Title - Second Chances
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - Mulder/Scully Romance
Spoilers - Set sometime between Millenium and Sein Und Zeit
Summary - What's Mulder's connection to the victim of an apparent
mugging?
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just
borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be
returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to
borrow them next, when I'm done.
Feedback: PLEASE!!! NickyM96@yahoo.com
Second Chances
She grabs the baby and runs out the door, leaving the bag behind.
She can always get another one. Luckily, she had the foresight
to leave the stroller out in the hallway. It's one less thing
she has to maneuver out of the apartment. And right now, time is
not something she has to spare. The footsteps behind her get
louder and she knows she's running out of time.
Getting the baby settled into the stroller, she races out the
building and down the sidewalk, praying she'll run into any one
who can help her. But the streets are still and quiet. Not one
other soul in sight. She hears her pursuer get even closer and
decides to try the building one block over on Hegal Place. That
area is a bit more populated than this street.
She manages to reach the building just as a pair of hands grab
her from behind. She struggles to make it inside, but can't
fight the man. He's too strong. He pulls her into the bushes
just as a red-haired woman comes flying out of the building
followed by a tall, dark haired man. If they were only few
seconds sooner, the woman thinks to herself.
She struggles with him some more, but he begins dispensing
punches on her body wherever he can reach. As the pain reaches
an unbearable level, she manages to let out a shrill scream
before one last blow renders her thankfully unconscious.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mulder watches in wide eyed shock as Scully paces madly across
his living room. But to his amusement, she seems to be more in
shock than he is, although not by much. Never in his wildest
dreams did he picture what just happened. Well, maybe in some of
his wilder dreams, but that's exactly what they were - dreams.
Fantasies. He never thought it would actually happen. He never
thought that his partner, Dana Scully, would literally jump him
and proceed to give his tonsils the best workout they've ever
had.
"I can't believe I just did that," she mutters over and over, her
hands covering her eyes to block out the embarrassment. But he
can still see the redness in her cheeks and the tears leaking
through her fingers.
"Scully, it's okay," he manages to say, hating to see her upset,
but not wanting to further embarrass her. It actually was more
than okay with him. He's been wanting to do that for years now.
But he'd never tell her that.
"No, it's not okay," she cries. "I was so out of line. I'm so
sorry."
"Sorry?" he asks as confusion is added to his shock.
"I didn't mean to . . ."
"You didn't mean to? You don't want this?" he asks, his shock
and confusion now turning to disappointment.
She finally looks up and sees the look on his face. It breaks
her heart to know that she put it there. She still can't believe
she did this. One minute they're sitting on the couch. He leans
over and strokes her face. Or at least, that's what she thought.
In hindsight, he probably was just wiping some pizza sauce off of
her cheek. She tends to be a messy eater. However innocent the
gesture, she took it the wrong way and attacked him. Just jumped
into his lap and kissed him the way she always dreamed she could.
"Mulder we can't do this, regardless of what I want. It would
change too much. I'm sorry. I should go." She grabs her bag
and runs towards the door while he sits in shock, still
processing what she just said.
"So you do want this," he says, trying to clarify. He looks up
and his confusion grows when he sees he's talking to an empty
room. He turns around to see her open the door.
"Wait. Where are you going?" he calls to her before remembering
her saying something about leaving. He seems to be two steps
behind in this conversation. The door slams shut before he can
make himself move from the spot he's been frozen to on the couch.
"Scully!" he yells as he chases her out the apartment. He runs
down the hall in time to see the elevator doors closing. He
quickly decides to go down the stairs, taking them two at a time
until he reaches the bottom. He makes it down just as she's
exiting the building. "Scully, wait!"
"Don't do this, Mulder," she cries as she reaches her car,
realizing she won't be able to get in and leave before he gets to
her. She may as well face the music. "It was a mistake. I
shouldn't have done that."
"Shouldn't have done what? Kiss me?" he gasps, trying to catch
his breath. "You really think it was a mistake?"
"Don't you?"
"No." He changes his tune when he gets one perfectly manicured
eyebrow arched in his direction. "Okay, maybe it was a mistake.
But not like what you think. More like a misunderstanding.
Mixed signals."
"Mixed signals?" she asks.
"Actually, it was more like you were finally reading my signals
correctly," he admits sheepishly, suddenly finding the ground
incredibly interesting.
"You've been sending me signals?" she asks, a little bit of
understanding finally dawning. Could it be possible that he
wanted her as much as she wanted him? Is that what he's trying
to say? She begins to relax a little, realizing that perhaps she
didn't make as big a fool of herself as she originally thought.
"Yeah. See, I had a plan," he blushes.
"A plan?" she asks with a coy smile. This ought to be good, she
thinks to herself. He actually seems kind of embarrassed. "And
what did this plan of yours entail, Mulder?"
"Well, it's more like a gradual seduction I've been working on
that happens in different phases. During year one of my plan . .
. "
"Year one!" she laughs, unable to hold it in. "Mulder, your plan
has yearly phases? I guess it's a good thing I kissed you when I
did. Or else we'd be eighty before we had any real fun."
"Yeah, you had to go and steal my thunder," he quips. She
giggles. A delightful little laugh he's rarely had the pleasure
of hearing. It brings a smile to his face.
"You're so crazy," she gasps while trying to catch her breath
from the giggle fit.
"Crazy about you," he says, his voice barely a whisper. She
looks up at him and sees that the look on his face has turned
suddenly serious.
"Mulder," she sighs as he lifts both hands to gently caress her
face.
"Shh," he admonishes, leaning more into her personal space. "I
think it's time I take back my thunder."
Before she can say another word, she finds her mouth otherwise
occupied with Mulder's. He kisses her gently, slowly moving his
mouth against hers in a dance they seemed destined to do. She
always thought the kisses in the romantic movies were so
unrealistic in their perfectness. But she's finding now that
they don't hold a candle to Mulder's kiss. Perfect does not
adequately describe this exquisitely delightful experience. His
lips mold to hers as if they were fashioned for this very purpose
- to kiss her senseless.
One by one her senses return to her and she breaks the kiss,
suddenly remembering they are leaned up against her car putting
on a very public display of affection.
"Mulder, we can't do this," she says, pulling out of his embrace.
"Why not?" he asks, fear starting to enter his heart. Is she
pulling away from him already?
"For one thing, we're in the middle of the street," she smiles.
"Oh," he realizes her point and his panic abates. "Well, then.
How about we move this back inside to where it all started." He
leans in to kiss her again, only to be stopped again, her hand on
his chest to form a barrier between them.
"That's probably not the best idea either. I think I should go
home."
"Scully . . . " he whines.
"It's not what you think," she smiles at him, tipping up on her
toes to kiss him gently. "I'm not running away from this, I
promise. I just need some time. To think. To let this . . .
whatever it is between us . . . sink in. Do you understand?"
"I guess so," he pouts. She has to seriously resist the urge to
nibble on that bottom lip, sticking out like a tempting piece of
candy.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" At his nod, she pulls
him into another kiss, just to say good night, she tells herself.
Except the 'good night' kiss quickly turns into a 'take me back
inside your place' kiss and she has to force herself to break it
off before she ends up dragging him inside.
"Dangerous. That's what your kisses are," she mumbles,
desperately trying to catch her breath and still her racing
heart. "So very dan- . . . "
She pauses as a sound penetrates her foggy brain. It sounds like
it's coming from the bushes beside Mulder's building. She looks
over and can barely make out a figure lurking in the shadows.
"Scully? What is it?" Mulder asks.
"I think there's someone over there," she whispers. "Did you
hear that?"
"Hear wha . . ." he starts to ask before he's cut off by a blood
curdling scream in the distance.
"That! Someone's in trouble, Mulder," she says, reluctantly
pushing away from him and grabbing her gun. He does the same and
they switch effortlessly back onto FBI mode, racing to where they
heard the sound come from. They see the shadows on the side of
the building and approach carefully, trying to surprise whoever's
lurking there. Just as they get into position, a man leaps at
them from behind the bushes, knocking Scully to the ground.
"Freeze! FBI," Mulder yells at the man as he takes off down the
street. The man doesn't listen and continues down the street,
forcing Mulder to follow on foot. The man makes a few quick
turns and loses Mulder, making it easy to evade capture. Mulder
takes one last look around for the man and, not finding him,
decides to go back to check on Scully. When he gets back to his
building, he sees her huddled over a form.
"Scully?" he asks warily, staring down at the battered body next
to his partner.
"A young African American female. I think the man you chased
must have attacked her. She's been beaten and she's unconscious,
but she's still alive," Scully reports. "I just called 9-1-1.
They should be here any minute."
"She's so young," he sighs, feeling sorry for the girl. "Can't
be more than 17 years old. What's she doing out here all alone?"
he asks, not really expecting an answer. He has to find out
where she belongs. No one should be alone at a time like this.
He looks around to see if he could find any of her belongings.
Possibly some ID to tell them who she is. His heart crumbles
even more when he sees an object laying in the distance. He runs
over to it and peeks inside, discovering that it's what he feared
- a toppled over stroller. "Scully! Get over here quick."
"What is . . . oh my . . ." she gasps. "It's a baby." He moves
aside and allows her to reach inside to check the baby out. The
baby lets out a loud cry and starts kicking furiously. Scully
cautiously picks it up.
"Is he okay?" Mulder asks.
"She," she says with a smile, holding the baby securely to her
chest. "The baby's a girl. And besides for a few scratches, she
seems fine."
Just then, the ambulance arrives and the paramedics load the
woman into the back.
"Any ID on the victim?" the paramedic asks.
"We haven't found any," Mulder answers since Scully seems to be
thoroughly focused on the baby. "We interrupted what appears to
be a mugging."
"Well she's lucky you got to her before whoever did this killed
her. How's the baby?"
"A little scratched, but she seems fine," Scully says. "However,
I think she should be checked out anyway."
"Okay, we'll take her then." When the paramedic reaches for the
baby, Scully finds herself wrapping her arms even tighter around
her light bundle, unwilling to give her up.
"I got her. She just got settled. I don't think she should be
shifted around and upset again." Scully looks pleadingly at
Mulder for back up.
"Like she said. We got the baby. We'll drive right behind you
and bring her with us," Mulder assures them. "What hospital are
you taking the woman to?"
"Northern Virginia Community Hospital," the paramedic relents,
seeing that it would be near impossible getting the baby away
from Scully. "We better get moving and take the victim in."
"Okay, then," Mulder nods, looking around for Scully. He sees
that she's already across the street and getting settled into the
car. A feeling goes through him that he can't explain. But he
senses that somehow things are about to change. For the better
or worse, he doesn't know. He just feels that the events of the
night will change his life in a way that he can't even imagine.
He gets into the car and stares at Scully and the baby for a
minute before starting it. The scene seems so right. It's
something he could get very used to seeing. He's never really
seen himself as a father before. But ever since Emily, all that
has changed. He'd love children now. As long as Scully would be
their mother. He smiles one last time at them before pulling out
behind the ambulance.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mulder hears the elevator's ding, signalling it's return to the
floor. Scully steps off empty handed, despite her claims of
going to get coffee. He smiles to himself, knowing where she
really has been. She's been keeping a watchful eye on the baby
ever since they arrived at the hospital.
"How's the baby?" he asks her.
"How did you know I went to see her?"
"No coffee," he says, pointing to her hands. "You said you were
going to get some."
"Oh yeah," she smiles, sitting down in the empty chair next to
him. "The baby is fine. I managed to get her in a room in the
peds ward. I had to do some fast talking, but I convinced the
doctor it was for the best to keep her overnight for observation.
At least now, she can be here with her mother until we track down
any other family. Otherwise she would have been taken into
protective services."
"Well, finding out who she is won't be so difficult anymore. The
cops found the mother's wallet at the scene. Her name is Serena
Bradford, age 19. No information on the baby as of yet," he
tells her.
"Has her family been notified?"
"She doesn't have any," Mulder frowns. "She's all alone. Just
her and the baby."
"Agent Mulder." Mulder looks up at the nurse standing just
outside of Serena's room. "The patient has regained
consciousness."
"Thank you, Nurse," he says, standing up out of his chair. He
waits for Scully to rise and follows her into the room, leading
her gently with hand on her lower back.
"Miss Bradford. My name is Dana Scully," she explains. "And
this is my partner Fox Mulder. We're with the FBI."
"Miss Bradford, can you tell us what happened?" Mulder asks,
sitting down next to the young woman's bed. He looks into her
hazel eyes and is shaken at the compassion he feels for her.
"Samantha," she whispers. "Where's Samantha?"
"What?" Mulder snaps before realizing how he sounds. Hearing his
sister's name still throws him most of the time. But for some
reason, this time seems different. There's just something about
this girl and he can't quite figure out what it is.
"Who's Samantha?" Scully asks, gently laying a hand on Mulder's
shoulder to calm him. "Is she the baby that was with you?"
Serena just nods.
"She's my daughter," she whispers.
"Your daughter is just fine," Mulder promises her. "But you
aren't. You were beaten very badly tonight. Can you tell us the
man who attacked you?"
She nods again, this time allowing a few tears to fall.
"His name is Carl Pierce. My fiance, Remy Cooper, hired him to
kill me," she says.
"You know this for a fact?" Mulder asks.
"Yes. He told me so when we were in the apartment. That's why I
started to run. I just picked up the baby and got out of there
as quickly as I could," she says, more tears falling to her
cheek. Mulder surprises them both by gently wiping them away.
"Miss Bradford, do you know why your fiance hired Mr. Pierce to
kill you?" Scully asks.
"He wanted my money," she says with a sigh. "We first met a few
years ago after my father died. I was just 16 at the time, but
he left me his entire fortune - enough to last me for five
lifetimes."
"What about your mother or any other family?"
"I never knew my mother. And my dad's only other family was a
sister who died before I was born. I was all he had. He was all
I had. We took care of each other. So after he died and they
wanted to put me into foster care, I refused. His lawyers
somehow found a way for me to become emancipated. I left home
and hooked up with Remy. I was young, but not stupid. I made
sure he didn't know about my money."
"No one's saying you're stupid at all," Mulder sympathizes,
grabbing onto her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Anyway, about a year later I got pregnant and told Remy we had
to get married. He reluctantly agreed under the condition we
move up here from Raleigh. He had a cousin up here, Carl, and
those two hooked up. They started working on different . . .
projects - not all of them entirely legal. I knew Carl was bad
news and warned Remy to stay away from him, but he didn't listen
to me. Eventually, I had to quit trying to look after him and
focus on taking care of myself and the baby. After the baby was
born, she was really sick. The hospital bills were high, more
than Remy thought we could afford. That's when I told him I had
a little saved and could handle things. But I still didn't let
him know how much money I actually had. Unfortunately, Carl
found out and told Remy what I was worth. After that, all he
talked about was money. So much so that I realized he didn't
really love me and threatened to leave him. That's when he sent
Carl after me."
"Unfortunately, this Carl person got away," Mulder says. "But
with your statement, the police can start looking for him and
your fiance."
"His full name is Remington Cooper. Carl lives here in
Arlington. Remy and I live in Tyson's Corner," she says with a
yawn. "Oh, excuse me."
"No problem. It's been a long day. We'll get out of your hair,
Miss Bradford."
"Please, call me Serena," she begs. "You two saved my life. And
to top it all off, you've been nicer to me than anyone has been
in a really long time."
"Get some rest," Scully says with a smile, noting Mulder's
reluctance to leave the girl's side. "Let's get out of here,
Mulder."
"Right," he says. "We'll see you tomorrow, Serena. Okay?"
"That'll be nice," Serena nods, her eyes beginning to drift shut.
Mulder follows Scully out into the hall.
"What's up with you, Mulder?" she asks, watching him
suspiciously.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you think you were laying the protective big brother act
on a little thick in there?" she asks.
"I couldn't help it, Scully. She's so young and seems like she
could use someone to look after her for awhile."
"She's cute too," Scully adds.
"Scully! It's not like that," he stutters, stopping and staring
at her when she starts to laugh.
"Relax. I don't see you as some perverted cradle robber only
looking to take advantage of that girl," she giggles. "I realize
you see her and think of your little sister. And I agree with
you. We should do all we can until she gets back on her feet. I
think it's incredibly sweet of you to think of her." She stands
on her tip toes and presses a brief kiss to his lips.
"Mmmm. I think you're incredibly sweet too," he says with a
leer, loving that he can say stuff like that to her now. "Those
lips of yours taste just like candy."
"Mulder," she blushes and rolls her eyes at him. "Let's go. We
can come back early in the morning. The doctors say she can
probably go home tomorrow."
"Alright. To your place, then," he tries her, but backs down
when he gets 'the look' again. "Okay, okay. I give up tonight.
I'll go to my place, you'll go to your place."
She gives him a smile and shakes her head, turning around to walk
down the hall. He follows, his own smile on his face. One of
these days, Dana Scully, he thinks, one of these days he won't
have to say good night.
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena holds her baby close to her chest as Mulder swings the
door open for her. After being released from the hospital, she
was surprised at the agents' offer to escort her home to make
sure she stays safe. She appreciates the gesture more than she
could ever tell them. She feels safe and secure for the first
time since her dad died. There was just something about Agent
Mulder. Something familiar and comforting.
"Thank you, Fox," she says as he holds the door for her. "You
guys make yourselves at home. I'm going to put Samantha down in
her crib."
They smile and take a seat on the sofa while she leaves the room.
"So, *Fox*," Scully teases.
"Don't start, Scully. While you were with the baby this morning,
Serena started calling me that and I didn't correct her. I
really do hate my name, but it's okay when some people call me by
it. Like your mother. And Serena. You can too, if you want."
"Thanks for the gesture, but that's okay. You're my Mulder. And
that's what you're going to stay." She leans over and kisses
him. Mulder pulls her closer and deepens the kiss, almost making
her forget they were guests in someone else's home. They jump
apart when they hear someone behind them clearing their throat.
"Sorry," Mulder blushes.
"No problem," Serena smiles, a wiggling Samantha matching it with
a slobbery grin of her own. "But when I said to make yourselves
at home, I didn't realize you two would start making out on my
couch."
"I thought you were putting her down," Mulder says, gesturing to
the baby.
"I was, but I missed her so much last night. I didn't want to
let her out of my sight just yet." She gives the baby a little
kiss on the cheek before continuing. "Anything could have
happened to her. If you two hadn't rescued me . . . "
"You don't have to worry about that anymore," Scully says. "We
told you this morning that the police were able to pick up Carl
late last night. Unfortunately it was too late for Remy. Carl
had already killed him. The police caught him red handed."
"I know I should feel sad that my baby's father is dead. And I
am sorry. It's such a waste. They talk about black on black
crime in the news. But this is worse. They were family. It's a
shame, really. But I should have known the kinds of people both
of them were and gotten away before it was too late. It almost
was." She starts to cry, her small frame shaking from the force
of her tears. The baby, seeing her mother so distraught, starts
to cry as well. Mulder stands up to get her while Scully goes to
comfort Serena. Within seconds, both have calmed down.
"You're pretty good at that, Fox," Serena sniffs, wiping her face
dry. "She must really like you. She doesn't usually go to
strangers."
The baby pokes around his face and he gives out a fake cry when
she pulls at his nose, causing the baby to giggle.
"I'm no stranger. I'm Uncle Fox, isn't that right Sami?" he asks
the baby before realizing what he's doing and turns to Serena.
"Is it okay that I call her that? It's what I used to call my
little sister."
"It's fine," Serena smiles. "You don't call your sister that
anymore? She got too old for nicknames?"
"No, she's gone," he says quietly, gently rocking the baby back
and forth in her arms until her eyes start to drift shut. "She
disappeared when we were kids. We never found her."
"I'm sorry, Fox," Serena apologizes. "I didn't know."
"It's okay. You couldn't have known." Both women watch Mulder
disappear into the back room to lay down the now sleeping infant.
"Is he really okay?" Serena whispers once he's out of sight.
"You remind him a lot of her," Scully explains. "Your situation
and all. But it's helped him to be able to help you, if that
makes any sense."
"Believe me, I'm grateful for the help. I don't want to sound
too needy or clingy, but you guys are the best friends I've made
in awhile. I really don't know what the future holds for me and
Samantha, but I sincerely hope you and Fox stay a part of our
lives, Dana."
"That's sweet, Serena," Scully says, giving the young woman a
hug. "We care about the two of you. But with Mulder, it's
something else. There's just something about you he's connecting
with."
"Dana, he's hot and all, but not my type," Serena says quickly.
"I'm not trying to . . ."
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Scully laughs. "Mulder and I
have known each other for a long time. But it's only just
recently we've even . . . kissed. I mean, *really* kissed.
There was this one thing on New Years, but it was very friendly.
Innocent."
"You're kidding me. No wonder you two can barely keep you hands
off of each other," Serena giggles.
"Anyway, I'd normally be very insecure right about now. You're a
very beautiful woman, Serena," Scully admits. "And Mulder has
taken a keen interest in you. But I can see that it's all
innocent. He feels if he can take care of you, it'll kind of
make up for not being able to take care of his sister."
"Well, you two have wasted enough time on me today. You need to
go home and show your man a good time," Serena grins. Both women
break out into a fit of giggles.
"Not laughing at me, I hope," Mulder says when he comes out the
room.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Fox," Serena says, shooting Scully a
knowing glance.
"Yeah, Mulder. It's nothing. Just girl talk," Scully smiles.
"Boy, I'm tired all of a sudden," Serena says, giving a fake yawn
and
exaggerated stretch. "I think I'm going to crash with Samantha.
Why don't you two get out of here and go have some fun."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Scully readily agrees. Mulder
looks at them both suspiciously before nodding and walking to the
door. Scully and Serena follow him.
"I know you two are up to something, but I'm going to let you
keep your little secret for now." He leans down and kisses
Serena on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, Kid."
He grabs Scully's hand, still amazed that he can without risking
her shooting him, and walks her down the hall. She's the most
important thing to him and he's so grateful that he can finally
show her all she means to him. He wonders what she and Serena
were giggling about. A little nervous, in fact, about what she
may have planned. But, if the wicked gleam in her eyes is any
indication, he knows he'll have a good time finding out.
"So, Scully. What were you two laughing about?" he asks once
they reach the car.
"Nothing bad, I promise," she says, smiling at his nosiness.
"Serena realized that hanging around with her wasn't giving us
much . . . quality time. She told me to - and I quote - go home
and show my man a good time."
"Ooh, am I 'your man', Scully?" he leers, wagging his eyebrows at
her. "And are you going to show me a really, really good time?"
"In your dreams, Mulder," she says, trying to suppress a shudder.
The things that man's voice can do to her ought to be considered
illegal.
"Every night, Scully," he grins as he pulls the car out into
traffic. They ride in a comfortable silence for awhile until a
phone rings.
"That's you," she says, pulling out her own phone and not seeing
a number on the display. He pulls his out and answers it, saying
a few short sentences to the caller on the other end before
hanging it up.
"That was Skinner. He has a case for us," he says, sounding
somewhat disappointed. He was looking forward to that 'quality
time' Scully hinted at. Maybe next time, he thinks to himself.
He hears her own disappointed sigh and is strangely comforted.
At least he's not alone in his frustration. He reaches across
the console between them and grabs her hand, giving it a gentle
squeeze, a silent promise of what's to come.
* * * * * * * * * *
They get back into town a week later after solving the case. A
case, once again, of a teenager with an unhappy home life. The
supposedly abducted girl was found in a car with her boyfriend on
the way to Chicago. Mulder was disappointed that no aliens were
involved, but happy nonetheless she was found safe.
"I just don't understand it. I would never have run away from
home. I loved my father too much," Serena says, pausing to take
a sip of her iced tea. She had invited Mulder and Scully over
for dinner as soon as they had gotten back into town. "Living on
your own at that age is not all it's cracked up to be. I
fortunately had plenty of resources to help me. But I've only
just recently started feeling like I can truly handle being on my
own. And that's only because of you two."
"Well, luckily we found her," Scully says. "A lot of kids aren't
that lucky."
Right then, Samantha makes her presence known by letting out a
loud cry, startling the adults.
"Someone sounds wet and cranky," Serena cringes. "Excuse me
please."
"Don't worry about it. I'll get her," Mulder offers.
"You sure?" At his nod, Serena tells him where to find the
diapers and wipes and sends him on his way.
"I don't mean to pry, but I just have to say this, Dana. Fox
seems like he'd make a wonderful father. He's unbelievable with
Samantha. You two ever thought about having kids? Or is it too
soon in the relationship to be thinking about those kinds of
things?"
"I'd love children, Serena. They're just not in the cards,"
Scully says sadly. "It's a long story, one that I promise I'll
tell you later, but the short version is that I've been told that
I'm barren."
"I'm sorry," Serena apologizes. "Getting pregnant was the last
thing I expected, or even wanted, but it happened so easily for
me. But now that she's here, I couldn't imagine my life without
my baby. And now I realized how much more blessed I am to have
her."
"You are blessed. And it makes me feel good to know that you
appreciate the gift that she truly is. But it's nice being Aunt
Dana as well. I can take her home, spoil her rotten, and bring
her back to you to deal with," Scully laughs.
"That is if you can get her from Fox. Those two seemed to be
joined at the hip," Serena says, giggling along with her.
"What is it with you two?" Mulder asks, a dry and happy Samantha
perched in his arms. "I step out of the room for a second and
come back to find you two laughing at me . . . again."
"Just warning Dana that my daughter is about to steal you right
from under her nose."
"Hey now. My angel is no thief, are you, Sami? Even though she
stole my heart, she's still my perfect, sweet little Sami," he
says in an annoyingly high pitched baby voice that sends Samantha
into a fit of giggles.
"He never coos at me like that," Scully says dryly.
"Oh, I love you too, Honey," Mulder says, winking at her. "But
not like my Sami here." He blows kisses on the baby's belly and
her laughter starts anew.
The women roll their eyes and leave Mulder playing with the baby
while they clear away the dinner dishes and make coffee. When
they come back, the baby is laying on Mulder's chest, asleep,
while he silently flips through the stations on TV.
"Let me put her to bed," Serena says, gently lifting her tiny
child. She takes the baby in the room and returns a few minutes
later, silently shutting the door behind her.
"Fox, that little girl seriously adores you," she says,
stretching out on the sofa, letting Mulder and Scully have the
love seat all to themselves. "Her father never spent much time
with her, so I think she's loving this attention from you."
"Well, I love giving it to her," Mulder blushes. "She's a great
kid. And she has a great mother."
"No, you and Dana are the great ones. I don't know what I did to
deserve having the two of you in my life. And I really don't
understand how it happened so quickly. I don't usually let
people in. But it seems like the two of you were already there.
From the moment we met."
"We're glad to be here," Scully says with a smile. "I know it
won't be easy for Samantha to grow up without a parent."
"Like I said, Remy wasn't really around all that much. So not
much will change now that he's gone. And I think it'll be
different for her growing up without her father than it was for
me growing up without my mother. She won't constantly wonder who
he is or what he looks like or why he didn't want her. I thought
those questions everyday. Every woman I passed on the street, I
wondered if she was my mother. I wondered if I cried too much as
a baby and made her leave me."
"It wasn't your fault," Mulder interrupts her. "When your mother
left you, it was your loss. She won't ever get to see the
wonderful and beautiful young woman you have become."
"Maybe she will," Serena mumbles to herself, but Mulder and
Scully hear anyway.
"What do you mean by that, Serena?" Scully asks.
"I mean, what if I can . . . find her?" she asks almost shyly.
"Is that what you want? Because we can help you," Mulder tells
her.
"Really?" They both nod and she lets out a relieved sigh. "I
know there was a reason she didn't want me. So I'm not going to
get my hopes up about some fantasy reunion between us. But I
think I have the right to look her in the eyes and ask her why."
"If you tell us what you know about her, then we can run some
stuff tomorrow when we get to work," Scully suggests.
"I don't know much about her," Serena admits. "I don't know her
name or where she lives or anything. All I know is that she was
my aunt's best friend growing up. My father didn't talk about
her too much."
"That's not much to go on," Mulder says, trying not to disappoint
her too much. "Is her name on your birth certificate? Or maybe
we can check the hospital where you were born."
"Some children have unknown father listed on their birth
certificate. Mine says unknown mother," Serena says with a
little mirthless chuckle. "And I wasn't born in a hospital.
Like I said, my father had money. They arranged for a midwife to
deliver me at our estate. Then my father's private physician
handled filling out my birth certificate. My mother's name isn't
on it."
"How about your aunt? Maybe we can see if any of her other
friends are still alive and might know your birth mother," Scully
says.
"It's worth a try," Serena shrugs. "My aunt's name was Clara
Westin. She was my dad's half sister, they shared the same
mother. Aunt Clara was born in Connecticut where her mother
worked for a white man, who fathered Clara. She was a very
beautiful baby with fair skin and straight hair. Her father
wanted to keep her, and since his wife couldn't have children,
she agreed to raise Clara. But she ordered her husband to send
away Clara's mother. So my grandmother left, took my father and
settled in Raleigh. They lived there for about ten years and
when my father was about 13 years old, my grandmother died.
Clara's father felt guilty and took my father in as kind of a
ward, so Clara and my father were able to grow up together after
all."
"Did your aunt ever marry, or is Westin the name we should look
under?" Mulder asks.
"She married several times," Serena says, rolling her eyes. "She
ended up living in Martha's Vineyard with her last husband,
George Roland. They both died in a house fire there."
"You're kidding? I remember when that happened," Mulder says.
"I had just graduated high school and was spending a month with
my father before going over to England to start the summer
session at Oxford. I remember because my mom came for the
funeral. She knew them. Actually, everyone knew them. The were
a very visible couple."
"So it's possible your mom can help?" Serena asks hopefully.
"Maybe," Mulder is hesitant. "She's not entirely . . . reliable.
Not her memory, anyway. She had a stroke a few years back and
doesn't remember stuff clearly anymore."
"Is there anything else you can give us?" Scully asks. "Do you
think your dad had a picture hidden away? Have you ever seen
her? Do you have any idea what she looks like?"
"I went through all of my dad's stuff after he died. I didn't
find any pictures of anyone I didn't know. And as far as I know,
I've never seen her. I think she's a white woman, though. I . .
. " she pauses and starts to pull at her bottom lip, just like
Scully's seen Mulder do on many occasions when he's trying to
figure something out, so she assumes the girl may be remembering
something.
"What is it, Serena?" she asks, trying to gently coax her memory.
"Just a dream I've had all my life. A dream where I've met my
mother. In my dream, I see a white woman with dark hair, but I
can't distinguish any of her features. My dad is also there. I
can see him clearly. And there was another man there, but I
could never see his face - until recently. In my dream, this man
sort of rescues me from something. I was crying and he took me
and calmed me down."
"You said you could never see him clearly until recently. What's
changed?"
"This past week when I've had the dream, I could see him. He's
you, Fox. I guess I picture you as my savior and have imported
you into my dreams. Other than that aspect of it, the dream
seems almost real at times."
"Maybe it's not a dream. Maybe it is real," Mulder says. "Do
you remember anything else about this woman? About this dream?"
"Not much," she says, shaking her head.
"Alright, do something for me." His voice changes to a soothing
tone and Scully recognizes his 'psychologist' mode. "Take my
hand and relax. Take deep breaths and try to put yourself into
the dream."
"Are you trying to hypnotize me, Fox. Because I'm not . . ."
"Just relax," he says again. "Open your mind a little more to
the memory. Tell me what you see."
She closes her eyes and he can feel the tension drain from her
body. She takes a few deep breaths and finally starts to talk.
"I'm young," she starts. "Probably 4 or 5 years old. My dad and
I drive up to this house. I'm wearing my best church dress and
the black shoes that pinch my toes, but I don't complain because
I know that I'm dressed up to meet my mom. We walk to the house
and knock on the door. When she opens the door, she seems
surprised, but recovers and asks my dad what do we want. I don't
remember what he says, but she ends up letting us in, a bit
reluctantly it seems."
"Can you see what she looks like, Serena?" Mulder asks her. She
pauses and starts pulling at her lip again, trying to picture it
in her head, but ends up shaking her head no. "Okay, so what
happened once you were in the house?"
"I'm not sure. I wasn't really listening. I looked around a lot
and my eyes caught on a doll sitting on the shelf. I wanted to
play with her, so I went over there and tried to get it. The
woman got very angry. Said it belonged to her daughter and she
took it from me. I started to cry and she started to yell at my
father. Asking him why he brought me here and saying that we
should leave. Just then, someone else walked into the house.
That other man I remember seeing. He looked at the woman and
then he looked at my father, but didn't say anything. He just
picked me up and took me outside. He held me until I stopped
crying and then gave me something out of his pocket. It wasn't
gum or candy or anything sweet. It was salty, like a nut or
something I think. He made funny faces at me and made me laugh
while my dad and that lady were in the house yelling at each
other. Finally, my dad came out. We got in the car and left.
And that's when I wake up."
"That's a pretty vivid, dream," Scully comments. "Do you think
it could be a memory, Mulder? Mulder? Mulder?" She touches his
arms to get his attention, seeing that he's completely zoned out.
"What?" he says finally when he notices her hand on his arm.
"I was asking if you think the dream could be a memory," she
says, staring curiously at the strange look on his face. It's
definitely the panic face, yet she can't think of a reason for
him to be making it. "Are you okay? You look a bit . . . off."
"I'm fine," he snaps, shaking Scully's hand from his arm and
standing up. "We should go, Scully. We got an early day ahead
of us tomorrow. We should take Serena's advice and make a trip
up to see my mom in the morning. The more I think about it, the
more I think she'll be able to help us. Serena, we'll pick up
you and Samantha at seven. Do you think you'll be ready?"
"Sure," she says, kind of confused at his sudden attitude change.
"What is this about Fox?"
"Just seeing if we can find out what happened all those years
ago. Trying to see why a mother would give up her child." He
reaches out and pulls Serena into his arms, giving her a long
hug. "We'll see you in the morning."
Scully looks at her and shrugs her shoulders, not able to explain
Mulder's strange behavior either. She gives the woman a quick
hug before leaving with Mulder. Something definitely happened in
there. Something that affected him deeply.
"Mulder," she says quietly once they reach the car. "What was
that all about? What happened back there?"
"Everything, Scully," he sighs. "I don't know how to explain it,
really."
"You felt something, didn't you?" she guesses. "Ever since last
week, I've noticed a weird connection between you and Serena.
But tonight, somehow you actually felt what she was feeling.
Like you had become her or something."
"Not exactly," he says with a small grin. "Although, the fact
that you'd jump to such an extreme possibility is turning me on
more than a little right now, Scully."
His little quip makes her laugh.
"And as much as I'd like to think that I've converted you, that's
not what happened. There's a far simpler explanation," he says.
"It was more than me *feeling* what she was feeling. I *knew*
what she was feeling. And the reason I knew what she was feeling
is because . . . well, because I was there, Scully. I was the
other man in the dream. It was my mother her father was arguing
with. I was the one who took the little girl outside and took
care of her until she stopped crying. It was a sunflower seed I
gave her. I guess I was in the habit of carrying them around in
my pockets, even back then."
"Mulder, what are you saying?"
"I'm not sure, exactly," he sighs. "All I know is that for some
reason, Serena and her dad were at that house that day with my
mom. That part is true. It's not just some dream Serena keeps
having. It's a genuine memory. And the only reason I can think
of why they'd be there is because . . ."
"Because what, Mulder?"
"I don't know how this is even possible, Scully. I don't even
know why I'm even thinking it. But I think they were there to
see my mom . . . because she's Serena's mom too."
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena sits in the back next to where Samantha is strapped into
her car seat. She stares at the back of Mulder and Scully's
heads for awhile, wondering how to approach them with what's on
her mind. There's been a tense silence hanging in the car since
they picked her up earlier that morning. She didn't really
notice before since she was pretty worried about what information
they might or might not find out from Mulder's mother. But now
the tension is palpable. Mulder's knuckles are white from
gripping the steering wheel so hard. There's definitely
something bothering him, Serena concludes. She decides the best
approach to find out what that something is is to be direct.
"There's something going on that you guys haven't told me," she
says, watching them both carefully for any reaction they may
make. She notices them both tense even more, impossible as it
may seem. "What's going on?"
"My mother and I have never had the best of relationships,"
Mulder explains to her. "I'm always a little tense when I have
to see her."
She watches the glances between the two of them and can
practically see the silent conversation flowing back and forth.
She knows Mulder enough to know that he's telling the truth about
his relationship with his mother. But she also knows that's not
the true reason behind his stress. She decides to let it go for
now. She has her own worries to deal with. Any minute now,
she's going to meet a woman who may very well be able to tell her
about her mother.
The car slows as it reaches the residential area of the small
town. After a few turns, Mulder pulls into the driveway of a
house that seems vaguely familiar to Serena. But as she looks
around, she notices that a lot of the houses are similar. That's
probably why she feels as if she's seen the house before.
Because she has. Two blocks up and across the street, but in a
sage color.
"Here we are," Mulder says, letting out a deep breath. He tugs
on his bottom lip for a few moments before turning around to face
Serena. "Why don't you let Scully stay in the car and watch
Samantha while we go in. I told you that my mom's mind isn't as
sharp as it used to be. I think the baby might be a distraction
we don't need."
"Okay," Serena nods, suddenly feeling the same nervousness
plaguing Mulder at the moment. She watches him get out the car
and approach her side and realizes that there's no turning back.
"Hey. Are you okay with this?" Mulder asks her, noticing her
reticence.
"I need to do this, Fox," she barely whispers. She takes a deep
breath and steps out of the car, taking his waiting hand. He
gives it a gentle squeeze, but he doesn't let it go. It's very
comforting and she smiles inwardly at how well he seems to know
exactly what she needs.
They walk up the steps to the house and Serena waits on the porch
as Mulder opens the door.
"Mom," she hears him call. "It's Fox. Are you home?"
Mulder turns around and sees Serena still on the porch and pulls
her inside. Just then, his mother comes down the stairs, pausing
at the bottom when she sees Mulder and his guest.
"Fox. What a surprise," she says, moving in tentatively for an
awkward hug with her son. "What are you doing here? And who's
your friend?"
"She's actually the reason why I'm here, Mom," he says. "I want
to introduce you to someone. This is Serena Bradford."
The look on Teena Mulder's face says it all. To say she's
shocked would be an understatement. Mulder has to grab onto the
woman and lead her to the sofa as her legs give out from under
her.
"Oh, my goodness. Fox, is your mom okay?" Serena asks with some
concern. "Should I go out and get Dana to check on her?"
"I'm find, Child," Mrs. Mulder rasps as she looks accusingly at
her son. "Why did you bring her here, Fox?"
"We needed answers," he says through a tear clogged throat. "And
seeing your reaction, I think we have the answer to the biggest
question we came here to ask."
"What are you talking about, Fox?" Serena asks. "You think your
mom can tell my about my . . . "
"I'm almost certain she can, Serena," he says, interrupting her.
"I'm pretty sure my mom can tell you all about your mom. Because
I'm pretty sure they're one in the same."
"What?" Serena gasps, not believing what she's hearing. She
finds herself staring incredulously at the older woman on the
sofa. "How can this be? Fox how can I be your sister and you
not even know . . . but you *did* know, didn't you?" she
realizes. "That's why you got all weird on me last night. And
why you were so quiet on the trip up here."
"I sort of guessed it," he nods. "But I still needed my mother
to confirm it. So how about it, Mom? How about you tell me the
truth about something for once in my life. I think you owe it to
both of us."
"Fox, this young woman is not my daughter," Mrs. Mulder says, not
looking either of them in the eye. "She can't be. Just look at
her. She looks nothing like us. She's . . ."
"Black," Serena finishes for her. "As a matter of fact, I am.
Is that why you didn't want me? Why you gave me away? Because I
wouldn't be able to blend in? Because I'd stick out like a sore
thumb!" she screams.
"You were so pale when you were born. And you had the brightest
blue eyes and a headful of curly hair," Mrs. Mulder starts. "I
thought that maybe you'd stay that way. And I'd be able to take
you home with me. But after a few weeks, you started to get
darker. Your eyes changed to the hazel they are now. And I knew
there would be no way you could pass for my child."
"But I was your child," Serena yells, bursting into tears. "I am
your child."
"Shh," Mulder says, holding the sobbing girl in his arms. Right
now he feels nothing but disgust for his mother, but knows he
cannot allow his anger to be unleashed just yet. There were
still questions that needed answers.
"Mom, why don't you start from the beginning. Tell us how this
all happened." He takes Serena over to another couch and sits
with her, keeping an arm around her for support.
"Start with how you knew my father, James Bradford," Serena
sniffs.
"My best friend growing up was a girl named Clara Westin," Mrs.
Mulder starts, realizing she didn't have much other choice than
to tell them her story.
"My aunt," Serena interjects.
"That's right," Mrs. Mulder nods. "Your father's sister. He
came to live with Clara's family when Clara and I were young,
maybe 9 or 10 years old. He was just barely a teenager himself."
"That was after my grandmother died."
Teena Mulder just nods before continuing with her story.
"His mother's death affected him deeply. Jimmy was a very quiet
and shy boy, but very sweet, considerate and well mannered. I
found myself . . . smitten with him, for lack of a better word.
I remembered telling my mother stories about what it would be
like to marry him when I grew up. But she told me that I would
never be able to marry a boy like him. That's just not how the
world worked. She said that people like him were our cooks and
servants, but that we couldn't be friends with them or marry
them. I didn't really understand her since Clara was his sister,
yet she was my best friend. My mother said that Clara was
acceptable since she looked like us. Anyway, years passed and
Clara and I ended up being sent away to the same boarding school.
By the time we got back, Jimmy had already left for college. I
never saw him again until Clara's funeral."
"That was the year I graduated high school and left for England,"
Mulder adds.
"We were both so distraught over Clara's death and with you being
gone, Fox, I was lonely. Jimmy and I sought comfort from each
other," she admits. "I didn't realize I was pregnant for a few
months. It was almost Thanksgiving by this time. Three weeks
later, Fox had come home for Christmas break. I was starting to
show a little, but nothing a big sweater couldn't hide. But I
knew that I wouldn't be able to hide the rest of my pregnancy.
So when Fox boarded his plane to return to England, I boarded a
plane for Raleigh and spent the rest of my pregnancy with your
father, Serena."
"You told me the New England winters had become too harsh for you
to deal with, Mom. You said that's why you were going south. I
always wondered why it was the only winter you left," Mulder
says, shaking his head at yet another lie his mother told him.
"How long were you in Raleigh?" Serena asks.
"I stayed about 6 weeks after you were born. By then, you were
getting your . . . color, and I knew I couldn't take you back
with me. I left you there with your father, knowing he'd be able
to take very good care of you. He had made his fortune by then,
so I knew you'd have the best life possible with anything you
could ever ask for."
"Except for a mother," Serena whispers.
Mrs. Mulder ignores that comment and continues.
"Everything was fine for awhile. I managed to push away the pain
of losing two daughters and moved on with my life. Fox had
graduated college by then and was back in the states to start
with the FBI. He was visiting me that day."
"The day my father brought me to see you," Serena says.
"Yes. I never expected that. I never expected to see you again.
I don't know why Jimmy brought you. He shouldn't have done
that," Mrs. Mulder sighs.
"That visit has haunted me my whole life," Serena says. "I
thought it was just a dream."
"You were barely five. How could you remember?"
"I don't know," Serena shrugs. "But I do. I remember it as
being the day my mother rejected me. And everyday after that, I
had to wonder why she didn't want me. Why she'd just throw me
away. Why I wasn't worthy enough for her love. But I realize I
was mistaken. I'm not the unworthy one. You are. If you can't
see past color and love no matter what, then that's your loss.
You lost out on loving my dad for that reason and now you've lost
out on loving me."
She finishes her tirade and runs out the house. Mulder stands
and starts to go after her, but turns to his mother with eyes
full of anger.
"I don't understand you, Mom," he says with his quiet ire
simmering beneath the surface. "After Samantha . . . we were all
so lost. Serena could never replace her, but she could have
helped heal us if you let her. She could have been our second
chance at love. But you gave her away, just like you let Dad
give Samantha away."
"Fox, I was 40 years old and divorced. People would have talked.
Not only about me being pregnant and unmarried, but also about .
. . her."
"That 'her' has a name. She is your daughter, Serena. My
sister," Mulder yells. "And I won't be ashamed of her. I am,
however, ashamed of you."
With that, he turns and leaves the house, letting the door slam
behind them. Scully and Serena are standing outside the car and
jump when the noise he makes startles them.
"I'm sorry about all that," he apologizes to Serena, pulling her
into his arms. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," she nods. "It's going to be okay. You know I wasn't
expecting much from her. I'm still hurt and angry and
disappointed, but I do have something to thank her for."
"What?" he asks curiously.
"For you," Serena smiles. "She gave me you. I have a brother to
love me and look out for me. Even if she doesn't care, I think
you do."
"I do care, Serena," he swears. "From the moment I saw you, I
knew you'd be a part of my life forever, even though I didn't
understand what I was feeling. But now I understand that I felt
what I did for you because we're bonded. You're my sister and
I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I hope you can accept me as
your brother. I won't let my mother's warped way of thinking
influence me the way her mother's did. That cycle stops here. I
refuse to allow mistakes from the past make me miss out on my
chance to love you like I should have been able to do all my
life."
They hug again, squeezing each other tightly as if trying to make
up for all the hugs they've missed in the past. They don't worry
about where they are or how long they stand there. They just
enjoy the sensation of holding and being held by a loved one.
After a few silent moments, the baby lets out a screech, as if
she's protesting the lack of attention towards her. All the
adults laugh at her impatience.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think Sami is ready to get
out of here," Scully says, still laughing.
"She's right," Serena says. "Let's go. I got my answers.
There's nothing left for me here." She reaches her arms out and
takes Samantha from Scully and steps into the car.
"You okay, Mulder?" Scully asks him, wrapping her arms around his
waist.
"I'm good now," he smiles, bending down to press a kiss to her
lips. "I have you. I have a sister and a niece. What more
could I ask for?"
"How about some of that 'quality time' I've been promising you,"
she says seductively, her voice dropping to a deep alto that
makes his toes curl.
"Ooh, G-woman, you know me so well," he chuckles. He captures
her lips in another kiss, taking time to throughly massage each
crevice of her mouth. Soft whimpers escape her throat and he
pushes her away while he's still able to.
"These kisses are going to be the death of me, yet," she gasps, a
dreamy grin crossing her face. "This mouth of yours should be
considered a lethal weapon."
"Don't die on me now," he grins, unable to resist stealing
another kiss. "Not before we get to the real fun."
"Then let's get out of here," she says breathlessly, pulling
herself from his embrace and getting into the car.
He laughs out loud at her order. Didn't the woman know he'd
follow her anywhere? He loves her. And has loved her for a long
time. One of these days he'll get around to telling her. But
for right now, he's just grateful that he's able to love again.
Samantha's disappearance left his heart a wreck. But thanks to
Scully and his newfound sister, the pieces were being
reconstructed to a whole bigger and better than before. Not
everyone gets a second chance at love. Mulder's one of the lucky
ones who did. And he doesn't intend on wasting it.
The End.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought:
NickyM96@yahoo.com. This might be an interesting universe to
return to in the future if I get the chance or enough interested
readers to do so :-) (hint hint)
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Category - Mulder/Scully Romance
Spoilers - Set sometime between Millenium and Sein Und Zeit
Summary - What's Mulder's connection to the victim of an apparent
mugging?
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just
borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be
returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to
borrow them next, when I'm done.
Feedback: PLEASE!!! NickyM96@yahoo.com
Second Chances
She grabs the baby and runs out the door, leaving the bag behind.
She can always get another one. Luckily, she had the foresight
to leave the stroller out in the hallway. It's one less thing
she has to maneuver out of the apartment. And right now, time is
not something she has to spare. The footsteps behind her get
louder and she knows she's running out of time.
Getting the baby settled into the stroller, she races out the
building and down the sidewalk, praying she'll run into any one
who can help her. But the streets are still and quiet. Not one
other soul in sight. She hears her pursuer get even closer and
decides to try the building one block over on Hegal Place. That
area is a bit more populated than this street.
She manages to reach the building just as a pair of hands grab
her from behind. She struggles to make it inside, but can't
fight the man. He's too strong. He pulls her into the bushes
just as a red-haired woman comes flying out of the building
followed by a tall, dark haired man. If they were only few
seconds sooner, the woman thinks to herself.
She struggles with him some more, but he begins dispensing
punches on her body wherever he can reach. As the pain reaches
an unbearable level, she manages to let out a shrill scream
before one last blow renders her thankfully unconscious.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mulder watches in wide eyed shock as Scully paces madly across
his living room. But to his amusement, she seems to be more in
shock than he is, although not by much. Never in his wildest
dreams did he picture what just happened. Well, maybe in some of
his wilder dreams, but that's exactly what they were - dreams.
Fantasies. He never thought it would actually happen. He never
thought that his partner, Dana Scully, would literally jump him
and proceed to give his tonsils the best workout they've ever
had.
"I can't believe I just did that," she mutters over and over, her
hands covering her eyes to block out the embarrassment. But he
can still see the redness in her cheeks and the tears leaking
through her fingers.
"Scully, it's okay," he manages to say, hating to see her upset,
but not wanting to further embarrass her. It actually was more
than okay with him. He's been wanting to do that for years now.
But he'd never tell her that.
"No, it's not okay," she cries. "I was so out of line. I'm so
sorry."
"Sorry?" he asks as confusion is added to his shock.
"I didn't mean to . . ."
"You didn't mean to? You don't want this?" he asks, his shock
and confusion now turning to disappointment.
She finally looks up and sees the look on his face. It breaks
her heart to know that she put it there. She still can't believe
she did this. One minute they're sitting on the couch. He leans
over and strokes her face. Or at least, that's what she thought.
In hindsight, he probably was just wiping some pizza sauce off of
her cheek. She tends to be a messy eater. However innocent the
gesture, she took it the wrong way and attacked him. Just jumped
into his lap and kissed him the way she always dreamed she could.
"Mulder we can't do this, regardless of what I want. It would
change too much. I'm sorry. I should go." She grabs her bag
and runs towards the door while he sits in shock, still
processing what she just said.
"So you do want this," he says, trying to clarify. He looks up
and his confusion grows when he sees he's talking to an empty
room. He turns around to see her open the door.
"Wait. Where are you going?" he calls to her before remembering
her saying something about leaving. He seems to be two steps
behind in this conversation. The door slams shut before he can
make himself move from the spot he's been frozen to on the couch.
"Scully!" he yells as he chases her out the apartment. He runs
down the hall in time to see the elevator doors closing. He
quickly decides to go down the stairs, taking them two at a time
until he reaches the bottom. He makes it down just as she's
exiting the building. "Scully, wait!"
"Don't do this, Mulder," she cries as she reaches her car,
realizing she won't be able to get in and leave before he gets to
her. She may as well face the music. "It was a mistake. I
shouldn't have done that."
"Shouldn't have done what? Kiss me?" he gasps, trying to catch
his breath. "You really think it was a mistake?"
"Don't you?"
"No." He changes his tune when he gets one perfectly manicured
eyebrow arched in his direction. "Okay, maybe it was a mistake.
But not like what you think. More like a misunderstanding.
Mixed signals."
"Mixed signals?" she asks.
"Actually, it was more like you were finally reading my signals
correctly," he admits sheepishly, suddenly finding the ground
incredibly interesting.
"You've been sending me signals?" she asks, a little bit of
understanding finally dawning. Could it be possible that he
wanted her as much as she wanted him? Is that what he's trying
to say? She begins to relax a little, realizing that perhaps she
didn't make as big a fool of herself as she originally thought.
"Yeah. See, I had a plan," he blushes.
"A plan?" she asks with a coy smile. This ought to be good, she
thinks to herself. He actually seems kind of embarrassed. "And
what did this plan of yours entail, Mulder?"
"Well, it's more like a gradual seduction I've been working on
that happens in different phases. During year one of my plan . .
. "
"Year one!" she laughs, unable to hold it in. "Mulder, your plan
has yearly phases? I guess it's a good thing I kissed you when I
did. Or else we'd be eighty before we had any real fun."
"Yeah, you had to go and steal my thunder," he quips. She
giggles. A delightful little laugh he's rarely had the pleasure
of hearing. It brings a smile to his face.
"You're so crazy," she gasps while trying to catch her breath
from the giggle fit.
"Crazy about you," he says, his voice barely a whisper. She
looks up at him and sees that the look on his face has turned
suddenly serious.
"Mulder," she sighs as he lifts both hands to gently caress her
face.
"Shh," he admonishes, leaning more into her personal space. "I
think it's time I take back my thunder."
Before she can say another word, she finds her mouth otherwise
occupied with Mulder's. He kisses her gently, slowly moving his
mouth against hers in a dance they seemed destined to do. She
always thought the kisses in the romantic movies were so
unrealistic in their perfectness. But she's finding now that
they don't hold a candle to Mulder's kiss. Perfect does not
adequately describe this exquisitely delightful experience. His
lips mold to hers as if they were fashioned for this very purpose
- to kiss her senseless.
One by one her senses return to her and she breaks the kiss,
suddenly remembering they are leaned up against her car putting
on a very public display of affection.
"Mulder, we can't do this," she says, pulling out of his embrace.
"Why not?" he asks, fear starting to enter his heart. Is she
pulling away from him already?
"For one thing, we're in the middle of the street," she smiles.
"Oh," he realizes her point and his panic abates. "Well, then.
How about we move this back inside to where it all started." He
leans in to kiss her again, only to be stopped again, her hand on
his chest to form a barrier between them.
"That's probably not the best idea either. I think I should go
home."
"Scully . . . " he whines.
"It's not what you think," she smiles at him, tipping up on her
toes to kiss him gently. "I'm not running away from this, I
promise. I just need some time. To think. To let this . . .
whatever it is between us . . . sink in. Do you understand?"
"I guess so," he pouts. She has to seriously resist the urge to
nibble on that bottom lip, sticking out like a tempting piece of
candy.
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" At his nod, she pulls
him into another kiss, just to say good night, she tells herself.
Except the 'good night' kiss quickly turns into a 'take me back
inside your place' kiss and she has to force herself to break it
off before she ends up dragging him inside.
"Dangerous. That's what your kisses are," she mumbles,
desperately trying to catch her breath and still her racing
heart. "So very dan- . . . "
She pauses as a sound penetrates her foggy brain. It sounds like
it's coming from the bushes beside Mulder's building. She looks
over and can barely make out a figure lurking in the shadows.
"Scully? What is it?" Mulder asks.
"I think there's someone over there," she whispers. "Did you
hear that?"
"Hear wha . . ." he starts to ask before he's cut off by a blood
curdling scream in the distance.
"That! Someone's in trouble, Mulder," she says, reluctantly
pushing away from him and grabbing her gun. He does the same and
they switch effortlessly back onto FBI mode, racing to where they
heard the sound come from. They see the shadows on the side of
the building and approach carefully, trying to surprise whoever's
lurking there. Just as they get into position, a man leaps at
them from behind the bushes, knocking Scully to the ground.
"Freeze! FBI," Mulder yells at the man as he takes off down the
street. The man doesn't listen and continues down the street,
forcing Mulder to follow on foot. The man makes a few quick
turns and loses Mulder, making it easy to evade capture. Mulder
takes one last look around for the man and, not finding him,
decides to go back to check on Scully. When he gets back to his
building, he sees her huddled over a form.
"Scully?" he asks warily, staring down at the battered body next
to his partner.
"A young African American female. I think the man you chased
must have attacked her. She's been beaten and she's unconscious,
but she's still alive," Scully reports. "I just called 9-1-1.
They should be here any minute."
"She's so young," he sighs, feeling sorry for the girl. "Can't
be more than 17 years old. What's she doing out here all alone?"
he asks, not really expecting an answer. He has to find out
where she belongs. No one should be alone at a time like this.
He looks around to see if he could find any of her belongings.
Possibly some ID to tell them who she is. His heart crumbles
even more when he sees an object laying in the distance. He runs
over to it and peeks inside, discovering that it's what he feared
- a toppled over stroller. "Scully! Get over here quick."
"What is . . . oh my . . ." she gasps. "It's a baby." He moves
aside and allows her to reach inside to check the baby out. The
baby lets out a loud cry and starts kicking furiously. Scully
cautiously picks it up.
"Is he okay?" Mulder asks.
"She," she says with a smile, holding the baby securely to her
chest. "The baby's a girl. And besides for a few scratches, she
seems fine."
Just then, the ambulance arrives and the paramedics load the
woman into the back.
"Any ID on the victim?" the paramedic asks.
"We haven't found any," Mulder answers since Scully seems to be
thoroughly focused on the baby. "We interrupted what appears to
be a mugging."
"Well she's lucky you got to her before whoever did this killed
her. How's the baby?"
"A little scratched, but she seems fine," Scully says. "However,
I think she should be checked out anyway."
"Okay, we'll take her then." When the paramedic reaches for the
baby, Scully finds herself wrapping her arms even tighter around
her light bundle, unwilling to give her up.
"I got her. She just got settled. I don't think she should be
shifted around and upset again." Scully looks pleadingly at
Mulder for back up.
"Like she said. We got the baby. We'll drive right behind you
and bring her with us," Mulder assures them. "What hospital are
you taking the woman to?"
"Northern Virginia Community Hospital," the paramedic relents,
seeing that it would be near impossible getting the baby away
from Scully. "We better get moving and take the victim in."
"Okay, then," Mulder nods, looking around for Scully. He sees
that she's already across the street and getting settled into the
car. A feeling goes through him that he can't explain. But he
senses that somehow things are about to change. For the better
or worse, he doesn't know. He just feels that the events of the
night will change his life in a way that he can't even imagine.
He gets into the car and stares at Scully and the baby for a
minute before starting it. The scene seems so right. It's
something he could get very used to seeing. He's never really
seen himself as a father before. But ever since Emily, all that
has changed. He'd love children now. As long as Scully would be
their mother. He smiles one last time at them before pulling out
behind the ambulance.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mulder hears the elevator's ding, signalling it's return to the
floor. Scully steps off empty handed, despite her claims of
going to get coffee. He smiles to himself, knowing where she
really has been. She's been keeping a watchful eye on the baby
ever since they arrived at the hospital.
"How's the baby?" he asks her.
"How did you know I went to see her?"
"No coffee," he says, pointing to her hands. "You said you were
going to get some."
"Oh yeah," she smiles, sitting down in the empty chair next to
him. "The baby is fine. I managed to get her in a room in the
peds ward. I had to do some fast talking, but I convinced the
doctor it was for the best to keep her overnight for observation.
At least now, she can be here with her mother until we track down
any other family. Otherwise she would have been taken into
protective services."
"Well, finding out who she is won't be so difficult anymore. The
cops found the mother's wallet at the scene. Her name is Serena
Bradford, age 19. No information on the baby as of yet," he
tells her.
"Has her family been notified?"
"She doesn't have any," Mulder frowns. "She's all alone. Just
her and the baby."
"Agent Mulder." Mulder looks up at the nurse standing just
outside of Serena's room. "The patient has regained
consciousness."
"Thank you, Nurse," he says, standing up out of his chair. He
waits for Scully to rise and follows her into the room, leading
her gently with hand on her lower back.
"Miss Bradford. My name is Dana Scully," she explains. "And
this is my partner Fox Mulder. We're with the FBI."
"Miss Bradford, can you tell us what happened?" Mulder asks,
sitting down next to the young woman's bed. He looks into her
hazel eyes and is shaken at the compassion he feels for her.
"Samantha," she whispers. "Where's Samantha?"
"What?" Mulder snaps before realizing how he sounds. Hearing his
sister's name still throws him most of the time. But for some
reason, this time seems different. There's just something about
this girl and he can't quite figure out what it is.
"Who's Samantha?" Scully asks, gently laying a hand on Mulder's
shoulder to calm him. "Is she the baby that was with you?"
Serena just nods.
"She's my daughter," she whispers.
"Your daughter is just fine," Mulder promises her. "But you
aren't. You were beaten very badly tonight. Can you tell us the
man who attacked you?"
She nods again, this time allowing a few tears to fall.
"His name is Carl Pierce. My fiance, Remy Cooper, hired him to
kill me," she says.
"You know this for a fact?" Mulder asks.
"Yes. He told me so when we were in the apartment. That's why I
started to run. I just picked up the baby and got out of there
as quickly as I could," she says, more tears falling to her
cheek. Mulder surprises them both by gently wiping them away.
"Miss Bradford, do you know why your fiance hired Mr. Pierce to
kill you?" Scully asks.
"He wanted my money," she says with a sigh. "We first met a few
years ago after my father died. I was just 16 at the time, but
he left me his entire fortune - enough to last me for five
lifetimes."
"What about your mother or any other family?"
"I never knew my mother. And my dad's only other family was a
sister who died before I was born. I was all he had. He was all
I had. We took care of each other. So after he died and they
wanted to put me into foster care, I refused. His lawyers
somehow found a way for me to become emancipated. I left home
and hooked up with Remy. I was young, but not stupid. I made
sure he didn't know about my money."
"No one's saying you're stupid at all," Mulder sympathizes,
grabbing onto her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Anyway, about a year later I got pregnant and told Remy we had
to get married. He reluctantly agreed under the condition we
move up here from Raleigh. He had a cousin up here, Carl, and
those two hooked up. They started working on different . . .
projects - not all of them entirely legal. I knew Carl was bad
news and warned Remy to stay away from him, but he didn't listen
to me. Eventually, I had to quit trying to look after him and
focus on taking care of myself and the baby. After the baby was
born, she was really sick. The hospital bills were high, more
than Remy thought we could afford. That's when I told him I had
a little saved and could handle things. But I still didn't let
him know how much money I actually had. Unfortunately, Carl
found out and told Remy what I was worth. After that, all he
talked about was money. So much so that I realized he didn't
really love me and threatened to leave him. That's when he sent
Carl after me."
"Unfortunately, this Carl person got away," Mulder says. "But
with your statement, the police can start looking for him and
your fiance."
"His full name is Remington Cooper. Carl lives here in
Arlington. Remy and I live in Tyson's Corner," she says with a
yawn. "Oh, excuse me."
"No problem. It's been a long day. We'll get out of your hair,
Miss Bradford."
"Please, call me Serena," she begs. "You two saved my life. And
to top it all off, you've been nicer to me than anyone has been
in a really long time."
"Get some rest," Scully says with a smile, noting Mulder's
reluctance to leave the girl's side. "Let's get out of here,
Mulder."
"Right," he says. "We'll see you tomorrow, Serena. Okay?"
"That'll be nice," Serena nods, her eyes beginning to drift shut.
Mulder follows Scully out into the hall.
"What's up with you, Mulder?" she asks, watching him
suspiciously.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you think you were laying the protective big brother act
on a little thick in there?" she asks.
"I couldn't help it, Scully. She's so young and seems like she
could use someone to look after her for awhile."
"She's cute too," Scully adds.
"Scully! It's not like that," he stutters, stopping and staring
at her when she starts to laugh.
"Relax. I don't see you as some perverted cradle robber only
looking to take advantage of that girl," she giggles. "I realize
you see her and think of your little sister. And I agree with
you. We should do all we can until she gets back on her feet. I
think it's incredibly sweet of you to think of her." She stands
on her tip toes and presses a brief kiss to his lips.
"Mmmm. I think you're incredibly sweet too," he says with a
leer, loving that he can say stuff like that to her now. "Those
lips of yours taste just like candy."
"Mulder," she blushes and rolls her eyes at him. "Let's go. We
can come back early in the morning. The doctors say she can
probably go home tomorrow."
"Alright. To your place, then," he tries her, but backs down
when he gets 'the look' again. "Okay, okay. I give up tonight.
I'll go to my place, you'll go to your place."
She gives him a smile and shakes her head, turning around to walk
down the hall. He follows, his own smile on his face. One of
these days, Dana Scully, he thinks, one of these days he won't
have to say good night.
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena holds her baby close to her chest as Mulder swings the
door open for her. After being released from the hospital, she
was surprised at the agents' offer to escort her home to make
sure she stays safe. She appreciates the gesture more than she
could ever tell them. She feels safe and secure for the first
time since her dad died. There was just something about Agent
Mulder. Something familiar and comforting.
"Thank you, Fox," she says as he holds the door for her. "You
guys make yourselves at home. I'm going to put Samantha down in
her crib."
They smile and take a seat on the sofa while she leaves the room.
"So, *Fox*," Scully teases.
"Don't start, Scully. While you were with the baby this morning,
Serena started calling me that and I didn't correct her. I
really do hate my name, but it's okay when some people call me by
it. Like your mother. And Serena. You can too, if you want."
"Thanks for the gesture, but that's okay. You're my Mulder. And
that's what you're going to stay." She leans over and kisses
him. Mulder pulls her closer and deepens the kiss, almost making
her forget they were guests in someone else's home. They jump
apart when they hear someone behind them clearing their throat.
"Sorry," Mulder blushes.
"No problem," Serena smiles, a wiggling Samantha matching it with
a slobbery grin of her own. "But when I said to make yourselves
at home, I didn't realize you two would start making out on my
couch."
"I thought you were putting her down," Mulder says, gesturing to
the baby.
"I was, but I missed her so much last night. I didn't want to
let her out of my sight just yet." She gives the baby a little
kiss on the cheek before continuing. "Anything could have
happened to her. If you two hadn't rescued me . . . "
"You don't have to worry about that anymore," Scully says. "We
told you this morning that the police were able to pick up Carl
late last night. Unfortunately it was too late for Remy. Carl
had already killed him. The police caught him red handed."
"I know I should feel sad that my baby's father is dead. And I
am sorry. It's such a waste. They talk about black on black
crime in the news. But this is worse. They were family. It's a
shame, really. But I should have known the kinds of people both
of them were and gotten away before it was too late. It almost
was." She starts to cry, her small frame shaking from the force
of her tears. The baby, seeing her mother so distraught, starts
to cry as well. Mulder stands up to get her while Scully goes to
comfort Serena. Within seconds, both have calmed down.
"You're pretty good at that, Fox," Serena sniffs, wiping her face
dry. "She must really like you. She doesn't usually go to
strangers."
The baby pokes around his face and he gives out a fake cry when
she pulls at his nose, causing the baby to giggle.
"I'm no stranger. I'm Uncle Fox, isn't that right Sami?" he asks
the baby before realizing what he's doing and turns to Serena.
"Is it okay that I call her that? It's what I used to call my
little sister."
"It's fine," Serena smiles. "You don't call your sister that
anymore? She got too old for nicknames?"
"No, she's gone," he says quietly, gently rocking the baby back
and forth in her arms until her eyes start to drift shut. "She
disappeared when we were kids. We never found her."
"I'm sorry, Fox," Serena apologizes. "I didn't know."
"It's okay. You couldn't have known." Both women watch Mulder
disappear into the back room to lay down the now sleeping infant.
"Is he really okay?" Serena whispers once he's out of sight.
"You remind him a lot of her," Scully explains. "Your situation
and all. But it's helped him to be able to help you, if that
makes any sense."
"Believe me, I'm grateful for the help. I don't want to sound
too needy or clingy, but you guys are the best friends I've made
in awhile. I really don't know what the future holds for me and
Samantha, but I sincerely hope you and Fox stay a part of our
lives, Dana."
"That's sweet, Serena," Scully says, giving the young woman a
hug. "We care about the two of you. But with Mulder, it's
something else. There's just something about you he's connecting
with."
"Dana, he's hot and all, but not my type," Serena says quickly.
"I'm not trying to . . ."
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Scully laughs. "Mulder and I
have known each other for a long time. But it's only just
recently we've even . . . kissed. I mean, *really* kissed.
There was this one thing on New Years, but it was very friendly.
Innocent."
"You're kidding me. No wonder you two can barely keep you hands
off of each other," Serena giggles.
"Anyway, I'd normally be very insecure right about now. You're a
very beautiful woman, Serena," Scully admits. "And Mulder has
taken a keen interest in you. But I can see that it's all
innocent. He feels if he can take care of you, it'll kind of
make up for not being able to take care of his sister."
"Well, you two have wasted enough time on me today. You need to
go home and show your man a good time," Serena grins. Both women
break out into a fit of giggles.
"Not laughing at me, I hope," Mulder says when he comes out the
room.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Fox," Serena says, shooting Scully a
knowing glance.
"Yeah, Mulder. It's nothing. Just girl talk," Scully smiles.
"Boy, I'm tired all of a sudden," Serena says, giving a fake yawn
and
exaggerated stretch. "I think I'm going to crash with Samantha.
Why don't you two get out of here and go have some fun."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Scully readily agrees. Mulder
looks at them both suspiciously before nodding and walking to the
door. Scully and Serena follow him.
"I know you two are up to something, but I'm going to let you
keep your little secret for now." He leans down and kisses
Serena on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, Kid."
He grabs Scully's hand, still amazed that he can without risking
her shooting him, and walks her down the hall. She's the most
important thing to him and he's so grateful that he can finally
show her all she means to him. He wonders what she and Serena
were giggling about. A little nervous, in fact, about what she
may have planned. But, if the wicked gleam in her eyes is any
indication, he knows he'll have a good time finding out.
"So, Scully. What were you two laughing about?" he asks once
they reach the car.
"Nothing bad, I promise," she says, smiling at his nosiness.
"Serena realized that hanging around with her wasn't giving us
much . . . quality time. She told me to - and I quote - go home
and show my man a good time."
"Ooh, am I 'your man', Scully?" he leers, wagging his eyebrows at
her. "And are you going to show me a really, really good time?"
"In your dreams, Mulder," she says, trying to suppress a shudder.
The things that man's voice can do to her ought to be considered
illegal.
"Every night, Scully," he grins as he pulls the car out into
traffic. They ride in a comfortable silence for awhile until a
phone rings.
"That's you," she says, pulling out her own phone and not seeing
a number on the display. He pulls his out and answers it, saying
a few short sentences to the caller on the other end before
hanging it up.
"That was Skinner. He has a case for us," he says, sounding
somewhat disappointed. He was looking forward to that 'quality
time' Scully hinted at. Maybe next time, he thinks to himself.
He hears her own disappointed sigh and is strangely comforted.
At least he's not alone in his frustration. He reaches across
the console between them and grabs her hand, giving it a gentle
squeeze, a silent promise of what's to come.
* * * * * * * * * *
They get back into town a week later after solving the case. A
case, once again, of a teenager with an unhappy home life. The
supposedly abducted girl was found in a car with her boyfriend on
the way to Chicago. Mulder was disappointed that no aliens were
involved, but happy nonetheless she was found safe.
"I just don't understand it. I would never have run away from
home. I loved my father too much," Serena says, pausing to take
a sip of her iced tea. She had invited Mulder and Scully over
for dinner as soon as they had gotten back into town. "Living on
your own at that age is not all it's cracked up to be. I
fortunately had plenty of resources to help me. But I've only
just recently started feeling like I can truly handle being on my
own. And that's only because of you two."
"Well, luckily we found her," Scully says. "A lot of kids aren't
that lucky."
Right then, Samantha makes her presence known by letting out a
loud cry, startling the adults.
"Someone sounds wet and cranky," Serena cringes. "Excuse me
please."
"Don't worry about it. I'll get her," Mulder offers.
"You sure?" At his nod, Serena tells him where to find the
diapers and wipes and sends him on his way.
"I don't mean to pry, but I just have to say this, Dana. Fox
seems like he'd make a wonderful father. He's unbelievable with
Samantha. You two ever thought about having kids? Or is it too
soon in the relationship to be thinking about those kinds of
things?"
"I'd love children, Serena. They're just not in the cards,"
Scully says sadly. "It's a long story, one that I promise I'll
tell you later, but the short version is that I've been told that
I'm barren."
"I'm sorry," Serena apologizes. "Getting pregnant was the last
thing I expected, or even wanted, but it happened so easily for
me. But now that she's here, I couldn't imagine my life without
my baby. And now I realized how much more blessed I am to have
her."
"You are blessed. And it makes me feel good to know that you
appreciate the gift that she truly is. But it's nice being Aunt
Dana as well. I can take her home, spoil her rotten, and bring
her back to you to deal with," Scully laughs.
"That is if you can get her from Fox. Those two seemed to be
joined at the hip," Serena says, giggling along with her.
"What is it with you two?" Mulder asks, a dry and happy Samantha
perched in his arms. "I step out of the room for a second and
come back to find you two laughing at me . . . again."
"Just warning Dana that my daughter is about to steal you right
from under her nose."
"Hey now. My angel is no thief, are you, Sami? Even though she
stole my heart, she's still my perfect, sweet little Sami," he
says in an annoyingly high pitched baby voice that sends Samantha
into a fit of giggles.
"He never coos at me like that," Scully says dryly.
"Oh, I love you too, Honey," Mulder says, winking at her. "But
not like my Sami here." He blows kisses on the baby's belly and
her laughter starts anew.
The women roll their eyes and leave Mulder playing with the baby
while they clear away the dinner dishes and make coffee. When
they come back, the baby is laying on Mulder's chest, asleep,
while he silently flips through the stations on TV.
"Let me put her to bed," Serena says, gently lifting her tiny
child. She takes the baby in the room and returns a few minutes
later, silently shutting the door behind her.
"Fox, that little girl seriously adores you," she says,
stretching out on the sofa, letting Mulder and Scully have the
love seat all to themselves. "Her father never spent much time
with her, so I think she's loving this attention from you."
"Well, I love giving it to her," Mulder blushes. "She's a great
kid. And she has a great mother."
"No, you and Dana are the great ones. I don't know what I did to
deserve having the two of you in my life. And I really don't
understand how it happened so quickly. I don't usually let
people in. But it seems like the two of you were already there.
From the moment we met."
"We're glad to be here," Scully says with a smile. "I know it
won't be easy for Samantha to grow up without a parent."
"Like I said, Remy wasn't really around all that much. So not
much will change now that he's gone. And I think it'll be
different for her growing up without her father than it was for
me growing up without my mother. She won't constantly wonder who
he is or what he looks like or why he didn't want her. I thought
those questions everyday. Every woman I passed on the street, I
wondered if she was my mother. I wondered if I cried too much as
a baby and made her leave me."
"It wasn't your fault," Mulder interrupts her. "When your mother
left you, it was your loss. She won't ever get to see the
wonderful and beautiful young woman you have become."
"Maybe she will," Serena mumbles to herself, but Mulder and
Scully hear anyway.
"What do you mean by that, Serena?" Scully asks.
"I mean, what if I can . . . find her?" she asks almost shyly.
"Is that what you want? Because we can help you," Mulder tells
her.
"Really?" They both nod and she lets out a relieved sigh. "I
know there was a reason she didn't want me. So I'm not going to
get my hopes up about some fantasy reunion between us. But I
think I have the right to look her in the eyes and ask her why."
"If you tell us what you know about her, then we can run some
stuff tomorrow when we get to work," Scully suggests.
"I don't know much about her," Serena admits. "I don't know her
name or where she lives or anything. All I know is that she was
my aunt's best friend growing up. My father didn't talk about
her too much."
"That's not much to go on," Mulder says, trying not to disappoint
her too much. "Is her name on your birth certificate? Or maybe
we can check the hospital where you were born."
"Some children have unknown father listed on their birth
certificate. Mine says unknown mother," Serena says with a
little mirthless chuckle. "And I wasn't born in a hospital.
Like I said, my father had money. They arranged for a midwife to
deliver me at our estate. Then my father's private physician
handled filling out my birth certificate. My mother's name isn't
on it."
"How about your aunt? Maybe we can see if any of her other
friends are still alive and might know your birth mother," Scully
says.
"It's worth a try," Serena shrugs. "My aunt's name was Clara
Westin. She was my dad's half sister, they shared the same
mother. Aunt Clara was born in Connecticut where her mother
worked for a white man, who fathered Clara. She was a very
beautiful baby with fair skin and straight hair. Her father
wanted to keep her, and since his wife couldn't have children,
she agreed to raise Clara. But she ordered her husband to send
away Clara's mother. So my grandmother left, took my father and
settled in Raleigh. They lived there for about ten years and
when my father was about 13 years old, my grandmother died.
Clara's father felt guilty and took my father in as kind of a
ward, so Clara and my father were able to grow up together after
all."
"Did your aunt ever marry, or is Westin the name we should look
under?" Mulder asks.
"She married several times," Serena says, rolling her eyes. "She
ended up living in Martha's Vineyard with her last husband,
George Roland. They both died in a house fire there."
"You're kidding? I remember when that happened," Mulder says.
"I had just graduated high school and was spending a month with
my father before going over to England to start the summer
session at Oxford. I remember because my mom came for the
funeral. She knew them. Actually, everyone knew them. The were
a very visible couple."
"So it's possible your mom can help?" Serena asks hopefully.
"Maybe," Mulder is hesitant. "She's not entirely . . . reliable.
Not her memory, anyway. She had a stroke a few years back and
doesn't remember stuff clearly anymore."
"Is there anything else you can give us?" Scully asks. "Do you
think your dad had a picture hidden away? Have you ever seen
her? Do you have any idea what she looks like?"
"I went through all of my dad's stuff after he died. I didn't
find any pictures of anyone I didn't know. And as far as I know,
I've never seen her. I think she's a white woman, though. I . .
. " she pauses and starts to pull at her bottom lip, just like
Scully's seen Mulder do on many occasions when he's trying to
figure something out, so she assumes the girl may be remembering
something.
"What is it, Serena?" she asks, trying to gently coax her memory.
"Just a dream I've had all my life. A dream where I've met my
mother. In my dream, I see a white woman with dark hair, but I
can't distinguish any of her features. My dad is also there. I
can see him clearly. And there was another man there, but I
could never see his face - until recently. In my dream, this man
sort of rescues me from something. I was crying and he took me
and calmed me down."
"You said you could never see him clearly until recently. What's
changed?"
"This past week when I've had the dream, I could see him. He's
you, Fox. I guess I picture you as my savior and have imported
you into my dreams. Other than that aspect of it, the dream
seems almost real at times."
"Maybe it's not a dream. Maybe it is real," Mulder says. "Do
you remember anything else about this woman? About this dream?"
"Not much," she says, shaking her head.
"Alright, do something for me." His voice changes to a soothing
tone and Scully recognizes his 'psychologist' mode. "Take my
hand and relax. Take deep breaths and try to put yourself into
the dream."
"Are you trying to hypnotize me, Fox. Because I'm not . . ."
"Just relax," he says again. "Open your mind a little more to
the memory. Tell me what you see."
She closes her eyes and he can feel the tension drain from her
body. She takes a few deep breaths and finally starts to talk.
"I'm young," she starts. "Probably 4 or 5 years old. My dad and
I drive up to this house. I'm wearing my best church dress and
the black shoes that pinch my toes, but I don't complain because
I know that I'm dressed up to meet my mom. We walk to the house
and knock on the door. When she opens the door, she seems
surprised, but recovers and asks my dad what do we want. I don't
remember what he says, but she ends up letting us in, a bit
reluctantly it seems."
"Can you see what she looks like, Serena?" Mulder asks her. She
pauses and starts pulling at her lip again, trying to picture it
in her head, but ends up shaking her head no. "Okay, so what
happened once you were in the house?"
"I'm not sure. I wasn't really listening. I looked around a lot
and my eyes caught on a doll sitting on the shelf. I wanted to
play with her, so I went over there and tried to get it. The
woman got very angry. Said it belonged to her daughter and she
took it from me. I started to cry and she started to yell at my
father. Asking him why he brought me here and saying that we
should leave. Just then, someone else walked into the house.
That other man I remember seeing. He looked at the woman and
then he looked at my father, but didn't say anything. He just
picked me up and took me outside. He held me until I stopped
crying and then gave me something out of his pocket. It wasn't
gum or candy or anything sweet. It was salty, like a nut or
something I think. He made funny faces at me and made me laugh
while my dad and that lady were in the house yelling at each
other. Finally, my dad came out. We got in the car and left.
And that's when I wake up."
"That's a pretty vivid, dream," Scully comments. "Do you think
it could be a memory, Mulder? Mulder? Mulder?" She touches his
arms to get his attention, seeing that he's completely zoned out.
"What?" he says finally when he notices her hand on his arm.
"I was asking if you think the dream could be a memory," she
says, staring curiously at the strange look on his face. It's
definitely the panic face, yet she can't think of a reason for
him to be making it. "Are you okay? You look a bit . . . off."
"I'm fine," he snaps, shaking Scully's hand from his arm and
standing up. "We should go, Scully. We got an early day ahead
of us tomorrow. We should take Serena's advice and make a trip
up to see my mom in the morning. The more I think about it, the
more I think she'll be able to help us. Serena, we'll pick up
you and Samantha at seven. Do you think you'll be ready?"
"Sure," she says, kind of confused at his sudden attitude change.
"What is this about Fox?"
"Just seeing if we can find out what happened all those years
ago. Trying to see why a mother would give up her child." He
reaches out and pulls Serena into his arms, giving her a long
hug. "We'll see you in the morning."
Scully looks at her and shrugs her shoulders, not able to explain
Mulder's strange behavior either. She gives the woman a quick
hug before leaving with Mulder. Something definitely happened in
there. Something that affected him deeply.
"Mulder," she says quietly once they reach the car. "What was
that all about? What happened back there?"
"Everything, Scully," he sighs. "I don't know how to explain it,
really."
"You felt something, didn't you?" she guesses. "Ever since last
week, I've noticed a weird connection between you and Serena.
But tonight, somehow you actually felt what she was feeling.
Like you had become her or something."
"Not exactly," he says with a small grin. "Although, the fact
that you'd jump to such an extreme possibility is turning me on
more than a little right now, Scully."
His little quip makes her laugh.
"And as much as I'd like to think that I've converted you, that's
not what happened. There's a far simpler explanation," he says.
"It was more than me *feeling* what she was feeling. I *knew*
what she was feeling. And the reason I knew what she was feeling
is because . . . well, because I was there, Scully. I was the
other man in the dream. It was my mother her father was arguing
with. I was the one who took the little girl outside and took
care of her until she stopped crying. It was a sunflower seed I
gave her. I guess I was in the habit of carrying them around in
my pockets, even back then."
"Mulder, what are you saying?"
"I'm not sure, exactly," he sighs. "All I know is that for some
reason, Serena and her dad were at that house that day with my
mom. That part is true. It's not just some dream Serena keeps
having. It's a genuine memory. And the only reason I can think
of why they'd be there is because . . ."
"Because what, Mulder?"
"I don't know how this is even possible, Scully. I don't even
know why I'm even thinking it. But I think they were there to
see my mom . . . because she's Serena's mom too."
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena sits in the back next to where Samantha is strapped into
her car seat. She stares at the back of Mulder and Scully's
heads for awhile, wondering how to approach them with what's on
her mind. There's been a tense silence hanging in the car since
they picked her up earlier that morning. She didn't really
notice before since she was pretty worried about what information
they might or might not find out from Mulder's mother. But now
the tension is palpable. Mulder's knuckles are white from
gripping the steering wheel so hard. There's definitely
something bothering him, Serena concludes. She decides the best
approach to find out what that something is is to be direct.
"There's something going on that you guys haven't told me," she
says, watching them both carefully for any reaction they may
make. She notices them both tense even more, impossible as it
may seem. "What's going on?"
"My mother and I have never had the best of relationships,"
Mulder explains to her. "I'm always a little tense when I have
to see her."
She watches the glances between the two of them and can
practically see the silent conversation flowing back and forth.
She knows Mulder enough to know that he's telling the truth about
his relationship with his mother. But she also knows that's not
the true reason behind his stress. She decides to let it go for
now. She has her own worries to deal with. Any minute now,
she's going to meet a woman who may very well be able to tell her
about her mother.
The car slows as it reaches the residential area of the small
town. After a few turns, Mulder pulls into the driveway of a
house that seems vaguely familiar to Serena. But as she looks
around, she notices that a lot of the houses are similar. That's
probably why she feels as if she's seen the house before.
Because she has. Two blocks up and across the street, but in a
sage color.
"Here we are," Mulder says, letting out a deep breath. He tugs
on his bottom lip for a few moments before turning around to face
Serena. "Why don't you let Scully stay in the car and watch
Samantha while we go in. I told you that my mom's mind isn't as
sharp as it used to be. I think the baby might be a distraction
we don't need."
"Okay," Serena nods, suddenly feeling the same nervousness
plaguing Mulder at the moment. She watches him get out the car
and approach her side and realizes that there's no turning back.
"Hey. Are you okay with this?" Mulder asks her, noticing her
reticence.
"I need to do this, Fox," she barely whispers. She takes a deep
breath and steps out of the car, taking his waiting hand. He
gives it a gentle squeeze, but he doesn't let it go. It's very
comforting and she smiles inwardly at how well he seems to know
exactly what she needs.
They walk up the steps to the house and Serena waits on the porch
as Mulder opens the door.
"Mom," she hears him call. "It's Fox. Are you home?"
Mulder turns around and sees Serena still on the porch and pulls
her inside. Just then, his mother comes down the stairs, pausing
at the bottom when she sees Mulder and his guest.
"Fox. What a surprise," she says, moving in tentatively for an
awkward hug with her son. "What are you doing here? And who's
your friend?"
"She's actually the reason why I'm here, Mom," he says. "I want
to introduce you to someone. This is Serena Bradford."
The look on Teena Mulder's face says it all. To say she's
shocked would be an understatement. Mulder has to grab onto the
woman and lead her to the sofa as her legs give out from under
her.
"Oh, my goodness. Fox, is your mom okay?" Serena asks with some
concern. "Should I go out and get Dana to check on her?"
"I'm find, Child," Mrs. Mulder rasps as she looks accusingly at
her son. "Why did you bring her here, Fox?"
"We needed answers," he says through a tear clogged throat. "And
seeing your reaction, I think we have the answer to the biggest
question we came here to ask."
"What are you talking about, Fox?" Serena asks. "You think your
mom can tell my about my . . . "
"I'm almost certain she can, Serena," he says, interrupting her.
"I'm pretty sure my mom can tell you all about your mom. Because
I'm pretty sure they're one in the same."
"What?" Serena gasps, not believing what she's hearing. She
finds herself staring incredulously at the older woman on the
sofa. "How can this be? Fox how can I be your sister and you
not even know . . . but you *did* know, didn't you?" she
realizes. "That's why you got all weird on me last night. And
why you were so quiet on the trip up here."
"I sort of guessed it," he nods. "But I still needed my mother
to confirm it. So how about it, Mom? How about you tell me the
truth about something for once in my life. I think you owe it to
both of us."
"Fox, this young woman is not my daughter," Mrs. Mulder says, not
looking either of them in the eye. "She can't be. Just look at
her. She looks nothing like us. She's . . ."
"Black," Serena finishes for her. "As a matter of fact, I am.
Is that why you didn't want me? Why you gave me away? Because I
wouldn't be able to blend in? Because I'd stick out like a sore
thumb!" she screams.
"You were so pale when you were born. And you had the brightest
blue eyes and a headful of curly hair," Mrs. Mulder starts. "I
thought that maybe you'd stay that way. And I'd be able to take
you home with me. But after a few weeks, you started to get
darker. Your eyes changed to the hazel they are now. And I knew
there would be no way you could pass for my child."
"But I was your child," Serena yells, bursting into tears. "I am
your child."
"Shh," Mulder says, holding the sobbing girl in his arms. Right
now he feels nothing but disgust for his mother, but knows he
cannot allow his anger to be unleashed just yet. There were
still questions that needed answers.
"Mom, why don't you start from the beginning. Tell us how this
all happened." He takes Serena over to another couch and sits
with her, keeping an arm around her for support.
"Start with how you knew my father, James Bradford," Serena
sniffs.
"My best friend growing up was a girl named Clara Westin," Mrs.
Mulder starts, realizing she didn't have much other choice than
to tell them her story.
"My aunt," Serena interjects.
"That's right," Mrs. Mulder nods. "Your father's sister. He
came to live with Clara's family when Clara and I were young,
maybe 9 or 10 years old. He was just barely a teenager himself."
"That was after my grandmother died."
Teena Mulder just nods before continuing with her story.
"His mother's death affected him deeply. Jimmy was a very quiet
and shy boy, but very sweet, considerate and well mannered. I
found myself . . . smitten with him, for lack of a better word.
I remembered telling my mother stories about what it would be
like to marry him when I grew up. But she told me that I would
never be able to marry a boy like him. That's just not how the
world worked. She said that people like him were our cooks and
servants, but that we couldn't be friends with them or marry
them. I didn't really understand her since Clara was his sister,
yet she was my best friend. My mother said that Clara was
acceptable since she looked like us. Anyway, years passed and
Clara and I ended up being sent away to the same boarding school.
By the time we got back, Jimmy had already left for college. I
never saw him again until Clara's funeral."
"That was the year I graduated high school and left for England,"
Mulder adds.
"We were both so distraught over Clara's death and with you being
gone, Fox, I was lonely. Jimmy and I sought comfort from each
other," she admits. "I didn't realize I was pregnant for a few
months. It was almost Thanksgiving by this time. Three weeks
later, Fox had come home for Christmas break. I was starting to
show a little, but nothing a big sweater couldn't hide. But I
knew that I wouldn't be able to hide the rest of my pregnancy.
So when Fox boarded his plane to return to England, I boarded a
plane for Raleigh and spent the rest of my pregnancy with your
father, Serena."
"You told me the New England winters had become too harsh for you
to deal with, Mom. You said that's why you were going south. I
always wondered why it was the only winter you left," Mulder
says, shaking his head at yet another lie his mother told him.
"How long were you in Raleigh?" Serena asks.
"I stayed about 6 weeks after you were born. By then, you were
getting your . . . color, and I knew I couldn't take you back
with me. I left you there with your father, knowing he'd be able
to take very good care of you. He had made his fortune by then,
so I knew you'd have the best life possible with anything you
could ever ask for."
"Except for a mother," Serena whispers.
Mrs. Mulder ignores that comment and continues.
"Everything was fine for awhile. I managed to push away the pain
of losing two daughters and moved on with my life. Fox had
graduated college by then and was back in the states to start
with the FBI. He was visiting me that day."
"The day my father brought me to see you," Serena says.
"Yes. I never expected that. I never expected to see you again.
I don't know why Jimmy brought you. He shouldn't have done
that," Mrs. Mulder sighs.
"That visit has haunted me my whole life," Serena says. "I
thought it was just a dream."
"You were barely five. How could you remember?"
"I don't know," Serena shrugs. "But I do. I remember it as
being the day my mother rejected me. And everyday after that, I
had to wonder why she didn't want me. Why she'd just throw me
away. Why I wasn't worthy enough for her love. But I realize I
was mistaken. I'm not the unworthy one. You are. If you can't
see past color and love no matter what, then that's your loss.
You lost out on loving my dad for that reason and now you've lost
out on loving me."
She finishes her tirade and runs out the house. Mulder stands
and starts to go after her, but turns to his mother with eyes
full of anger.
"I don't understand you, Mom," he says with his quiet ire
simmering beneath the surface. "After Samantha . . . we were all
so lost. Serena could never replace her, but she could have
helped heal us if you let her. She could have been our second
chance at love. But you gave her away, just like you let Dad
give Samantha away."
"Fox, I was 40 years old and divorced. People would have talked.
Not only about me being pregnant and unmarried, but also about .
. . her."
"That 'her' has a name. She is your daughter, Serena. My
sister," Mulder yells. "And I won't be ashamed of her. I am,
however, ashamed of you."
With that, he turns and leaves the house, letting the door slam
behind them. Scully and Serena are standing outside the car and
jump when the noise he makes startles them.
"I'm sorry about all that," he apologizes to Serena, pulling her
into his arms. "I'm so sorry."
"I know," she nods. "It's going to be okay. You know I wasn't
expecting much from her. I'm still hurt and angry and
disappointed, but I do have something to thank her for."
"What?" he asks curiously.
"For you," Serena smiles. "She gave me you. I have a brother to
love me and look out for me. Even if she doesn't care, I think
you do."
"I do care, Serena," he swears. "From the moment I saw you, I
knew you'd be a part of my life forever, even though I didn't
understand what I was feeling. But now I understand that I felt
what I did for you because we're bonded. You're my sister and
I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I hope you can accept me as
your brother. I won't let my mother's warped way of thinking
influence me the way her mother's did. That cycle stops here. I
refuse to allow mistakes from the past make me miss out on my
chance to love you like I should have been able to do all my
life."
They hug again, squeezing each other tightly as if trying to make
up for all the hugs they've missed in the past. They don't worry
about where they are or how long they stand there. They just
enjoy the sensation of holding and being held by a loved one.
After a few silent moments, the baby lets out a screech, as if
she's protesting the lack of attention towards her. All the
adults laugh at her impatience.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think Sami is ready to get
out of here," Scully says, still laughing.
"She's right," Serena says. "Let's go. I got my answers.
There's nothing left for me here." She reaches her arms out and
takes Samantha from Scully and steps into the car.
"You okay, Mulder?" Scully asks him, wrapping her arms around his
waist.
"I'm good now," he smiles, bending down to press a kiss to her
lips. "I have you. I have a sister and a niece. What more
could I ask for?"
"How about some of that 'quality time' I've been promising you,"
she says seductively, her voice dropping to a deep alto that
makes his toes curl.
"Ooh, G-woman, you know me so well," he chuckles. He captures
her lips in another kiss, taking time to throughly massage each
crevice of her mouth. Soft whimpers escape her throat and he
pushes her away while he's still able to.
"These kisses are going to be the death of me, yet," she gasps, a
dreamy grin crossing her face. "This mouth of yours should be
considered a lethal weapon."
"Don't die on me now," he grins, unable to resist stealing
another kiss. "Not before we get to the real fun."
"Then let's get out of here," she says breathlessly, pulling
herself from his embrace and getting into the car.
He laughs out loud at her order. Didn't the woman know he'd
follow her anywhere? He loves her. And has loved her for a long
time. One of these days he'll get around to telling her. But
for right now, he's just grateful that he's able to love again.
Samantha's disappearance left his heart a wreck. But thanks to
Scully and his newfound sister, the pieces were being
reconstructed to a whole bigger and better than before. Not
everyone gets a second chance at love. Mulder's one of the lucky
ones who did. And he doesn't intend on wasting it.
The End.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought:
NickyM96@yahoo.com. This might be an interesting universe to
return to in the future if I get the chance or enough interested
readers to do so :-) (hint hint)