He felt he was missing something, but he did not know what it was. Pausing to listen, he found that all was silent, although he knew that William would be waking soon, ready for his morning meal. Which meant that Scully would be up soon, and he needed to hurry.

The table was set and all the food ready to be prepared. The gifts that lay beside her plate, were wrapped in pale pink paper and tied with green ribbon, the only color he could find.

"Meeeeow!" He heard as he felt rubbing around his ankles and he smiled. Looking down, he saw the black and white kitten they had adopted in February.

They had intended to go to the shelter and see about getting a dog, but decided to stop and see the cats as well. A little ball of fluff had kept coming to the window, chasing at their fingers and meowing when they started to walk away.

Asking to see it in a separate room, the kitten had purred the second it was set down, winding around their legs with a tiny meow. William had not known what to make of it, his eyes wide. When Scully had sat on the floor with William in her lap, he and the kitten had stared at one another. William had reached out and the kitten sniffed his hand, rubbing against it, its purrs growing louder as William giggled.

Scully had looked up and Mulder raised his eyebrows in question. The little kitten had then pushed against William's chin and stepped into Scully's lap, curling up beside William, closed its eyes and purred as it began to sleep.

"Well," Scully had said, petting the kitten and smiling at Mulder as he had knelt next to them. "Cats are lower maintenance… and I'd say we've been chosen."

"I think so," Mulder had agreed, helping William pet the kitten gently.

A week later, they had everything they needed for the kitten as they had headed home from the shelter, meows coming from inside the carrier.

Watching the kitten, a little girl still yet unnamed, run around the house, jump up on things and ask for some love, knead against their skin, and then curl up happily on their laps or Mulder's chest, had been fun and made them all smile. She had been a happy part to the end of the days and she and William had become good pals.

"She needs a name," Mulder had said one night, rubbing her forehead as her happy purrs filled the room. "We can't keep calling her Kitty."

"I know," Scully had agreed, rubbing her ears between two fingers. The kitten had opened her eyes and meowed weakly, leaning into her hand, and Scully had smiled and hummed. "She's such a sweet and happy little thing. It's like she was waiting for us to come and find her."

"Hmm," he had hummed with a nod. "I believe she was. It was meant to be."

"Sounds familiar." She had smiled at him and he had chuckled softly with another nod.

In the end, they had decided on Sunny, though she was rarely called by that name, which Scully had pointed out as he was the one to call her the most interesting names. He had shrugged, scooping up the kitten and kissing the top of her head as Scully laughed.

"Miss Sunny Bunny," he said now, staring into her green eyes. "How are you this morning? Looking for some breakfast?" He bent down and she put her front paws on his knee, pushing into his hand, purring loudly. He smiled, rubbing her ears and petting her back.

He fed her after a few minutes of pets and left her in the kitchen as he slid into bed beside a sleeping Scully. He sought out her warmth, but kept his cold feet away from her, not wanting to startle her awake. Breathing in her scent, he closed his eyes, hoping for a few minutes of peace.

"Dadadadada!"

His eyes flew open and he saw it was a bit lighter than it was when he had laid down, obviously having fallen asleep. Scully shifted, and moaned as he smiled. Snuggling closer to her, his feet warmer now, he ran one up her shin and she chuckled dismissively.

"Your son is calling for you," she said in a sleepy scratchy voice. "Don't be getting any ideas."

"What ideas could you mean?" he asked, pressing even closer, and she laughed before turning over and looking at him with sleepy eyes.

"You know."

"I do." She smiled and he bent his head to kiss her softly.

"Dadadada!"

"See? You're being summoned," she whispered against his lips.

"Hardly. He's not calling me, just saying the sounds he knows. He says 'dada' to a few things."

"Beside the point right now. It's warm in this bed and until he says mama with regularity, you'll be the one at his beck and call. So…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a smile. He laughed and kissed her cheek, nuzzling in her hair.

"I'm going… but I don't have what he'll be looking for for his early breakfast." She raised an eyebrow, but did not open her eyes.

"Bring him in here and we'll all have a cuddle."

"Now you're talking," he said, throwing the covers back and she smiled, burrowing into the pillows.

He walked down the hall and into William's room, finding him standing up in his crib. He smiled when he saw Mulder, bouncing up and down and putting his arms out to be held.

"Dada. Hi, Dada!"

"See?" Scully called out and Mulder laughed.

"Mama?" William asked and Mulder laughed even harder.

"You hear that?" he called back to her as he lifted William from the crib, kissing his warm cheeks. "Yeah… that was Mama. Let's go see her."

He changed and redressed him, kissing his neck and growling by his ear, causing him to laugh. Down the hall he carried him, whispering how much he loved him, kissing his head.

He placed him on the bed and he crawled to Scully, bending close to her face and staring at her.

"Mama?" he said quietly and she opened her eyes, smiling at him. "Hi, Mama."

"Hello my boy," she whispered, running her fingers gently along his cheek. He smiled and she moved, unbuttoning her top and pulling him close.

He laid down and began to nurse, Scully sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes and stroked his hair. Mulder laid back down, smiling as he watched them.

William's birthday was approaching and once he was one, she was going to stop nursing. He knew she would be happy to have her body back to herself, but also knew she loved the moments with him when he lay close to her heart, both of them finding comfort in him nursing.

When he was finished, they all lay together, Sunny jumping up onto the bed and making them all laugh as she chased Mulder's fingers under the covers. William tried to do it when Mulder showed him how, but Sunny dove under the covers instead and chased Mulder's toes.

He took William into the kitchen with him to get breakfast ready, setting him in his high chair with some Cheerios while he made some pancakes and eggs, humming happily.

"What's all this?" Scully asked and he turned around. She was smiling as she stood there in her robe, her hair up in a messy ponytail, pointing to the flowers on the table.

"Happy Mother's Day," he said, setting down the spatula and stepping close to kiss her.

"Mulder," she whispered and smiled softly. "I wasn't expecting anything."

"Which is ridiculous," he scoffed and turned back to the stove, taking the pancakes from the pan and turning off the burner before turning back to her. "It's Mother's Day, the first one for you. It needed to be celebrated."

"Thank you," she whispered with a smile, looking at William, who grinned at her with a mouth full of Cheerios. She laughed and Mulder nodded toward the gifts by her plate. "Shouldn't we eat first?"

"I guess…" he said as he sighed heavily and shrugged. She laughed again and kissed his cheek.

"I can wait if you can."

"Fine."

They ate, giving William bananas as well as the eggs and pancakes. Scully smiled throughout the meal, laughing and sighing happily. William was a mess, as was his high chair when he finished, bananas smashed in his hair and even in his eyebrows. Mulder took him for a quick bath and then dressed him for the day.

Setting him down, he walked unsteadily toward the living room, giving up and crawling as he could get there faster. Mulder laughed as he watched him heading for his toys, Sunny rolling around on the rug, stretching out to touch him.

Scully was washing the dishes and he walked over to help her.

"You should have waited."

"Nah, it wasn't much."

The dishes were done quickly with occasional glances at William, making sure he was okay and entertained. He had taken out his books and was sitting looking at the pages, babbling to the pictures he found inside.

"Time for gifts now?" he asked, drying the last dish and putting it away.

"Okay," she laughed and he picked them up excitedly, bringing them to the living room and placing them on the side table next to the couch.

They sat down and he handed her the largest one first. She smiled as she opened the paper and found a picture frame with William's handprints inside.

"Oh, Mulder," she said softly, sticking out her lower lip slightly. It was a black background with the handprints done in green paint, the lines of his little chubby hands captured forever within. "I love this."

"You could put it up in your office." She nodded and smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him.

"Thank you."

He nodded, reaching for the next gift, his heart pounding.

It was a small package, one he had disguised so she would not know what it was when she held it. Finding the perfect sized box, he had wrapped it carefully.

She untied the ribbon and then glanced at William with a smile. He was still looking at his books and Mulder hoped his attention would remain on the pages for a few minutes at least.

The paper was ripped and taken off and his mouth went dry. She lifted the lid of the box and gasped as she looked at him.

"What…?" She set the box lid to the side and lifted the ring off of the soft tissue and out of the box, looking at him again as she held it in her fingers. Everything he planned to say, froze for a moment and he cleared his throat.

"We've never really discussed marriage. I honestly don't even know what you would think about us getting married. I uh, I never saw it for myself, but then I met you. I fell in love with you. We… we had a child." They both looked at William, who was now taking toys out of his toy box. "He was never planned. This, us… it was never planned. I don't know what you see for our future in that regard, but I… I can't imagine a greater honor than being married to you. Being your husband." She sighed as she looked down at the ring and then back at him. "It doesn't have to be an engagement ring… you don't even have to wear it. I just wanted… wanted you to know what I want for the future. It's you. It's us… this life." He smiled and she sighed again.

She turned the ring around slowly between her fingers, her eyes on it and then lifting to his. She licked her lips and drew in a breath as she handed the ring to him.

"No?" he asked, looking down at the ring, not able to meet her eyes.

"You didn't ask me anything," she whispered and he raised his head to find her staring at him with tears in her eyes. He laughed and nodded, feeling like an idiot.

"Dana… I love you. I have for a very long time. You are… everything I never knew I always needed. What I wanted. A partner, friend, my constant, my soulmate…" He smiled as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Scully… my Scully, will you marry me?"

She drew in a deep breath and let it out, wiping her eyes again and clearing her throat. She shook her head and closed her eyes as she took another breath. Opening her eyes, she smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I will."

He grinned and kissed her, holding the ring tightly in his hand. Pulling back, he cupped her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

"Mama," William said, standing up and bringing her a book. "Mama." He set the book in her lap and lifted his arms to be picked up.

They both laughed at his timing and she lifted him to sit on her lap, setting the book to the side.

"Mama?" he asked, looking at the book and she kissed his head, her wet eyes on Mulder's.

"One moment, my boy, Daddy is about to do something very important."

Mulder laughed softly, reached for her left hand, and slid the ring onto her finger.

"Ohhhh. Mama," William said, touching the ring and Mulder's hand as she closed her fingers around them, squeezing gently. "Ohhhh." He patted it and leaned forward to look closer, Scully's gaze on Mulder, their silent communication speaking volumes.

Leaning over William, he kissed her again, whispering how much he loved her. She kissed him back, whispering the same.

As William pulled back, so did he and they both chuckled. William reached for his book and handed it to Scully, laying against her chest, ready to hear his story. She chuckled again as she kissed his head and opened the book, the diamond in the golden band catching the light.

Mulder moved the wrapping paper and the picture frame and put his arm around Scully as she continued to read and point out the pictures on the pages. He kissed her head, whispering his love again and she hummed as she pointed to an elephant. William made a loud sound and they all laughed.

A more perfect proposal did not exist, he thought, his eyes drawn to the ring that fit her perfectly, as William now made monkey sounds, bouncing up and down excitedly, and Scully giggled, leaning her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

No… no other proposal even came close.