Small hands drummed on the tray of the high chair. "Mommy. Mommy. Where's
Mommy?" Avery chanted, giving Mulder curious looks as his sister screamed.
More concerned with trying not to drop Delaney as she squirmed in his arms, Mulder didn't answer right away. He'd already answered that question three times, so it wasn't as though answering it immediately was going to help any.
Did any of the other babies ever cry this much? He wondered as he tried to soothe his daughter. As soon as Delaney stopped wriggling and crying long enough for him to get her to notice her bottle, he finally answered his youngest son. Again. "Mommy went shopping, she'll be back soon."
Cat had surprised him an hour before, telling him that she'd like to take the older kids shopping for a change. That had been his job most of the kids' lives, so he hadn't expected her to usurp his sworn duty. He didn't mind, but it did mean being alone with the babies, which he had been too few times to count. It made him feel guilty when he realized that, so he readily agreed to swap roles.
"Mommy really back soon?" Avery demanded, turning his clear brown eyes on Mulder. The scrutiny tempted Mulder to laugh, but he remembered his parents laughing, and how mad it had made him as a small boy.
"Pretty soon. I think they're going to get pumpkins." Cat hadn't said so, but it was the right time for it, and she loved carving them.
Avery gave him a puzzled look. "Pun'kins orange?" He asked after a moment.
Mulder looked up from holding Delaney's bottle, startled. He had no idea that Avery knew any colors yet; he wouldn't even be old enough for preschool until the next fall. "Yes. Pumpkins are orange! Boy are you smart." Delaney batted his hand when the nipple slipped out of her mouth. He repositioned it before she began to wail again.
"I know." Avery said with no false modesty. "Can I have cheer'os?"
Holding the baby with one arm, Mulder used the other hand to pour cheerios into a bowl for his son. He was suddenly looking forward to time off at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when he'd be able to spend more time with the younger kids – he needed to get to know them better. He'd make more of an effort than his father ever had, even before his sister was kidnapped. Had his kids known their grandfather, they could have told Mulder he already did.
**
It was hard for William to sleep at night. After the incident at the store, he thought that his parents would finally begin to pay attention to how not all right he was, but they continued to be blind as ever.
Some parents might have made a fuss after something like that, trying to cuddle him even though he thought he was too big for that, but they hadn't. They'd briefly discussed amongst themselves the idea of pressing charges, but dismissed the idea. Then they'd lectured him on the danger of going anywhere with strangers, as if it had been his plan to tag along with the crazy old man, instead of calling for help like he had.
Maybe they were trying not to make a big deal of it so he wouldn't be scared, but their dismissal of what had happened made him feel alone.
He was trying to sleep when he heard the sound against the window glass. Startled fully awake, he sat up and looked at the window. What he longed to see was an errant branch scratching the pane; he planned to laugh at himself, then snuggle back under his Disney's Animated Robinson Curosoe comforter and finally fall asleep.
Instead there was a face looking in at him. Doing what any normal kid would do, William screamed. Within seconds he could hear two things. The first was the sounds of one of his parents running to his room. The other was glass breaking in another room.
His eyes were wide with terror when the door was flung open, but he breathed a little easier when he saw that it was his mother. "It's ok, William." She said, coming to his bedside. At first he thought she was going to hug him, but she pulled out the cordless phone instead. "Hello, police? I want to report a break in..."
William lay back down, listening to his father shouting at someone. The siren sounded almost immediately after that.
**
A half later, William stood in the doorway of his room, still wearing his planet PJs, watching as a police officer led a woman away in handcuffs. The worst was supposed to be over, but William felt even more scared then when he'd seen the other person outside his window.
The reason he was afraid was because the woman who'd actually gotten into the house kept explaining the same thing over and over. William was the one.
He felt like crying when he noticed his parents were talking in low voices and throwing him brief glances. Their unheard conversation scared him most of all.
**
Two weeks later... Since it was still a lovely day out, Mulder took the boys out into the yard to play. Benji and Owen practiced shooting a basket ball into a hoop that Mulder had set six feet from the ground. He figured that once they were bigger he'd have to adjust the height, but for now it was perfect for them. Avery happily dug in the sandbox, mostly paying attention to Mulder's admonishments not to put any sand in his mouth; the green binky sticking out of his mouth seemed to temper temptation, at least a little. The only unhappy one was Kyle, who was curled up on Mulder's lap, upset that his older brothers teased him for not getting any baskets. Mulder might have tried to interest him in playing in the sandbox too, but Kyle seemed to anticipate that and had preemptively declared it was "for babies." Fortunately, Avery was too young to know he was being insulted. Even with four kids to keep an eye on, Mulder felt calm and happy.
Until a black car pulled into the driveway. At first he thought that the driver was just using their driveway to turn around, which he found irritating, but not worrisome. But then the driver's side door opened. Mulder stood up cautiously, and deposited Kyle on the ground. He asked him to play with Avery, and for once he agreed without protest.
By the time Mulder got to the walk, the man was already at the gate. Benji and Owen stopped playing, and stared, at least until Mulder told them to go watch their brothers. Mulder didn't know the strange man, but the dark look on his face made him more than a little uneasy. He found himself suddenly wishing that his FBI issued pistol was still at his waist.
"Can I do something for you?" He asked in a fairly friendly tone, hoping not to set the man off if he was dangerous.
"Are you Fox Mulder?" The stranger asked, his voice flat.
"I am." Mulder acknowledged, wondering how the stranger knew who he was.
"Good." He replied in that same flat tone. Then he made a come here motion with his hand, staring at his car.
Two more car doors opened, and Mulder felt the flutterings of unease in his chest. He thought to call out to Cat to come get the boys, but then he realized that the people emerging from the car weren't really that threatening. At least in appearance, but he knew enough not to count on that.
One of the people was a tired looking woman in her forties. The other was a young boy. He barely noticed that Cat had come out after all, and had herded the kids inside. They peered out at the adults from the window.
"Will, come here." The strange man demanded, and Mulder stopped breathing. Cat took one of his arms as she joined him. Delaney was on her other.
"Big family, huh?" The stranger asked as the boy approached them, but it wasn't a question. Not really. "Big house too. Guess you have room for one more." His hand went to the boy's shoulder when he stopped short of Mulder and Cat. It wasn't a rough gesture, but he forced the boy forward. "Take him."
"I don't understand." Mulder exclaimed, staring at his oldest son. William just gave him a sullen stare before turning to his adopted mother who wouldn't look at him.
"You still want him, don't you?" The man asked gruffly. "Even though he's not a cute little baby any more."
"Of course." Mulder blurted out, not daring to look at Cat. "But why did you bring him here?"
**
Mr. Van DeKamp didn't say anything. William turned his head and gave his adopted father a hateful glare as the man gave him another, harder, shove towards Mulder and Cat. When Mr. Van DeKamp finally spoke, he sounded angry and tired. "Look, when we took William in we were told that his mother just couldn't handle raising him on her own. No one said it was going to put our lives in danger."
"Danger?" Mulder asked, as a shiver crept up his spine.
"People have been breaking into our house. Three people tried to grab Will, each claiming he's 'the chosen one.' Will's a good boy, but we just can't deal with this any more. We know you were with the FBI, you're got to be better equipped at dealing with this than we are."
Mulder nodded, but William just stared at his adopted parents. They'd always told him that they didn't know a thing about his birth father, so how did they know he'd been in the FBI? And now that he thought of it, how hid they know his address?
Mrs. Van DeKamp handed Mulder a thick envelope. "We went back to that judge yesterday-"While he was in school, William realized, staring at her with a betrayed look she didn't acknowledge." – and told him we've had a change of heart, and decided you were right to want him back. So we signed papers relinquishing our claim of custody in favor of yours."
Judging by the look on the boy's face, Mulder was fairly sure that this was the first his son heard of his attempt to get him back. Mulder sighed. " Just like that? The judge believed your story about having a change of heart nine and a half years after he ruled to let you keep my son?" Instead of answering, the woman retreated to the car, leaving her husband to Mulder's possible wrath.
"I don't feel like arguing about this, mister Mulder." Mr. Van DeKamp said shortly." Do you still want him or not?"
"Of course I do!" Mulder exclaimed, finally daring a look at his wife. To his immense relief she nodded her agreement that William was wanted.
"Good. I'll get a moving van to bring by the rest of his stuff tomorrow."
William didn't say anything, which worried Mulder since the book looked like he was on the verge of tears. If Mr. Van DeKamp noticed, he kept it to himself. "Take care of yourself, William." Was the man's only gruffly said fair well as he got back into his car.
While they drove off, Mulder's eyes were on his devastated son. Seeing him there with his shoulders hunched and his eyes full of unshed tears, Mulder was at a complete loss at how he could comfort him. When he'd imagined being reunited with this son, first he pictured caring for a toddler younger than Avery who might be distraught for a few weeks, but would soon adjust when he forgot about the Van DeKamps. Then, when the judge denied him custody, his imagination turned instead to meeting his grown son, who'd be delighted to be meeting his father at last; that sort of meeting would have dignity to it, two grown men taking steps to build a relationship, finally. He never in his life imagined his little boy would be unceremoniously dumped on his front lawn at eleven years of age.
More concerned with trying not to drop Delaney as she squirmed in his arms, Mulder didn't answer right away. He'd already answered that question three times, so it wasn't as though answering it immediately was going to help any.
Did any of the other babies ever cry this much? He wondered as he tried to soothe his daughter. As soon as Delaney stopped wriggling and crying long enough for him to get her to notice her bottle, he finally answered his youngest son. Again. "Mommy went shopping, she'll be back soon."
Cat had surprised him an hour before, telling him that she'd like to take the older kids shopping for a change. That had been his job most of the kids' lives, so he hadn't expected her to usurp his sworn duty. He didn't mind, but it did mean being alone with the babies, which he had been too few times to count. It made him feel guilty when he realized that, so he readily agreed to swap roles.
"Mommy really back soon?" Avery demanded, turning his clear brown eyes on Mulder. The scrutiny tempted Mulder to laugh, but he remembered his parents laughing, and how mad it had made him as a small boy.
"Pretty soon. I think they're going to get pumpkins." Cat hadn't said so, but it was the right time for it, and she loved carving them.
Avery gave him a puzzled look. "Pun'kins orange?" He asked after a moment.
Mulder looked up from holding Delaney's bottle, startled. He had no idea that Avery knew any colors yet; he wouldn't even be old enough for preschool until the next fall. "Yes. Pumpkins are orange! Boy are you smart." Delaney batted his hand when the nipple slipped out of her mouth. He repositioned it before she began to wail again.
"I know." Avery said with no false modesty. "Can I have cheer'os?"
Holding the baby with one arm, Mulder used the other hand to pour cheerios into a bowl for his son. He was suddenly looking forward to time off at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when he'd be able to spend more time with the younger kids – he needed to get to know them better. He'd make more of an effort than his father ever had, even before his sister was kidnapped. Had his kids known their grandfather, they could have told Mulder he already did.
**
It was hard for William to sleep at night. After the incident at the store, he thought that his parents would finally begin to pay attention to how not all right he was, but they continued to be blind as ever.
Some parents might have made a fuss after something like that, trying to cuddle him even though he thought he was too big for that, but they hadn't. They'd briefly discussed amongst themselves the idea of pressing charges, but dismissed the idea. Then they'd lectured him on the danger of going anywhere with strangers, as if it had been his plan to tag along with the crazy old man, instead of calling for help like he had.
Maybe they were trying not to make a big deal of it so he wouldn't be scared, but their dismissal of what had happened made him feel alone.
He was trying to sleep when he heard the sound against the window glass. Startled fully awake, he sat up and looked at the window. What he longed to see was an errant branch scratching the pane; he planned to laugh at himself, then snuggle back under his Disney's Animated Robinson Curosoe comforter and finally fall asleep.
Instead there was a face looking in at him. Doing what any normal kid would do, William screamed. Within seconds he could hear two things. The first was the sounds of one of his parents running to his room. The other was glass breaking in another room.
His eyes were wide with terror when the door was flung open, but he breathed a little easier when he saw that it was his mother. "It's ok, William." She said, coming to his bedside. At first he thought she was going to hug him, but she pulled out the cordless phone instead. "Hello, police? I want to report a break in..."
William lay back down, listening to his father shouting at someone. The siren sounded almost immediately after that.
**
A half later, William stood in the doorway of his room, still wearing his planet PJs, watching as a police officer led a woman away in handcuffs. The worst was supposed to be over, but William felt even more scared then when he'd seen the other person outside his window.
The reason he was afraid was because the woman who'd actually gotten into the house kept explaining the same thing over and over. William was the one.
He felt like crying when he noticed his parents were talking in low voices and throwing him brief glances. Their unheard conversation scared him most of all.
**
Two weeks later... Since it was still a lovely day out, Mulder took the boys out into the yard to play. Benji and Owen practiced shooting a basket ball into a hoop that Mulder had set six feet from the ground. He figured that once they were bigger he'd have to adjust the height, but for now it was perfect for them. Avery happily dug in the sandbox, mostly paying attention to Mulder's admonishments not to put any sand in his mouth; the green binky sticking out of his mouth seemed to temper temptation, at least a little. The only unhappy one was Kyle, who was curled up on Mulder's lap, upset that his older brothers teased him for not getting any baskets. Mulder might have tried to interest him in playing in the sandbox too, but Kyle seemed to anticipate that and had preemptively declared it was "for babies." Fortunately, Avery was too young to know he was being insulted. Even with four kids to keep an eye on, Mulder felt calm and happy.
Until a black car pulled into the driveway. At first he thought that the driver was just using their driveway to turn around, which he found irritating, but not worrisome. But then the driver's side door opened. Mulder stood up cautiously, and deposited Kyle on the ground. He asked him to play with Avery, and for once he agreed without protest.
By the time Mulder got to the walk, the man was already at the gate. Benji and Owen stopped playing, and stared, at least until Mulder told them to go watch their brothers. Mulder didn't know the strange man, but the dark look on his face made him more than a little uneasy. He found himself suddenly wishing that his FBI issued pistol was still at his waist.
"Can I do something for you?" He asked in a fairly friendly tone, hoping not to set the man off if he was dangerous.
"Are you Fox Mulder?" The stranger asked, his voice flat.
"I am." Mulder acknowledged, wondering how the stranger knew who he was.
"Good." He replied in that same flat tone. Then he made a come here motion with his hand, staring at his car.
Two more car doors opened, and Mulder felt the flutterings of unease in his chest. He thought to call out to Cat to come get the boys, but then he realized that the people emerging from the car weren't really that threatening. At least in appearance, but he knew enough not to count on that.
One of the people was a tired looking woman in her forties. The other was a young boy. He barely noticed that Cat had come out after all, and had herded the kids inside. They peered out at the adults from the window.
"Will, come here." The strange man demanded, and Mulder stopped breathing. Cat took one of his arms as she joined him. Delaney was on her other.
"Big family, huh?" The stranger asked as the boy approached them, but it wasn't a question. Not really. "Big house too. Guess you have room for one more." His hand went to the boy's shoulder when he stopped short of Mulder and Cat. It wasn't a rough gesture, but he forced the boy forward. "Take him."
"I don't understand." Mulder exclaimed, staring at his oldest son. William just gave him a sullen stare before turning to his adopted mother who wouldn't look at him.
"You still want him, don't you?" The man asked gruffly. "Even though he's not a cute little baby any more."
"Of course." Mulder blurted out, not daring to look at Cat. "But why did you bring him here?"
**
Mr. Van DeKamp didn't say anything. William turned his head and gave his adopted father a hateful glare as the man gave him another, harder, shove towards Mulder and Cat. When Mr. Van DeKamp finally spoke, he sounded angry and tired. "Look, when we took William in we were told that his mother just couldn't handle raising him on her own. No one said it was going to put our lives in danger."
"Danger?" Mulder asked, as a shiver crept up his spine.
"People have been breaking into our house. Three people tried to grab Will, each claiming he's 'the chosen one.' Will's a good boy, but we just can't deal with this any more. We know you were with the FBI, you're got to be better equipped at dealing with this than we are."
Mulder nodded, but William just stared at his adopted parents. They'd always told him that they didn't know a thing about his birth father, so how did they know he'd been in the FBI? And now that he thought of it, how hid they know his address?
Mrs. Van DeKamp handed Mulder a thick envelope. "We went back to that judge yesterday-"While he was in school, William realized, staring at her with a betrayed look she didn't acknowledge." – and told him we've had a change of heart, and decided you were right to want him back. So we signed papers relinquishing our claim of custody in favor of yours."
Judging by the look on the boy's face, Mulder was fairly sure that this was the first his son heard of his attempt to get him back. Mulder sighed. " Just like that? The judge believed your story about having a change of heart nine and a half years after he ruled to let you keep my son?" Instead of answering, the woman retreated to the car, leaving her husband to Mulder's possible wrath.
"I don't feel like arguing about this, mister Mulder." Mr. Van DeKamp said shortly." Do you still want him or not?"
"Of course I do!" Mulder exclaimed, finally daring a look at his wife. To his immense relief she nodded her agreement that William was wanted.
"Good. I'll get a moving van to bring by the rest of his stuff tomorrow."
William didn't say anything, which worried Mulder since the book looked like he was on the verge of tears. If Mr. Van DeKamp noticed, he kept it to himself. "Take care of yourself, William." Was the man's only gruffly said fair well as he got back into his car.
While they drove off, Mulder's eyes were on his devastated son. Seeing him there with his shoulders hunched and his eyes full of unshed tears, Mulder was at a complete loss at how he could comfort him. When he'd imagined being reunited with this son, first he pictured caring for a toddler younger than Avery who might be distraught for a few weeks, but would soon adjust when he forgot about the Van DeKamps. Then, when the judge denied him custody, his imagination turned instead to meeting his grown son, who'd be delighted to be meeting his father at last; that sort of meeting would have dignity to it, two grown men taking steps to build a relationship, finally. He never in his life imagined his little boy would be unceremoniously dumped on his front lawn at eleven years of age.