New Beginnings: Chapter Seventeen

::the readers ask, "will it never end?"::

Mulder waited a couple minutes for the transition to take place. While he was waiting, William began to cry. Uneasily, Mulder gently lifted the infant out of the carrier. Mulder bounced up and down, trying to calm the now-screaming child. Mulder looked at Scully/ Dana for help, but it seemed that neither one was really "there." He checked William's diaper. Nothing. He grabbed a bottle out of the diaper bag and clumsily shoved it into William's mouth. Nothing. Mulder sighed. He sat down in a nearby easy chair and began cooing the baby, trying to calm him.

Now, Mulder was not bad with children. The situation was not the "I'm a man, I don't know what to do!" case. Nevertheless, Mulder was relieved when Scully came to and reached for William.

"So, Mulder, how am I doing?" Scully asked, trying to start the conversation.

"Not bad. I know that the Cigarette Smoking Man is definitely involved in this. Dana asked why I don't smoke like the other angels. It went on from there."

Scully smiled faintly. "She…I…whatever…is so naïve."

Mulder laughed. "We all were, once."

Mulder's statement sobered Scully, "I wish we still were."

Mulder reached for her hand. No words could respond to that. Scully cleared her throat. "So what do you think we need to do from here? We know that three criminal groups are all linked. We could attack the religious group and possibly trap CSM."

Mulder shook his head, "I think it's time we bail out. We've done enough. I don't know why I pressured you into doing this. It's too dangerous. I just want to go home."

It was Scully's turn to shake her head, "Mulder, this is the Truth. It's right in front of us. This could reveal why I was abducted and….everything. What are you afraid of?"

"Losing you. And I think that this is somewhere along the lines of a Pandora's Box type thing. You yourself said you wish you were still naïve. This is our chance. I think we should walk away."

"You aren't going to lose me," Scully chided as if it were the most impossible thing in the world. "And you're right- ignorance is bliss. But revenge and solutions are better. It might not bring back either of our sisters, but what about my sterility? And the mystery surrounding almost every element of your childhood?"

"I…I don't care anymore. About my childhood, I mean. Your sterility is…we have a solution. And…I guess I'm past revenge."

"Don't push aside your need for the Truth because you think it may harm me. I'm going into this willingly."

"Scully, I love you."

She smiled, "I know. I love you, too."

Mulder frowned. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered.

"You can't keep me in a glass case, Mulder," Scully laughed.

"No, but I don't have to through you into the lion's den, either," he soberly replied.

"We'll compromise. One more trip. I want to see if I can bleed any information about contacts within the Syndicate. Maybe we could find a solution to this, too." She made a waving motion, gesturing the blindfold.

"Just one more. And only for a day. I want to go home."

"Okay."

Scully gave Mulder William and headed toward the bathroom to take a quick shower. While she was away, Mulder took the liberty of ordering dinner. Not five minutes after Mulder heard Scully turn on the water, William started crying again. Mulder danced around the room, trying anything to stop William from crying By the time Scully came out of the bathroom wearing one of Mulder's T-shirts (and the ever-present tie) and rubbing her hair with a towel, Mulder and William sat in the middle of the king size bed, surrounded by every toy William owned. Mulder grinned sheepishly as Scully noticed William happily chewing on Mulder's finger.

"He's teething," Mulder shrugged.

Scully sat down gingerly next to them, pushing the toys onto the corner of the bed. She lazily spread out on the edge of the bed, content to watch Father and Son together. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, the doorbell rang. Scully sat up and froze. She was afraid that someone had found their hiding place and her cover was blown.

"I ordered pizza."

"Oh," she sank back into the bed.

So the family sat down on the bed, pizza box in center. For some reason, it seemed like both of them forgot about the rest of the rooms in the cabin. Scully thought of this mid-bite and chuckled. Mulder looked at her confused.

"Oh, I was just thinking. This cabin has a kitchen and everything, yet we haven't moved out of the bedroom since we came."

Mulder wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, then swallowed the remaining half of his crust. "It's because we are so used to living out of hotels."

Scully nodded as she grabbed another slice. "I think I should get back. What if Donald gets suspicious?"

Mulder shook his head, "He won't. Honestly, Scully, I think half the time he forgets that he's married. Well…not that he's married because having that many wives makes it impossible to forget. He just loses track of all of you."

Scully handed her half-eaten slice to Mulder and once again sprawled out on the bed. "Then can we go to sleep? I'm exhausted."

Mulder finished the pizza and placed the empty box on the bureau. He put William, who was already asleep, into the carrier and placed it in its frame on the floor next to Mulder's side of the bed. He took off his shirt and jeans and crawled into bed. Scully scooted over closer to him as he enveloped her in his arms. Just before she fell asleep, Scull could feel Mulder removing the tie. She sighed contentedly as both of them drifted off into sleep.

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