Title: What He Knew

Author: Gillian Leigh

Summary: What if Skinner had been abducted instead of Mulder? What would it mean for the X-Files and for Mulder and Scully themselves? Why would he have been abducted in the first place? Post-Requiem.

-x-

Obstetrics Department, GeorgetownUniversityHospital

"Mulder, you're not going to Roswell alone," Scully argued from her position on the examining table in her obstetrician's office. He sighed in frustration. Ever since their little epiphany the previous evening, the two had been arguing over just who would be heading out west to do the investigating.

"Scully, I wouldn't be going alone. Agent Doggett and Agent Reyes would be going with me."

"Well, I want to go too," she replied, wondering where her new doctor was. Her old one had gone on maternity leave. How appropriate, a pregnant obstetrician.

"You can't go chasing aliens all over the southwest in your condition, Dana," he said, crossing his arms. She glared at him. She couldn't stand when he used her given name to chastise her.

"Well you're in no condition to go 'chasing aliens' either, Fox," she said, crossing her own arms. "So if you're going, I'm going with you, as your doctor and as your partner."

The doctor, petite and blonde, stepped into the room and sensed the tension immediately. She quickly smiled at the couple.

"I can leave for a few more minutes if you two need some time alone," she said, causing the two to look up at her. The woman, Dana, blushed furiously, having been caught in the middle of an argument.

"No, no, it's fine," was all she could manage to say. The doctor smiled at the two of them.

"Well then, I believe it's time for introductions," she said, extending her hand to Scully first, and then Mulder. "I'm Dr. Rosenthal, but I prefer to be on a first name basis with my patients, so please call me Josephine, Jo, Josie, whatever you're most comfortable with."

"Dana," Scully said, smiling back at this doctor, whom she liked already.

"I'm Fox Mulder, but please, call me Mulder," the second agent, and only male in the room said. Dr. Jo, as her husband jokingly nicknamed her, was short, standing all of five foot two, same height as Scully, with shoulder length blonde hair that hung loosely, framing her face in light layers. Her green eyes sparked, and her smile was mirthful.

"Alright then, I'm going to get started with Dana's internal examination first, so you're welcome to leave the room, Mulder. I'll gladly call you back in when it's time for the ultrasound," Dr. Rosenthal said, and Mulder couldn't get out of his chair fast enough and get out the door.

Ten minutes later, the doctor retrieved him from the hallway.

"You can come back in, Mr. Mulder," she said. "We're ready to do Dana's ultrasound." Mulder followed the doctor inside, and saw Scully lying on the table, with her belly exposed. She smiled brightly at him, and extended her hand to him. He took her hand in his, and sank down into the chair beside the table.

"Are you both ready?" Dr. Rosenthal asked, holding the conductive gel in her hand. Both Mulder and Scully nodded. "Okay. I'm going to apply the gel to your stomach now, Dana, and it might be a little chilly." She spread the conductive gel on the surface, and picked up the wand, moving it over Scully's belly until an image, albeit a blurry one, appeared on the computer monitor. She moved it around until she had a good picture, and then turned the volume so Scully and Mulder could hear the heartbeat. Rather than reassure Scully, the sound made her panic.

"It's too fast," she said, looking frantically to Dr. Rosenthal.

"Normally I would agree with you, Dana, and be worried, but what we're hearing isn't one very fast heartbeat..." the doctor paused, and smiled at the two of them. "Just two normal ones..." Both of them simply stared at her, neither quite getting what she was saying. "You're having twins." Scully's eyes widened, and she watched as the doctor stilled the picture on the computer monitor, and showed them their children. After she showed them the heads, feet and hands of both babies, she said, "They're positioned perfectly. Would you like to know the sexes?"

"We would," Scully said, after a moment. "We thought it would be more practical that way."

Dr. Rosenthal smiled at them both and said, "Well, I can tell you with complete certainty that you're having a boy and a girl. Congratulations."

-

"What do you think about the name 'Catalina'?" Scully asked, reading from the baby names book they'd picked up on their way home from the obstetrician. Mulder momentarily stopped packing his suitcase and looked over at her.

"It sounds too snooty," he replied, without a moment's hesitation. She rolled her eyes.

"Well then, what about 'Lily'?" she questioned. He shrugged.

"I think it's weird to name your kid a nickname..."

"'Lily' isn't a nickname, Mulder; it's a type of flower!" Scully exclaimed, turning pages in the book.

"I'm just not fond of it, Scully..." She sighed.

"What about Nora?" she queried, waiting a moment for a protestation from Mulder. None came.

"I like it," he said. "Nora."

"Okay," she replied. "What name do you like for a boy?" Mulder sighed.

"I don't know, Scully... I thought this was the sort of thing women were good at..."

"Well, Mulder, I thought that you might want some input on what your children are named!" Scully said, feeling the color rising in her cheeks.

"I don't know," he said calmly, "I've always liked the name 'Adam'." Scully smiled.

"'Adam'. I like it," she said, glancing down at her belly. "Nora and Adam Mulder, Mommy and Daddy are eagerly awaiting your arrival." And that settled it, the twins were named. Middle names were something they would debate later. With naming their babies off of her mind, Scully's attention turned back to the issue at hand.

"Mulder, I wish you wouldn't go to Arizona," Scully said. "It's only a week until Christmas, and I'm worried about your health."

"For the last time, Scully, one of us has to go, and since your doctor classified you as a high-risk pregnancy because of the twins, you certainly can't go. I'm still allowed to travel, and I'm fine, so I'm going."

"I know one of us needs to go, but I still wish that you wouldn't..." Scully said, rising from her perch on the bed and walking over to him. He rested his hands on her hips and gently kissed her forehead.

"I know you're worried, but I'll be checking in with you constantly, and Agents Doggett and Reyes will be with me every step of the way. They'll watch out for me, and I'll be careful... I promise."

The honk of a horn told them both that the cab Mulder had called for was waiting outside.

"I've gotta go," he said, kissing her again, and picking up his suitcase. She nodded, and followed him to the door of his apartment. Though they often spent the night at one place or another, they hadn't officially moved in together. "Lock it up on your way out?"

"Okay," she said. "Call me when you know anything about Skinner." He smiled.

"Of course."

As he headed down the hallway, she called, "Love you!" He smiled at her over his shoulder.

"Love you too."

When the elevator doors had closed and Mulder disappeared from view, Scully swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She realized, as the twins moved about incessantly inside her womb, that maybe they were uneasy too, and it only worried her more.

-x-

Author's Notes: Alright, even though I'm not getting much feedback on this story, at least I know that I like it, so I'm going to keep right on posting. But this chapter's going to be all you get for a while because I'm going to Colorado for ten days. I'm sorry for the long wait with the chapters in this story, and I appreciate the reviews from those of you who have bothered to stick with me this long. So I've left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, but hey, the ten days will give you some time to ponder, at the very least, and develop your own ideas about what goes on from here.

And I'm babbling, yet again. So I'll go now, and leave you all with this.