Mulder lied on his back, starring at the motel ceiling. "I think we should stop now," he thought aloud. The other three men in the room looked at him strangely.

"You're not giving up, Mulder, are you?" Langly asked.

"No, I mean, yes. I think we've found what we were looking for. There is not need for us to continue, right?"

"You aren't usually one to stop until you have to," Frohike commented.

"It's not like that anymore, though. I guess I don't feel the need to pursue this any longer," Mulder paused. "Have I gone soft?"

Byers, ever the sympathetic one of the trio, said, "I don't think so. You just have different priorities. You have to think about your son now. Before you make any decisions, shouldn't you talk to Scully?"

"He never has before," Langly commented.

"You're probably right, Byers," Mulder mused, ignoring the last comment. "How should I bring her here without Preacher-Man suspecting anything?"

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Gordon is so wrapped up in himself he won't even notice she's gone," Byers replied.

"She has William, right? Babies always need diapers. Maybe she has to go down to the Wal-Mart down the road," Frohike suggested.

xXx

So, Byers arranged a meeting between Dana Gordon and Mulder at the local store. From there, they would go to a secluded area where Mulder would talk to Scully. As he waited impatiently in the Wal-Mart parking lot, he absently drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Fifteen minutes later, Mulder spotted a tiny redhead walking into the store, a baby perched upon her left hip. He waited five minutes and then walked into the same door Dana had gone through.

Meanwhile, as Mulder approached Dana Gordon in the Baby Department, Byers guided Scully through the "God's Microphone" to follow the tall, dark "guardian angel" to his "God-Mobile" (a term that Frohike added), but not to speak to the "angel" until they were safely in the car.

Mulder strapped William into the baby car seat and closed the car door after Dana buckled her seatbelt. As he turned the key to the ignition, Dana turned to him.

"Can I talk yet?" she asked.

"Yes, no one can hear us now," Mulder assured her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Dana paused and waited for Mulder to nod. "Why do you smoke?"

Mulder turned his head, looking at Dana with confusion. "I don't smoke. Why would you think that?"

"Because Donald said that all angels smoke, like the one that comes to visit him."

Mulder nodded as a thousand thoughts ran through his head, "What else does the Cigarette Smoking M- Angel do?"

"Well, mostly he just smokes and stands in corners.. you know, being a guardian angel."

"Has he ever said anything to you?"

"No…he just smiles at me sometimes. He reminds me of….like a father or something."

Mulder inwardly cringed. He cleared his throat, "Well, here we are." They pulled up in front of a small, indiscreet cabin. He walked Dana and William to the door.

"I have to talk to you in a special way, again. I'm going to cover your eyes. Is this okay?"

Dana nodded, "I trust you."

Mulder smiled as he covered her eyes with a bandana. She had no idea what those words meant to him, but the woman he is about to talk to knows exactly what they mean.

I'm sorry I took forever and a day to updated this. My schedule is so busy…I'm taking two college courses on top of my senior year. **AHH** I was crazy to do this. Oh well.

As always, thanks for reading. Now thank me by reviewing (good or bad). Actually, I'd prefer criticisms over anything else! (just leave an email or something so I can contact you!)

~ Theresa

ps. I reformatted this chapter…I hope you can read it better!