OMG, Look, I UPDATED (again!)
I apologise SO MUCH for not posting before. My excuse – full time job + full time medical degree meansnot much writing time. I am so sorry, and I hope that you all still enjoy this story. I'm heading into exam time in about a month, and this is the time my muse usually kicks into overdrive, so hopefully I'll get around to finishing this story. As it is, I have the ideas, it's just a matter of finding time to write at the moment.
Thanks for all the reviews – they've totally guilted me into writing and posting this chapter because you all deserved something for your patience and support! So, there you go, review and I get guilty and write ;)
11.
The world was strangely quite when Scully woke the next morning. She frowned into her pillow, breathing in deeply, and then paused with a small amount of confusion. Why did her pillow smell like Mulder, she wondered briefly.
Because, a little voice reminded her logically, you married him yesterday and he dragged you into bed with him so you could be warm.
And she had been warm, Scully realized with a smile, opening her eyes to look for Mulder. Even though the pillow smelt like Mulder, there was no sign of him in the bed or anywhere in the room, for that matter. While she was looking for Mulder in the room, her eye caught the small clock on the stand, and she clucked her tongue irritably when she remembered the power failure; no doubt it was much later than she intended on sleeping thanks to the alarm not being reset after the failure.
Checking her wristwatch as she moved out from under the warm covers, Scully was horrified to discover that it was almost 9am. Jacob and Lucy would both have been up for hours already, and it was no testament to her mothering skills that she was still in bed long after they had risen.
Not brave enough to consider changing out of her pajamas in the frigid morning air, Scully simply wrapped her dressing gown around herself and slipped her feet into her slippers. Hurriedly dragging her fingers through her messy hair, she didn't even bother checking her reflection in the mirror before she ventured out to find Mulder and the children.
The living room, which had a built in fire place Maggie Scully rarely used, was where Scully found her small family. Some time this morning, Mulder must have located Maggie's wood pile out the back, and set about lighting the fire, which had in the space of the few hours Scully had overslept managed to warm the room quite nicely. She paused in the doorway, watching Lucy attempting to wriggle around on her tummy, but failing quite miserably. Mulder and Jacob were sitting side by side up close to the fire, their backs turned toward her. She smiled at the picture, and tried to work out exactly what they were up to.
"Good morning, Dana," her Mom said behind her.
"Morning Mom. Power still out, I take it?" Scully asked, nodding toward Mulder and the children still oblivious to her presence in the doorway.
"A tree knocked down one of the lines overnight," Maggie nodded, "the snow didn't matters either. They're hoping to have it all sorted by midday, but it's looking pretty nasty outside at the moment so I'm not holding my breath."
"Have you good enough wood for the fire until then?" Scully questioned, her gaze once again drawn to the man sitting in front of the warm blaze.
"Yes," Maggie said easily. "Mulder checked for me, he says there's enough to go a few days if we need it."
"Hopefully we don't!" Scully said emphatically. "It was absolutely freezing last night."
Maggie grinned at Scully, a decidedly devious look in her eyes. "I would have thought you were quite warm, really," she said blandly.
Scully, to her dismay, felt her cheek tinge a healthy pink colour and was wondering what exactly she could say in response to that comment, when Lucy let out an indignant squeal from her lonely position on the living room floor.
"What's the matter, Luce?" Mulder asked, turning from his place at the fire to cast an eye over the baby. "Scully!" he said, realizing she was standing in the doorway. "Have a good sleep in?" he asked her, grinning.
"Why didn't you wake me, Mulder?" she said instead, watching as he easily scooped the baby into his arms, wriggled back from the fire a little so the heat wasn't too much for the infant, and turned his full attention to Scully.
"You've been doing all the work," he pointed out. "I thought it was fair to let you have a morning off and let me have a go at doing everything. Besides, you wouldn't have been sleeping so soundly when I got up if you weren't tired."
She smiled at his sweetness. "Thanks, Mulder."
He grinned shyly at her, and then turned to the fire. "I think that one's done, Jake."
"This one isn't burnt!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, also turning from the fire. His cheeks were a very, very rosy red and his blue eyes were sparkling happily.
"What are you doing, Jacob?" Scully asked, entering the room.
"We're making mashmewoes!" Jacob announced enthusiastically just as Scully caught sight of a long skewer in his hands, adorned by a very toasted looking marshmallow.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Scully questioned, shooting a glance at Mulder who was deliberately avoiding her gaze and playing with the baby.
"This is breakfast, Dana!" Jacob told her as though she were silly.
"You can't have marshmallows for breakfast, Jacob!" Scully pointed out.
Jacob stared at her stubbornly. "Mulder said I could."
"Just this once, Scully," Mulder said quietly, looking at her apologetically. "It's just, we didn't know how long we'd have the fire for so we thought we'd have the marshmallows now, and then have something else later."
On one level, she was irritated at Mulder for letting the child have sweets so early in the morning, not to mention him playing with a very long, sharp object in front of the fire. On the other hand, she thought to herself, her mother was present for it all and Scully remembered mornings where routine and 'healthy' were thrown out the window in favour of being silly together and making the most of a situation.
Her mind made up, she marched over to Jacob and sat down next to him, effectively stealing Mulder's spot in front of the fire.
"I hope there's enough left for me," she told Jacob, spying a half empty bag of treats lying next to the little boy. "I had a big sleep and now I'm hungry!"
"I made this for you," Jacob told her, offering her the marshmallow on his skewer. "It's the best one."
Touched beyond words at him offering her his unburnt, best marshmallow, Scully accepted the small offering humbly and made a big show of how good it tasted. "That's really, really good," she told him again as she swallowed, smiling at him. "Best marshmallow I ever had. Thank you, Jacob."
He smiled at her, and then carefully stuck another marshmallow on his skewer. "Now Mulder," he said, positioning the treat over the open flames with care.
"Mulder has almost had enough," Mulder informed them from where he was sitting behind them. "I think I'm too old for sweets in the morning, Scully," he told her, winking.
"Nonsense, Mulder," Scully informed him, stealing the skewer he'd been using and stabbing a marshmallow onto the end of it. "This was your idea, so you can have marshmallows too."
"I want to cook it then," he decided. "I like them done special."
"But I'm making you one!" Jacob said, obviously upset.
"How about you make Grandma one?" Scully asked absently.
"Is my Grandma here?" Jacob asked, surprised.
"Maggie," Scully amended quickly, wincing internally. She hadn't intended to refer to her mother as "Grandma", and yet, it had felt so natural. Just like considering Jacob and Lucy her family felt natural.
"Is Maggie my Grandma?" Jacob asked curiously.
"Would you like her to be your Grandma?" Scully asked tentatively, watching him.
He frowned, thinking hard about the question, and then nodded. "I like Grandma Maggie," he announced. "She's a good Grandma."
Scully smiled with relief. "Good," she said. "I know she'll be happy that you want her to be your Grandma."
During Scully's conversation with Jacob, Mulder had maneuvered himself to Scully's one side where he'd casually taken the skewer and marshmallow from her hands, and was now attempting to cook it himself. The baby in his lap, however, was making things difficult because he couldn't get close enough to the fire to cook his treat without getting the baby too hot.
"Sit here, Mulder," Scully said when she realized what the problem was. "I'll take Lucy."
They swapped quickly, Mulder now sitting between Jacob and Scully, and Scully with the baby cradled comfortably in her arms.
Maggie entered the room a few minutes later, just as Jacob's marshmallow was pronounced 'cooked'.
"Here, Grandma Maggie," Jacob said, holding the skewer out Scully's Mom, "I cooked you a mashmewoes."
Maggie looked surprised for a second at his address to her, but she took the marshmallow with a smile of thanks, and like Scully, made a huge display of enjoying the sticky treat immensely.
"I'm done," Mulder announced as Jacob settled himself down for another round of marshmallow cooking. He smiled gently at Scully. "How's Lucy doing?"
Scully looked down at the infant now sitting quite happily in her arms and fiddling with the block which still managed to hold her attention, the light tinkling of the bell trapped inside obviously fascinating the child. "Good," Scully said, smiling against Lucy's downy head. "She's nice and warm, like a hot water bottle," she admitted.
"I need a hot water bottle," Mulder decided.
"You're sitting in front of an open fire, Mulder. You don't need a hot water bottle."
"Yes I do," he argued stubbornly, surprising her when he moved back from the fire and dragged her gracelessly into his arms.
"Mulder?" Scully asked uncertainly, hoping against hope that he couldn't feel how fast her pulse was thundering, and the he wouldn't notice that her breath sped up.
"You looked nice and warm and cuddly," he explained, wrapping his arms around and resting his head on her shoulder, apparently watching Lucy who was now looking at him with interest. "You look very cute in your pajamas," he added.
Scully wasn't so sure she liked being told she looked 'cute' all the time, but the feel of his warm breath against her neck stopped any words of protest from making themselves heard.
"Did you give her breakfast?" Scully asked instead.
"Yeah," he murmured, his voice deliciously close to her ear. "She wore more than she ate."
Scully smiled. "She does that."
"My mashmewoes is done!" Jacob announced, interrupting the small moment of silence they fell into.
"Eat it quick," Scully encouraged, "before it gets cold."
"I can't eat it!" he exclaimed.
"Why not?" Mulder asked.
"This one is for Lucy," he informed them, waving the stick at the baby.
Scully bit her lip and closed her eyes.
"Jake, Lucy is still a bit young for marshmallows," Mulder said gently. "How about we give that one to Dana and then you can have two more, okay?"
Jacob looked a little disappointed, but he nodded and graciously waited until Mulder pulled the marshmallow off the skewer before turning back to his task of cooking the remaining treats.
"I don't want it, Mulder," Scully informedhim quietly so Jacob wouldn't hear.
"Too bad," Mulder said. "You've only had one, you could do with another. Open wide."
He held the treat in front of her lips, moving it gently from side to side as though tempting her. Scully blinked; Mulder wanted to handfeed her?
"Come on, Scully, it's hot!" Mulder whined, moving it a little closer to her lips.
Realising she was in danger of Mulder squashing the stickiness all over her lips (and she had no doubt he was immature enough to do something like that) Scully relented and opened her lips, allowing him to pop the marshmallow inside her mouth. Her lips caught his finger before he had time to pull away, and for a second she froze, holding her breath. Behind her she felt Mulder gasp and hesitate, before he pulled his finger from her lips.
It was spinning out of control, Scully realized as she ate the marshmallow. In a few days they'd gone from having the very carefully drawn lines of their relationship twisted and blurred and in some places, erased entirely. She wasn't sure what he expected of her now, what he wanted… and she wasn't certain what she wanted from him either.
Wait, she thought, that was a lie. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted this to be real. All of it. She wanted to sit in Mulder's arms like this as his wife, not as his best friend who he loved and married because they both felt it was the best decision in a bad situation. She wanted him to want her as his wife.
Swallowing the last of the marshmallow, Scully watched Jacob manipulate his skewer and work at the marshmallows for a long time, her mind surprisingly empty considering the emotional turmoil running through her body.
Lucy, oblivious to her emotions, continued to play happily in her arms while behind her, Mulder was equally silent and still.
She wondered what he was thinking.
---
Power returned before midday, surprising all the adults in Maggie Scully's residence. Scully, not one to sit around without a shower for long, jumped up almost immediately and disappeared to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. The water pounded over her shoulders and she dropped her head back, letting the spray massage her scalp.
Her thoughts now tumbled over each other and raced around madly, trying to make sense of something she wasn't entirely certain she could work out on her own. Was there any chance that the love Mulder felt for her was more than just affection and trust?
She kept hearing the sharp intake of his breath as her lips accidentally brushed against his finger sticky with marshmallow. Kept feeling the ghost of kiss when they got married. Kept feeling the lingering touch of his hands as he touched her more than usual, more intimately than usual. And he kept kissing her; light, stolen kisses that were hard to define as more than plutonic, but less than passionate.
She dropped her head against the wall of the shower stall, turning so the water could massage her back, and sighed heavily.
Was it all for display and the act of trying to convince those around them they were in love? Or was it real?
At least, she thought to herself as she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, no one should have any problems believing they were in love. They were doing such a good job of it, Scully was starting to believe it herself.
Chuckling dryly at her line of thought, Scully got dressed and left the bathroom.
The phone rang just as she passed it on the hall table, so she answered it automatically.
"Dana, it's Alice."
"Hi Alice," Scully said carefully, concerned by Alice's tone of voice.
"We might have a small problem," Alice said bluntly. "Anne Logan's sister, Amber, wants the kids."
"But…"
"She's family, Dana. The only thing you have going for you at the moment is the fact that because of the murder investigation still underway means the kids can stay with you for a while longer. Amber's associations due to her work are concerning several people – there's talk that it might be someone Amber sees a lot of that committed the murder."
"What does this mean?" Scully asked, feeling cold inside.
"For now? Nothing. I know you've been pulled off the case because of your involvement with the children now and the adoption process, but they're still following up on leads apparently. They can't rule out anyone yet, so Amber is a no-go as far as the I'm concerned when it comes to leaving the children I her custody."
"Yes, but what about me wanting to adopt them!" Scully demanded.
"Anne and Paul didn't leave a will, so legally you have the same chance as Amber to get custody of the children. She's their aunt – biological family – so she has a big, big advantage over you. However, her potential involvement with the crime through association, along with her current life style and single status is a big positive for you and Mulder."
"Is there anything I can do? Or need to do?" Scully wanted to know, closing her eyes and willing the fear of losing the children to stay away.
"Amber wants to see the children. We can't stop her, but because you and Mulder are their temporary guardians until full custody is granted once the investigation has progressed more, it means you can choose where she sees them, and you don't have to leave them alone with her."
Scully gripped the receiver tightly with one hand, leaning against the wall for support. "What would you suggest?"
"I haven't met Amber. Maybe it would be best if I set up a meeting with her to inform her that you and Mulder are willing to arrange a time for her to visit the children. That way, I can give you some idea of what to expect and what I think the best approach would be. It could be she wants to take them in because she cares about them, and maybe if she sees how you are with them and you're willing to work together she'll be prepared to support your adoption application."
"Is that really possible?" Scully asked disbelievingly.
"She's a young, single woman with a fairly risqué career. The last thing she needs, I would imagine, would be two children under the age of five. It's entirely possible. However, the only thing she might be after is the inheritance that automatically passes down to the children. Then again, if she is after that, maybe an arrangement could be made where you agree to forfeit all claims to the children's inheritance, provided she supports you adopting them."
Scully's head was spinning. "God, Alice… I.. this is so much…"
"I know, Dana, but I believe you and Fox can do this. I want you two do to this, because I've seen you with those children. For all of you, I want this to happen for you."
"Would you see Amber first?" Scully asked quietly.
"I'll call her as soon as we finish here, and let you know what happens as soon as I have some information," Alice promised.
"Thank you, Alice," Scully whispered.
"Don't give up, Dana. It might be a fight, but you still stand a chance of winning. Blood relation only counts for so much – other things have to be taken into account too."
Scully nodded, even though Alice couldn't see the gesture. "I'll tell Mulder."
"Take care, okay?" Alice said. "And call me if you have questions. And just keep going the way you're going in terms of meeting those adoption criteria – you're almost there for the application to be looked at fairly seriously."
"I'll talk to you later, Alice. Thank you for everything."
"Not a problem, Dana. Bye."
She hung the receiver up, and closed her eyes, letting her forehead rest against the wall.
"Scully?" Mulder's voice intruded on her thoughts.
She licked her lips and turned to face him. "There's a small problem, Mulder," Scully whispered, closing her eyes again.
They couldn't lose the children. Not after all this and giving so much. They just couldn't.
---
Again, I'm so, SO sorry for the delay on this. My muse is working now though, so hopefully the next chapter isn't too long in coming!
Cheers,
Silf