September 4th

"Christ, it's so hot," Rachel moaned as they walked into the house, stepping on the long path of shop paper laid down to protect the floor, their arms full of baby shower gifts. "Is it hot, or is it just me?" Scully laughed as she set the bags down and looked at Rachel's very pregnant belly.

"It is hot, especially in here as the air isn't on, but I'm sure you're even hotter." She smiled and Rachel shook her head.

"I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of melting."

"Sit down, I'll get you some water and then unload the rest of the gifts." Guiding her to a dining room chair, she helped her sit down, and then went to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

Stepping around the mess of the remodel, she got two bottles of water, looking around with a sigh and a smile. It was really coming along, the same and yet different.

New white marble countertops had been ordered, the space readied and awaiting delivery, along with a new backsplash. The cupboards had been replaced; a new set of beautiful sage green for the bottom and intermittent white and frosted glass ones for the top. A custom made island was being added, with space for six high backed seats to fit around it comfortably.

The flooring throughout the entire house was now a beautiful walnut hardwood, all carpet taken out. Rugs would be put down in its place as they had all agreed it was easier to clean, especially with children.

The small downstairs bathroom was given a larger sink, cupboard, and would eventually have floating shelves once the house was painted.

It really was amazing the change to the house in such a short amount of time and Scully said as much as she rejoined Rachel and brought her her water.

"I know. And it's all thanks to Mr. Kim. I tell you that man is a beast. Never seen anything like him in my whole life. He's a rather small older Korean man and he is just…" Rachel shook her head and let out a chuckle. "Walter came in and found him putting up the cupboards, on his own, and Walter nearly had a heart attack. He ran over to help and Mr. Kim waved him away, telling him it was fine and he had it. And he did!" Rachel shook her head again and threw a hand in the air, as Scully laughed.

"He's amazing and he's got all these connections as he's been doing this most of his life. He had workers here day one, took us to these smaller, family owned Korean places for the tile, flooring, the cupboards… everything. It was awesome. He's a true find, Mr. Kim is."

"What's his first name?"

"You know, I have no idea. He's just Mr. Kim. Even if I did know it, I don't think I could think of him as anything other than Mr. Kim." They both laughed and then Rachel let out a deep sigh as she looked around. "It's really happening, though. Everything is coming together. Won't be long now."

"Nope. The upstairs is finished, well aside from the painting which will be done in the next couple of weeks. Then everything just needs to be set up and readied." She looked at Scully and sighed with a hand on her stomach. "I'm nervous it won't be completed before these two decide to make their entrance into the world."

"You've been okay, no contractions or anything, right?"

"No, but I just worry about it. I'm getting closer and closer to not only my actual due date, but to the most likely early arrival."

"Completely understandable. But everything here has happened so quickly, maybe they will be done earlier than they had planned. I'm sure Mr. Kim will see to it."

"I don't doubt it," Rachel laughed. "I've had Korean yelled at me as the person speaking points to my stomach and looks at the person beside me who then yells back in Korean, before they both smile kindly at me with a nod. It's quite comical."

"I'm sure," Scully laughed, shaking her head. "No doubt they're making a point of working hard to have everything ready for you before those babies are born."

"Yeah." Rachel nodded and then sighed again.

"Let me get the rest of the stuff, I'll put it upstairs in the closet and we can get going. Get you back in the cool of the car."

"Yes, please," Rachel said, leaning back and taking a drink of her water. Scully smiled and walked away to finish her task.

September 18th

"Honey, if you put these in the cribs, it will be all finished," Scully said as she handed Faith the small stuffed pumpkins she was holding. She took them and stood on tiptoes to drop them into the beds.

"All done, Mama," she said, smiling at Scully before she took a book from the low bookshelf under the window and sat on the floor to look at it. Scully sighed as she looked at her and then the nursery, smiling at how it all turned out.

Light gray walls were bordered with white wallpaper patterned with gray stars. Two white cribs sat on either side of the room's one window. One bed was covered in a pink sheet with white stars and the other blue with white stars, both with a white mesh liner with gray stars.

The white bookcase Faith was sitting in front of, was long and fit perfectly under the window which was framed by sheer white curtains that hung to the floor. The bookcase was full of books, stuffed animals and toys for when the babies were older. A gray thick cushion sat on top, providing a window seat to sit and read, and a large gray rug with white stars lay between the cribs.

A light clicked on behind her and Scully turned to see Skinner placing a pillow onto each of the light grey reclining glider chairs and she smiled at the sight. Both pillows were white with gray stars, but one pillow also had pink stars and the other blue. They were adorable, with little sleeping faces on a few stars, and added more to the balance of color in the neutral room of light gray and white.

Skinner sighed as he stood up straight and stretched. He rubbed a hand across his mouth and smiled softly as he looked at Faith.

"God, I'm exhausted, but it's all done. Everything we wanted to accomplish before the babies were born is finished and now… now we settle in a bit more and we wait." He shook his head and she laughed.

Walking over to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a hug. He held her and patted her back as they separated, shaking his head again as he cupped her cheek and stroked it gently.

"Thank you," he whispered and she nodded, covering his hand with hers; so much said in two small words.

"You're welcome," she whispered, and he nodded as he dropped his hand and stepped back with a smile.

"I can't believe it's all finished. I gotta say, I was a little worried, especially after Elise demanded Rachel take it easy. I was incredibly stressed out. Silently though, of course."

"But Rachel knew."

"She did. And that's when she called in the cavalry."

"She did indeed," Scully said with a soft chuckle, raising her eyebrows as Howard's deep laughter echoed up the stairs and down the hall.

As time had approached and the house was ready for them to move in, they had needed reinforcements. Rachel had called her mother, Vivian, a couple of friends, and Howard and Betty- the older couple from the Christmas tree farm whom Scully and Mulder had met when Faith was a newborn, unaware they were part of Rachel's extended family.

Everyone had shown up, relieving the stress Rachel had been feeling as she was now unable to do much more than dictate where things should be placed, and they could all see how it frustrated her.

The men who had helped move everything out of the house, now helped move things into it. Furniture, boxes, pictures, and other decorations had been brought inside and directed to the correct location.

Howard, though he wanted to help carry the heavier items, had been relegated to help only once they were inside, helping to move them to the proper place and only if it avoided him going up and down the stairs.

He had also made meals, obviously something he loved to do, as some were requested personally by Rachel, reminiscing about times when she had eaten them when she was younger. His laughter booming and smile infectious, he had gotten to work filling the refrigerator and freezer in the garage with dishes to be taken out and warmed up, taking away any food worries for his 'sweet Rachel girl.'

Betty had helped unload boxes, arranging items in kitchen cabinets and drawers. She had also washed loads of laundry, folding small baby clothes and telling stories about her kids and grandkids as Rachel had sat beside her, laughing and crying in turn as she rubbed her belly with deep sighs, and paired tiny socks and folded sheets and blankets.

The others had cleaned and organized, arranging the rooms and adding their own special touches.

Vivian had worked painstakingly on the home office, wanting to have it done for Rachel even though she would not be back to work for quite some time, her clients given to a colleague she respected.

The room had been painted a misty teal with white crown moulding added. Knowing the l other rooms were taken care of, Vivian had taken over the office as a surprise for Rachel. New furniture, an office chair, a rug, a large oversized chair with an ottoman, and light sconces were secretly brought in by her and Skinner, as Rachel had been distracted in the other room.

As she had put on the finishing touches, adding knickknacks and pictures, she had stopped Scully on her way to the kitchen, asking her to come into the office for a minute. Handing her the diagram drawing of the battleship Rachel had asked to keep, Vivian had smiled and nodded, silently asking for Scully to hang it up.

"Rachel told me about your father," Vivian had said as she hung up another picture, a painting of a silhouetted ballerina in pose under two street lamps, the background the blues and purples of late evening. She smiled as she looked at it and then at Scully. "I know this was his office, his study. It's the perfect room for it- away from others and yet not so much so that they can't come to you."

"For my father especially. It was his sacred area," Scully had said, looking at the difference in art on the wall and smiling. "People were always asking him questions, here or at work, and he needed a place of his own."

"And for Rachel," Vivian had agreed, hanging a picture of the three of them camping when Rachel was younger, all of them smiling happily. "I know she won't be back for a while, but I want her to know it's here, ready for her when she does. Therapy has meant so much to her, even before she became a therapist herself, she was always helping others. I want her to have this space ready for when that time calls again." Scully had nodded in understanding, looking around the room.

"It looks wonderful in here… very cozy and inviting."

"Thank you," Vivian had said softly, reaching for Scully's hand. "For so much more than the admiration of the room. Thank you for all you've done for my daughter and her growing family."

"You're welcome. This house couldn't continue sitting here empty. It needed life in it again." Scully had squeezed her hand and then helped arrange the last few items.

When it had been ready, Vivian led Rachel to the room by the hand, her eyes shut to not spoil the surprise. She had cried, not too surprisingly, thanking her mother over and over, touching all the new things, and shaking her head.

"I love this all so much, Mom. Thank you. The way the colors in the rug fade out is so pretty, and they match the walls so well. Everything is just perfect. When I'm back to work, this will be wonderful to pop into to write up notes and plans as I need to find some privacy." She had hugged her mother, giving Scully a look over her shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey," Vivian had said and Scully smiled with a nod, knowing she had been speaking her thanks to both of them.

"It's been good to see everyone and to get it all ready for you both," Scully said to Skinner and he nodded.

"I can't believe we're so near her due date," he said with a shake of his head. "It feels like it flew by." Scully laughed and squeezed his arm.

"I don't think Rachel will feel the same. It's too bad there wasn't enough time to get the pool put in, give her a chance to feel weightless for a while."

"Our bathroom tub is pretty deep, I think that will suffice until the pool is done," he told her with a chuckle. "Dana, I don't think I will ever be able to thank you enough for this home."

"Well… you buying it helped me as well, for many reasons, but mostly it means I can be home with Faith for longer than I had planned. I do want to return to work at the hospital eventually and now I can take my time, go back when it's best for her. We're not hurting for money, neither of us are overly extravagant people, but now… any small concerns that may have been there are gone." She smiled at Faith who was looking at a different book, a small pile of them stacked beside her.

"I never would have accepted this place without payment, not for any reason, but mostly because of Faith," he said softly and Scully looked back at him, her eyes searching his with a slight frown. "College for a genius is going to be pretty expensive… had to make sure you two were all set."

"I'd argue that a genius wouldn't need to pay for college, the offers for scholarships would simply pour in, but I understand what you mean." She smiled and he laughed.

Scooping Faith up off the floor, he spun her around. She screamed excitedly as Scully put the books away, letting her take one downstairs where they would be eating dinner with everyone. Turning out the light with one last look around, Scully smiled at the transformation of the room.

Closing her eyes, she could picture her old room, the desk piled high with books, their cat lying at the foot of her bed as she wrote an essay for school in a black notebook.

"Dana?"

"Mama! Come here to me. See rainbow in my book."

"Yes, my love," she said, opening her eyes and smiling at the name banners that hung on the walls above the cribs, the room of the past now awaiting the arrival of Elizabeth and Jacob. "Show me that rainbow."