EPILOGUE – Spring of 2022: a little bit of magic, please?

The Alfredo's attendant was checking a few reservations on the computer screen when a tall gentleman approached the counter. She stopped her task and raised her head to look at him: handsome, with soft hazel eyes and full brown hair which was starting to become peppered with some grey strands.

Many years had passed since he had told his soulmate that he loved her. Along these years, life had been hard on them: personal tragedies, the loss of their loved ones and a few painful separations filled their hearts with sorrow and hopelessness. But when they least expected it, a healing process started to take place. Connections that had no totally been broken were reestablished and straightened, as a proof that the love they once voiced had not ended, but lain dormant inside them. And allowing their feelings to take the lead once again, now older and wiser, had a surprising outcome, which was embraced with much joy and hope for a better future.

He smiled friendly at her and read her name on the tag pinned to her uniform. "Good afternoon, Shirley."

"Good afternoon, sir!" She politely replied.

"I've made a reservation. Mulder." He said, looking around at the interior of the restaurant while the attendant checked the name on the system.

"Yes, I've got it here. Your table is ready. Could you come with me, please?"

Mulder raised his hand with a mix of worry and amusement on his face. "Oh, hold on just a second, I've got a date..." He informed, watching as the attendant smiled, and quickly corrected himself. "Actually, two dates!"

Now the woman frowned a little confused but before she could say anything about at that extra piece of information, she saw as a beautiful red headed lady came walking through the door holding a cute little girl by the hand.

The girl's full brown hair cascaded over her tiny shoulders and was adorned with a red and black dotted headband. She had inherited her mother's deep blue eyes and cute nose, which was starting to become sprinkled with some light freckles. But the shape of her rosy lips and the cute dimple on her chin were a copy of her father's. One of her chubby hands held a little cloth doll with care as if she was really carrying a living being, and judging by the pictures of a smiling butterfly and funny looking monkey on her shirt, it was possible to see she was quite fond of animals.

"Grace and I finally found Bibby!" The good-looking lady happily announced, causing him to turn around and grin at the duo, his eyes telling in silence that "his dates" were the two people he loved the most in this entire world. "She was 'sleeping' under the car seat!" She added, and then bidding good afternoon to the attendant, who was smiling at the lovely family of three who used to have lunch there on Saturdays once in a while.

"That doll spooky or what, Scully?!" He replied, looking at the little girl as she held her favourite toy – an old family keepsake that once had belonged to her mother and also, in a more distant past, to her aunt Samantha.

Chuckling, Scully shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, Mulder, but I put her in the car before I got Grace ready."

He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "C'mon, doc! A little bit of magic, please?"

With a smile in the corner of her lips, Scully pretended to be in deep thought for a moment. "Hum…Hold on…Oh, I guess I left her in the passenger seat, though…Darn, I wonder how she moved!" She said, with mock seriousness, which caused him to laugh.

"See?!" He exclaimed, with an extended hand. "That's what I'm talking about!"

It was then they heard a soft sing song voice interrupting their dialog.

"I get Bibby, mommy." Mulder and Scully looked down at Grace and saw that she eyed them with a serious and solemn expression on her face while informing the doll's steps. "She stay with me, daddy. But she fall."

Highly amused, Scully looked back at Mulder with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, pal!" She said, gently patting his arm while he nodded, smiling resigned at the fact that his lovely daughter had just given him a logical explanation for Bibby's momentaneous disappearance.

He bent down on his knees to be on the same level of the little girl and threw a warm glance at her. "Thank you, sweetheart! You're doing a great job keeping an eye on her!" He said, with a wink at her.

"It's a very beautiful doll, miss!" The attendant said, smiling at Grace.

The little girl smiled and lowered her eyes, her plump cheeks turning pink.

"She's a bit shy." Scully said, running her hand over her daughter's full hair with tenderness.

The attendant smiled in understanding and looked back at couple's daughter.

"Well, I'll be glad to show you, Bibby and your mom and dad to your table. We've got a delicious lunch wating for you all!"

"May I have some cake, please?" She politely asked, with a little embarrassment and still blushing.

Finding Grace rather adorable, the attendant looked at Scully, who nodded in agreement.

"Of course you can, sweetie! We have a delicious chocolate cake for dessert! I'm sure you and Bibby will love it!"

"Bibby want ice cream…" Grace informed, again with a solemn face but now with a cute smile. "…she say to me."

While the restaurant attendant chuckled at those words, Mulder and Scully exchanged another look, now grinning at those words.

"There you go, Mulder!" She said, "Happy now?!"

With his hazel eyes beaming with joy, he nodded his head. "How could I be anything less than happy, Scully? We've got reason and faith in harmony!"

"Yeah, a perfect mix I would say!" She replied, while he moved to place his hand on her lower back and the trio followed the attendant up to their favourite table.

The end.