We made our way up to the second floor, single file. The entire hallway was done in a deep, dark wooden paneling. I didn't like it. Mulder didn't seem to mind it, and made a joke about seeing what was behind "door number one."

The door swung open, revealing a typical bedroom. Nothing too gothic or scary. Ditto for the next four rooms as well. The only difference between them is that two of the rooms had pairs of twin beds, and the rest had queen-sized ones.

"Lots of rooms." I said, to break the silence that was beginning to make me uncomfortable.

"So." Scully began, suddenly business-like. I wondered if it was to mask her own nervousness. " Should we girls take one room or should everyone have their own?"

I glanced at Mulder, suddenly getting the feeling that he might have preferred a third option. I had no idea what gave me that impression, since neither agent had done anything to suggest anything but a profession relationship between them. "I think we should all take a room to ourselves." I said.

"Why?" Scully asked, clearly less than thrilled by the prospect of spending the night in a creepy house in a room to herself.

I didn't really want to explain that a scene in the Haunting of Hill House had made a lasting impression on me. Even if it would keep me from thinking that my roommate touched my hand and then find out it was evil instead. "I just think it would be harder to get Markie to sleep if there was someone else in the room." I invented.

"Then we'll each take a room with a big bed." Mulder said brightly. "I'm starting to like sleeping in a bed." I thought it was a strange thing to say, but Scully didn't even blink, so maybe she knew something I didn't. What did he used to do, sleep on the floor?

To our surprise, the bed linens in the wardrobes were intact and very clean. The wardrobes must have shut very tightly, since there was no sign of must or moths. We made the beds, and when we were making up the one in my room, Scully asked if I wanted to look around for something to use as a makeshift crib. I shivered and decided that I'd rather push the bed against the wall, and use extra quilts from the rooms we weren't using to create a barrier so he wouldn't roll off the bed. "Beds are only supposed to be dangerous for babies too little to roll over." I said to reassure myself as much as her. I just couldn't bear the thought of him not being within arm's reach in this strange place.

Mulder stepped into the room just then. "I hate to break up the party, but we need to decide how we're going to keep watch for the ghost."

"We could do shifts, and if anyone saw anything-"

"When." Mulder corrected.

"Ok, when anyone saw anything, they would wake the others up and meet in the entry way where the windows offer the best view." Scully finished.

Mulder and I agreed that it sounded like a good plan.

The growl of agent Mulder's stomach reminded us that we hadn't even taken the time to stop for fast food on the way to pick up the boat. It was the first in several hours that I'd given to food for anyone but Markie. That tends to happen when you're informed of plans a bare ten minutes in advance.

"Sorry," I said to his stomach, " Unless you like strained carrots, I don't have anything to offer you." At least nothing that Markie wouldn't object to giving up.

Agent Scully seemed more amused than he did, since she smirked and he just turned slightly red. "One of the bags we brought is a cooler." She said. Agent Mulder seemed as surprised to hear that as I did. "I hope everyone likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples."

They sounded wonderful, and they were. I bet Scully was the one who kept them from starving to death on stakeouts.

Mulder wolfed down his food, eager to be back up to the creepy widow's watch. Since most people actually like to taste their food as they eat it, Scully and I took a little longer.

Once she was done eating, she asked if she could feed Markie, who was finally fully awake. Since he no longer seemed scared of her, I told her to go ahead. "He'll probably want to help, though." I warned, thinking about his growing independent streak.

To my surprise he docilely allowed himself to be fed without any grabbing. She seemed to be enjoying herself as well, and it was easy to see that she had a way with kids- when she wasn't scaring them by being too attentive. I remembered what she said the first time I met her, and it made me sad. I don't usually like to pry, but given the number of personal she and Mulder asked me... "Have you ever given any thought about adoption? You do seem to love kids."

Something in the look she gave me suggested that I hit a nerve. "I tried to adopt a special needs child once." She said softly. "It didn't work out."

"I'm sorry." There was something so somber about the way she said it didn't work out that made me sure that I would regret further questions about what had happened to the child in question.

Before either of us said anything else, Mulder came rushing back down the stairs. "Did you see anything?" Scully asked, turning to give him a surprised look.

"No, it's too early, but I did find something. Look!" He held out both hands into the candlelight, but carefully so whatever it was didn't catch on fire. In one hand he held something sheer and white, and in the other something with thin blue stripes. Apparently there were two things that were sheer since he quickly passed Scully and I each one.

"Isn't this great? They're like brand new, and we won't have to sleep in our clothes!" He exclaimed as he admired the old-fashioned pajamas he was still holding.

Scully nodded, but I wasn't so sure. I don't like nightgowns. I toss and turn so much that they inevitably ride up and knot themselves around my waist or strangle my thighs like a noose. However, it would probably be marginally more comfortable than sleeping in jeans and a sweater, so I eventually nodded too. I was most thankful that I'd shaved my legs earlier that day.

Even though it was relatively early, only a bit before nine, I was happy to take Mulder's suggestion that Scully and I try to sleep while he kept watch for the first few hours. We found the day's events tiring, but he was so excited you'd have thought he was attached to a caffeine IV. He practically skipped up the stairs as he rushed back up to light the candles he found.

Scully yawned as she reached for the doorknob of her room. "If you were wondering, he's always this...enthusiastic when it comes to investigating this sort of thing."

"How exhausting."

She shrugged. "It makes for few sleepless nights."

A few minutes later, I'd changed the sleepy baby into the blanket sleeper I was glad I'd thought to throw into his diaper bag at the last minute, and struggled into the silly nightgown. Even at the best of times I look several years younger than I am, but in that long nightgown, sheer or not, I looked about 12.

I usually take a long time to fall asleep in a strange bed, but I was in a deep and dreamless sleep almost the instant I put my head on the pillow.