My Brother's Best Friend
A story by Government Patsy
Chapter 15
-xxx-
SOME YEARS LATER…
Scully POV
Even though my family seemed a bit disappointed, I've yet to regret going into forensic pathology. It's only been a few months but when I saw my friends from med school last week, who all went into different residencies at various hospitals, I realised a big upside of working in the quiet morgue, carefully going about my work. It took some getting used to, it can be grim down there in the morgue. But now… whenever I see a dead body, it's like a puzzle waiting to be solved. And the hours are way better too.
"Your FBI agent is coming over today," Dr. Reznik smiles knowingly at me over our lunch.
"Oh?" I try not to sound too excited but I love it when Mulder's paths cross mine in our work.
"I'll get ahead on some paperwork if you don't mind," he winks at me. "Come get me if you need help."
"Thank you, Dr. Reznik," I smile back at the older man.
He gives me a lot of responsibility and he's an amazing forensic pathologist with several publications to his name. I feel lucky to have been taken under his wing in my residency and he's already grown fond of me too. We have a great working relationship, Mulder and I have even been over to his house a few times for dinner with him and his husband.
"Oh, a little heads up," Dr. Reznik adds, putting down his fork and wiping his mouth with a napkin. "The post mortem might be a little tricky, he's a big one."
"Oh, alright," I nod.
As we finish our lunch, Dr. Reznik returns to his office and I scrub up.
He is a big one, that's for sure. Probably around 450 lbs if I had to guess. I get to work. I'm almost done and try not to break into a big smile as I hear him enter the room.
"If it isn't my favourite doctor," he says happily. "You're in luck, Skinner, your first time in San Francisco and you're gifted with the most capable pathologist this town has to offer."
"Flatter will get you nowhere, Agent Mulder," I tell him indifferently as I continue with my work, finishing up the post mortem.
"Walter Skinner," a deep voice introduces himself.
I look up and smile, motioning to my gloved hands that are covered in god knows what and he chuckles.
"Dana Scully," I tell him. "And I'm just a resident doctor."
Mulder has told me about Skinner. They've worked together a few times in DC. According to Mulder, Skinner is incredibly capable but also very no-nonsense, which makes him find Mulder extremely annoying. Mulder still speaks highly of him, although wishing he'd be a bit less strict with him.
"He's definitely got a type," Mulder sighs as he looks at the body.
"You could say that," Skinner nods in agreement. "Cause of death?"
"At first it did appear to be natural causes," I tell them and they sigh exhaustedly. "But something caught my eye…"
I move over the body and pull down his lower lip, Mulder and Skinner are looking intently.
"It's a number!" Skinner says, amazed.
"Is that a tattoo?" Mulder sounds equally impressed.
"Yeah," I tell them, letting go of the lip again. "Homemade."
"It said five…" Mulder trails off. "He's the fourth victim…"
"That we know of," Skinner shrugs.
They make some calls in the hallway as I finish up the post mortem in peace. It turns out the previous victims had similar tattoos with numbers too.
"That was very impressive," Skinner tells me as they come back. "None of the other pathologists had caught that."
"I told you," Mulder says, moving behind me. "She's the best."
"I got lucky," I shrug and blush at their compliments.
I close up the body but Mulder's body heat is distracting. Is he smelling my hair? I look at him over my shoulder, he's pretending to look down at the body but I know what he's doing.
"Do you mind?" I ask him.
"What?" he smirks, feigning ignorance.
"Move," I tell him, rolling my eyes.
He does as he's told and sits down on a stool, chuckling to himself. We play this game every time he comes down here. The game of not being married. The game of me turning him down, him chasing me. It's exciting.
I think Skinner notices my blush but I'm pretty sure he misinterprets it because he looks at Mulder with venom in his eyes. Mulder doesn't notice though, he's busy watching me, undressing me with his eyes by the looks of it.
"Are you done here?" I ask them.
"Ehm, your report?" Skinner sounds unsure of himself.
"I can email it over to you," I smile at him.
"That would be great, thanks," he nods. "Do you need my email address?"
"Sure-" I start off but Mulder interrupts me.
"Just mail it to me," he says. "I'll forward it."
Skinner clenches his jaw but I just nod.
Mulder walks towards the door but Skinner doesn't follow.
"Are you coming?" he asks him.
"Wait in the car, I'll be there in a few minutes," Skinner tells him.
"Oh-kay," Mulder wrinkles his brow. "Well, as always it was a pleasure, Dr. Scully."
"Bye, Agent Mulder," I give him a small smile and he winks at me before leaving.
"I'm sorry about him," Skinner says as soon as the door closes.
"Oh no-" I shake my head, eager to explain.
"He was out of line," Skinner interrupts. "He's very… young. But that's not an excuse. He wasn't very professional, he shouldn't have gotten so close to you."
"It's alright," I try to tell him. "You really don't have to-"
"You're a very beautiful woman but you're also a professional," he says and I flush a deep shade of red.
"Agent Skinner, that's inappropriate," I manage to utter shyly.
"Well, yeah," he chuckles, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have told you that. But you are. You did an amazing job here, Dr. Scully. Can I take you out for a drink when your shift ends?"
"I-I…" I'm stuttering, in shock.
Walter Skinner is a tall man, muscular build, buzzcut, trimmed beard and round glasses. He might be ten years older than me, maybe more. If I wasn't married, I might consider having drinks with the man. But my husband just left the room and this feels very wrong.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that," I finally tell him. "I'm married. Happily married."
"Ah," he nods and looks down to his hand.
I notice the wedding band on his finger and my eyes widen in surprise.
"Divorce," he explains with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I say honestly.
He looks at me with wonder and smiles again.
"I'm really sorry," he chuckles. "I don't know what came over me. Sharon and I just signed the papers a few days ago… Agent Mulder made me so angry, the way he… and you seem nice…"
"Hey, it's alright," I smile at him. "I'm flattered, really."
"Well, thank you," he finally backs away from me and towards the door. "For everything. Take care, Dr. Scully."
"You too, Agent Skinner," I smile at him as he leaves.
I shake my head and finish up my report before mailing it over to Mulder. I check in with Dr. Reznik before I leave and drive over to Jamie's school to pick him up. I can't believe that my little boy is in elementary school already, but he started kindergarten a few weeks ago. Next year it'll be first grade. I shake my head at the thought.
"Hi, mommy!" he says happily from the backseat as he jumps into the car and buckles himself in.
"Hey, buddy," I smile at him in the rearview mirror as I pull onto the road. "How was school today?"
"I played with Hudson… and Jaxon… and Ezra…" he says, thinking back, his brow wrinkled as he tries to recall the day's events.
"That's good," I chuckle. "But I meant your classes, honey, did you learn something new today?"
"Not really," he sighs, looking out the window.
He looks so much like his father but he has my blue eyes. He looks a little sad and my heart breaks.
"Did something happen, Jamie?" I ask him seriously.
"Yeeeeah," he nods but looks down to his lap. "I forgot to pay attention."
"Aw, I'm sorry, sweetie," I say. "Did you try your best?"
"I tried so hard," he sighs. "But there was a tiny spider on the floor and I couldn't stop looking at it and it even crawled onto my shoe!"
"Did you disturb the other kids or interrupt the teacher?" I ask him.
"Nah-ah!" he says proudly. "And I wanted to show Hudson so badly but I had to wait till recess to tell him!"
"You did good, honey," I say proudly. "I know school can be tough."
"I like school," he smiles. "All my friends are there!"
I chuckle at that. Jamie struggles keeping his focus on anything other than playtime. He knows his numbers and letters, he's smart for his age. But he has a hard time sitting still and not interrupting.
As we make it home, Jamie runs up the front steps, trying to take them three at a time.
"Careful, honey!" I yell at him but he doesn't listen.
"Did you see that, mom?" he chuckles proudly. "I took three steps in one go! How many do you think dad can take?"
"I don't know," I smile at him, ruffling his hair as I walk past him.
He runs down the stairs and then up again, taking three steps at a time again.
I unlock the door while he takes the stairs a few more times. As I open the door he sprints inside, quickly kicking off his shoes and running upstairs.
I shake my head with a smile and move into the kitchen, preparing a snack for Jamie as he changes out of his school clothes. As I prepare the crackers with cheese and cut up some fruit, I hear Jamie tumble around upstairs. I plate his food and grab an apple for myself. I sit down by the kitchen island and open my medical journal to read while I wait for Jamie. When I finish the article I'd been reading, I sigh and put it down. Where is that boy?
I walk upstairs and find him in his room, holding a toy plane over his head, standing on the top bunk of his bed making plane noises with his mouth.
"Jamie," I say softly and he whips around and gives me his best smile.
He's so much like his father… that smile…
"Jamie, I've been waiting for you," I tell him, noticing his school clothes have been dumped on the floor.
"Sorry, mommy," he chuckles, taking a hold of the railing and hurling himself over the side of the top bunk, landing elegantly on his feet, before running over and burying his face in my stomach.
I can't help it, I run my hands through his hair and tilt his head up to give him a smile.
"Fold your clothes and come down," I tell him.
He nods his head and I leave him to it. It's not fair that he has his father's smile, how am I supposed to ever be mad at either of them?
After Jamie has his afternoon snack, I get out his coloring book so I can start dinner. Coloring calms him down and his tongue darts out to his lip in concentration as he tries to stay within the lines. After cutting all the vegetables for dinner, I leave Jamie alone to go pee. As I come back he's standing on top of the counter, breaking into the cupboard where the cookie jar is.
"JAMES ALEXANDER MULDER!" I say loudly.
"Oops," he shrugs and puts the jar back in its place, holding eye contact with me.
"You got that right," I tell him as I walk over to him and tickle his sides.
"Mommy, no!" he squeals.
I take him into my arms and continue to tickle him as I put him down on the floor. He ends up laughing hysterically, on the floor, holding his sides with his hands.
"Little thief," I shake my head at him as I go back to my counter.
"Daddy sneaks cookies all the time," he says as he gets up from the floor and goes back to his coloring book.
"Daddy is an adult," I tell him. "But even he should know to wait until after dinner."
"When daddy picks me up from school, he says one cookie before dinner is okay if we don't tell mommy about it," he's chuckling mischievously as he says this.
I don't doubt that Jamie is telling the truth but he loves getting Mulder into trouble with me, it's a weird little game he plays. He clearly adores his father but he also enjoys snitching on him.
"That's very naughty of daddy," I say seriously. "I guess I'll have to have a talk with him."
"I think you should," he nods, giggling into his coloring book.
I shake my head at him and mix the vegetables with the ground beef. I add the rest of the ingredients and roll the beef into little balls. As I warm up the frying and start frying the meatballs, giving my tomato sauce in the pot a stir once in a while, Jamie's head pops up and he looks interested towards the stove.
"What's for dinner?" he asks, almost salivating.
"Spaghetti meatballs," I tell him with a smile.
"My favorite," his eyes are shining - the kid loves his mother's cooking and he calls almost all of my dishes his favorite.
"Yes, your favorite," I laugh at him.
"I'm so hungry now," he whines.
"It'll be a little while yet," I tell him. "You can set the timer in your room on 15, 1-5 and when it rings you can wash your hands and come down for dinner."
"Okay, mom!" he nods and runs upstairs.
I look up at the clock. Mulder should have been home ten minutes ago. I hope he'll be home in time for dinner. I check my phone but there's no messages or missed calls. We always have dinner around 6 and call home if we can't make it. I notice the water boiling and add the spaghetti. I combine the meatballs and the sauce and bring the wooden spoon up to my mouth. The sauce is really nice. I grind a bit more black pepper in there and give it a stir.
I hear the front door open and I instantly smile. Jamie's not running down the stairs so I'm guessing he hasn't heard his father come home.
"In here!" I yell out.
"It smells amazing in here!" I hear him say and wonder why he's so far away.
I look away from the stove and see Mulder standing behind the kitchen island next to… Agent Skinner.
"Oh," Mulder chuckles. "I brought a guest home."
"I can see that," I smile at Skinner who looks stunned. "Are you staying for dinner?"
"I-I…" he looks over to Mulder, his eyebrow wrinkled in confusion. "The two of you? You're married?"
"Oh, right," Mulder shakes his head. "I should have told you - this is Dana Scully. Besides being the most capable pathologist in the state, she's also my wife."
"In the whole state now?" I chuckle, walking over to them. "Nice to meet you again, Agent Skinner."
"Walter," he says with a smile, shaking my hand. "And I would like to stay for dinner, thank you."
"Great," I nod, walking back to the stove. "It's just spaghetti meatballs, I didn't know we'd have people over… funny how my husband didn't call me and tell me…"
"Sorry, Dana," he chuckles, walking over to the fridge. "I just thought of it last minute - hey, Skinner, beer?"
"Ehm, sure," Skinner says, seeming a bit unsure of our whole dynamic.
Mulder takes out two Weihenstaphaner Hefe Weissbier from the fridge and sits down by the island, folding Jamie's coloring book closed and patting the seat next to him. Skinner sits down and takes the beer. He studies the bottle sceptically but takes a sip.
"Mmmh, that's nice," he nods his head.
"Yeah, they're Dana's favorite," Mulder smiles at me.
I nod and look back to the stove. Mulder and Skinner pick up conversation, somewhat awkwardly, and I fish a spaghetti out of the water to taste if it's ready. It's pretty perfect so I turn off the stove.
"Mulder, will you set the table?" I ask him, pouring the cooked spaghetti and excess water into the pasta strainer in the sink.
"Yeah, of course," he says, walking out of the room and into the dining room.
Skinner smiles awkwardly at me.
"I didn't know…" he starts.
"How would you know?" I chuckle, putting the food into some serving bowls. "We could have just told you we were married instead of playing games."
"Playing games?" he asks, his eyes glinting slightly.
"Whenever Mulder comes down to the morgue, we just… pretend we aren't married," I shrug and blush.
"Huh," is all that Skinner says. "You call him Mulder."
"It beats Fox," Mulder says, walking into the kitchen. "Where's the trouble by the way? It's so quiet?"
"He should be down any minute now," I chuckle, looking at my watch.
Mulder helps me carry the bowls into the dining room and Skinner follows us there. As Mulder shrugs off his suit jacket and tie, I ask Skinner to sit down. It's a big table with enough seats to fit 12 people, 14 if you use the ends of the table, but Mulder has set the table on one end and I bring some candles over and light them, making it a bit more intimate. Just as Mulder is about to sit down, we hear a familiar rumbling down the stairs.
"Prepare yourself," Mulder warns Skinner with a smile.
"We're in the dining room, honey," I yell out to him - usually we eat in the kitchen and I can just imagine a confused little Jamie looking around the kitchen right now.
He comes running into the room and his whole face lights up as he sees his father.
"Daddy!" he says excitedly and jumps into his arms.
Mulder lights up himself and hugs his son close, sitting down on a chair with Jamie in his lap.
"I have so much to tell you daddy! There was a spider and I can take three steps! And…" Jamie halts as he looks over to the stranger that he's first now noticing.
"Jamie, this is Walter Skinner, he works with daddy," I tell him.
"Are you an FBI agent too?" Jamie seems excited, sliding down from his father's lap and walking around the table.
"I am," Skinner nods, smiling greatly. "And you're Jamie? Your dad talks about you a lot!"
"He does?" Jamie looks beyond surprised and we all chuckle lightly at him. "Daddy, what did you tell him?"
"He told me that you just started school," Skinner says and Jamie nods eagerly.
"I did! With my best friend! And I made so many new friends too!" Jamie tells him.
"Okay, buddy, come sit down," Mulder stands up and lets Jamie sit in his chair so I can sit down next to our son.
Mulder sits down next to Skinner and we all dig in. It's definitely not awkward between Mulder and Skinner anymore as Jamie is blabbering away. I remind him that his food is getting cold after a little while and he eats more and talks less.
"So how long have you two been married?" Skinner asks us.
"5 years," Mulder says, giving me a smile. "And a bit."
"You're so young," Skinner shakes his head. "You must have just been kids when you started dating."
"Yeah we were pretty much," I concede.
"She had a crush on me in high school," Mulder says, he loves telling this to people and as always I roll my eyes at him.
"You went to school together?" Skinner seems interested.
"I was a freshman when he was a senior," I tell him. "And it was just a stupid school girl crush - we didn't date in high school."
"I moved to New York after high school," Mulder continues. "Dana here cried herself to sleep when I left. But when I came back a few years later… well, things changed. Dana was older and she was…"
Mulder looks carefully over to Jamie who's slurping spaghetti into his mouth.
"Mulder moved in with my brother, they were friends in high school," I pick up, not wanting to know whatever obscenity Mulder was about to say. "So we saw each other quite often after he moved back here."
"And we've pretty much been seeing each other ever since," Mulder sighs content.
"Jamie was a surprise," I admit and ruffle his hair.
"A very welcome surprise," Mulder adds, looking with pride at his son, whose face is covered in tomato sauce.
"I guess that's what love is supposed to be like," Skinner nods his head. "It sounds so natural and easy."
"I wouldn't call it that," I chuckle. "Walter, we gave you the very short version of a very turbulent love story."
"Did I mention that Dana's brother was my best friend? And that we kept our relationship a secret from everyone for years? Or about Dana's father hating me so much he was sure Dana would never actually marry me?"
"Okay, okay," Skinner chuckles. "Not so easy maybe."
"Not always," I nod. "But everything worked out fine in the end. It did take a lot of work though. Especially after Jamie arrived. Studying medicine with a baby and a husband in the FBI wasn't really a picnic."
"I think that's why I never had any kids of my own," Skinner nods his head. "The work always came first for me."
"Not for me," Mulder cuts in. "I've always tried putting my family first."
"I know," I smile at him.
"Moooom," Jamie interrupts.
I look down at him and his plate is empty.
"Yeeeees?" I tease him, copying his tone.
"We have a guest over," he nods towards Skinner. "Maybe we should have dessert today?"
"That's a good idea!" Mulder chimes in.
"I have two kids," I sigh, making Skinner laugh.
"Well, we do have some ice cream in the freezer," Mulder points out.
I look down at Jamie and he looks so expectant. I can't really say no now even though it's a school night and we normally only have dessert on special occasions.
"Alright, honey," I roll my eyes. "But we have to get you washed up first. How about I give you your bath now and we get you into your pajamas and then we have dessert in the living room after that?"
"Yes, okay!" Jamie nods - I think he'd agree to anything to get dessert.
As we're done eating, we clear the table and I head upstairs with Jamie. Mulder and Skinner walk into the living room, another beer in hand.
As Jamie is bathed and in his pajamas he runs into the living room to tell Mulder about the spider from school. I walk into the kitchen and prepare four bowls with ice cream. We have a few different flavors in the freezer and I find some chocolate sauce and maraschino cherries in the cupboard. As I'm topping the desserts with the cherries Mulder comes into the kitchen.
"What's up?" I ask him. "Did you leave Skinner alone?"
"Jamie's entertaining him," he chuckles and moves behind me, enveloping me in his arms as he kisses my neck. "I just realised I haven't properly said hello to my wife yet."
"Well, hello," I look at him over my shoulder, putting my arms over his.
He bends forward and touches his lips to mine. It's sweet and short but we both sigh content.
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you before inviting Skinner over," he whispers.
"I don't mind," I tell him honestly. "But why did you? You never bring anyone home from work?"
"Well," he chuckles. "After we went to see you today, Skinner was kind of cold towards me. I realised that he didn't know I was just playing with you… that you're my wife… that I was entitled to stand so close to you down there… to smell your hair and look at you…"
"Look at me?" I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Some impure thoughts were being had," he admits.
"So Skinner thought you were being an ass," I sum up. "And you wanted to bring him home so he could see that you're not."
"I guess," he smiles, giving me another quick kiss.
"You care what he thinks about you," I state and he looks almost embarrassed. "That's cute."
"I don't know why I care so much, I usually don't," he shrugs, moving his hands down to my stomach.
"He's different from the other partners you've had," I say. "He seems to really value your work and make you better while doing it."
"He's a good partner," Mulder acknowledges, rubbing his large hand over my stomach. "How's my little girl doing?"
"She made me pee three times before lunch today," I let him know with a sigh.
I look down to the bump he's caressing, now visible as he holds his hand towards the otherwise loose material of my shirt. It's just a small bump still but it's definitely there - I don't fit into my normal pants anymore. We only found out that we're expecting a girl two days ago. It still seems unreal.
"I'm gonna be in such trouble when she arrives," he sighs contently. "She'll have me wrapped around her little finger, this one."
"Just like her mother," I tease him but he only pulls me closer.
"Exactly," he whispers against my ear, his warm breath making me like goo in his arms.
"We should… go… back…" I lose my train of thought as his head dips down and he gently bites and licks my neck.
I let out a small moan as I feel him growing against my lower back - but as someone clears their throat, Mulder pulls his head up and my chest and face grows pink as I see Skinner standing in the doorway, Jamie by his side.
"Ehm, he was getting impatient," Skinner says, his eyes on the floor.
"I'm sorry," I sigh, elbowing Mulder gently as he still has me wrapped up in his arms.
He lets go of me with a chuckle and pulls out a tray for the desserts.
"Let's go back to the living room," I say as Mulder takes in the desserts on the tray.
"Finally!" Jamie exhales. "We were waiting forever!"
"It wasn't that long," I roll my eyes at him and ruffle his hair as we walk into the living room.
We enjoy our desserts, especially Jamie. As he finishes his bowl, his face is now covered in chocolate sauce.
"Jamie, you just had a bath!" I sigh exasperated.
"What?" he smiles greatly at me.
"He's a kid, Dana," Mulder chuckles. "Kids get dirty."
"I'm not dirty!" Jamie knits his eyebrows at his father and climbs into my lap. "Am I, mom?"
"You're a little dirty, honey," I kiss his forehead - a safe part of his face, not covered in chocolate.
"Sorry, mommy," he leans into my chest.
"Let's go wash your face and brush your teeth," I say, standing up, making Jamie slide down from my lap. "Say goodnight to Mr. Skinner and daddy."
"Goodnight, Mr. Skinner," he says somewhat shyly before running over to his father, jumping onto his lap. "Night, daddy!"
"Goodnight, buddy," Mulder pulls him close to his chest, kissing the top of his head.
"I love you, daddy," Jamie snuggles his face into Mulder's shirt, leaving a few chocolate stains that Mulder doesn't seem to care about.
My heart melts at the sight of the two of them and I unknowingly stroke my belly, a smile playing on my lips.
"I love you too, son," Mulder says tenderly. "Have a good night's sleep, okay? And I'll wake you up in the morning with looooads of kisses."
"No, daddy," Jamie giggles, squealing as Mulder tickles him lightly.
"Come on, Jamie," I hold my hand out to him with a smile.
He slides off his father's lap and takes my hand. I hear Mulder offer Skinner another beer as I take Jamie upstairs.
We get through the night time routine fairly easily. Half an hour later, Jamie's face has been washed, teeth brushed and he's slowly drifted off to sleep as I read Goodnight Moon to him, one of his favorites just as it used to be one of mine when I was his age.
I ease him off of my arm and he snuggles into his pillow. I pull his cover up over his shoulder and kiss his soft, little cheek. His nose scrunches up as I run a hand through his light brown locks. He's such a special boy and I can't wait to see him be a big brother to his little sister. I turn off the bedside lamp and carefully walk out of his room, closing the door behind me.
"Did he go to sleep alright?" Mulder asks me as I walk back into the living room.
"He's sleeping like a baby," I confirm as I sit down on the couch next to Mulder.
"How do you get him to sleep so quickly?" Mulder wonders, scooting over and putting his arm on the back of the sofa behind my back.
"I just don't get him riled up like you do," I chuckle, giving his thigh a squeeze as I lean into his side.
"Ahh," Mulder nods, taking a swig of his beer which is almost empty now.
"He's cute," Skinner says from his armchair, picking some fluff from his pant leg. "Your kid."
"Thank you, Walter," I say sincerely.
He looks up from his lap and gives me a little smile.
The three of us converse for a few more minutes before Skinner takes the last sip of beer from his bottle.
"Well," he says standing up. "Tonight has been delightful but I think I'll return to my motel now, it's getting late."
"It was our pleasure," I tell him, Mulder and I standing up as well.
"I'll follow you out," Mulder says and Skinner nods.
"It was lovely seeing you again, Dana," he gives me a weak smile, flushing slightly.
"It was nice getting to know you, Walter," I tell him. "Mulder speaks very fondly of you."
"Well," now it's Mulder's turn to flush which seems to humor Skinner. "That's enough pleasantries."
I chuckle and sit back down on the couch, listening to Mulder see Skinner out. Within a few minutes Mulder is back by my side, enveloping me in his arms.
"What a day," Mulder sighs.
"Mmmh," I silently agree, closing my eyes as I snuggle into his chest.
"Skinner… it was weird how he told me to leave down in the morgue…" he sounds uncertain. "What did he want?"
"He apologised for you," I chuckle. "You hadn't told him I was your wife, so he thought you were being very… unprofessional."
"Well, at least he knows now," he sighs. "Was that all he wanted then?"
"Yeah," I sound unsure and realise I have to tell him the truth. "I mean… he asked me out for drinks, actually."
"He did what?" Mulder sits up straight.
I sit back and look at him clenching his jaw.
"Babe, he didn't know that I'm yours," I tell him sweetly, taking his hand - his resolve immediately softens.
"So what did you tell him?" he wonders.
"I told him that I was happily married, of course," I put my hand on his neck and pull his head towards mine. "Don't be mad at him, okay?"
"You didn't tell him he could never live up to your husband?" he smirks, moving his right hand up to my shirt, slowly undoing the buttons.
"No one could ever live up to you," I whisper before capturing his mouth with mine.
We end up making love on the couch. It's late when Mulder picks me up and carries me upstairs to our bedroom. Both of us naked. He brings out a wet washcloth from the ensuite bathroom and gently moves it between my legs and down my thighs.
"You're so sweet," I sigh, pulling up the cover as he's done with his tender aftercare.
He walks back to the bathroom, turns off the light and then joins me in bed, spooning up to me.
"Of course I'm sweet," he whispers. "You're my life, Dana. You deserve it."
His hand moves down to my baby bump. He rubs it tenderly, his big hand covering so much territory across my stomach.
I can't believe how lucky I've been. Mulder, Jamie, Lily when she arrives in February… I feel so complete. I'm finally through medical school and settling into my residency in pathology. It's been hard raising a child that we had never planned for. We were in no way prepared for what it meant to be parents. But with Mulder by my side, we made it through. We've loved Jamie ever since we found out about his existence, as unprepared as we were. And not a day goes by that we don't feel lucky to be his parents and to have him in our lives.
But expecting Lily feels different. We know what we're going into and we've actually planned it this time.
My journey with Mulder has been full of little bumps but it's all been worth it for us to end up where we are today. I never could have imagined what it feels like to make a family for yourself - I don't think I ever could have truly settled down with anyone other than Mulder.
Our journey is far from over and I'm sure there'll be bumps in the road down the line - but as we have so far, we'll overcome them together.
I feel his breath on my neck and slowly I drift off to sleep with him. My dreams filled with a little girl with Mulder's beautiful, green eyes; dark, auburn hair and the cutest little laugh. She's playing with her older brother. Jamie looks so proud. Their father picks them both up in his arms. They're all smiling and laughing. My family. My life.
-xxx-
THE END