A knock on the guest room door made Scully whip her head around. She'd
heard the noisy confrontation between Mulder and William, and though she
could not make out the words, the tone was perfectly clear. Which was why
she was surprised to see William standing on the other side of the door.
"Dad said I have to talk to you." His voice was grumpy, and his eyes angry, but it was the word "dad" that made her flinch away mentally, as if from a blow. How had he and Mulder grown that close so quickly?
"What did you want to talk about?"
William's hostile stare suggested that there wasn't a thing in the world he wanted to talk to her about. Realizing that the topic of conversation would be entirely up to her, she racked her brain, trying to think of something he might not hate to talk about.
"Do you like living here, with Mulder?"
"Sure I do."
"I must be a change, all these little brothers and a little sister too. Your adopted parents didn't have any other kids, did they?"
"Nope. They're still trying to have a baby, though. I guess I hope they do, since they wanted one more than anything on Earth." His response set off alarm bells in Scully, but she didn't dare to ask, for fear of setting him off. "I like having little brothers, and a baby sister too. Dad says we're lucky to have each other, and I guess he means luckier than him 'cause of what happened with his sister, and not knowing he had a brother 'til they were grown ups."
She nodded. "I have a sister and two brothers, and I think I was pretty lucky too. It must be lonely for only children. Or hard to have all your parents' attention focused on you."
William shrugged. "I wouldn't know. The Van DeKamps didn't really pay me much attention. They just felt a duty to look after me 'cause they said they would."
"I'm sorry, William."
"Not half as sorry as I am." He said stiffly. She wanted to say something to make things better, but nothing occurred to her, so he wandered off. At least, she reflected in the empty room, she knew why he disliked her so much; the loving family she gave him to wasn't.
***
Later that night Mulder and Scully finally got to talk about things more important than "please pass the rolls." Cat gave them some space, but her complete lack of wariness convinced Scully that she'd been right earlier; Cat didn't think of her as a threat in the least. She wasn't sure why, but this depressed her a little bit. It was probably a good thing that she hadn't asked good or bad when Cat had said "Fox told me so much about you."
The first, reluctant, grudging words out of Mulder's mouth as they sat in the living room were "Thank you."
She thought she understood. She too resented the need to drop everything to be there as well. Why couldn't their destiny go bother someone else? She'd been content enough in DC and knowing that William was under Mulder's watchful eye had eased her mind as of late.
"I know you don't want me here-"He opened his mouth to offer a feeble protest, but she was quicker."- and I wish I didn't have to be here either. When I pictured seeing my son, it was because he wanted me around, not because his life was in danger. I owe it to him to help protect him since he never asked for any of this. We deliberately decided to have a child, even knowing that it could be put in danger because of our past. So I'm ready to take responsibility for the consequences...but that's all. I'm here only because he needed us both, or so Cat told me."
"She was right." Mulder sighed. "I wish I could handle it alone, but I probably can't. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize for being human." She chastised him, falling into old discussion patterns.
He shrugged miserably. "I can't help but think that you'd be better off if you'd never met me. I'm happy now, God knows I'm thankful every day for Cat and the kids. I can't believe I get to be happy even after everything that happened back then, but you..."
"I'm fine." She insisted.
He gave her a measuring look. "When I've talked to people over the years who know us both...they've made you sound so lonely."
She gave him a small smile. "For a long time I was, but now I'm not. By chance I met Ethan again, and we're...we're doing pretty good."
Mulder surprised her by remembering the other man." He's the man you were dating when you first joined the FBI, right?" She nodded. "I'm glad."
"You are? Why?"
"Just because it didn't work out with us, doesn't mean that I would begrudge you happiness with someone else." His hazel eyes looked sincere.
She gave him a half-surprised look, but then reconsidered before speaking; what did he have to be jealous about? Even less than she did. "Tell me about our son." She said instead.
Mulder's face lit up. "He's bright, and kind, and a good big brother, even though he hasn't had much practice. He's more grounded than I am, but less cynical, I mean skeptical, than you are. And he's usually less moody than you've witnessed, although he was very out of sorts after the Van Dekamps abandoned him on the front lawn."
"They didn't." She insisted, but he didn't smile to tell her it was a joke.
"I wish they hadn't. But they showed up in September and said 'Here, you take him. We can't deal with this any more' then they were gone. God, they drove off so fast..." Mulder shook his head at the memory. "He was devastated. I had no idea what to do. Cat, the angel that she is, took the situation in hand and helped us both feel better about the whole thing. I don't know what I'd do with out her."
The look of adoration on his face made her have to hide her smile. "Your wife seems like a hell of a woman, Mulder."
"Oh, she is. Not too bright, though, since she seems to think that I'm a decent guy."
"Don't let her hear you say that." Scully warned.
"Why? She doesn't hit nearly as hard as you do."
"I never hit you! Ok, well, not too often."
"She never shot me either." He pointed out.
"Ok, you got me there..."
"Dad said I have to talk to you." His voice was grumpy, and his eyes angry, but it was the word "dad" that made her flinch away mentally, as if from a blow. How had he and Mulder grown that close so quickly?
"What did you want to talk about?"
William's hostile stare suggested that there wasn't a thing in the world he wanted to talk to her about. Realizing that the topic of conversation would be entirely up to her, she racked her brain, trying to think of something he might not hate to talk about.
"Do you like living here, with Mulder?"
"Sure I do."
"I must be a change, all these little brothers and a little sister too. Your adopted parents didn't have any other kids, did they?"
"Nope. They're still trying to have a baby, though. I guess I hope they do, since they wanted one more than anything on Earth." His response set off alarm bells in Scully, but she didn't dare to ask, for fear of setting him off. "I like having little brothers, and a baby sister too. Dad says we're lucky to have each other, and I guess he means luckier than him 'cause of what happened with his sister, and not knowing he had a brother 'til they were grown ups."
She nodded. "I have a sister and two brothers, and I think I was pretty lucky too. It must be lonely for only children. Or hard to have all your parents' attention focused on you."
William shrugged. "I wouldn't know. The Van DeKamps didn't really pay me much attention. They just felt a duty to look after me 'cause they said they would."
"I'm sorry, William."
"Not half as sorry as I am." He said stiffly. She wanted to say something to make things better, but nothing occurred to her, so he wandered off. At least, she reflected in the empty room, she knew why he disliked her so much; the loving family she gave him to wasn't.
***
Later that night Mulder and Scully finally got to talk about things more important than "please pass the rolls." Cat gave them some space, but her complete lack of wariness convinced Scully that she'd been right earlier; Cat didn't think of her as a threat in the least. She wasn't sure why, but this depressed her a little bit. It was probably a good thing that she hadn't asked good or bad when Cat had said "Fox told me so much about you."
The first, reluctant, grudging words out of Mulder's mouth as they sat in the living room were "Thank you."
She thought she understood. She too resented the need to drop everything to be there as well. Why couldn't their destiny go bother someone else? She'd been content enough in DC and knowing that William was under Mulder's watchful eye had eased her mind as of late.
"I know you don't want me here-"He opened his mouth to offer a feeble protest, but she was quicker."- and I wish I didn't have to be here either. When I pictured seeing my son, it was because he wanted me around, not because his life was in danger. I owe it to him to help protect him since he never asked for any of this. We deliberately decided to have a child, even knowing that it could be put in danger because of our past. So I'm ready to take responsibility for the consequences...but that's all. I'm here only because he needed us both, or so Cat told me."
"She was right." Mulder sighed. "I wish I could handle it alone, but I probably can't. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize for being human." She chastised him, falling into old discussion patterns.
He shrugged miserably. "I can't help but think that you'd be better off if you'd never met me. I'm happy now, God knows I'm thankful every day for Cat and the kids. I can't believe I get to be happy even after everything that happened back then, but you..."
"I'm fine." She insisted.
He gave her a measuring look. "When I've talked to people over the years who know us both...they've made you sound so lonely."
She gave him a small smile. "For a long time I was, but now I'm not. By chance I met Ethan again, and we're...we're doing pretty good."
Mulder surprised her by remembering the other man." He's the man you were dating when you first joined the FBI, right?" She nodded. "I'm glad."
"You are? Why?"
"Just because it didn't work out with us, doesn't mean that I would begrudge you happiness with someone else." His hazel eyes looked sincere.
She gave him a half-surprised look, but then reconsidered before speaking; what did he have to be jealous about? Even less than she did. "Tell me about our son." She said instead.
Mulder's face lit up. "He's bright, and kind, and a good big brother, even though he hasn't had much practice. He's more grounded than I am, but less cynical, I mean skeptical, than you are. And he's usually less moody than you've witnessed, although he was very out of sorts after the Van Dekamps abandoned him on the front lawn."
"They didn't." She insisted, but he didn't smile to tell her it was a joke.
"I wish they hadn't. But they showed up in September and said 'Here, you take him. We can't deal with this any more' then they were gone. God, they drove off so fast..." Mulder shook his head at the memory. "He was devastated. I had no idea what to do. Cat, the angel that she is, took the situation in hand and helped us both feel better about the whole thing. I don't know what I'd do with out her."
The look of adoration on his face made her have to hide her smile. "Your wife seems like a hell of a woman, Mulder."
"Oh, she is. Not too bright, though, since she seems to think that I'm a decent guy."
"Don't let her hear you say that." Scully warned.
"Why? She doesn't hit nearly as hard as you do."
"I never hit you! Ok, well, not too often."
"She never shot me either." He pointed out.
"Ok, you got me there..."