9.
It took them almost an hour to get a marriage license – thankfully they didn't need to get blood tests and the like done, though everything was on file at the FBI. As it was, Jacob was getting cranky and short tempered and miserable with having to wait in long lines.
Thankfully, their badges had given them a little advantage, and they were booked in with a JP for a wedding ceremony that afternoon just after 5pm. Scully called her mother to tell her, and asked Maggie to phone Skinner and the Gunmen to let them know what was happening. If it felt a little sudden or unreal to Mulder, he never said a word, so Scully refrained from thinking about it and pushed the entire event from her mind.
She'd start worrying about it closer to the time, she thought as they stepped into the miserable sunlight outside.
"You'll like where we're going next," Mulder told Jacob as he buckled him into his seat.
"Where are we going?" Jacob asked, his tone bordering on something Scully would classify as rude, even from a four year old.
"To the mall," Mulder explained, checking to make sure the little boy was secure. "There's a big toy store at the mall, and we can go have a look at that if you want."
"Do they have light sabers and Jedi Knights?" Jacob wanted to know.
Scully grinned, remembering a case a few years back with Eddie van Blundht and a young girl with an unhealthy Star Wars obsession. Mulder must have caught her grin, because he smirked and nodded. "I'm sure they'd have that," Mulder said agreeably.
"I want a light saber," Jacob said.
"We'll see when we get there," Scully said smoothly. "And we'll get some lunch too. I'm getting hungry."
"Me too!" Jacob announced emphatically from the back seat, earning another smile from Scully.
---
The mall wasn't as busy as Scully had anticipated, until she remembered it was a Monday. Still, it was busy, and she made sure she held onto Jacob's hand tightly to ensure the little boy wouldn't get lost.
"Where to first?" Mulder wanted to know. "Lunch or shopping?"
"Shopping," Scully said promptly, as Jacob said "Lunch!"
"How about we go get you some stuff first, and then you can look at it when we have lunch?" Scully suggested, hoping it would placate him. The child had been dragged backward and forward today, and she'd been impressed with his behavior. He hadn't complained much, and he was still obeying her and Mulder, despite the fact that Scully would have thought his patience would have run out long ago.
"Do I get a light saber?" Jacob asked cagily.
She had to admire his bargaining skills for someone so young. "Let's see what they've got, and then decide, okay?"
"Okay," Jacob agreed happily.
They found the K-Mart easily enough, even after stopping several times at Jacob's request to admire the Halloween displays in several windows featuring ghost and ghouls and monsters.
"How long 'til Hal'ween?" Jacob asked, his little hand gripping Scully's tightly as they entered the store.
"Um… still a few more sleeps," Scully said, trying to work it out in her head.
"Daddy said we're going trickytreats on Hal'ween!" Jacob said excitedly. "I get to dress up!"
"What costume are you going to wear?" Mulder asked.
"I want to be a Jedi Knight," Jacob said firmly. "Mommy's gonna make me a cape."
"Well, how about you and I go and look at the toys, Jacob, and let Scully get the things she needs," Mulder offered, holding his hand out to Jacob.
Scully wasn't certain it was a good idea to let Mulder and Jacob loose in the toy department, but then figured she had to trust Mulder with the little boy at some time. "No promises, Mulder," she warned him quietly.
"Exactly," he said, grinning at her before he led Jacob off to the toy department. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and went to find a shopping cart. What trouble, really, could Mulder and a four year old boy get into in the toy department?
Scully picked her pace, determined to get the things she needed as quickly as possible, rather than tempt fate and leave her boys alone for longer than necessary.
---
What trouble could Mulder and a four year old boy get into in a toy department in ten minutes? A whole hell of a lot, apparently. Scully stared at them in dismay, trying very hard not to giggle at the sight of Mulder.
"But we're Jedi Knights, Scully!" Mulder said loudly. "And we have light sabers!"
She eyed the cart he was presenting to her in which Jacob was proudly wearing a plastic cape and brandishing a battery operated light saber, complete with sound effects. "Mulder, what are you doing?" she asked, looking at his own cape which only fell to just above his butt, and the tiny saber in his hands.
"Mulder needs a costume too, if he's going trickytreats on Hal'ween," Jacob explained. "He's a Jedi Knight too!"
She bit on her lip. "What about the rest of the toys?"
"We couldn't decide which ones were better," Mulder apologized. "We thought you'd have to help us, so we picked all the ones we liked."
"We, Mulder?" Scully asked, arching an eyebrow. "I thought Jacob was getting toys, not you."
Mulder shrugged. "I have to play with Jacob, it's only fair that we get toys I like too."
"Okay, you," Scully said, reaching for Jacob and lifting him out of the very full cart. "What have you got in there?"
Several sets of Lego, apparently, a few stuffed toys (for Lucy, Jacob said, though Scully did see the way he couldn't keep his fingers away from the fluffy fur), some toy cars, fake pistols and a whole host of action figures. It took twenty minutes, a lot of persuading and finally some stern scolding to convince Jacob that he didn't need all of that. She let him keep the Jedi Knight costume, though she made Mulder put his back, and she allowed two action figures, a set of Lego and two of the stuffed bears.
"You don't need the cars, Jacob," she said as she placed them back on the shelf. "You have plenty at home."
"But that one is a race car, Dana!" Jacob begged, tugging at her trousers.
"Not today, Jacob, maybe another time."
The little boy's lips were starting to tremble and his eyes were filling with tears. "But I want it!"
"What you want isn't always what you need," Scully said smartly. "You can choose between the Batman or the car, but you can't have both."
It took Jacob almost another five minutes of umming and ahhing before he finally decided on the Batman over the race car. "You can play with Superman, Mulder, and I'll be Batman," he said generously on the way to the checkout.
Scully smiled to herself at their conversation around superheroes and bad guys. She had no idea who half of their heroes were, she realized, but inevitably that was bound to change in the very near future.
---
"What'll we have, Scully?" Mulder asked. He'd offered to push the shopping cart for her, until Jacob complained his legs were tired. Jacob had then refused to stay in the cart's child seat, saying it was uncomfortable, and would Mulder please carry him, so now Scully was fighting with the shopping cart and Mulder was walking easily at her side with Jacob balanced on his shoulders.
"I want something warm and rich and not greasy," Scully decided, peering around the food court. A small café tucked out of sight caught her eye, and she started pushing her cart toward it. "There, Mulder, that looks good."
"McDonald's!" Jacob announced loudly, jiggling on Mulder's shoulders. "Let's go to McDonald's, Dana! I want a Happy Meal!"
McDonald's was one of Scully's least favorite dining destinations. It was also, she realized with dismay, bound to become one of her most frequented dining destinations for years to come.
"Chicken burger and fries?" Mulder checked with her, an apologetic smile on his face.
"No fries, Mulder, but I would like a Sprite."
Mulder nodded and went to stand in line to order, Jacob still happily chattering away on his shoulders.
Scully sighed and found a seat, the plastic hard and cold against her. God, this was a longer day than she had imagined it would be, she thought as she checked her wristwatch, and it wasn't even half over yet. How did parents do it, she wondered, looking at Mulder with Jacob on his shoulders. How did parents do this all day every day and still live their lives?
Maybe she wasn't cut out for this.
"Those your boys?" a woman at the table next to her asked.
"Yeah," Scully said, smiling slightly.
"Mine are just in front of them," the woman said, smiling. "I'm just about done in."
"Me too," Scully confided. "I'm Dana, by the way."
"Marie," the woman said. "How many do you have?"
"Two. Jacob and Lucy."
"Is Lucy older or younger?" Marie asked.
"Younger. She's almost twelve months."
"They're adorable at that age, aren't they?" Marie smiled. "I have three boys – Alan is the youngest and he's almost six already. Time flies by so fast, and before you know it they're all grown up."
Scully watched Mulder and Jacob. Mulder had surprised her with the ease at which he fell into the role of 'father'. Then again, she'd seen him with Emily too, and the little girl had been charmed by him within minutes. She'd often wondered why he found it so easy to charm children, yet so hard to get along with adults.
"How long have you been married?" Marie asked quietly.
Scully looked at the woman; she was about Scully's age but there were more lines around her face and she looked a little more worn. Still, there was a contentment in her eyes and a happiness in her smile that told Scully she was very happy with her life. Scully longed for that contentment.
"We're not married yet," Scully admitted. "Soon though." Like today-soon, she thought with a jolt.
Marie grinned. "We got married three weeks after Eric was born. It was such a scandal in our town that his mother wouldn't talk to me for years," the woman said.
Scully smiled in return. "Jacob and Lucy aren't ours," Scully confessed. "We're trying to adopt them though. The adoption has just nudged things along, and he proposed a few days ago."
Marie smiled broadly. "Oh, how lovely for you! Let me see your ring."
Scully held out it, feeling strangely unlike herself. She never struck up conversations with strange women, let alone talked about personal relationships and where she was in life with anyone.
"That's beautiful," Marie said approvingly. "Your fiancé has nice taste. I had to describe my ring in detail to David, and he still got something horrendous. Thankfully, he let me change it," the woman grinned. "I love David, but the man has no taste."
"Hey, I do have a taste," a tall sandy haired man said as he arrived at the table. "I married you, didn't I?"
"Okay," Marie relented, grinning, "David has some taste occasionally. When I'm there to point out to him what's a good catch. David, this is Dana. Dana, this is my husband David."
"Pleasure to meet you," David said, reaching over and shaking her hand. His grip was warm and firm, and Scully found herself liking his open smile.
"Nice to meet you too," Scully said, smiling.
"Making friends without me, Scully?" Mulder asked, appearing at their table with Jacob in tow, clutching his Happy Meal gleefully.
"Well, if you abandon me in favor of food, Mulder, what am I supposed to do?" Scully retorted, grinning at him. "This is Marie, Mulder, and her husband David."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Mom, my burger broke," a little boy with sandy brown curls announced loudly, taking Marie's attention. For the next few minutes they ate in companionable silence; both children occupied with their meals and the adults glad to have a rest.
"So where do you folks come from?" David asked.
"We're actually looking for a house," Mulder explained. "That's our mission after lunch anyway."
"Any particular area?" Marie asked.
Mulder shrugged. "Really, as long as it's a nice neighborhood with a few good schools and all the necessaries, we don't really mind. It'd be nice to be close to the city for work purposes, and Scully's Mom, but if we're fairly flexible."
"We live in Arlington," Marie said. "Well, the outskirts anyway. There are some lovely homes there. In fact, there's a gorgeous house three doors up from us up for sale at the moment. I think it's got three floors and a good basement, and I remember loving it because there was a lot of wooden trimming and finishing. It even has a small paddling pool in the backyard for summer time."
Scully wasn't sure a house like that would be in their price range, but Mulder jumped in before she could say anything. "Do you have the address, or know who we should talk to about having a look at it? It sounds good."
"Oh, it's lovely," Marie agreed, smiling broadly. "I went and had a peek a few days ago, out of curiosity. It was owned by an elderly couple who've lived there for quite some time – the pool was for their grandchildren – and both of them passed away in the last few weeks. It was quite sad, really, they were a lovely couple."
"I'd definitely like a look," Mulder said. "What do you think, Scully?"
She thought it was out of their price range, from the description, but she could hardly say so in front of virtual strangers. "A look would be nice," she agreed cautiously. "But we need to get in touch with an estate agent."
"Here's the address," Marie said, scribbling down on a piece of paper. "And this is our number. If you like the house, give me a call so I can invite you and the children over for dinner one night."
Mulder accepted the piece of paper graciously and tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks," he said, smiling. "You ready to go, Scully?"
"Yeah," she said, standing up. "How about you, Jacob?"
"I'm tired," he complained, looking up at her with a ketchup smeared face and a greasy chin. "I wanna go home."
"We're almost going home," Scully soothed. "You can have a nap in the car, okay?"
"I don't wanna nap!" Jacob said petulantly.
"Okay," Scully agreed, wiping his hands and face clean. "You don't have to. Do you want to walk, or do you want Mulder to carry you?"
Jacob, it appeared, got cranky and clingy when he got tired, and he clutched desperately at Scully with his still ever-so-slightly greasy fingers. She sighed at the thought of more grease marks on yet another shirt, and picked him up easily.
"Isn't he going to be too heavy for you, Scully?" Mulder asked worriedly. "It's a long walk to the car."
"I'll be fine, Mulder," she said, shifting Jacob so that he sat comfortably on her hip. "Won't we, Jacob?"
His answer was to cuddle closer and bury his head under her chin.
"Give us a call anyway," Marie said when Scully and Mulder turned to say goodbye. "It would be nice to have coffee or dinner with both of you."
"We'd like that," Mulder smiled, guiding Scully out from between the tables and picking up their trash. "We'll let you know what happens either way."
"You do that," David agreed, also gathering their trash. "Come on, Alan, and help me throw this away. We'll take yours too, Mulder."
"Thanks," Mulder said, passing it over. "Come on, Scully, let's get our little man home."
---
"He's asleep," Scully murmured after checking on Jacob in the backseat. They'd been driving for less than five minutes, and the little boy was out like a light, cuddling one of the new teddy bears they'd bought for him at K-Mart.
"Good," Mulder said. "He was getting crabby."
"Kids do that, Mulder," Scully said good-naturedly. "Where are we going?"
"Arlington area. I want to look at that house David and Marie told us about."
Scully stared at his profile while he drove. "You know, I'm a little surprised," she finally said.
"About what?"
"You," she returned evenly. "I've never seen you so charming or polite or friendly to strangers. I'm wondering what's happened to you, actually."
Mulder raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me I was acting strangely? How about you, Scully? Since when do you sit and have a tea party with other women, let alone a complete stranger?"
He had a point, she acknowledged. "Maybe we're acting like people do when they have families," Scully theorized. "It's what started off our conversation, actually. Marie asked me if you and Jacob were my boys."
"What did you say?" Mulder asked, smiling.
"I told her yes, but I was trying to disown you," Scully said dryly.
"Scully, you wound me," Mulder said airily.
"Seriously, Mulder, where are we going?" Scully questioned, diverting the conversation away from 'her boys'.
"I told you, the house in Arlington."
"We probably can't afford that, Mulder," Scully said carefully.
"Scully, we can afford it," Mulder said quietly. "We won't be paying rent on our apartments anymore, and I have a bit put away."
"Mulder, I don't expect-"
"We've had this conversation already," Mulder cut in. "I don't want to have it again. I'm doing this because I want too, Scully, and that applies to everything. I want to have a nice house for my family."
"Thank you, Mulder," Scully said quietly.
"Tomorrow, if we have time and everything works out, I want us to go to the bank and set up a joint account," he said, glancing at her before focusing his attention on the road again.
"Mulder?"
"I want this to be a real marriage, Scully," he said earnestly. "I want it to be equal."
"Okay," she whispered, looking out of the window so he wouldn't notice the tears burning her eyes. A real marriage. "Thank you."
His hand found hers and he squeezed it gently, tangling his fingers with hers. "I should be thanking you," he said huskily. "You're giving me a family I didn't think I'd ever have, Scully, and I don't know how to thank you for that."
"You're giving me the family too," she pointed out, curling her fingers tightly around his. "I think we're even, then."
"Always," he murmured, pulling the car to a halt outside an estate agent's office. "This should do."
---
They were lucky – the house Marie and David had suggested was listed with the estate agent Mulder had pulled up in front of. Less than an hour later they were wandering through the house, admiring it.
Marie and David hadn't been lying – it was a beautiful house with airy bedrooms and a comfortable feel. Scully particularly liked the little breakfast nook tucked into a sunny deck, and there was a large window in the main room. The window sill was large enough to put a few cushions on and turn into somewhere she could sit and read on, the type of reading nook she'd always dreamed of as a child.
Mulder, carefully carting a sleeping Jacob around in his arms (Scully hadn't wanted to leave the boy sleeping in the car by himself), turned to look at her as she examined the window.
"What do you think?" he asked quietly, studying her.
"I think it's perfect," she said honestly.
Mulder grinned. "The bathroom has a huge claw footed tub," he said.
Scully grinned broadly. "What more could a girl want from life?" she asked with a smile.
"Well, speaking from a male point of view, there's a perfect spot for my basketball hoop out the front."
Thirty minutes later Mulder had called his lawyer and the ball was in motion. Scully was a little surprised that they hadn't looked at other houses, but then she figured that time wasn't really on their side, and the sooner they got settled into a house of their own, the better.
A house of their own.
Scully didn't stop grinning on the way back to the justice of the peace office that afternoon, and neither did Mulder.
Now all that was left was getting married, she thought as they pulled up near the large building. And in less than an hour, that wouldn't be an obstacle anymore either.
---
Thanks so much for all the reviews, guys! Like a lot of writers, I use reviews as a sort of 'barometer' to see if the fic's being enjoyed or not – please let me know what you thin of it (good and bad!)
Cheers,
Silf