'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

- Bob Dylan

The alarm clock was a ringing again, but Dana Scully reached over and hit the snooze button one more time, it wasn't time to get up yet, she needed just a few more hours of sleep before going to face the world. God she felt so drained, as if she hadn't had any sleep in weeks. Just as few more minutes and she will be able to face the world again. She gently stretched her toes and hands in her bed and rolled over.

Sleep is such a good thing.

Fatherhood was vastly under rated. Watching Dylan grow and change every day was enough for him to keep motivated in keeping his gun from in front of his face. She could only cry and eat and shit, but she had so many different moods in between. The first time she rolled over on her own he thought he was gonna die from excessive cranial swelling.

At two months she ran the show. Mulder spent most of his maternity leave cleaning up after her. He was amazed at how much actual effort was involved in the upkeep of something so small. "You know Dylan, while I find myself enthralled with every little demand you make, some people might find you, dare I say High Maintenance?" He was in the process of picking up stray toys that had found their way scattered around the living room. She couldn't even walk yet, how did all of her crap manage to take over every aspect of the house

There was definitely an X-File in this somewhere.

The ringing of his cell phone brought him out of his silent musings. Its funny how life can change in one instant, he actually had to go looking for his cell phone. There was a time when it was Velcroed to his hand, now the only time he knew where it was even in his sleep. He found himself lifted up cushions and following the ringing to locate it.

"Damn" they had hung up, "Are you laughing at me?" Dylan had a smirk on her face and he could have sworn he saw—no way did her eyebrow just go up?

He had pictures of Scully everywhere; he didn't want their daughter to forget, or himself. It was hard he couldn't take Dylan to the Center with him too often. After all it was still a place full of germs. Maggie was a help now that she saw he was not going to walk out on his responsibilities. She took Dylan three times a week so that he could go and talk to Scully. Once a week, Dylan came too.

They were getting ready to go elsewhere this day. He had held off on seeing his mother for as long as he could, but she had begun to threaten to show up at his house for an extended visit. He figured if she had to find out about having a grand daughter, he better make sure there was a means of escape for the two of them.

"Hey Dylan, now remember when we get to Grandma Mulder's, remember don't eat any apples she may give you." Ok so he wasn't the perfect parent, but he was protecting his young. He had enough packed foir them for two days, thinking hopeful that at the worst they would crash in a motel overnight. It wasn't a long trip out to Chilmark, but with an infant it could be a marathon.

Mulder felt like a pack mule, weighed down with three bags for just Dylan "Oh yeah, "he mused "High maintenance Dylan." By the time they made it to Chilmark, Mulder had had to pull over three times, two of which were for diaper detail. "Oh this had got to be the most underpaid job in the world." He laughed snuggling into Dylan. "Someone needs to form a union." He inhaled her scent as they stood out front of the rest stop. He knew he would do anything for her, and if it meant changing diapers for the next 100 years, he would willingly be elbowed in shit.

Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

-Bob Dylan

Not much had changed at his mother's home. She came out to the porch when she saw the car pull into the drive. Mulder briefly considered throwing the car into reverse and driving back towards DC.

"Fox, I am so sorry about your partner, I should not have insisted a visit it has just been so long since I have…WHAT IS THAT?" she pointed at the baby Mulder clutched next to his heart.

"Mom, I would like you to meet, oh hell there is no easy or cute way to do this. Mom I did something awful and look what I got?" He showed her the baby lifting her up to display mode.

"Fox come in the house and bring.."
"Dylan" he murmured

If she reacted from the name it didn't show on her face. "Bring Dylan and her things in."

The inside of thee house was always unusually dark, another notation for genetics. They walked into the back family room where Mulder placed a blanket on the floor and laid Dylan upon it.

"So, "Teena began" I am going to put on some tea, and see about a bottle for this one. You gather yourself casude when I come back in I expect the full story." He faintly heard her bustling around in the kitchen. He had hoped she have to go to China to get the tea, he was not sure about relating something so possibly detrimental especially not to his mother.

When she huffed herself unto the couch, he let loose it was so easy. All the guilt and the shame that he had been holding onto for almost a year were all gone. He sat spilling his guts to his Mommie, clutching the tiny baby in his arms. :She would not be here." He cried. "She would not be here if I were not such a monster."

She listened in the still quiet of a mother's heart she listened to his story, nodding when he asked her a question. Crying inside for his sense of loss at the loss of his Scully "Fox," you have always blamed yourself for things that you had no control over." She uncharacteristically placed her hand on his knee. "Fox you have blamed yourself for every bad thing that has happened in your life. No one expected you to take the blame for what happened to Samantha. You are a parent now Fox," she smiled gently rubbing a finger along Dylan's cheek.

"Parenthood is all about choices." She sighed, rising to pace in front of the windows. "We thought we were changing the world, we never realized we had the capacity to do that without anyone one's help. She picked up the picture of Mulder and Samantha from the shelf "We can change the world in so many different ways Fox. You hold the world there in your arms. Regardless of how she got there You are all she has. You will make choices for her, and even the small ones that seem insurmountable will last her a lifetime."

Mulder was floored; it was as if Dylan was some magical Shakespearian nymph that had sprinkled truth dust in her eyes. He didn't know what to say at first, just sitting on the couch holding his daughter seemed response enough.

"We weren't always the monsters we grew to be, and you are proof of that Fox. No matter how she got to you, she is yours. You have to protect her."

"Mom," he began noticing that he had finally found words in his mouth again. Erring on the side of caution he figured to use them before they dried up and withered away." If you had the choice again, would you make it?" He was afraid to ask the question and yet he asked anyway.

A heavy sigh rolled from deep within Teena Mulder. It was one of a woman finally laying down a burden that was too much. "I would have taken different road Fox, I would have tried to save you both, as I tried to and in the end, I think the some thing would have happened. " It was almost existential.

In the end, he stayed there that night. She made him his favorite thing for dinner from when he was a kid, something from the good memories. They sat in the living room talking about Samantha, swapping endless stories of long brown braids and indoor water fights. Finding within each other some comfort and hope that they should have found years ago, they took turns holding Dylan, feeding her and snuggling into her complacently warm body.

Then again his phone rang, and everything went black.

Don't ya just hate cliff hangers?

You all have been soo dang nice with the reviews, KEEP EM COMING The muse feeds off of them!

This story is not half done, it is for now an ongoing saga. I know I was vague about the whole conception thing, but true to the show, more questions than answers. and I know you all wanna know what happens to Scully. This story ahs kinda taken on a life of its own with me, I ahd started out wanted to sort of reverse roles on Mulder, what if Dana left him. I knew the only way THAT would happen was death or other, but I couldn't kill her off like that, she is the coolest female character written in YEARS.

So, you now know the inner workings of my mind, and uh oh the muse is here again I think she wants me to write again.

Anyone wanna discuss the beautiful lyrix of the master songwriter Bob Dylan, feel free to wirte me a review. There are those of you that do not like my choice of names, but that is ok, I think it fits here.

It will be a while before the next posting as I am moving tomorrow ansd I do not know when I will have internet. I am gonna have the DT's for my fan fic oh well….