Chapter 2
Mulder gently placed the carrier on the floor, and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. He could feel Scully's eyes boring holes into his back. Knowing that he wasn't going to get out of this with a simple answer, he turned to face her, his eyes pleading but he only received a cold glare in return.
"Who is she?" Scully asked him. Her face now completely blank. He recognised this look. He had witnessed it every time she felt the need to confront him without revealing too much of herself. A good example of that was the fiasco with Diana. He despised this look.
"Scully…" His whole body felt heavy. All he wanted to do was to sleep. Why wouldn't she just let it go for tonight?
"Dammit, Mulder! what the hell is going on?" She yelled. Her voice shrill. Mulder heard William start to cry from one of the bed rooms, startled by the noise of his mother's raised voice, and his heart leapt. It had been so long since he had seen William. He only had a couple of pictures that Scully and he had taken before his hasty departure. He looked back towards Scully and saw that she was sitting down on the other chair, Her head clasped in her hands, she made a move to get up but he stopped her.
"Let me go. He is my son, after all." Mulder waited for her response. He wouldn't blame her if she completely refused him. He watched as she slowly nodded her consent, then waited for a few more seconds before walking to William's room.
Mulder entered the nursery and walked cautiously over to the crib in the centre of the room. The child was crying. His face was red and blotchy. Mulder picked up the tiny boy and gently whispered words of comfort into his ear to calm him down. As Williams's sobs began to subside, he laid his head trustfully against Mulder's shoulder and sighed gently to himself while sucking on his fingers. Mulder looked down at his son and studied his features. The child had obviously inherited his mothers' looks but had also inherited many of Mulder's traits, including his own pouty lower lip. His long eyelashes still held traces of fat tears and Mulder tenderly kissed these away. He had missed this so much. After a few more minutes had passed, and he was sure that William was fast asleep, he laid him back down into the crib and tucked him in. Mulder stroked the soft hair, which matched the colour of his own, and then left the room. Mulder was relieved that the child seemed to trust him already. Mulder had been terrified that he would reject him. Believed him to be a stranger, yet it seemed as though William knew him already...
Walking back into the living room, he yawned widely, feeling more drained than ever. Spotting Scully standing with her back to the him, he approached her slowly and Scully seemed to sense Mulder's presence.
"How is he?" Scully asked, turning round to look at Mulder.
"He's good. Fast asleep. He's uh, William's grown, hasn't he?" He couldn't understand why things felt so awkward. He looked down fully at Scully, and saw that she was cradling the baby in her arms.
"What did you expect? That he would stop growing just because you weren't here?" She paused to collect her thoughts, breathing deeply, and then carried on, calmer than before. "What's her name, Mulder?" she asked softly, gently rocking the baby who had begun to fuss.
"Her name's Sophie. Alice was insistent on that." He prepared himself for the torrent of furious questions, but was surprised when they never came. It was almost as if she had resigned herself to something. He could see where her mind was though. He knew her better than she knew herself. He took a deep breath and then began to tell his story.
"I met Alice a few weeks after I left you and William. I was on a real downer at that point. I'd gone into a bar in New Mexico to drown my sorrows..." He was cut off by Scully.
"Is that where you were? New Mexico? Why didn't you tell me where you were going? Why didn't you try to contact me?" She sighed. "I was so worried about you. Everyone was telling me a different story. I didn't know who to trust." She placed her head in her hands, shaking it slowly. Mulder drew her in for a tender hug and kissed the top of her head, gently.
"I know you did, and I just hope that you can forgive me. But I need to tell this story. I need to make you understand."
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Mulder gently placed the carrier on the floor, and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. He could feel Scully's eyes boring holes into his back. Knowing that he wasn't going to get out of this with a simple answer, he turned to face her, his eyes pleading but he only received a cold glare in return.
"Who is she?" Scully asked him. Her face now completely blank. He recognised this look. He had witnessed it every time she felt the need to confront him without revealing too much of herself. A good example of that was the fiasco with Diana. He despised this look.
"Scully…" His whole body felt heavy. All he wanted to do was to sleep. Why wouldn't she just let it go for tonight?
"Dammit, Mulder! what the hell is going on?" She yelled. Her voice shrill. Mulder heard William start to cry from one of the bed rooms, startled by the noise of his mother's raised voice, and his heart leapt. It had been so long since he had seen William. He only had a couple of pictures that Scully and he had taken before his hasty departure. He looked back towards Scully and saw that she was sitting down on the other chair, Her head clasped in her hands, she made a move to get up but he stopped her.
"Let me go. He is my son, after all." Mulder waited for her response. He wouldn't blame her if she completely refused him. He watched as she slowly nodded her consent, then waited for a few more seconds before walking to William's room.
Mulder entered the nursery and walked cautiously over to the crib in the centre of the room. The child was crying. His face was red and blotchy. Mulder picked up the tiny boy and gently whispered words of comfort into his ear to calm him down. As Williams's sobs began to subside, he laid his head trustfully against Mulder's shoulder and sighed gently to himself while sucking on his fingers. Mulder looked down at his son and studied his features. The child had obviously inherited his mothers' looks but had also inherited many of Mulder's traits, including his own pouty lower lip. His long eyelashes still held traces of fat tears and Mulder tenderly kissed these away. He had missed this so much. After a few more minutes had passed, and he was sure that William was fast asleep, he laid him back down into the crib and tucked him in. Mulder stroked the soft hair, which matched the colour of his own, and then left the room. Mulder was relieved that the child seemed to trust him already. Mulder had been terrified that he would reject him. Believed him to be a stranger, yet it seemed as though William knew him already...
Walking back into the living room, he yawned widely, feeling more drained than ever. Spotting Scully standing with her back to the him, he approached her slowly and Scully seemed to sense Mulder's presence.
"How is he?" Scully asked, turning round to look at Mulder.
"He's good. Fast asleep. He's uh, William's grown, hasn't he?" He couldn't understand why things felt so awkward. He looked down fully at Scully, and saw that she was cradling the baby in her arms.
"What did you expect? That he would stop growing just because you weren't here?" She paused to collect her thoughts, breathing deeply, and then carried on, calmer than before. "What's her name, Mulder?" she asked softly, gently rocking the baby who had begun to fuss.
"Her name's Sophie. Alice was insistent on that." He prepared himself for the torrent of furious questions, but was surprised when they never came. It was almost as if she had resigned herself to something. He could see where her mind was though. He knew her better than she knew herself. He took a deep breath and then began to tell his story.
"I met Alice a few weeks after I left you and William. I was on a real downer at that point. I'd gone into a bar in New Mexico to drown my sorrows..." He was cut off by Scully.
"Is that where you were? New Mexico? Why didn't you tell me where you were going? Why didn't you try to contact me?" She sighed. "I was so worried about you. Everyone was telling me a different story. I didn't know who to trust." She placed her head in her hands, shaking it slowly. Mulder drew her in for a tender hug and kissed the top of her head, gently.
"I know you did, and I just hope that you can forgive me. But I need to tell this story. I need to make you understand."
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