Mulder had woken up without Scully by his side, the sad thoughts running through his head like, did she enjoy it? Does she regret it? Does she think it is a one-time thing? Does she want a relationship again?

He could hear her pottering about the kitchen and she got up all over the place. He quickly put on his boxer shorts and went towards the kitchen. No more than a few minutes later he stood in the doorway of the kitchen staring at Scully holding all the paperwork he was looking through last night, the same paperwork he had completely forgotten about when he saw what Scully was wearing.

"What the fuck is this?" she shouted with such a harsh tone.

"It's ugh… they're Children's savings accounts" he stuttered and walked into the kitchen.

"I can see that, I'm not blind. Why are there savings accounts with the precise amount of money I have been paying each month for the house as well as your half?"

Mulder stared at her, she was dressed in only his shirt and looked so, so angry, furious even, and it was directed at him. He knew he should have told her earlier, he knew he shouldn't have lied about the house price. He honestly was going to do it in a few days. Where was he going to start from? No idea; there was so much to tell.

He inhaled a large breath. "I lied about the house price," he looked at her, directly in the eyes. She was about to say something but he spoke again "...please let me finish. So I lied about the house price because I noticed how much you loved this house, you literally fell in love with it the minute we walked in the door. How could I not give you the house of your dreams to raise our kids in."

He looked down, no longer able to look her in the eye. "I paid for the house outright and placed it in your name. As you know my parents are handsomely rich and yes it is very much blood money but I wanted to do something positive with it. So everything you have been putting into the bank for the montage has been going into the twins' bank account for a college or university fund." He laughed slightly trying to lighten the mood; "It will probably be Grad School as well if they are half as smart as you, they will both be getting doctorates."

His trying to lighten the mood was to no avail. "I also wanted to write you into my Will, to inherit everything if something bad were going to happen, the bonds, the houses, everything will be taken care of so you and the kids never have to worry.

"You're the most sensible person I know and I know you would never squander it." He looked back at her trying to show that he was telling the complete and utter truth in body and soul. "I am truly sorry I lied to you Scully."

"I don't know what to say, Mulder, I thought we had gotten past the lying and the deceit. I am going to go back to my room, get changed,pick up the twins, and come back home. Just give me a few days to process this please."

She looked deflated, and he felt that way too, but he understood. "Ok, I understand, thank you."

Thank you for not running away again.

Those words were left unspoken but they both knew they were hanging in the air. She nodded and went upstairs.

It was several hours later and Scully still hadn't returned. He was getting anxious; he had cleaned the whole house from top to bottom and it was starting to get dark now.

His mind was playing tricks on him.hat if she had left? What about the kids? Would she do that even though she said she wouldn't.

If she did leave, will the twins know him when they're older? Would they really leave each other on the things left unsaid? There were so many thoughts that were dark and consuming,it he could do nothing, so he sat there at the table, looking out of the kitchen window, waiting…

As the time went by, the leaves would float in the wind; the grass blades would rustle against each other; the small sounds of birds filtering down; and the nighttime wildlife coming out;the sound of foxes fighting and mosquitoes zapping against the blue light of the bug zapper. Night had fallen and the only light now was the moonlight illuminating him in a bask of white glow.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed by just staring at the expanse of the outside. When there was a soft crunch of a car pulling into the driveway, and yellow light filtering through living room windows. He didn't move, and he hadn't noticed when the front door had opened and closed again, or even when Scully walked in with twins asleep on each arm and placed them in bed fast asleep.

Scully walked into the kitchen and his eyes and not faltered m from the window. This is the first time she had properly looked at him; His eyes black and hollow;his face sunken and pale. She had only been gone a few hours- well it was more like the whole day- but Mulder looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in weeks.

They had discussed his depression in the past, how bad it had gotten when she was gone and how far and deep it went. He had told her that he was in hospital for a short time in the time she was away, and Skinner had helped him in visiting him there as well as being there when he was released. He truly was a friend to him, when at his lowest point.

They had both gone about the situation wrong. After talking with her mom Scully had finally realised. Yes, he had been wrong about hiding it for such a long time, but she also was too, for automatically jumping to anger and accusations instead of talking calmly with him. She knew he was having a dissociative episode (once explained to her as like knowing you are there but feeling like you're watching yourself from outside your body, like in a third person's point of view.)

She got him to stand up and coaxed him upstairs, gently lulling him into the shower and into his pjs for the night. She didn't think it was a good idea for him to sleep alone in his bedroom tonight so she placed him in her bed, she quickly got undressed and slid into the sheets next to him.

He automatically grabbed onto her; not forcibly or too powerfully, he was just holding her, making sure she was real in a sense. He nuzzled his nose in her hair and she could feel and hear in taking her smell.

Several minutes went by with him holding onto her for dear life before she heard soft spoken words in her ear.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner". His hand moved over to her stomach and his hold on her softened.

"I'm sorry for leaving for so long," she whispered in response.

"Will we be ok?" he asked, his voice small and wavering, usure of the answer, she was going to give.

"In time we will," she softly answered "I promise" Mulder closed his eyes, his heart full of hope for the future and the promise of a life he never thought he would live.