Fourteen days later...
Mulder gently badgered Emily's doctor over the phone into allowing her to leave her bed and go into the visitor's lounge. As soon as a nurse wheeled Emily into the lounge, William began to crow with excitement. The hospital's visitor policy only extended to patient's rooms, so he was finally able to see his sister.
"Em! Em!" He called, running to her as his pudgy little legs would allow him to. He immediately threw himself at her legs. The nurse gave them a pleased look and left the lounge after advising Mulder to go to the nurses' station when he and William were ready to leave.
Emily smiled brightly. "Hey Will, I've missed you too!"
William looked over to Mulder with a confused look on his face. "Dada..." He said uncertainly. "Em home?"
Mulder was about to tell him no, when he noticed the hopeful look on Emily's face. "Mulder, the doctor did say I could go home after two to four weeks. It's been two weeks. One of the nurses helps me keep track on the calendar in my room, so I know for sure. Can't you take me home today?" She asked in a wheedling tone. "Please?"
Mulder smirked. "Nice try. You know that I'm not allowed to make that decision. Only your mom and your doctor can say it's ok." Emily pouted, which Mulder tried to ignore. "I know you say you feel better, but I'm not a doctor, so I don't know enough to say you're ready to go home. When your mom and the doctor are satisfied by your test results, they'll let you go home."
Emily smacked one of the arms of the wheel chair. "I'm gonna miss Halloween! I've never gotten to go trick or treating before, so it's not fair."
"Halloween isn't for another three weeks. I'm pretty sure that you'll be out of the hospital well before Halloween and the wedding." Mulder said reasonably.
A horrified look lit up her face. "Uh, oh, the wedding! If it's on Halloween-"
Mulder interrupted her. "Trick or treating is going to be the night before, so don't worry."
"How come it's not on the real Halloween?" Emily asked, looking puzzled.
"I have no idea. They've been having trick or treating on different days in some places since before you were born. They do the same thing with fourth of July fireworks too, since some places have them on the 3rd for some reason. Only the town councils know why for sure. You should be glad you're lucky enough that it is on the 30th instead of the 31st, so you don't miss anything." Mulder tells her.
"I guess so..." Emily said. "But it's still strange."
"Hey, at least you get to eat your candy all morning before the wedding." Mulder told her, thinking that neither Scully nor Reyes would appreciate him saying that.
"Cool!" Emily chirped. "You're gonna ask Mom if I can come home soon, right?"
"Sure." Mulder said, ruffling her hair. "But why don't you ask her when she comes to see you later on?"
Emily refused to look him in the eye. "She made me promise not to ask her today." She confessed.
"Emily!"
"Em!" William echoed, not understanding what they were talking about.
**
Three nights before Halloween...
Scully was surprised by a knock on the door about an hour after Emily and William went to bed. She groaned and threw herself off the couch, and away from Mulder, who gave her a hang-dog look. She didn't want to answer the door any more than he did, but she worried that it might be important.
Brian's father and Georgie's mother gave her tense smiles when she opened the door. Brian's father spoke up first. "We're sorry to drop by announced and so late, but could we come in and talk to you?"
"Sure." Scully answered, letting them. She gave Mulder a puzzled look when he joined them.
As soon as she sat down, Georgie's mother anxiously asked. "How is your daughter?"
"She's doing well."Scully told them. "Her doctor declared the bone marrow transplant to be a complete success, and her blood is functioning perfectly normal now. She's been home for over a week, and her weekly checkups look very good. She's even going to be a flower girl in our friend's wedding in three days."
"We're sorry that she's been so sick, and happy to hear she's feeling better." Brian's father said. "But we're worried about our boys."
"Why?" Mulder asked. "It's not as though Emily had something contagious."
"Oh nothing like that." Georgie's mother said, looking apologetic. "We are worried about them because the three of them all have the same disease, and all stopped being treated for it at the same time. I know you're a doctor, do you think that they'll also require bone marrow transplants?"
"Unfortunately, that's something I don't have an answer for. I can tell you that both times she became ill, it happened suddenly. This time we were at the bridal shop for our dress fittings when she suddenly collapsed."
"So there aren't really any warning signs." Brian's father sighed.
"No, but at least if they get ill too, you'll be able to tell the doctors exactly what is wrong, and how to cure it. In fact, you can give out my work and home number if a doctor needs to discuss it with someone, and I can give you the numbers for the doctor who treated Emily. Also, you might want to warn the school that they could become suddenly ill, and tell them to send the boy to the hospital immediately." Scully told them.
"Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at such a late hour." They said, and left as quickly as they'd arrived. Scully showed them to the door.
When she got back to the living room, Mulder was wearing a very pensive look on his face. "What are you thinking about, Mulder?" She asked him.
"The kids' blood."
"The anemia, you mean?"
"No. The fact that Emily used to bleed green like the clones did, but now bleeds red like a normal person."
"Oh. I've wondered about that too. The only explanation I could come up with is that since Calderon was a clone, and therefore 'not of this world' he was able to access technology that we can't." Scully told him.
Mulder gave her an unusually skeptical look. "How do you make someone wholly human when they weren't before?"
"How do you, who started out perfectly normal, relatively speaking," She added mischievously. "Now have alien DNA? DNA which you passed along to our son?" Scully retorted.
"Touché." Mulder say wryly. He thought about that for a few moments. " However, it does explain why Brian was shot instead of stabbed like Calderon."
"How does that explain it?" Scully asked, thinking about how shell-shocked Doggett had been when he explained how the boy had seemed dead then revived himself.
"I speculate that the super soldiers, like Billy Miles and the nameless assassin, have some innate ability to distinguish humans from clones. Which helped them determine how to dispatch those who stood for something they were against, both when Will was born and this past summer. The only proof of that I can offer, though, are the bodies in the Calderon mansion...none of the humans had any stab wounds, and Calderon had not been shot at like the humans. Since the boy is now more or less human, the assassin treated him like one."
"I suppose there's some merit to that theory." Scully admitted grudgingly.
"If I'm right, as always." Mulder said, ignoring the eye rolling. "Then do you know what that means?"
"No, what?"
Mulder pulled her closer to him. "That means our Emily is just a normal little kid now, and nothing special."
"Except to us." Scully corrected.
"Except to us." He agreed.
**
October 30th
The jack o' lantern on the steps glared eerily at the street as the sun began to set. Mulder had hung a witch that had smashed into a building on the front door, and some spider's webs draped over.
William ran through the house giggling while dragging a plastic miniature pitchfork, with Mulder in hot pursuit. The toddler's costume was red, with a long tail, and the phrase "cute little devil" stitched across the chest. Mulder was trying to catch him so he could tie the horns onto the boy's head.
Scully just shook her head and put the finishing touches on Emily's costume. Emily smiled broadly as Mulder finally cut the boy off near the couch and made a grab for him. "Are my wings on straight, Mommy?" Emily asked Scully.
"They sure are. Your halo is a little crocked, though. Are you sure you want to wear it? Maybe it's crocked for a reason." Scully teased.
"Like Pinocho's nose? No. I am an angel, so I'll wear it." Emily replied.
"Oh, you're a real angel, are you?" Scully asked
"Sure. Reyes said so the first night I was here, and you said ' She really is' and you wouldn't lie would you?" Emily asked, reaching for Scully's nose.
Scully pulled away from her fingers with a laugh. "You were supposed to be asleep!"
"No one told me that." Emily said with a pout. "So you don't really think I'm an angel?"
Scully just laughed and gave her a hug. "You're my angel."
**
Scully had just given out her last candy bars to trick or treaters # 126 and #127, a werewolf and a princess, and removed her witch's hat when Mulder returned with Emily and William. Mulder carried William with one arm, and his other hand clutched three bags brimming with candy.
"Three bags?" Scully wondered aloud.
"One of the houses gave out big bags of candy to all the grown ups that the lady said were 'stuck bring the brats out.'" Emily explained, making Scully laugh. "She only gave the kids one piece of candy each though."
"Looks like you and your brother got quite a haul though." Scully remarked.
"Trick! Treat!" William replied, looking pleased with himself. He then promptly ripped off the horns and threw them behind the couch. Mulder gave Scully a look that made her guess he was thinking about baseball again.
"It took us until we were almost done to get him to say that, Mom."
"Scully, I sort of promised them that we'd check a few pieces of their candy before they go to bed. But that we'll leave most of it until after the wedding."
"Ok, sure. It's going to be hard to find candy that doesn't require a lot of teeth to eat though." Scully said, frowning.
"Mom, what about Milky ways, Three Musketeers and Peanut Butter cups? Those are all soft, and I don't really like them." Emily said. "I'd trade for other stuff."
"Good thinking." Scully praised her. "Ok, we'll check some candy now, and you and Will can eat it while we all watch the Garfield Halloween Special." Scully told them.
"Is that on now?" Mulder asked her when the kids ran off.
"No, but I taped it a few times." Scully confessed. "I've always liked that one, even if I was in high school the first time I saw it."
"No need to sound embarrassed. I was sort of thinking about watching Plan Nine From Outer Space again..." Mulder told her.
"Are you up to 100 time yet?" Scully asked.
"Almost. Watch it with me?" He turned puppy dog eyes onto her.
"I guess so. As long as we don't stay up too late."
"Deal!" Mulder said happily as they began to sort through the candy. " You're not going to try to limit how much of my candy I eat, are you?" Mulder asked as he ducked out of reach when she made a grab for his candy.
Mulder gently badgered Emily's doctor over the phone into allowing her to leave her bed and go into the visitor's lounge. As soon as a nurse wheeled Emily into the lounge, William began to crow with excitement. The hospital's visitor policy only extended to patient's rooms, so he was finally able to see his sister.
"Em! Em!" He called, running to her as his pudgy little legs would allow him to. He immediately threw himself at her legs. The nurse gave them a pleased look and left the lounge after advising Mulder to go to the nurses' station when he and William were ready to leave.
Emily smiled brightly. "Hey Will, I've missed you too!"
William looked over to Mulder with a confused look on his face. "Dada..." He said uncertainly. "Em home?"
Mulder was about to tell him no, when he noticed the hopeful look on Emily's face. "Mulder, the doctor did say I could go home after two to four weeks. It's been two weeks. One of the nurses helps me keep track on the calendar in my room, so I know for sure. Can't you take me home today?" She asked in a wheedling tone. "Please?"
Mulder smirked. "Nice try. You know that I'm not allowed to make that decision. Only your mom and your doctor can say it's ok." Emily pouted, which Mulder tried to ignore. "I know you say you feel better, but I'm not a doctor, so I don't know enough to say you're ready to go home. When your mom and the doctor are satisfied by your test results, they'll let you go home."
Emily smacked one of the arms of the wheel chair. "I'm gonna miss Halloween! I've never gotten to go trick or treating before, so it's not fair."
"Halloween isn't for another three weeks. I'm pretty sure that you'll be out of the hospital well before Halloween and the wedding." Mulder said reasonably.
A horrified look lit up her face. "Uh, oh, the wedding! If it's on Halloween-"
Mulder interrupted her. "Trick or treating is going to be the night before, so don't worry."
"How come it's not on the real Halloween?" Emily asked, looking puzzled.
"I have no idea. They've been having trick or treating on different days in some places since before you were born. They do the same thing with fourth of July fireworks too, since some places have them on the 3rd for some reason. Only the town councils know why for sure. You should be glad you're lucky enough that it is on the 30th instead of the 31st, so you don't miss anything." Mulder tells her.
"I guess so..." Emily said. "But it's still strange."
"Hey, at least you get to eat your candy all morning before the wedding." Mulder told her, thinking that neither Scully nor Reyes would appreciate him saying that.
"Cool!" Emily chirped. "You're gonna ask Mom if I can come home soon, right?"
"Sure." Mulder said, ruffling her hair. "But why don't you ask her when she comes to see you later on?"
Emily refused to look him in the eye. "She made me promise not to ask her today." She confessed.
"Emily!"
"Em!" William echoed, not understanding what they were talking about.
**
Three nights before Halloween...
Scully was surprised by a knock on the door about an hour after Emily and William went to bed. She groaned and threw herself off the couch, and away from Mulder, who gave her a hang-dog look. She didn't want to answer the door any more than he did, but she worried that it might be important.
Brian's father and Georgie's mother gave her tense smiles when she opened the door. Brian's father spoke up first. "We're sorry to drop by announced and so late, but could we come in and talk to you?"
"Sure." Scully answered, letting them. She gave Mulder a puzzled look when he joined them.
As soon as she sat down, Georgie's mother anxiously asked. "How is your daughter?"
"She's doing well."Scully told them. "Her doctor declared the bone marrow transplant to be a complete success, and her blood is functioning perfectly normal now. She's been home for over a week, and her weekly checkups look very good. She's even going to be a flower girl in our friend's wedding in three days."
"We're sorry that she's been so sick, and happy to hear she's feeling better." Brian's father said. "But we're worried about our boys."
"Why?" Mulder asked. "It's not as though Emily had something contagious."
"Oh nothing like that." Georgie's mother said, looking apologetic. "We are worried about them because the three of them all have the same disease, and all stopped being treated for it at the same time. I know you're a doctor, do you think that they'll also require bone marrow transplants?"
"Unfortunately, that's something I don't have an answer for. I can tell you that both times she became ill, it happened suddenly. This time we were at the bridal shop for our dress fittings when she suddenly collapsed."
"So there aren't really any warning signs." Brian's father sighed.
"No, but at least if they get ill too, you'll be able to tell the doctors exactly what is wrong, and how to cure it. In fact, you can give out my work and home number if a doctor needs to discuss it with someone, and I can give you the numbers for the doctor who treated Emily. Also, you might want to warn the school that they could become suddenly ill, and tell them to send the boy to the hospital immediately." Scully told them.
"Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at such a late hour." They said, and left as quickly as they'd arrived. Scully showed them to the door.
When she got back to the living room, Mulder was wearing a very pensive look on his face. "What are you thinking about, Mulder?" She asked him.
"The kids' blood."
"The anemia, you mean?"
"No. The fact that Emily used to bleed green like the clones did, but now bleeds red like a normal person."
"Oh. I've wondered about that too. The only explanation I could come up with is that since Calderon was a clone, and therefore 'not of this world' he was able to access technology that we can't." Scully told him.
Mulder gave her an unusually skeptical look. "How do you make someone wholly human when they weren't before?"
"How do you, who started out perfectly normal, relatively speaking," She added mischievously. "Now have alien DNA? DNA which you passed along to our son?" Scully retorted.
"Touché." Mulder say wryly. He thought about that for a few moments. " However, it does explain why Brian was shot instead of stabbed like Calderon."
"How does that explain it?" Scully asked, thinking about how shell-shocked Doggett had been when he explained how the boy had seemed dead then revived himself.
"I speculate that the super soldiers, like Billy Miles and the nameless assassin, have some innate ability to distinguish humans from clones. Which helped them determine how to dispatch those who stood for something they were against, both when Will was born and this past summer. The only proof of that I can offer, though, are the bodies in the Calderon mansion...none of the humans had any stab wounds, and Calderon had not been shot at like the humans. Since the boy is now more or less human, the assassin treated him like one."
"I suppose there's some merit to that theory." Scully admitted grudgingly.
"If I'm right, as always." Mulder said, ignoring the eye rolling. "Then do you know what that means?"
"No, what?"
Mulder pulled her closer to him. "That means our Emily is just a normal little kid now, and nothing special."
"Except to us." Scully corrected.
"Except to us." He agreed.
**
October 30th
The jack o' lantern on the steps glared eerily at the street as the sun began to set. Mulder had hung a witch that had smashed into a building on the front door, and some spider's webs draped over.
William ran through the house giggling while dragging a plastic miniature pitchfork, with Mulder in hot pursuit. The toddler's costume was red, with a long tail, and the phrase "cute little devil" stitched across the chest. Mulder was trying to catch him so he could tie the horns onto the boy's head.
Scully just shook her head and put the finishing touches on Emily's costume. Emily smiled broadly as Mulder finally cut the boy off near the couch and made a grab for him. "Are my wings on straight, Mommy?" Emily asked Scully.
"They sure are. Your halo is a little crocked, though. Are you sure you want to wear it? Maybe it's crocked for a reason." Scully teased.
"Like Pinocho's nose? No. I am an angel, so I'll wear it." Emily replied.
"Oh, you're a real angel, are you?" Scully asked
"Sure. Reyes said so the first night I was here, and you said ' She really is' and you wouldn't lie would you?" Emily asked, reaching for Scully's nose.
Scully pulled away from her fingers with a laugh. "You were supposed to be asleep!"
"No one told me that." Emily said with a pout. "So you don't really think I'm an angel?"
Scully just laughed and gave her a hug. "You're my angel."
**
Scully had just given out her last candy bars to trick or treaters # 126 and #127, a werewolf and a princess, and removed her witch's hat when Mulder returned with Emily and William. Mulder carried William with one arm, and his other hand clutched three bags brimming with candy.
"Three bags?" Scully wondered aloud.
"One of the houses gave out big bags of candy to all the grown ups that the lady said were 'stuck bring the brats out.'" Emily explained, making Scully laugh. "She only gave the kids one piece of candy each though."
"Looks like you and your brother got quite a haul though." Scully remarked.
"Trick! Treat!" William replied, looking pleased with himself. He then promptly ripped off the horns and threw them behind the couch. Mulder gave Scully a look that made her guess he was thinking about baseball again.
"It took us until we were almost done to get him to say that, Mom."
"Scully, I sort of promised them that we'd check a few pieces of their candy before they go to bed. But that we'll leave most of it until after the wedding."
"Ok, sure. It's going to be hard to find candy that doesn't require a lot of teeth to eat though." Scully said, frowning.
"Mom, what about Milky ways, Three Musketeers and Peanut Butter cups? Those are all soft, and I don't really like them." Emily said. "I'd trade for other stuff."
"Good thinking." Scully praised her. "Ok, we'll check some candy now, and you and Will can eat it while we all watch the Garfield Halloween Special." Scully told them.
"Is that on now?" Mulder asked her when the kids ran off.
"No, but I taped it a few times." Scully confessed. "I've always liked that one, even if I was in high school the first time I saw it."
"No need to sound embarrassed. I was sort of thinking about watching Plan Nine From Outer Space again..." Mulder told her.
"Are you up to 100 time yet?" Scully asked.
"Almost. Watch it with me?" He turned puppy dog eyes onto her.
"I guess so. As long as we don't stay up too late."
"Deal!" Mulder said happily as they began to sort through the candy. " You're not going to try to limit how much of my candy I eat, are you?" Mulder asked as he ducked out of reach when she made a grab for his candy.
