CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

Mulder & Scullys House – Rural West Virginia

Scully smiled as Dagoo ran past her feet and into the large home. He panted heavily after the long car journey, desperate for a drink of water.

She obliged, getting him a bowl from the cupboard and filling it with water which he happily gulped down. She heard Mulder's footsteps as he came up the terrace, carrying a heavy bag with ease. She watched as Dagoo finished drinking then ran towards Mulder, wanting to say hello to his new Dad. She giggled as he ran circles around his feet, clearly getting in the way but with good intentions. Mulder looked frustrated but he was trying to hide it for Scully's sake.

"Dagoo! Stop it!" She said finally, when she had enough fun watching Mulder squirm. Dagoo barked in response and ran towards her, sitting down at her feet obediently. Mulder let out a long breath then set the heavy bag down in the bedroom. Scully waited for him to return to the living room, but he didn't. Frowning in thought she wondered if he was all right.

"Mulder?" She called in a soft voice. But he didn't respond. Dagoo ran out to the terrace to take in the sight of his new home and the vast countryside that surrounded it. The little dog couldn't believe his luck.

Scully made her way to the bedroom to check on Mulder, and she found him sat on the bed, holding a photo on his hand. She stopped suddenly, noticing immediately what photo it was. It was her photo of William as a baby, which she kept so close to her heart. It had been placed in an envelope on the top of the bag which he had been carrying, so it wouldn't get damaged.

Mulder was staring at the photo in silence and she leant against the door frame and watched him for a moment as he studied it.

"Mulder?" She whispered gently. Mulder raised his head to face her slowly and to her sadness she saw that he was crying. Scully gasped in shock and hurried towards him, sitting down next to him on the bed and placing a hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry Scully, I didn't mean to look in your bag... I - I just saw this envelope with his name on it and I couldn't help myself…" Mulder said tearfully, handing her back the photo. She took it and stared at it for a moment, concern filling her chest. She swallowed down her own tears as the photo brought back so many emotions.

"It's all right. I understand." She whispered softly, stroking a hand through his hair while holding the photo in the other. She leaned in closer to him and searched his face for answers. "Mulder, what's wrong?" She asked gently.

"Scully, I have exactly the same photo." Mulder said in a small voice. Scully felt her heart skip a beat.

"Of course you do." She whispered in shocked realisation. She suddenly remembered sending it to him when he had left her after William's birth. Their letters and emails had been the only way to communicate, and it had been a difficult time. "I had forgotten about that." She said with a sad smile. "But why are you upset? Talk to me Mulder."

"I guess I just can't believe how this is all playing out. It seems too good to be true. I can't believe you have moved back in with me and that you have given up your old apartment. There was a part of me that was worried you would change your mind today." Mulder said, slightly in shame. Scully licked her lips nervously and focused on him.

"Mulder you have to stop this. Have you took your meds?" She asked calmly, trying not to anger him.

"Yes, of course I have." Mulder said in a small voice. "I won't do that to you again."

"I know." She said in a whisper, placing the precious photo back into its envelope then placing it on the dresser. She made her way back to him and pulled him into an embrace. Mulder hid his face in her hair then kissed her on the neck. They pulled apart slightly then touched foreheads. Closing their eyes, they sat together for a moment, gaining strength from each other.

Dagoo suddenly jumped onto the bed with bark, separating them and breaking their moment, which made Scully laugh in surprise. Mulder couldn't help but laugh either, may be the dog was going to be good for him after all.

"Damn mutt." Mulder mumbled playfully. Scully gasped in mocked horror and slapped him on the arm in jest.

"How dare you Fox!" She exclaimed. Mulder laughed again, his sadness now gone.


One Week Later

Mulder and Scully hurried around the spare room nervously, checking that everything was in the right place. They had made up a bed for William, with certain little momentos on the chest of drawers such as a baseball and a framed photo of the two of them. Mulder had pinned his prized Yankees shirt to the wall, for some kind of decoration. His underlying desire was to play bat and ball with his son, but he wasn't sure if William even liked the game.

Scully had bought fresh bedding for William, the most expensive and comfortable she could find. She had cleaned the room from top to bottom and spruced up the pine furniture with polish. Mulder had joked that she was like a nesting Mother, but Scully had actually heard some truth in those words.

"It's ready." Mulder said as he watched Scully checking everything over once again. He must have watched her do this countless times, wanting everything to be perfect.

"We only have two hours until they get here." Scully breathed nervously, checking her watch for the millionth time today. Mulder smiled to himself and tried to relax her.

"Come on honey, I wanna show you something." He said, making his way over to her and catching her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and stopping her mid walk. Scully softened slightly at his touch and he kissed her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment and let him take over. He was right, the house was clean and tidy.

"All right." She said with a small smile, and Mulder took her hand and led her out of William's room. He led her downstairs and into the sitting room, then towards the door of his office. Scully watched as Mulder paused outside of it, taking a deep breath. She frowned in thought as he looked slightly nervous, but excited.

"Your office?" She asked questioningly.

"Yes, my office." Mulder grinned.

"I know what your office looks like Mulder, a dump." She said playfully, crossing her arms over her.

"Ah, well. Have a look now." Mulder said, opening the door and leading her inside. Scully frowned in suspicion as he opened the door. It looked the same to her in the darkness. But as he flipped the light on, she gasped in shock as she saw that it was transformed into the tidiest office she had ever seen.

"Not so much a dump now is it?" Mulder asked with a playful smile as he watched her reaction with happiness. Scully's mouth was wide open in shock as she took in how much work he had put into this.

"But… when…?" She asked.

"In the middle of the night. When you were asleep." Mulder said, completely satisfied with his achievements. "I wanted to show you that I am not going back to the way I was. That I have cleaned up my act. This office, as you know was my place to hide from the world and obsess. That made me sick Scully, and it made me act horribly towards you, the one person I in the world who I love unconditionally."

Scully was silent as he spoke so sincerely, taking her hands in his and squeezing them gently. She felt her heart skip a beat as she saw the love in his eyes. A wave of emotion took over her and she blinked back tears.

"I said and did some terrible things to you in this office Scully, I made you run away and that is not right. I feel like I don't deserve this second chance with you, so I wanted to prove to you that I am not that man anymore. When you died, I felt like I couldn't breathe, I can't live without you Scully, I won't." He said, his voice cracking with emotion as he remembered that terrible day she had lay dead in his arms.

Scully couldn't believe the way he was pouring his heart out, so passionately and sincerely. She swallowed the tears down and tried to keep it together. She was in shocked silence as she took all of his words in, unable to find the words to respond.

"I love you Dana Katherine Scully…" Mulder started in a low voice, then he did something that almost made her faint.

He started to get down on one knee, making her heart explode with a mixture of panic and excitement.

Scully couldn't hold back any longer.

"No! No Mulder what are you – what are you doing!?" She exclaimed, the tears now running down her face as he knelt down, taking her left hand in his. He didn't take his eyes off her and kept calm, though she could only imagine that he was terrified.

Scully felt as if she whole world seemed to stop spinning in that moment. She had never pictured them getting married, she wondered if he really wanted this or if he was just doing this to please her...

"Will you marry me?"

Scully heard the words from his lips and she couldn't believe it.

He had said it, he had actually gone and done it.


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