November 2001

Scully stood in the middle of a copse of trees, her hands deep in her pockets, the crisp late afternoon air causing her to shiver. Snow was just beginning to fall in small flakes and she knew it would be coming down harder fairly soon.

But she needed a walk, some fresh air. The small cabin they had rented in a mountain town in Tennessee was feeling too stuffy and she needed to escape for a little while.

A tiny grunt caused her to smile and she took her hands from her pockets, unbuttoning her coat and unzipping the light hoodie she was wearing. Looking down, she watched and felt William moving his head from side to side as he grunted and then sighed contentedly. She rubbed his capped head, rubbing his back and bottom gently over her coat.

"Can you smell that my sweet boy? Smell the winter air? It's so different from other air. It's crisp and stings your lungs a little, but it feels cleansing all at the same time. I love it."

He grunted again and then was quiet. Kissing her gloved fingers, she touched them to his cheek, before zipping her hoodie to just below his head and buttoning up her coat.

She glanced back at the house and then continued on her walk. Not venturing far, but needing to move and have some space. Wrapping her arms around William, she crunched through the old snow and relished the new coming down.

She had always loved the snow, and loved it even more now as it afforded them more privacy. Large drifts of it left them isolated, relieving some of her worry for their safety. Not that she dropped her guard, or Mulder either for that matter, but with the snow she felt safer. As long as they had any and everything William might need, she could relax a little.

Hearing a crunch behind her, she turned and saw Mulder walking toward her, up from his well deserved nap on the couch. He had shoveled the driveway earlier, making sure the way was clear in case they needed to make a hasty exit for any reason. Once the current snow was done falling, he would be out there again. He never allowed her to help, wanting her to conserve her energy as she was nursing William, who seemed to be going through a growth spurt and eating more than he had been a couple of weeks ago.

She smiled as she waited for him to catch up, taking in his mountain man appearance with his heavy clothing, recently grown beard, and his beanie pulled low to keep his head warm.

"Hey. What are you two doing out here?" he said softly, a cloud of white vapor coming out as he spoke.

"Just needed to get out for a bit. Get some fresh air."

"You could have left Will with me."

"True, but I just…"

"Scully…"

"I feel better when he's with me," she admitted, feeling rather ashamed, knowing it was an irrational feeling. "It's nothing but my own worries. I…"

"Honey, I know." He pulled her to him and peeked down her coat, pulling it out a bit and smiling when he saw William's head. "I know you're worried and we need to be vigilant, but-"

"It's not that I don't trust you-"

"Scully... I know that's not it. But, if you're ever looking for a moment to yourself, you need to be by yourself." He smiled and she nodded, blinking back tears.

"It's just…" She wiped her eyes with a gloved hand and shook her head. "Before we were forced to leave to keep all of us safe, the two times when he was in the most danger, I wasn't there. And I…"

"I know."

"You handled it, kept him safe and protected him, but still I wasn't there. I was taking time for myself and I… I still feel that guilt."

"You went to lunch with your mom, a normal activity-"

"Mulder…"

"Scully, I know and I understand. But… look around," he said, gesturing at the dark homes in the currently empty neighborhood. "We're far away from anything and anyone. You can take these walks and I'll be with him. He'll… we'll be okay."

"I know. I do. I… I just need some time to work through these worries." She looked at him, silently begging him to understand.

"You take all the time you need. We can do little bits at a time. A walk on your own while we wait on the porch, within your view at all times." She nodded, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you for understanding," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Of course I do," he whispered back, smiling as he leaned in for a kiss. She let go of his hand and held onto the lapels of his coat, kissing him once more before he pulled back, taking her arm as they walked the loop around the neighborhood.

"It's so quiet," she said with a sigh and he hummed in agreement. "I'm glad we decided to stay here for a bit, while there aren't many people here yet."

"You act as though I didn't have that planned when I made the decision to come here." She smiled and placed her head on his shoulder with another sigh.

"I am sorry I feel this way, Mulder," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"Scully, please don't apologize. I do understand, I really do."

"Thank you," she said again, knowing he truly did. He kissed the top of her head and she hummed softly.

Once more around the neighborhood, and they walked back to the house, the snow falling down harder. Their coats were covered in flakes which they brushed off on the porch as they stomped the hard snow from their boots. Inside, they removed their coats, boots, gloves and hats.

Mulder took William from the carrier, holding him close as Scully took off the baby carrier, hanging it on the coat rack alongside their coats. William grunted and stretched, opening his eyes and smiling when he saw Mulder's face. He reached out and touched his beard, laughing at the feeling of it on his fingers.

"Seems the walk did us all some good," Mulder said, smiling at William, and kissing his now bare and bald head.

"Time spent in the crisp winter air always will," she replied, smiling at William's rosy cheeks as he looked her way. He squealed and reached for her, but she only kissed his warm little hand, leaving him with Mulder as she began to work on what she had said she would.

He smiled at her, putting his arm around her to bring them all together. She closed her eyes, listening to Mulder speaking to William, making silly voices and sounds, as William responded in his excited baby babble.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, watching William chewing on his hands and giggling as Mulder kissed his neck and made growling noises. He caught her eye and she smiled, rubbing his back and nodding.

They were safe, and would continue to be.

Together.