Later that night

Emanuel gave Andrew a sour frown. "This is not going as well as I hoped."

Andrew looked frustrated. "I thought we were convinced that his spending most his life away from his parents would make him more prone to bend to our will."

"The plan was to take an away from his adopted family." Emanuel reminded him. "Who could have foreseen that those fools would have given him back?"

"You wouldn't think that three months could have such an impact." Andrew grumbled.

"Maybe it didn't. Maybe stubbornness is inherited. God knows he's the son of one of the most stubborn men alive."

"In morning I want William brought to me." Emanuel said. "We'll see if keeping him separated from his family makes him any more malleable."

"And if it doesn't?"

"He seems quite attached to those little brothers of his... we might be able to use that toward our advantage."

Andrew frowned slightly. "They're just little children."

"They're tools. Tools are meant to be used." Emanuel declared.

Meanwhile Washington D.C.

Cat was surprised to find that one bedroom in Maggie's house was equipped for children. There was even a crib. She was lowering Delaney into crib when Maggie spoke up. "William has cousins. Though my son Charlie and his brood are rarely around, I often see my son Bill and his. I get Gramma babysitting duties often enough that I thought setting up the room for the kids was in my best interest." She trailed off with the soft chuckle. "At least it keeps them out of my bed at night." Kyle and Avery were already fast asleep in the twin bed.

"Fox said you used to look after William a lot when he was tiny." Cat said as they walked out of the room.

"I did. Dana worked too much even after William was born. And Fox-"

"-wasn't around." Cat finished. "I have trouble imagining that. I know things were different..." She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. "Right now is one of the only times he hasn't been here to put all of the kids to bed."

"Are you worried?" Maggie asked.

"Of course. He's got three of our kids with him and God only knows what's being done to them."

At the word 'three' Maggie gave her a sharp look. "Do you consider William one of your children?"

"Well, I..." Cat didn't know what to say. He was Fox's son, living in her home. Didn't that make him hers in a way as well by extension?

"William is a child destined to have many mothers." Maggie said cryptically. "When I asked if you were worried, I didn't mean about the kids, Cat. I meant about Fox and Dana."

"I'm sure they can protect themselves." Cat said more stoically than she felt. "They've trained law enforcement agents after all."

"No... I meant do you worry about them, being together in a high stress situation."

Cat blinked. "Do you mean am I worried that something might happen between them?" Maggie nodded slightly. " No. I have more faith in Fox than that."

"Good girl. I knew from the moment he first told me about you that you were a clear thinker, as young as you are."

"I'm not that young, I'm almost thirty-seven." Cat protested mildly. "But thank you."

"I wanted it to work out between Dana and him once. But it became apparent that it wasn't going to, since the wedge they drove between them was just too big. So then I began to hope that they'd find other people to love. And he found you. It made me happy for him, but I never told Dana that I talked to him, because she hadn't found that happiness for herself. "Maggie confided. "Until Ethan came back into her life a few months ago. Now they're both in love." The corners of Maggie's lips twitched up into a smile.

"From the things Mulder told me about you, I never pegged you for a romantic." Cat teased.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. I always wondered if it bothered you that Fox and I kept in touch."

"No, not really. I thought it was a little odd, but it seemed to bring him comfort, so it didn't bother me."

"Once upon a time I thought he was going to be my son-in-law, so I treated him as I would my own two boys. There was just something wistful about him that needed parenting. I'm sure you know about his sister... Even though he was a grown man when his parents died, I don't think he got much love or affection from them after she was taken. He never demanded love, but you could hear his soul crying out for it... I think that's why I stayed in touch with him. He needed someone to fill in for the role his parents abandoned so many years ago, and I didn't mind it, since I liked him very much..."She drifted off. "Sorry. The mind goes strange places on you when you get as old as I am."

Cat didn't know what to say.

"Are you still awake?" Doggett's voice came to them from the doorway. " Monica and I were thinking of playing cards. You ladies game?"

"Sure."

Anything to keep their minds off of what might be happening to Mulder, Scully and the kids.