Visitor in the Desert: Chapter Ten

Author: Gillian Leigh

Summary: The start of something new.

Disclaimer: C'mon now, we know who owns Mulder and Scully, and it's certainly not a seventeen year-old with $22 to her name…

Author's Notes: This is the second to last chapter. The ::sniffle:: conclusion comes next!

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Two Months Later

            The Christmas spirit was in overabundance at Clementine's, the biggest restaurant in the Underground, and with good reason. Dr. Bailey had announced the week before that the vaccine was ready for worldwide distribution, in the inoculate form and the atomizer form. Scully, Mulder and William had been immunized, and through Scully's immunization, Rhiannon was immunized as well. The rest of the "Fighters", as the researchers still preferred to be called, has also been immunized. Dr. Bailey had informed them all that if everything went according to plan, they would be above ground before Christmas 2003.

            As Mulder spun Scully on the dance floor, she was glad that he appeared to have forgotten the date for a moment. She knew that it was nearly midnight on December 21st, but he didn't seem to remember. She was grateful, because since she entered her ninth month, he had been babying her. It got worse with every day that she grew closer to her due date.

            The tempo of the music slowed, and Scully wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, and smiled at the thought. Mulder was her husband. He rested his hands on her hips, and she let her head rest on his chest. Though she wasn't going to admit it to Mulder, she was downright exhausted. She also wouldn't admit to him that she'd been having mild, irregular contractions for the past six hours. She knew her body, and that this was the earliest stage of labor, and it would take much longer than it had with William.

            "Excuse me, Mr. Mulder; may I borrow your lovely wife for a dance?" Both Mulder and Scully looked up to see Skinner standing beside them.

            "As long as you don't mind if I borrow the lovely Margaret for a dance as well," Mulder replied. The two men switched dance partners, and Skinner said,

            "How're you feeling?"  She smiled.

            "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, but it comes with the territory," she replied, watching Monica and John dancing across the floor from them.

            "Your mother checks her pager about every five seconds, you know. She's been anticipating the birth of her granddaughter since you hit the 32 week mark." The two of them laughed. "When are you due?"

            "My OB says Christmas Day," she replied. "Sir, I…"

            "Please, Dana. I know old habits die hard, but we're out of the FBI. Please call me Walter," he interrupted.

            "Well…Walter…" she paused. That was going to take some getting used to. "I wanted to tell you that I hope that you and my mother are happy. I mean, she certainly seems to be, and I…" She stopped abruptly, and Skinner looked at her, feeling perplexed.

            "And you what?"

            "I'm really sorry about your shoes…" He raised his eyebrows at her.

            "What do you mean?"

            "My water just broke all over them," she said, a grimace crossing her face. They both looked down, and Scully found that she was standing in a puddle of brownish-tinged fluid, which had dampened her dress, Skinner's shoes, and the floor.

            "Wait… your water…" his eyes widened substantially as he realized what that meant. "Oh God… that means you're having the baby…" She nodded, and glanced at her watch. 12:01 a.m.

            "Right on schedule, Rhiannon," she muttered under her breath. To Skinner, she said, "Can you get my husband please? I'm going to need a hospital." In the lull between contractions, Scully remained standing as Skinner ran over to Mulder, whose eyes widened to approximately three times their normal size, and Maggie's did the same as they both came toward her. Doggett grabbed Skinner's arm, and he explained to Doggett and Reyes the situation. She could read clearly read Mulder's expression as he hurried toward her: total and utter panic.

            "Your water broke?" he asked, hands on her shoulders. She nodded.

            "Yes."

            "So you're having the baby?"

            "Yes."

            "So then we should get you to the hospital…?" Scully grasped his hands in hers.

            "That's right. The contractions are strong too, so we should go now…" She was doing her best to remain calm; because one of them had to be, and it certainly wasn't going to be Mulder.

            "Oh, Dana, is this it? Are you sure? How far apart are the contractions? Do you need a cab?" Scully turned to face her mother, and said,

            "Yes. Yes. I haven't gotten to time them yet. No."

            Mulder helped Scully into her coat and out to the car, before jumping in the driver's seat as she lowered herself in the passenger seat. Grimacing she let out a low moan and looked at her watch.

            "Five minutes. They're five minutes apart," she said through gritted teeth as Mulder rapidly piloted the fifteen blocks to the hospital. "Mulder, slow down. You're going to get us killed." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "We're okay. We have time before the baby comes; just drive slowly, please."

            Pulling into the parking lot, Mulder found the nearest open spot, and parked the car. He popped the trunk and got Scully's bag before returning to her side of the car to help her out.

            "Are you okay to walk?" he asked, throwing the strap of her hospital bag over his arm. "Because I can carry you if you aren't…" She shook her head vehemently.

            "I'm fine. Let's just get inside; I'd prefer not to give birth in the parking lot," she snapped. Mulder cringed, and she took his hand in hers and looked into his eyes. "Sorry. I'm just not the nicest person when I'm in pain…" Her husband nodded, and they walked through the automatic doors into the hospital.

            Scully didn't remember having this much pain with William, but perhaps she had been too frightened then. The adrenaline coursing through her veins had accelerated the entire process, as had her fear. At the moment, she couldn't remember why she had refused the epidural.

            "Dana…not to be a jerk, but I can't feel my fingers… Can we switch hands?" Mulder asked, wincing. Scully shot him a Death Look as she breathed through an intense contraction, and then released his hand.

            "Hello, Dana," Dr. Glass, Scully's obstetrician said, as he entered the room. "How're you feeling?"

            "Like I'm lying on the beach in the Bahamas…how do you think I feel, Robert?!"

            "Alright, alright. Stupid question," he replied, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Let me check how far you're dilated, and then we'll see if you can push or not, okay?" Scully grumbled something rather impolite under her breath, and the doctor performed his examination. "Well, you're at ten centimeters. Just give me a minute to go get scrubbed up and you can push."

            "Oh wonderful," Scully spat. She noticed that Mulder had gotten up out of his chair, and she said, "Where're you going?!"

            "Well…" he began uncertainly. "I didn't think you'd want me in here when you have to push…" Her eyebrow went higher than he had ever seen it.

            "Oh no," she said. "You were there to put this kid in me, and you're damn well going to be here to see her come out of me." Her expression softened, and she said, "Oh God, Mulder. I'm being such a bitch. I really am sorry. But yes, I would like for you to stay with me. I had wanted so badly for you to be there with me when I gave birth to William… I need you here with me no—ow, ow…" The sentiment was cut off by a contraction, and Mulder offered his uninjured hand, and mopped her forehead with the cool, damp cloth. He watched as the line on the monitor declined and said,

            "It's almost over, sweetheart. There you go… it's over. Take a breather." Scully smiled at him, actually smiled, and abruptly pulled him in, with her hand at the back of his head, and kissed him.

            "That's what got you two into this whole situation," Dr. Glass said as he entered the room, flanked by Nurse Sanders and Nurse Lopez.

            Thirty minutes later, Maggie and Monica watched with smiles as Skinner and Doggett paced back and forth in front of them. William slept in his grandmother's lap, and she was anxious to meet her new granddaughter. The loud squall of a newborn brought them all to attention and the two women rose to their feet as the men both froze in place.

            Inside the delivery room, the doctor wrapped the tiny child in a blanket and handed her to her mother.

            "Oh God, Mulder," Scully said, quietly. "Look at how beautiful she is." Rhiannon's head was covered with a thin layer of fine brown curls. Her eyes were a shocking shade of blue, and she had inherited her mother's nose. She was truly beautiful. The baby yawned widely and closed her eyes, almost immediately dropping off to sleep.

            Mulder studied his daughter in awe, and quietly said, "Welcome to the world, Rhiannon Danielle Mulder."

            And from that moment on, the future looked a little bit brighter.

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A/N: Mushy, I know, but sentimental is my *thing*. LOL. Read and review please!

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