearly amused by the boys' enthusiasm.

"But where's the horse?"

"Horsepower is a description, Will. There is no real horse. It means that if we were in the olden times, it would take that many horses to do the job. So, one horsepower would mean one horse," Mulder clumsily exclaimed.

"So we get a horse?" Nathan asked.

"A pretend one," Mulder continued, hoping he wasn't digging himself into a hole.

"Like how we got Mommy a star for Christmas?" Nathan asked.

"Exactly, monkey. Good memory."

"What's the horse's name?" Will asked.

"You two will have to think of one," Dorothy interrupted. "That's a very important job, and I'm sure you two will take it seriously. Only if you end up getting the blender, of course. And then you should come back and tell me the name you decided."

As someone checked the stockroom to make sure they had the blender and extra container in stock, Nathan stared at the mushed apple on the counter and asked.

"So if Batman accidentally fell into it, what would happen?"

"Your Batman would be completely destroyed, I'm afraid to say. The blender doesn't know the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. It would be like Batman never existed."

"You wouldn't do that because you take good care of your toys, right, monkey?" Mulder asked.

"Uh-huh." Nathan sounded completely unconvinced.

"Sir, you might want to think about the extended warranty package. If the machine breaks, or the blades to the container break, we'll replace the product, no questions asked," Dorothy suggested. "Accidents do happen."

Mulder nodded, feeling sorry for any husbands, boyfriends, children, nephews, or nieces she might have in her life, as they all must have been the objects of her guilt trips at some point in time. He nearly passed out when he saw the charges listed on the credit card slip, suddenly realizing why Scully had been so cagey when he pressed her about the blender in the first place.

XXXXX

"Thank you for my present, Department Chair Professor Mulder." Scully's voice was throaty and he could barely make out her profile as she straddled him, stretching over his torso. He needed to bend forward to meet her lips for a kiss, which quickly grew to two, and then three. "It was exactly what I wanted."

"Really?"

She simultaneously grounded into his hip and nibbled on his right earlobe. "Uh-huh. So, had you seen the catalogue before you shredded it? It had been sitting on your desk for a week."

He gasped as she lifted herself off him and then quickly dropped back down. "No," he panted. "I did it the hard way. Much like what you are doing now. You know Scully, you're making me regret that I purchased the extended warranty."

"Why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I'll have to wait ten years before you thank me like this again."

"I'll make it worth your while, Mulder. But this isn't really about the gift. We have a lot to celebrate tonight," she reminded him.

That afternoon, shortly after she had opened her present (which somehow the boys had managed to keep a surprise) Mulder had received a phone call from his mentor, letting him know that he had officially been named as his successor as chair of the psychology department.

"Today was a good day for the Mulder family household," Mulder agreed, extending his hand to trace along her stomach.

A pounding at the bedroom door made them both wince. Scully rolled off her partner, rooting around the floor for a t-shirt. "The fact we get interrupted so much makes this pregnancy even more of a miracle than it is," Mulder muttered. He sat up on the bed, placing a pillow on his lap as his Scully unlocked the door.

"What's wrong, bullfrog?" she asked, alarmed by his sad face. "And monkey, you're up too? What's the matter?"

"We forgot to name the horse," Will announced, his lower lip trembling.

"What horse?"

"The horse that came with the blender," supplied Nathan. "We need to name it. Dorothy said it was our job."

Mulder had completely forgotten about their faux equine adoption formalities, and tried to bring his partner up to speed as best he could with two tired children constantly interrupting him. He could tell Scully was doing her best not to burst out laughing, and she managed to promise the boys she would help them select a name the next afternoon with a straight face. But by the time he returned to their bedroom, she was crying tears of laughter. "The fact that you went through all of that—Mulder, it means a lot."

XXXXX

It was one of the rare mornings during which Scully woke first. She had forgotten how well she slept while on the Vineyard, a benefit of the salty air and cool breeze that wafted through the bedroom. Carefully, she turned around so she was facing her lightly snoring partner, watching his chest rise and fall. She pressed a kiss right above his heart, content to lie there watching him.

He looked peaceful.

She heard a bump at the bedroom door, followed by a tentative knock and then a flurry of footsteps as Will ran towards the bed. "Morning, bullfrog," Scully whispered to him as he clambered up to his parents. She kissed the top of his head as he snuggled next to her, warm and sleepy. "I wanna go to the beach," he announced after a few minutes of cuddling.

"Okay, bullfrog," she whispered. "We need to be quiet to let Daddy get some extra sleep, okay?"

After sending Will to his room to get changed, Scully quickly dressed, pulling on a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt. She scrawled a note and put it next to Mulder's pillow, nuzzling his shoulder lightly as she got out of the bed. Right as she turned around, a pair of arms pulled her back, and she felt her partner nip her neck. "Were you up this entire time?" she giggled, his chin scratching her cheek.

"Just a minute or so," he murmured. "But I think I will try to go back to sleep. I certainly didn't get much last night."

He was right—neither of them had. But it didn't matter to her—after a stressful spring, they were finally able to enjoy everything they had to look forward to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just as he had when he was a baby, Will protested upon being slathered in sunblock, whimpering like a wounded puppy. Scully sipped some hot ginger tea as she watched Will carefully choose a couple of toys to bring to the beach. When he pulled out a pair of swimmies from the toy chest, she reminded him once again that it would be too cold to go into the water. "But maybe not, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Why don't we feel the water with our hands first, and then maybe we can try dipping your feet in," she relented. "So pick a sand toy just in case."

They walked down to the beach, Will toting his pail and shovel and tugging on his bucket hat, trying his hardest not to run. Scully laid out an oversized towel for them to sit on before taking Will's hand to investigate the water. He immediately pulled away from her, quickly ripping off his Velcro strap Batman sandals, throwing them behind him as though he only had a few seconds to reach the water.

"Will," Scully warned with a grimace as her son splashed into the water, his face scrunching up at the shock of its freezing temperature.

"It's cold!" he wailed.

Scully shook her head; her son certainly was an optimist, much like his father. "If it's cold, bullfrog, you should get out of the water."

"But I don't wanna."

"Well, if you stay in the water, Willster, you're going to be cold." The five-year-old looked genuinely perplexed, at a complete loss as to what to do. Scully walked back to the blanket and sat down cross-legged, finishing her tea while watching her son splash, warning him whenever he ventured too far from the sand.

He stubbornly stayed in the water, even as his mouth chattered and his fists bunched near his legs, not wanting to admit he was cold. In the early morning light, his hazel eyes looked more green than brown. "Bullfrog, do you want to start building that monster sand castle you were talking about last night?" Scully lightly suggested. "Then we can come back after breakfast with Nathan and Daddy and Kyle."

The corner of Will's mouth quivered ever so slightly. "I'm gonna wait," he announced, splashing his feet around the water.

Looking around their stretch of waterfront, Scully thought about their time on the Vineyard over the years. After that first summer, their trips had been much shorter; usually they spent a week in early July and another in late August. As the kids got older, and school started earlier, their time had been cut back, but last year, they had made it up for Labor Day weekend. They were going to try to make that work again, but with Mulder's semester starting a week earlier than usual, with a lot more responsibility involved, she wasn't sure whether a truncated trip would be worth the effort.

"Mommy do we get ocean swimming at camp?" Will asked.

Scully shook her head. "Pool swimming at camp, bullfrog," she clarified. She sympathized with her son; she too preferred sea salt to chlorine.

He pouted. "I want ocean swimming, Mommy."

"We'll get ocean swimming when we come back in July," she promised. "But we have two more weeks of school, and then you get two weeks home, then we come back here—"

"With Bandit!"

"Yes, with Bandit, bullfrog—and then we get a week here and the rest of summer at camp. You'll have lots of fun all summer long."

"Is Bandit lonely?"

"He's with AJ," reminded Scully. "And AJ loves Bandit, he'll be okay."

"AJ wants a puppy."

"Well, having Bandit visit will be fun for him and his sisters."

"He'll give Bandit back, right?"

"Of course, bullfrog, don't worry about Bandit. We're going to pick him up after we get home on Monday. I'm sure Bandit misses you and your brothers, but he's having fun with AJ and Chloe and baby Lily. AJ's a good friend for taking care of Bandit." Scully was very surprised when Stella and Hank offered to watch the dog for the long weekend. Their kids didn't know it was a trial run of sorts before they made a(nother) final decision on whether to get their own pet.

Will looked at her thoughtfully. "Bandit likes ocean swimming."

"Yes he does," Scully agreed. "Just like you. So, he'll be very excited when we are here."

"Kyle, play in the water with me!"

Scully turned around to see Kyle approach them, kicking off his sandals the same way as Will half an hour earlier. "I figured you guys were down here."

"Is Nathan still asleep?"

"You don't want me to answer that question," Kyle slyly answered as he joined his brother in the water, flinching as soon as that first shock of cold hit him.

Scully rolled her eyes, knowing that meant Nathan was probably in the kitchen, working on an experiment of some sort. A very messy experiment, courtesy of the cursed kitchen experiments book she had purchased several years earlier for her nephew, which was then gifted to Kyle, who passed it down to his younger brothers. Scully always made sure that book stayed in the Vineyard house.

"Watch out!" Will shouted as he began jumping up and down in the water, trying to splash his oldest sibling.

"Don't get me wet," Kyle good naturedly warned his brother, picking him up and turning him upside down.

Will shrieked with glee. "Faster, faster!"

XXXXXXX

"Is that flour all over Nathan?" Scully asked Mulder as he sat behind her.

"Pancake mix. Nathan has a proud history of making messes in that kitchen. It's tradition," Mulder reminded her, pressing a kiss on her right shoulder.

"Did he say why?" Scully asked. Nathan did not always reveal his true intentions with his experiments and spells, but when he did give a reason, it was often far-fetched, and at the very least, amusing.

Mulder chuckled, craning his neck so he could get a better look at his partner's reaction. "Snow."

"Nothing surprises me anymore," Scully shrugged. "I hope he isn't devastated when it doesn't happen."

"I wouldn't rule anything out," Mulder warned her, pulling her closer. "Stranger things have happened. But that's the muggle in you talking, Scully."

"Why am I am the only muggle?" Scully asked him. She had been pondering that piece of information for weeks. "Why is everyone else a wizard except me? Is it because I'm a girl?"

"This really bothers you." Mulder was taken aback by the notion that their light teasing had dug deep under Scully's skin. "It wasn't meant to hurt your feelings. It just is the way it is. But Kyle and Will aren't wizards either. They're squibbs, which are sort of half-wizards. We're not leaving you out."

Scully clamped her mouth shut, staring into the distance.

"Did we hurt your feelings?"

"No," Scully sighed, her gaze still fixed on the water. "It's just…"

"Scully, tell me," Mulder said. "You're not going to hurt me. We need to be honest with one another."

"You have bonds with all three kids—I mean, of course you do, but you have things you do together. You have Harry Potter with Nathan, and you have your weekly basketball team with Kyle, and you and Will have baseball. I just don't have any activities like that to share with them."

"It took me a long time to figure those things out, Scully." His voice was gentle.

"I know, and I'm not jealous. I remember how much spending one-on-one time with my father meant for me growing up, and I'm so happy they have that with you." Once again, she struggled to find the right words. "I guess I'm just upset that I haven't found things yet."

"You are the one who helped me find those things," Mulder reminded her. "Seriously, Scully. You gave me the first Harry Potter book for Christmas. You are the one who reminded me about it when Nathan got on his wizard kick a few months ago. You are the one who signed us up for t-ball last year. You're the one who encouraged me to stick with the pick-up basketball league when we moved."

"You're a little too far out!" she called out to the boys, sitting up. Once she saw Kyle push them closer to shore, she relaxed, falling against Mulder's chest.

"Scully, listen to me," Mulder persisted. He rested his chin on the top of her head, maneuvering his arms around her middle. "You are the one who makes up stories about the animals at the zoo when we're there. When they were younger, you were the one who took them to swim class and library story hour."

"I know, Mulder. Yes, Mulder, when they were younger. I guess I'm just a bit wistful. I'm worried I won't have anything to do with them after the baby is born. I want to make sure that I have quality time with them, especially if they are unsettled."

"We'll figure it out, Scully. They're always getting into new things. But Scully, you need to understand that when you are talking with them, no matter how busy it is, no matter where you are, you make them feel as though they are the most important people in the world. And that's more than something."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The clouds had threatened thunderstorms all day, but the rain held off, leaving the sky overcast. They had spent much of the day at Corellus State Forest, where they participated in a family scavenger hunt. A minor crisis hit when they learned that the scavenger hunt lists were separated by age, with five and six year olds grouped together. "You can be a team," Scully told her sons.

"It's not fair!" Nathan protested. "I'm bigger!"

"I'm a big kid too," Will insisted, shaking his backpack side-to-side. "I wanna do it, just me. I don't want help."

While Scully didn't want to cater to the boys' indignation, her minimum tolerance for whining outweighed the need to teach a life lesson. "I'm on it," Mulder murmured in her ear before she could even speak, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Seconds later, he returned with the scavenger list for seven and eight year olds, waving it in the air.

"But I'm not seven," Nathan complained, fidgeting with the brim of his baseball cap.

"You're six-and-a-half so it's okay," Mulder promised him. "I checked with the park ranger. They round up ages."

Kyle snorted, stifling his laughter when he saw his father glare at him.

Nathan took hold of the paper, looking warily at the sign-up desk before glancing back at his father.

"What do you say to Daddy?" Scully prompted.

"Thank you," Nathan sniffled.

"You're welcome, monkey. But whoever complains next is going to get into trouble."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Nathan asserted that parental aid was cheating, both he and Will refused to show their lists to Mulder and Scully. Somehow Kyle convinced his brothers that his assistance was permissible, and floated between them as they walked.

Nathan and Will ran ahead, nearly knocking into some other children who were clutching their own lists. Kyle took the opportunity to debrief his parents on their progress. "Nathan has four left and Will has five. They are racing to see who finishes first."

Scully rubbed her temple. "We gave them different lists to avoid exactly this."

"A little competition might not be a bad thing," Mulder suggested, taking off his backpack to find a water bottle. He handed one to Scully and another to Kyle, before swigging his own. Looking up, he noticed the slack-jawed expressions on their faces. "Or not."

As much as she wanted to avoid a scenario that would encourage intense competition, she knew that the boys needed to work this out for themselves. Their behavior was unpredictable; sometimes their races and games ended in tears and tantrums; sometimes those tears quickly turned to laughter. Most of the time they were fine after several minutes of sulking and complaining, a trait they inherited from their father. It usually required separating the pair, essentially putting them both in time out, a course of action she wanted to avoid while they were on their trip.

"Can you get them to wait up for us?" Mulder asked Kyle, who dutifully nodded before running ahead.

Turning to Scully, he continued. "There's a split in the trail ahead. You take Thing 2 and I take Thing 3?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Every time Mulder thought Will was going to break down in frustration, Kyle talked him down, and within seconds, the five-year-old transformed back into his usual cheerful self. Will had gone to great pains to ensure his father did not see the list, suspiciously looking over his shoulder to see whether his father was within reading distance of his paper. Whenever Will had to run to ask him a question, or share whatever nonsensical thought flitted through his head, he folded the list, surrendering its custody to Kyle.

After Mulder helped Will open his water bottle, the boy skipped ahead of them, in search of his next item. "When did they start to get so competitive?" Mulder asked, his oldest son, not expecting an answer.

"When Will got really good at t-ball."

"Any chance they'll forget about this contest once we get ice cream?"

"No, it will go on the chart."

"The what?"

"They have a score sheet and they keep track of whoever wins. Everything is on it."

"Since when? That's going to end in disaster."

"No, I'm in charge of it so nobody cheats. And I make them tell me who wins when they are together, so nobody lies."

Mulder stopped, turning around to face his oldest son. "I can't tell whether that is ingenious or the…well, the opposite of ingenious."

"Dad, every time you or Dana say it's not a competition, well, it automatically becomes one. This way, everybody is happy. But you didn't hear about the list from me. It's top-secret brother stuff."

"Just promise me if it ever gets out of hand, you'll let me know?"

"Sure."

Mulder continued to walk backwards, hearing an immediate thump and then a cry. The next thing he knew, he had stumbled over backwards, knocking Will to the ground in the process.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nathan freely shared his frustration with his mother, stumped on his last two scavenger hunt items. "If you show it to me, monkey, I might be able to help," Scully patiently reminded him.

"No. I can do it." If anything, Nathan always became more independent whenever the going got tough.

"Can you tell me about the things you already found?"

"No."

"Are you having fun?"

"Yes."

Nathan stopped, looking at his list. "Mommy, if I find two of one thing, does that mean I don't have to find something else?"

Scully bit back the temptation to lie. "What do the rules say on the form?"

"There are no rules."

"How about this, monkey? Why don't you put an extra checkmark next to the one you found twice, and we can check with the park rangers when we leave to see if it will count."

"But I need to finish! I don't wanna show it to them until I do."

Before Scully could come up with a response, she felt something brush her shoulder. Kyle stood next to her, out of breath. "Dad fell on Will," he panted. "I think he hurt his knee. Will has a cut on his forehead. There's a lot of blood."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were easily the most miserable family in the picnic area adjacent to the clapboard ice cream shop, halfway between the park and their home. Scully looked at them after picking up the tray with their order: two were bloodied, bandaged, and bruised; one was indignant; and one was too distracted by the giggling teenage girls two tables over to help her with their order.

As she approached the table, she could overhear their whining. "I want ice cream," Will cried from his perch on his father's lap. He was scratching the bandage that adorned his forehead, against his mother's strict instructions. "Please."

When she had found them after their fall, she had sat down next to them, opening her backpack to pull out the first aid kit. She had not even reached the zipper when Will flung himself at her, bursting into tears. "It's okay, bullfrog," she soothed.

Mulder handed her the t-shirt he had been pressing against Will's forehead. "Mulder, how bad does your knee hurt?"

"I can think of a few things that would alleviate the pain," he had smirked. "But I'll take some Advil in the meantime."

Will's sobs had died down as she rocked him. "I'm going to have to look at the cut," she had patiently told her son. "Why don't you sit on Daddy's lap so I can get a better look, okay?"

What she had meant was that Mulder would hold him down so he wouldn't try to run away. Will always bolted as soon as he caught sight of medication or needles. Scully had used the flap of her backpack to shield Will from the sight of the bacitracin she needed to use in cleaning up his forehead. By the time she had looked back up, Will had settled against his father, Doggy in hand.

Facial wounds bled heavily, so Scully had a lot of cleaning to do. She had dumped the rest of her water bottle on the long-sleeved t-shirt she had packed in her bag to wipe the dirt, grime, and blood off Will's face as best she could. Will had been uncooperative, squirming and wiggling away from her.

"No!" he had yelled when she began to clean the wound. "Stop!"

Mulder had quickly clamped down on Will's legs when the boy started to kick. "None of that, bullfrog." He had kept his voice gentle, hoping that would help calm down his son. Will had not outgrown his tendency to become cranky and clingy whenever he was hurt or sick.

As soon as the bandage had been affixed to his forehead, Will had turned around, burrowing his face in his father's chest. At this point, Scully was used to being the bad parent when she had to play Dr. Mom, but it still sometimes stung.

Now, an hour-and-a-half later, Scully was continuing to get the silent treatment from the five-year-old. Mulder had warned off Nathan from continuing to complain about how they had left the park before he finished his scavenger hunt list, and he was still a bit upset, face down on the table. "Here's your ice cream, monkey," she said cheerfully, placing a cup of chocolate ice cream next to him. "And there's a surprise in it. And bullfrog, here's your Oreo ice cream."

Will looked her in the eye for the first time after being prompted by his father to thank her. His voice sounded contrite and sleepy. He even flashed a smile when he saw the M&Ms sprinkled around his cup.

"Why didn't you get any?" Mulder asked her in between bites of his mint chocolate chip. The Vineyard was the only place where Scully traded her Tofutti cones for the real thing.

Scully took a swig from her smoothie. "I haven't had one since we got here," she shrugged. "I'm thirsty. Need my vitamins."

"So I guess this means we'll have to come back tomorrow," suggested Mulder.

"I wanna go back to the park," Nathan announced. "It's not fair. I wanna win."

"I wanna win," Will echoed.

Mulder glanced between him and Will. "Okay, monkey, bullfrog, this has to stop. I'm sure if you had worked together on both lists, you would have found everything. I thought you were big kids. Big kids use teamwork to get stuff done."

Nathan looked chastened. "I'm a big kid," he promised.

"Me too!"

"Okay. So, you know how Mommy's boss is really, really, really mean and isn't going to let her stay home with us when school ends?"

The boys nodded.

"I was thinking that you guys and me, we drive up here early and go camping at a different forest that's really special, and we can do something top secret there. But it's only for big kids who know how to work as a team."

"What is it?" Nathan began to repeat, his interest piqued.

Mulder lowered his voice to a stage whisper. "Searching for Bigfoot."

Nathan's eyes widened, and Will let out a gasp. Scully stopped sipping her drink, and stared at Mulder with disbelief. Kyle was the only one who did not react, no doubt distracted by the other teenagers.

"Does that sound like fun?"

Both boys nodded vigorously.

"Okay, so I'm going to need you to help me plan this. We're going to have to work together so we don't forget anything. We'll have to make lists of what to bring with us, and of what we want to eat and snack on, and we need to make sure we know as much about Bigfoot as possible, so we can track him down. Do you want to do this, guys?"

"Yes!"

"So that means no fighting over the next few weeks, okay? Because we can't go if you are going to act like little kids, and won't work together. We'll never be able to find Bigfoot if we spend all our time whining."

The mood considerably brightened after Mulder made his announcement, and after finishing their ice cream, the boys ran off to the jungle gym. Kyle made some sort of an excuse to go back to the order window, a lame attempt to cover up his interest in the group of girls.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked Scully. Despite her dark sunglasses, he could feel her eyes pierce his. He adjusted his pose, stretching his right leg on the bench. As much as he didn't want to admit it, his knee hurt.

"How the hell are you going to pull that off?" she asked after taking a deep breath. She was too exhausted and dehydrated to say anything else.

"A wizard can never reveal his secrets. Especially not to a Muggle."

This time, Scully was unable to refrain from rolling her eyes. "Nice job with the really mean boss comment, by the way. Maybe we should blame Kersh for more things."

"I just call it as I see it. Let's see how long my pep talk lasts."

"You do recognize, Mulder, that you aren't necessarily a team player yourself?"

"That's why I had to distract them with the grand hunt for Bigfoot. Misdirection, Scully, can get you to a lot of different places."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She caught sight of Mulder through the kitchen window, stretched out on an Adirondack chair, his eyes closed. He was surrounded by the soft glow of the Citronella candles they lit while eating dinner a couple of hours earlier. Picking up a blanket from the laundry room, she made her way towards him. "Hmm?" he murmured as the soft fleece brushed against his bare legs.

"It's getting cold," she said softly, unsure as to the depth of his sleep. Dusk was settling, as much as it could with an overcast sky.

Mulder slowly opened one eye. "Then you better warm me up," he whispered, pulling her left hip towards him.

She fell onto his lap, resting her head on the crook of his neck. "This is much better." He rearranged the blanket over them as she stretched out, half on his chest and half beside him, her flip-flops kicked to the wooden planks below them.

"It's so peaceful," she murmured, closing her eyes. "And quiet."

"We better not get too used to this, or we'll be in for a world of hurt."

"True, but we can still at least enjoy it tonight."

The kitchen door clattered open, and Kyle called out to his father.

"The baseball game can wait," Mulder lazily responded. "At least in this one very instance. Get over here. We don't get too many nights like this."

"Yes we do."

"Stop being a smart ass and humor your old man for a minute. Sit down. Seriously, Kyle, take in the fresh air, the clear sky, the smell of the beach. It's been a good day. You have been enjoying yourself, right?'

"Yeah, it's been fun." Kyle sounded a little surprised, sinking into the chair next to his parents.

"Your brothers really look up to you," Mulder reminded him. "You set a good example."

Reflexively, he squeezed Scully a little closer, only continuing when she returned the gesture, pressing a kiss against his clavicle. They both knew. It was time.

"You really are great with them," continued Mulder, feeling Scully softly press a small kiss above his heart.

"They're more fun now. They don't, like, slow us down like they used to," Kyle responded.

"Well," Mulder interrupted with a nervous chuckle. "It's funny you should say that because that's not going to be the case for much longer." A shiver of excitement ran through him as he readied himself for making their announcement.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Kyle was used to his father being vague, and this was one of those times he couldn't tell in what direction the conversation was traveling.

"You're becoming a big brother again, Kyle."

"What?" Kyle sat up, stunned.

"I'm pregnant," Scully explained, still unused to the sound of the words she had only spoken aloud a handful of times.

"But—I thought—"

"Miracles happen, bud. Not very often, but they do," responded Mulder, unable to keep the grin off his face.

"When?"

"Late November."

"So that's why we can't go to New York for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes. We wanted you to be the first person we told, so Charlie and Karen—well, they have no idea. We know you don't see your cousins too often, so we'll work something out, I don't want you to worry about that," Mulder explained.

They sat in silence as their son soaked in the news. After a few moments, Kyle asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"We were thinking it would a surprise," Scully answered. "A nice surprise."

The trio sat in silence, listening to the crickets chirping on the lawn. Mulder tightened his hold around his partner, burying his face in her hair for a moment as his nervous energy slowly dissipated.

"Am I really the first person you told?" asked Kyle, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Yes," Scully confirmed. She detected a slight smile on her stepson's face. "It is very important to both me and your Dad that we tell you first, before anyone else. But you should know that Greta figured it out. I didn't tell her though."

"She knows everything," Kyle shrugged. "So she totally doesn't count. I'm pretty sure she's psychic."

Scully had not realized how worried she had been about Kyle's reaction to the baby news until the relief flooded through her. "We're so lucky to have you," she told him, becoming choked up. Tears pricked her eyes, as she wanted to make it certain to all of them—even, selfishly to herself –that Kyle knew he was loved beyond measure. "And we love you so, so much."

The fifteen-year-old looked down at the floorboards, embarrassed. "I know."

"It's a lot to take in, I know. And you don't have to feel any certain way." Mulder wanted to give his oldest child all the assurances he could muster.

"We're going to tell your brothers tomorrow," Scully said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Can you help me check out the dock?" Mulder asked Kyle the next morning. Scully was whipping up some pancakes, and the younger boys were still in their pajamas, playing with a set of Legos they found somewhere. He kept his voice low, so Nathan and Will wouldn't want to go to the beach. "I just want to make sure everything is secure down there after the storm. It got rough last night."

They were half-way to the shore when Kyle asked his father whether his knee still hurt, despite knowing his dad was probably grasping for any excuse to talk to him privately.

"Kind of but I was just wondering if you had, uh, any questions about what we discussed last night."

"Dad—" Kyle blanched when he realized what his father was trying to get at. He always had the same pained look on his face when trying to engage him in a discussion about sex. "I already know—"

"I'm your father, I need to say this, it's my job, so let me get it over with. Unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy, even if it's just one time. Which certainly wasn't the case for me and Dana, but now that you're—"

"Dad! Dad! Stop!" cringed the teenager, covering his ears. "I'm not really hearing this. You don't have to explain. Just. Stop. Talking."

"And if you ever have any questions, you know you can always ask me. That's it, that's the speech I'm done, I promise."

"Thank God," Kyle muttered. "Can we go back now?"

"No, I really do want to inspect everything down there," Mulder told him. "But doesn't cleaning it up sound more fun than talking?"

"Why? The storm wasn't supposed to be that bad."

"I'm more worried about the dock than the boat. I was hoping to put off repiling it until the fall, and if I need to speed up the process, I would rather get it done and over with."

Mulder didn't want to admit that his knee was hurting, and needed to take a minute after they finally redocked the boat. "There's one other thing I want to mention," he said as they slowly walked back up to the house.

"No, please, no."

"It's nothing about sex." Mulder rolled his eyes when he saw Kyle flinch, and stopped walking. "It's just this. Dana and I are really excited. Overjoyed. We didn't think this would ever happen, and I want you to remember that it doesn't mean we don't love you or your brothers less, or any differently. I—you know how I feel about everything, how I wished I was there for you more when you were younger, and that's not going to change. And it's okay if you aren't excited, or if you don't know how you feel about this yet. And if you have anything you want to say, you can always come to me."

"Thanks," Kyle said after a moment, realizing that his father truly meant what he had just shared. "I'm actually—I think it will be nice," he shrugged. "I don't think I ever told you this, but I sometimes—no, it's stupid, never mind."

"No, tell me what you were going to say," Mulder encouraged him, clasping his hand over Kyle's shoulder.

"I guess it happened in a dream that I remembered afterwards or something, but I sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a little sister."

Mulder swallowed hard, hoping his face did not betray any emotion as he thought about his own recurring dream, when he saw Kyle with a little girl, a baby with strawberry blonde hair. "I'm glad you are okay with it. I just don't know how your brothers will take the news."

Kyle snickered, and then stumbled. "They'll like being able to boss someone around. Wait, what's this?"

He leaned over, picking up a spherical white object. "It's hail," Mulder mumbled, looking around the grass. Sure enough, there were a handful of similar pellets around them, and so he picked up a couple.

When they got to the house, Scully was eating breakfast by herself. "The rest of the pancakes are on the stove. They should still be nice and warm."

Mulder slid into the chair opposite her, trying not to get stuck to the trail of maple syrup across the placemat. "Scully, it hailed last night." He held up the frozen items.

"That's weird," she admitted, cutting her pancake.

"No, Scully," Mulder grinned. "Nathan's spell for snow. It worked."

"Oh, brother."

She closed her eyes as Mulder called Nathan over to tell him the news.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a day exploring the marina and attending a street fair, followed by another dinner on the deck, Mulder and Scully realized they could not put off their announcement any longer.

"I found it, Daddy! We have Uno." Nathan ran into the room, taking his place on the floor next to his brothers.

Mulder leaned forward from his perch on the couch. "We'll play the game in a minute, but Mommy and I have something to tell you guys first. It's really exciting and I bet you can't guess what it is."

Scully braced herself for the barrage of outlandish responses they were about to receive from his question.

"Are we getting another puppy?"

"Are we going to Disney World?"

She glanced at her partner with a raised eyebrow. See what you started? She sat back, tucking her legs under her hips, Mulder sinking into her. He gave her a panicked look in response, unsure as to how to unstick himself before anyone had a meltdown.

"What is the thing that you three are the best at?" she calmly asked the children.

"Telling jokes?"

"Eating ice cream?"

"Making messes?"

"Eating cookies?

"Getting dirty?"

"Eating boogers?"

"Climbing?"

"Breaking things?"

Mulder smirked at her, pleased that her entry into the conversation wasn't any better. He also noticed that his oldest son was slightly raising his voice with every tidbit he shared, causing his brothers to do the same; he rather appreciated the teenager's subtle instigation. He definitely would have done the same.

"You guys are really good at all those things, but we were thinking of something different," Scully finally broke in, trying to maintain her composure. "Kyle, what's your favorite part about having two awesome younger brothers?"

"They are funny and they say embarrassing things."

"And monkey-in-the middle, you get both a big brother and a little brother. What do you like about that?"

"I get lots of toys."

"Huh?" Mulder asked, surprised by Nathan's answer.

"Cuz Kyle has old ones and Will needs someone to play with."

"I don't give you toys," Kyle protested. "Wait, did you go to my room and take my Legos? Is that where they went?"

Nathan's eyes grew a little wide upon the realization that he may have just given a little too much information to his family. "Mommy says to share."

"That's not fair!"

"Nathan, did you take something that doesn't belong to you?" Scully asked, sidetracked.

"Wait," Mulder held his hands in the air. "Nathan, believe me, we're not forgetting this, we just need to talk about our exciting news first. And then, you, Mommy and I are going to have a talk, because you know better than to take other people's things without asking."

Nathan let out a huff and pouted.

"And bullfrog, what do you like best about having two big brothers?" Scully redirected the conversation.

"Ummm," Will thought out loud. "Stories. And baseball. And Bandit. And-"

"Soccer's better!" interjected Nathan.

"Okay, okay, okay," Mulder interrupted once he realized Will had taken his mother's question as a license to list all his favorite things. "Everyone, please, stop talking."

After they settled down, Scully continued. "In a few months, you are going to have a baby brother or a baby sister."

"But what's the exciting part?" Nathan asked innocently. "Babies are boring."

"You get to be a big brother again!" Mulder had hoped his enthusiasm would be contagious, but he noticed that his younger sons were still processing the news.

"I get to be a big brother too?" Will asked, brightening into a small smile.

"Just like Nathan and Kyle and me," Mulder smiled, pleased to see the five-year-old break into a grin.

"Do we get a puppy too?" Nathan asked. "That would be exciting."

"No, monkey," Scully shook her head sympathetically. "But you'll get to teach the new baby all about puppies and soccer."

"Do I have to share my toys?" Nathan still sounded uncertain.

"No you don't!" Mulder helpfully added, not realizing at first that his partner was staring daggers at him. "Because...well, because babies can't play with your favorite toys, at least not for a couple of years."

"We can talk about sharing toys later," Scully added. "So the baby is coming around Thanksgiving, in November."

"No!" howled Nathan. "November's my birthday."

Scully felt the bottom of her stomach plunge. Despite having prepared herself for a scene like this, it was still difficult to watch. Nathan had been struggling all spring with distinguishing herself from his brothers, only to have this other curveball thrown at him. Although she technically was a middle child herself, her childhood experience with older and younger siblings was completely different than her son's.

"But it won't be until the end of the month, monkey. It'll be like how you and Daddy's birthday is a couple of weeks apart, and like Will and Kyle's birthdays. So, you'll still get your very own birthday party."

"But Daddy's is in October, not November," he protested, his mouth quivering. "Make it different."

"We really don't have any control over it, buddy," sighed Mulder. "But I promise you will always get your own birthday party."

"And my own toys."

"Within reason."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Kyle asked, even though he already knew the answer to the question. At this point, he was obviously feeling badly for his parents.

"We thought it would be a fun surprise," Scully said. "So we'll find out when the baby is born."

"I want a little brother," Will offered. "Or maybe a sister. But I think a brother."

"I want a puppy. Babies are boring."

"I want ice cream."

"Seriously, Mulder?" Scully asked, incredulous.

"What?" he shrugged innocently. "Nathan's starting to get me onboard with the new puppy campaign. Choose the lesser evil, Scully."

XXXXXXX

Since ice cream sundaes were his idea, Mulder volunteered for cleanup duty, recruiting Nathan to help him. Although he knew that the boys were still processing the news, he wanted to ensure that a small part of his middle son was excited about the prospect of a new sibling. At the very least, he wanted Scully to be able to see a glimpse of contentment in her son's demeanor before bedtime.

"Let me tell you a secret about babies," Mulder knelt, leveling with the six-year-old after put the soap in the dishwasher. "But you have to promise not to tell anybody. Can I trust you?"

"I can keep a secret," Nathan quickly answered, his interest growing.

"They make the biggest farts. Bigger than you and Bandit combined."

"Really?" He gave his father a skeptical look.

"Really," promised Mulder. "And they also puke every time they have milk. And since you are the big brother, the baby won't get sick on you. But I guarantee you that the baby will puke or pee on me and Mommy every single day. The next time we see AJ's little sister, I'll prove it to you. Pinky swear?"

Nathan held out his hand.

"Are you even just a little bit excited now?" Mulder asked hopefully.

Nathan nodded. "But we need farting spells for the baby. And puking spells. Can you help me?"

Mulder only slightly hesitated before agreeing to his son's request, hoping that he would not regret his decision. "But that's between you and me, monkey, okay?"

"Cuz Mommy's a muggle?"

"Yup." Mulder knew that this would probably bite him in the ass later, but it was a chance he was willing to take.

XXXXXXX

"What did you say to Nathan to make him excited?" Scully asked when Mulder entered their bedroom later that night, having watched a baseball game with Kyle to make up for the one they missed the evening before.

"Excited? I think that might be overstating it a bit."

"Well, he seemed more...okay with it after you talked." She reached for her tube of oatmeal moisturizer on the bedside table; sunscreen always left her skin dry and flaky.

"Are you doubting my paternal instincts?"

"Are you avoiding my question?"

"Let's just say I appealed to the sensibility of a six-year-old boy." Mulder took the tube from her, lathering a dollop between his own hands. "Let me help with this."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Potty humor?"

"It's a secret," Mulder shrugged. "I cannot and will not confirm or deny."

A crack of thunder rattled through the house, and they saw a glimpse of a lightning bolt through the curtained windows.

"That feels good," she told him as he massaged the cream onto her legs. "How's the knee?"

"I'm going to need you to do special doctor things. A lot of special doctor things. But let me do this for you first."

He began to knead her upper thighs. "Relax," he instructed, dragging a pillow underneath her head. Her shirt rode up onto her stomach as she rearranged herself on the bed. She let out a small hiss when he skimmed his hand over her belly. "This is definitely a bump. Was it like this yesterday?"

"Judging by the fact I can't fit into those shorts I wore two days ago, no, oh God, Mulder, that feels good." She lifted her hips off the bed when she felt his mouth on her stomach, and then her hip, and then even lower. He was very carefully scraping her with his teeth when they heard noises at the bedroom door.

Mulder groaned, flopping on his back, sending the mattress bouncing as he stood up to let in Will. "Mommy? Daddy?"

"Hi bullfrog, what are you doing up?" Scully called out warmly. She wasn't surprised that her son hadn't been able to stay asleep, between his excitement about being on the Vineyard and the news they had just laid before him and his brother.

Will scampered towards his parents, hopping on the bed with Doggy in hand. "There's a lot of thunder and lightning tonight, huh?" Mulder said, ruffling his son's bedhead. He made sure his voice sounded casual, not wanting to imply that their self-proclaimed big kid wasn't acting younger than his age.

"I'm still gonna be bullfrog, right?" Will asked, his lower lip quivering.

"Of course you are," Scully promised, taking in her youngest son's puppy dog eyes. She opened her arms for a hug, pressing a kiss on his forehead as he snuggled next to her. "You'll always be our bullfrog. That's never, ever, ever going to change."

"So what's the baby? Kyle said that baby tadpoles get to be bullfrogs, and baby monkeys are monkeys," sniffled Will, beginning to cry.

Mulder began to rub Will's back, as he and Scully conversed silently, trying to unravel Will's nonsensical words. "When we told you about the baby, did we call it a tadpole?" Mulder started.

"No," Will mournfully replied. "But I'm the bullfrog."

"And you'll always be our bullfrog," Scully repeated, wiping the tears from her son's eyes. "I promise you that, Will." She would never tire from saying it; she would do anything to convince her sons of her love.

Will's sniffles soon quieted as his mother kissed the top of his head and held him close. "But what's the baby?"

"We'll need to figure that out," Scully began. "Do you have any ideas?"

Sneaky, thought Mulder, arching his eyebrow in approval.

"No," shrugged Will. "Just not a bullfrog. Or a tadpole. Or a monkey."

"We will be sure to find a different animal," Mulder promised him. "We might need to meet the baby first to make a final decision, but why don't you think of some choices for us, okay? That will be you first job as a big brother. I'm sure Nathan and Kyle will want to help too. Is that something you want to help us with? You know lots more animals than me and Mommy."

"Uh-huh," Will answered quietly. He let out a big yawn and rubbed his eyes.

"Bullfrog, you have the two best big brothers in the world, so I know that you're going to be just as good at it as them," Scully told her youngest son, giving him a big hug. "We love you all."

"But I'm the only bullfrog, right?" Will once again asked.

"You are our one and only bullfrog," repeated Scully, tightening her hold on him. "You'll always be bullfrog, Will, never worry about that, promise?"

"Promise."

"And if you ever do worry about it, Will, you let us know, okay? We'll always love you more than you'll ever know." Mulder felt his words stick in his throat. "And you can always talk to us. So, you did the right thing by coming in here just now to let us know you were thinking about this. If you can't sleep, always come and find us."

Mulder blinked back a tear, not realizing his voice had been shaky until Scully extended her arm over Will's head to brush her hand on his face. "I love you," she mouthed to him.

He nodded. While watching Will slowly drop off to sleep, he remembered some lonely nights of his boyhood. He had not been much older than Nathan and Will, wondering whether his father had come home, too timid to leave his bed and wander the house in search of him. But those days were spent two towns over; whenever he was in this house as a boy, he had grandparents who were always happy to be interrupted, forever suggesting midnight cookies and milk to help him sleep. He once again promised himself that his sons would always remember their love, especially when they were in this house.

XXXXXXX

"I just can't bear the thought of them thinking we don't love them," Scully confessed, slightly embarrassed that Mulder had caught her crying when he returned from bringing Will back to his bedroom.

"You know that's not what it was about. We expected this would happen—just this morning you mentioned that they might have trouble sleeping. That's what usually happens when they're dealing with something uncertain."

"I just—I..." Words failed her.

"It was tough to watch," he agreed. "But that was a great move, asking him if he had any ideas on a nickname for the baby."

"I think it we need to involve them as much as possible. Even if they lose interest, but at least they know we want them to be part of this."

"Scully, are you surprised they didn't ask any …umm…technical questions?"

"In a couple of days," she guessed. "And knowing them, probably in a very public place."

XXXXXXX

The next evening, their last on the Vineyard, Scully yawned as she walked down the stairs. After settling Nathan and Will into their beds, she had packed as much as she could, not wanting to leave it until right before their flight the next afternoon. This would give the kids more time to play in the morning, but not enough for the boys—and their father—to absent mindedly undo her work. "Dad's down the dock," Kyle called out from the den, where he was watching TV. "He said you should meet him down there."

She stopped herself from asking any more questions; judging by the fact that Kyle hadn't shown his face and was rapidly increasing the volume of his show, she had an inkling that he had a couple of guesses as to what usually happened during their evening visits to the beach. "Will might wake up," she told him, stepping into her flip flops and grabbing her hoodie slung over a kitchen table chair. "I'll bring my phone."

Even though they still had another half-day before their flight, Scully felt a sudden rush of homesickness. Although she loved their life in Washington, and agreed with Mulder that the Vineyard was not the right place to raise their children full-time, she considered it to be their family home. But maybe part of the magic was only spending a few weeks a year there.

She spotted her partner sitting on the dock, his long legs dangling above the water. He turned around when he heard her approach, motioning her to join him. "I was beginning to think you must have gone to bed."

"Nathan tried to convince me that he should be able to bring Bigfoot home after you guys find him. Then I packed," she sighed, slipping off her sandals and crouching down to sit next to him. "Although if I knew I had a choice, I would have been down here with you."

She leaned into him, placing her hand on his knee. "You doing okay? Knee holding up?"

"I'm happy." He turned to grin at her, and she could see his goofy smile and glistening eyes.

"Me too."

And he meant it. He weighed the heft of the item in his pocket; the thin sliver of paper was deceptively light. Over the past few weeks, mulling the decisions he had made over the years to keep his family safe, he had come to the realization that while he had made financial and legal provisions for them, he had not made provisions for an emotional inheritance, so to speak. He needed to make a gesture that explained how all the choices he had made—up to and including his most sins of omission—were to keep his family safe and intact.

Scully stared into the night sky, trying to ascertain exactly where it met the ocean. She felt Mulder give her a nudge, and when he nodded towards her lap, she realized he was trying to give her something. "It's for you. Open it now."

Butterflies flitted in her stomach, and he held up a penlight to illuminate the contents of the envelope. She fumbled as she opened the flap, nervous she would drop it in the water. The words swam in front of her, and it took her half a minute to focus enough to read its contents. "What's wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing's wrong," he rushed, taken aback by her reaction.

"Are you sick?" she could barely get the words out.

"No. I didn't mean to imply that, Scully. Honestly, don't worry. Promise me you won't," he persisted.

"Why else would you give up this house?"

"I'm not giving it up. I'm giving it to you. You and the kids." Noticing her trembling hands, he gently took back the piece of paper she held, refolding it and slipping the envelope in the inside pocket of his hoodie. "I've already signed the dotted line, Scully. The property is now held in trust, with the beneficiaries being you and our children, the baby included."

Grabbing hold of her hand, he squeezed it. "It's something I had been considering off and on for a long time now. If something were to happen to me, I wouldn't want to put you in a position in which you had to sell this place to pay off estate taxes. The way the trust is structured, the upkeep is provided for, and you wouldn't be able to sell the house, unless you jumped through so many hoops you would want to kill me all over again."

"Don't joke about that. Ever."

"This is where we became a family." His soft voice floated through the air. "And we both love it here; the boys love it. And I want the baby to love it too. This gives me a peace of mind that he or she would have that opportunity even if I'm not here to make sure it happens."

They both had tears in their eyes.

"Plus it saves me a shitload in taxes."

Scully stifled a laugh. "There's no need for the kids to know, right?" She didn't want them to think about their father's mortality, especially when they were so preoccupied with the insecurity a new baby would bring.

"None," promised Mulder. "The only people who know are us, Preston, and Coop."

"Thank you," Scully whispered. "For taking care of us, for thinking of these things."

"You say that now. But in forty years, and you need to put on a new roof and need four stubborn adult children in agreement about how to go about it, you won't be thinking that."

"I'd like to take my chances."

He bent down to kiss her. "Me too," he promised. "Me too."

They sat in the dark, watching the water.

A/N: Please let me know what you think! Next chapter will explore how the kids are getting used to the new baby news.