"What was your plan, after you rescued her?"
With her staring at me, I knew that I couldn't tell her. How do you say " Well, I was thinking that she's a year younger than William, so we go somewhere where no one knows us, and we just sheepishly tell people ' we weren't as careful as we should have been when Will was small, oops' to explain the quickness of having a second baby. And I thought the gunmen would be willing to help us with something as simple as making up a fake birth certificate. When you were pregnant, and we didn't know we'd be parted so soon, we talked about adoption to complete our family, so this seemed too good to pass up., especially since we're about the best shot a kid like this has at a normal life."?
"To keep her safe."
"I understand that you felt an obligation to her once you took her from the fire, but why do you still have her?"
"I don't follow what you're asking." I said, honestly puzzled.
"Once you were free of the fire, there were a lot of places you could leave her. A hospital, a police station, an orphanage..." Scully said slowly. "Did you just not think of these places?"
"I thought of them. I just couldn't leave her with them."
"Mulder, if you're afraid that someone might figure out what she is and come for her, she's not any safer with you. In fact, given that the super soldiers know who you are, she's probably less safe with you-"
I looked at her then, forcing her to meet my eyes. "I don't mean safe from someone else, though it would be tragic if they got ahold of her again. I mean safe from becoming one of them."
"Mulder-"
"You're a doctor, you know all about the theory of nature vs nurture."
"But-"
"She needs to be raised by someone who understands what they meant her to be. That's the only way she'll be able to overcome whatever they did to manipulate her genes before she was even born. "
**
"Mulder, super soldiers-"
I interrupted her. "Don't tell me they're all killers, Scully. We know from what Lizzie Gill told us that they have only just been able to create them, so the oldest of them are barely William's age. We don't know that they're like the humans that were turned into them, since none of these kids has had time to grow up into anything yet. "
"But they might grow up to be killers."
"They might." I agreed. "And William might grow up to be a dictator with his eye on mass genocide. I think we're both willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though." I think I meant the comment to be a joke, but it felt flat, even to me.
She looked frustrated. "So the fact that they might not grow up to be...what they were supposed to be, but might be gentled with the right upbringing like pit bulls is reason enough to make an eighteen year commitment?"
Putting aside the pet comparisons, I gave her a sad look. "What if William had been like her?"
"He's not like her, you proved that yourself."
"I know, but what if he was?" I persisted. "Would you have thrown him away like an unwanted kitten?" A second too late I remembered that she had temporarily given him up.
Fortunately, she didn't interpret my statement in a negative way, since she just said "No. I would have done the best I could to see that he didn't grow up to hurt anyone."
I just nodded.
"But she's not yours."
"Who else does she have?"
One thing I've always loved about Scully is that she doesn't have a very good poker face. Everything she feels, you can see. And now she was upset and confused. I wished I could change that, but I knew it was up to her. " So you thought she should have you?"
"I thought she should have us. You, me, William..." I spoke softly, hoping that would make the idea easier to consider.
She didn't say anything.
With her staring at me, I knew that I couldn't tell her. How do you say " Well, I was thinking that she's a year younger than William, so we go somewhere where no one knows us, and we just sheepishly tell people ' we weren't as careful as we should have been when Will was small, oops' to explain the quickness of having a second baby. And I thought the gunmen would be willing to help us with something as simple as making up a fake birth certificate. When you were pregnant, and we didn't know we'd be parted so soon, we talked about adoption to complete our family, so this seemed too good to pass up., especially since we're about the best shot a kid like this has at a normal life."?
"To keep her safe."
"I understand that you felt an obligation to her once you took her from the fire, but why do you still have her?"
"I don't follow what you're asking." I said, honestly puzzled.
"Once you were free of the fire, there were a lot of places you could leave her. A hospital, a police station, an orphanage..." Scully said slowly. "Did you just not think of these places?"
"I thought of them. I just couldn't leave her with them."
"Mulder, if you're afraid that someone might figure out what she is and come for her, she's not any safer with you. In fact, given that the super soldiers know who you are, she's probably less safe with you-"
I looked at her then, forcing her to meet my eyes. "I don't mean safe from someone else, though it would be tragic if they got ahold of her again. I mean safe from becoming one of them."
"Mulder-"
"You're a doctor, you know all about the theory of nature vs nurture."
"But-"
"She needs to be raised by someone who understands what they meant her to be. That's the only way she'll be able to overcome whatever they did to manipulate her genes before she was even born. "
**
"Mulder, super soldiers-"
I interrupted her. "Don't tell me they're all killers, Scully. We know from what Lizzie Gill told us that they have only just been able to create them, so the oldest of them are barely William's age. We don't know that they're like the humans that were turned into them, since none of these kids has had time to grow up into anything yet. "
"But they might grow up to be killers."
"They might." I agreed. "And William might grow up to be a dictator with his eye on mass genocide. I think we're both willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though." I think I meant the comment to be a joke, but it felt flat, even to me.
She looked frustrated. "So the fact that they might not grow up to be...what they were supposed to be, but might be gentled with the right upbringing like pit bulls is reason enough to make an eighteen year commitment?"
Putting aside the pet comparisons, I gave her a sad look. "What if William had been like her?"
"He's not like her, you proved that yourself."
"I know, but what if he was?" I persisted. "Would you have thrown him away like an unwanted kitten?" A second too late I remembered that she had temporarily given him up.
Fortunately, she didn't interpret my statement in a negative way, since she just said "No. I would have done the best I could to see that he didn't grow up to hurt anyone."
I just nodded.
"But she's not yours."
"Who else does she have?"
One thing I've always loved about Scully is that she doesn't have a very good poker face. Everything she feels, you can see. And now she was upset and confused. I wished I could change that, but I knew it was up to her. " So you thought she should have you?"
"I thought she should have us. You, me, William..." I spoke softly, hoping that would make the idea easier to consider.
She didn't say anything.