"Dana, I know you're scared but it's going to be OK. I'm going to book an appointment for you in Diagnostic Imaging to find out how far along you are and then you can make a decision about whether this is something you want... or not" Rachel said she could see Scully in shock.

Scully couldn't breathe she felt dizzy and sick. She couldn't think straight and her heart was racing faster and faster, thumping like a runaway train that would most likely hit a wall at some point. There was a baby growing inside of her womb but she couldn't help asking herself the same questions over and over again. Was she happy? Was she scared? Did she want a baby? Would she tell Mulder? So many questions, and so far not many answers.

"Dana? Is that OK?" Rachel asked, concerned for her friend.

"Humm… sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if it would be OK to book you an appointment for later today?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I.. umm, I just have to make a phone call but later today is fine"

While Rachel was making the necessary calls and argenments. Scully stood up and stepped out of the room, running to the restroom and emptying her stomach once again into the toilet bowl.

When the dry heaving had come to an end, and the tears had stopped falling down her cheeks she grabbed a tissue and dabbed her face and neck, to remove the sweat and tears. She stood up and walked over to the sink and had a good look at herself in the mirror; she was pale but flushed and in all honestly looked like shit.

She muttered under her breath 'Aren't pregnant women supposed to have a glow, yeah right'.

She wiped some stray tendrils of hair that were sticking to her face, out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.

Suddenly the thoughts started rushing back into her brain, almost screaming at her to come up with some logical answers and solutions to this very big problem she now found herself grappling with. What would she do with her career now? Could she have... both? Could she really do this? Could she really have a baby with someone she works with but doesn't really know?

She stood up straight and straightened out her pantsuit jacket and smoothed down the matching pants and then walked out of the restroom with her head held high. She walked up to the nurse's station and asked if she could borrow the phone, the nurse just nodded in response (this happened a lot, so she knew the drill).

Scully rang the X-Files basement office hoping he would be there, it rang three times before he picked up causing her level of anxiety to rise again.

"Hello, this is Agent Mulder."

"Mulder it's me"

"Are you okay Scully?" She knew Mulder was starting to worry now, she could hear it in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm... fine. I was just letting you know that I won't be coming into work today as I need a few more tests done."

"Are you sure everything OK?" Mulder asked, dubious of the tone of her "I'm fine". It was more high pitched than the normal way she spoke when she was actually fine.

"I'm fine" Jesus, she knew she sounded pathetic down the phone line.

"I'm fine" or "It's fine" was her go-to word for getting out of a situation she didn't want to talk about.

"I will see you tomorrow, Mulder. I'm sorry, really"

"OK, but I' here if you need me. Take care of yourself. Goodbye, Scully"

Scully hung up the phone and walked back out into the exam room, to wait for Dr. Richards to tell her what time the next appointment was, what time her life might come to an end, or maybe a new beginning. She still wasn't sure... yet.

"Hi. So, Dana, I have booked you in for an appointment in about an hour or so. Once you have decided what to do, I can stay on as your doctor or-"

"Can we discuss it after the ultrasound, please?"

"Yes, of course. I can see that you're having trouble with this, and I would hate to add to it"

"Thank you, Rachel" Scully grabbed her things and went to find somewhere open and alone so she could think clearly about her next steps.

It didn't take long for her to find a secluded picnic bench far enough away from the hospital so that she could think but close enough that she was only five minute walk from where she needed to be if Rachel called her back unexpectedly. Unexpectedly. This whole damn situation was unexpected and scary.

The late June sun, was starting to warm up her pale, Irish skin, the blossom of the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, she could actually hear the grass blades rustling against each other and people whispering in the distance. The hum of the hospital aircon being carried off like white sand on a beach.

As she sat there looking on into the green grass trying to absorb the information which she had just been given. Could she really bring a child into this world? Would she even be a good mother? Would Mulder be a good father? Does Mulder even want kids? Do I even want kids, right now? Am I stable enough to raise a child? But the one question that kept coming back up no matter how much she forced it down was "Did she want a baby?" she was only 28 years old... unmarried, alone, everything she wanted in life had just gone up in smoke, over a quick fuck with her FBI partner.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into an hour. She was walking down the busy corridor through the maze of people weaving, bustling about around her. She finally found the room she was meant to be in and in the past hour she had decided to keep the fetus growing inside her. She walked up to the exam table and laid flat on her back with her shirt undone and her skirt lowered waiting for Rachel to appear.

Rachel came into the room about ten minutes later and proceeded to set up the ultrasound equipment quietly, and asked

"How are you feeling, Dana?" She was worried for her friend, because she hadn't seen her this upset since Med school, and what she must be going through.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I think... I'm still in shock. You know?"

"That's understandable, really. Is it a good shock or bad shock?"

"I'm not sure... just yet"

"Are you going to tell the father?"

"I'm still not sure I want to keep it, so I don't know if I should tell him... until I make a decision either way," Scully said, as her eyes threatened to tear up, but she was determined to stay strong and that this little hiccup of emotions would not happen.

"Ok, I need to see how far along you are, and then we can discuss your options"

"Ok. Thank you, Rachel"

"My apologies, this is going to be slightly cold because our warmer broke yesterday"

Rachel applied a generous amount of blue gloop over Scully lower abdomen, she was trying not to think about it and not let her emotions get out of control, as the wand slid across her belly and she went into full Doctor mode; explaining to herself what the ultrasound actually does.

'An ultrasound travels through soft tissue and fluids but bounces back, this is how an image occurs. The term 'Ultrasound' refers to a sound with a frequency the mere humans can not hear, the frequency is between 2 and 18 megahertz'. Oh god, she couldn't think straight and Rachel was presumably saying something very important to her but it wasn't registering and then she heard it... a small tu thump. Tu thump. It was beating fast like horses galloping in a meadow. It was beautiful. It brought tears to her eyes once again. She had never heard something so pure, so innocent and so very magical. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

Rachel moved the wand over the upper part of Dana's stomach and she heard it thumping around the silent room, again. She was brought back to the present when she heard Dr. Richards trying to get her attention and finally registered the words inside her mind.

"Dana, you're expecting twins"

"Oh my... God"

And then all of her pent-up tears started flowing freely. She was happy, beyond happy even because there was not one but two babies growing inside of her at this precise moment in time. She started to picture twenty little toes and fingers and two beautiful heartbeats. How could she have ever considered terminating? She knew now, that she wanted to be a mother.

"Both of the babies heartbeats are between 110-160bpm, you're about 17 and half weeks pregnant which means you conceived on or around the 23rd of February," Rachel said with a heartwarming smile. She could see the realization wash of her friend and she knew everything would be alright.

Scully was so lost for words, her breath stolen as she watched what was happening on the monitor in front of her. She was mesmerized by the black and white fuzzy image, just staring at these two tiny, beautiful humans in their shared blob sac, living and thriving within her.

"Would you like to know their sex? It might be a little difficult but if they cooperate we should be able to see" Scully nodded silently, tears in her eyes.

Rachel continued by squirting some more blue goop on Scully's abdomen and started to move the wand around trying to get an exact reading.

"This one over here..." she said, pointing to the left and up a bit "is a little girl, and the little fighter over here is a boy. You should start to be able to feel them pretty soon, I have been told it feels little flutters at first but don't be alarmed if you don't feel them moving until after 20 weeks"

"Wow..." She was still staring at the image on the screen as a picture was being printed out for her "OK"

"Here is some tissue to clean yourself up and then we will book you in for an anomaly scan which consists of a crown to rump, abdominal circumference, length to femur and will also look at the brain and face, their hearts, stomach, gastro system, bladder, limbs and lungs." Rachel looked at Scully, and noticed she had a smile on her lips and twinkle in her eye. "But you already knew that being a doctor yourself, of course"

"I did but thank you for telling me. It was actually quite reassuring" Scully said, laughing.

"I hate to bring it up but, have you decided what you want to do from here on out?"

"I have... I've decided to keep them. I have never experienced something so pure and precious in my entire life"

"So, are you going to tell him?" Rachel said referring to the man, that dana had mentioned.

"I don't want to discuss it, Rachel. I'm sorry"

"It's fine, just come back in a couple of weeks like we discussed, also here is a prescription for prenatal vitamins and folic acid"

"Thank you again. Bye, Rachel"

"Goodluck. Goodbye, Dana."

3 hours later

Scully's Apartment

Scully finally walked back into her quiet apartment after getting the shock of her life. She had got stuck in traffic on her way home and finally sat down after depositing her keys, bag and gun, coat and shoes by the door. She clasped her hand around her face, her elbows on her knees, finally letting the emotions of the day take over and the warm hot tears started to fall down her pale, freckled skin. Was it out of happiness... or sorrow? She had to tell someone or it would rip her apart keeping a secret like this to herself. She looked down and her stomach and placed her hand there and started rubbing it in small semi circles. Could she really do this, or was it the fear talking? She didn't know what to do but for now, she needed to sleep and work and then face her problems tomorrow.

The phone started ringing, pulling her from her reverie.

"Hello Dana, it's Jack Willis"

"Oh, hey Jack. It's nice to hear from you. Is everything OK"

"Yes, everything is fine. I was wondering if you could help me out with a case?"

"I do owe you one, don't I? May I have the details?"

"Of course"

Jack and Scully continued discussing the final points of the case, they intended to stakeout a bank that they believed was being targeted by a pair of married criminals.

26 hours Later

Hoover building

The sting didn't quite go as planned, both Jack and the assailant got seriously wounded and the assailant ended up dying in the hospital. Mulder soon became convinced that it was the assailant Dupre's consciousness that survived... but in Willis' body.

Mulder walked casually towards Scully and tossed a card at her, saying

"Happy Birthday, Scully"

"That's nice, but you do know that it was my birthday a few months back. You were there, remember?" Scully said, with a crimson blush quickly appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, I'm never going to forget," He raised his eyebrows and her in recognition of the night together "but it isn't from me... it's from Willis, actually. I thought you both had the same birthday?"

"We do."

"Well, that's news to him. I asked him to sign it and oddly, he signed it with his left hand"

"You mean you tested him," Scully asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Yeah. After I found out that the evidence from the Phillips murder was missing"

"Sorry, what evidence?"

"Well, the print we lifted... what was our best lead is now gone, someone stole it before the lab had a chance to look at it"

"And you think Willis is responsible?"

"To be honest. I'm not sure Willis is Willis anymore, Scully"

Scully sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

She had a sudden thought occurred to her since they were playing a game of back and forth questions. She decided to ask him a question because she was feeling a little brave and if she didn't ask him now when would she?

"Mulder? Have you ever thought about stopping?"

"Stopping?"

"I mean, settling down and living something approaching a normal life, possibly... with kids?"

"Can't say that I have, Scully" Mulder looked at Scully, trying to read her facial expressions but he couldn't figure it out "My work to find Samantha, and the truth about her abduction is still out there and it means a lot to me" He tried again to read her but she was keeping her emotions close. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason"

She tried not to sound disappointed by his answer but she wasn't sure that it came off like she wanted. Mulder shrugged the question off and they carried on talking about the case, shooting off his theories and Scully shooting him down just as quick.

36 hours later

Scully was sitting in an ambulance on her way to the hospital, and all she kept thinking was... Mulder was right, Willis wasn't himself at all. She had told Willis about the pregnancy in fear of him hurting her or the two babies growing inside of her but he didn't even bat an eyelid at the news, he just didn't care. The man that stood in front of her in that horrific moment was not the man she once cared for so deeply or the one she had come to know so well.

The next morning before Mulder rushed in... the only words Willis could manage to say were 'Sorry. I'm so sorry' and he all did was look at her... and then down at her stomach. He was finally the man she knew (or so she hoped) and it was in that moment she realised she was a fool, thinking that she could work the X-files and be pregnant with not one life inside her but two and now she had full confirmation from Mulder himself that he didn't want kids nor did he want a life with her. They were just co-workers to him, possibly friends who slept together out of lust and desire for one another.

As she lay on the ambulance stretcher in fear and praying that her beautiful and desperately wanted babies were OK. It was in that moment she made a vow to herself and her family that she would never jeopardize any of them ever again, even if that meant running and never looking back.

"Do you want us to phone anybody?" there was a short pause before quite possibly the most upsetting question she would hear today "The father, maybe?"

"No, he's not in the picture. Please, can you call my sister?"

Why didn't you tell anyone, Dana?" Melissa asked, astonished to have her baby sister lying in a hospital bed with fetal monitors strapped to her growing belly. She was standing at Scully's bedside, wearing a navy sundress with a grey knit cardigan and blue leather sandals, her red hair hanging in loose curls just below her shoulders.

"Missy, I only found out a few days ago... cut me some slack," Scully said, she was still in shock about the news that she found out a few days ago and telling someone else, even if it was her own sister made it sink in a little more. Made it real... and slightly daunting.

"This is something Mom and Dad expect me to do, not you. What if you had been hurt, Dana?"

"Well, I wasn't. I'm fine and the doctors have assured me that the babies are perfectly fine too"

"Did you say babies... as in plural? As in more than one child?"

"Yes," Scully said, shyly.

"Dana!" Melissa was getting rather angry and frustrated with her now. She had been beyond reckless and their folks wouldn't like it. Melissa stared at her sister and thought. Why did my sister have to be so loyal and stupid at the same time? She was the bookworm of the family, the one who got straight A's in school. Yes, she had boyfriends but they were more than tawdry flings with strange men.

"God, Missy. I'm sorry. Don't you think this is hard on me too? I had to make a difficult choice the other day, and you don't seem to care" Scully's voice was filled with sorrow and began wavering, as the tears were brimming on her inner eyelids. Why did this have to be so hard? She thought.

"I do. Dana, you know I care about you... you're my baby sister. I just want to know why you didn't at least tell Mom?"

"Are you kidding? And have her look at me the way you are now"

"I'm sorry, Dana. Do you know who the father is?"

"Yes, of course! He's just not in the picture any longer and I've accepted that, so you should too. Please, for me and them" Scully said, matter of factly while touching her stomach to make her point.

Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes at Scully then turned around, spotting a tall man with brown hair outside the room walking towards them.

"Who is that tall, handsome guy coming this way?"

"Shit! Missy, don't let him in please!" Scully said, yanking the blanket up to cover her stomach, her heart started racing and blood rushed to her ears.

"Why? Who is it, Dana?"

"Mulder, my partner at the FBI. Don't let him see me like this, please don't let him in and do not tell him about the pregnancy" She was pleading now, begging her older sister to give her this one thing even if she was angry that she kept her pregnancy from her for days. Melissa gave Scully a questionable glance, before walking over to the door and stepping out of the room before Mulder made it inside.

"Agent Mulder?" Melissa asked, staring at the tall man in a shitty brown suit with speckles of mud and dirt.

"Yes. Who are you?" Mulder said, with a straight face and wondered who this woman was that standing in front of him and blocking entry to Scully's room.

"Melissa Scully. Dana's older sister"

"Is it OK if I go in there..." He asked, pointing behind her, his facial expression was straight but his hazel eyes told a different story "to see her?"

"Not at the moment, she needs to stay calm and get some sleep. She's been through a lot recently" Melissa said glancing back at her sister then back at Mulder, hoping he would believe her.

"What do you mean? Is everything OK?" Mulder was starting to sound worried, and scared for his partner and friend.

"She fine, really. She just needs some sleep. Why don't you go get a coffee and I will meet you down in the cafeteria in a minute. I just need to speak with Dana for a moment"

"Ok. Can you tell her that I'm sorry?" Mulder asked, and then walked off down the corridor with his head hung low, looking like someone who had just had his heart ripped out and gave it away. Melissa watched Mulder walk away before stepping back into Scully's room.

"Oh my God. He's the father, isn't he?" Melissa said it wasn't a question it was more of a stunning realization spoken out loud.

"Yes" Scully replied, looking at a small sludge stain on the ceiling basically anywhere but at her sisters disapproving and shocked eyes.

"Are you really not going to tell him? He's worried about you, Dana. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry"

"I'm not interested in what he wants right now, Missy. Can we discuss this later, please? I need some sleep"

"Fine. I will see you in a little while" Missy said, as she walked out of the room slamming the door behind her and going to find Mulder and ask him a few questions unbeknownst to Dana.

Melissa walked through the winding corridors, walls plastered with photos of babies and parents and small thank you notes. She passed by nurses and doctors to find a small cafeteria where Mulder was sitting in a brown leather seat, sipping his coffee.

"So, Agent Mulder" Mulder jumped then found a small smile, "How well do you know my sister?"

"Quite well, I would say. Why?"

"Oh, I bet you do," She chuckled, as she sat opposite Mulder having a good look at him. "Dana really is fine, I promise. She's just tired from everything she's been through. You don't have to worry" She looked deeply at him, her feelings mixed. If he was the father, why wasn't Dana going to tell him? She looked around at the doctors chatting amongst themselves and sank a little lower in her chair, the intense smell of coffee invading her nose with hints of stale food mixed in with bleach and sanitizer. It was that very distinct "hospital" smell.

"I understand. I just wanted to see her... check for myself" Mulder's words carried meaning and thoughtfulness. Melissa could tell he was holding something back.

"She's made an impression on you I can tell," Melissa said, as a statement, looking Mulder directly in the eyes.

"You could say that, yes. She's an amazing partner to work with and an incredible friend. I don't know who else would put up with my hellish theories or madman rants" Mulder's look was full of caring and meaning, every word heartfelt and the raw emotion was starting to creep onto his face, his hands not knowing what to do fidgeted with his coffee cup. Every time he thought about Scully strapped to that radiator in pain, hurt him a little more.

"Dana is an amazing sister, so I'm not surprised to hear you say that" She knew there was more to his and her sister's story. So, she decided to be blunt and asked "So how long you been sleeping together?"

"Were not..." Mulder tried to say, but his face said one story and his body language told another. His cheeks were red, eyes were full the tears brimming on the edge ready to fall at any minute.

"Yes, you are! Do not lie to me, Agent Mulder" Melissa said, she was pushing her luck and she knew it.

"We meet on her birthday before we worked together and we agreed to stop... but we didn't. I put her in the line of fire and she didn't deserve that. She deserves better but I can't give it to her. She deserves everything... the whole damn world and I wish I could give it to her but I can't. I'm a mess" His eyes puffy and red now and small droplets of water began to fall from his long lashes, down his cheeks and onto his lap.

"Thank you for being honest with me. I really should get back to her... I will come find you when she wake's up"

"Thank you for the company," Mulder said, before looking back down at his coffee.

"My pleasure" Melissa stood up and walked away... and quickly out of sight.

Melissa had learned something by talking to Mulder; he cared deeply for her sister, it was more than a friendship or work colleagues or even people who just slept together occasionally.

She walked back into her sister's private hospital room. She needed a few questions answered before she told Dana about what she knew. There were now two fetal monitors on her sister's admin, Dana looked asleep but she knew better.

"Dana, I know you're awake"

"What do you want now, Missy?"

"I want to know the truth about the babies inside of you"

"Ok, what would you like to know?"

Melissa started off with the easy questions first, before diving in with what she had to tell her younger sister.

"Firstly, how far along are you?"

"18 weeks"

"Wow! That's amazing, Dana. Do you know the genders, yet?"

"Yes, a boy and a girl"

"He loves you" it wasn't a question but a statement, of the facts that Missy had collected while talking to Mulder.

"No, he doesn't. All he cares about are the X-files and finding the answers to impossible questions"

"I don't believe that, Dana. How can you be so sure? Have you asked him?" Melissa asked, kindly.

"Yes! I asked him, he was pretty sure and I understood" Scully took a long pause before she spoke again, looking at her sister and started to cry "I don't know what to do, Missy. Everything is a mess"

Scully's heart rate spiked, the monitors went crazy and everything went black.