Perhaps because it wasn't her son, and there was less at stake for her,
Caitlin was the one to first spring to action. "Here Fox, take the baby..."
She handed over the sleeping infant to her bewildered husband. Then she
dashed into the house, where Mulder could hear her banishing their sons to
their rooms.
She reappeared a moment later with a warm smile for William. "If you're ready to go inside, I'll show you your room."
William still looked devastated, but he and Mulder followed Cat inside; Mulder was grateful that she'd thought to keep the boys from swarming, since he hadn't even thought of it. She lead the way to one of the two empty bedrooms, the one they currently used as a place for guests to sleep – the other would be Avery's when he was big enough to sleep in a room alone at night without being frightened.
Once they reached their destination, Cat took the baby back, and let Mulder play tour guide while she looked in on the other kids.
William looked around the room, and tried to imagine it being his. It was hard. "I didn't think I'd have my own room." He said, finally breaking his dismayed silence. "Because of the other kids." He clarified.
"Today I'm extra glad we bought a really big house when we got married." Mulder gave him a small smile. "I bet you didn't know yesterday that you have four little brothers and a baby sister."
"Un Uh." William agreed. "I figured I was an only child." He paused. " Does my birth mother have any other children?" He'd already realized that his father's wife wasn't his mother, but he wasn't ready to ask questions about that yet.
A sad look passed over Mulder's face, partly because the label of birth parent, and partly because of the question itself. "Your mother had a little girl, Emily. If she'd lived, she'd be seventeen now. She was born very sick, though, and died when she was three, I'm sorry to say."
"Oh..." William said, looking away. He hadn't expected his question to make things so sad.
Mulder unfolded the blanket that had been left at the foot of the bed in anticipation of over night visitors. It would do for rest of their childhood visitors too. As he spread the blanket out, he cast his son a sidelong glance. "William...I'm not going to pretend I have any idea how this all makes you feel, but I'm sure it's overwhelming. If you'd like, you can put off meeting your brothers until dinner."
"Thanks." William flashed him a brief smile. "But they're my half brothers." He pointed out.
"True enough." Mulder agreed. "I have a half brother too, your Uncle Jeffrey. I didn't even know about him until I was an adult, and I've always regretted that..." He trailed off wondering if things could have been different if he and Spender had grown up together. "Maybe you boys will be different, but I don't expect you to like them right away. I love them to death, but I know they can be difficult for a new person to get used to."
William just nodded, he had no idea how he was going to get along with them.
"What about me?" Mulder asked. "I can stay if you'd like to talk, or go if you'd rather be alone for a while."
"I...I think that I'd like be alone for a little while if that's ok. But-" He continued as Mulder made a move for the door. "Before you go can you tell me the other kids' names? So I know them at dinner?"
"Of course. We call your brother Benjamin Benji, and he's eight. Next is Owen, who's six and Kyle who's four. Last are the babies. Avery is two and Delaney is just four months." William nodded, and seemed to be trying to commit the names and ages to memory.
Mulder thought for a second before adding, "Don't think you have to call my wife and I Mom and Dad, William. Most people call her Cat, and me Mulder, and you can call us that too, if it makes you more comfortable. If you decide to call us Mom and Dad someday, that's great, but..."
Mulder's hand was on the doorknob again when William asked, "Did you really try to get me back, like they said today?"
"I really did. My job required me to go away right after you were born, and your mom gave you to the Van DeKamps while I was gone. When I got back I tried to convince a judge that you should be with me, but the judge disagreed. I know it might not be totally great for you, but I'm so glad that you're here."
William didn't seem to hear anything Mulder said after his agreement. " They never told me that you wanted me back." He whispered. "See you at dinner."
**
Mulder had barely shut the door behind him when he was confronted by Benji and Owen in the hallway. "Who is that?" Owen demanded to know.
"It's him, isn't it?" Benji asked with a suspicious look.
Mulder herded them into Owen's room, which was further from William's new one than Benji's. "That's your older brother, William."
"We have another brother?" Owen yelped, looking shocked.
Benji gave him a scornful look. "Dad only told us that like a thousand times, Dork."
"I'm not a dork!" Own protested.
Benji ignored him. "Is William going to live with us now?"
"I think so." Mulder admitted. "What do you think of that?"
"I don't know." Benji said honestly. "Can we go see him?"
"Not right now. This is confusing and overwhelming for him, so he wants to relax in his room until dinner. He's not going anywhere, so you'll have lots of time to see him later."
Owen looked at Mulder with wide eyes. "Daddy... do you think he's crying?"
Mulder patted his head, Owen had always been a sensitive soul. "He might be. Today was a pretty upsetting day for him. And even though he's mad at his adopted parents for leaving him, he probably misses them too, since he's been with them most of his life."
"I'm going to make him feel better." Owen vowed. "After dinner."
"Dad, why did they give him back to you?" Benji asked, prone more to seriousness than sentimentality.
"I'm not entirely sure yet." Mulder told him. "I'm jut glad they did." But that wasn't entirely true. He was going to wait until Mulder was more settled, but he was going to find out what had happened before the Van DeKamps' car pulled into the driveway.
**
The shrill ring of the phone nearly startled Scully into dropping her glass. She made a quick save, then picked up the phone before it rang again. "Hello?" She asked uncertainly. She wasn't expecting any calls. At least not any that late.
"Scully, it's me."
The greeting almost erased the years of separation. There was no one else on earth who said that to her. And there was no mistaking his voice.
"Mulder?" She asked in a neutral voice. They weren't on friendly terms, so she doubted like hell that he'd called up for a little chat. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Mulder said, confusing her. "Scully, I have him. William. He's at my house right now."
Stunned, she forgot to breathe. "How? Did something happen to his parents?"
"We're his parents." Mulder reminded her, sounding annoyed. "His adopted parents are just fine. They changed their minds about keeping him for reasons I've yet to get to the bottom of. All I know is that they showed up at my house a few hours ago with William and a court order showing they relinquished their claim of custody in favor of mine. It's incredible."
"You're going to keep him then?" She asked toying with the cord to the phone. "Your wife is ok with it?"
"Cat's been great about it. She's always known that I'd get him back if I could, so she's happy for me."
Caitlin but called Cat. Scully never liked the woman's name. Why a grown woman would go by such a childish nickname was beyond her. "Oh. How's William taking it?"
Mulder paused. "I won't lie to you, he's overwhelmed. It's got to be rough, having the people you considered your parents pack you up and ship you off to a father you never even met. They didn't tell him that I tried to get him back, by the way. Until they mentioned it in front of him today, he had no idea that one of his parents had tried to get him back." A dig. She knew his barb had been carefully aimed. The resentment was still there, all these years later, then. "We're trying to get the boys to give him his space until he adjusts, but you know how little kids get when there's something exciting going on, it might not be easy."
She didn't really know little kids, but she didn't say anything. "If he's anything like us, I'm sure he'll adjust."
"Yeah..." Mulder agreed. "You know, I always pictured him looking like one of us, but he doesn't, not really. My other boys all look like me, and Delaney is probably going to look like Cat when she has more hair, but William... His hair turned auburn and his eyes green, can you believe it?"
Scully thought she could. He sounded like he was in between them coloring- wise. "You'll have to send me a picture." She said faintly.
"Of course." He agreed. "I thought I'd ask you first before bringing it up, but... if he wants to, could he call you?"
Call, she thought. Not visit, not see. "If he wants to."
"Great. Do you want me to keep you updated? About how he's doing and what I find out about his adopted parents' reasons for giving him back, that is."
"Sure. You have my e-mail, don't you?" It would be easier on her if she didn't have to hear his happy voice telling her about their not-so-little- anymore boy.
Mulder took the hint and said good-bye a couple of minutes later. When she hung up the phone she shook her head. She never expected that either of them would get their son back, at least not without a bigger fight than Mulder already had given. She supposed they gave him to Mulder because he was closer, and because he was the one that had filed the appeal against the adoption. She wondered if anyone had thought of giving him to her, even for a second.
Not that he wasn't better off with brothers and a sister, and in a home with two parents. And she wasn't equipped to care for a child, not now, not in a one-bedroom apartment. But still she wondered if anyone had thought of her. Her heart thought not.
**
Mulder knocked softly on the door to the room that now belonged to his oldest son. To his relief he was met by a neutral "come in" instead of a teary or resentful voice. He hadn't known what to expect, because the boy had been quiet throughout dinner, and had retreated to this room as soon as he'd finished eating.
From the looks of things, William was in the process of emptying his bag. A few cherished possessions that he couldn't bear to be without, even for a day or two, were scattered on his bed, and more spilled out of the top of the completely unzipped bag.
"Is it ok if I sit down?" Mulder asked, looking towards the empty desk.
"Sure." William said from his spot on the bed.
"How are you doing?"
"Ok."
Mulder nodded, but looked like he didn't quite believe him. "It's ok if you're really not feeling ok, you know. If you think you'd like to talk to someone, besides me or Cat, I'd be happy to arrange for that."
"Like a doctor?" William asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Sure. A doctor like me. I'm a psychologist at your brothers' school. There's nothing wrong with needing to talk to someone who isn't involved with your problem. I spent a lot of time talking to someone like that when I was twelve."
"Why?" William asked, curious. He didn't know his birth father well at all yet, but he seemed pretty normal, so it surprised him that he'd had a shrink himself.
Mulder's look clouded. "I lost my eight-year-old sister that year. We'll talk about it more at some point, but that's not really something I want to talk about tonight, if you don't mind."
"Ok." William agreed, but he was dying to know what happened to his aunt. He wondered if Benji knew, and if the younger boy would tell him if he did.
Smiling a little, Mulder spoke again. "Besides seeing how you were doing, I wanted to let you know I talked to your mother just a little while ago."
At first William thought he meant Mrs. Van DeKamp, but a hesitant smile made him realize that Mulder meant his birth mother. "Oh."
"If you want to talk to her some time, it's ok with her. I've got her number, if you want it."
William gave him a searching look. "Did... did she try to get me back too?"
Mulder shook his head. "No. She thought you were better off where you were."
"I don't want her number."
Mulder thought about saying he could have it any time he wanted it, but his son's tone made him decide it wasn't a good idea. "Ok. It's getting late, so the younger kids will be going to bed in a little while. If you'd like to come down stairs and watch TV with Cat, Benji and I, you're more than welcome to."
"Sure." William said, getting off the bed. "What are you going to be watching?"
"Two Guys Named Bob." Mulder told him. "Have you ever seen it?"
"Yeah! It's one of my favorite shows! Did you like the episode when Bob bought Bob one of those Segway things, and it accidentally got left on and drove through the store's glass doors? That was so funny!"
Mulder grinned a little, thinking that maybe this no-longer-estranged son of his might have something in common with Benji, even if he didn't look like him.
She reappeared a moment later with a warm smile for William. "If you're ready to go inside, I'll show you your room."
William still looked devastated, but he and Mulder followed Cat inside; Mulder was grateful that she'd thought to keep the boys from swarming, since he hadn't even thought of it. She lead the way to one of the two empty bedrooms, the one they currently used as a place for guests to sleep – the other would be Avery's when he was big enough to sleep in a room alone at night without being frightened.
Once they reached their destination, Cat took the baby back, and let Mulder play tour guide while she looked in on the other kids.
William looked around the room, and tried to imagine it being his. It was hard. "I didn't think I'd have my own room." He said, finally breaking his dismayed silence. "Because of the other kids." He clarified.
"Today I'm extra glad we bought a really big house when we got married." Mulder gave him a small smile. "I bet you didn't know yesterday that you have four little brothers and a baby sister."
"Un Uh." William agreed. "I figured I was an only child." He paused. " Does my birth mother have any other children?" He'd already realized that his father's wife wasn't his mother, but he wasn't ready to ask questions about that yet.
A sad look passed over Mulder's face, partly because the label of birth parent, and partly because of the question itself. "Your mother had a little girl, Emily. If she'd lived, she'd be seventeen now. She was born very sick, though, and died when she was three, I'm sorry to say."
"Oh..." William said, looking away. He hadn't expected his question to make things so sad.
Mulder unfolded the blanket that had been left at the foot of the bed in anticipation of over night visitors. It would do for rest of their childhood visitors too. As he spread the blanket out, he cast his son a sidelong glance. "William...I'm not going to pretend I have any idea how this all makes you feel, but I'm sure it's overwhelming. If you'd like, you can put off meeting your brothers until dinner."
"Thanks." William flashed him a brief smile. "But they're my half brothers." He pointed out.
"True enough." Mulder agreed. "I have a half brother too, your Uncle Jeffrey. I didn't even know about him until I was an adult, and I've always regretted that..." He trailed off wondering if things could have been different if he and Spender had grown up together. "Maybe you boys will be different, but I don't expect you to like them right away. I love them to death, but I know they can be difficult for a new person to get used to."
William just nodded, he had no idea how he was going to get along with them.
"What about me?" Mulder asked. "I can stay if you'd like to talk, or go if you'd rather be alone for a while."
"I...I think that I'd like be alone for a little while if that's ok. But-" He continued as Mulder made a move for the door. "Before you go can you tell me the other kids' names? So I know them at dinner?"
"Of course. We call your brother Benjamin Benji, and he's eight. Next is Owen, who's six and Kyle who's four. Last are the babies. Avery is two and Delaney is just four months." William nodded, and seemed to be trying to commit the names and ages to memory.
Mulder thought for a second before adding, "Don't think you have to call my wife and I Mom and Dad, William. Most people call her Cat, and me Mulder, and you can call us that too, if it makes you more comfortable. If you decide to call us Mom and Dad someday, that's great, but..."
Mulder's hand was on the doorknob again when William asked, "Did you really try to get me back, like they said today?"
"I really did. My job required me to go away right after you were born, and your mom gave you to the Van DeKamps while I was gone. When I got back I tried to convince a judge that you should be with me, but the judge disagreed. I know it might not be totally great for you, but I'm so glad that you're here."
William didn't seem to hear anything Mulder said after his agreement. " They never told me that you wanted me back." He whispered. "See you at dinner."
**
Mulder had barely shut the door behind him when he was confronted by Benji and Owen in the hallway. "Who is that?" Owen demanded to know.
"It's him, isn't it?" Benji asked with a suspicious look.
Mulder herded them into Owen's room, which was further from William's new one than Benji's. "That's your older brother, William."
"We have another brother?" Owen yelped, looking shocked.
Benji gave him a scornful look. "Dad only told us that like a thousand times, Dork."
"I'm not a dork!" Own protested.
Benji ignored him. "Is William going to live with us now?"
"I think so." Mulder admitted. "What do you think of that?"
"I don't know." Benji said honestly. "Can we go see him?"
"Not right now. This is confusing and overwhelming for him, so he wants to relax in his room until dinner. He's not going anywhere, so you'll have lots of time to see him later."
Owen looked at Mulder with wide eyes. "Daddy... do you think he's crying?"
Mulder patted his head, Owen had always been a sensitive soul. "He might be. Today was a pretty upsetting day for him. And even though he's mad at his adopted parents for leaving him, he probably misses them too, since he's been with them most of his life."
"I'm going to make him feel better." Owen vowed. "After dinner."
"Dad, why did they give him back to you?" Benji asked, prone more to seriousness than sentimentality.
"I'm not entirely sure yet." Mulder told him. "I'm jut glad they did." But that wasn't entirely true. He was going to wait until Mulder was more settled, but he was going to find out what had happened before the Van DeKamps' car pulled into the driveway.
**
The shrill ring of the phone nearly startled Scully into dropping her glass. She made a quick save, then picked up the phone before it rang again. "Hello?" She asked uncertainly. She wasn't expecting any calls. At least not any that late.
"Scully, it's me."
The greeting almost erased the years of separation. There was no one else on earth who said that to her. And there was no mistaking his voice.
"Mulder?" She asked in a neutral voice. They weren't on friendly terms, so she doubted like hell that he'd called up for a little chat. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Mulder said, confusing her. "Scully, I have him. William. He's at my house right now."
Stunned, she forgot to breathe. "How? Did something happen to his parents?"
"We're his parents." Mulder reminded her, sounding annoyed. "His adopted parents are just fine. They changed their minds about keeping him for reasons I've yet to get to the bottom of. All I know is that they showed up at my house a few hours ago with William and a court order showing they relinquished their claim of custody in favor of mine. It's incredible."
"You're going to keep him then?" She asked toying with the cord to the phone. "Your wife is ok with it?"
"Cat's been great about it. She's always known that I'd get him back if I could, so she's happy for me."
Caitlin but called Cat. Scully never liked the woman's name. Why a grown woman would go by such a childish nickname was beyond her. "Oh. How's William taking it?"
Mulder paused. "I won't lie to you, he's overwhelmed. It's got to be rough, having the people you considered your parents pack you up and ship you off to a father you never even met. They didn't tell him that I tried to get him back, by the way. Until they mentioned it in front of him today, he had no idea that one of his parents had tried to get him back." A dig. She knew his barb had been carefully aimed. The resentment was still there, all these years later, then. "We're trying to get the boys to give him his space until he adjusts, but you know how little kids get when there's something exciting going on, it might not be easy."
She didn't really know little kids, but she didn't say anything. "If he's anything like us, I'm sure he'll adjust."
"Yeah..." Mulder agreed. "You know, I always pictured him looking like one of us, but he doesn't, not really. My other boys all look like me, and Delaney is probably going to look like Cat when she has more hair, but William... His hair turned auburn and his eyes green, can you believe it?"
Scully thought she could. He sounded like he was in between them coloring- wise. "You'll have to send me a picture." She said faintly.
"Of course." He agreed. "I thought I'd ask you first before bringing it up, but... if he wants to, could he call you?"
Call, she thought. Not visit, not see. "If he wants to."
"Great. Do you want me to keep you updated? About how he's doing and what I find out about his adopted parents' reasons for giving him back, that is."
"Sure. You have my e-mail, don't you?" It would be easier on her if she didn't have to hear his happy voice telling her about their not-so-little- anymore boy.
Mulder took the hint and said good-bye a couple of minutes later. When she hung up the phone she shook her head. She never expected that either of them would get their son back, at least not without a bigger fight than Mulder already had given. She supposed they gave him to Mulder because he was closer, and because he was the one that had filed the appeal against the adoption. She wondered if anyone had thought of giving him to her, even for a second.
Not that he wasn't better off with brothers and a sister, and in a home with two parents. And she wasn't equipped to care for a child, not now, not in a one-bedroom apartment. But still she wondered if anyone had thought of her. Her heart thought not.
**
Mulder knocked softly on the door to the room that now belonged to his oldest son. To his relief he was met by a neutral "come in" instead of a teary or resentful voice. He hadn't known what to expect, because the boy had been quiet throughout dinner, and had retreated to this room as soon as he'd finished eating.
From the looks of things, William was in the process of emptying his bag. A few cherished possessions that he couldn't bear to be without, even for a day or two, were scattered on his bed, and more spilled out of the top of the completely unzipped bag.
"Is it ok if I sit down?" Mulder asked, looking towards the empty desk.
"Sure." William said from his spot on the bed.
"How are you doing?"
"Ok."
Mulder nodded, but looked like he didn't quite believe him. "It's ok if you're really not feeling ok, you know. If you think you'd like to talk to someone, besides me or Cat, I'd be happy to arrange for that."
"Like a doctor?" William asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Sure. A doctor like me. I'm a psychologist at your brothers' school. There's nothing wrong with needing to talk to someone who isn't involved with your problem. I spent a lot of time talking to someone like that when I was twelve."
"Why?" William asked, curious. He didn't know his birth father well at all yet, but he seemed pretty normal, so it surprised him that he'd had a shrink himself.
Mulder's look clouded. "I lost my eight-year-old sister that year. We'll talk about it more at some point, but that's not really something I want to talk about tonight, if you don't mind."
"Ok." William agreed, but he was dying to know what happened to his aunt. He wondered if Benji knew, and if the younger boy would tell him if he did.
Smiling a little, Mulder spoke again. "Besides seeing how you were doing, I wanted to let you know I talked to your mother just a little while ago."
At first William thought he meant Mrs. Van DeKamp, but a hesitant smile made him realize that Mulder meant his birth mother. "Oh."
"If you want to talk to her some time, it's ok with her. I've got her number, if you want it."
William gave him a searching look. "Did... did she try to get me back too?"
Mulder shook his head. "No. She thought you were better off where you were."
"I don't want her number."
Mulder thought about saying he could have it any time he wanted it, but his son's tone made him decide it wasn't a good idea. "Ok. It's getting late, so the younger kids will be going to bed in a little while. If you'd like to come down stairs and watch TV with Cat, Benji and I, you're more than welcome to."
"Sure." William said, getting off the bed. "What are you going to be watching?"
"Two Guys Named Bob." Mulder told him. "Have you ever seen it?"
"Yeah! It's one of my favorite shows! Did you like the episode when Bob bought Bob one of those Segway things, and it accidentally got left on and drove through the store's glass doors? That was so funny!"
Mulder grinned a little, thinking that maybe this no-longer-estranged son of his might have something in common with Benji, even if he didn't look like him.